Busan City and the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at attracting more investments by German companies to the port city.Signed on March 8 by Busan Mayor Hur Nam-sik and Juergen Woehler, secretary general of KGCCI, the agreement seeks to resolve the challenges German companies face while operating in Busan.“With more than 500 members, KGCCI i

The consular section at the British Embassy will be closed for 90 minutes every Wednesday this month for staff training.The office will be closed from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on March 16, 23 and 30.The office is open from Monday to Friday, from 9:30 a.m. to noon to accept notarial applications, birth registrations, and to service pre-booked appointments such as marriage, notarial and citizenship cerem

   TAGAJO, Japan (AP) _ The death toll in Japan's earthquake and tsunami will likely exceed 10,000 in one state alone, an official said Sunday, as millions of survivors were left without drinking water, electricity and proper food along the pulverized northeastern coast.   Although the government doubled the number of soldiers deployed in the aid effort to 100,000, it seemed overwhelmed by what's

   ABU DHABI -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak had a phone conversation with Japaneses Prime Minister Naoto Kan to deliver a message of condolence to the Japanese people reeling from unprecedented damage caused by a powerful earthquake and tsunami, according to Lee's aides.   The 8.9-magnitude quake devastated Japan's northeastern region and was followed by a tsunami on Friday, with Japanese

The South Korean government said Sunday it plans to closely monitor the impact of Japan's record-breaking earthquake on the local economy and take actions to minimize potential negative impact if necessary.Earlier in the day, Finance Minister Yoon Jeung-hyun presided over an emergency economic policy coordination meeting, attended by chiefs from 16 government agencies, in a bid to assess the impac

   TOKYO (AP) -- Japan has been shaken by a strong earthquake off its eastern coast, closer to Tokyo than the massive quake that hit Friday. The latest temblor swayed buildings in the capital.   The U.S. Geological Survey says the temblor had a magnitude of 6.2 and struck at 10:26 a.m. Sunday. It was centered about 179 kilometers east of Tokyo, at a depth of 124.5 kilometers.   Japan's northeaster

Scenes of devastation at heart of Japan disasterSENDAI, Japan (AP) -- She scanned the landscape of debris and destruction, looking at the patch of earth where Japan‘s massive tsunami erased her son’s newly built house so thoroughly that she can‘t even be certain where it once stood.Satako Yusawa teared up but pulled herself together quickly.Because for the 69-year-old widow, there was this to be t

Major financial groups have been in keen competition to take over debt-saddled savings banks whose operations were suspended by regulators for liquidity woes.The Financial Services Commission has halted operations of seven savings banks since January. Among the potential buyers targeting them are KB Financial, Woori Financial, Shinhan Financial and Hana Financial.Woori Financial has become the pre

   TOKYO (AFP) -- Japan's top government spokesman Sunday warned of the risk of a second explosion at the quake-hit Fukushima nuclear plant, but said that reactor three could withstand it as reactor one did a day earlier.