SEOUL, Nov. 21 (Yonhap) -- Parliamentary Speaker Park Hee-tae said Monday that the time has come to "make a decision" on the free trade deal with the United States, indicating that he could step in to put the much-debated, long-pending bill to a floor vote."I don't have any other arbitration plan an

Politics Nov. 21, 2011

The average lifespan of Koreans will hit 89.38 years by 2040 in an economy where per capita income will have doubled to $38,408, a state report said.The Ministry of Strategy and Finance Ministry said Asia’s fourth largest economy will continue to expand exports and that 2009’s per capita income of $

Social Affairs Nov. 21, 2011

SEOUL, Nov. 21 (Yonhap) -- The Air Force last year negligently disposed of classified documents but only reported the files as missing nine months after the fact, a lawmaker said Monday.According to Democratic Party Rep. Shin Hak-yong, an orderly of a senior Air Force officer threw away the Air Forc

Defense Nov. 21, 2011

SEOUL, Nov. 17 (Yonhap) -- Police said Thursday that they have arrested a broker who allegedly used the Internet to arrange perverted sex and booked 70 others, including distinguished figures like doctors and professors, for being involved in the illegal prostitution ring.The 41-year-old man, surnam

Social Affairs Nov. 17, 2011

SEOUL, Nov. 17 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is seeking to abolish the time limit for prosecuting murderers as part of efforts to better prevent life-threatening crimes, the Justice Ministry said on Thursday.The ministry is pushing to revise related laws to lift the 25-year statute of limitations on all k

Social Affairs Nov. 17, 2011

SEOUL, Nov. 17 (Yonhap) -- Free agent baseball pitcher Chong Tae-hyon on Thursday called off salary negotiations with his original South Korean team to seek a career in Major League Baseball (MLB), a day after the MLB checked his availability this offseason.The right-hander had until this Saturday t

Baseball Nov. 17, 2011

SEOUL, Nov. 17 (Yonhap) -- Moody's Investors Service on Thursday downgraded its forecast of South Korea's economic growth for next year, citing weakening exports and sluggish domestic demand.The global credit appraiser predicted the South Korean economy would expand 3.5-4.0 percent next year, compar

Nov. 17, 2011

SEOUL, Nov. 17 (Yonhap) -- An executive of a suspended savings bank who had been under investigation over the bank's alleged financial irregularities was found dead on Thursday in another apparent suicide in connection with a massive scandal involving troubled savings banks, a joint probe team said.

Social Affairs Nov. 17, 2011

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Your blood type might affect your risk for stroke. People with AB and women with B were a little more likely to suffer one than people with O blood — the most common type, a study found.The research can't prove such a link. But it fits with other work tying A, B and

Culture Nov. 17, 2011

ROME, Nov 16, 2011 (AFP) - Italy's former prime minister and cruise-ship crooner Silvio Berlusconi released an album of love songs on his last day in office on Wednesday.The self-declared Latin lover, who often boasted that he single-handedly kept large groups entertained for hours on end with his c

World News Nov. 17, 2011

STOCKHOLM (AP) _ A shipwreck discovered in the murky waters of the Baltic Sea is believed to be a legendary 17th century warship whose captain went down with it in battle rather than surrender to the enemy.Deep Sea Productions, an underwater research team, said Wednesday it believes the 25-meter (82

World News Nov. 17, 2011