U.S. President Barack Obama will soon nominate CIA Director Leon Panetta as secretary of defense to replace outgoing Robert Gates, a senior Obama administration official said Wednesday.Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, will be appointed to Panetta's replacement, the official told a conference call, asking anonymity.Obama will announce his national security personnel res

  South Korea's ruling party suffered a humiliating defeat in Wednesday's by-elections, heralding a political upheaval ahead of next year's presidential polls.   In the most closely-watched contest, Sohn Hak-kyu, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), defeated Kang Jae-sup, former head of the ruling Grand National Party (GNP).    Sohn's win bolstered his profile as a potential presid

 Sohn Hak-kyu, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), scored a victory in the ruling party's stronghold of Bundang, just south of Seoul, which is considered the biggest match of Wednesday's by-elections, according to an exit poll by a local TV station.  Sohn's triumph, if confirmed, will boost his bid to become South Korea's next president, while dealing a blow to the Lee Myung-b

High voter turnout in the by-elections was a result of all-out campaigns by the parties, which had forecast the elections would be a prelude to the general and presidential elections in 2012, experts said Wednesday. They also said the presence of political heavyweights in the races and big-name politicians extending their support for candidates got the attention of apathetic voters.According to th

A clinical test using embryonic stem cells was approved for the first time in Korea on Wednesday. 　The National Bioethics Committee said it had approved CHA Bio & Diostech’s request to conduct a clinical test using embryonic stem cell in treating macular degeneration which can lead to sight loss. 　The test in particular will be conducted to prove the stem cells’ effect on Stargardt’s Macular Dystr

A North Korean vessel thought to be a military patrol ship violated the western inter-Korean sea border and retreated back to its waters Tuesday night after a South Korean warship fired warning shots, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Wednesday.　“At 9:38 p.m. Tuesday, an unidentified North Korean ship invaded our waters and continued to 700 meters south of the Northern Limit Line (sea border). Our pa

Sohn Hak-kyu, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, scored a victory in the ruling party's stronghold of Bundang, just south of Seoul, which isconsidered the biggest match of Wednesday's by-elections, accordingto an exit poll by a local TV station.   If the forecast is correct, Sohn's triumph will boost his bidto become South Korea's next president, while dealing a blow to theLee Myu

Diverse issues put on hold due to the by-elections, which are expected to shake up the nation’s political circles.The government plans to submit the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement to the National Assembly for ratification in early May after finishing translation checks, according to local news reports.The trade pact will likely cause a clash between the rival parties, which are already fiercely d

Ohm Ki-young, ruling Grand National Party’s candidate for Gangwon Governor at the by-election, was cornered by a group of the area’s residents for taking advantage of their “pure-hearted” work in his illegal election campaign. Ohm is accused by his competitor, Choi Moon-soon of the main opposition Democratic Party, of having established an unregistered call center in a suburban area to induce vote

WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― The Obama administration Tuesday urged Congress to quickly approve a free trade deal with South Korea despite demands that the deal be deliberated along with similar pacts with Panama and Colombia.“We believe that Congress needs to move on these because they are job creators here in America,” White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters.U.S. President Barack Obama has