U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Tuesday for an end to partisan strife over free trade agreements (FTAs) with South Korea, Colombia and Panama."I know two things about trade. It is a polarizing political issue, but done right, it creates American jobs," she said in a speech at the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition Conference in Washington.She pointed out the U.S.-South Korea FTA is pr

The head of South Korea's state image-making agency said Tuesday that the country's planned hosting of the Winter Olympics will greatly boost its national brand.South Korea's eastern alpine city of PyeongChang was chosen last week as host of the 2018 games after two consecutive failed attempts.Lee Bae-yong, chairwoman of the Presidential Council on National Branding, said the international communi

South Korea's jobless rate declined in June from a year earlier as the nation added more jobs, helped by robust exports and expanded industrial output, a government report showed Wednesday.The jobless rate stood at 3.3 percent last month, down from 3.5 percent a year earlier, according to the report by Statistics Korea. It was, however, slightly higher than 3.2 percent in May.Job creation appears

After more than two years, a legal dispute between four North Korean residents and their five half-brothers and sisters in South Korea over assets left over by their common father who died in the South concluded on Tuesday with court mediation.The four North Koreans filed a lawsuit against their five South Korean half-brothers and sisters in February 2009, demanding they split 10 billion won ($9.3

A powerful typhoon has caused casualties in North Korea and inflicted serious damage on farmland and other industrial facilities, the North's state media said Tuesday, damage that could further worsen the country's chronic food shortages.Typhoon Meari brought downpours and gusts to North Korea last month, destroying about 160 houses and submerging or washing away about 21,000 hectares of farmland,

Government aims to slash transportation emissions to 34 percent below projected levelsKorea outlined action plans to tackle climate change on Tuesday, breaking down reduction targets for high-emitting sectors in the medium term.The pan-governmental plan was devised to put the country’s low-carbon, green growth initiatives in motion, which President Lee Myung-bak launched in 2009 with a goal of cut

 

DP lawmakers eye GNP home turf; ruling party mulls replacing veteransParties are seeking to turn the table in next year’s general elections with a bold lineup of possible candidates as some veteran lawmakers gave up their candidacy or pledged to run in strategically important areas other than their home-turf constituencies.Rep. Kim Hyo-seuk, a third-term lawmaker of the main opposition Democratic

Two alternative high schools for students from multicultural families will open in March to help them adjust to Korean society and find a job after high school, the Education Ministry said Tuesday. One in Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province and the other in Seoul will offer three-year programs on Korean language, society, culture and technical skills. Three government agencies, the Education Minis

Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin will depart for China on Thursday for a three-day schedule that includes talks with his Chinese counterpart and other top government officials there, officials here said Tuesday.During their talks slated for Friday, Kim and Chinese Defense Minister Gen. Liang Guanglie will discuss a wide range of regional security issues including those concerning North Korea and ways