North Korea opened its parliament Thursday as speculation ran high over whether its ailing leader Kim Jong-il would name his youngest son to a post that would officially make him the reclusive state’s second most powerful person. Heir apparent Kim Jong-un was largely expected by outside observers to be further promoted to Pyongyang’s National Defense Commission during the meeting, a move that will

Officials say no hazard expected from crippled Japan nuclear plantThe government’s safety assurances over radioactive rainfalls on Thursday could not relieve the concerns of citizens, especially parents of young children.Some schools suspended classes Thursday as seasonal rainfalls scattered across the nation, while vehicles of worried parents crowded the entrances of schools that did open. Lee So

Legislators also rebuke government over Dokdo, translation of EU FTALawmakers Thursday lashed out at the government over measures to handle the inflow of radioactive material from Japan, Tokyo’s approval of history textbooks claiming sovereignty over Dokdo and the mistranslation of the Korea-EU Free Trade Agreement.“Our government needs to stand firm on this issue of radioactive waste disposal,” R

Panel starts reviewing where to locate multi-trillion-won facilitiesLawmakers engaged in a heated dispute over a proposal to divide up an envisioned multi-trillion-won science-business belt into two or three different regions as a panel assigned with selecting the location held its first meeting Thursday. The Lee Myung-bak administration last year sought to set up the science-business belt in Sout

A trace amount of radioactive contaminants has been detected in rainwater on Jeju Island off South Korea's southern coast, a state nuclear safety agency said Thursday.The Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS) said tests conducted on rainwater that fell in the early morning hours of the day showed minuscule traces of iodine-131, cesium-134 and cesium-137.Concentration levels of 2.02 becquerels (

Author says father-to-son power succession in communist country likely to failAlthough much is being said about reclusive North Korea’s likely next leader, few are familiar with Kim Jong-un’s personality and background, or how starving people in the North really feel about the third-generation power succession. Based on years of experience studying and reporting on North Korea, Ha Tae-keung author

(MCT)“Bingsu,” a popular summer ice dessert in South Korea, is to be sold on the streets of Pyongyang.With North Korea’s biggest holiday coming up soon, the city plans to open 100 bingsu vendors. April 15 is the birth date of the late North Korean founder and leader Kim Il-sung. The holiday is referred to as “the Day of the Sun” in the North. The year 2012 marks his 100th birthday.South Korea’s Yo

(MCT)An OECD report rates South Korea highest in antibiotic usage, a troubling sign for those concerned about antibiotic-resistant diseases. OECD Health Data 2010 Report said that Korea’s antibiotic use is 31.4 DDD (defined daily dose), the highest among all nations surveyed. Netherlands has the lowest usage of antibiotics at 12.9 DDD. The report was presented at an international symposium Wednesd

Seoul to set up task force to handle Tokyo’s release of radioactive waterHeavy rains, expected to fall Thursday, will not contain radioactive materials released directly from the crippled Japanese nuclear plant, Korea’s weather agency said Wednesday.Citizens here have expressed concerns over “radioactive rainfall” that would continue for a prolonged period following the widening nuclear crisis in