Aftershocks of the most powerful earthquake recorded in South Korea are finally showing signs of easing with no aftershocks detected since early Thursday, the meteorological agency said.   The state-run Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said no aftershocks have been detected for more than an hour since around 10 a.m. Thursday.   The possible cease comes after 316 aftershocks following the 5.8-magnitude quake Monday, the most powerful one to be recorded since the KMA began monitoring sei

Social Affairs Sept. 15, 2016

In a trove of newly leaked emails, former Secretary of State Colin Powell calls Donald Trump ``a national disgrace'' and suggests his own Republican Party is ``crashing and burning.''    Powell also laments Hillary Clinton's attempt to equate her use of private email at the State Department with his.    The emails, posted on the website DCLeaks.com and first reported by Buzzfeed News late Tuesday, offer insight into the unvarnished opinions of the respected retired Army general who was secretary

World News Sept. 15, 2016

Samsung's recall of 2.5 million Galaxy Note 7 phones after several dozen caught fire and exploded may stem from a subtle manufacturing error, but it highlights the challenge electronics makers face in packing ever more battery power into ever thinner phones, while rushing for faster release dates.    Announcing the recall on Sept. 2, Samsung confirmed dozens of cases where Note 7 batteries caught fire or exploded, mostly while charging. It plans a software update that will cap battery recharging

Industry Sept. 15, 2016

The amount of tax reimbursements more than doubled from a year earlier in 2015, apparently indicating excessive tax collection by officials out to improve their personal performances, a lawmaker said Thursday.   In 2015, the National Tax Service (NTS) was forced to reimburse 6.26 trillion won (US$5.56 billion) in excess taxes, according to Rep. Kim Gwang-lim of the ruling Saenuri Party.   The 2015 tally marks a 106 percent spike from 3.04 trillion won in 2014, the lawmaker said, citing related d

Sept. 15, 2016

A great majority of South Koreans still see a need to reunify their country with North Korea, but the number of people in favor of reunification has dropped significantly apparently due to a series of recent provocations by the communist North, a survey showed Thursday.   In a survey conducted by the National Unification Advisory Council, 74.4 percent of respondents said they saw a need for peaceful reunification of the two Koreas.   The ratio marked a 7.7 percentage point drop from 82.1 percent

North Korea Sept. 15, 2016

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday he has never seen tensions on the Korean Peninsula as high as now and urged the Security Council to unite and send a strong message to North Korea that nuclear and missile tests are unacceptable.   "The level of tension on the Korean peninsula has gone much, much higher," Ban said at a news conference marking the opening of the U.N. General Assembly. "Never in the past I have seen such kind of heightened tension on the Korean Peninsula."    "So i

North Korea Sept. 15, 2016

South Korea's life expectancy has increased at a rapid rate over the past two decades largely on advances in medical services, while that of communist North Korea climbed at less than half the speed of the South, a report showed Thursday.   According to the Korea Insurance Research Institute (KIRI), South Korea's life expectancy came to 81 years as of the end-2013, up 8.6 years from 72.5 years in 1990.   The increase compared with North Korea's 3.3-year gain over the cited period, KIRI said.   T

Social Affairs Sept. 15, 2016

A North Korean diplomat who was reported to have defected from his post in Russia last month entered South Korea with his family and huge holdings of foreign currency, a source said Thursday.   "The diplomat involved in Pyongyang's trade representatives under its consulate general in Vladivostok defected and went to South Korea via a third country," the source said.     The first secretary-level diplomat brought a "considerable" sum of foreign currency with him to the South along with his wife a

North Korea Sept. 1, 2016

Apple's chief executive says the company has put aside ``several billion dollars'' to pay tax liabilities in the United States as it repatriates some of its huge overseas earnings.    Tim Cook told Irish state network RTE in an interview broadcast Thursday that the money, part of profits from 2014, should be brought back to the U.S. next year. He did not specify how much would be repatriated.    Apple holds nearly $215 billion in cash and securities outside the U.S., much of that generated by it

World News Sept. 1, 2016

South Korea on Thursday hailed the latest United Nations resolution on North Korea for putting significant pressure on the communist country to give up its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.   "(Seoul) assesses that a significant level of progress has been achieved," foreign ministry spokesman Cho June-hyuck said as Resolution 2270 passed by the United Nations Security Council hits the six month mark.   On March 2, the U.N council approved its toughest resolution yet in response to North Ko

North Korea Sept. 1, 2016

A new drama co-produced by South Korea and China will attempt to depict the famous 1592 war against Japan in a way that promotes viewers' understanding of the people and warfare involved in the conflict, producers said Thursday.   The "Imjinwaeran" war, which lasted from 1592-98, is best remembered in Korea as a series of successful naval battles led by Admiral Yi Sun-shin. With a significantly smaller fleet, Yi won all46 battles he fought against invading Japanese forces, making him one of the

Television Sept. 1, 2016

The Dalai Lama called for love, mercy and sympathy for a better future at a meeting with a South Korean Buddhist group advocating for his visit to the country.   "I have not been able to visit Asian countries except Japan," the 81-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader told about 10 representatives from the group and the accompanying Korean journalists at his residence in Dharamshala, northwestern India, on Tuesday. "I am certain about my future visit to South Korea, if the South Korean believers' re

Culture Sept. 1, 2016