The Foreign Ministry is reviewing all of its past foreign treaties and agreements for translation errors after taking the blame recently for similar mistakes in a free trade deal with the European Union, an official said Sunday.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has come under fire for making more than 200 errors and omissions in the Korean-language text of the EU deal scheduled to take eff

Foreign Affairs April 10, 2011

Korea is working to launch a committee that will deal exclusively with disasters and accidents caused by disasters, such as the radiation leak from a nuclear power plant in Japan, a government official said Saturday.The committee will be set up within the National Science and Technology Commission that governs policies on high-tech industries and investment, Lee Seok-rae, a commission official, sa

Social Affairs April 10, 2011

The number of Korean high school students choosing to study a second foreign language fell sharply last year, after education authorities decided it was no longer required, government data showed Sunday.According to data released by the state-run Korean Educational Development Institute, the number of high school students learning a second foreign language totaled 596,044 as of April 2010, marking

Social Affairs April 10, 2011

Teokbokki, a rice cake snack marinated with red pepper paste, was selected as the favorite street food among foreigners. According to a survey by Kyung Hee University’s Institute of International Education of 455 foreigners from 62 countries residing in Korea, teokbokki topped the list with 31.1 percent. It was followed by dakkochi, skewered chicken; sundae, blood sausage; and tempura, deep-fried

Social Affairs April 7, 2011

North Korea remains adamant that it will never apologize for the deadly sinking of a South Korean warship last year, according to an academic who visited the communist nation this month.South Korea says the North must admit it torpedoed the Cheonan with the loss of 46 lives before dialogue can resume to ease months of tensions. “North Korea says it cannot apologize for what it has not done and thi

North Korea April 7, 2011

South Korean police said Wednesday that North Korea was behind the massive cyber attacks that severely slowed and disrupted dozens of South Korean government and business websites last month.The sites of about 30 key South Korean government agencies, including the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, and financial institutions came under a so-called distributed denial-of-service attack on March 4, w

North Korea April 6, 2011

WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― South Korean Ambassador Han Duck-soo on Tuesday exchanged a memorandum of understanding with Gov. Bob McDonnell of Virginia that will exempt holders of a South Korean drivers license from taking tests.The “Driver’s License Reciprocity Arrangement” will allow holders of a South Korean drivers license to get a Virginia license without taking a written and driving test.Unde

Social Affairs April 6, 2011

WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― The Obama administration said Tuesday it has not yet found enough evidence to relist North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism.“There’s a very specific procedure, though, to designating someone as a state sponsor of terror, with specific criteria that need to be met,” State Department spokesman Mark Toner said.“There’s a legal process to doing that. And I’m not aware t

North Korea April 6, 2011

North Korea has strengthened the intensity of its naval drills this year by deploying a new submarine, prompting South Korea’s military to raise its level of vigilance, a government source here said Wednesday.“North Korea is on naval maneuvers near its bases off the East Sea and Yellow Sea by mobilizing five to six submarines, including a new Sango class submarine,” the source said on the conditio

North Korea April 6, 2011

The chief of the ruling Grand National Party proposed Monday that South and North Korea establish a joint body to conduct research together and share information on natural disasters on the peninsula.The suggestion from GNP leader Ahn Sang-soo came as the two Koreas launched civilian-level talks last week on a potential volcanic eruption at the North’s Mount Paekdu. The second round of volcano tal

Politics April 4, 2011

WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― A bipartisan group of congressmen will soon submit legislation to redesignate North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism for its torpedoing of a South Korean warship and shelling of a South Korean border island that killed 50 people last year, sources said Friday.“I understand Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has almost completed drafting the legislation, and she is likely to s

North Korea April 3, 2011

WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― The U.S. has the capability to intercept ballistic missiles from North Korea, a senior U.S. official has said.Patrick O’Reilly, director of the Missile Defense Agency, made the remarks at a House Armed Services Committee hearing Thursday in response to a lawmaker who expressed “concerns about the ground-based midcourse defense system in Alaska and California,” citing “ba

North Korea April 3, 2011

Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan left for Africa on Saturday on a three-nation trip aimed at boosting partnerships in energy, infrastructure and other areas.The trip comes as South Korea is seeking to tap business opportunities in African countries rich in oil and other mineral resources as a way to strengthen Seoul’s energy diplomacy.The eight-day trip will take Kim to Gabon, the Democratic Republi

Foreign Affairs April 3, 2011