South Korea's top diplomat is pushing to have bilateral talks with major countries, including the United States and Japan, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly this week, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha is in New York to accompany President Moon Jae-in, who will attend the annual gathering of representatives of UN member states, which starts Tuesday (loc...

The top army officers of South Korea, the United States and Japan exchanged their views on North Korea on Tuesday at a meeting held on the sidelines of the 10th Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference, South Korea's Army said. Gen. Kim Yong-woo, the South Korean Army chief of staff, met with his American and Japanese counterpart -- Gen. Mark A. Milley and Gen. Koji Yamazaki -- in Seoul. "(They) assess...

South Korea's unification ministry on Tuesday apologized to the public after one of its officials was accused of selling personal information about North Korean defectors for money. The official is suspected of handing over data on 40 defectors for some 14 million won ($12,000) to South Korean brokers who helped refugees' escape, according to prosecutors. Brokers sought to recoup commission that...

NEW YORK -- The South Korea-United States alliance remains strong as ever despite differences on various issues, such as how to adjust the countries' free trade agreement to make it more balanced, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said. "Many of you expressed concerns over the Korea-US alliance, but there is no need to worry. It is (strong) like iron and stone," the president said while meeting...

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon instructed the prosecution Tuesday to investigate the 2016 death of a farmer left comatose after being hit by a police water cannon during a protest rally a year earlier. Lee also apologized for the death of Baek Nam-gi, saying the 68-year-old lost his life due to the "violent use" of police power and that the tragedy represents a "betrayal of the state's basic duties ...

South Korea is expected to review its plan for humanitarian assistance to North Korea via UN agencies, including the timing of its actual provision, this week, a government official said Tuesday. Defense Minister Song Young-moo said at a parliamentary session Monday that Seoul's provision of $8 million in aid to North Korea could be considerably delayed even if the government approves the plan T...

The number of foreigners other than Chinese visiting South Korea grew in the first seven months of this year following the government's efforts to diversify its tourist portfolio in the face of a sharp drop in the number of Chinese visitors, the country's tourism promotion agency said Tuesday. According to the Korea Tourism Organization, the number of visitors from Vietnam, Kazakhstan and Iran g...

YouTube's recent move to shut down the state-run North Korean propaganda channel, Uriminzokkiri, for violating the "community guidelines" was made as the violation could subsequently lead to the breach of the American law, a US broadcaster reported Tuesday, citing its spokesman. The violation repeatedly took place, and the shutdown was made based on the US law, the spokesman was cited as saying ...

Medical facilities and other child facilities must conduct tuberculosis screenings on all their new workers within one month of employment, the health ministry said Tuesday, a move aimed at preventing the spread of the contagious disease. Under a revised ordinance on relevant laws that came into effect, newly hired people at hospitals, healthcare facilities, as well as schools, kindergartens and...

North Korea's oil prices and exchange rates have shown no changes despite its nuclear and missile tests and the international community's sanctions, a US broadcaster reported Tuesday, citing a western diplomat stationed in Pyongyang. There has been no noticeable changes in overall oil prices in Pyongyang before and after the North's nuclear test on Sept. 3, Voice of America quoted the diplomat a...

South Korean stocks traded lower late Tuesday morning as institutions and foreigners offloaded large-cap tech stocks in an apparent move to lock in profits, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 4.09 points, or 0.17 percent, to 2,414.12 as of 11:20 a.m. Most large caps traded mixed, with tech shares in negative terrain. Market kingpin Samsung Electronics lost 0.57...

SK Chemicals Co., a South Korean pharmaceutical and chemical goods manufacturer, and multinational drug firm GlaxoSmithKline Plc. are awaiting final approval of their respective herpes zoster vaccines, market watchers said Tuesday. Approval is forecast to shake up the market in a big way, setting up a showdown with the US pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co's Zostavax, they said. Zostavax is the on...

Spain has decided to expel North Korea's ambassador in protest over the communist nation's continued nuclear and missile provocations, becoming the first confirmed European country to do so, foreign news reports said Tuesday. According to multiple wire reports, Spain's foreign minister asked North Korean ambassador Kim Hyok-chol on Monday to leave the European country by the end of this month. ...

Japan's Emperor Akihito will visit a shrine related to an ancient Korean kingdom this week, the website of the shrine showed Tuesday. The emperor and Empress Michiko will visit the Koma Shrine, located in the city of Hidaka near Tokyo, on Wednesday morning, according to the website. This will mark the first time for a Japanese emperor to visit the shrine. The shrine was founded in 716 by an em...

The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday it has issued a "stern warning" to Defense Minister Song Young-moo for his "inappropriate and uncoordinated" remarks regarding President Moon Jae-in's dispute-prone security adviser. During a parliamentary session Monday, Song said it is "deplorable" that Moon Chung-in, the adviser, is making controversial remarks as a scholar, which are deemed ...