The chief of the main opposition Democratic Party vowed Monday to establish a policy on North Korea that centers on national unity.Kim Han-gil made the pledge in a New Year's press conference as he cited President Park Geun-hye's recently announced goal of laying the groundwork for reunification."Reunification without preparation will bring great chaos to the Korean Peninsula," Kim said during the news conference at the National Assembly. "Therefore, the government should present the people with

Politics Jan. 13, 2014

More than half of foreign companies operating in South Korea are dissatisfied with the country's investment environment due to a volatile economy and lack of policy consistency, a poll showed Monday.The same poll showed that there were more firms that anticipated a decrease in foreign investment this year than those that expected an increase.According to the recent poll of 201 foreign companies by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 55 percent of the respondents said that the local inves

Jan. 13, 2014

Argentine billionaire Eduardo Eurnekian is eying his third deal in Brazil since 2011 with the purchase of a stake from Eike Batista in a semiconductor venture as he expands operations in Latin America’s largest economy.Eurnekian’s Corporacion America, which has concessions over Brazil’s Natal and Brasilia airports, is in talks to acquire Batista’s 33 percent stake in the SIX Semicondutores SA startup, Carolina Barros, head of communications for the Argentine billionaire’s holding company, said J

World Business Jan. 13, 2014

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is on his first visit to Africa, on Sunday pledged to boost ties with resource-rich Mozambique, signing a raft of agreements on key sectors including energy.Mozambique is seen as Africa's emerging frontier for natural gas, with several offshore discoveries in recent years."The relationship that we have maintained with Mozambique has evolved over the years and there has been much progress," Abe said after meeting with his Mozambican counterpart President Arm

World Business Jan. 13, 2014

South Korea on Monday launched a new government committee that will oversee all its trade affairs, including new free trade agreements.The new Trade Policy Committee consists of officials from 23 government ministries and organizations, including the Financial Services Commission and the customs service, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy whose chief will serve as its chairman."In 2014, the government seeks to actively deal with changes in trade conditions of the Asian-Pacif

Jan. 13, 2014

The government plans to set up a monument in Papua New Guinea to commemorate South Korean victims forced into battle by imperial Japan during World War II, officials said Monday.The cenotaph, under construction on New Britain island of the Oceania country, aims to pay tribute to those killed after being forced into war there by colonial Japan, according to Seoul's forced labor investigation commission under the Prime Minister's Secretariat. The Korean Peninsula was under Japan's brutal colonial

Politics Jan. 13, 2014

Samsung Electronics Co. was ranked fifth in the number of lawsuits filed against it by non-practicing entities last year, down two notches from 2012, as the so-called patent trolls shifted focused to U.S. mobile carriers, data showed Monday.In a sign of intensifying battle over copyright infringement, the South Korean tech giant had 38 cases filed against it in 2013, ranking fifth in the number of patent suits filed against tech firms by NPEs, the data by U.S.-based market researcher Patent Free

Technology Jan. 13, 2014

A Korean film inspired by the early years of the late President Roh Moo-hyun is expected to surpass 10 million viewers by this weekend, becoming the first film to reach the milestone this year."The Attorney" had drawn 9.2 million moviegoers as of Sunday, according to box-office data compiled by the Korean Film Council. The movie has topped the local box office for a fourth week in a row, despite recently being released illegally online.Starring actor Song Kang-ho, the star of director Bong Joon-

Film Jan. 13, 2014

South Korean men's national football team is scheduled to depart for Brazil later Monday to set up its first pre-World Cup training camp in the South American country.Head coach Hong Myung-bo will lead a squad of 23 players from South Korean, Chinese and Japanese leagues to the World Cup host country.The team will arrive in Foz do Iguacu in Brazil on Monday local time and train there for a week before moving to Los Angeles, according to the Korea Football Association.In the United States, South

Soccer Jan. 13, 2014

South Korea plans to introduce its first electric ships this year to help cut energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions of small fishing farms, the government said Monday.According to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the government plans to provide 1.2 billion won ($1.13 million) to introduce up to 40 electric ships each costing about 50 million won.The ships, developed jointly by the ministry and the University of Ulsan, are only about one tenth as expensive to operate as fuel-powered vess

Technology Jan. 13, 2014

South Korean stocks opened higher Monday led by gains in technology firms and carmakers, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 8.98 points, or 0.46 percent, to 1,947.52 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Tech shares led the market gain, with Samsung Electronics rising 0.71 percent and its smaller rival LG Electronics climbing 0.61 percent. Flat panel maker LG Display added 1.15 percent.Carmakers also gathered ground, with No. 1 Hyundai Motor moving up 2.26 percent a

Jan. 13, 2014

More than 1,500 North Korean defectors arrived in South Korea last year, the unification ministry said Monday, despite Pyongyang's crackdown to stem the flow of defections.The ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, said a total of 1,516 North Koreans settled in South Korea in 2013, up slightly from 2012 when 1,502 North Koreans arrived in the South, with women accounting for 76 percent of the total.The ministry said South Korea is now home to 26,124 North Koreans.Last year's tally is the

North Korea Jan. 13, 2014

The United States and China had discussions on the possibility of a regime collapse in North Korea and other contingencies well before the death of former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, according to a U.S. congressional report.But it remains unconfirmed whether the two global powers are continuing such sensitive consultations."When asked on Oct. 4, 2009, whether the United States and China discussed contingencies in North Korea, (then) Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell acknowledged ta

North Korea Jan. 13, 2014

Pentagon officials often say defense cooperation between South Korea and Japan shouldn't be affected by often prickly political and diplomatic ties between the two neighboring nations.But they were guarded, if not speechless, when South Korean peacekeeping troops in South Sudan returned 10,000 rounds of rifle ammunition to Japan last week."We don't have anything on that issue," Maj. Robert Firman, a Pentagon spokesman handling Africa affairs, said.Asked again via email, he replied, "Still nothin

Foreign Affairs Jan. 13, 2014