President Lee Myung-bak said Thursday that he wished the South Korean church could help bring the country together, without mentioning its latest fury over a bill on Islamic bonds. “I hope the Korean church can untie the knots of social conflict and serve as a bridge for national integration,” Lee said during the national prayer breakfast in southern Seoul.“I believe an attitude of understanding a

Polls to elect three lawmakers, 23 other officialsRival parties are speeding up preparations for the April 27 by-elections as their lists of potential candidates take shape.The ruling Grand National Party and the main opposition Democratic Party are striving to field more competitive personalities for the elections, which are expected to serve as a political weathervane ahead of parliamentary and

Boeing’s F-15SE, Lockheed Martin’s F-35 likely candidates for FX-III projectSouth Korea is accelerating moves to purchase a high-end fleet of stealth fighter jets to counter North Korea’s asymmetrical threats and keep pace with neighboring countries seeking to secure their own radar-evading combat aircraft.Under the FX-III acquisition project worth around 10 trillion won ($8.86 billion), the Seoul

 SEATTLE ― The capability to glean crucial intelligence on potential enemies and quickly detect any signs of possible aggression from them is indisputably the most critical requirement to ensure national security.To meet this, the U.S. aerospace giant Boeing has been working on developing a set of state-of-the-art intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft, both manned and unmanned.One

Washington says has no plans to bring atomic weapons back to South KoreaControversy is brewing once again in Seoul over the need to redeploy U.S. tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea amid renewed threats from the North in a prolonged inter-Korean stalemate.The White House said Monday that the U.S. has no plans to bring tactical nuclear weapons back to South Korea, shortly after a U.S. official

 South Korean President Lee Myung-bak reaffirmed Tuesday that Seoul was willing to hold "open-minded" dialogue with Pyongyang regardless of its timing, offering another olive branch to the communist neighbor that has been ratcheting up military threats.President Lee reaffirmed that Seoul was willing to hold "open-minded" dialogue with Pyongyang. (Yonhap News)   "Now is an opportune time to open a

Legislation to exempt taxes on Islamic bonds and tap into the Islamic finance market missed the boat again amid fierce opposition from Protestant leaders, one of whom threatened to topple President Lee Myung-bak.The governing Grand National Party delayed deliberations on the Islamic bond bill last week, fearing conflict with religious groups ahead of the April by-elections.Rev. Cho Yong-gi, senior

President’s key supporter calls for parliamentary move on amendment to basic lawPresident Lee Myung-bak feels an urgent need to revise the country’s decades-old Constitution but believes the issue is up to the parliament and not his office, his spokesperson has said.The issue of redrawing the Constitution, created in 1987, has sparked political disputes here, especially as the move could change th

Vote seen as a yardstick for parliamentary, presidential polls in 2012Rival parties are striving to field powerful candidates to win the crucial April 27 by-elections, regarded as a prelude to the parliamentary and presidential elections slated for next year.The vote is expected to serve as a political weather vane ahead of the two major elections as it is a nationwide poll to fill at least 26 pos

An opposition lawmaker has recently changed her family’s permanent address of origin to Dokdo in protest against Japan’s sovereignty claim over the rocky islets in the East Sea.Rep. Park Sun-young, the spokeswoman for the Liberty Forward Party, said Sunday that her family transferred their domicile from Gyeonggi Province to Dokdo on Feb. 22.It was the first time for a lawmaker to have their family

   WASHINGTON (AP) _ Ratcheting up the pressure, U.S. President Barack Obama on Saturday said Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has lost his legitimacy to rule and urged the Libyan leader to leave power immediately.   It was the first time Obama has called for Gadhafi to step down, coming after days of bloodshed in Libya. Gadhafi has vowed to fight to the end to maintain his four-decade grip on power

   A female opposition lawmaker said Sunday that she has transferred her permanent address to Dokdo, seeking to put further pressure on President Lee Myung-bak's government to sternly deal with Japan's frequent claims to the easternmost South Korean islets.   Rep. Park Sun-young, who serves as the spokesperson of the minor Liberty Forward Party, told Yonhap News Agency that she changed her permane