The Seoul metropolitan government said Thursday that a miniature sculpture symbolizing the South Korean capital will be erected in the Danish capital of Copenhagen in September as part of a cultural exchange program between the two cities.A city official said the sculpture will be selected from several historic and cultural relics in Seoul, such as Gwanghwamun Gate, Sungnyemun Gate, Hanyang Fortress Wall, or Bosingak Belfry.In exchange, in September Seoul will erect a statue of the Little Mermai

Feb. 18, 2016

South Korean President Park Geun-hye met with visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Thursday to discuss bilateral ties, presidential officials said."The two leaders exchanged opinions on their mutual interests, including the Palestinian situation," Presidential spokesman Jeong Yeon-guk said before the meeting.Abbas arrived in South Korea earlier in the day for a three-day visit after traveling to Japan.It marks the second visit by the leader to South Korea after the previous one in 2010.A

Feb. 18, 2016

The new top Iraqi envoy here called Wednesday for the world to step up efforts to fight terrorism, saying it's an international matter not confined to a certain region.Amb. Wadee Batti Hanna Al-Batti likened terror to a contagious disease spreading across borders "without any visa.""That's because a war against terror is a matter of international responsibility," he said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency.The Iraqi government is especially in the fight against the Islamic State.Iraqi people

Feb. 17, 2016

China should deploy more missile systems in Northeast Asia if an advanced U.S. missile defense system is deployed in South Korea, a newspaper published by China's Communist Party warned Wednesday, although the U.S. missile system is aimed at strengthening Seoul's defense against Pyongyang's ballistic missile programs. In the wake of North Korea's latest nuclear test and long-range rocket launch this year, South Korea and the United States are poised to start formal talks on the deployment of a T

Feb. 17, 2016

South Korea and China held high-level talks in Seoul on Tuesday amid signs of disagreement over how to deal with North Korea's nuclear and missile program.South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam and China's Executive Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui sat down for talks as Seoul pushes for strong sanctions on Pyongyang in response to its nuclear and missile tests.China, a veto-wielding permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, has been apparently reluctant to adopt a strong sanctions

Feb. 16, 2016

Vice foreign ministers of South Korea and China will meet in Seoul this week to discuss pending issues between the two countries, the South Korean foreign ministry said Monday.Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam will meet his Chinese counterpart, Zhang Yesui, in the 7th Strategic Dialogue between vice foreign ministers of the two countries Tuesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The meeting comes amid a deepening chasm between the two neighbors over how to deal with North Korea's latest nu

Feb. 15, 2016

The Philippine Consulate General in Busan was inaugurated in late January to better serve Filipinos living in the southern areas of Korea. The office, located on 1927 Jungang Ave. in Guseo-dong, will start providing consular services from March 1 to residents in Busan, Ulsan, Daegu, Gwangju, Changwon, Gimhae, Muan and Jejudo Island.Services include issuing visas to foreigners, authenticating Korean documents for use in the Philippines, certifying driver’s licenses, assisting intelligence organiz

Feb. 14, 2016

This year marks the “Year of Multiculturalism” in Azerbaijan, a transcontinental country in the Caucasus region located at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. To celebrate the initiative, launched by the government of President Ilham Aliyev, Baku will host the seventh Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilization under the theme of “Living together in inclusive societies” from April 25-27. As the highest profile event of the alliance organization, the venue will gath

Feb. 14, 2016

South Korea called on Japan Friday to stop its provocative territorial claim to Dokdo, a set of rocky islets in the East Sea.Dokdo is South Korea's territory that fell prey to Japan's aggression and occupation of the Korean Peninsula during its militaristic past, the Foreign Ministry in a statement.It was responding to reports that the Japanese government plans to send a vice minister-level official to a controversial event organized by local authorities in connection with Dokdo.The Japanese pre

Feb. 12, 2016

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed "serious concern" over a decision by South Korea to begin formal talks with the United States to adopt an advanced U.S. missile defense system, according to China's foreign ministry on Friday. Wang conveyed the concern to South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se during their meeting in Munich on the sidelines of international talks on Syria on Thursday, the Chinese ministry said in a statement. "Minister Wang Yi expresses serious concern," the stateme

Feb. 12, 2016

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- Abortion opponents in Mississippi, West Virginia and several other states are filing bills to ban an abortion procedure commonly used in the second trimester that opponents describe as dismembering a fetus.Courts have already blocked similar laws that Kansas and Oklahoma enacted in 2015.The New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights, which represents abortion providers in legal fights, says banning the dilation and evacuation method of abortion -- commonly called "D&E"

Feb. 11, 2016

DETMOLD, Germany (AP) -- A 94-year-old former Auschwitz guard went on trial Thursday on 170,000 counts of accessory to murder in western Germany, accused of serving in the death camp at a time when hundreds of thousands of Hungarian Jews were gassed.Former SS Sgt. Reinhold Hanning maintains that he served in a part of the Auschwitz camp complex where no gassings were taking place. Prosecutors argue that all guards helped the camp function, and that during the so-called "Hungarian action" in 1944

Feb. 11, 2016

The leaders of South Korea, the United States and Japan plan to hold a meeting in Washington in the coming weeks to discuss ways to increase pressure on North Korea, a news report said Thursday.The three countries began to work out the details for a trilateral summit during the Nuclear Security Summit, Japan's Jiji Press reported, citing an unidentified Japanese official.U.S. President Barack Obama is set to host a fourth and final Nuclear Security Summit from March 31 to April 1 in Washington.T

Feb. 11, 2016