President Park Geun-hye late on Friday called for the resignation of her senior secretaries en bloc, apparently giving in to the mounting public censure over an unprecedented political scandal of her confidante allegedly meddling in state affairs.The urgent action came amid crushing approval ratings, which most of the key surveys showed to have dipped to a critical 10 percent range this week, and also shortly ahead of a massive candlelight rally scheduled in central Seoul to demand for Park’s re

Politics Oct. 29, 2016

A police officer was killed in a gunfight with a criminal suspect in northern Seoul and the suspect involved in the shooting has been apprehended, law enforcement authorities said Wednesday.In the gunfight that began at around 6:30 p.m. in front of a tunnel near Beon-dong in northern Seoul, the 45-year-old suspect, identified only by his family name Seong, opened fire with a privately manufactured gun, according to the police.The police responded to a report that the suspect had attacked his nei

Social Affairs Oct. 19, 2016

The chief of South Korea's top automaker Hyundai Motor Group on Tuesday called for strengthened efforts to develop luxury, environmentally friendly and sports utility vehicles to catch up with the latest market trends.Group Chairman Chung Mong-koo made the calls during his visit to the US sales branch and a design center in California. Chung said the future-oriented strategy is needed to further expand Hyundai's presence in the US market, the world's second-largest auto market.  Hyundai Motor ch

Industry Sept. 6, 2016

VIENTIANE, Laos (Yonhap) -- The leaders of South Korea and the United States on Tuesday stressed China’s role in enforcing sanctions against North Korea and resolving the communist state's nuclear conundrum, saying the allies would continue communications with Beijing.During their summit in the Laotian capital of Vientiane, President Park Geun-hye and her U.S. counterpart Barack Obama reaffirmed that the allies would mobilize "all possible means" to counter Pyongyang's continued provocations, wh

Politics Sept. 6, 2016

South Korea's top court has approved a new set of sentencing guidelines on Monday that call for, among other things, strengthened punishment for those who wear masks during rallies.The Supreme Court said it will receive reviews on its guidelines from the justice ministry and other relevant organizations before finalizing the guidelines.stock image(123rf)Under the guidelines, those who wear masks during rallies could face up 18 months in prison.Just 10 months ago President Park Geun-hye vowed not

Social Affairs Sept. 5, 2016

South Korea's Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo, Seoul's point man on Pyongyang, left for Kazakhstan on Saturday to join a forum on denuclearization, his ministry said.The two-day conference, titled "Building a Nuclear Weapon-Free World," will open in the capital city of Astana on Sunday for discussions on ways toward nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament.It is to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the closing of the Semipalatinsk test site, which was the primary nuclear test venue for the

North Korea Aug. 27, 2016

South Korea's parliamentary research body on Saturday defended the country's restrictions on the use of government-supplied maps abroad against Google's controversial map request.In a report, the National Assembly Research Service said the government should prudently review the impact to national security.The U.S. Internet giant has sought permission to take government map data off the peninsula for use in servers worldwide.Google claims that it's necessary to offer full GPS and other mapping se

Politics Aug. 27, 2016

Samsung Electronics Co. of South Korea has started receiving pre-orders for its new Galaxy Note phablet from Chinese customers, company officials said Saturday.The Galaxy Note 7 is scheduled to go on sale on Sept. 1, with a price tag of 5,988 yuan, or one million won (US$897).It features 4GB of RAM and 64GB of flash memory storage, the same as those sold in other markets such as South Korea, the United States and Europe.The fresh phablet has attracted keen global attention with an iris recogniti

Technology Aug. 27, 2016

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) condemned North Korea's four recent ballistic missile launches and agreed to take "significant" measures against Pyongyang, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Saturday.The council issued a press statement strongly denouncing North Korea's missile tests in a unanimous decision reached on Friday (New York time), the ministry said.On Aug. 24, North Korea fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) from the East Sea, prompting the council to hold

North Korea Aug. 27, 2016

The United States is deeply concerned about the human rights situation in North Korea and the country's nuclear and missile programs, the White House said Friday, local time."The United States and the rest of the international community is deeply concerned about the human rights situation inside of North Korea," Josh Earnest, press secretary at the White House, said in a regular briefing. "We also have deep concerns about the continued willingness of the North Korean regime in provocative action

North Korea Aug. 27, 2016