WASHINGTON (AFP) -- President Donald Trump will host South Korea's new leader Moon Jae-in for talks on containing North Korea's nuclear program, officials said Tuesday, amid fresh Pentagon warnings that the Pyongyang regime is a "clear and present danger to all."A White House statement said the two leaders will meet June 29-30 to discuss ways of building on what America frequently calls its "ironclad"  alliance with South Korea. Moon, a center-left politician who was sworn in last month after a

World News June 13, 2017

United States Under Secretary of State Thomas Shannon arrived in Seoul Tuesday to prepare for a summit between Presidents Moon Jae-in and Donald Trump.During his three-day stay in Seoul, the undersecretary of state for political affairs will meet with South Korean officials, including Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam, to set the agenda for the first talks between the leaders slated for June 29-30.United States Under Secretary of State Thomas Shannon arrives in Seoul on Tuesday. (Yonhap)Securit

Diplomatic Circuit June 13, 2017

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday met with Princess Astrid of Belgium who is visiting Seoul as a special envoy of King Philippe.  South Korean President Moon Jae-in meets with Princess Astrid of Belgium who is visiting Seoul as a special envoy of King Philippe. (Yonhap)During the meeting at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, Moon said Belgium's past role in European integration would give a lesson to South Korea in its diplomatic efforts for international cooperation to solve Nor

Politics June 13, 2017

Police said Tuesday that a graduate student had been arrested on suspicion of a parcel bomb attack that injured a college professor earlier in the morning.The suspect is a 25-year-old graduate school student who also studies engineering at the same university, according to the police.An unidentified parcel bomb exploded at Seoul’s Yonsei University on Tuesday, causing injury to the professor who opened the parcel. Police said it appeared to be a nail bomb similar to that used in a recent terror

Social Affairs June 13, 2017

The exact cause behind a massive blackout that affected some 190,000 households in southwestern districts in Seoul and Gwangmyeong on Sunday remains unclear, the state-run electricity provider said Monday.With the investigation to determine the cause underway, the Korea Electric Power Corp. said the latest power failure appears to be from problems in the switchgear of the Yeongseo Substation located in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province.Diners at a restaurant eat in the dark after a power failure at

Social Affairs June 12, 2017

South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s approach toward energy production is raising hopes for the end of coal and nuclear power plants in the country.The liberal leader -- an advocate of nuclear-zero Korea -- and his administration have unveiled a roadmap to reduce reliance on nuclear and coal energy, citing public concerns over air pollution and nuclear safety.At present, 25 reactors are in service and the Moon administration aims to begin by shutting down aged facilities and eventually phasing o

Social Affairs June 11, 2017

In pitch-black darkness before dawn, a group of foreigners walk up the stone steps of Daewoongjeon, the main hall of Geumsunsa Buddhist temple. (Photographed by Park Hyun-koo)With shoes left at the door, they kneel on pillows and clasp hands. At the sound of a gong, they bow their foreheads to the floor, stand upright and then bow again. Only the crickets outside provide a dawn soundtrack. With that, another day at a Korean temple stay has begun. (Photographed by Park Hyun-koo)Here at Geumsunsa,

Culture June 9, 2017

South Korea will close down its oldest nuclear reactor in mid-June, after four decades of operations. The state-run Nuclear Safety and Security Commission approved the permanent shutdown of Kori No. 1, the first nuclear reactor set up in the country in 1977. Kori Nuclear Power Plant in Busan (Yonhap)Kori No. 1, located in the southern port city of Busan, will cease operations at midnight on June 18. Officials will then relocate spent nuclear fuel stored inside the rector to a liquid sodium-coole

Social Affairs June 9, 2017

Seoul City plans to double the number of guards and revamp other safety measures on its recently opened elevated park, after a man jumped to his death last week, the mayor said Thursday. “We are currently pushing to hire more guards and revamp facilities to protect citizens’ safety. We will allow no more unfortunate accidents,” Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said via radio.  (Yonhap)On May 30, a 32-year-old man from Kazakhstan jumped from the 17-meter high Seoullo 7017 in an apparent suicide, crossin

Social Affairs June 8, 2017

Despite rain over many parts of the Korean Peninsula on Wednesday, it was not enough to quench the ongoing drought, the weather agency said. From Tuesday afternoon, around 10 to 60 millimeters of rain poured down across the nation. Wednesday brought about 5 to 30 mm of rain in central regions like Gyeonggi Province. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said that at least 70-100 mm of rain is needed to bring an end to the drought in Gyeonggi, South Chungcheong ad South Jeolla provi

Social Affairs June 7, 2017

The South Korean government should rethink its current approach to radioactive waste treatment technologies before attempting to go nuclear free, a renowned American nuclear expert said. In an interview with The Korea Herald, Frank von Hippel, a professor at Princeton University, warned that the state-run Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute is working on technologies that have failed in all other advanced industrial countries.With liberal President Moon Jae-in -- an advocate of nuclear-zero K

Social Affairs June 7, 2017

South Korea's National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun will leave for Japan this week to discuss pending issues and strengthen parliamentary cooperation between the two countries, his office said Tuesday. During a three-day visit from Wednesday, he will meet Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and parliament leaders. South Korea`s National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun makes a phone call at his office in Seoul on June 5, 2017. (Yonhap)Chung is expected to explain the Moon Jae-in administration's policy

Politics June 6, 2017

Popular South Korean singer and actor T.O.P of boy band BIGBANG has been hospitalized for an apparent drug overdose, his Seoul-based agency said Tuesday. YG Entertainment said the 29-year-old rapper, whose real name is Choi Seung-hyun, is currently receiving treatment at an intensive care unit of a Seoul hospital. The agency first reported that Choi was found unconscious, but police later denied that he was in critical condition.South Korea's singer and actor T.O.P of boy band Big Bang (Yonhap)"

Performance June 6, 2017