FAO to open S. Korean office this week

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization will open an office in Seoul this week as South Korea vows to play a greater role in global food-related projects, the Seoul government said SundayThe Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said Agriculture Minister Lee Gae-ho and Jose Graziano da Silva, the head of FAO, will attend an opening ceremony for the office on Monday.The office will center on rolling out joint projects on coping with poverty and food security issues, along with sharing

Social AffairsMay 12, 2019

S. Korean woman freed after kidnapping in Africa remains in good health: Seoul

A South Korean woman, who was rescued by the French military after nearly a month of captivity in the western African country of Burkina Faso, remains in good health, Seoul's foreign ministry said Sunday.The Korean woman in her 40s was one of the four hostages freed from a militant group in the African nation after being held hostage for 28 days. Two French tourists and the Korean national were airlifted on a special plane and arrived in Paris on Saturday.Two French soldiers died in the rescue o

Foreign AffairsMay 12, 2019

Trump says N. Korea's missile launches didn't breach trust

US President Donald Trump has said he doesn't think North Korea's launches of short-range missiles this week were a breach of trust, although that could happen in the future.In a phone interview with Politico on Friday, Trump was asked whether he was angry or frustrated by the firings and if he considered them to be a breach of trust between himself and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. (Yonhap)"No. No. I'm not at all," he said. "They're short-range. They're short-range and I don't consider that

North KoreaMay 12, 2019

Foreign Ministry confirms S. Korean woman freed after kidnapping in Burkina Faso

The Seoul government confirmed Saturday that a South Korean woman was freed by an overnight French military rescue operation in Burkina Faso.    The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the South Korean national, who is in her 40s, was one of the four hostages who were kidnapped in the Sahel region of the African country. The Foreign Ministry office in Seoul (Yonhap)    "We've made contact with her family here and notified them of her health conditions," the ministry said.    They were rescued in th

Foreign AffairsMay 11, 2019

Pence says US will 'stand firm' with NK

US Vice President Mike Pence said the United States will "stand firm" with North Korea over its nuclear weapons program.    In an interview with Fox News aired Friday, Pence was asked about the future of denuclearization negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang following the North's renewed firing of missiles and the US seizure of a North Korean vessel earlier this week. US Vice President Mike Pence (AP-Yonhap)    "Well, look, President (Donald) Trump truly believes that Chairman Kim (Jong-

North KoreaMay 11, 2019

Otto Warmbier's father calls Kim Jong-un 'criminal Kim'

The father of American college student Otto Warmbier who died soon after being sent home from North Korea in a vegetative state said Friday that Kim Jong-Un should be called “criminal Kim” -- not “chairman Kim” which “makes me sick.”   Otto Warmbier (Yonhap)    Fred Warmbier told a UN symposium promoting international cooperation on abductions that calling the North Korean leader “chairman” gives him status on the world stage, and “if we're afraid to tell the truth of who we're dealing with we d

North KoreaMay 11, 2019

Actor Ma Dong-seok returns to tough guy character in new movie

Actor Ma Dong-seok has carved out his own presence in the South Korean movie industry, with viewers coming to mostly know him for his muscular arms, rock-solid build and rugged looks. But alongside his tough exterior, he exhibits a friendly, cute demeanor that earned him the nickname "Mavely," a combination of his surname, "Ma," and "lovely." Actor Ma Dong-seok (Yonhap)    In the action-adventure film "The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil," to be released next week, Korean movie fans may find themse

FilmMay 11, 2019

Ex-top court chief justice to stand trial over judiciary power abuse scandal in late May

A court will hold the first hearing in the trial of former Supreme Court Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae in late May over a judiciary power abuse scandal involving former top court officials.    Yang will stand trial on May 29 over allegations that he used trials as bargaining chips in dealings with the office of former conservative President Park Geun-hye to support his bid to establish a court of appeals. Former Supreme Court Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae (Yonhap)    Yang, who headed the top court f

Social AffairsMay 11, 2019

Pompeo to meet Putin on Russia visit: US State Department

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will meet President Vladimir Putin next week in Russia in the highest-level formal talks between the powers in 10 months, the State Department said Friday.The top US diplomat will meet Putin on Tuesday in the Black Sea resort of Sochi to "discuss the full range of bilateral and multilateral challenges," the State Department said. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrives to meet with Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga on Thursday. (AP-Yonhap)The United

World NewsMay 10, 2019

After Trump invite, Iran commander says: No talks with US

A top commander in Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard said Friday that Tehran will not talk with the United States, an Iranian news agency reported _ a day after President Donald Trump said he'd like Iranian leaders to ``call me.''The semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted Gen. Yadollah Javani as saying that ``there will be no negotiations with America.''  U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a South Lawn event to honor the Boston Red Sox May 9, 2019 in Washington, DC. (AFP)The Iranian co

World NewsMay 10, 2019

S. Korean tourist freed after kidnapping in Burkina Faso

A South Korean tourist being held captive by an unidentified armed gang in Burkina Faso has been released following a rescue operation by France's special forces, Seoul's Foreign Ministry said Friday.An official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that a South Korean citizen is under the protection of the French military following the rescue operation. "We were notified this afternoon by the French government that a South Korean hostage was rescued," the official said. "There was no missing

Foreign AffairsMay 10, 2019

Presidential office eyes Moon's meeting with rival parties' chiefs this month

The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Friday it plans to seek a meeting between President Moon Jae-in and rival party leaders this month and is open to discussing the agenda with opposition parties.President Moon proposed a meeting with the leaders of political parties to discuss Seoul's potential plan to send food aid to North Korea during his special live interview with public broadcaster KBS on Thursday. President Moon Jae-in attends a luncheon meeting with his key aides at a restaurant

PoliticsMay 10, 2019

Further analysis needed to confirm NK fired ‘ballistic missiles’: Seoul

South Korea’s military reiterated Friday that more time was needed to determine whether the short-range missiles the North fired the day before were ballistic missiles, while the United States announced that they were.Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff told reporters that South Korea and the US jointly deemed the two projectiles to have been short-range missiles, and that further analysis would be needed to determine the exact nature of the missiles.In a statement Thursday, Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col

North KoreaMay 10, 2019

Han Hyo-joo accuses 33 of defamation over Burning Sun scandal rumors

Actress Han Hyo-joo filed a criminal defamation complaint on Friday against 33 people she accuses of spreading false rumors about her in connection with the Burning Sun scandal.Han’s agency, BH Entertainment, released an official statement regarding the defamation complaint against online commenters who spread what it called “misleading rumors” suggesting that Han is somehow involved in the drug scandal. Actress Han Hyo-joo (Yonhap)The actress recently denied allegations that she attended a part

Social AffairsMay 10, 2019

Biegun discusses NK with top South Korean officials

National Security Office deputy chief Kim Hyun-chong met with US special envoy for North Korea Stephen Biegun on Friday to discuss recent developments on the Korean Peninsula, Cheong Wa Dae said. According to Seoul’s presidential office, the meeting began at 3 p.m. and lasted 80 minutes, during which they discussed developments surrounding North Korea, as well as South Korea-US cooperation on the matter.  North Korea released a photo showing its launch of a short-range missile on Thursday. (Yonh

North KoreaMay 10, 2019

Teacher accused of making sexual comments about 10-year-old student

An elementary school teacher who graduated from Seoul National University of Education stands accused of making sexually oriented comments concerning a female student via a mobile messenger chat room. Poster protesting for investigation into the sexual harassment case hangs on a noticeboard at the Seoul National University of Education campus (Yonhap)The group chat room, with several male students and graduates of the school’s Korean-language education department, had come under fire Tuesday aft

Social AffairsMay 10, 2019

Despite jitters, bourse closes higher as China-US trade talks extend

South Korean stock markets rebounded at Friday’s close, after the main bourse fell below 2,100 earlier in the day, reflecting market fluctuations caused by ups and downs in the trade confrontation between the US and China. Tension had peaked at midday, as US tariff hikes on $200 billion of Chinese imports going from 10 percent to 25 percent took effect in the midst of negotiations. The higher close, however, also showed the market stabilizing for the time being, as the two sides are expect

MarketMay 10, 2019

[Newsmaker] Jung Joon-young admits to illicit filming of sex videos, seeks settlement

Singer-songwriter Jung Joon-young admitted to charges of secretly filming and sharing videos of himself having sex with women in an online chat room and sought to settle with the victims, as a local court began to hear his case Friday. (Yonhap)Jung, 30, was indicted on charges of illicitly filming himself have sex with women and sharing the footage on 11 occasions in the chat room where Big Bang’s former member Seungri and FT Island’s ex-member Choi Jong-hoon are also suspected of having shared

Social AffairsMay 10, 2019

Uncertainties grow amid US-China trade talks: BOK chief

The chief of South Korea’s central bank said Friday that uncertainties have grown concerning the prospects of trade talks between the United States and China, after US President Donald Trump warned of imposing extra tariffs on Chinese goods.“It is true that uncertainties have grown further over the US-China trade talks” Bank of Korea Gov. Lee Ju-yeol said at a meeting on financial and economic status. “But we need to calmly keep watch as there are considerable expectation

EconomyMay 10, 2019

Biegun says door remains open for NK's return to nuclear talks

US special envoy for North Korea Stephen Biegun was quoted as saying Friday that the door remains open for North Korea to return to nuclear negotiations, despite Pyongyang's firing of two missiles the previous day.Biegun made the remarks during his courtesy call on South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha amid fears that the North's escalatory moves could derail the allies' ongoing efforts to bring a lasting peace to the divided peninsula.Just five days after firing off multiple projectiles,

North KoreaMay 10, 2019