Two U.S. Navy aircraft carrier battle groups and a Marine Corps air-ground task force have reportedly begun operating in the Western Pacific.The move is aimed at inflicting psychological pressure on China in its territorial disputes over East China Sea islands which China calls Diaoyu and Japan calls Senkaku, according to reports on Wednesday.Tensions have risen in recent months over the islands, which lie in rich fishing grounds and on key shipping lanes. The seabed in the area is also believed

Police detained a man who attacked a woman in front of a church in Chilgok, North Gyeongsang Province, on Wednesday in the second random stabbing in less than a week in the town. The 24-year-old man with a developmental disorder stabbed the 54-year-old woman in the left arm and right hand.The suspect, identified by his last name Kim, was caught by other church visitors while trying to flee the scene. Police will issue an arrest warrant after investigating his motives and mental history.On Monday

Family trouble was the biggest cause of suicides among students in elementary through high school at 37.5 percent in the first seven months of this year, data showed Tuesday.According to data submitted by the education ministry to Rep. Kim Tae-won of the ruling Saenuri Party, a total of 88 students in grades one through 12 committed suicide in the period, of which 33 students, or 37.5 percent, took their own lives due to family trouble.Depression or pessimism was the next biggest reason at 15.9

A story of a Korean maternity home faking an infant’s death and arranging an illegal adoption to an Australian family may not be true, according to Korean news reports.Last month, Australia’s Special Broadcasting Service reported the story of “Emily Will,” who recently found her biological parents and was told that they were tricked into giving her up. The parents told Will that a midwife who helped with Will’s delivery lied about Wills because she sought adoption fees.But the Korean adoption ag

The prosecution has decided to indict even first-time violators of the law banning the possession and distribution of child pornography as part of the government’s war against sex crimes, officials said on Wednesday.It is illegal to possess child porn in Korea, but only a few perpetrators have been punished for it. In particular, those caught sharing and downloading the obscene material for the first time were often suspended of indictment.The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office said it will apply “zero

WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― A top U.S. diplomat in charge of arms control and nonproliferation demanded Tuesday that North Korea and seven other nations immediately join the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).“Eight states including Syria have chosen to remain outside of the Chemical Weapons Convention, and the United States calls upon all of them to join the Convention without delay,” Rose E. Gottemoeller, acting under secretary of state for arms control and international security, said in a stat

The top prosecution pledged no leniency Wednesday on the possession and distribution of child pornography in the wake of a recent spate of sex crimes against children.   The Supreme Prosecutors' Office said it will make it a rule to detain for investigation anyone suspected of having made or distributed pornography featuring minors or introduced minors for the production of such porn.    Those who

The Korean government has launched a massive crackdown on illegal businesses such as “kiss rooms” near school compounds following a slew of high-profile rape cases with minors or children as victims. The police stormed more than 4,000 illegal shops with businesses deemed harmful to youth. The police clampdown includes kiss bang (“kiss room” in Korean), referring to a service in which adult clients kiss a girl for a fee. Similar illicit sex businesses such as adult massage parlors, telephone meet

Number of mentally troubled among criminals tripled over 10 yearsPolice arrested a mentally disabled man who stabbed a woman to death in Chilgok, North Gyeongsang Province, on Monday in the latest bout of random crimes by those with psychiatric problems and grievances against society. Around 12:10 p.m, the 34-year-old man, identified by his surname Yoon, stabbed the 21-year-old university student with a knife five times in the chest and abdomen at a marketplace underpass. After the crime, Yoon a

Two nuclear reactors at two separate atomic power plants in South Korea stopped operation Tuesday due to technical problems, but there was no risk of radiation leak at either sites, the plants' operator said.The Shingori 1 Reactor in Busan, 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul, was shut down at 8:19 a.m. after a warning signal indicated a malfunction in the control rod, which is used to control the r

The number of mentally disturbed criminals has jumped almost three-fold in last 10 years, data showed Tuesday.A total of 2,120 criminals with mental diseases were apprehended last year, almost three times higher than 739 in 2002, according to the data compiled by the National Police Agency (NPA).The statistics submitted to Rep. Shin Hak-yong of the Democratic United Party come as the country has b