BUSAN -- South Korean Navy vessels joined ships from the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) near Busan on Saturday to practice conducting combined search and rescue operations.    The exercise aims to help sailors hone their skills and strengthen cooperative ties in hop

Defense Nov. 12, 2011

 South Korea will become a full-fledged member of a UN atomic radiation committee next year that can allow the country to play a greater role in enhancing nuclear safety, the government said Saturday.   The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Seoul will join the United Nations

Politics Nov. 12, 2011

HONOLULU (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak arrived in Hawaii Friday to attend a summit of Pacific Rim economies aimed at discussing ways to spur the global economy, create jobs, reform regulations and improve energy efficiency and security.    The summit of the 21-member Asi

Politics Nov. 12, 2011

   OKUMA, Japan (AP) _ Media have been allowed into Japan's tsunami-damaged nuclear power plant for the first time Saturday after the disaster in March touched off the world's worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl.   Representatives of the Japanese and international media, includi

World News Nov. 12, 2011

   TASHKENT, Uzbekistan (AP) _ Timur Kapadze scored in the second half to secure Uzbekistan's 1-0 victory over North Korea in a World Cup qualifier.   The result ended North Korea's hopes of qualifying for a second straight World Cup, making it the first team to have played in So

Soccer Nov. 12, 2011

   ULSAN -- Unionists at Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's largest carmaker, said Saturday they will boycott extra shifts over the weekend so they can participate in a rally to oppose the free trade pact with the United States.   The union said that its workers will show up for th

Social Affairs Nov. 12, 2011

   Two South Korean mountaineers were killed while trying to scale Mt. Cholatse in the Nepalese Himalayas only weeks after another team went missing in the region, the local alpine organization said Saturday.   The Korean Alpine Federation (KAF) said Kim Hyung-il, the 43-yea

Social Affairs Nov. 12, 2011

South Korea will hold its first high-level talks with the United States over African affairs next week in Seoul in a bid to coordinate the two countries policies on the region, the foreign ministry said Saturday.   Song Woong-yeob, Director General for African and Middle Eastern Affairs, w

Foreign Affairs Nov. 12, 2011

 Eight crewmen are missing from a fishing ship that sank after colliding with a larger freighter in early hours Saturday, the Korea Coast Guard said.   The 59-ton fishing ship crashed into the 2,116-ton vessel operated by Hanjin Transportation around 2:15 a.m. in the waters off Taean,

Social Affairs Nov. 12, 2011

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak left for Hawaii on Saturday to attend a summit of Pacific Rim economies aimed at discussing ways to spur the global economy, create jobs, reform regulations and improve energy efficiency and security.    The summit of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic

Politics Nov. 12, 2011

South Korea has reached an agreement with Taiwan to further expand air travel between the two countries, the government said Friday.    The agreement reached in Seoul involves opening new flight services and increasing the number of seats available on existing routes that have been cited f

Travel Nov. 11, 2011

   North Korean leader Kim Jong-il inspected a fish farm and related facilities to give on-site guidance to workers, a media report said Friday.   The North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Kim toured the gravity-fed river fish farm and hatchery, and expressed sa

North Korea Nov. 11, 2011

An innovative oral vaccine that can be used to prevent and control cholera around the world has received a stamp of approval from the World Health Organization (WHO), a Seoul-based international health research institute said Friday.   The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) said its joi

Technology Nov. 11, 2011

   TOKYO -- Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda says Japan will participate in talks to join a U.S.-backed Pacific Rim free trade zone that aims to boost trade by eliminating tariffs.   Noda's decision Friday to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership talks comes after intense debate w

World Business Nov. 11, 2011

South Korea's government said Friday that it will raise wages of state-run companies by a maximum 3 percent in 2012 to reflect the general rise in living expenses.   The finance ministry said a committee governing public sector management passed the increase motion after reviewing demands

Nov. 11, 2011