South Korea's Marine Corps chief was awarded a medal by the United States for his role in strengthening the bilateral alliance, the military said Friday.    Lt. Gen. Lee Sang-hoon was awarded the Legion of Merit, the highest medal the U.S. armed forces confers on foreign military officials, on Feb. 9 (U.S. time), officials said.   The commander is in Washington for talks with ranking officers on how to enhance cooperation between the allies and expand the role of the marines in countering a nuc

Defense Feb. 10, 2017

   GANGNEUNG (Yonhap) -- South Korean Olympic speed skating champion Lee Sang-hwa claimed the silver medal in the women's 500m at the world championships here Friday.   Lee finished second among 24 skaters with her season best time of 37.48 seconds at the International Skating Union (ISU) World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships at Gangneung Oval in Gangneung, Gangwon Province. Some 230 kilometers east of Seoul, the new arena is hosting its first international competition as a test eve

More Sports Feb. 10, 2017

  PARIS (AP) -- French anti-terrorism forces arrested four people in southern France on Friday, including a 16-year-old girl, and uncovered a makeshift laboratory with the explosive TATP and other base ingredients for fabricating a bomb, the Paris prosecutor's office said.    The prosecutor's office said around 70 grams of TATP were seized in the home of a 20-year-old man in the Montpellier area, along with a liter each of acetone, oxygenated water and sulfuric acid. TATP, which can be made from

World News Feb. 10, 2017

 An advisor to former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, a potential presidential contender, on Tuesday offered a glimpse into his economic policy that aims to upgrade South Korea's capitalism model blamed for economic polarization.   Speaking to Yonhap News Agency, Kwak Seung-jun, an economics professor at Korea University, put forward three key words to outline Ban's economic policy: "warm" market economy, upgraded capitalism and institutions in line with global standards.   Kwak has been cit

Politics Jan. 10, 2017

  POHANG (Yonhap) -- A fishing boat on Tuesday collided with a merchant ship off South Korea's southeastern coast, leaving two dead and four others missing, Coast Guard officials said.   The 74-ton local fishing boat was carrying seven crewmen when it collided with the 23,269-ton bulk carrier Inspiration Lake in waters some 22 miles off the southeastern port city of Pohang at around 2 p.m., officials said.    Three of the fishermen -- two Koreans and one Vietnamese -- were rescued, but two of th

Social Affairs Jan. 10, 2017

Park Bo-gum, the star of South Korean TV series "Love in the Moonlight," met about 4,000 fans in Hong Kong on the second leg of his tour of Asian countries to meet international fans, his agency said Sunday.   Park, who played the charming Crown Prince Lee Yeong, sang a Christmas carol before fans and unveiled his photos taken at Victoria Park, one of Hong Kong's most popular tourist destinations, during the fan meeting event on Saturday, according to Blossom Entertainment.   "I'm happy because

Television Dec. 18, 2016

Junsu of South Korean K-pop trio JYJ bid farewell to his global fans in his last concert before starting his compulsory military duty. The musical performer beamed during the "2016 Xia Ballad & Musical Concert with Orchestra Vol. 5" held in eastern Seoul from Friday to Sunday. The 29-year-old has arranged to serve his two-year military service starting February. On the second day of the goodbye concert, the musical performer tugged at his fans' heartstrings as he cried out "Chungseong," a milita

Performance Dec. 11, 2016

President Park Geun-hye is suspected of complicity in her former senior secretary Cho Won-dong's unsuccessful attempt to force CJ Group's vice chairman to quit in 2013, prosecutors said Sunday, announcing their indictment of Cho on charges of attempted coercion.A special investigation team of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office indicted Cho, a former senior presidential secretary for economic affairs, without detention for coercing CJ Group Chairman Sohn Kyung-shik to dismiss his niec

Politics Dec. 11, 2016

최순실 씨의 국정 개입 수위를 드러낸 상징적 증거물인 태블릿PC(이하 태블릿)의 사용자는 최 씨 본인이라고 검찰이 결론 내렸다.    박 대통령의 연설문 등이 일반에 공개되기 전에 담겼던 것으로 보도된 이  태블 릿은 이번 사태가 게이트로 비화하는 계기를 제공했으나 최 씨 측에서 자신의 것이 아니라고 주장하는 등 논란의 대상이 됐다.    검찰은 11일 수사를 마무리하면서 최 씨가 그 태블릿을 사용했다고 거듭 밝혔다 . 다만, 최 씨 측은 법정에서 공방을 이어가겠다는 방침이어서 주목된다.검찰 특별수사본부(본부장 이영렬 서울중앙지검장) 관계자는 태블릿을 사용한 흔적을 분석한 결과,최 씨의 행적과 일치하는 것으로 드러났다며 최씨가 이  태블릿 을 사용했다고 설명했다.    이 관계자에 따르면 최 씨가 2012년 7월 14∼29일, 2013년 7월 28∼8월 10일 독 일을 방문했는데 이때 이동통신업체에서 보낸 독일 내 로밍요금 안내 메시지나 외교 통상부가 발신한 영사콜센터 안내 문자 등

한국어판 Dec. 11, 2016

South Korea's chief economic policymaker said Sunday that the impeachment of the country's president will have a limited impact on the economy, as well as the financial markets, vowing to implement current economic policies in a consistent mode.  Last week, the country's parliament overwhelmingly voted to impeach President Park Geun-hye, immediately suspending her authority. There have been concerns that Asia's fourth-largest economy, currently faced with a protracted slump at home and abroad, m

Dec. 11, 2016

South Korea is moving to hasten the deployment of an advanced U.S. missile defense system and finish its installation by May at the latest in the face of political uncertainty caused by the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye, government sources said Sunday. "The deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system seemingly doesn't require much (preparatory) time, since the Seongju golf course is already equipped with power and water supply facilities, and a traffic system," said an

Defense Dec. 11, 2016

South Korea has started the second round of free trade talks to discuss ways to boost bilateral economic exchanges and investment, the trade ministry said Sunday.   The FTA talks that started in Jerusalem earlier in the day will run through Thursday, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.   The first round of negotiations took place in Seoul in June, seven years after the two countries began discussions on starting FTA talks in 2009.   FTA negotiations between Seoul and Jerusal

World Business Dec. 11, 2016

   ISTANBUL (AP) -- Twin attacks by a suicide bomber and a car bomber near an Istanbul soccer stadium Saturday night killed 29 people and wounded 166 others in the latest large-scale assault to traumatize a nation confronting an array of security threats.     The bombs targeted police officers, killing 27 of them along with two civilians, Turkey's Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu told reporters early Sunday. He added that 10 people had been arrested in connection with the "terrorist attack.''   

World News Dec. 11, 2016