WASHINGTON, Oct. 11 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak arrived in Washington on Tuesday for talks with U.S. President Barack Obama as Congress prepares to endorse a long-pending free-trade agreement with Seoul, a landmark deal expected to bring the two allies further closer together.Wi

Politics Oct. 12, 2011

SEOUL, Oct. 10 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's video game market reached over 7 trillion won (US$6 billion) for the first time in its history last year on strong growth of its online game market, a government report said Monday.According to the report by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the co

Culture Oct. 10, 2011

CHUNCHEON, South Korea, Oct. 10 (Yonhap) -- A local court here on Monday sentenced a 45-year-old South Korean man to 20 years in prison for killing his Cambodian wife last year to collect US$1 million from insurance policies.The defendant, identified only by his surname Kang, was indicted in March l

Social Affairs Oct. 10, 2011

SEOUL, Oct. 7 (Yonhap) -- The National Agricultural Cooperative Federation (NACF) on Friday said that it cannot accept a 4 trillion won (US$3.39 billion) support package proposal by the government, claiming that more money is necessary for the reform of the cooperative entity.Last month, the governm

Oct. 7, 2011

SEOUL, Oct. 7 (Yonhap) -- Samsung Electronics Co., the world's largest memory chipmaker, said Friday that it is teaming up with Micron Technology Inc. of the U.S. to develop technology to produce a high-performance memory chip.Samsung has formed a consortium with Micron Technology, the U.S.'s larges

Technology Oct. 7, 2011

SEOUL, Oct. 7 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Olympic football team pounded Uzbekistan 5-1 at Seoul World Cup Stadium Friday, in the opening leg of the rare football friendly doubleheader in the nation's capital.Five different players got on the score sheet for the home team. Kim Tae-hwan scored just two

Soccer Oct. 7, 2011

Moody's on Friday downgraded its credit ratings for a dozen British lenders, including state-rescued Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds TSB, due to the removal and curtailment of government financial support.Moody's said it chose to downgrade five large banks and seven small ones as government action

World News Oct. 7, 2011

SEOUL, Oct. 7 (Yonhap) -- Another U.S. soldier in Korea is under investigation on suspicion of raping an underage South Korean girl, police said Friday, less than two weeks after a similar case enraged locals. The Seoul Mapo Police Station said they were interrogating the 21-year-old Army private fr

Social Affairs Oct. 7, 2011

SEOUL, Oct. 7 (Yonhap) -- South Koreans begin to use mobile phones at the age of 10.4, with nine out of 10 elementary and secondary students in the nation possessing one, a recent survey showed Friday.According to the survey conducted by Dankook University's medical school between Aug. 22-26, 91 per

Podcast Oct. 7, 2011

SEOUL, Oct. 6 (Yonhap) -- Although the death of Steve Jobs aroused waves of sadness and condolences among South Koreans on Thursday, his absence is not expected to have an immediate impact on the country's information technology industry or his company's bitter lawsuits with Samsung Electronics Co.,

Industry Oct. 6, 2011

MOSCOW (AP) _ The widely publicized incident in which Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin pulled up ancient Greek jug fragments from the seabed on a diving expedition was staged, his chief spokesman said.The August dive in the Kerch Strait that connects the Black and Azov seas was reported extensi

Podcast Oct. 6, 2011

SEOUL, Oct. 6 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean Red Cross said Thursday it named its No. 2 official as its first female head in a meeting earlier in the day.Vice President Yu Jung-keun will lead the relief organization after her designation is authorized by President Lee Myung-bak, honorary head of the R

Politics Oct. 6, 2011

SEOUL, Oct. 6 (Yonhap) -- More than 100 North Korean defectors who had sought aslyum overseas despite holding South Korean citizenship returned to the South in the last five years, a lawmaker said Thursday.Seoul's diplomatic missions overseas issued 109 individual passports to North Korean defectors with South Korean citizenship in what appeared to be efforts to return to the South after fake asylum attempts were rejected or when life in foreign nations proved too difficult, even if asylum had b

North Korea Oct. 6, 2011