The government is moving to designate the day before National Liberation Day next week as a temporary holiday in a bid to spur patriotism, a government official said Sunday.   This year's 70th anniversary of Korea's Aug. 15 independence from Japan falls on a Saturday with the government planning to designate the Friday before the anniversary as a temporary holiday.    The plan will be put up for discussion during the Cabinet meeting to be presided by President Park Geun-hye on Tuesday, the offic

Social Affairs Aug. 2, 2015

The top organizer for South Korea's first Winter Games assured international Olympic officials on Saturday that he will put in the hard work necessary for the multisport competition.   PyeongChang, located some 180 kilometers east of Seoul, is preparing for the 2018 Winter Games with Cho Yang-ho, also chairman of conglomerate Hanjin Group, at the helm.   Cho, who took over the organizing committee on July 31 last year after having earlier served as PyeongChang's bid leader, told the Internationa

Olympic Games Aug. 1, 2015

South Korea's ruling party chief has vowed to lead the Saenuri Party to landslide victories in next year's general elections and in the presidential election in 2017.   Rep. Kim Moo-sung, chairman of the Saenuri Party, made the remarks Friday at a meeting with South Korean residents living in Los Angeles, the final stop of his nine-day trip to the United States, which started last Saturday.   "I will do my best to make the administration of President Park Geun-hye a success," Kim said.   He said

Politics Aug. 1, 2015

WASHINGTON -- Delegates negotiating a huge Pacific free-trade agreement failed to reach a final deal Friday after several days of intense talks in Hawaii, in a setback to US President Barack Obama.   But US Trade Representative Michael Froman, in a statement on behalf of the 12 countries involved, insisted that "significant progress" had been made on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, the most ambitious trade deal in decades.   "After more than a week of productive meetings we've mad

World News Aug. 1, 2015

The two Koreas should keep promoting sports exchanges even as they remain at odds politically, a senior Pyongyang sports official said.   Chang Ung, the lone North Korean member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), told Yonhap News Agency in Kuala Lumpur on Friday that politics and sports should remain separated.   "Just because there haven't been many exchanges (between the Koreas), it doesn't mean we should also halt sports exchanges,"Chang said on the sidelines of the 128th IOC Sessi

North Korea Aug. 1, 2015

Chinese Ambassador to North Korea Li Jinjun has paid tribute to the Chinese soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War, touting traditional ties with wayward ally North Korea, according to China's state-run media Saturday.    Li made the remarks as he visited a cemetery of the Chinese war dead in the border city of Kaesong on Friday, Xinhua news agency reported from Pyongyang.    North Korea's young leader Kim Jong-un laid a wreath at a cemetery of Chinese war dead earlier this week in the wa

International Aug. 1, 2015

U.S. soldiers stationed in South Korea have been making sophisticated maps of underground military facilities in North Korea to better deal with threats posed by the North, a military journal showed Saturday.   U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) has been also running an education program for senior South Korean and American military officers to share information on North Korea's underground facilities and to jointly respond to the North's military threats, according to a contribution by Korean Army Maj. P

International Aug. 1, 2015

South Korean stocks are likely to trade in a tight range next week, affected by lackluster corporate earnings and continuous selling by foreign investors, analysts said Saturday.   The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) closed at 2,030.16 on Friday, falling 15.80 points, or 0.77 percent, from a week earlier.    The index was mostly driven by corporate earnings announced for large-cap shares throughout this week, while the local currency's descent against the U.S. dollar helped b

Aug. 1, 2015

The number of people diagnosed with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in South Korea continued to remain unchanged at 186 on Saturday, with the death toll also staying flat for three weeks, the government said.   The country's death toll from the disease stood at 36 for the 21st consecutive day, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.   Out of those infected so far, 138 patients have been discharged from hospitals following complete recoveries.   The remaining 12 are still hospita

Social Affairs Aug. 1, 2015

South Korea's exports again shrank from a year earlier in July, posting an on-year drop for the seventh consecutive month, the government said Saturday.   The country's overall outbound shipments came to US$46.61 billion last month, down 3.3 percent from the same month last year, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.   However, the country's trade surplus jumped from $2.34 billion in July 2014 to $7.76 billion last month as imports plunged 15.3 percent on-year to $38.85 billio

Aug. 1, 2015

The U.S. shipment of live anthrax spores to South Korea was an "extremely regrettable" mistake that happened as the allies sought to enhance capabilities to cope with "very real and significant" biological weapons threats, a Pentagon official said Friday.   "While this was an extremely regrettable incident, it is important to keep in mind that our alliance biological defense programs are designed to enhance U.S. and ROK readiness and defensive capabilities in the face of very real and significan

Foreign Affairs Aug. 1, 2015

Four South Korean Olympic medalists have applied for International Olympic Committee (IOC) membership candidacy, the country's top sports body announced Friday.   The Korean Olympic Committee (KOC) said former weightlifting champ Jang Mi-ran, reigning shooting gold medalist Jin Jong-oh, ex-table tennis champion Ryu Seung-min and fencing medalist Nam Hyun-hee have submitted their applications.   The KOC said it will choose one final candidate for a seat on the IOC's Athletes' Commission by mid-Au

Olympic Games Aug. 1, 2015