A general officer will be named the presiding judge over a trial of soldiers indicted on charges of killing a fellow serviceman earlier in the year, reflecting the importance the military places on the case, an official source said Saturday.According to a senior insider, a general officer appointed by the commander of the 3rd Corps and two colonels from the judge advocate's office will sit as judges in the court-martial for sergeant Lee and the five others implicated in the death of corporal Yoo

Social Affairs Aug. 9, 2014

North Korea blamed Seoul for the deterioration of inter-Korean relations Saturday, citing joint military exercises with the United States and a breakdown in talks over the Incheon Asian Games.The Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), said in a commentary that Pyongyang's plan to send a cheerleading squad to the Asiad is to promote goodwill between the two sides, but Seoul has intentionally sabotaged the move and has moved to justify its actions.The two sides have f

North Korea Aug. 9, 2014

A homegrown action film about a 16th-century Korean naval hero's astonishing victory against Japan has surpassed the 9 million viewer mark at a record pace, the movie's investor-distributor said Saturday."Roaring Currents" exceeded the milestone earlier in the day, the 11th day since it hit the silver screen, CJ Entertainment said.The movie has been breaking all previous attendance records.The latest tally marks an increase of 1 million from the previous day when it reached the 8 million mark, a

Social Affairs Aug. 9, 2014

A soldier who deserted his post after fearing disciplinary action for bullying his subordinates injured four civilians in two separate traffic accidents, authorities said Saturday.The incident comes after the death of an Army conscript who was repeatedly bullied and assaulted by senior comrades in April sent shockwaves across the nation and has led to calls for major reform of barrack life.The Army corporal, identified only by his family name Lee from the 6th Artillery Brigade, commandeered a 5-

Social Affairs Aug. 9, 2014

Nigeria's president has declared the containment of the Ebola virus in Africa's most populous nation a national emergency, his office said in a statement Friday, after the health ministry announced two more confirmed cases. The relevant agencies must ensure that all possible steps are taken ``to effectively contain the threat of the Ebola virus in line with international protocols and best practices,'' President Goodluck Jonathan said in the statement released by his office.Nigeria's Health Mini

World News Aug. 9, 2014

US jets struck jihadist positions in northern Iraq on Friday, a potential turning point in a two-month crisis Washington said was threatening to result in genocide and to expose US assets.President Barack Obama's order for the first air strikes on Iraq since he put an end to US occupation in 2011 came after Islamic State (IS) militants made massive gains on the ground, seizing a dam and forcing a mass exodus of religious minorities.Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby, writing on Twitter,

World News Aug. 8, 2014

South Korea on Friday issued a special travel advisory for Nigeria's Ebola-hit capital Lagos as part of efforts to control the spread of the virus, the health ministry said.During an emergency meeting of relevant ministries on how to deal with the outbreak in West Africa, the government decided to issue the special travel advisory effective immediately, advising its citizens to leave the region and cancel non-essential trips there, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.The move came ho

Politics Aug. 8, 2014

A senior South Korean official on Friday rejected allegations by a Japanese newspaper that President Park Geun-hye had a secret meeting with an unidentified person at an undisclosed location on the day of April's deadly ferry sinking, saying she stayed in her office.Park's whereabouts on April 16 have emerged as a sensitive political issue in South Korea since Japan's conservative Sankei Shimbun newspaper reported on an alleged secret meeting between the president and a man that day, citing rumo

Politics Aug. 8, 2014

South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Friday praised the country's decades-old alliance with the United States during a meeting with a senior U.S. lawmaker who voiced concerns over North Korea's threats to conduct another nuclear test and alleged progress in its nuclear and missile programs."The South Korea-U.S. alliance is referred to as one of the most successful alliances around the world and the state of our alliance has never been better," Park said in a meeting with a U.S. delegation led

Politics Aug. 8, 2014

NAYPYITAW (Yonhap) -- The foreign ministers of South Korea and China on Friday vowed to work together in easing tension on the Korean Peninsula, saying that North Korea's recent missile launches pose a grave threat to peace and stability in the region, a Seoul official said.South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi earlier in the day on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), Asia's biggest security forum, slated for Sunday."The two foreign mini

Foreign Affairs Aug. 8, 2014

새정치민주연합 안철수 공동대표의 기초공천폐지안이 정면승부를 내기가 어려워진 가운데 당내 안대표의 리더십이 흔들리고 있다.　안 대표와 김한길 공동대표는 9일 기초선거 정당 공천 폐지 여부를 당원 투표와 여론조사 방식으로 결정하기로 했지만 이는 정치적 파장을 고려한 일종의 “출구전략”이라고 전문가들이 분석했다. 　한국외대 이정희 교수는 “6.4 지방선거 전 기초공천폐지를 (할 때 득실을) 명확하게 봤어야 했는데. 현실적으로 어렵다는 걸 알게 된 것 같다”고 “정면돌파하기가 어려울 것 같다”라고 내다봤다.　이 교수는 또한 “안 대표가 민주당과 연대 통합할 때 기초공천폐지를 가지고 했는데 이게 고리가 매우 약하다”며 “대의명분이 아니라 약속을 지킬 수 있는 정파와 안 지키는 정파의 논리로 갔던 게 위험했다”라고 말했다.　안 대표는 8일 당원과 국민 뜻을 물어 정당공천 폐지 여부를 결정하겠다고 밝히면서 “정치 생명을 걸고 이번 문제를 돌파하겠다”고 말한 것으로 전해졌다. 기자 회견 문에도 ‘

한국어판 April 9, 2014

　박근혜 대통령은 8일 방한 중인 토니 애벗 호주 총리와 가진 정상회담에서 호주의 규제개혁 노력을 높이 평가하며 이를 공유하겠다고 밝혔다.　박 대통령은 “총리께서 생산성을 향상시키기 위한 규제완화 조치라든가 또 ‘원스탑샵 (One Stop Shop)’ 제도를 도입해 호주 국민들로부터 높은 지지를 얻고 계시다고 들었다” 면서 “이런 정책 기조는 저의 국정운영 방침과도 일치하고, 경험을 서로 공유하게 되면 많은 도움이 되지 않을까 한다”고 말했다.　박 대통령이 거론한 ‘원스탑샵’은 호주의 대표적인 규제 개혁 정책으로써, 연방 정부의 환경 인허가 과정을 주정부 인허가 절차에 통합시킴으로써 관련 절차를 한 번에 진행토록 했다.　박 대통령과 애벗 총리의 정상회담은 지난해 10월 브루나이에서 열린 아세안+3 정상회의 및 동아시아 정상회의 (EAS) 때 이후 두 번째 이다.　또한 두 정상은 회담 직후 우리 측 윤상직 산업통상자원부 장관과 호주 측 앤드루 로브 통상투자장관의 한-호주 FTA정식 서

한국어판 April 8, 2014