Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas will visit South Korea next week for talks with President Park Geun-hye on improving bilateral ties, the Foreign Ministry announced Thursday.He is scheduled to make a three-day trip here starting Wednesday after traveling to Japan, it said.In his second visit to South Korea after the previous one in 2010, Abbas plans to meet with Park, National Assembly Speaker Chung Ui-hwa, and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn.His upcoming trip is expected to serve as an opportuni

Foreign Affairs Feb. 11, 2016

Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn said Thursday that the government should preemptively deal with the possible outbreak of the Zika virus by strengthening cooperation with international health authorities."The government should intensify cooperation with the World Health Organization and share information with Zika outbreak countries," Hwang said during a Cabinet meeting.The mosquito-borne illness, declared by the WHO as a global emergency, has spread to parts of Asia and Latin America. South Korea h

Social Affairs Feb. 11, 2016

Seoul Selection said Thursday it has published an English language book on court paintings from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) to introduce more Korean culture and tradition to foreigners.The 170-page book on court paintings, the first part of the series "Visual Korean Heritage," features the beauty of various court paintings as well as royal rituals, banquets and processions.Pictures of flowers, birds, mountains, the sea and divine animals are also introduced in the pictures with the author's c

Culture Feb. 11, 2016

China's foreign ministry has kept mum on South Korea's decision to halt operations of its joint industrial park with North Korea, a move by Seoul to punish Pyongyang for its latest rocket launch and nuclear test. The Chinese ministry has yet to respond to a question sent by Yonhap News Agency via a fax about China's stance over the South Korean decision as of Thursday morning. At the same time, U.N. Security Council members remain divided over how to punish North Korea for its fourth nuclear tes

North Korea Feb. 11, 2016

A local crime comedy film has gathered a record number of viewers over this Lunar New Year's holiday, data by the official market tracker showed Thursday."A Violent Prosecutor" was watched by more than 4.76 million movie-goers from Saturday to Wednesday, a record for the holiday known as "Seol" in Korea, data by the Korean Film Council showed.A record 6.7 million people have gone to the movies over this Seol holiday, the data also showed.In the Lee Il-hyung feature, prosecutor Byeong Jae-uk (Hwa

Film Feb. 11, 2016

Two-time reigning Olympic champion Lee Sang-hwa will be chasing her third world speed skating title in the women's 500 meters in Russia this weekend.Lee will race at the International Skating Union World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships in Kolomna, Russia.The women's 500m is set for Saturday.Skaters will have to race twice, and the combined time will determine the winner.Lee, the world record holder with 36.36 seconds, won the 500m title in 2012 and 2013 before defending her Olympic

More Sports Feb. 11, 2016

South Korea has suspended a trilateral logistics project with North Korea and Russia as part of its measures to punish the North for its nuclear and missile tests, sources said Thursday.The project linked the three countries by rail and sea, with shipments of coal and bottled water arriving in the South through North Korea's port city of Rajin and Russia's border city of Khasan.As the project is a source of income for the North, South Korea will halt its development to stop the money from being

North Korea Feb. 11, 2016

Though he has been a closer for the majority of his career, South Korean reliever Oh Seung-hwan said Thursday's he will embrace a setup role with his new major league club.Oh left home Thursday to join the St. Louis Cardinals in their spring training in Jupiter, Florida. Pitchers and catchers are to report next Wednesday.Oh, who signed a one-year deal with the Cardinals on Jan. 11, has been a lights-out closer in both South Korea and Japan. He's the all-time saves leader in the Korea Baseball Or

Baseball Feb. 11, 2016

식품의약품안전처는 전국 초콜릿, 캔디 제조업체를 점검해 식품위생법을 위반한 11곳을 적발해 행정처분할 예정이라고 11일 밝혔다.밸런타인데이와 화이트데이를 앞두고 지난달 18~26일 전국 126개 제조업체를 점검해 생산일지·원료수불부 미작성 등 영업자 준수사항을 위반한 4곳, 허위표시 및 과대광고 등 표시기준을 위반한 2곳, 위생적 취급기준을 위반한 2곳을 각각 적발했다.이외에도 유통기한 경과 제품 사용·판매 목적 보관, 자가품질검사 미실시, 건강검진 미실시로 각각 1곳씩의 제조업체가 식품위생법을 위반한 사실을 확인했다.식약처는 "어린이들이 즐겨 섭취하는 식품을 제조하는 업체들의 위생수준 향상과 안전성 확보를 위해 지도·점검을 강화할 것"이라고 밝혔다. (연합)

한국어판 Feb. 11, 2016