Defense minister, top US envoy discuss OPCON transfer, air base relocation

The number of babies born in Korea rose 11.1 percent in July from a year earlier, marking the 25th consecutive month of increases, government data showed Wednesday. A total of 24,275 babies were born in July, up from 21,854 a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics. It marked the highest figure for any July since 25,222 recorded in 2019. The country's total fertility rate, the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime, rose 0.08 from a year earlier to 0.89 in July. The rate remains well below the 2.1 births per woman needed to maintain a stable population without immigration. The number of births has maintained an upward trajectory since July 2024. Over the January-July period, 170,079 babies were born, up 14.7 percent from a year earlier. It was the highest figure for the period since 2019. The recent rebound came amid a growing number of marriages, an increase in the population in their 30s and more positive attitudes toward having children. The number of marriages in July rose 9.3 percent from a year earlier to 22,282. The number of di

The number of Koreans who moved to new residences decreased in August from a year earlier amid a recent decline in housing transactions, data showed Wednesday. Around 471,000 people changed residences in August, down 22,000 from a year earlier, according to data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics. It was the lowest figure for any August in 53 years since the 420,000 recorded in 1973. The population mobility rate — the number of people relocating per 100 residents -- fell 0.5 percentage point from a year earlier to 10.9 percent. The data ministry attributed the decrease to declines in housing transactions and new home supplies. "The number of homes traded in June and July totaled 132,000, down 4.4 percent from a year earlier. Over the same period, the number of apartment units completed came to 43,000, down 29.1 percent," an official from the data ministry said. By region, Seoul reported a net outflow of 2,901 people, while South Gyeongsang Province and the southwestern Jeonnam-Gwangju area posted net outflows of 1,230 and 1,081, respectively. In contrast, Gyeonggi Province reported

Former first lady Kim Keon Hee on Wednesday appealed an appellate ruling sentencing her to five years in prison on bribery-related charges, taking the case to the Supreme Court, legal sources said. The Seoul High Court convicted Kim, the wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, on charges of accepting bribes for mediation in a Tuesday ruling that partially overturned a lower court's seven-year sentence. A special counsel team earlier indicted Kim on charges of receiving various expensive gifts from multiple people in return for job appointments and business favors between 2022 and 2023. While a district court convicted her on all counts in June, the appellate court acquitted her of charges of receiving a luxury watch and a replica of a Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) painting. The special counsel team has also indicated that it plans to take the case to the top court.

The Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) said Wednesday it has sent part of the results of its inspection into the state election watchdog to the special prosecutor team investigating ballot shortages in June's local elections. The BAI conducted a financial audit of the National Election Commission (NEC) from July 6 to Aug. 28 to look into whether there were any irregularities that could have contributed to the unprecedented shortages of voting papers in the June 3 elections. The results have not yet been made public. The data handed over to the independent counsel team involved six cases related to budget execution for major elections, including interference with bidding, unfair private contracts, and wrongful inspections, as they were deemed to require a swift investigation, the BAI said. The BAI did not disclose further details. The agency explained that it decided to share the data ahead of the official audit announcement because the special prosecutor team has only 150 days to investigate the case and related materials should be provided in time.

As e-commerce rapidly transforms retail across Southeast Asia, Korean brands are using hands-on offline experiences in Vietnam to drive digital sales. Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) hosted its 2026 Korea Festival at Parc Mall in Ho Chi Minh City from Sept. 16-22, bringing 80 Korean companies together for product sales, market testing and cultural experiences. The event featured Korean beauty products, food and household goods, along with tastings linked to KOTRA’s Seoul Food exhibition, live commerce, Chuseok cultural activities and K-pop performances. Among participating companies were 48 domestic firms with limited overseas experience and 10 companies new to exporting, KOTRA said, with local vendors helping them test products and gauge Vietnamese consumers’ responses. KOTRA said it will follow the in-person event with an online promotion on Shopee Vietnam from Oct. 3-5, extending the campaign from mall counters to one of Southeast Asia’s major e-commerce platforms. The online campaign will feature 87 companies, including domestic firms, first-time exporters and co

Unionized workers at Naver Z Corp., the metaverse affiliate of Korea's Naver Corp., staged a walkout on Wednesday, its second collective action this year against the company's decision to freeze wages. Some 70 percent of the union's members, or around 120 people, picketed in front of its parent company's headquarters in Seongnam, south of Seoul, the portal operator's affiliate-wide labor union said. "Across Naver and its affiliates, a rate freeze happened only once in 2009, following the global financial crisis. Even during that time, the company shifted the financial burden onto its employees by increasing the wages of its executives by 71 percent," the union argued during a live broadcast of the walkout. The latest collective action is the second of its kind from Naver Z, after it staged a partial, 4-hour strike early this month. It also marks the second industrial action from Korea's portal service industry after unionized members of Kakao Corp., a messenger app operator, staged multiple walkouts in June.

The Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KGCCI) and the French-Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) on Tuesday jointly hosted a forum with Korean Prime Minister Han Seong-sook in Seoul to discuss foreign investment conditions and regulatory challenges in Korea facing European companies. About 200 executives from German, French and other European companies, along with government, diplomatic and economic officials, took part in the event at Banyan Tree Club & Spa Seoul, the KGCCI said Wednesday. It was organized to strengthen direct communication between the Korean government and European businesses. In her keynote speech, Han described Korea, Germany, France and other European Union members as trusted partners built on long-standing ties and shared support for free trade, openness, innovation and a rules-based international order. “The government will do its utmost to cooperate so that investments and business ventures by German and French companies can generate greater results in Korea,” Han said. Han highlighted the 19th Asia-Pacific Conference of German Busine

HS Hyosung Advanced Materials is showcasing carbon fiber products for aerospace, defense and drone applications at CAMX 2026 in the United States, as the company seeks to expand into advanced industries. The three-day Composites and Advanced Materials Expo runs from Tuesday to Thursday (local time) in Atlanta. More than 500 companies are participating, with about 7,000 visitors expected to attend. HS Hyosung Advanced Materials has participated in the annual exhibition since it was launched in 2014. The company is displaying 3K carbon fiber, 3K woven fabrics and composites for drones, as well as high-pressure vessels used in satellites. “CAMX 2026 is an important opportunity to share the latest technologies and market trends with major companies and customers in the global composites industry and explore new business opportunities,” HS Hyosung Advanced Materials CEO Lim Jin-dal said. “Based on our high-performance carbon fiber technologies and stable supply capabilities, we will provide differentiated carbon fiber solutions for advanced industries, including aerospace.” Carbon fibe

Korea, Britain, France and five other nations from Europe and the Indo-Pacific have warned that disruption of sea lanes, including the Strait of Hormuz, is unacceptable and vowed to stand together in addressing shared challenges, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday. The foreign ministers and high-level representatives of the European and Indo-Pacific Partners (EIPP) — Korea, Australia, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Poland and Britain — made the call in a joint statement following a meeting in New York on Tuesday, according to the ministry. The meeting, the second of its kind, was held on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly amid the prolonged conflict in the Middle East and growing disruptions to maritime security. "Disruption of sea lanes, including the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab-el-Mandab Strait, whether by force, threat or the introduction of unlawful tolls or conditions for transit, threatens security and prosperity of all, especially the world's most vulnerable, and are unacceptable," the statement said. "We call on all countries to speak out wh

The annual exodus for Chuseok, the Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving, began Wednesday as Koreans headed to their hometowns for family reunions and took trips during the extended holiday. This year's four-day Chuseok holiday runs from Thursday to Sunday. Traditionally, Koreans return to their hometowns during Chuseok to reunite with family members and pay respects at their ancestors' graves. Traffic congestion already began building on major expressways across the country on Wednesday afternoon, as Chuseok traffic increased, according to Korea Expressway Corp. The company said traffic would be heavier than usual Wednesday, with 6.13 million vehicles expected to be on the roads throughout the day. The company estimated that 510,000 vehicles would travel from the Seoul metropolitan area to other regions, while 450,000 would travel in the opposite direction. It expects the 420-kilometer drive from Seoul to the southeastern city of Busan, for instance, to take about seven hours and 30 minutes. An expressway trip from Seoul to the southwestern city of Gwangju would take six hours and 50 minutes

In an effort to curb market manipulation and enforce fair rules across all home buyers, land and transport officials in Korea have launched an expanded review of real estate transactions involving overseas capital. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Wednesday that it is currently investigating 840 residential and commercial property transactions conducted by foreign nationals between June 2025 and July 2026. The national inquiry, set to conclude in December, builds on regulatory measures first introduced in 2022 to prevent systemic loopholes that allow unverified foreign funds to bypass domestic lending limits and tax oversight. By expanding review parameters under a revised decree of the Real Estate Transactions Act, authorities are scrutinizing a broader dataset. Inspectors are now verifying whether purchase capital originated from foreign stock sales, cryptocurrency liquidations or overseas loans, while also cross-referencing visa categories to identify unauthorized rental businesses operated by short-term visitors. The crackdowns respond directly to public conce