A bureaucratic turf war between China's central government and its provincial government of Chongqing has delayed granting a final approval for South Korea's top carmaker, Hyundai Motor Co., to build its fourth plant in China, a diplomatic source and company officials said Monday. The diplomatic source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, also said South Korean President Park Geun-hye and Chinese President Xi Jinping could discuss the issue on the sidelines of their summit meeting in Seoul,

Industry June 23, 2014

A progressive teachers' union said Monday it will stage an "all-out struggle" to regain its legal status, defying a government warning of a stern punishment.The union has refused to comply with the education ministry's order to send union staff members back to school and instead vowed to launch an "all-out struggle" against the government because a local administrative court outlawed it for having dismissed educators among its members on Thursday."The education ministry prepared guidelines for h

Social Affairs June 23, 2014

North Korea joined South Korea on Monday in slamming Japan for attempting to distort the country's history of sexually enslaving Asian women during World War II, calling on the neighbor to stop efforts to whitewash past atrocities.The denunciation came after Japan announced on Friday that Seoul and Tokyo officials had coordinated the wording of the so-called "Kono Statement," a landmark apology from Japan for its imperial military's "coercion" of mostly Korean and Chinese women into sexual slave

North Korea June 23, 2014

The parents of an armed deserter holed up in an east coast hillside near the inter-Korean border after going on a shooting rampage were in talks Monday to persuade him to surrender, military officers said. After having contacted the fugitive sergeant, identified by his surname Lim, his parents, along with troops, pleaded with him to turn himself in to the military, according  to the officers."While crying, he asked us to hand over the phone to speak to his father," an Army officer said, requesti

Social Affairs June 23, 2014

U.S. automaker Ford Motor Co. will compensate South Korean owners of its vehicles that have overstated gas mileage, the transportation ministry said Monday.According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, 30 Ford vehicles sold here have been found to have less gas mileage than advertised. This marks the first time that local consumers will be compensated over a mileage gap.The ministry said it may fine the U.S. automaker but did not elaborate on the amount or other details.The ve

Industry June 23, 2014

Cheers by tens of thousands South Koreans on the street across the country were muted early Monday following the national football team's defeat against Algeria in their second World Cup match.The Group H clash between South Korea and Algeria kicked off at 4 a.m. on Wednesday (Seoul Time) at Estadio Beira-Rio in Porto Alegre, southeastern Brazil.Gwanghwamun Square in downtown Seoul turned into a sea of red as fans packed the plaza, sporting their signature Red Devil shirts and hair bands, and ho

Soccer June 23, 2014

One more North Korean fisherman was rescued while drifting in South Korean waters last week and the South Korean government has accepted his wish to defect, a government official said Monday."One North Korean citizen was rescued on June 16 while drifting in a small broken boat in the East Sea near the Dokdo island," the official said. The fisherman expressed his hope to remain in South Korea during a government interrogation and the government accepted his decision on humanitarian grounds, accor

North Korea June 23, 2014

South Korea's economy is expected to grow in the coming months, although there are still lingering uncertainties related to domestic demand and the stronger local currency, data showed Monday.According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the composite leading index of economic activity for South Korea stood at 101.01 in April, slightly down from the previous month's 101.02.This marked the 15th consecutive month that the index holds above the benchmark 100.The CLI is an

June 23, 2014

The South Korean government will have an annual consultation with Fitch Ratings Inc. this week on the country's credit valuation, the finance ministry said Sunday.Led by Andrew Colquhoun, head of Asia-Pacific sovereigns at Fitch Ratings, the delegation will visit South Korea for meetings with the Ministry of Strategy and Finance from Tuesday to Thursday.Fitch will look into South Korea's macroeconomic issues, including its mid- and long-term plans, and the impact of external factors like the U.S

June 22, 2014