Korea to send blankets, water; Lee orders check on Korean nuclear plantsSouth Korea plans to mobilize “all possible means” including military aircraft and Coast Guard vessels to pull its citizens out of Japan should the nuclear crisis in the northeast coast escalate to a dangerous level, the vice foreign minister said Friday.The Seoul government has also advised South Koreans ― even those further

The ruling Grand National Party and opposition parties on Friday grappled over adopting a confirmation hearing report for Choi See-joong, chairman of the Korea Communications Commission.The GNP supports reappointment of Choi, but opposition parties are determined to remove him from his position accusing him for “politicizing the independent organization” during his three-year tenure, which ends Fr

The Seoul government said Friday it was reviewing North Korea’s proposal to hold talks on possible volcanic activity at Mount Baekdu amid reports that an eruption was near. The North said in a letter addressed to South’s weather agency Thursday that the two Koreas should discuss conducting joint research, on-site surveys and symposiums on the volcano. “It is our understanding that the North sugges

North Korea on Thursday proposed holding talks with South Korea on possible volcanic activities at its landmark mountain, Seoul's Unification Ministry said, amid reports of a looming eruption there that could affect the entire peninsula.   Mount Paekdu, North Korea's highest mountain on the border with China, last erupted in 1903, but experts have warned that it may have an active core, citing top

South Korea is advising its citizens in Japan to evacuate to safe areas outside a radius of 80 kilometers from the quake-stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant, Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan said Thursday.It had previously told Korean nationals to stay at least 30 kilometers away from the troubled plant. However, it has increased the safety distance as concerns over rising radiation levels are mo

The state financial regulator has launched an inquiry into rumors about the possible effects of radioactive leakage from Japan on Korean soil, which apparently contributed to Tuesday’s plunge in Korean shares, officials said Wednesday.In tandem with the police and Korea Exchange Inc., the Financial Supervisory Service is investigating allegations that some people were trying to manipulate stock pr

From news reportsPresident Lee Myung-bak instructed his government Wednesday to painstakingly check the safety of local nuclear reactors, a move aimed at easing public anxiety here amid news of Japan’s nuclear crisis.The president sent Lee Ju-ho, minister for education, science and technology, to a major nuclear power facility in the southeastern region of Gori for an on-site inspection, they adde

Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday it plans to ask the U.S. aircraft manufacturer Boeing to look into what caused the presidential jet to make an unprecedented emergency landing shortly after takeoff Saturday.The Presidential Security Service is examining the maintenance problem that forced the Boeing 747-400 leased from Korean Air to turn back, resulting in a two-hour delay of President Lee Myung-bak’s

Lee orders close safety checks on S. Korea's nuclear facilities   President Lee Myung-bak instructed his government Wednesday to painstakingly check the safety of local nuclear reactors, a move aimed at easing public anxiety here amid news of Japan's nuclear crisis, officials said.   The president sent Lee Ju-ho, the minister for education, science and technology, to a major nuclear power facility

By Song Sang-hoSouth Korean rescue workers Tuesday began searching for survivors in a Japanese northeastern coastal city, devastated by last week’s earthquake and tsunami, according to the Foreign Ministry in Seoul.On Monday, the 102-member rescue team arrived in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture ― one of the hardest-hit regions in the country struggling to deal with the aftermath of the 9.0 magnitude qua