The Korea Herald

U.S. opens door to N.K. engagement

Jan 14, 2011

Gates warns Pyongyang to renounce hostilityU.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday that “diplomatic engagement” with North Korea, starting with direct inter-Korean dialogue, is possible as a next step to deal with the belligerent communist state.“With regard to next steps on North Korea, diplomatic engagement is possible, starting with direct engagement between DPRK (North Korea) and the S
Credit union accused of bribing lawmakers

Jan 14, 2011

State prosecutors have launched a probe into allegations that the National Credit Union Federation of Korea provided tens of millions of won to lawmakers as it lobbied for legislation to ease its lending rules.The prosecution has already searched the office of the credit union for evidence, Yonhap News reported Friday, citing sources in the prosecution and the credit union.The probe on the credit
Korean fishing boat trespassed into Japanese waters

Jan 14, 2011

The captain of a South Korean fishing boat admitted that his vessel trespassed into Japanese waters near South Korea’s easternmost islets of Dokdo, Seoul’s foreign ministry said Friday.An overnight joint investigation by the two countries’ maritime police found that the 29-ton “33 Ssangyong” did not engage in illegal fishing within the Japanese exclusive economic zone.“The South Korean Coast Guard
Croatia wants embassy in Seoul

Jan 14, 2011

Croatia will actively push to open an embassy in South Korea, its prime minister was quoted as saying Thursday.“We have decided to open our embassy in South Korea,” Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor told visiting South Korean National Assembly Speaker Park Hee-tae. “We will push for the opening as soon as our economy recovers,” she was quoted as saying by the Speaker’s spokesman.Park was on a
Hyundai Motor Group set to ink deal to buy Hyundai E&C

Jan 14, 2011

Creditors of Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co. (Hyundai E&C) were to sign a preliminary deal later Friday with Hyundai Motor Group to sell the leading builder in South Korea. On Jan. 7, creditors, led by Korea Exchange Bank, picked South Korea's top automotive group as the preferred bidder for a 35 percent stake in the builder following a court rejection of Hyundai Group's request to salvag
‘U.S. wants approval of Korea FTA before July’

Jan 14, 2011

The Obama administration wants Congress to ratify the free-trade deal with South Korea before a similar pact between Korea and the European Union goes into effect in July, the chief U.S. trade official said Thursday.“Our goal is to hand this agreement to Congress before the EU trade agreement goes into effect on July 1,” U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk told a forum in Washington. “Everything we
Obama to discuss with Hu North Korea's nuke, provocations: White House

Jan 14, 2011

WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- North Korea will be on the agenda next week when U.S. President Barack Obama meets with Chinese President Hu Jintao at the White House, Obama's spokesman said Thursday. "There will be discussion on global economic issues as well as security issues like North Korea and Iran and important issues of political reform and human rights," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.
Some 110 Korean students held in Manila for allegedly studying without permits

Jan 14, 2011

About 110 young South Korean students have been held in the capital of the Philippine for allegedly studying English at a language school there without permits, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday. Immigration officials rounded up the Korean students, who are all minors, at an English-language learning center in Manila on Jan. 7 for violating the Philippine immigration law, an official at Seoul
S. Korea, Japan probe alleged border violation near Dokdo

Jan 13, 2011

ULLEUNG ISLAND/SEOUL -- South Korean and Japanese maritime police were jointly investigating whether a South Korean fishing boat violated Japanese waters near the South Korean islets of Dokdo, officials said Thursday. The two sides began the joint probe around 2 p.m. in waters about 69 kilometers southwest of Dokdo in the East Sea off the Korean Peninsula after the 29-ton South Korean fishing b
S. Korean, Japanese coast guard ships in confrontation near Dokdo

Jan 13, 2011

ULLEUNG ISLAND -- A South Korean coast guard ship is in confrontation with a Japanese patrol ship in waters near the South Korean islets of Dokdo over an issue of violating an exclusive economic zone, an official said Thursday.(Yonhap News)
U.S. more cautious on N.K. threats

Jan 13, 2011

Expert warns of Pyongyang’s possible missile test-firing, more provocations this yearAs regional powers coordinate terms under which they can resume peace talks with North Korea, Washington appears to be growing more cautious about what impatience and instability could push the nuclear-armed state to do. Nuclear and missiles threats by the impoverished communist state go “beyond the region to the
Defense procurer toughens vetting of military equipment

Jan 13, 2011

Blocking defects in weapons and military equipment is to be a key goal of South Korea’s military acquisition agency this year, the agency said on Thursday.This goal is apparently aimed at addressing public concerns over several military accidents due to flaws in military supplies and equipment in recent years.The Defense Acquisition Program Administration also said that it would seek this year to
K-21 armored vehicles back in use

Jan 13, 2011

K-21 armored vehicles will return to military use in April after defects that sank two of them in 2009 and last year were fixed, an official at the military acquisition agency said Thursday.After it sank during a river-crossing training session in July, killing one solider, the domestically-built K-21, which was touted as a high-tech amphibious infantry fighting vehicle, was found to have a series
Watchdog chief vows to fight corruption

Jan 13, 2011

Kim Young-ran, the new chief of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, said Thursday the rights watchdog would focus on rooting out irregularities among high-ranking officials this year.“Most corruption starts from asking for special favors,” Kim said in a meeting with auditors of public organizations including government ministries and local administrations at the panel’s office in Seou
Japanese foreign minister to visit Seoul on Saturday

Jan 13, 2011

Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara will make a one-day trip to South Korea on Saturday for talks with his counterpart, instead of staying overnight from Friday as originally planned, an official said.Maehara called South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan on Thursday to ask if he could change the travel schedule, citing “various circumstances,” a ministry official said on condition of anon