People Jan. 1, 2012

People Jan. 1, 2012

The government and ruling Grand National Party agreed Friday to work together to pass the long-delayed free trade pact with the United States later this month and to prepare strong safeguards for local industry before endorsing the deal, party officials said.The GNP and the government have been step

Politics Oct. 21, 2011

A local prosecutor has lost his post for holding memberships to political parties in breach of a law banning civil servants from political activities, the Justice Ministry said Thursday.The 33-year-old man surnamed Yoon has been removed from his position as a prosecutor in accordance with a decision

Social Affairs Oct. 20, 2011

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) -- Up to 200,000 political prisoners are languishing in North Korean prison camps, a sharp increase from 10 years ago, a United Nations envoy said Wednesday.Compared to 2001, the latest satellite pictures of the country indicate a “significant increase in the scale of the camps,

North Korea Oct. 20, 2011

A month after a U.S. court ruled against South Korea’s Kolon Industries Inc. for the theft of trade secrets from American firm DuPont Co., the companies have rekindled their dispute here in South Korea.Prosecutors said Thursday they are investigating the two companies’ dispute over technology leaks

Social Affairs Oct. 20, 2011

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The UN investigator for human rights in North Korea said Wednesday he’s concerned about the growing number of asylum seekers leaving the country, with nearly 870 arriving in Thailand in the first quarter of this year.Marzuki Darusman, the United Nations rights rapporteur for t

North Korea Oct. 20, 2011

The chairman of Orion Group was sentenced to three years in prison on Thursday for embezzling a massive amount of corporate funds.Tam Cheol-gon, 56, was detained and indicted in June on charges of misappropriating nearly 30 billion won ($26.4 million) of funds from the confectionery and media group.

Social Affairs Oct. 20, 2011

President Lee Myung-bak said Thursday that one of his government’s top priorities is to protect "socially weak" people, amid calls from small merchants for further cuts in the commission rates that credit card firms levy on retailers.“We believe we have to protect the socially weak and the governmen

Politics Oct. 20, 2011

Foreign tourists in Seoul have sent more than 15,000 postcards to friends and family for free over the past four months, via a service provided by the city, the municipal government said Thursday.The Seoul Metropolitan Government launched the “welcome postcard” service in June as part of a campaign

Social Affairs Oct. 20, 2011

The six-nation talks on North Korea’s nuclear weapons programs is the “golden key” to opening the door for regional powers to achieve peace and prosperity in Northeast Asia, former Chinese state councilor Tang Jiaxuan said Wednesday. The comments come amid a flurry of renewed diplomatic efforts on h

North Korea Oct. 19, 2011

Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang will visit South Korea next week for talks on bilateral relations and Korean Peninsula issues, Seoul’s foreign ministry said Wednesday.Li is the seventh-ranked member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China and is expected to rise to premie

Foreign Affairs Oct. 19, 2011

MUNICH/MADRID (Yonhap News) -- With South Korea scheduled to select the winner of its project for 60 new fighter jets next fall, the European consortium of Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft has offered to fully share its technology with its South Korean partners.Germany, Spain, Italy and Britain are part

Defense Oct. 19, 2011

The national budget to protect defense systems against cyber attacks has been increased for next year amid increasing threats, the defense ministry said Tuesday.The ministry said in a statement that the budget allocated for defending defense information for next year has been pegged at 25.8 billion

Defense Oct. 18, 2011

ATHENS (Yonhap News) ― A senior North Korean official, who is on a rare trip to the United States, said Monday the security condition on the Korean Peninsula is so unstable that a war may occur again anytime.Rhee Jong-hyuk, a ranking member of the all-powerful Workers’ Party of the communist nation,

North Korea Oct. 18, 2011