South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se will attend a UN Security Council meeting on North Korea to be chaired by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson this week, the foreign ministry here said Tuesday.The ministerial meeting on Friday in New York will bring together US Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and officials from the council's 15 members, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se (Yonhap)"It is the first-ever meeting to be held on the is

Foreign Affairs April 25, 2017

A US submarine is set to join the USS Carl Vinson in drills near the Korean Peninsula, South Korean military officials said Monday."The nuclear-powered submarine USS Michigan will enter the waters off the peninsula soon or later to jointly conduct drills with the USS Carl Vinson," a military official told Yonhap News Agency. USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier (Yonhap)The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson is expected to arrive in the East Sea later in the week amid growing nuclear an

Defense April 25, 2017

Police said over 200 people are under investigation as of Monday in relation to the May 9 presidential election since the launch of the official campaign period last week. Citizens walk under banners of candidates for the May 9 presidential election on a street in western Seoul on April 17, 2017, as the 22-day official campaign period for the poll begins. (Yonhap)Among a total of 208 suspects in 186 cases, the number of people accused of damaging banners was the largest with 101, followed by tho

Social Affairs April 24, 2017

South Korea has established a disaster management center in the Philippine city of Passi as a facility for evacuation training and shelter, following super typhoon Haiyen, which hit the Southeast Asian country's central region in 2013, the South Korean Red Cross said Monday.The South Korean Red Cross has implemented the project with the local government of Passi to build the facility on the island of Panay, Iloilo Province in the Philippines, as part of rehabilitation efforts in the wake of the

Social Affairs April 24, 2017

The number of foreign tourists to South Korea sank 11.2 percent last month from a year earlier, led by a sharp drop in Chinese visitors after Beijing's banned the sale of tour packages to the country, the state tourism agency said Monday. Inbound tourists numbered 1.23 million last month, compared to 1.38 million tallied the previous year, according to the Korea Tourism Organization.  (Yonhap)The tally of Chinese visitors plunged 40 percent on-year to 360,782 from 601.671, followed by a 24-perce

Social Affairs April 24, 2017

Centrist presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo pledged Monday to increase the number of women in his Cabinet as part of broader efforts to achieve gender equality.The nominee of the center-left People's Party said he would raise the proportion to 30 percent in line with the average of member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Ahn currently ranks second behind front-runner Moon Jae-in in various polls ahead of the May 9 election. Ahn Cheol-soo (right), presidenti

Politics April 24, 2017

The number of patients diagnosed with malaria has declined steadily in South Korea in recent years due to heightened awareness of the disease, government data showed Monday.Malaria patients disappeared in South Korea in the early 1980s, but a soldier stationed at the Demilitarized Zone in the border with North Korea contracted the disease in 1993, according to the data released by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the occasion of World Malaria Day which falls on Tuesday. (Y

Social Affairs April 24, 2017

South Korea announced Monday it has developed an advanced artillery-locating radar to help counter North Korea's rocket threats more effectively.The mobile radar system, called "counter-artillery detection radar-II," will be operational starting in 2018, according to the country's arms procurement agency. A prototype of South Korea's new counter-battery radar. (Defense Acquisition Program Administration)"In recent tests it met all of the required operational capabilities of the military. It has

Defense April 24, 2017

South Korea and the United States will hold working-level consultations later this week on a broad range of alliance issues including North Korea's military threats, Seoul's defense ministry said Monday.The two sides are scheduled to open the two-day Korea-US Integrated Defense Dialogue meeting in Washington DC on Wednesday (local time), according to the Ministry of National Defense. An image of South Korea-US alliance in a photo provided by Yonhap News TV. (Yonhap)It would be their first KIDD s

Foreign Affairs April 24, 2017

TOKYO/BEIJING -- US President Donald Trump had separate phone conversations with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Abe on Monday and pledged closer cooperation with them amid the growing possibility of North Korea's nuclear or missile test."In today's telephone conversation, (we) completely shared the opinion that (the US and Japan) will continue to demand that North Korea refrain from provocative behaviors," Abe told reporters after his talks with Trump.(Yonhap)The US and

North Korea April 24, 2017

WONJU -- Conservative presidential nominee Hong Joon-pyo pledged Monday to enhance transportation, tourism and industrial infrastructure in Gangwon Province.On his campaign trail in Wonju, 132 kilometers east of Seoul, the candidate of the Liberty Korea Party also vowed to give full government support to the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics that will be staged in the province from Feb. 9 to 25 next year. Hong Joon-pyo (center), the presidential candidate of the conservative Liberty Korea Party,

Politics April 24, 2017

South Korea's unification ministry said Monday it is checking information about North Korea's latest detainment of a US citizen amid tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs.Tony Kim, a Korean-American man in his late 50s, was arrested Saturday at an airport in Pyongyang, becoming the third US citizen held in captivity in the communist country, according to sources.(Screen captured from CNN)"The government is not aware of Kim's whereabouts after his visit to North Korea, as he is n

Social Affairs April 24, 2017

Conservative presidential candidate Yoo Seong-min pledged Monday to help the successful hosting of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics and boost tourism in the region surrounding its venue.The nominee of the splinter conservative Bareun Party unveiled his plans during a visit to the headquarters of the PyeongChang Organizing Committee in the county some 180 kilometers east of Seoul. Yoo Seong-min, presidential nominee of the Bareun Party, announces his election pledges for Gangwon Province at the he

Social Affairs April 24, 2017

South Korea's unification ministry said Monday that there has been no unusual movement in North Korea as Pyongyang is set to mark the 85th anniversary of the creation of its military this week.North Korea will celebrate the founding anniversary of the Korean People's Army on Tuesday amid speculation that it may conduct its sixth nuclear test or launch a long-range missile. (Yonhap)"When it comes to the anniversary, there has been no unusual signs in North Korea," Lee Duk-haeng, ministry spokesma

North Korea April 24, 2017

South Korea's defense authorities said Monday the USS Carl Vinson, an American aircraft carrier, is scheduled to hold a joint training exercise with South Korean naval ships near the peninsula."Consultations are under way (between the two sides) in connection with the exercise," Moon Sang-gyun, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, said at a press briefing. He did not elaborate.The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (US Navy)He did not elaborate amid speculation that the drills will be

Defense April 24, 2017