The U.S. is urgently deploying several hundred armed troops in and around Iraq and considering sending an additional contingent of special forces soldiers as Baghdad struggles to repel a rampant insurgency, even as the White House insists anew that America will not be dragged into another war.   President Barack Obama notified Congress Monday that up to 275 troops could be sent to Iraq to provide support and security for U.S. personnel and the American Embassy in Baghdad. About 170 of those fo

World News June 17, 2014

South Korea and China held closed-door talks last week aimed at demarcating their economic exclusive zones (EEZs) ahead of an expected summit meeting between their leaders, a source said Tuesday. The Friday talks come as the two countries remain at odds over Beijing's declaration last year of its new air defense identification zone over the East China Sea that encroaches upon South Korea's and includes the Seoul-controlled submerged rock of Ieodo. Ieodo, which is 4.6 meters below sea level,

Foreign Affairs June 17, 2014

North Korea should return all the Japanese people abducted by the communist country first before Japan's prime minister could visit Pyongyang for a summit meeting, a Tokyo minister said Tuesday. A summit meeting would take place in the last stage and the key prerequisite for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to North Korea is that all the abducted Japanese people come home, said Keiji Furuya, the minister in charge of the abduction issue, in an interview with the Washington-based Voice of Amer

World News June 17, 2014

South Korea on Monday sent back five North Korean fishermen rescued from a sinking boat in South Korean waters last week, the unification ministry said.South Korea's Coast Guard discovered the fishing boat about 60 kilometers northeast of the easternmost islets of Dokdo early Friday and rescued the five seamen aboard the ship.The North Koreans were repatriated via the neutral border village of Panmunjon."Respecting the five North Korean crewmen's wish, we decided to send them all back to the Nor

North Korea June 16, 2014

Russia on Monday said it would cut off gas supplies to Ukraine as a payment deadline passed and negotiators failed to reach a deal on gas prices and unpaid bills.   Gazprom's spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov said that since Ukraine had paid nothing for the gas by Monday Moscow has no legal grounds to supply it to Ukraine any more.   "Gazprom supplies to Ukraine only the amount that has been paid for, and the amount that has been paid for is zero," Kupriyanov said Monday morning. Kupriyanov add

World News June 16, 2014

Several aides to the fugitive owner of the sunken ferry Sewol denied the charges against them at the start of their trial here on Monday for their alleged role in the sinking that left more than 300 people dead or missing. Eight close confidants of Yoo Byung-eun, who owns the operator of the ill-fated ship, have been accused of embezzlement, breach-of-duty and other instances of corruption believed to have contributed to the April 16 sinking. Prosecutors allege that the defendants, includ

Social Affairs June 16, 2014

President Park Geun-hye's pick for the nation's new education minister, who will double as deputy prime minister for educational, social and cultural affairs, is an expert on education affairs. Kim Myung-soo, 66, who studied education at Seoul National University, began his career as a middle school teacher in 1975. After serving as an assistant professor at Seoul National University College of Education, he is now a professor at Korea National University of Education and the president of

Politics June 13, 2014

President Park Geun-hye's pick for the next culture minister is a veteran TV reporter with nearly 30 years of work experience in major broadcasting companies such as KBS and SBS. Chung Sung-keun, 59, became well known when he worked as an anchor on various SBS news programs. The nominee, in particular, gained much attention from viewers when he was an anchor of the channel's nighttime news program, "Nightline" for his impressive closing comments often critical of the government. In 2012, he ra

Politics June 13, 2014