South Korea will share the cost of North Korea's participation in the upcoming Incheon Asian Games in consideration of inter-Korean ties and previous cases, a government official said Tuesday.Pyongyang has said it will send a 273-member group of athletes, coaches, referees and other officials to the games to take place in the South's western port city from Sept. 19 to Oct. 4. "The (South Korean) government will fork out a portion of the cost," the unification ministry official told reporters. "I

North Korea Sept. 2, 2014

The Army will bring murder charges against four soldiers in the gruesome death of their junior comrade, officers said Tuesday, reversing an earlier decision to charge them with involuntary manslaughter.  In April, the 23-year-old Army private first class, surnamed Yoon, died after allegedly being hit in his chest by six of his colleagues at a frontline unit on the east coast, while eating snacks. The assault caused a piece of food to obstruct his airway, leading him to die of asphyxiation, the A

Social Affairs Sept. 2, 2014

GM Korea Co., the South Korean unit of U.S. automotive giant General Motors, on Tuesday said it will launch its 2015 Malibu diesel sedan in its home market to follow up on the success of the previous model.The updated midsize sedan, which has the same 2-liter "Ecotec" turbo diesel mated to a six speed automatic transmission, also features the external sheet metal and overall dimensions vis-a-vis the outgoing model that has sold 2,990 units since sales began in March. This powertrain has been rat

Industry Sept. 2, 2014

Tens of thousands of South Korean financial workers are expected to go on strike for the first time in 14 years this week to protest what they call government interference in the local financial sector, dismissing repeated appeals by authorities to cancel the walkout."We expect some 50,000 of around 100,000 union members at local banks and state-run financial firms to take part in the strike," Lee Ji-seop, a public relations official of the umbrella labor group Korea Finance Industry Union, said

Sept. 2, 2014

North Korea criticized the United States Tuesday for seeking to deploy an advanced missile defense system in South Korea.Pyongyang accused the U.S. of exacerbating the security situation on the peninsula by pushing for the establishment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system here.The U.S. is considering deploying a THAAD battery to one of its military bases in South Korea.The Pentagon has already completed a related field survey, according to defense sources.Pyongyang's state-controll

North Korea Sept. 2, 2014

Three American citizens detained in North Korea have called for Washington's help in ending their ordeals as they were allowed to hold interviews with the U.S. cable news channel CNN.The interviews, held in Pyongyang on Monday, were seen as the latest indication that North Korea wants to use the three men -- Kenneth Bae, Matthew Todd Miller and Jeffrey Edward Fowle -- as leverage to reopen dialogue with the United States.The North has long called for unconditional resumption of negotiations on n

North Korea Sept. 2, 2014

South Korea will likely set its tariffs on rice imports at more than 500 percent, a senior government official said Tuesday."The government plans to set the import tariff rate at the highest possible level to protect the country's rice industry," the official from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs told reporters.The move comes as South Korea is scheduled to liberalize its rice market through tarrification starting next year. The government is expected to notify the World Trade

Politics Sept. 2, 2014

Car sales by South Korean automakers fell sharply last month from a year earlier amid labor-management wage disputes and people taking time off for summer vacation, industrywide data showed Monday.The combined sales of five local car manufacturers reached 638,372 vehicles in August, down 7.3 percent from 688,708 vehicles sold a year ago. The total excludes complete knockdown kits shipped abroad for assembly.  Carmakers said labor strife, including partial walkouts and overtime work boycotts, hur

Industry Sept. 1, 2014

The National Assembly's regular parliamentary session kicked off Monday amid a political deadlock over April's deadly ferry sinking that claimed the lives of more than 300 people, mostly high school students.The dispute between the nation's rival political parties -- the ruling Saenuri Party and the No. 1 opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy  -- centers on a bill aimed at uncovering the truth behind one of the country's deadliest maritime accidents.The 6,825-ton ferry Sewol capsized of

Politics Sept. 1, 2014

President Park Geun-hye called Monday for a compromise between labor and management to try to find a way that benefits the two sides amid a looming strike that could disrupt South Korea's financial sector.She warned that all South Koreans will stand to lose unless strife between labor and management and the inefficiency of labor markets are urgently addressed."It's time for our labor and management to find a way for mutual benefits through dialogue and compromise ... instead of seeking immediate

Politics Sept. 1, 2014

His dream of playing in Major League Baseball on hold for now, South Korean pitcher Yoon Suk-min will soon return home after wrapping up his minor league season in the Baltimore Orioles organization, his agency said Monday.The Orioles designated Yoon for assignment last Sunday to make room for other players in their 40-man roster. Yoon cleared waivers and was outrighted to Norfolk. Such a move is designed to clear space for players not on the 40-man roster, and a player already in the minors, su

Baseball Sept. 1, 2014

A South Sudanese city mayor has sent a thank-you note to South Korean President Park Geun-hye for Korean troops' reconstruction efforts in the war-torn African region, the defense ministry here said Monday.Nhial Majak, mayor of the Bor Municipal Council in South Sudan, said he was "writing a handwritten letter to convey my utmost gratitude" with regard to operations by South Korea's Hanbit unit "that have been providing a tremendous amount of support for the local community."South Korea dispatch

Politics Sept. 1, 2014

Negotiators from South Korea, China and Japan met in Beijing on Monday for a fifth round of talks on a trilateral free-trade agreement, a Seoul delegate said, setting aside diplomatic tensions between Japan and the two Asian neighbors over their shared history. South Korea's chief negotiator, Assistant Commerce Minister Woo Tae-hee, kicked off the talks at a hotel in Beijing by shaking hands and exchanging greetings with China's assistant commerce minister, Wang Shouwen, and Japanese Deputy Fore

Politics Sept. 1, 2014

Belgium's Ghent University opened its local branch in South Korea's Incheon free economic zone Monday, becoming the first European school to open a campus here.A ceremony that also marked the opening of a branch of the University of Utah from the United States was held in the free economic zone in Songdo, also a home to the United Nations Green Climate Fund, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.Ghent University, one of the top-rated schools in the world for bioscience, is expe

Social Affairs Sept. 1, 2014