Google Inc., complying with a top court ruling that backs European citizens’ right to delete personal information on the Internet, received 12,000 requests in the first day of offering an online removal form. The world’s biggest search provider set up the website on May 29, following a ruling by the EU Court of Justice earlier this month that citizens’ fundamental rights could be harmed by information on the Web and where there’s no public interest in publishing it. Google has also formed a grou

Industry May 31, 2014

South Korea and the United States agreed Saturday to fix the timing of and conditions for the transfer of wartime control of South Korean troops from Washington to Seoul by October, officials here said Saturday.During the bilateral talks in Singapore earlier in the day, Seoul's defense minister Kim Kwan-jin and his U.S. counterpart, Chuck Hagel, agreed upon the work plan that specifies the timetable to decide when and under what conditions the South will regain the wartime operational control (O

Foreign Affairs May 31, 2014

It's 2 billion and counting for Psy and his irrepressible ``Gangnam Style.''The South Korean pop star's surprise hit has become the first YouTube video to surpass 2 billion views, crossing the mark around shortly before midnight EDT Friday.The unlikely viral star holds the record for most overall views and most views in a day with 38 million for his ``Gangnam Style'' followup ``Gentleman.''No other video comes close to ``Gangnam'' on the streaming service's list of top videos. Justin Bieber's ``

Performance May 31, 2014

A suburb of the US capital dedicated a monument Friday to World War II sex slaves in the latest local victory by Korean Americans in historical disputes with Japan.After a campaign and fundraising by Korean American activists, the government center of Fairfax County, Virginia, unveiled twin sculptures of butterflies and a plaque in honor of so-called "comfort women" -- the up to 200,000 women from Korea and elsewhere forced into brothels for imperial Japan's soldiers.On a green knoll on the gove

Foreign Affairs May 31, 2014

North Korea said Saturday it has sentenced a South Korean Baptist missionary to hard labor for life for allegedly spying and trying to set up underground churches, the latest in a string of missionaries to run into trouble in the rigidly controlled North.North Korean state media said the missionary was tried Friday and admitted to anti-North Korean religious acts and ``malignantly hurting the dignity'' of the country's supreme leadership, a reference to the ruling Kim family. The rival Koreas ha

North Korea May 31, 2014

Search operations for missing people in last month's deadly sinking of the ferry Sewol were put on hold Saturday following the death of a civilian diver during an underwater job, officials said.With little progress being made over the past 10 days to find the 16 people still missing, 44-year-old diver Lee Min-seop was killed Friday while participating in the operations to cut open windows of the submerged hull to gain access to unsearched compartments filled with debris.He was sent to a nearby h

Social Affairs May 31, 2014

A steady stream of people nationwide headed to polling stations Saturday on the second and last day of the advance voting period for the June 4 local elections, with both parties vigilant over the effects of the larger-than-expected voter turnout. As of 9 a.m., the turnout of the two-day early voting came to5.52 percent, according to the National Election Commission. On Friday, 4.75 percent of electorates nationwide, or about 1.96 million people, cast their ballot. South Korea first adopted the

Social Affairs May 31, 2014

North Korea included part of South Korea's territorial waters near the inter-Korean western sea border when selling its fishing rights to China, military sources here said Saturday."Part of our waters in the Yellow Sea was included in the area that the North is allowing Chinese vessels to fish in," said a military officer in Seoul, requesting anonymity. "Upon learning this, we've notified China of such a fact and asked them to be careful not to cross the northern limit line (NLL) into the South,

North Korea May 31, 2014

China has reported "positive progress" in its latest round of negotiations with South Korea aimed at forging a bilateral free trade agreement, but it remains unclear if the two sides made headway in sensitive issues. The comments by China's commerce ministry on Friday came shortly after South Korea and China wrapped up their 11th round of negotiations in Meishan, located in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan. In a brief statement posted on its website, the Chinese ministry said the "po

Foreign Affairs May 31, 2014