The delinquency ratio on loans extended by banks rose for the second consecutive month in August, data showed Friday. The delinquency numbers on banks' won-denominated loans stood at 0.69 percent as of end-August, up 0.06 percentage point from a month earlier, according to the data from the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS). The amount of newly overdue loans came to 3 trillion won ($2.26 billion) in August, down 0.2 trillion won from the previous month. The amount of write-offs of such loans, on the other hand, came in at 1.5 trillion won, up 0.1 trillion won over the cited period, according to the FSS. The delinquency ratio for corporate loans stood at 0.86 percent as of end-August, up 0.08 percentage point from a month earlier, and the ratio for household loans rose 0.03 percentage point to 0.45 percent over the same period.

Two clubs with a long history of heated rivalry will battle for a spot in the Korean baseball championship series starting this weekend. The Samsung Lions and the Kia Tigers will square off in the best-of-five second round in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason. The opening game is 2 p.m. Sunday at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in the southeastern city of Daegu. The second game will also be in Daegu at 6:30 p.m. Monday. The series will then shift to the Tigers' home in the southwestern city of Gwangju, with Game 3 at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field. If necessary, Game 4 is 6:30 p.m. Thursday in Gwangju. Should the teams need a Game 5 to decide the winner, the final game will be in Daegu at 2 p.m. Oct. 31. The winner of this showdown will advance to the Korean Series, where the KT Wiz, the regular-season champions, are waiting. The Lions, by finishing in second place in the regular season, earned a bye to this series. The Tigers, who finished third, swept the 2025 Korean Series champions LG Twins in the previous round to get to this stage. The Lions and the Tigers

WASHINGTON — South Korea has sent a letter to the president of the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) over last month's land mine explosion incident near the inter-Korean border that injured three South Korean soldiers, calling for North Korea to apologize and take responsibility for the incident, according to officials Thursday. South Korean Ambassador to the United Nations Cha Ji-hoon sent the roughly two-page letter to his Greek counterpart, who holds the rotating Security Council presidency, outlining the findings of an investigation into the Sept. 21 explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), according to the South Korean mission to the U.N. The letter is said to emphasize that the explosion was caused by a land mine planted by North Korean troops and constituted a violation of the Korean War Armistice Agreement. It also called on Pyongyang to take responsible measures and engage in dialogue to prevent further escalation and restore trust. A South Korean government official said the letter was expected to be circulated among Security Council members following approval by the council pre

WASHINGTON — The prospects of a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in the near future remain slim, U.S. experts said, citing Pyongyang's demands for a shift in Washington's policy toward the North, including its approach to denuclearization. Jenny Town, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center, and Ankit Panda, a nuclear policy expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, offered their assessments during a podcast discussion hosted by Victor Cha, Korea chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, published Thursday. Town said the North has made clear that they reject the notion of any kind of denuclearization agenda. "The question isn't, 'Will North Korea come to the table?' The question is, 'Is the U.S. willing to do those things (change its North Korean policy)?'" she said, referring to North Korea's demands for changes in what it considers Washington's hostile policy. "I think the prospects of meeting, you know, I think are fairly low," she added, putting the likelihood of a meeting at less than 50 percent. Panda o

NEW YORK — Drops for stocks in the artificial-intelligence industry are dragging markets down worldwide on Thursday, while oil prices hit their highest levels since May on worries about the war with Iran. The S&P 500 fell 1.4 percent toward its worst day since July, while the Nasdaq composite tumbled 2.8 percent. The weakness for tech stocks was so overwhelming that it masked strength for the rest of the market, where the majority of U.S. stocks actually rose. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down only a modest 0.2 percent, or 113 points, as of 2:30 p.m. Eastern time. AI-related stocks have become shaky on worries that their boom may be under threat because of how expensive it’s become to borrow money to build data centers and buy more AI chips. Concerns also remain that their prices shot too high following a yearslong frenzy, even though companies in the industry continue to report growth. Lam Research, whose equipment and services help make semiconductors, reported gains in profit and revenue for the summer that were slightly stronger than analysts expected, for example. Usual

TEL AVIV, Israel — Seven oil tankers caught fire or were damaged in the Strait of Hormuz overnight after being hit by Iran or striking naval mines, Tehran said Thursday, a markedly high number as tensions rise over concerns about a return to all-out war. With days before a close election in Israel in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could lose power, and before next month’s U.S. midterm election in which war-linked high prices have sparked voter anger, there are concerns that U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran could resume. “Netanyahu wants to attack Iran, that’s not even a question,” Danny Citrinowicz, a researcher at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies and a former Iran specialist in Israel’s military and intelligence services, told The Associated Press. He accused Israel of rushing into another round with Iran without revamping its strategy. A clear Netanyahu victory in the Oct. 27 election means an attack is almost guaranteed, he said. Main opposition candidates are likely to focus on domestic issues first, but Citrinowicz said he believed the region is on

The world’s coral reef ecosystems almost all face a high risk of collapse in the next 50 years, mostly due to warming oceans and heat waves, according to a global assessment released Thursday. It's the latest dose of bad news for coral reefs, which are critical sources for seafood and tourism and often serve as buffers from coastal erosion and storms. Sometimes dubbed “rainforests of the sea,” they have some of the world’s richest biodiversity. They support a quarter of marine species as well as coastal communities and businesses. Some 96 percent of shallow-water reef systems are already critically endangered and could disappear by 2075, the International Union for Conservation of Nature announced on the sidelines of a U.N. biodiversity conference in Albania. Most of the world’s famous reef systems — including the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the Coral Triangle in the Western Pacific Ocean and Southeast Asia, the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System and the Red Sea coral reefs — are all critically endangered, the highest level of threat. “The risk of coral reef collapse i

WASHINGTON — U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Michelle Steel on Thursday highlighted the potential for greater shipbuilding cooperation between Seoul and Washington following a visit to a shipyard operated by Samsung Heavy Industries Co. "By combining American and Korean expertise, we can strengthen our shipbuilding industries, drive innovation and create new opportunities for workers in both countries," she wrote in a post on social media platform X after visiting the Geoje shipyard, about 330 kilometers south of Seoul. She thanked Samsung Heavy Industries, the world's fifth-largest shipbuilder in terms of its existing orders, for welcoming her and for sharing the company's vision for shipbuilding cooperation. The remarks come amid South Korea's broader efforts to revive the U.S. shipbuilding industry under the MASGA, or "Make American Shipbuilding Great Again," initiative. Earlier this year, Samsung Heavy Industries established a research center in San Diego to support the South Korea-U.S. initiative. The SHI-SDSU Advanced Maritime Center, jointly launched with San Diego State Universit

LONDON — Governments and corporations worked throughout the night on urgent security updates after the AI-assisted discovery of vulnerabilities in a programming language vital to 70% of websites globally. Many government sites appeared to be functioning normally Thursday, but outages or limited service continued while security work was under way. The FBI’s cyber division warned on Wednesday that the vulnerabilities could allow malicious actors to remotely execute code in the programming language, PHP, which powers websites and web applications. That raised the risk of sensitive data and networks being compromised, said the agency, which recommended that operators take websites offline if they can’t update them immediately. Cybersecurity experts who spoke to the Associated Press said the impact of the vulnerabilities discovered would have ripple effects for some time but said governments were following cyber best practice by taking down websites while they were patched. Limited disruptions on government websites In Britain, some “limited” government services may temporarily be of

The language that's known as the backbone of the internet is now subject to what experts describe as one of the most notable vulnerabilities in recent memory. PHP is a widely used general-purpose scripting language that is geared towards web development, and thus, it powers the vast majority of websites across the world. When the organization behind the language and the FBI’s cyber division warned on Wednesday of significant vulnerabilities in the language , government agencies, corporations and other organizations were sent into a flurry. The episode also highlights how artificial intelligence is changing the game when it comes to web security. Here's what to make of the discovery of the vulnerabilities and the fallout. The vulnerabilities opened sites to a host of potential security concerns The official website for PHP and several other organizations and agencies released security advisories Wednesday urging PHP users to patch two critical vulnerabilities or shut down their sites if they couldn’t update them immediately. The PHP Foundation, which works to provide transparency and ac

PARIS — Dozens of protesters took to the Paris streets on Thursday despite bans on demonstrations ordered in multiple French cities following a weekend of clashes and widespread looting that marked France’s most violent unrest in years. Organizers of the Paris protest said an administrative court in the city overturned a ban issued by police. The Paris police prefecture previously said the ban was necessary, given the risk of street violence after groups of masked youth clashed with police forces, looted shops and torched cars over the weekend. The Paris court ruling was not immediately made public. More bans were expected in the coming days. French President Emmanuel Macron said such measures aim to protect city centers, businesses and public buildings. The right to demonstrate in France is protected by the French Constitution, and the ban on demonstrations planned for Thursday in Paris, Lyon, Lille and Grenoble was seen by some as an infringement on French people’s right to protest. High school and university student groups said they will continue to mobilize, even though the autu

A Seoul court on Thursday issued an arrest warrant for a man in his 70s suspected of setting fires at two buildings in southern Seoul earlier this week, leaving 19 people injured. The Seoul Central District Court issued the warrant on charges of arson resulting in injuries, saying the man is a flight risk. The suspect was taken into custody hours after setting fires at two patent firms in separate buildings in Seoul's Gangnam district Tuesday. The fires left 19 people injured, including one who was rushed to a hospital in cardiac arrest. Police suspect the man held a grudge against the firms as he claimed they had defrauded him by issuing fake patent registration certificates. The suspect told investigators that he had bought two jerrycans, a lighter and flammable materials near his home in western Seoul on Friday, according to the police. Police are examining the suspect's psychiatric records and considering additional charges of attempted murder based on testimony that he had been looking for a specific person before setting the fires. The suspect was previously sentenced to two and a ha

The world’s coral reef ecosystems almost all face a high risk of collapse in the next 50 years mostly due to warming oceans and heat waves, according to a global assessment released Thursday. The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s assessment, announced on the sidelines of a U.N. biodiversity conference in Albania, found that 96 percent of shallow-water reef systems are already critically endangered and could disappear by 2075. Most of the world’s famous reef systems — including the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the Coral Triangle in the Western Pacific Ocean and Southeast Asia, the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System and the Red Sea coral reefs — are all critically endangered, the highest level of threat. “The risk of coral reef collapse is escalating, but this must be a wake-up call rather than a cause for despair," said Mishal Gudka, the scientific lead of the global IUCN Red List of Coral Reef Ecosystems assessment, the first of its kind. “Coral reefs have shown a remarkable ability to bounce back from devastating bleaching events,” he said. “Pockets of

South Korea and the United States on Thursday held joint river-crossing drills aimed at enhancing interoperability as part of the annual Hoguk military exercise, the South Korean Army said. Some 540 troops from the allies took part in the drills along the Namhan River in Yeoju, about 65 kilometers southeast of Seoul. The drills mobilized some 130 pieces of equipment, including 10 KM3 amphibious bridging vehicles, ribbon bridge systems and about 50 combat vehicles, such as K2 tanks and K21 armored vehicles. During the drills, the allied forces jointly installed and crossed a bridge spanning a 280-meter section of the river. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Kim Gyu-ha and U.S. Brig. Gen. Robert Brown, commanding general of the 2nd Infantry Division/South Korea-U.S. Combined Division, observed the drills.

Pope Leo XIV on Thursday encouraged young Catholics to join a "pilgrimage of faith, friendship and hope," saying he looks forward to meeting them in Seoul for World Youth Day 2027. The pope's remarks came as the organizing committee opened registration for World Youth Day, an international gathering of Catholic youth, set to take place in Seoul in August next year. "This is not merely an invitation to see a new city — it is a call to set out on a pilgrimage of faith, friendship and hope," he said in a video message shared by the Vatican to mark the registration opening. "A pilgrimage gives you the chance not only to discover Christian sites in another location, but also to find the time and space to encounter God more deeply, both personally and within the dynamic life of the Church." In addition to deepening faith, the pontiff said participants will be able to meet young people who speak different languages and come from different cultures to forge lifetime friendships. The pope specifically mentioned the theme of World Youth Day, "Take courage! I have overcome the world," calling on p

Korea will face Saudi Arabia and Qatar in two men's football friendly matches next month in Doha, the sport's national federation announced Thursday. The Korea Football Association (KFA) said the Taegeuk Warriors will first take on 55th-ranked Saudi Arabia on Nov. 13 and then play 60th-ranked Qatar on Nov. 17. The first match will kick off at 5:30 p.m. (local time) and the latter match will begin at 5 p.m. (local time). These matches will fall inside the last FIFA international match window of 2026. The KFA said the two matches will help prepare Korea, world No. 32, for the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup, scheduled to start in January in Saudi Arabia. In 19 meetings against Saudi Arabia, Korea have five wins, nine draws and five losses. Against Qatar, Korea have recorded six wins, two draws and three losses. The KFA said it had earlier sought to schedule the Saudi Arabia match in Saudi Arabia but decided to relocate it to Qatar, with Saudi Arabia having been under attack from Yemen's Houthi rebels. These will also be the final two matches for Korea's interim head coach, Robert Mor

A court on Thursday found 34 student activists guilty of trespassing on the then presidential compound and a U.S. military base between 2022 and 2024. The Seoul Western District Court sentenced a senior leader of the Korean Progressive University Student Union (KPUSU) to a suspended four-month prison term and ordered 32 other members to pay fines ranging from 1 million won ($756) to 6 million won. One other member received a deferred sentence of a 1 million-won fine. Two others were indicted but acquitted. The students faced multiple charges, including trespassing on a U.S. military installation in Korea in August 2022 and March 2023 to stage rallies against joint military exercises between Korea and the United States. In January and October 2024, they attempted to illegally enter what was then the presidential compound in Seoul's Yongsan Ward to demand the resignation of then President Yoon Suk Yeol and a special counsel investigation into then first lady Kim Keon Hee. The court ruled that the defendants did not act on impulse but conspired in advance, such as by sharing picket signs wit

President Lee Jae Myung said Thursday that the recent rebound in the country's potential growth rates signals a recovery in the national economy's fundamentals and that the trend should help promote balanced growth of both large and small firms. The president made the remarks at a meeting with his senior aides, citing a recent International Monetary Fund (IMF) report projecting the country's potential growth rate at 2.14 percent this year and 2.2 percent in 2027. The figures mark the first consecutive annual increases in about 40 years. "The rebound in potential growth rates, which can be viewed as basic physical strength for an economy, is welcome news that indicates the foundation for the growth of our economy is getting stronger," Lee said. The president stressed that this trend should serve as a steppingstone to promote sustainable, balanced growth by further solidifying the competitiveness of artificial intelligence and other advanced industries while focusing financial and policy resources on sectors that are slower to recover. "In order for the rare rebound in potential growth rat

World No. 3 Ryu Hae-ran put herself in early contention at the LPGA Tour event in her native South Korea on Thursday. Ryu shot a bogey-free round of five-under 67 to begin the BMW Ladies Championship at Pine Beach Golf Links in Haenam, some 330 kilometers south of Seoul. She is tied for third place with three other players and sits one stroke behind the two co-leaders, Karis Davidson of Australia and Yuri Yoshida of Japan. Ryu collected three birdies on the front nine and two more on the back nine at the par-72 course that played 6,549 yards in the first round. Ryu, who won two majors earlier this season, is the highest-ranked player in the field this week. "I missed a few birdie putts midway through the round, but I don't think my putting was a problem," she said. "And when I birdied the 15th and 16th, I was so excited. I felt those two would be key holes in this tournament, and the two birdies felt like big presents." Ryu is also in contention for the Vare Trophy, awarded to the player with the lowest scoring average each season. She came into this week ranked second in scoring with 69.5

Korean shares plunged more than 3 percent Thursday as investors took profits on major chip shares following a rebound in the previous session, amid concerns over investments in the artificial intelligence (AI) value chain. The Korean won strengthened against the U.S. dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 201.8 points, or 3.52 percent, to 5,533.77. The index opened down 1.14 percent before briefly turning positive to reach an intraday high of 5,740.28. It soon resumed its decline, with losses deepening sharply. The KOSPI had rebounded more than 3 percent in the previous session, recovering from steep losses as semiconductor shares rallied. Overnight, U.S. stocks closed mixed as AI-related shares rebounded following SpaceX's quarterly results. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.69 percent, while the S&P 500 gained 0.58 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite advanced 1.05 percent. After delivering sound earnings, Meta Platforms boosted its bet on the AI sector. "Although Meta and Tesla reported earnings that exceeded market expectations, their results f