GM Korea Co., the South Korean unit of General Motors Co., said Monday its November sales fell 9.2 percent from a year earlier due to weak demand for its models. GM Korea, which sells it cars under the Chevrolet badge here, sold a total of 38,621 vehicles last month, down from 42,543 units a year earlier, the company said in a statement. Domestic sales declined 20 percent to 8,294 units last mo...

South Korean and US officials are expected to hold "working group" consultations on North Korea this week via videoconferencing, a diplomatic source here said Monday. The allies launched the new communication channel in November as part of efforts to coordinate their approach toward Pyongyang more systematically and frequently amid concerns about a possible schism over the issue of sanctions. T...

Internet-only Kakao Bank said Monday it has unveiled a passbook for members of mobile communities and group communication. An administrator of a mobile community can open a passbook that can be used to collect membership fees, the bank said. As many as 100 members, who are aged 14 or older, can join one passbook, the bank said. For security reasons, the passbook's account is available for a vi...

South Korean babies born in 2017 are expected to live more than 82 years, government data showed Monday, as a growing number of people take care of their health by receiving regular medical checkups and treatment. Life expectancy at birth averaged 82.7 years in 2017, three months longer than a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. The average life expectancy for Sout...

South Korean media and entertainment company CJ ENM has invested about $1 million in the production of "Moulin Rouge," a Broadway musical set to open in June, the company said Monday. It became the company's third participation in the production of overseas musicals after "Kinky Boots" and "The Bodyguard." "We have put our name early on the list of producers with a 1-million-dollar investment,"...

President Moon Jae-in's use of a different word, instead of a "groundbreaking ceremony," to refer to the beginning of an inter-Korean road and railway reconnection project, appears to reflect his cautious approach in making sure the project doesn't violate sanctions, observers said Monday. In September's third summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Moon agreed to hold a groundbreaking cere...

The coaches of Ulsan Hyundai FC and Daegu FC on Monday vowed all-out efforts to finish the season on a high by clinching the domestic football cup title. The two K League 1 clubs will go head-to-head in the two-legged final of the 2018 Korea Football Association Cup this week. The first leg will be played at Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan on Wednesday, followed by the return leg at Daegu Stadi...

South Korea unveiled a midterm master plan for developing inter-Korean relations Monday mostly focusing on the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the establishment of lasting peace and mutual trust with North Korea. The plan, the third of its kind, lays out the objectives and directions of the government's policy on inter-Korean relations for 2018-2022. It will replace the second...

South Korea's parliamentary speaker said Monday that he will open a plenary session later in the day to put the government's 2019 budget proposal up for vote, unless rival parties reach an agreement on the schedule for its passage. The 470.5 trillion won ($421.8 billion) budget bill was automatically sent to a plenary session as the legal deadline to handle the proposal passed Sunday amid partis...

It is still possible for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to visit South Korea before the end of this year, the unification ministry said Monday, adding the government continues to make relevant preparations. "We remain unchanged in our stance that (Kim's visit) will be possible and necessary before the end of this year," Baik Tae-hyun, a ministry spokesman, told a regular press briefing. "We wil...

South Korea's antitrust chief pledged Monday to overhaul related rules on consumer protection in e-commerce as part of its effort to improve the rights of consumers. The latest move comes as a growing number of South Koreans use smartphones to buy things ranging from clothes to electronic goods. The Fair Trade Commission "will sternly deal with deceptive acts ... and will create market conditio...

South Korea and China held working-level talks Monday to seek ways to lower trade barriers and boost investment between the two nations, Seoul's trade ministry said. South Korea's ministry of trade, industry and energy and China's commerce ministry held an investment promotion meeting in Beijing, the second such talks in four years. Senior trade officials discussed ways to create a joint indust...

The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization will implement a pilot project next year to award international certification to tap water in a South Korean city, the Ministry of Environment said Monday. In order to recommend a South Korean city for the international certification system for tap water, the ministry will give a presentation to representatives of local governments at the ...

LG Electronics Inc. said Monday it has finished the installation of digital signage in the observatory elevator of Thailand's tallest skyscraper, MahaNakhon Tower, showcasing its OLED display technology. The South Korean tech giant said the new elevator, which utilizes 56 units of 55-inch OLED displays, will make visitors feel as if they are inside a virtual reality. Visitors will enjoy various...

Lee Cook-jong, a well-known South Korean trauma surgeon, will be appointed as an honorary commander of the Navy in recognition of his contribution to the military medical service, the Navy said Monday. Adm. Sim Seung-seob, chief of naval operations, plans to host a related ceremony for Lee, head of the regional trauma center at Ajou University Hospital in Suwon, south of Seoul. Lee was first gi...