WASHINGTON (AP) _ A congressman from New York abruptly resigned his seat Wednesday, quitting, he said, because he regretted actions that have hurt his family and others.The gossip website Gawker reported Wednesday that Rep. Christopher Lee, a married two-term Republican lawmaker, had sent a shirtless photo of himself to a woman he met on Craigslist, an online advertising site. Rep. Christopher Lee

Seoul says high-level meeting possible when North takes responsible stepsThe North Korean military said Thursday that it no longer felt any need to engage in dialogue with its South Korean counterpart, blaming Seoul for Wednesday’s breakup of the inter-Korean working-level military talks.Its statement, in which it called the South the “group of traitors” ― a hostile expression it has refrained fro

(Yonhap News)The bodies of eight Somali pirates killed in last month's commando raid on a South Korean freighter have been removed from the ship, the first step in transporting them to Somalia, an official said Thursday.The bodies were being kept in a refrigerator aboard the 11,500-ton Samho Jewelry after the Jan. 21 rescue operation to free the cargo ship and its 21 crew members. Five other pirat

  A South Korean fishing vessel released from four months of captivity in Somalia met with a European Union warship in international waters and all crew members were confirmed safe, Seoul's foreign ministry said.   The 241-ton trawler Keummi 305 and its 43 crew members were freed Wednesday four months after the vessel was seized by Somali pirates on Oct. 9. The crew consisted of two Koreans, two C

North Korea's military said Thursday its side will no longer talk to South Korea as long as Seoul remains reluctant to lower tension, a day after their first defense talks in nearly half a year collapsed despite high anticipation.In a bulletin carried by Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency, the North's delegation to the two-day colonel-level talks said its South Korean counterpart "uni

The base of South Korea’s provincial reconstruction team in Afghanistan came under attack from unidentified assailants who fired rocket propelled grenades, but there were no casualties, a Seoul official said Wednesday. The attackers fired five shells, two of which fell within the South Korean base, a Foreign Ministry official said, on the condition of anonymity. “The situation came under control w

Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin is on a five-day trip to Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates, which began Monday with an aim to encourage Korean troops stationed there and enhance defense cooperation with the two countries, officials said Wednesday.It is the first official overseas trip for Kim since he took office last December.On Tuesday, Kim visited the Korean contingent, called the “Ashena

Experts say resistance by N.K. military to father-son succession more likely than popular revoltIf there is one thing the ironfisted North Korean regime fears, it’s outside information ― and what that can do to its people. As the world is paying close attention to the antigovernment protests in Egypt, the reclusive North has so far not made any comments regarding the weeks-long situation in the No

The two Koreas failed to narrow their differences at their working-level military talks Tuesday and will hold more talks Wednesday at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjeom, Seoul’s Defense Ministry said.The talks, where Col. Moon Sang-gyun and his North Korean counterpart Col. Ri Son-kwon represented each side, were aimed at coordinating details about the venue, date, agenda and level of r

The U.S. and South Korea are working closely together to coordinate policies on “tricky issues,” a visiting U.S. envoy for North Korean human rights said Tuesday, indicating the allies’ ongoing discussions over whether to send food aid to the impoverished state. Special envoy Robert King arrived here Sunday for talks with South Korea’s foreign and unification ministry officials as recent reports s

President Lee Myung-bak named South Korea’s ambassador to Vietnam, Park Suk-hwan, the new first vice foreign minister Tuesday in a reshuffle that also replaced four other vice-ministerial posts and three presidential secretaries, a presidential spokesperson said.Park, 56, a career diplomat, entered foreign service in 1979 and has since worked mostly for Asian affairs. His previous overseas posts w