Police will ban anti-American protesters from surrounding the US Embassy in downtown Seoul during their rally planned this weekend against a US-led deployment of an anti-missile system, a local civic group said Tuesday.The group said it has been asked by police not to stage any protest rally against the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense deployment in the rear of the US government building.  A group of protesters urge the government to withdraw the deployment of the US Terminal High Altitude Ar

Social Affairs June 20, 2017

Opposition parties on Tuesday voiced concerns over President Moon Jae-in's pursuit of a policy shift away from nuclear energy, noting the need for public consensus and thorough preparations for the change.The main opposition Liberty Korea Party, People's Party and Bareun Party agreed to the idea of moving towards non-nuclear, clean and renewable energy, but warned that any half-baked policy could lead to a hefty rise in electricity bills and a potential energy shortage. Rep. Lee Hyun-jae, the po

Politics June 20, 2017

Samsung Electronics Co. is expected to showcase its Galaxy Note 8 phablet in New York in August, industry sources said Tuesday, which is set to compete with the next flagship by Apple Inc.According to the sources, the South Korean tech giant is currently considering unveiling its large mobile device in the third or fourth week of August.(Yonhap)While the company earlier planned to introduce the new phablet at the Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin held in September, industry watchers said the

Industry June 20, 2017

South Korea's current account surplus dropped slightly in 2016 from a year earlier due mainly to decreased exports, data by the central bank showed Tuesday.The current account surplus came to $98.68 billion in 2016, compared with $105.94 billion a year earlier, according to preliminary estimates released by the Bank of Korea.By country, South Korea's current account surplus with the United States fell to $31.15 billion in 2016 from $33.03 billion a year earlier. The 2016 figure marked the lowest

Economy June 20, 2017

North Korea has not responded to South Korea's demand to check the safety of its six nationals detained in the North, a government officials said Tuesday.The government has sought to grasp the security of the detained South Koreans through cooperation with European countries which have diplomatic ties with Pyongyang and international organizations, but Pyongyang has not responded to Seoul's call, according to the Ministry of Unification. (Yonhap)"The first thing that the government will do after

North Korea June 20, 2017

A Seoul court will decide as early as late Tuesday whether to issue an arrest warrant for the daughter of former President Park Geun-hye's longtime friend at the center of a massive corruption scandal that removed Park from office.The Seoul Central District Court said it began a hearing on Chung Yoo-ra, the daughter of Choi Soon-sil, to decide on the issuance of a writ in relation to her suspected involvement in an influence-peddling scandal for which her mother and Park are standing trial.Chung

Social Affairs June 20, 2017

UIJEONGBU -- A top US military commander in South Korea said he can't overemphasize the need for more combined exercises between the two countries, citing the seriousness of North Korea's weapons of mass destruction threats."I am never satisfied. I want to do more training." said Maj. Gen. Theodore D. Martin, the commanding general of the 2nd Infantry Division. "I want all training to be combined just like we got a saying, 'Train like you fight.' We want to get to very high-level live-fire exerc

Defense June 20, 2017

Two US long-range strategic bombers will train with South Korea's fighter jets over the peninsula later Tuesday as part of a regular combined exercise, defense officials said."Our Air Force plans to hold a joint drill with two B-1Bs in the sky of the Korean Peninsula today," Lt. Col. Kim Sung-duk, a public relations officer of the South Korean Air Force, told reporters.The B-1B Lancers are scheduled to fly over Korea for a few hours along with two F-15K fighter jets, he added.(Yonhap)He pointed

Defense June 20, 2017

South Korean President Moon Jae-in deplored North Korea's human rights violations Tuesday, expressing condolences to the family of a US student who died following 17 months of captivity in the communist North."President Moon Jae-in expressed regrets after hearing the news of (Otto) Warmbier's death, and the president plans to send his condolences and consolation to his family and relatives," Park Soo-hyun, spokesman for the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, told a press briefing.Park Soo-hyun,

Politics June 20, 2017

South Korea's premature birthrate has nearly doubled in the past 16 years, a survey showed Tuesday, with a growing number of women getting married late and experiencing difficulties having babies.The rate of premature delivery within less than 37 weeks of pregnancy rose to 6.44 percent between 2013 and 2014 from 3.31 percent between 1997 and 1998, according to the research of 2.1 million birth registrations filed with Statistics Korea done by professor Im Dal-oh of Kongju National University and

Social Affairs June 20, 2017

New Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha visited parliament Tuesday in a move to seek its cooperation on pending diplomatic issues and mend fences with opposition parties that called her unfit due to her alleged ethical lapses.On Monday, Kang took office as the country's first female top diplomat, undertaking a series of daunting diplomatic tasks such as denuclearizing North Korea, strengthening the alliance with the United States and addressing diplomatic tensions with China and Japan. Foreign Minis

Politics June 20, 2017

The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae was set to launch a nomination committee headed by its chief of staff Tuesday, a move prompted by an apparent political impasse caused by disputes over earlier nominees.The new nomination committee was to hold its first meeting at 4 p.m., chaired by presidential chief of staff Im Jong-seok, a Cheong Wa Dae official said.The committee is expected to discuss possible candidates for the new justice minister. (Yonhap)President Moon Jae-in has appointed six new C

Politics June 20, 2017

The upcoming taekwondo world championships in South Korea will be a historic one on many levels, as the organizers prepare for the largest competition to date.The 2017 World Taekwondo Federation World Taekwondo Championships will take place in Muju, some 240 kilometers south of Seoul from June 24 to 30. This is the 23rd edition of the biennial competition, and the seventh in South Korea.The WTF announced last week that 971 athletes from 183 nations have registered to compete, making this the lar

More Sports June 20, 2017

South Korea's foreign ministry is seeking to hire around 400 new employees as part of its efforts to ease the mounting workload and provide better consular services, government sources said Tuesday.In a recently submitted request for staff increase, the ministry demanded a total of 218 more employees. This is around a 10 percent increase compared to its incumbent staff of 2,200, according to the sources. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Yonhap)Separately, the ministry is seeking to hire around 180 n

Social Affairs June 20, 2017

The daughter of former President Park Geun-hye's friend roiled in an influence-peddling scandal attempted to get citizenship in Malta, the prosecution said Monday, fresh evidence that could give the court grounds for her arrest warrantChung Yoo-ra, the daughter of Choi Soon-sil, tried to apply for citizenship in the Mediterranean island country while she was detained in Denmark on suspected illegal stay, according to the prosecution.  The file photo, taken on June 13, 2017, captures Chung Yoo-ra

Social Affairs June 20, 2017