Seoul City will unveil its new brand, suggested and picked by citizens and visitors, on Wednesday.The Seoul Metropolitan Government had revealed three finalists to replace the current brand “Hi-Seoul.” They are “I.SEOUL.U” to emphasize harmony, “seouling” to show the city’s dynamic nature and “SEOULMATE” to represent the city’s friendliness, the city officials explained.The final brand will be picked by weighing 50 percent of early voting, 25 percent of an on-site poll by a council of 1,000 cit

Social Affairs Oct. 26, 2015

President Park Geun-hye has proposed for her Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe to hold a summit on Nov. 2, on the sidelines of a trilateral meeting Seoul is likely to host this weekend, Cheong Wa Dae said Monday. President Park Geun-hye (Yonhap)An official at the presidential office told reporters that the summit between Park and Abe will be confirmed as soon as Tokyo agrees with the offer. If confirmed, the leaders will be sitting down for a summit for the first time since they took office. Durin

Politics Oct. 26, 2015

MOUNT GEUMGANGSAN, North Korea -- The three-day reunions for the members of 90 families, separated by the border, ended Monday with overwhelming sadness and dim hopes that reunification would happen during their lifetime. Separated familities bid farewell as South Korean members leave for home at the end of their reunions in Mount Geumgangsan Monday. (Yonhap)Many of the participants, mostly in their 80s and 90s, broke down in tears as their loved ones were led to board their homebound buses that

North Korea Oct. 26, 2015

MOUNT GEUMGANGSAN, North Korea, -- Hundreds of elderly South and North Korean separated family members met with each other for the first time on Saturday since the 1950-53 Korean War in long-awaited and tearful family reunions. Kim Wol-soon, 93, from South Korea is reunited with her 72-year-old son Ju Jae-eun from the North during the second round of family reunions at Mount Geumgangsan, North Korea, on Saturday. (Yonhap)The second batch of 90 families or about 250 South Koreans, many of them in

North Korea Oct. 24, 2015

U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Friday he will visit South Korea next week for talks on North Korea's missile and nuclear programs. U.S. Defence Secretary Ashton Carter speaks during a news conference with his British counterpart Michael Fallon at Lancaster House in London, Britain on Oct. 9. (Reuters-Yonhap)At a press briefing in the Pentagon, Carter said he will be in South Korea next week to discuss "the ability of our collective defense to respond to those kinds of North Korean pro

Defense Oct. 24, 2015

South Korea won Group B at the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile on Friday after a scoreless draw with England.  The South Korean team pose for a photo before a match with England at the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile on Friday. (Yonhap)South Korea completed their undefeated group phase at Estadio Francisco Sanchez Rumoroso in Coquimbo, Chile. Coached by Choi Jin-cheul, South Korea had already secured a spot in the round of 16 following two straight 1-0 victories over Brazil and Guinea.South

Soccer Oct. 24, 2015

The issue of South Korea’s troop reduction returned to the spotlight this week, as the government endorsed a revision to the defense reform act to postpone the target year for the reform to 2030 from the previous 2020, at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday. Defense Minister Han Min-koo speaks during a parliamentary session on Monday. (Yonhap)As the reform measures under the act include a plan to decrease the active-duty troop level to 522,000 from the current 633,000 by 2022, the revision has given more

Defense Oct. 23, 2015

Nearly 400 South Koreans will gather in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, Monday, a day before they travel across the border into the North to reunite with family members they have been separated from since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.South Korea`s Red Cross workers check wheelchairs at a hotel in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, on Sunday. (Yonhap)At Hanwha Resorts, a total of 394 people will be briefed on an array of issues including details about the reunions at Mount Geumgangsan, their health care an

North Korea Oct. 18, 2015

President Park Geun-hye returned to Seoul on Sunday from her four-day trip to the U.S. with a set of diplomatic achievements such as obtaining Washington’s stronger commitment to North Korea’s denuclearization and its support for her initiatives for unification and regional peace.President Park Geun-hye shakes hands with Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yong after her arrival at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province on Sunday. (Yonhap)Her trip also helped ease the growing impression that Seo

Foreign Affairs Oct. 18, 2015

The freedom of religion does not exist in practice in North Korea, an annual U.S. government report said Wednesday, noting the repressive regime continues to harshly handle religious people through executions, torture, beatings and arrests.US Secretary of State John Kerry speaks during the release of the 2014 International Religious Freedom Report at the US State Department in Washington on Wednesday. (AFP-Yonhap)The State Department’s 2014 International Religious Freedom Report pointed out that

North Korea Oct. 15, 2015