The U.S. State Department emphasized Monday that this week's talks with North Korea in New York are just to see whether it is prepared for full-fledged negotiations on denuclearization.The North's vice foreign minister, Kim Kye-gwan, is scheduled to visit New York later this week for a meeting with a U.S. government delegation, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced earlier."We see this as a

South Korean banks' loan delinquency rate fell to the lowest level in six months in June due mainly to a decline in project financing loans, the financial watchdog said Tuesday.The average delinquency rate of bank loans to companies and households stood at 0.97 percent as of the end of June, down 0.33 percentage point from the previous month, according to the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS).Th

Regardless of the upcoming meeting with the United States, North Korea is likely to launch additional provocations, the top U.S. military officer said Monday."It is my view that the North Korean regime will once again attempt to provoke hostilities," Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a meeting with foreign reporters here. "And that once again, leaders in the South wi

North Korea is preparing for a military exercise on the west coast involving all three branches of its forces, a government source here said Tuesday."We noted preparations for a military exercise from the North's naval base in Nampo and its aerial base in Onchon in South Pyongan Province," the source said, referring to a western province north of the border. "Warships and fighters have been assemb

  SHANGHAI -- South Korean swimmer Park Tae-hwan advanced Monday to the men's 200-meter freestyle final at the world championships, taking aim at his second gold after winning the 400-meter freestyle a day earlier.  Park was timed in 1 minute, 46.23 seconds and finished second in his 200-meter heat race after France's Yannick Agnel with 1:45.62 at the 2011 World Aquatics Championships. Park will c

The Chinese and Korean defense ministries will hold inaugural strategic defense dialogue in Seoul this week, hoping to thaw their relationship that has been chilled since two deadly North Korean provocations last year, said Chinese officials Sunday.A top-level delegation led by Air Force Gen. Ma Xiaotian, deputy chief of the general staff of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, will arrive in Seo

 

 

Lee Sang-deuk, former parliamentary vice speaker and elder brother of President Lee Myung-bak, left for South America on Monday as a special presidential envoy.Lee is to attend the Peruvian presidential inauguration ceremony Thursday and deliver President Lee’s personal letter to the new President Ollanta Humala, officials said.He is also expected to hold talks with Humala over a wide range of iss

The special parliamentary committee on the savings banks corruption scandal began its investigation on Monday, but is still mired in conflict over witness selection, the key factor in the upcoming public hearing.Members of the committee visited the central headquarters of Busan Savings Bank on Monday morning to meet with victim representatives and to audit the related documents.“Financial authorit

The government proposed to North Korea a meeting of working-level officials to discuss how to handle issues related to tourism on Mount Geumgang, a joint project between the two Koreas which has been suspended for three years, officials here said Monday. “We have delivered North Korean authorities a notice proposing a meeting of working-level officials at the Mount. Geumgang resort on July 29,” a

Minister Kim sees no major improvement in inter-Korean relationsDespite the recent gesture by North Korea to resume dialogue with regional powers, South Korea appears to be maintaining a cautious stance with its top diplomat saying he does not expect to see “drastic improvement” in relations with the unpredictable northern rival.Pyongyang’s First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan will travel to N

South Korea’s ruling party leader urged the government Monday to ban a group of Japanese lawmakers from entering the country as they plan to visit an island near the country’s easternmost islets of Dokdo in an attempt to lay claims to the islets.Four lawmakers of Japan’s conservative opposition Liberal Democratic Party said last week they are planning to visit Ulleung Island in the East Sea, the c

President Lee Myung-bak called Monday for South Koreans to head to domestic destinations for vacation, saying it will contribute greatly to spurring domestic demand that is key to revitalizing the country’s economy.Lee made the appeal in a biweekly radio address, saying that sluggish domestic demand is to blame for economic difficulties felt by low-income people, though South Korea’s economy is fa