The Pentagon on Tuesday announced the nomination of Gen. James Thurman, commander of Army Forces Command, as the new commander of U.S. Forces in Korea."I will recommend General James Thurman, currently the commander of Army Forces Command, to be the next commander of United States Forces Korea, replacing General 'Skip' Sharp who will retire at the end of his tour," Defense Secretary Robert Gates t

Defense March 2, 2011

Washington says has no plans to bring atomic weapons back to South KoreaControversy is brewing once again in Seoul over the need to redeploy U.S. tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea amid renewed threats from the North in a prolonged inter-Korean stalemate.The White House said Monday that the U.S. has no plans to bring tactical nuclear weapons back to South Korea, shortly after a U.S. official

Politics March 1, 2011

Legislation to exempt taxes on Islamic bonds and tap into the Islamic finance market missed the boat again amid fierce opposition from Protestant leaders, one of whom threatened to topple President Lee Myung-bak.The governing Grand National Party delayed deliberations on the Islamic bond bill last week, fearing conflict with religious groups ahead of the April by-elections.Rev. Cho Yong-gi, senior

Politics Feb. 28, 2011

A second South Korea-chartered plane has flown out of Libya as part of Seoul's efforts to evacuate its nationals from the North African nation engulfed in bloody clashes between protesters and government forces, the Foreign Ministry said Saturday.The special Korean Air flight left the Libyan capital of Tripoli with 236 South Koreans on board around 11 p.m. Friday (6 a.m. Saturday Korean time) befo

Politics Feb. 26, 2011

Presidential office to check on oil supply, draw up plans to protect KoreansPresident Lee Myung-bak on Thursday instructed his government to closely monitor the continuing turmoil in the Middle East and take steps to minimize its economic impact during an emergency meeting with related ministers.Lee also called for utmost efforts to ensure the safety of South Koreans in Libya as violent uprisings

Politics Feb. 24, 2011

Better communication, political coordination key to president’s successPresident Lee Myung-bak greets the third anniversary of his inauguration Friday with a stack of uncompleted policy tasks and lingering concerns of political estrangement.Tricky pending tasks include deciding where to locate a 3.5-trillion-won science-business belt and a new international airport in the southeastern region, both

Politics Feb. 24, 2011

President Lee Myung-bak on Wednesday named scientist and former minister Kim Doh-yeon as chief of the National Science and Technology Council.Under a revised bill passed late last year, the presidential advisory panel is to become a standing organization in charge of distributing the state budget for research and development, starting in April.The upgrade of the council to the nation’s top decisio

Politics Feb. 23, 2011

Ruling party still pushing for negotiation with opposition groupsThe main opposition Democratic Party has said it will not participate in any talks on constitutional revision before the parliamentary elections next year.“There will be no discussions on constitutional amendment in the 18th National Assembly,” DP floor leader Park Jie-won said Tuesday during his speech as the representative of a par

Politics Feb. 22, 2011

President Lee Myung-bak and Honduran President Porfirio Lobo on Monday discussed how to extend bilateral cooperation in trade, investment and infrastructure development during their summit talks in Seoul.The two leaders also agreed to seek ways to share South Korea’s experience in economic development and better protect South Korean citizens in Honduras, Lee’s office, Cheong Wa Dae, said. Presiden

Foreign Affairs Feb. 21, 2011

‘Locations of new airport, science belt to be determined within the first half of this year’President Lee Myung-bak on Sunday expressed hopes for dialogue with North Korea this year, adding there was no need for prior discussions with the U.S. on an inter-Korean summit.Post-summit consultations with members of the six-nation nuclear talks, however, would be necessary, Lee told reporters during a l

Politics Feb. 20, 2011

Ruling party seeks early action, but opposition demands impact assessmentThe National Assembly is set to speed up discussions on South Korea’s free trade deal with the European Union, which the European Parliament ratified on Thursday. Seoul and Brussels signed their bilateral free trade agreement on Oct. 6 after two and a half years of negotiations, agreeing to tentatively put the pact into effec

Politics Feb. 18, 2011