Emails of dozens of South Korean defense and diplomatic officials and journalists have been hacked by North Korea this year, and the prosecution is looking into whether any state secrets have been leaked, the prosecution said Monday.Emails of some 90 officials from the defense, diplomatic and unifications ministries, as well as journalists and researchers on North Korea, have been subject to the hacking attacks from January to June, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office said. Fifty-six of them had the

North Korea Aug. 1, 2016

South Korean swimming star Park Tae-hwan arrived in Rio de Janeiro for the Olympics on Sunday, hoping for a shot at redemption after a tumultuous build-up to his fourth Summer Games.The 2008 Olympic gold medalist in the 400m freestyle wrapped up his two-week training camp in Orlando, Florida, and arrived at Santos Dumont Airport on Sunday afternoon here. The Rio Olympics will kick off Friday, and Park's first race, the 400m free, is set for the following day."I had great training in Florida," Pa

Olympic Games Aug. 1, 2016

The United States and South Korea should step up planning for potential instability in North Korea, a former senior U.S. diplomat and currently a key foreign policy adviser to Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has said."One of the most vital tasks for the United States and South Korea is to prepare for instability and uncertainty in North Korea through greater contingency planning and coordination. On this question of profound change occurring suddenly on the Korean Peninsula, ther

North Korea Aug. 1, 2016

North Korea on Sunday entered the athletes' village for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in a modest ceremony, with only the country's officials on hand.North Korea and Uganda were welcomed into the athletes' quarters for the Aug. 5-21 Olympics. However, none of North Korea's 31 athletes, competing in nine sports, attended the occasion. Yun Song-bom, head of the North's delegation, was one of 16 officials present.One North Korean official said the athletes were still jet-lagged and their training sch

Olympic Games Aug. 1, 2016

Singapore will exclude North Korea from its visa waiver countries list starting in October as part of its efforts to sanction the reclusive country for its nuclear and missile development programs, diplomatic sources said.Sources here said the Southeast Asian country's Immigration and Checkpoints Authority announced that all North Koreans will be required to have a valid visa.Authorities added that the decision follows a review of the island city state's regular visa process and reflects a move

North Korea July 31, 2016

The Seoul municipal government on Sunday said it plans to expand no-smoking zones at subway entrances to better address public health concerns.Under the changes that will go into effect as of Sept. 1, people caught smoking within 10 meters of a subway entrance can be fined up to 100,000 won ($89.6).It said a campaign has been launched in cooperation with the capital city's many wards to raise public awareness for the shift."Stickers and notices have been placed where needed to warn smokers of th

Social Affairs July 31, 2016

Lawmakers belonging to the ruling and opposition parties are generally in favor of expanding the anti-graft law to encompass the country's labor unions and civic groups, a poll showed Sunday.The survey carried out on lawmakers sitting on parliament's National Policy Committee showed 10 supporting the expansion versus five who were opposed with four saying they did not have a view on the matter.The poll carried out by Yonhap News Agency shows awareness among lawmakers that the law can be revised

Social Affairs July 31, 2016

How about spending a night out at a cool, green-lawned plaza to let off some steam?The Seoul city government on Sunday said it will launch the "Seoul Culture Night" festival next month in various places across the city.On Aug. 27, it will run "MT Seoul," where 100 preselected teams are allowed to set up tents in Seoul Plaza and stay overnight there. At the plaza, a flea market, a talk session and a movie screening will take place.On the previous day, the city will run a number of tour programs i

Culture July 31, 2016