Seoul denies exercises are based on plan to deal with N.K. contingenciesSouth Korea and the U.S. will begin an 11-day joint military exercise from Feb. 28 to prepare against additional localized provocations by North Korea and other possible emergencies on the peninsula, officials said Tuesday.Along with the Key Resolve command post exercise, the two militaries will also stage the Foal Eagle field

A South Korean fishing vessel released by Somali pirates arrived in Kenya on Tuesday, its crew walking on land for the first time since being kidnapped four months ago, according to news reports. Seoul’s Keummi 305 arrived at Kenya’s Port Mombasa about a week after it was freed on Feb. 9 under the escort of a Finnish warship belonging to a fleet of the European Union.All 43 crew members of the 241

President Lee Myung-bak is rolling up his sleeves to support the country’s third attempt at hosting the Winter Olympics in the popular winter sports resort city of PyeongChang in Gangwon Province.Lee flew to the city Tuesday to host a reception for the 14-member delegation of the International Olympic Committee, which arrived here Monday to carry out an onsite inspection until Feb. 20.The presiden

A South Korean fishing vessel recently released by Somali pirates is expected to reach Kenya early Tuesday, as it heads back home after four months of captivity, the Foreign Ministry here said. Seoul’s Keummi 305 is currently passing through international waters at an 8-knot average speed after receiving fuel over the weekend, a ministry official said. The 241-ton boat is expected to arrive at Ken

   A South Korean fishing vessel, freed by Somali pirates after four months of captivity, is expected to arrive at a Kenyan port this week en route to South Korea, a government official here said Sunday.   "The ship, Keummi 305, is currently passing through international waters at 8-knot average speed after receiving fuel supply from a Finnish warship belonging to a fleet of the European Union," t

North Korea made another proposal for the resumption of talks with South Korea Friday, this time to Seoul's political parties, apparently as its chance of winning concessions from the Seoul government has nearly disappeared.The proposal came one day after the communist nation's military said it will no longer deal with the South Korean government, accusing the latter of lacking any willingness to

Seoul remains lukewarm toward assistance amid stalemate in tiesThe U.N. has said it will send experts to North Korea next week over a purported foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, in the first international move to help the impoverished state curb the fast-spreading livestock virus. While the South Korean government so far remains lukewarm toward joining the move, North Korea’s apparent call for outs

Officials hurry to curb contamination from burials, aid meat importsAn investigation into more than 4,000 burial sites for animals slaughtered in the fight against foot-and-mouth disease will scrutinize the burials’ impact on the environment and soil, the ruling Grand National Party and the administration decided Thursday. They also decided to exempt quota tariffs on imported pork and powdered mil

Chief nuclear envoys of South Korea and China discussed North Korea’s nuclear programs in Beijing on Thursday, a day after Pyongyang dealt a setback in resuming international peace negotiations by walking out on Seoul during their defense talks. Two days of inter-Korean preliminary military talks at a border village ended Wednesday after delegates from Pyongyang abruptly left the room, saying they