TOKYO (Yonhap News) ― South Korea’s foreign minister voiced concern about possible negative effects that the upcoming outcome of Japan’s review of new middle school textbooks could have on relations between the two countries, according to an interview published Tuesday.Japanese school texts accused of glorifying the country’s wartime past have long been considered a thorn in relations between Seou

Foreign Affairs Feb. 15, 2011

WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― The White House said Friday that North Korea will face further isolation if it refuses to engage in dialogue with South Korea in a serious manner.The North demonstrated a lack of seriousness once again by walking out of its rare military talks with the South last week, White House spokeswoman Robert Gibbs said at a press briefing.“I think it was clear, again, when talks

North Korea Feb. 13, 2011

South Korea hailed Saturday the toppling of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak as a victory for the Egyptian people toward democracy.Mubarak’s three-decade reign ended earlier Saturday, Korean time, after the besieged ruler decided to comply with protesters’ requests for him to step down. A junta of military commanders will now assume power in a culmination of the 18-day uprising in the most populou

Foreign Affairs Feb. 13, 2011

WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il could attempt further provocations to boost the standing of his heir-apparent son, the top U.S. intelligence official predicted Thursday, saying the regime‘s deadly attack on a South Korean island was believed to be part of such efforts.Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said in written testimony to the House Intelligence Com

North Korea Feb. 11, 2011

South Korea’s chief nuclear envoy will visit China later this week for talks with his counterpart on North Korea and its nuclear programs, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.Wi Sung-lac plans to meet with Chinese nuclear envoy Wu Dawei on Thursday to discuss the nuclear standoff and other North Korea issues as well as strategies to deal with them, the ministry said in a statement without elaboratin

North Korea Feb. 8, 2011

President Lee Myung-bak said Monday that his government will introduce a carbon emissions trading system in a flexible way, taking impact on businesses into account.“The government is planning to introduce the emissions trading scheme at an opportune time after thoroughly sounding out the opinions of industries,” Lee said in his biweekly radio address.“A business that emits greenhouse gases more t

Politics Feb. 7, 2011

A Seoul court sentenced a Taiwanese man to a one-year prison term for swindling money from a Korean family through a fake kidnapping telephone scam, court officials said Monday.The 31-year-old defendant, whose name was withheld, had been indicted on charges of receiving 2 million won ($1,800) in July of last year from Korean parents by claiming their son had been kidnapped with a fake voice of a b

Social Affairs Feb. 7, 2011

Taekwang Group chairman Lee Ho-jin and six other senior executives have been indicted on charges of embezzlement and breach of trust, prosecution officials said Monday, capping an investigation that initially raised suspicions of political and business lobbying.The 49-year-old Lee is charged with pocketing 53.6 billion won ($47.7 million) through accounting maneuvers and causing damage to the comp

Social Affairs Jan. 31, 2011

Korean marine and naval troops are to participate in a multinational humanitarian exercise to take place from Feb. 7-18 in Thailand, officials said.It is the second time for Korean troops to join the Cobra Gold exercise, which the U.S. Pacific Command and the Thai military command have annually organized to practice multinational peace-keeping operations since 1981.The exercise, which will occur i

Defense Jan. 30, 2011

When a scandal over the misuse of funds by Community Chest Korea hit in mid-October, donations to South Korea’s biggest charity plummeted.But while much of the public shunned the charity, major conglomerates such as Samsung Group, POSCO and LG Group donated large sums of money just weeks after the scandal erupted.Both Samsung and POSCO defended their donations recently, while LG declined to commen

Social Affairs Jan. 30, 2011