Most Popular
-
1
'Super Rich in Korea' will leave viewers appreciating Korea more: producers
-
2
Probe of first lady on Dior bag allegations set to begin
-
3
Top prosecutor pledges 'speedy, strict' probe into first lady's luxury bag allegations
-
4
Indonesia’s KF-21 fighter jet deal cut back -- what’s next?
-
5
[KH Explains] Can tech firms' AI alliances take on Nvidia?
-
6
Police seek arrest warrant for med student who killed girlfriend
-
7
Local filmmakers criticize ‘The Roundup: Punishment’ monopoly of screens
-
8
[Grace Kao, Meera Choi] Has money displaced romance on dates?
-
9
Will China's self-sufficient dream in HBM come true?
-
10
Korean battery makers heave sigh of relief over 2-year IRA reprieve
-
DUP lawmaker summoned over nomination scandal
A lawmaker from the main opposition party appeared before Busan prosecutors on Wednesday for questioning over allegations that he bribed his way into parliament.Rep. Choi Dong-ik of the Democratic United Party (DUP) is suspected of giving a total of 70 million won ($62,389) to former DUP lawmaker Jang Hyang-sook over three different occasions between March and April of this year, prosecutors said.The money was allegedly given in return for her help in securing a proportional representative ticke
Sept. 26, 2012
-
Navy hosts Asia-Pacific submarine conference
The Navy said Wednesday it is hosting an international conference on submarine operations for the first time.Officials from 19 submarine-operating nations, such as the United States, China, Russia and Britain, are attending the 12th Asia-Pacific Submarine Conference that got under way Wednesday in Busan and at the Jinhae naval base on the southern coast for a three-day run, the Navy said.Japan also sent a five-member delegation to the meeting, it said.It is the first time South Korea’s Navy has
Sept. 26, 2012
-
Ruling party mulls free college education for poorest
The ruling Saenuri Party is considering providing college education for free to students from the bottom 20 percent in terms of income, a party official said Wednesday.Lower college tuition has been a cornerstone of the conservative party’s election pledges ahead of both last April’s parliamentary polls and the upcoming presidential vote in December.“We are considering expanding free tuition from people living off social security benefits to those from the bottom 20 percent earnings bracket,” th
Sept. 26, 2012
-
Foreign Ministry to strengthen public diplomacy next year
The foreign ministry plans to strengthen its public diplomacy next year to improve South Korea’s image abroad and help increase its influence among foreign audiences, an official said Wednesday. Under the plan, the ministry is seeking a budget of 5 billion won ($4.5 million) for next year, which will be used to hold government-sponsored cultural programs and K-pop events in South America, the Middle East and Africa. It is the first time that the ministry has sought a budget to promote such event
Sept. 26, 2012
-
N.K. warned against poll meddling
President Lee Myung-bak on Wednesday warned North Korea against any attempt to sway the December presidential election and reaffirmed his pledge to sternly respond to its provocation. Lee convened a top security meeting as North Korean fishing boats continued to violate the maritime border in the West Sea, raising concerns of a new naval clash. On Friday, South Korean patrol vessels fired warning shots at six North Korean crab boats to force them back. Another fishing boat briefly crossed the No
Sept. 26, 2012
-
N.K.’s nuclear standoff tops agenda at forum in China
DALIAN, China (Yonhap News) ― Long-standing tensions over North Korea’s nuclear weapons program will top the agenda of an annual security conference that brings together all key regional players committed to resolving the communist country’s nuclear drive, a diplomatic source said Wednesday.The Northeast Asia Cooperation Dialogue will draw government officials and civilian experts from South Korea, North Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia in this eastern Chinese port city of Dalia
Sept. 26, 2012
-
Work halted at N. Korea rocket launch pad
New satellite imagery shows North Korea has halted work at a launch pad capable of testing intercontinental missiles, possibly setting the project back by up to two years, a US website reported Tuesday.The commercial satellite images taken on August 29 also show construction postponed on crucial fuel and oxidizer buildings designed to support future tests near the new pad, the 38 North website said.“The slowdown, barring concerted North Korean efforts to make up for lost time, could result in a
Sept. 26, 2012
-
‘Tunnel at N. Korea’s nuclear test site damaged by typhoon’
One of two new tunnels at North Korea’s nuclear test site was damaged by a recent typhoon and heavy rains, but appears to have only minor damage, a Seoul government source said Wednesday.North Korea has built two new tunnels at Punggye-ri in the northeastern province of North Hamgyong, where the North conducted atomic tests in 2006 and 2009, in a possible preparation for its third underground nuclear test.“It appears that one of two newly-dug tunnels at Punggye-ri was damaged by a typhoon and he
Sept. 26, 2012
-
Letting N. Korean voices be heard in Germany
Chief of memorial to victims at former East German political prison helps promote N.K. human rightsDuring the Cold War period, the Stasi, the East German secret police, was notorious for its intelligence gathering, rigorous interrogations and persecution of political prisoners. The communists ran gulags in East Berlin, inmates being mostly ordinary people who had applied to live in the West or attempted to flee across the wall. They were forced into harsh conditions and hard labor before being
Sept. 26, 2012
-
Tunnel at N. Korea's nuclear test site damaged by typhoon: source
One of two new tunnels at North Korea's nuclear test site was damaged by a recent typhoon and heavy rains, but appears to have only minor damage, a Seoul government source said Wednesday.North Korea has built two new tunnels at Punggye-ri in the northeastern province of North Hamgyong, where the North conducted atomic tests in 2006 and 2009, in a possible preparation for its third underground nucl
Sept. 26, 2012
-
Obama snubs N. Korea in U.N. speech, focuses on Middle East
U.S. President Barack Obama made no mention of North Korea when he addressed the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday.It is the first time that Obama did not raise the North Korea issue in his U.N. speech since taking office in 2009.Indeed, North Korea, armed with nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, was once a frequent topic in major speeches on foreign affairs by U.S. presidents.But Obama skipped
Sept. 26, 2012
-
U.S. envoy King meets Seoul's defector-turned-lawmaker
The special U.S. envoy for North Korean human rights met with South Korea's ruling party lawmaker who originally comes from the North, an informed source said Tuesday.The meeting between Amb. Robert King and Rep. Cho Myung-chul of the ruling Saenuri Party came at the request of the U.S. diplomat, according to the source, who asked not to be identified.Cho, 53, defected to South Korea in 1994 while
Sept. 25, 2012
-
N. Korea parliament endorses obligatory 12-year education
North Korea’s rubber-stamp parliament on Tuesday approved legislation to extend its compulsory education by one year to 12 years on Tuesday, the Korean Central News Agency reported. There was no announcement on agricultural reforms and other economic measures widely expected to top the agenda of the meeting.“The DPRK Supreme People’s Assembly unanimously endorsed a decree on universal 12-year compulsory education at the session,” the KCNA said, referring to the acronym of the country’s official
Sept. 25, 2012
-
Sweeping new changes expected at N. Korean farms
North Korean farmers who have long been required to turn most of their crops over to the state may instead be allowed to keep their surplus food to sell or barter in what could be the most significant economic change enacted by young leader Kim Jong Un since he came to power nine months ago. The proposed directive appears aimed at boosting productivity at collective farms that have struggled for d
Sept. 24, 2012
-
N. Korea likely to discuss economic reform in Tuesday's parliament meeting
North Korea will likely discuss economic reforms when its rubber-stamp parliament holds an irregular session this week, a foreign news report said Monday."Economic adjustment" will be discussed in the Sept. 25 meeting of the Supreme People's Assembly, but the session will not likely result in any major decisions, the foreign news wire said. Speculations have risen that the North will take legal st
Sept. 24, 2012
-
West Sea tension grows after warning shots at N.K. boats
Tension is escalating around the skirmish-prone western maritime border as Pyongyang vowed retaliation against South Korea’s firing of warning shots Friday at North Korean fishing vessels that violated the territorial waters. The communist regime Saturday accused the South of a “shooting rampage” against boats owned by another country. “What remains to be done now is a powerful strike of our front units which know no bounds,” Pyongyang’s official news agency said. On Friday around noon, South Ko
Sept. 23, 2012
-
N. Korea to attend 6-nation security forum in China
North Korea will send a delegation to this week’s annual security conference in China, organizers said Sunday, amid fresh tensions along the North’s disputed western sea border with South Korea.The Northeast Asia Cooperation Dialogue will bring together government officials, military officers, and experts from the United States, China, Japan, Russia, South and North Korea in the eastern Chinese port city of Dalian on Thursday and Friday, according to the University of California Institute on Glo
Sept. 23, 2012
-
N. Korea threatens military action amid inter-Korean maritime tension
South Korean army fires artillery during a military drill on Friday. (Yonhap News)North Korea threatened unspecified military actions Saturday after South Korean navy patrol boats fired warning shots to repel several Northern fishing boats that violated the western maritime border.On Friday, South Korean patrol boats spotted six North Korean fishing vessels in southern waters in the Yellow Sea and
Sept. 23, 2012
-
IAEA members urge N. Korea to stop nuclear activity
The U.N. nuclear watchdog adopted a resolution Friday denouncing North Korea for its continued nuclear activity.In the resolution approved at the annual general conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, its member states urged North Korea "not to conduct any further nuclear test."The secretive communist nation has conducted two underground nuclear tests, in 2006 and 2009.The
Sept. 22, 2012
-
S. Korea navy fires warning shots at North fishing boats
The South Korean navy fired warning shots Friday at half a dozen North Korean fishing vessels that crossed their disputed Yellow Sea border, the defense ministry said. The six North Korean boats swiftly returned to their side of the western sea boundary after the incident, a ministry spokesman told AFP. “Dozens of Vulcan machine gun rounds were fired into waters near North Korean fishing boats which violated the sea border,” the spokesman said.“The operation, involving two naval patrol ships, be
Sept. 21, 2012