South Korea's new naval contingency unit is conducting a warfare exercise in the West Sea in its first stand-alone military drill aimed at fending off North Korea's potential aggression, the military said Wednesday. "The quick reaction unit is carrying out an exercise in the West Sea area from May 5-11," the Marine Corps said in a statement.This is the first exercise conducted by the some 4,000-strong contingency team comprised of Marine Corps and Navy troops. The unit was launched in March to c

Defense June 8, 2016

Hong Kong opened their account in the Asia Rugby Championship in Incheon on Saturday, defeating South Korea 34-27 in a thrilling contest.Both teams fought hard but it was Hong Kong who stood up when it mattered, with Ben Rimene crossing for the winning try with four minutes remaining.Rimene was one of Hong Kong's best all day and finished with 19 points, while Alex McQueen scored two tries for the victors.Hong Kong coach Leigh Jones said he was pleased with the result, but the team still had mor

More Sports May 14, 2016

China's economy resumed its grind toward slower growth in April, weighed by overcapacity industries such as steel and coal.Industrial production climbed 6 percent in April from a year earlier, down from 6.8 percent in March and missing economists' estimates for 6.5 percent. Retail sales also missed analyst forecasts, rising 10.1 percent, while fixed-asset investment increased 10.5 percent in the January-April period versus economists' expectation for 11 percent.After a rocky start to 2016 marked

World Business May 14, 2016

A senior Chinese diplomat has repeated his country's opposition to the possible deployment of an advanced U.S. missile defense system in South Korea.South Korea and the U.S. have begun formal talks on the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery in South Korea after North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test and test-launched a long-range rocket earlier this year. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Li Baodong expressed "firm opposition" to the possible deployment of a TH

Defense May 14, 2016

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to postpone a sales tax hike a second time, judging that boosting the tariff could hurt the world's third-largest economy, a newspaper said Saturday.Abe has already informed senior government officials he plans delay the consumption tax hike, scheduled for next April, that would raise levy from eight to 10 percent, the Nikkei business daily said.The last such rise, in April 2014 -- the nation's first in 17 years -- was blamed for pushing Japan into recess

World Business May 14, 2016

South Korean swimmer Park Tae-hwan has taken his appeal against an Olympic ban to the world's top sports tribunal, officials confirmed Saturday.Team GMP, Park's agency, said the swimmer asked the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for arbitration on April 26 over a Korean Olympic Committee (KOC) rule barring him from competing at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics.The agency said, however, Park asked the procedure be put on hold two days later, so that he could speak to the KOC one last t

More Sports May 14, 2016

Park Byung-ho of the Minnesota Twins blasted two home runs against the Cleveland Indians on the road Friday (local time).The South Korean slugger ended a four-game hitless drought for his first two-homer game in the majors. He leads the Twins and all American League rookies with nine long balls this season.Batting fifth as a designated hitter at Progressive Field, Park led off the top second with a solo shot off Cleveland starter Josh Tomlin. It put the Twins up 2-0.The Indians tied things up wi

Baseball May 14, 2016

U.S. alliances with South Korea and Japan have been the bedrock for peace and stability in the region, former U.S. Secretary of State James Baker said, rejecting Donald Trump‘s suggestion the U.S. should end its defense support unless the allies pay more.　Baker, who served as top U.S. diplomat from 1989 to 1992, made the remark during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing Thursday in response to a question from Sen. Marco Rubio why the U.S. still provides defense assistance to the countri

World News May 14, 2016