Seoul, South Korea (CNN) — South Korea will hold its largest winter live-fire drills Thursday in an area adjacent to North Korea, the South Korean army said Wednesday.

Dec 21 (Reuters) - Seoul shares bounced and hit a 38-month closing high on Tuesday as investor anxiety over growing geopolitical tensions in the Korean peninsula eased, and the market was lifted by gains in steelmakers and crude oil refiners.

South Korea’s parliament voted Tuesday to legalize chemical castration as punishment for convicted child sex offenders after a series of violent assaults sparked outrage nationwide. The bill was first introduced in 2008 in response to a...