South Korea said Tuesday that there is no doubt that the rock outcropping of Ieodo off its southern island of Jeju belongs within South Korea’s maritime boundary, responding to China’s proposal to demarcate the area’s exclusive economic zones through talks.Ieodo, submerged 4.6 meters, lies within the overlapping exclusive economic zones of South Korea and China. Although an international maritime law stipulates that a submerged rock cannot be claimed as territory by any country, South Korea effe

A Foreign Ministry official said U.S. President Barack Obama’s itinerary for his visit to South Korea later this month for the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit has not been confirmed, dismissing news reports that Obama may visit the demilitarized zone between South and North Korea.“In the past when former U.S. presidents visited South Korea, they used to visit U.S. forces stationed here. But the U.S. has not decided on his movements yet,” the official said on condition of anonymity. “If these

An Indian culture chief has called for Korea-India cultural relations to follow the path of strong economic ties as a year-long Indian festival draws to a close here. Dr. Syed Shahid Mahdi, vice president of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, visited Seoul to mark the end of the “Namaste Korea” (Greetings to Korea) festival that has run since last year.Last week’s finale of the festival organized by the Indian Embassy and the Indian Cultural Centre in Seoul, along with the National Theat

The United States Embassy in Seoul implemented a measure on Friday to simplify the process of visa fee payment for South Korean travelers, making applications for visas easier and less expensive.Starting March 9, one fee now covers all tourist visa processing services through the U.S. Embassy’s authorized agency, named the Global Support Strategy.Previously, visa applicants paid more fees for some additional services, such as scheduling a visa interview appointment or delivery of passports for a

China swung to a large trade deficit in February as imports grew much faster than exports amid uncertainties in the global economy, the Chinese customs office said Saturday.Last month, the world's No. 2 economy posted a US$31.5 billion trade deficit, compared to a $27.3 billion trade surplus in Janu

SANAA (AFP) - Overnight air strikes that residents said were carried out by US warplanes killed 23 suspected Al-Qaeda militants in mountains south of the Yemeni capital, security sources said on Saturday."Twenty-three Al-Qaeda fighters were killed in air raids launched late on Friday against their p

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The International Monetary Fund plans to offer a new loan for Greece worth 28 billion euros ($36.7 billion) as part of the country's second bailout package, IMF chief Christine Lagarde said Friday."Today I have consulted with the IMF's Executive Board and on that basis, as discuss

BEIJING (AP) -- Police in western China fatally shot a Tibetan man and wounded two others amid protests against Chinese rule, an activist group and a U.S. broadcaster said Saturday.The three men were shot Tuesday by police who were looking for or had detained another man in connection with a Jan. 25

ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Greece's private creditors agreed Friday to take cents on the euro in the biggest debt writedown in history, paving the way for an enormous second bailout for the country to keep Europe's economy from being dragged further into chaos.Greece would have risked defaulting on its

South Korea urged Japan on Friday to resolve a long-running grievance regarding aging Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II, pressing Tokyo to take “fundamental measures” for the victims.The issue was discussed in detail when South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Ahn Ho-young held talks with his Japanese counterpart Kenichiro Sasae in Seoul earlier in the day, Seoul officials said.During the talks, Ahn called on Japan to “take fundamenta