South Korea plans to map out new railway projects to create jobs and expand its presence in the global railway market in the first half of this year, the transport ministry said Sunday.The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said the new railway projects will include the localization of Korea Train Express (KTX)-II, or "KTX-Sancheon" that can run at a speed of up to 300 kilometers per hour as well as exports of urban railways. The projects will be focused on job creation, the improvem

April 7, 2013

Two South Koreans returned home Sunday from the South Korea-run industrial complex in the North Korean border town of Kaesong after one of them became ill, officials here said.Sunday marks the fifth day since North Korea began blocking South Korean workers and cargo from entering the Kaesong complex."We had a patient at the complex, which prompted a total of two people, including a driver, to cross the border into the South by car through the Dorasan Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) off

North Korea April 7, 2013

GOYANG, South Korea (Yonhap News) – The annual Seoul Motor Show closed with a record 1.05 million visitors coming to see exhibitions by leading automakers from home and abroad, organizers said Sunday.More than 1 million visitors came to the 11-day event that showcased 15 futuristic concept cars as well as 36 environmentally friendly cars such as hybrid and electric vehicles, according to the organizers.A total of 384 companies from 14 countries took part in the event which boasted the largest ex

Industry April 7, 2013

A longtime employee opened fire at a wood-processing company in central Switzerland on Wednesday, leaving three people dead, including the assailant, in the country's second multiple-fatality shooting in two months, police said.Seven other people were wounded, six of them seriously, in the shooting at the premises of the company Kronospan, in the small town of Menznau, Lucerne criminal police chief Daniel Bussmann told reporters.The incident occurred as the Swiss parliament prepares to consider

International Feb. 27, 2013

Rival parties adopted a consenting report Wednesday after an one-day confirmation hearing on home affairs minister nominee Yoo Jeong-bok, paving the way for his appointment to the Cabinet post.The adoption of the report came only hours after Yoo, 56, underwent the parliamentary hearing, in which he vowed to take "fundamental" measures to guarantee a safe living environment for the public against what he called rampant crimes and natural disasters."By comprehensively analyzing factors that could

Politics Feb. 27, 2013

South Korea's new government will continue prioritizing its relations with the United States over China, Seoul's foreign minister-nominee said Wednesday, stressing the importance of the alliance between the two countries.Yun Byung-se made the remarks in a report submitted to independent lawmaker Park Joo-sun ahead of his parliamentary confirmation hearing. "The U.S. is our country's first-priority diplomatic partner and China comes next," the nominee said in the report. "In case of Japan and Rus

Foreign Affairs Feb. 27, 2013

A pro-North Korean newspaper in Japan called on South Korea's new administration Wednesday not to follow in the footsteps of a "failed president" and engage in dialogue without setting any preconditions.The article carried on the Chosun Sinbo, which is the official paper of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, is noteworthy because it is the first time that Pyongyang – even indirectly – has commented on the new Park Geun-hye administration, which took power on Monday.The media o

North Korea Feb. 27, 2013

North Korea warned Wednesday that the United States is now within the range of its strategic rockets and atomic weapons, and stressed it is now a country that can protect itself from foreign aggression.An article carried by Uriminzokkiri, North Korea's propaganda Web site, said that the U.S. should not think it is safe because it is on the other side of the Pacific Ocean.The report, monitored in Seoul, said that if Washington persists in trying to suffocate North Korea with hostile policies, the

North Korea Feb. 27, 2013

Prime Minister Chung Hong-won, who began his official duties on Wednesday, donated 100 million won ($92,081) to a local charity organization in a gesture to take care of citizens in need and prioritize the lives of the people.Chung, 68, was formally appointed by President Park Geun-hye as her first prime minister on Tuesday after the National Assembly approved his nomination earlier in the day.After paying a visit to the national cemetery as his first official duty, he visited the Community Ches

Politics Feb. 27, 2013

GYEONGJU, South Korea (Yonhap News) -- A small amount of coolant leaked from a nuclear power plant under repair earlier this week but there were no reports of injuries, the plant's operator said Tuesday.Eleven workers were hurriedly evacuated after the leak was reported at the Wolseong nuclear power plant near the southeastern provincial city of Gyeongju shortly after noon on Sunday, the state-run Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power said.Laboratory tests later found only negligible amounts of radioactiv

Social Affairs Feb. 26, 2013

A defector-turned-official working for the Seoul Metropolitan Government was indicted Tuesday on charges of carrying out espionage activities for the communist regime, prosecutors said.The 33-year-old spy, only identified as his surname Yoo, is accused of handing over the information of some 200 defectors living in Seoul to Pyongyang's spy agency, they said. The suspect, who has a Chinese nationality, arrived in South Korea in 2004, disguising himself as a North Korean defector, they said. In 20

North Korea Feb. 26, 2013

Prosecutors said Tuesday they have sought fines and asked for summary judgments against two of their own on charges of copying and circulating a digital photo of a female suspect who had sex with a trainee prosecutor during questioning.The scandal centers around allegations that a trainee prosecutor engaged in sexual acts with a suspect charged with theft during questioning at his office last year. A photo of the 42-year-old suspect later spread through the Internet and the woman asked police to

Social Affairs Feb. 26, 2013

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appears to have replaced his chief official in charge of domestic security affairs, a Seoul intelligence source said Tuesday, in what could be part of his moves to cement his power.Ri Myong-su, the North's minister of people's security, has not been seen in public for months, raising speculation that he might have been purged."To my knowledge, North Korea recently appointed Choi Bu-il, deputy chief of staff at the North's military, to the minister of people's secu

North Korea Feb. 26, 2013

President-elect Park Geun-hye on Sunday named transition team spokesman Yoon Chang-jung as a Cheong Wa Dae spokesman.According to news reports, vice chairman of the social network news service Wikitree Kim Haing was also named as a presidential spokesperson. Kim had served as the spokesperson for the party established by Rep. Chung Mong-joon of the Saenuri Party in 2002. Chung was then an independent lawmaker, and the party was dissolved in 2004. The main opposition Democratic United Party immed

Politics Feb. 24, 2013