Progressive presidential nominee Sim Sang-jeung hinted Thursday that if elected, she could put the withdrawal of US troops from South Korea on the agenda for possible peace talks with North Korea.During a debate hosted by the Kwanhun Club, an association of senior journalists, the candidate of the Justice Party also proposed a "two-stage" denuclearization process of seeking a freeze on Pyongyang's nuke tests and then a nuclear-free peninsula. Sim Sang-jeung, the presidential candidate of the pro

Politics April 27, 2017

BUSAN -- The education office of South Korea's second-largest city of Busan said Thursday it will abolish multiple-choice objective tests in elementary schools starting next year. Students from an elementary school in Daejeon, about 160 kilometers south of Seoul, run from the school grounds as summer vacation starts. (Yonhap)Kim Seok-joon, superintendent of the Busan Metropolitan City Office of Education, said it made the unprecedented decision to help boost students' abilities to think and solv

Social Affairs April 27, 2017

More than 70 percent of South Koreans fear that the advent of the fourth industrial revolution will threaten their jobs, but a greater number of them see it as a positive development that will benefit mankind, a survey showed Thursday.The poll conducted by the Media Research Center of the Korea Press Foundation said 89.9 percent believe the job market will shrink due to the next industrial revolution, up 24.3 percentage points from the same survey a year ago. While 76.5 percent worry that their

Social Affairs April 27, 2017

Police said Thursday they will strengthen a crackdown on the acts of overcharging or cheating foreign tourists and improve security efforts in areas frequented by travelers in time for the extended holidays of neighboring countries next week.An influx of foreign visitors is anticipated here, as both Japan and China will enjoy lengthy holidays from the end of this month to the first week of May -- Japan's so-called golden week holiday from Saturday to May 7 and China's Labor Day holiday from Satu

Social Affairs April 27, 2017

The North Korean government has tacitly approved an expansion of market economy for years as local marketplaces have grown in size, a report said Thursday."Since the current leader Kim Jong-un took the helm (in 2011), the North Korean authorities have given tacit permission to introduce some elements of a market economy, which led to the growth of local marketplaces," said the report published by the state-run Korea Development Institute. (Yonhap)As the Pyongyang government has not clamped down

North Korea April 27, 2017

Over half of the fine dust particles in Seoul come from abroad, the municipal government said Thursday, amid the city's struggle to fight worsening air quality.The Seoul Metropolitan Government, citing a study conducted by the Seoul Institute, said the portion of the capital's fine dust pollution from China and other foreign countries has increased to 55 percent compared to 49 percent tallied in the previous report released in 2011. The capital blanketed in a gray haze caused by fine dust in the

Social Affairs April 27, 2017

YEONGJONGDO -- North Korea can still possibly launch a military provocation and that will be the key subject of the UN Security Council's special meeting on the North this week, South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se said Thursday. "During all of April, (we) have been closely watching the possibility of North Korea launching an additional provocation, and the possibility of a provocation still remains," the minister said before boarding a flight to New York at Incheon International Airport. 

North Korea April 27, 2017

JEONJU -- After schooling the South Korean national under-20 football team in a friendly, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors head coach Choi Kang-hee was not afraid to give advice to young players who have been gearing up for the upcoming FIFA competition at home.Jeonbuk, the winners of the 2016 Asian Football Confederation Champions League, were too strong for the U-20 team as they easily snatched a 3-0 victory on Wednesday in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. The tune-up match was designed to raise the compe

Soccer April 27, 2017

The security chiefs of Seoul and Washington discussed the ongoing "smooth" installation of a US missile defense battery in South Korea on Thursday, a day after some of its key components were delivered to the deployment site in a southeastern county.National Security Office chief Kim Kwan-jin and his US counterpart H.R. McMaster held a 25-minute telephone conversation over the deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system and other security issues, Seoul's presidential office said i

Defense April 27, 2017

A Seoul-based North Korean defectors' group on Thursday called for the designation of April 15, the late North Korean founder Kim Il-sung's birthday, as a commemorative day for defectors worldwide.Ahn Chan-il, the head of the private World Institute for North Korean Studies, made the proposal at a press conference in Seoul. (Yonhap)"It's about time we had a day for people who fled North Korea," he said.He said Kim's birthday, called the Day of the Sun, is observed as the biggest national holiday

Social Affairs April 27, 2017

Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Thursday ordered the election watchdog to "sternly" deal with illegal electioneering as the presidential campaign heats up with the vote just 12 days away.During a regular Cabinet meeting on pending state affairs, Hwang voiced concerns over intensifying smear campaigns through social media in the lead-up to the May 9 poll. Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn speaks during a Cabinet meeting on pending state affairs at the central

Politics April 27, 2017

South Korea's Navy will start the trial operation of an unmanned ship next month, the country's newly developed weapon mainly for use on the tense sea border with North Korea, the state arms procurement agency said Thursday.The Defense Acquisition Program Agency launched a 3.3 billion won ($2.9 million) project in late 2015 to develop an unmanned surface vessel in partnership with LIG Nex 1, a local defense firm. A newly developed unmanned surface vessel cuts through the water. (Defense Acquisit

Defense April 27, 2017

Two South Korean football clubs were eliminated from knockout berth contention in the Asian Football Confederation Champions League after Wednesday's losses. Ulsan Hyundai were blanked 4-0 by Japanese side Kashima Antlers in their Group E contest at home, while FC Seoul fell 4-2 to Chinese outfit Shanghai SIPG in their Group F match. Both K League Classic clubs needed a victory to keep their hopes alive for the last 16, but failed to execute the mission.The players of Kashima Antlers (in pink) c

More Sports April 27, 2017

Former Dutch Olympic speed skating champion Bob de Jong will coach the South Korean national team for next year's Winter Olympics, the sport's national federation said Wednesday.The Korea Skating Union said de Jong, 40, will serve as an assistant coach on the national speed skating team for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, the first Winter Games to be held in South Korea.Bob de Jong of the Netherlands reacts after winning the men's 10,000m at the International Skating Union World Cup Speed

More Sports April 27, 2017

South Korea's defense ministry said Thursday it has signed a partnership agreement with the organizers of a Seoul air show to be held later this year.The Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition, or Seoul ADEX, is scheduled to take place at Seoul Airport, a military compound south of the capital, from Oct. 17-22. Visitors look around weapons on display at the 2015 Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition at the Seoul Airport. (Yonhap)The biennial international event sets the

Defense April 27, 2017