South Korea's new industry minister Kim Jung-kwan said on Monday that tariff talks with the U.S. are in a critical phase that could result in all kinds of possible scenarios, according to the ministry.

SEOUL, - Round-up of South Korean financial markets: ** South Korean shares started the week higher on Monday, as major exporters of chips, batteries and steel rose, with investors remaining focussed on U.S. tariff talks.

SEOUL - South Korea is studying various plans to improve relations with North Korea, a spokesperson for South Korea's Unification Ministry said on Monday, in response to a media report that Seoul is considering allowing individual tours to North Korea.

Two people have died and five were missing in the South Korean county of Gapyeong on Sunday, after a landslide engulfed houses and campsites and flooding swept away vehicles amid heavy rainfall.

Relatives of the Jeju Air disaster victims objected to the report in a stormy scene at a news conference, complaining that it blamed the pilots prematurely.

South Korea's space ambitions keep growing. The nation wants to build a moon base by 2025, The Korea Times reported on Thursday (July 17), citing a long-term exploration road map that the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) laid out that same day during a hearing at the National Research Foundation of Korea in Daejeon.

South Korea's national security adviser has headed to Washington, authorities said on Sunday, with less than two weeks to go until U.S. President Donald Trump's Aug. 1 deadline to secure a trade deal or face steep tariffs.