A high-ranking prosecutor is expected to be summoned by police for questioning on suspicions of taking large sums of money in kickbacks from a notorious con artist and a major conglomerate, a police officer said Friday.   The prosecutor, surnamed Kim, is accused of taking some 200 million won ($183,908) from a man surnamed Kang who is close to famous swindler Cho Hee-pal, the National Police Agency (NPA) officer said. The prosecutor is also suspected of receiving 600 million won from an officia

Social Affairs Nov. 9, 2012

 Carrying a bouquet of flowers, South Korean presidential candidate Park Geun-hye stepped forward to honor one of the martyrs in her country's long struggle for democracy. A protester threw himself at her feet.     ``How dare you come here?'' the man shouted, sitting between Park and a statue of activist Chun Tae-il. Chun's 1970 labor protest suicide is seen as an expression of dissent against the rule of Park's father, the late president and longtime dictator Park Chung-hee.    As cameras flash

Politics Nov. 2, 2012

The 105-story, pyramid-shaped hotel that has stood over North Korea's capital city like a mountain for more than 20 years just might be on the verge of opening for the first time.   Pyongyang's Ryugyong Hotel will ``partially, probably'' open in the middle of next year, Reto Wittwer, CEO of international hotel operator Kempinski AG, said Thursday at a forum in Seoul.    Kempinski will manage the hotel, which Wittwer said will open with shops, offices, ballrooms, restaurants and 150 rooms.   The

North Korea Nov. 2, 2012

South Korean stocks opened higher Friday, led by gains in tech and auto shares, analysts said.   The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 19.27 points, or 1.02 percent to 1,917.71 in the first 15 minutes of trading.    Shares gathered ground across the board, with market bellwether Samsung Electronics increasing 1.31 percent and chipmaker SK hynix adding 3.14 percent.   Top auto parts maker Hyundai Mobis gained 1.67 percent and its affiliate Kia Motors added 0.67 percent.   U

Nov. 2, 2012

South Korea postponed its launch of a space rocket Friday due to a problem that was detected only hours before its scheduled liftoff.   Cho Yul-rae, vice minister of education, science and technology, said the launch of the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1) will be delayed at least three days.    "A leak has been detected from a connection between the first-stage rocket of the KSLV-1 and the launch pad," Cho told a press briefing.   The problem was detected during a final inspection of the s

Technology Oct. 26, 2012

   EUIJEONGBU -- A municipal government expressed concern Sunday over a U.S. plan to redeploy a unit in their region, saying it would undermine a project to replace the U.S. base with a college campus.   The U.S. Army plans to relocate the 23rd Chemical Battalion from the U.S. state of Washington to Camp Stanley in Euijeongbu, just north of Seoul, by March of next year, an official of the Euijeongbu city government said Sunday.   The relocation would come nine years after the unit withdrew from

Defense Oct. 21, 2012

In recent years, world powers have been quick to convene emergency sessions to discuss what the U.N.'s response should be to North Korean provocations. But nowhere in the room was the most important party concerned -- South Korea.One of the world's major economies, South Korea was also left out of the discussion of other urgent global security issues such as Iran and Syria.But with its return to the U.N. Security Council, South Korea will once again be at the forefront of U.N. diplomacy. "The pr

Politics Oct. 19, 2012

  Independent presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo vowed to seek closer dialogue and cooperation with North Korea as he announced his first official set of election pledges on Sunday.   "Upon the basis of firm security, I will facilitate peace on the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and cooperation between the South and the North," the computer technology mogul-turned-politician said in a news co

Politics Oct. 7, 2012

 The Russian space program's Mission Control Center says it will move the International Space Station into a different orbit to avoid possible collision with a fragment of debris.   Mission Control Center spokeswoman Nadyezhda Zavyalova said the Russian Zvevda module will fire booster rockets to carry out the operation Thursday at 07:22 a.m. Moscow time (0322 GMT).   The space station performs eva

Technology Oct. 3, 2012

A Chinese-owned company has filed a lawsuit in a U.S. federal lawsuit against President Barack Obama for blocking its wind farm project deal in Oregon.In a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Washington, Ralls Corp., owned by Chinese nationals, alleged Obama acted in "an unlawful and unauthorized manner" in issuing his order without providing "any evidence or reasoned explanation" for hi

Oct. 3, 2012

The top prosecution pledged no leniency Wednesday on the possession and distribution of child pornography in the wake of a recent spate of sex crimes against children.   The Supreme Prosecutors' Office said it will make it a rule to detain for investigation anyone suspected of having made or distributed pornography featuring minors or introduced minors for the production of such porn.    Those who

Social Affairs Oct. 3, 2012

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- Republican challenger Mitt Romney looks to use Wednesday's debate against  Barack Obama to revive his struggling presidential campaign, seeking not only to win over undecided voters but also fire up Republicans who have begun questioning whether he can win.    Though polls show the race remains tight ahead of the Nov. 6 vote, Obama clearly has momentum and the edge not only i

World News Oct. 3, 2012