South Korea

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — As the war in Ukraine stretches into its seventh month, North Korea is hinting at its interest in sending construction workers to help rebuild Russian-occupied territories in the country’s east.

The idea is openly endorsed by senior Russian officials and diplomats, who foresee a cheap and hard-working workforce that could be thrown into the “most arduous conditions,” a term Russia’s ambassador to North Korea used in a recent interview.

SEOUL, Aug 31 (NNN-YONHAP) – South Korea reported 103,961 new COVID-19 cases as of midnight, compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 23,246,398, the health authorities said today.

The daily caseload was down from 115,638 the previous day, and lower than 139,307 tallied a week earlier, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

For the past week, the daily average number of confirmed cases was 94,010.

Among the new cases, 458 were imported, lifting the total to 58,798.

SEOUL, Aug 23 (NNN-YONHAP) – South Korea reported 150,258 new COVID-19 cases as of midnight, compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 22,449,475, the health authorities said today.

The daily caseload was up from 59,046 the previous day and higher than 84,103 tallied a week earlier, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

For the past week, the daily average number of confirmed cases was 135,390.

Among the new cases, 504 were imported from overseas, lifting the total to 55,714.

SEOUL, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's currency hit the lowest in over 13 years Tuesday on the strong U.S. dollar, leading the foreign exchange authorities to issue a verbal warning.

The won/dollar exchange rate finished at 1,345.5 won per dollar, up 5.7 won from the previous close. It marked the highest in more than 13 years since the exchange rate reached 1,356.8 won on April 28, 2009.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The United States and South Korea began their biggest combined military training in years Monday as they heighten their defense posture against the growing North Korean nuclear threat.

The drills could draw an angry response from North Korea, which has dialed up its weapons testing activity to a record pace this year while repeatedly threatening conflicts with Seoul and Washington amid a prolonged stalemate in diplomacy.

SEOUL, August 19. /TASS/: The North Korean authorities will never accept South Korea's offer of denuclearization in exchange for economic aid, Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said, according to the Yonhap news agency, which cited the newspaper Rodong Sinmun.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said her country will never accept South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s “foolish” offer of economic benefits in exchange for denuclearization steps, accusing Seoul of recycling proposals Pyongyang already rejected.

In a commentary published by state media Friday, Kim Yo Jong stressed that her country has no intentions to give away its nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles program for economic cooperation, saying “no one barters its destiny for corn cake.”

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s president said Wednesday his government has no plans to pursue its own nuclear deterrent and called instead for more diplomacy in the face of growing North Korean nuclear weapons capabilities, even as the North test-fired two suspected cruise missiles.

The launches were detected from North Korea’s western coast hours before South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol used a news conference to urge Pyongyang to return to diplomacy aimed at exchanging denuclearization steps for economic benefits.

SEOUL, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- The combined forces of South Korea and the United States on Tuesday launched annual military drills as planned, three days after liberal activists held a massive rally to protest against it.

The South Korea-led crisis management drills, designed to practice procedures to respond to possible pre-war crisis scenarios, kicked off earlier in the day.

The four-day preliminary drills will be conducted ahead of the Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise, a newly-named summertime military exercise between the two allies involving field maneuvers.

Seoul, Aug 15(AP-PTI) South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday offered audacious economic assistance to North Korea if it abandons its nuclear weapons programme while avoiding harsh criticism of the North days after it threatened deadly retaliation over the COVID-19 outbreak it blames on the South.