North Korea held a state funeral for Kang Sok-ju, a top North Korean diplomat who had negotiated the now-collapsed 1994 nuclear deal with the United States, the North's state media said Monday.On Sunday, the North carried out the funeral of Kang, a former party secretary in charge of international affairs, who died of esophagus cancer at the age of 77, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA)."The death of Kang Sok-ju, genuine revolutionary and able political activist, was a great loss

North Korea May 23, 2016

Two Korean clubs will be chasing quarterfinals berths at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League this week after failing to pick up victories in the opening legs of the round of 16.Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors will host Melbourne Victory at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. The two played to a 1-1 draw last week in Australia.With an away goal in the bag, Jeonbuk can advance to the quarters for the second straight year with at least a scoreless

Soccer May 23, 2016

Korean politicians from ruling and opposition parties are set to gather in Gimhae on Monday to mark the seventh anniversary of former President Roh Moo-hyun's death.Officials from the ruling Saenuri Party, as well as the main opposition Minjoo Party and the minor People's Party, will visit Roh's home in Bongha Village, about 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul.Roh, who led the country from 2003 to 2008, killed himself at a mountainside precipice above his provincial hometown in May 2009, expressin

Politics May 23, 2016

Encouraging South Korea to develop nuclear weapons could undermine American influence in Asia, unravel the U.S. alliance system and spark a nuclear arms race in the region, a congressional report said in apparent criticism of Donald Trump's suggestion to do so."Presidential candidate Donald Trump in spring 2016 stated that he was open to South Korea's developing its own nuclear arsenal to counter the North Korean nuclear threat," the Congressional Research Service said in the recent report on So

International May 23, 2016

U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said Sunday that her Republican rival Donald Trump's foreign policy views, including "heaping praise on a dangerous dictator in North Korea," pose "immediate dangers.""Look what he's done this past week, you know, attacking our closest ally, England. Heaping praise on a dangerous dictator in North Korea. Reiterating his call to pull out of NATO, our strong military alliance. Talking about letting other countries have nuclear weapons," Clinto

International May 23, 2016

A controversial bill empowering parliament to open hearings more often is not likely to be dealt with at this week's Cabinet meeting due to a lack of time for review ahead of President Park Geun-hye's overseas trip, officials said Sunday.Korea's presidential office on Friday called for a revision to the bill, passed on Thursday, on concerns that a possible abuse of the law and convocation of unnecessary hearings could hamper state affairs.The National Assembly could send the legislation to the g

Politics May 22, 2016

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is expected to refine his foreign policy now that he's clinched the nomination, a senior Korean-American Republican Party official said.Michelle Park Steel, vice chair of California's Orange County Board of Supervisors, made the remark, vowing to play a bridging role between her native South Korea and Trump amid concerns about the negative effects a Trump presidency could have on the alliance between the two countries.Steel, the first Korean-America

International May 22, 2016

North Korea on Saturday proposed holding a working-level meeting with South Korea in late May or early June in preparation for military talks that can diffuse tension on the Korean Peninsula.Pyongyang's charm offensive toward Seoul came one day after it called on South Korea to immediately accept its latest proposal for inter-Korean dialogue made by the North's leader Kim Jong-un at the country's recently concluded ruling party congress."We propose to hold working-level contact for opening (the

North Korea May 22, 2016

Korea's 19th National Assembly held their last regular session on Thursday, passing some last-minute bills and paving the way for the newly-elected lawmakers whose term begins at end-May.Among the bills passed on Thursday was the so-called Shin Hae-chul law, named after a popular South Korean singer who suffered a sudden heart attack in 2014 and fell into a coma shortly after being treated for an infection of the peritoneum and intestines at a Seoul hospital.The law centers on protecting patient

Politics May 19, 2016