Civic group urges investigation of all U.S. basesProvincial governments are moving to verify whether areas near U.S. military facilities are contaminated amid heightened public worries over the alleged burial of Agent Orange at Camp Carroll in Waegwan, North Gyeongsang Province.Some environmentalists and activists criticized the U.S. military for being overly “slow and careful” in conducting its i

South Korea is considering deploying large attack helicopters on one of its western sea border islands in preparation against surprise infiltrations of North Korea’s air-cushioned vessels, a defense source said Sunday.“A helicopter hangar under construction on Baengnyeong Island is capable of accommodating large-sized attack helicopters. Some Apache-class attack helicopters to be imported next yea

The following is the Independence Day message of Luis T. Cruz, Philippine ambassador to South Korea, on the 113th anniversary of Philippine independence. ― Ed.We celebrate this year the 113th anniversary of the Declaration of Philippine Independence and the founding of a state that would one day redefine the notion of a revolution. We recall, with gratitude, the men and women upon whose conviction

Hyundai Heavy Industries announced Sunday that it would build the world’s first floating storage and re-gasification unit for liquefied natural gas.A floating storage and re-gasification unit or FSRU is a vessel for storing liquefied natural gas at sea. It is connected to facilities on land by pipelines, through which re-gasified LNG is transferred.According to the company, it was awarded a $500 m

Hyundai powerhouses are reportedly interested in acquiring the 15 percent stake in Hynix Semiconductor that will be put up for sale later this month, financial sources said on Sunday. Among them, Hyundai Heavy Industries is seen as one of the most viable candidates, industry sources said. The biggest motivation for the company is its undying desire to gather all the Hyundai affiliates under one ro

South Korean stocks are expected to trade in a narrow range this as investors step to the sidelines amid a lack of upward momentum and signs of a slowdown in the U.S. economy, analysts said Saturday.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) closed last week at 2,046.67, down 3.16 percent from a week earlier.The KOSPI got off to a weak start at the beginning of the weak, as downbeat j

The government plans to make all-out efforts to stem growing inflationary pressure as South Korea faces potential difficulties in taming inflation in the second half, officials said Sunday.Finance Minister Bahk Jae-wan presided over a meeting with ministers on Friday to discuss ways to stabilize consumer prices where he suggested 22 policy steps, including the stable management of macroeconomic fa

South Korea is mulling injecting public funds to rescue ailing local savings banks in an effort to overhaul the troubled sector in the second half, sources said Sunday.The government is seeking to put seven teetering savings banks up for sale this year, whose operations have been suspended since January due to a pile-up in soured construction loans and weak capital positions.The Financial Services

Emirates Airlines is in hot water over its response to a delayed flight from Incheon to Dubai.While the flight was delayed due to unforeseen circumstances, passengers for the flight complained that the company’s response was inefficient and unprofessional. According to one passenger, the company did not make a public announcement explaining the situation, and the explanations provided at the airpo

Seat on rate-setting committee has been empty for over a yearThe presidential office has failed to address filling a vacant seat at the central bank’s interest rate-setting panel for 14 months despite the growing need to fight mounting inflationary pressure.In tandem, Bank of Korea Governor Kim Choong-soo has been criticized for allegedly glossing over laws on the BOK concerning the bank’s Monetar