Ahn Cheol-soo, former presidential aspirant who ran as an independent, indicated Monday he will form a political camp of his own by fielding candidates of his choice in October's re- and by-elections, a move certain to complicate the rivalry within the country's opposition bloc.Ahn, elected to parliament through last month's by-election, told reporters he hopes to challenge the elections in October if he "can find the people," the first set of comments from Ahn himself confirming speculations th

Politics May 13, 2013

A Korean man charged with manufacturing and transporting narcotics was sentenced to death by a Chinese higher court and is awaiting a final ruling from the top court, sources here said Monday.The suspect, whose identity was withheld except for his surname, Lee, is a resident of Japan but holds Korean nationality, according to the sources. Though he was given the death sentence by the lower court in April last year and the sentence was upheld by the higher court in December, this information was

Social Affairs May 13, 2013

President Park Geun-hye will deliver a speech at a joint session of the U.S. Congress during a visit to Washington next month for a summit withPresident Barack Obama, her office announced Tuesday.The address, set for May 8 local time, comes only one year and a half after her predecessor Lee Myung-bak also addressed a joint meeting of the Senate and the House of Representatives during a state visit in October 2011. Park took office in February for a single five-year term. It would be the first ti

Politics April 23, 2013

Traces of radioactive materials from North Korea's February nuclear test were detected, a U.N. nuclear monitoring body said Tuesday, providing the first evidence of the nuclear detonation.The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization, a U.N. body, said in an emailed statement that its "radionuclide network has made a significant detection of radioactive noble gases that could be attributed to the nuclear test" announced by North Korea on Feb. 12.Two radioactive isotopes of the noble gas

North Korea April 23, 2013

South Korean smartphone manufactures have reduced their factory prices of products in line with the government's effort to tighten regulations on price subsidies, industry sources said Saturday.Samsung Electronics, the world's top smartphone marker,slashed the price of its Galaxy Note 2 model to 990,000 won ($874.9), down 9 percent from the previous 1.08 million won, according to the sources.The top player also discounted the factory price of its Galaxy 3 models to 790,000 won, compared to the p

Industry April 6, 2013

A major 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck the eastern Indonesian province of Papua on Saturday, the US Geological Survey said, sending panicked crowds running into the streets.There were no immediate reports of damage and no tsunami warning was issued after the quake struck on land at 1:42 pm (0442 GMT) at a depth of 75 kilometres (46 miles), 272 kilometres west-southwest of provincial capital Jayapura, the USGS said.   Local seismologists had measured the quake at 7.2 magnitude.People in the area

World News April 6, 2013

국제 탐사보도언론인협회가 역외 조세피난처로 유명한 영국령 버진아일랜드 내부 문건 분석 결과를 추가로 공개했다. 이 명단에는 탁신 태국 전 총리의 전부인과 마하티르 말레이지아 전 총리 아들 등 각 국 유명인사와 고위급 인사가 포함되어 파문이 일고 있다. 최근 신상이 공개된 바야르적트 상가자브 몽골 전 재무장관은 정계 은퇴를 선언하기도 했으며, 프랑수아 올랑드 프랑스 대통령의 친구이자 대선 캠페인 공동 재무담당이었던 장 자크 오기에도 명단에 포함되어 올랑드 대통령 역시 정치적 타격을 입은 상태다. 버진아일랜드에 가짜 회사 세운 후 영국계·아일랜드계 은행에서 기록적인 7억5천만 파운드의 부동산을 대출을 받아 빼돌린 수감된 아킬레아스 칼라키스도 명단에 올라 있다.이 밖에 필리핀의 전 독재자 페르디난드 마르코스 대통령의 맏딸, 스페인의 최고 부자 미술품 수집가이자 미스 스페인 출신인 카르멘 티센-보르네미사도 그림을 사기 위해 조세 회피국의 역외 업체를 이용한 것으로 드러났다.한편 국제 탐사보

한국어판 April 6, 2013

More South Koreans on Saturday began to leave North Korea and the factory park where they work, four days after Pyongyang closed the border to people and goods.Twenty-one South Koreans returned from the Kaesong industrial park Saturday morning, and about 100 of the roughly 600 still there were expected to return home by day's end, the Unification Ministry in Seoul said.One manager, Han Nam-il, interviewed as he left, said he saw North Korean security officials ``fully armed'' before he crossed t

North Korea April 6, 2013

It's a data leak involving tens of thousands of offshore bank accounts, naming dozens of prominent figures around the world. And new details are being released by the day _ raising the prospect that accounts based on promises of secrecy and tax shelter could someday offer neither.Among those named include a top campaign official in France, the ex-wife of pardoned oil trader Marc Rich, Azerbaijan's ruling family, the daughter of Imelda Marcos and the late Baron Elie de Rothschild. The widespread

World News April 6, 2013

South Korean rap-pop sensation Psy revealed on Monday that the title of his new song, a follow-up to his massive hit "Gangnam Style," will be "Gentleman."He made a sudden announcement during a TV prime-time news interview aired at 8 p.m. on MBC.Asked about the introduction of the upcoming new song, he also hinted that his dance for the new song will be something new for overseas fans -- recognizable to Koreans, but unfamiliar abroad. After the release of the new song, Psy will launch a world con

Performance April 1, 2013

"Gee" by South Korean K-pop group, "Girls' Generation" passed 100 million hits on YouTube Monday, according to the global online video website.The video reached the milestone three years and 10 months after it was released on June 8, 2009, becoming the second video by a Korean singer or group to hit the record following rapper Psy's "Gangnam Style.""Gee" was the most-viewed Korean music video on YouTube with about 80 million clicks before the arrival of "Gangnam Style" in July, last year. The vi

Performance April 1, 2013

Pak Pong-ju, who served as North Korea's prime minister in 2003-2007, has been reappointed to the post in a recent government reorganization, the North's media said Monday.Pak's appointment was confirmed by the North's largely rubber-stamp legislature, the Supreme People's Assembly, according to the report by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA)monitored in Seoul. The 74-year-old Pak, known as an economic expert, was appointed on Sunday to a standing member of the political bureau of the ruling

North Korea April 1, 2013