ADDIS ABABA, July 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak sprayed disinfectant at alleys and toilets in Ethiopia on Saturday as he engaged in volunteer work at a poverty-stricken village in a symbolic gesture of returning the African nation's help during the Korean War. Lee's visit to Kebena Village, one of four major poverty areas in this Ethiopian capital, was one of a series of act...

The U.S. nuclear-powered submarine USS Texas made a port call in South Korea on Saturday as part of a regular deployment to the Pacific area, the U.S. military in the South said. The Texas, based in Hawaii, arrived at South Korea's southeastern port city of Busan with more than 130 crew members, according to officials at the U.S. Forces Korea. The 7,800-ton Texas is a Virginia-class attack subm...

The head of South Korea's ruling party said Saturday that he agreed to ditch a plan to further cut taxes for big companies, as the conservative party looks to regain votes from the poor ahead of next year's elections. "It is inconsistent for the government to continue to cut taxes for big companies, which are said to put some 100 trillion won (US$94.6 billion) in banks and block the money from ...

Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin has ordered military commanders to inspect the standards of discipline and irregularities, following a shooting rampage earlier this week by a marine that killed four colleagues on a front-line unit, a source said Saturday. Questions over discipline have been raised since the 19-year-old marine corporal, only identified by his surname Kim, opened fire on Monday at h...

ADDIS ABABA -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak agreed Friday to provide active support for Ethiopia's economic development, pledging to significantly boost relations with the African nation that helped save the South from North Korea's invasion 60 years ago. In summit talks with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, Lee expressed gratitude for Ethiopia's participation in the 1950-53 Korean War, and ...

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – South Korean President Lee Myung-bak arrived in Ethiopia on Friday for a three-day visit that includes economic cooperation talks with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and a series of activities paying tribute to Ethiopia's participation in the Korean War. Ethiopia is one of the 16 nations that sent combat troops as part of U.N. forces to help South Korea repel invading North ...

Korea-U.S. investigation team finds suspicious spots in Camp Carroll CHILGOK, North Gyeongsang Province ― A joint Korea-U.S. investigation team found signs that metallic objects, shaped like drums, may be buried underground at one of the U.S. military camps in Korea, team officials said Friday. The team will now take samples of soil from as far as 10 meters deep to verify a claim by U.S. vetera...

A soldier had killed himself at the Marine Corps Second Division near Seoul just a day before Monday’s shooting rampage at his division, military officials said Friday, as investigations continued into the case that killed four soldiers. Authorities said they are investigating whether habitual bullying was rampant among marines at the division in Ganghwa, Gyeonggi Province, leading to the two tr...

The number of foreigners accused of serious crimes such as violence and gambling is increasing, according to National Police Agency. In the last 3 months, about 8,311 expats were arrested with 341 of them being taken into custody. The figure is marks a more than 26 percent increase from the same period last year. Accusations of five major crimes of murder, robbery, rape, theft, and violence sho...

The Ministry of National Defense has drawn up a 33.48 trillion won ($32.43 billion) budget plan for next year with a focus on making the military “truly combat-ready.” The ministry submitted its budget proposal to the Finance Ministry on June 30. The planned budget is 6.6 percent higher than the 2011 budget of 31.4 trillion won. “In broad terms, we can say that we have significantly increased t...

Foreign reports have described PyeongChang’s selection Wednesday to host the 2018 Winter Olympics as a “crushing victory.” International media noted that Korea’s “dreams came true,” after a decade of trying to win the right to host the games, and remarked on the large portion of votes the country received from IOC members. The Associated Press noted that it is “the first time an Olympic bid rac...