China's President Xi Jinping will host South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on a state visit starting on Sunday, as Beijing looks to strengthen ties with Seoul amidst rising tensions with Japan over Taiwan.

World shares have begun the new year on an upbeat note, with benchmarks in Britain and South Korea hitting records.

South Korea's benchmark KOSPI surged 75.63% last year, becoming the best-performing index among major economies, according to the Korea Exchange.

North Korea's state media released photos Thursday of what it said was the hull of a nuclear submarine. Its leader denounced South Korea's plans to build its own subs as "an offensive act."

South Korea is chasing a coal-free future in efforts to slash carbon emissions, an ambitious goal for the fossil fuel-dependent country

South Korea's factory activity expanded in December, after two months of contraction, on a rebound in export demand, a private-sector survey showed on Friday, with manufacturers' optimism surging to a 3-1/2-year high.

The debut followed the North’s first test of a new surface-to-air missile and the arrival of a U.S. nuclear-powered attack sub for a port call in South Korea.

South Korea said it will formally end its dwindling yet much-criticized bear bile farming industry this week, though about 200 bears are still kept in pens and raised for their gallbladders.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will host South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on a state visit starting on Sunday, signalling Beijing's intent to strengthen ties with Seoul amidst strained relations with Japan over Taiwan.

North Korea says it fired long-range strategic cruise missiles into the sea to test the country’s nuclear deterrence.