Two North Korean patrol boats crossed the western maritime border and retreated early Friday, the South Korean military said, just hours before U.S. President Barack Obama is due to arrive in South Korea for an official visit.The fishery inspection vessels came 1 nautical mile south of the maritime boundary, called the Northern Limit Line, in the Yellow Sea and retreated after the South Korean Navy broadcast several warnings and fired warning shots between 4:35 a.m. and 5:03 a.m., the Joint Chie

North Korea April 25, 2014

U.S. President Barack Obama was due in South Korea on Friday for talks with President Park Geun-hye as the Asian ally grieves over the deadly sinking of a ferry while on the lookout for a possible nuclear test by North Korea.How to deal with Pyongyang is expected to be a major topic for talks between Park and Obama set for later Friday. But attention is also being paid to what action Obama will take to express sympathy and condolences over the Sewol ferry disaster that has left nearly 300 people

Politics April 25, 2014

China said Thursday that it will not permit chaos on its doorstep, in another thinly-veiled warning to its wayward ally North Korea amid indications that the North is technically ready to conduct a fresh nuclear test. "Peace and stability is in the immediate interests of China. We will by no means allow war or chaos to occur on our doorstep," China's foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters, when asked about the possibility of a fourth nuclear test by North Korea. The comments by Qin e

North Korea April 24, 2014

France is very much concerned about the possibility of North Korea conducting its fourth nuclear test, the visiting speaker of the French Senate was quoted as saying Thursday.Sen. Jean-Pierre Bel made the remark during a meeting with South Korean President Park Geun-hye after Park said it is a serious matter for North Korea to threaten a nuclear test and show signs of actual preparations, according to a statement from Park's office.Bel also said the entire international community is concerned ab

North Korea April 24, 2014

The easternmost South Korean islets of Dokdo are subject to the mutual defense treaty between South Korea and the United States, the foreign ministry said Thursday, suggesting that a foreign attack on the islets would lead to joint countermeasures. "Our government's stance is that Dokdo is a territory under South Korea's administrative control as stipulated in the South Korea-U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty," foreign ministry spokesman Cho Tai-young said in a briefing. Cho's comments indicate that So

Foreign Affairs April 24, 2014

The Constitutional Court ruled Thursday that a law limiting children's access to online computer games after midnight is constitutional.In the ruling against a group of teenagers who enjoy online games, their parents and gaming firms, the court said the law has the "justifiable" purpose of protecting minors from Internet game addiction and "a proper means" to implement this aim.The court made the decision in a 7-2 majority opinion by its justices.Under the Youth Protection Act, online game opera

Social Affairs April 24, 2014

North Korea appears technically ready to conduct its fourth nuclear test any time once a political decision is made, South Korea's foreign minister said Thursday.Concerns have been growing since Pyongyang threatened to conduct a "new form" of nuclear test late last month. South Korean officials are on alert after detecting "increased activity" at North Korea's Punggye-ri nuclear test site in its mountainous northeastern region close to its border with China and Russia.North Korea has so far carr

North Korea April 24, 2014

Nuclear threats from North Korea, including the possibility of an additional nuclear test, will be a key topic when President Park Geun-hye holds talks with U.S. President Barack Obama later this week, an official said Thursday.Obama is scheduled to arrive in Seoul on Friday for a two-day visit amid growing concerns that Pyongyang could conduct its fourth nuclear test. South Korean officials have cited intelligence showing that all technical preparations have been completed at the Punggye-ri tes

North Korea April 24, 2014

SK hynix Inc., the world's No. 2 memory chip maker, said Thursday its net profit surged 348.9 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier on the back of improved sales in dynamic random access memory chips.Net profit came to 802.2 billion won ($771.7 million) in the January-March period, soaring from 178.7 billion won in the previous year, the company said in a regulatory filing.Revenue gained 34.6 percent on-year to 3.74 trillion won in the first quarter, and operating profit also jumped t

Industry April 24, 2014

The South Korean economy grew 0.9 percent in the first quarter from three months earlier as exports and construction investment gained ground, the central bank said Thursday.The first-quarter growth of Korea's gross domestic product, the broadest measure of economic performance, matched the 0.9 percent on-quarter gain in the fourth quarter, according to the Bank of Korea.From a year earlier, Asia's fourth-largest economy grew 3.9 percent in the first quarter after advancing 3.7 percent on-year i

April 24, 2014