An expanded bullet train system has allowed people living in roughly a fifth of the country to benefit from shortened travel time last year, a government report said Monday. In a recent report by the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements, residents in 22.4 percent, or a 22,000 square kilometer region, of the country were able to reach another point in less time due to the KTX high speed train network.  This undated Yonhap News TV captured image shows a notice about the KTX bullet train

Social Affairs May 22, 2017

South Korean President Moon Jae-in's top security advisor on Monday voiced a need to resume talks with North Korea, though he said the dialogue must not get in the way of ongoing international sanctions against the communist state."We will have to try and gradually resume dialogue, starting with working-level talks," Chung Eui-yong, the head of the National Security Office, told reporters.(Yonhap)"I believe we must review the possibility as I believe we could resume exchanges in various areas, s

Foreign Affairs May 22, 2017

The chief nuclear negotiators of South Korea, the United States and Japan jointly condemned North Korea's recent missile launch and agreed to respond in a strict manner, the foreign ministry here said Monday.Kim Hong-kyun, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, held separate phone conversations with his US and Japanese counterparts Joseph Yun and Kenji Kanasugi on Sunday evening right after North Korea's missile test, according

North Korea May 22, 2017

President Moon Jae-in's special envoy departed to Russia on Monday where he will seek to forge closer cooperation over North Korea and bilateral economic issues."I will do my efforts to deliver President Moon's visions for the resolution of the North Korean nuclear issues and economic cooperation issues and to make a meaningful agreement," Rep. Song Young-gil of the ruling Democratic Party told reporters before his flight. President Moon Jae-in’s special envoy to Russia, Rep. Song Young-gil (cen

Foreign Affairs May 22, 2017

Prosecutors on Monday sought a seven-year prison term for a former health minister over allegations he pressured the state-run pension fund to endorse a controversial merger of Samsung affiliates.Moon Hyung-pyo was indicted in January on charges of abuse of power for allegedly pressuring the National Pension Service to approve the contested merger of Samsung C&T Corp. and Cheil Industries Inc. in 2015, when he was minister. The merger is said to have helped consolidate the Samsung Electronics Vi

Social Affairs May 22, 2017

JAKARTA -- All North Korean workers have withdrawn from the Malaysian province of Sarawak, a base for the source of hard currency for the North over the past three decades, as no employers have applied for the extension of their expired work permits, a local daily said Monday. The Malaysian government never issued an instruction not to hire the last batch of 35 North Korean workers whose work permits expired in May, and yet no employers applied for the renewal of their work permits, The Borneo P

North Korea May 22, 2017

South Korea's military said Monday that North Korea's newly developed ballistic missile, called the Pukguksong-2, is seen as a medium-range ballistic missile with a range of up to 2,500 kilometers.It means the missile can't reach Guam, about 3,500 km away from the communist nation. Guam is a refueling and staging hub for the US military operations in East Asia. It's also home to several US strategic bombers. A set of photos carried by North Korea`s main newspaper, the Rodong Sinmun, on May 22, 2

North Korea May 22, 2017

The four major parties agreed Monday to begin working-level discussions to form a policy consultative body with the government, party officials said.On Friday, President Moon Jae-in proposed instituting the dialogue panel to ensure smooth and cooperative policy implementation as he faces an opposition-led National Assembly. National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun (C) and the floor leaders of four major parties -- Kim Dong-cheol (L) of the People's Party, Woo Won-shik (2nd from L) of the ruling

Politics May 22, 2017

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte pledged to cooperate with China and other neighboring countries to help denuclearize North Korea and curb its missile launches during his meeting with President Moon Jae-in's special envoy on Monday.The meeting between Duterte and Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon took place in Davao City, the Philippines, Park's first stop as Moon's special envoy to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. (Yonhap)During the meeting, Park conveyed a handwritten letter from Moon t

Foreign Affairs May 22, 2017

North Korea on Monday disclosed scores of photos of the Earth taken from mid-atmosphere via a camera installed on a ballistic missile which it test-fired the previous day, in an apparent bid to show off its missile atmospheric reentry technology. In its Monday issue, the Rodong Sinmun, an official daily of the North's ruling Workers' Party, made public 58 color photos showing the Earth while saying, "The test-fire of the ground-to-ground medium-to-long range strategic ballistic missile Pukgukson

North Korea May 22, 2017

South Korea plans to resume humanitarian assistance to North Korea and civilian inter-Korean exchanges to an extent that the move would not compromise the international sanctions regime, a government official said Monday.The government said that it will sternly respond to North Korea's provocations but also does not believe that long-strained inter-Korean ties will help stability on the divided peninsula."The government plans to flexibly review (the resumption) of civilian inter-Korean exchanges

Foreign Affairs May 22, 2017

The main opposition Liberty Korea Party will hold a new leadership election in July, its floor leader said Monday, as it strives to overcome the recent election defeat and regroup to keep the ruling bloc in check.Chung Woo-taik said that his party decided to hold the election on July 3 to fill the top post that has been left vacant since former leader Lee Jung-hyun resigned in December amid a corruption scandal involving former President Park Geun-hye.Chung Woo-taik, the floor leader of the main

Politics May 22, 2017

South Korea is likely to resume humanitarian assistance to North Korea despite the grave security situation sparked by the North's missile tests, a government official said Monday.The Ministry of Unification said that it is expected to keep the principle of providing humanitarian aid to the North regardless of the political situation under the new administration of President Moon Jae-in. The Ministry of Unification (Yonhap)The government under former President Park Geun-hye said that it would co

North Korea May 22, 2017

The United Nations Security Council will convene an emergency meeting this week to discuss the international community's response to North Korea's recent missile test-fire, a foreign ministry official said Monday.The emergency session of the UNSC set for Tuesday (US time) was arranged at the request of South Korea, the United States and Japan, according to the official. (Yonhap)In the meeting, the UNSC is expected to come up with a message to condemn the North Korean missile launch on Sunday as

North Korea May 22, 2017

Fathers are far less committed than mothers to everyday parenting, such as taking part in a child's school events, a local study showed Monday, raising calls for the adoption of a more parents-friendly work system in the country. According to the latest research by the Korea Institute of Child Care and Education, only 17 percent of fathers interviewed went to the ceremony of their kids' first day at elementary school, compared with 92.8 percent of mothers. The survey was based on interviews cond

Social Affairs May 22, 2017