LUXEMBOURG (AP) -- Hours of talks between eurozone finance ministers on the imploding finances of Greece broke up early Monday morning without the ministers signing off on a vital installment of rescue loans needed to avoid bankruptcy next month.Greece will get the next 12 billion euros of its existing 110 billion euros bailout package in early July, but only if it manages to pass 28 billion euros

The Korea Meteorological Administration issued a heat wave alert for Seoul and adjacent areas at noon Monday, advising people to refrain from going outdoors.The unusually early hot weather will subside no later than Wednesday when the country enters rainy season, or jangma. According to the weather agency, the mercury in Seoul as well as Suwon, Gyeonggi Province and Chuncheon, Gangwon Province ros

Plan to keep prosecution’s control of police, allow police right to open criminal probesThe special parliamentary committee on judicial reform passed on Monday the revision bill of the criminal action law to allow the police to hold independent authority over investigations, largely upholding the Cabinet’s earlier decision.The bill will be handed over to the legislation and judiciary committee and

Korea’s Supreme Court ruled Monday that a U.S. decision to transfer the domain name “hpweb.com,” registered by a Korean national, to Hewlett-Packard Co. was appropriate. “The domain name ‘hpweb.com’ is confusingly similar to the HP mark. The plaintiff’s registering and perusal of the domain name amounts to cybersquatting under the U.S. federal law,” Judge Kim Ji-hyung said. A Korean surnamed Kim r

South Korea is likely to discuss with companies this week how to deal with North Korea’s request that Seoul promptly deal with the issue of disposing its assets in the North’s scenic mountain resort. The two Koreas had launched a joint tour project at the North’s Mount Geumgang in 1998 as a symbol of reconciliation. The tours, which had been one of impoverished Pyongyang’s main sources of income,

South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan will make a congratulatory speech on the reelection of Ban Ki-moon as the U.N. secretary-general in New York on Tuesday, after which he will hold talks with U.S. officials over North Korea’s nuclear standoff, the Seoul government said. Kim left for New York on Monday, four days ahead of his scheduled meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton,

Defense chiefs of South Korea and Sweden will hold talks in Seoul on Tuesday to discuss ways to enhance bilateral military exchanges and cooperation in the defense industry, officials at the Ministry of National Defense said Monday.Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin and his Swedish counterpart Sten Tolgfors will also exchange views on issues concerning regional security and peace, officials said. Durin

Seven candidates have been confirmed for the Grand National Party leadership election on July 4 ― Reps. Park Jin, Nam Kyung-pil, Na Kyung-won, Yoo Seung-min, Hong Joon-pyo, Won Hee-ryeong and Kwon Young-se.The lineup of hopefuls to be party chair is dominated by relatively young lawmakers.Most are in their late 40s or early 50s. Even if 57-year-old Hong wins the vote, he may be considered a “young

The personal information of a sex offender has been made available to his neighbors for public safety, the Ministry of Justice said Monday. This is the first time public notification of this kind has been implemented in Korea after a relevant law came into effect on April 6. According to the ministry, the offender, identified as a 37-year-old man living in an adjacent area of Seoul, was sentenced

Hyundai Motor and its affiliate Kia Motors have secured the No. 1 position in sales among Asian carmakers in the European market, outstripping Toyota Motor.According to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, Hyundai-Kia sold 58,585 vehicles in 28 European countries in May, grabbing 4.7 percent of the market.Though the two affiliated companies saw their market share inch down 0.5 perce