The Korea Herald

British Deputy PM to meet N.K. defectors in Seoul

Mar 22, 2012

Britain's Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg will hold a rare meeting early next week with North Korean defectors who have settled in South Korea, when he travels to Seoul to join a global nuclear summit, a British embassy official said Thursday. Clegg is scheduled to arrive in Seoul Sunday to attend
UN's Ban to raise N. Korea launch at Seoul summit

Mar 22, 2012

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday he would raise North Korea's planned rocket launch at a Seoul nuclear summit next week, expressing "deep concern" over the issue."I am going to discuss the issue with the president of the Republic of (South Korea) in Seoul and I will also engage with ot
Yudhoyono sees Seoul summit as 'golden opportunity' to ensure nuclear security

Mar 22, 2012

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said next week's global nuclear summit in Seoul will present world leaders with a "golden opportunity" to tackle the threat of nuclear terrorism and make the world a safer place for this generation and the next. In an interview with Yonhap News Agency on
Clinton urges China to stop repatriation of N. Korean defectors

Mar 10, 2012

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made clear Friday that her government is opposed to forceful repatriation of North Korean refugees, which is in breach of international obligations. "We urge every country to act according to international obligations," such as the 19
Two Korean doctors kidnapped in Pakistan: report

Feb 29, 2012

Two Korean doctors were kidnapped by unknown people Wednesday morning while on their car to a hospital in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi, reported local media Geo. <한글 기사>파키스탄서 한국 국적 의사 2명 피랍한국인 의사 두명이 29일 아침 파키스탄의 카라치에서 본인의 차량으로 병원을 향하던 중 피랍되었다고 현지 언론 지오가 전했다.
Fitch downgrades Greece

Feb 22, 2012

ATHENS, Greece (AP)--Fitch ratings agency says it has downgraded Greece further into junk status, from 'CCC' to 'C' following the announcement of the details of the country's debt swap deal with private creditors.The agency said Wednesday the downgrade indicated ``that default is highly likely in th
Court grants asylum to gay Nigerian refugee

Feb 13, 2012

A Nigerian man who claimed he could not return home for fear of being persecuted for his sexual orientation was granted refugee status by a local court on Monday.A Seoul administrative court ruled in favor of a lawsuit filed by the gay Nigerian man, which sought to overturn an earlier government dec
Tribesmen release Korean tourists in Egypt’s Sinai

Feb 12, 2012

Three South Koreans were freed on Saturday a day after they were kidnapped by armed tribesmen in Egypt’s Sinai peninsula when clan elders negotiated their release, officials here and in Egypt said.“We were not assaulted, or treated badly,” said Pastor Lee Min-song, 53, one of the freed Koreans. “We are all well.”The other two freed South Koreans are Lee Jong-dal, 62, and Mo Jong-mun, 59. They were on a 10-day Christian pilgrimage to Egypt, Israel and Jordan.The three and their Egyptian tour guid
Foreign Ministry vows to take all measures for release of kidnapped citizens

Feb 11, 2012

In this Wednesday, Jan. 7, 1998 file photo, the shadow of Mount Sinai stretches across the valley at the foot of the Greek Orthodox Monastery of St. Catherine in the Sinai peninsula some 240 miles southeast of Cairo, Egypt. (AP-Yonhap News)SEOUL/CAIRO (Yonhap News) -- South Korea's foreign ministry
Korea to fight U.S. anti-dumping probe on washing machines

Jan 21, 2012

Korea said Saturday that it will fight a planned U.S. government probe into alleged dumping of Korean washing machines in its market, voicing strong objection to the investigation triggered by a complaint from Whirlpool Corp. On Friday, the U.S. Commerce Department announced its plan to p
Israel air strike targets Gaza militants

Jan 21, 2012

GAZA CITY(AFP) - An Israeli air strike targeted Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip early on Saturday, sources on both sides said.A security source from the Islamist Hamas movement which controls the territory said that the warplanes struck in the south of the enclave, close to the border with I
Victim identified in Hollywood human head mystery

Jan 21, 2012

LOS ANGELES(AFP) - Los Angeles police have identified the victim whose severed head and other parts were found near the world-famous Hollywood sign, the LA coroner's office said Friday.As police claimed progress in the hunt for his killer, the dead man was named as 66-year-old Hervey Medellin, who w
Divers suspend Italy ship search over bad weather

Jan 16, 2012

GIGLIO ISLAND (AFP) - Bad weather forced divers Monday to temporarily suspend the search for survivors in the wreckage of the Costa Concordia, the head of the coastguard's diving team said.Rodolfo Raiteri told AFP that a storm was on the way and "so we have removed all units ... It is impossible to
Seoul suspected of inflating oil deal with UAE

Jan 12, 2012

The South Korean government is suspected of having exaggerated an oil development deal with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which it earlier claimed would "guarantee" participation by South Korean companies, informed sources said Thursday.The government had claimed its memorandum of understanding (M
Seoul reviews plans to reduce Iranian oil imports to 2010 levels

Jan 8, 2012

The government is reviewing plans to reduce oil imports from Iran to 2010 levels as part of efforts to reduce aftershocks of joining the U.S. sanction on Iran’s oil trade.According to reports citing an unnamed government official, Seoul is reviewing plans to reduce oil imports from Iran as it seeks an exemption for Korea in the application of the U.S.’ National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012, and to prepare for possible developments in the region. The National Defense Authorizati