South Korean food products rejected by Chinese customs surged amid heightened tensions surrounding the diplomatic row over the deployments of a US anti-missile defense system here, official data showed Sunday.In March and April 95 shipments of food were turned back by Chinese customs, up a sharp 280 percent from 25 rejections posted for the same two-month period in 2016, the state-run Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation said.It said items rejected included various cookies and crackers,

Industry June 25, 2017

North Korea's state media said Sunday its nuclear weapons program is not subject to negotiation, vowing to continue developing its defensive capabilities.Pyongyang's official newspaper Rodong Sinmun said in an editorial that South Korea and the United States should give up attempts to make the North abandon its nuclear weapons. (Yonhap)"We should make every effort to strengthen our national defense with the nuclear capability as the backbone," it said. "Our self-defensive nuclear deterrent force

North Korea June 25, 2017

MUJU -- At age 29, South Korean taekwondo practitioner Oh Hye-ri isn't exactly a young pup in a sport that requires endurance, strength and speed, not to mention an array of other skills.But Oh, who will be competing in the women's under-73kg at the World Taekwondo Federation World Championships here, still has a youthful exuberance about her, and it is with unbridled joy that she steps up to the mat. South Korean taekwondo practitioner Oh Hye-ri (left) puts on an earpiece with some help from fe

More Sports June 25, 2017

The number of online shopping vendors in South Korea has rapidly expanded, government data showed Sunday, reflecting the development of e-commerce transactions here.According to the data by the National Tax Service, some 151,000 businesses exclusively selling products or services through the Internet were registered as of end 2015, up 14.3 percent from a year earlier. (Yonhap)The number of businesses that only have online shops has steadily increased from 108,000 in 2012, 114,000 in 2013, to 132

Industry June 25, 2017

South Korean swimmer Park Tae-hwan has picked up his second victory in his world championships tune-up.Park captured the 200m freestyle title at the Sette Colli Trophy at Stadio del Nuoto in Rome on Saturday (local time), with a time of 1:46.89.Nicholas Grainger of Britain was in second place with 1:48.30, followed by another British swimmer, Duncan Scott.South Korean swimmer Park Tae-hwan speaks at a press conference in Seoul on June 16, 2017. (Yonhap)Park is gearing up for the FINA World Aquat

Sports June 25, 2017

Sport utility vehicles accounted for four out of 10 new cars sold in South Korea in May, official data showed Sunday.According to the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association crossovers accounted for 40.28 percent or 53,206 of the 132,038 vehicles registered in the country during the one-month period. The numbers reflects both SUVs and other recreational vehicles.The rise in SUVs is noteworthy since in 2011, they made up 19 percent of all new cars hitting the streets. This number shot up to 35

Mobility June 25, 2017

Samsung Electronics Co. gained the No. 2 spot in the global wearable market in the first quarter of this year by overtaking Fitbit for the first time, on the back of the success of its Gear S3 smartwatch, data showed Sunday. According to the data compiled by Strategy Analytics, Samsung captured 12.8 percent of the global market share in terms of sales during the January-March period, overtaking Fitbit with 12.2 percent. Apple maintained its No. 1 status with a commanding 53-percent market share.

Companies June 25, 2017

Total value of imported vehicles dropped 10.9 percent in the first five months of this year mainly due to weak demand for diesel cars, local trade data showed Sunday.According to the Korea International Trade Association, Asia's fourth-largest economy imported $3.89 billion worth of foreign passenger and commercial vehicles by the end of May. Sales of luxury German carmakers Mercedes-Benz, BMW and certain commercial vehicles increased compared to last year, but the drop in numbers for diesel car

Mobility June 25, 2017

MUJU -- The biennial world championships in taekwondo opened here on Saturday with early round action in the men's and women's lightest weight classes.T1 Arena inside Taekwondowon in Muju, 240 kilometers south of Seoul, will host the World Taekwondo Federation World Taekwondo Championships through Friday. The opening day of action featured preliminary rounds in the women's under-46kg and men's under-54kg.The semifinals and finals for these two classes are scheduled for Sunday.South Korean Presid

More Sports June 25, 2017

MUJU -- Two taekwondo stars from last year's Summer Olympics said Saturday they look forward to renewing their rivalry at the ongoing world championships in South Korea.Lee Dae-hoon of South Korea, the bronze medalist in the men's 68kg at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, and Ahmad Abughaush of Jordan, who beat Lee in the quarterfinals en route to winning the gold medal, will be on a collision course to meet in the final at the World Taekwondo Federation World Taekwondo Championships. Ahmad Abughaush

More Sports June 25, 2017

MUJU -- The South Korean leader of global taekwondo said Saturday he was hopeful the two Koreas would continue to engage in exchange programs following their historic meeting here.Choue Chung-won, president of the World Taekwondo Federation, has welcomed a delegation from the North Korea-led International Taekwondo Federation to the WTF World Taekwondo Championships. A demonstration team from the ITF, made up of 12 North Koreans, will have a performance during the competition's opening ceremony

More Sports June 25, 2017

South Korean swimmer Park Tae-hwan has claimed an encouraging victory in a tune-up meet for next month's world championships.Park won the 400m freestyle title at the Sette Colli Trophy at Stadio del Nuoto in Rome on Friday (local time), with a time of 3:44.54.This is the fifth-best 400m freestyle time of 2017. Park also owns the fourth-fastest time in the distance this year with 3:44.38. South Korean swimmer Park Tae-hwan listens to a question during a press conference in Seoul on June 16, 2017.

More Sports June 25, 2017

MUJU -- Taekwondo's top athletes said Saturday they welcome new scoring rules designed to make their sport more exciting and spectator-friendly.The World Taekwondo Federation World Taekwondo Championships started its seven-day run earlier in the day at Taekwondowon in Muju, about 240 kilometers south of Seoul. This is also the first world championships since the WTF adopted a series of rule changes at its General Assembly in November. Athletes and officials participating in the World Taekwondo F

More Sports June 25, 2017