The government and ruling Democratic Party agreed Wednesday to push to pass an extra budget bill aimed at creating jobs during a June parliamentary session.The new government plans to submit an 11 trillion-won ($9.8 billion) supplementary budget proposal to the National Assembly next week. It was announced as part of the administration's efforts to implement President Moon Jae-in's campaign pledges.Deputy Prime Minister Yoo Il-ho (right) speaks during a ruling party-government meeting at the Nat

Politics May 31, 2017

NEW YORK -- The United States and China are in negotiations about the best time to seek a new UN Security Council sanctions resolution on North Korea and a decision could be made this week, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said Tuesday."It's about at what point do we do the resolution," Haley said of talks with China. US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley (Yonhap)Haley said China is trying to be "productive.""We do think they are trying to counter what is happening now and they have the lay of

North Korea May 31, 2017

South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo on Wednesday asked the media to wait for the results of an investigation into whether his ministry has done something wrong in connection with the deployment here of the US missile defense system called THAAD.Han's ministry has come under fire since the country's new president, Moon Jae-in, openly took a swipe at it on Thursday. Moon said he was belatedly informed of the presence of four additional THAAD interceptor launchers in South Korea. Defense Mini

Defense May 31, 2017

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday that his new government will use all available means to bring North Korea back to the dialogue table, noting the objective of ongoing international sanctions, too, is to bring the communist state back to negotiations."North Korea continues to stage nuclear and missile provocations despite the wishes of the international community, and because such North Korean provocations are threats to peace not only on the Korean Peninsula but in the entire worl

Foreign Affairs May 30, 2017

Senior diplomats of South Korea and Canada agreed Tuesday to work together to denuclearize North Korea, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here said.North Korea's nuclear development, inter-Korean affairs and bilateral collaboration on economic cooperation were also discussed in the talks between Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam and Canadian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ian Shugart held earlier in the day, according to the ministry.   Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam (Yonhap)Lim called fo

Foreign Affairs May 30, 2017

A parliamentary panel decided Tuesday to adopt a report on the outcome of its confirmation hearing for Prime Minister-nominee Lee Nak-yon this week, paving the way for a vote on the designate.Key members of the panel in charge of the hearing reached the decision to hold its session at 10 a.m. Wednesday to issue the report -- a key procedure before voting on whether to approve the nominee.Reps. Kim Kwang-soo (left), Yoo Hu-duk (center) and Kim Yong-tae, the representatives of the People's Party,

Politics May 30, 2017

North Korea asserted Tuesday that it has developed a means to strike moving targets at sea with precision.The North said it used a new precision-guidance system in the latest ballistic missile test.The rocket, fired from the country's east coast early Monday morning, traveled around 450 kilometers to splash into the East Sea, according to the South Korean military. This set of photos, released by North Korea`s media on May 30, 2017, show its latest ballistic missile launch and leader Kim Jong-un

North Korea May 30, 2017

The number of South Koreans visiting China shrank by almost half in March-May from a year earlier, data from a major travel agency showed Tuesday, reflecting weak demand amid the ongoing diplomatic row between the neighboring countries. The tally on outbound travelers to China plunged 42 percent in the cited two months ending May 31. People visiting China accounted for 15.1 percent of all outbound travelers in the cited period down from 32.6 percent the previous year, according to the latest dat

Social Affairs May 30, 2017

A North Korean university is moving briskly to send its students abroad to gain advanced knowledge in science, technology, economics and other fields, a North Korea watcher said Tuesday, citing a source in Pyongyang.Ahn Chan-il, the head of the Seoul-based World North Korea Research Center, said that Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, North Korea's only privately funded university, is hastening its efforts to dispatch its students to study in Russia and China, among others. Students

North Korea May 30, 2017

South Korean President Moon Jae-in was briefed by his special envoy to the Vatican about his recent meeting with Pope Francis.Archbishop Hyginus Kim Hee-joong returned home Saturday after a seven-day trip to the Holy See, during which he met twice with the pontiff.President Moon noted the pope twice meeting his special envoy marked the success of Kim's trip. South Korean President Moon Jae-in (right) bows before his special envoy to the Vatican, Archbishop Kim Hee-joong (left), before a meeting

National May 30, 2017

Many dual-income newlywed couples in South Korea quit a job after having a baby as working moms struggle with raising children, government data showed Tuesday.Out of 235,000 couples who tied the knot in 2014 and maintained their marital status through 2015, 130,000 couples, or 55.5 percent, have at least one child as of November 2015, up from 22.5 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.Among the couples with a kid, 38.6 percent of them were working in a d

Social Affairs May 30, 2017

South Korea will send home all six North Korean sailors recently rescued from the East Sea in accordance with their free will, a Ministry of Unification official said Tuesday.The North Korean sailors aboard two fishing boats were adrift in South Korean waters on May 27, when they were all rescued by the South Korean Coast Guard. Ministry of Unification (Yonhap)"All of the six North Korean sailors rescued said they want to return home, and they are in good condition," the Unification Ministry off

Social Affairs May 30, 2017

South Korea's older generation feels closer to their friends and neighbors, relying on and seeing more of them compared to their siblings, a survey showed Tuesday.The Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs polled 1,500 people aged 35-69 for a month from Aug. 9 last year and found that 62.5 percent of them had friends and neighbors who would help them at unexpected times of need. This compares with 56.1 percent who said the same of their brothers and sisters. According to the findings, 16.

Social Affairs May 30, 2017

CHEONAN -- South Korean goalkeeper Song Bum-keun said Monday he is confident of making saves in penalty shootouts if his team enters such situations at the FIFA U-20 World Cup.Host South Korea will face Portugal on Tuesday in the round of 16 at the U-20 World Cup at Cheonan Sports Complex in Cheonan, some 90 kilometers south of Seoul. From this knockout stage, teams have to go to penalty shootouts if they are tied after the regulation time and 30 minutes of extra time. South Korea`s under-20 nat

Soccer May 30, 2017

CHEONAN -- South Korean football coach Shin Tae-yong said Monday his side will have to stay alert at all times when they play against Portugal in their first knockout match of the FIFA U-20 World Cup.Hosts South Korea will face Portugal on Tuesday in the round of 16 at the U-20 World Cup at Cheonan Sports Complex in Cheonan, some 90 kilometers south of Seoul. The young Taeguk Warriors finished second in Group A with two wins and one loss, while Portugal were runners-up in Group C with one win, o

Soccer May 30, 2017