Pentagon guarded about Korea's return of Japanese ammo in S. Sudan

Pentagon officials often say defense cooperation between South Korea and Japan shouldn't be affected by often prickly political and diplomatic ties between the two neighboring nations.But they were guarded, if not speechless, when South Korean peacekeeping troops in South Sudan returned 10,000 rounds of rifle ammunition to Japan last week."We don't have anything on that issue," Maj. Robert Firman, a Pentagon spokesman handling Africa affairs, said.Asked again via email, he replied, "Still nothin

Jan. 13, 2014

Orbital's cargo ship makes rendez-vous with space station: NASA

WASHINGTON, (AFP) -- Orbital Sciences Corporation's unmanned Cygnus cargo ship on Sunday made rendez-vous with the International Space Station on the company's first regular supply mission to the research outpost.The event took place at 1108 GMT just northeast of Madagascar over the Indian Ocean, according to the US space agency NASA's television network.Once Cygnus approached the orbiting lab, the space station's robotic arm reached out and grabbed the incoming cargo carrier.US astronaut Mike H

Jan. 12, 2014

Hasina sworn in for 3rd time as Bangladesh PM

 DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) -- Sheikh Hasina has been sworn in for her second straight term as Bangladesh's prime minister and third overall, following one of the most violent elections in the country's history.Hasina took the oath of office Sunday, a week after her Awami League party won an election marred by street fighting, low turnout and an opposition boycott that made the results a foregone conclusion.President Abdul Hamid also swore in 29 Cabinet ministers and 19 deputies.The election was one

Jan. 12, 2014

Gay 'prisoner of conscience' dies in Cameroon

YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AP) -- A lawyer says a gay man in Cameroon who was jailed for sending a text message to another man saying "I'm very much in love with you," and who Amnesty Interational later declared a prisoner of conscience, has died.Lawyer Alice Nkom said Roger Jean-Claude Mbede, 34, died on Friday after his family removed him from the hospital where he had been seeking treatment for a hernia.Mbede was arrested in March 2011 and charged with violating a Cameroonian law that imposes up to f

Jan. 12, 2014

Japan to enhance Dokdo claim in school textbooks

Japan may revise guidelines for middle and high school textbooks to describe the South Korean islets of Dokdo as the country’s “indigenous territory,” Japanese media reported Saturday.Tokyo’s education ministry is reportedly considering the revision of the Course of Study ― a guideline for creating textbooks used in middle and high schools ― to reflect the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s viewpoint and stance on territorial issues. It is not mandatory for textbook authors to follow the manual,

Jan. 12, 2014

Park to make state visits to India, Switzerland

South Korean President Park Geun-hye will make state visits to India and Switzerland next week before attending an annual meeting of global business leaders and politicians at the Swiss ski resort of Davos, the presidential office announced Thursday.The Jan. 15-18 trip to India is aimed mainly at enhancing economic cooperation with Asia’s third-largest economy with a massive market of 1.2 billion people. Economic issues are expected to top the agenda for Park’s summit with Prime Minister Manmoha

Jan. 9, 2014

Talks between S. Korea, U.S. on nuclear accord close without progress

South Korea and the United States will meet again in April for negotiations on renewing a bilateral nuclear energy pact, the foreign ministry said Wednesday after the allies closed their two-day talks on the accord without progress.Seoul and Washington kicked off their ninth round of talks on the renewal of the accord, also known as the "123 agreement," on Tuesday in South Korea's central city of Daejeon, home to major nuclear research facilities. "The two sides agreed in the latest talks that t

Jan. 8, 2014

South Korea, U.S. to coordinate more closely on N.K. uncertainty

The foreign ministers of South Korea and the U.S. on Wednesday agreed to intensify policy coordination to better cope with the growing uncertainty in North Korea in the aftermath of the execution of its leader’s uncle. During their talks in Washington, Yun Byung-se and John Kerry concurred on the need for more systematic and frequent discussions at various levels focusing on North Korea conditions, which would progress to involve China and other neighbors later on. “We decided to intensify our c

Jan. 8, 2014

South Korea suspends tear gas exports to Bahrain

South Korea has ordered companies to suspend tear gas exports to Bahrain amid pressure from human rights groups, officials said Wednesday.The state-run Defense Acquisition Program Administration instructed two companies not to ship tear gas to the Gulf state after they inquired about possible exports, agency officials said.The two companies exported tear gas to Bahrain in 2011 and 2012, the officials said. Exports of tear gas need government approval because a key ingredient is listed as a strat

Jan. 8, 2014

South Korea, U.S. resume talks on nuclear energy pact

South Korea and the United States began their ninth round of talks on Tuesday on whether to allow Seoul to enrich uranium and reprocess spent nuclear fuel, the foreign ministry here said.The parties, represented by Ambassador Park Ro-byug and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Countryman, will try to reach a deal to rewrite a civilian nuclear cooperation accord over the course of two days in South Korea’s central city of Daejeon.The 1974 treaty had been due to expire this March but was ext

Jan. 7, 2014

U.S. to deploy mechanized infantry battalion to S. Korea

The U.S. Army will deploy a mechanized infantry battalion made up of advanced battle tanks to South Korea to bolster defense on the peninsula as part of a rotational force, Seoul's defense ministry said Tuesday.The battalion armed with M1A2 battle tanks and M2A3 armored infantry fighting vehicles will depart their base on Thursday to join the U.S. Army's 2nd Infantry Division stationed in South Korea, military officials said. About 800 American service members will serve in North Gyeonggi Provin

Jan. 7, 2014

China snubs Japan P.M.'s calls for dialogue after shrine visit

China brushed aside on offer Monday by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to meet the leaders of Seoul and Beijing to explain his visit to a controversial war shrine that has draw scathing criticism from both South Korea and China.China's foreign ministry spokeswoman, Hua Chunying, made the remarks shortly after Abe expressed the intention during a press conference in Tokyo earlier in the day. On Dec. 26, Abe paid homage at the Yasukuni shrine honoring 14 Class-A war criminals convicted by an Al

Jan. 6, 2014

OECD, Korea to build development model for poor nations

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development will formulate a rural development model based on South Korea‘s rags-to-riches growth story to help underdeveloped nations overcome poverty, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Monday.As part of the OECD-Seoul government deal forged last month, Mario Pezzini, director of the OECD Development Centre, will fly to Seoul to deliver an OECD-signed copy of the agreement and hold a seminar on the project Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Jan. 6, 2014

Japan mulls mandatory history class at high schools

Japan may designate Japanese history as a compulsory course for its high school students, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reported Monday.According to the daily, Tokyo’s Education Ministry is mulling educational reform which would require high schools to make the now-optional history course mandatory. Education Minister Hakubun Shimomura is expected to consult on the matter with the ministry-affiliated Central Council for Education this summer.If approved, the new curriculum will be applied from 2

Jan. 6, 2014

S. Korean FM in D.C. for talks with Kerry, Hagel

South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se began a three-day trip to Washington Sunday aimed at discussing North Korea, and history and territorial tensions in Northeast Asia.Some of Japan's domestic issues such as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's tribute to the Yasukuni Shrine have "become a matter of worries not only on a bilateral level between South Korea and Japan but also in the international community," Yun said.He was speaking to reporters shortly after laying flowers at the Korean War Vetera

Jan. 6, 2014

Chinese media blast S. Korea's plans to build new ocean research station

Chinese media over the weekend blasted South Korea's plans to build an ocean research station in the Yellow Sea, claiming it is a thinly disguised move to extend its exclusive economic zone.Huanqiu Shibao, a Chinese tabloid that is a sister company to People's Daily newspaper, said in an article carried on Saturday that Seoul is trying to build another so-called oceanographic station to secure exclusive rights in contested waters.The paper that generally focuses on international issues said Sout

Jan. 6, 2014