(The General Motors concept car / Yonhap News)The start of the 2011 Seoul Motor Show Thursday was highlighted by the introduction of various new vehicles ranging from concept cars making their international debuts to new models that will soon reach customers throughout the globe.The event started with a press day at the Korea International Exhibition Center (KINTEX). It will be open to the public

An aerial view of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station is seen in Fukushima Prefecture in this photo taken by Air Photo Service on March 24.(AP-Yonhap)SENDAI, Japan (AFP) ― Japan was Wednesday considering plans to drape shattered nuclear reactor buildings with special covers to limit radiation, and pump contaminated water into a tanker.The embattled nation, reeling from the triple calamity

Ministry ditches Lee’s election pledge, citing economic viabilityThe government’s decision to ditch a plan to build a new international airport in the southeastern part of the country drew angry backlash from legislators Wednesday ahead of the by-election next month as well as the general and presidential elections next year.The airport was one of President Lee Myung-bak’s election campaign pledge

Founders of Speakeasy magazine for creative people launch urban exploration blogWith over 2 billion passenger rides per year, Seoul’s metropolitan subway system is one of the busiest in the world. But how many people venture beyond the stations they use for work, school or home?This is the question that drives Seoul Sub-Urban, a blog aiming to explore the less-traveled stops on the sprawling subwa

Japan strengthened its claims over South Korea’s easternmost islets of Dokdo in its revised textbooks Wednesday, provoking Seoul to take a set of countermeasures feared to weaken ties between the two neighboring states. Tokyo has for years laid territorial claims over the South Korean islets and glorified its wartime past in textbooks for young students, often providing a stumbling block to mendin

Korea National Ballet, Universal Ballet fuse ballet with other dances, and plan world toursBallet is hot in Korea right now, and ballet companies are eager to make it even hotter. The graceful dance, which used to enjoyed by only by a small portion of the population because of its seemingly “loftiness,” is gaining popularity among the public both on and off stage. “Giselle,” which in February beca

WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― A senior South Korean lawmaker Tuesday called for redeployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea to pressure China to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear stockpile.“The threat of a counter-nuclear force may be the only thing that will discourage North Korea from developing its nuclear arsenal,” Rep. Chung Mong-joon, former chairman of the ruling Gra

Ruling GNP expected to field a matching rival in key Gyeonggi constituencySohn Hak-kyu, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, announced his decision Wednesday to run in the upcoming April by-elections, making the race highly intense and unpredictable.At a news conference, Sohn said he would run for a legislative seat in the Bundang-B constituency in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.“I hav

Civic groups Wednesday expressed disappointment with Japan’s adoption of textbooks that claim its sovereignty over Korea’s easternmost islets of Dokdo.“Educating young students would be the important aspect of Japan’s strategy to seize Dokdo,” said Koh Chang-keun, head of Dokdo Network. “The young people who will lead Japanese society in 20 to 30 years would understand that Dokdo is currently domi

Counseling facility offers N.K. refugees a place free from judgment and prejudiceIt is nearly 10 minutes until new-patient registration closes, but people continue to file into the counseling center.The patrons, quiet and reserved at first, engage in small talk with their neighbors. Their faces, hardened moments before, light up the tiny medical office.At first glance, they could be good friends k