WASHINGTON -- The United States urged North Korea to stop destabilizing actions and rhetoric and called for tighter sanctions on Pyongyang after the communist nation successfully carried out a new missile test and threatened that the US mainland is within its striking range.North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made the threat after overseeing Sunday's test of a new intermediate-range ballistic missile, saying the "US should not to disregard or misjudge the reality that its mainland and Pacific operat

North Korea May 16, 2017

The defense ministers of South Korea and Japan agreed Monday to stay firmly united against North Korea's missile threats.Defense Minister Han Min-koo and his Japanese counterpart Tomomi Inada reaffirmed the commitment in their 20-minute phone talks, a day after the communist neighbor's ballistic missile test.Defense Minister Han Min-koo (Yonhap)The North claimed it was successful, reminding the world of the seriousness of its weapons of mass destruction program.The ministers exchanged views on t

North Korea May 15, 2017

North Korea's latest intermediate-range ballistic missile test will likely limit the maneuvering room of President Moon Jae-in seeking dialogue with Pyongyang, instead setting the stage for Washington to employ tougher sanctions, experts said Monday.North Korea said that it successfully fired a new ground-to-ground missile, called the Hwasong-12, on Sunday which can carry a "large-size heavy nuclear warhead," claiming that the US mainland is within its striking range.The provocation came just fo

North Korea May 15, 2017

PAJU -- FC Barcelona's two South Korean prospects said Monday they want to stay in the FIFA U-20 World Cup a long time to impress football fans. Lee Seung-woo and Paik Seung-ho are two of the 21 players who are selected for South Korea's squad for the U-20 World Cup, which will be staged in six local cities from Saturday. The young Taeguk Warriors are in Group A with Guinea, Argentina and England. In the U-20 World Cup, 24 teams have been divided into six groups of four and the top two teams fro

Soccer May 15, 2017

South Korea's government computer systems have not been affected by the crippling ransomware WannaCry, which hit hundreds of thousands of computers around the world last week, a government official said Monday. "We've taken necessary measures against WannaCry, and no damage has been reported as of Monday morning," the official at the Interior Ministry's integrated government computer center said.This is a CJ CGV screen in Seoul that has been crippled by WannaCry ransomware on May 15, 2017. (Yonh

Social Affairs May 15, 2017

A Seoul court preparing former President Park Geun-hye's trial said Monday it will hold a random draw to allocate spectator seats for her first open hearing to be held next week.The Seoul Central District Court plans to hold the official hearing on May 23 after a second preparatory session Tuesday.  In this file photo taken on March 21, 2017, people watch live TV news reports at Seoul Station on former President Park Geun-hye arriving at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office to undergo

Social Affairs May 15, 2017

White House officials handling Korea affairs are to visit South Korea later Monday to make preparations for a summit between new President Moon Jae-in and his US counterpart Donald Trump, government sources said Monday.The delegation led by Matt Pottinger, senior director for East Asia at the National Security Council, will arrive in Seoul in the evening for a two-day stay. Allison Hooker, director for Korea at the NSC, will accompany him, according to the sources. Matt Pottinger (Yonhap)This wi

Foreign Affairs May 15, 2017

South Korean President Moon Jae-in will continue to seek dialogue with North Korea despite the communist state's latest provocation this week that he himself has personally condemned, a presidential adviser said Monday.Also, the new government under Moon may soon announce measures to restore the country's official and unofficial dialogue channels with Pyongyang, according to Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies.(Yonhap)"President Moon has three main policy objectiv

North Korea May 15, 2017

The ruling Democratic Party on Monday carried out a major personnel shake-up as part of its post-election reform efforts, which it said aim to better support new President Moon Jae-in.It appointed third-term lawmaker Lee Choon-suak secretary-general and another third-term lawmaker Kim Tae-nyeon policy chief. Former lawmaker Kim Min-seok became the chief of the party's think tank, the Institute for Democracy.Rep. Lee Choon-suak speaks during a parliamentary session at the National Assembly in Seo

Politics May 15, 2017

All new homes and buildings that have more than 200 square meters in floor space will be required to have earthquake-resistant designs, the land ministry said Monday in a preview of a new law that could take effect later this year.The law is stricter than measures announced at the end of last year, when such requirements for buildings were for those with over 500-square-meter floor space. The rule for wooden structures, comparatively safer against earthquakes, will remain at 500 square meters, t

Social Affairs May 15, 2017

GOYANG -- South Korea played to a 2-2 draw with Senegal on Sunday in their final tune-up match for the FIFA U-20 World Cup at home.Cho Young-wook scored a goal and set up another for U-20 World Cup host, but the African opponents earned their equalizer in the late second half to avoid a defeat at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, just north of Seoul. This was South Korea's last tune-up match before entering the U-20 World Cup. The 24-team FIFA tournament will be staged in six local cities from Saturday

Soccer May 14, 2017

South Korean presidential officials will meet a US delegation on Monday to discuss details for a summit between their leaders, according to a Cheong Wa Dae official.The official told reporters Sunday that the US delegation, led by Matt Pottinger, senior director for East Asia at the National Security Council, and Allison Hooker, director for Korea at the NSC, will arrive in Seoul on Monday for a two-day visit. Matt Pottinger, senior director for East Asia at the White House's National Security C

Foreign Affairs May 14, 2017

GOYANG -- South Korea's football chief said Sunday he believes the country can co-host the FIFA World Cup with three neighboring nations in 2030.Chung Mong-gyu, president of the Korea Football Association (KFA), said South Korea plans to launch a joint World Cup bid with North Korea, China and Japan, although details have not been discussed yet.  Chung Mong-gyu, head of the Korea Football Association, speaks to reporters ahead of the South Korean under-20 national football team's friendly match

Soccer May 14, 2017

South Korea's delegation to an international economic forum in Beijing said Sunday it held a brief meeting with its North Korean counterpart and expressed concern over Pyongyang's latest missile provocation.Rep. Park Byeong-seug of the ruling Democratic Party, who leads the delegation, said he had a short conversation with Kim Yong-jae, Pyongyang's minister of external economic relations, at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation that runs in Beijing through Monday. Rep. Park Byeo

Foreign Affairs May 14, 2017