Japan's attempt to dispute the long-established historical fact about the country's sexual enslavement of Asian women during World War II raises "serious concerns" about academic freedom in the country, an American scholar said Thursday.  Alexis Dudden, a professor at the University of Connecticut, also said in an email interview with Yonhap News Agency that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is attempting to "openly supplant long proven histories with preferred national memories."  Dudden led a

A group of American history scholars expressed strong protest against Japan's attempts to pressure a textbook publisher to change the description of the country's sexual enslavement of women during World War II, saying no government should have the right to "censor history."  The 19 scholars also said in a joint statement sent to Yonhap News Agency that academic research and testimonies of survivors of the atrocity "have rendered beyond dispute the essential features of a system that amounted to

South Korea's education minister will deliver a keynote speech at this year's annual international meeting for government innovation to be held next week in Dubai, the education ministry said Thursday.  Hwang Woo-yea will promote South Korean education as the driving force of the country's development during the third Government Summit to be held from Feb. 9-11, the ministry said.  This year's event titled "Shaping Future Governments" will focus on how governments can handle a changing world wit

China's commerce ministry said Wednesday that it is "highly concerned" about a recent rejection of some Chinese garlic imports by South Korea, asking Seoul to properly handle the trade dispute.   South Korea's state-run Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp. returned about 2,200 tons of garlic to Lanling County in Shandong Province, China, from the southern port city of Busan last month because the shipment failed to meet South Korea's quality standards.  China's state media reported earlier th

China has freed on bail an additional two South Koreans who were detained late last year on charges of drug trafficking, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday.  The two suspects are among 14 South Koreans who were arrested in Guangzhou on Dec. 28 on suspicion of drug trafficking. China granted bail to 12 Korean suspects in late January.  The move allows the suspects to freely meet with their families, although there are some restrictions on where they can live while on bail.  "The government w

South Korea's foreign minister is expected to hold talks with his U.S. counterpart in Germany this weekend, a diplomatic source said Wednesday.  Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se is likely to meet with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday or Sunday on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference that kicks off Friday for three days, the source said, adding the two sides are fine-tuning the details.  Yun will fly to Germany on Thursday for a four-day stay, which includes a planned meetin

South Korea's foreign minister plans to visit Germany this week to discuss ways to promote cooperation over North Korea's nuclear issue and Seoul's initiative for unification, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.  Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se will leave for Berlin on Thursday and hold talks with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Friday, according to the foreign ministry.   "The two sides will discuss North Korea's nuclear issue and how to cooperate over Seoul's unification initiat

The South Korean military is seeking to export $1 billion worth of an indigenous light attack aircraft to Peru, informed sources said Tuesday.  "We've been pushing to sell 24 units of the FA-50 to Peru, and are planning to submit a proposal for Lima's fighter purchase project this month," said a source, requesting anonymity. "Factoring in the necessary logistics support, the total amount of the envisioned exports would reach $2 billion."  South Korea is likely to vie with Russia, Italy and China

South Korea plans to send a smaller-than-expected team of medical workers to Ebola-hit Sierra Leone this weekend as the epidemic shows signs of easing, Seoul's foreign ministry said Monday.Seoul initially planned to send 11 healthcare workers for its third and final batch, but a military medical team consisting of two doctors and three nurses will be dispatched instead to the West African country on Feb. 7, according to officials.The move will make the total number of medical workers sent to 24,

South Korea plans to hold a pan-governmental meeting next week to discuss ways to beef up the safety of its nationals living in the Middle East, following terrorist acts by Islamic State militants, officials said Monday.The move comes amid concerns that the extremist Muslim militant group may target South Korean citizens in the region after two Japanese hostages have been purportedly killed by the IS in Syria."The government is preparing to come up with a set of measures related to protection of

South Korea's top court on Friday confirmed the prison sentences of two Chinese skippers convicted of illegally fishing in South Korean waters and injuring local Coast Guard officials in a violent clash about a year ago.The Supreme Court delivered sentences of up to three and a half years to the two and ordered the confiscation of their two boats.It also confirmed the sentences handed down to two of their subordinates, who had been given sentences of two years and one and a half years, after a t

South Korea and China will hold preparatory consultation this week for the start of talks on demarcating their maritime border to resolve issues stemming from overlapping economic exclusive zones (EEZs), officials said Wednesday.Officials from the two countries' foreign ministries will get together in Shanghai on Thursday in the runup to the negotiations on drawing the maritime border as a follow-up to a summit between their political leaders, they added.Seoul and Beijing have been in talks over

South Korea's foreign ministry said Wednesday that there have been no reported casualties of South Koreans in an armed attack that took place at a hotel in Libya's capital a day earlier.At least nine people were killed Tuesday (local time) when gunmen presumed to have links to Islamic State militants stormed into a luxury hotel in Tripoli. Several foreign media said that one South Korean national was among those killed.Seoul's foreign ministry said that no South Korean casualties have been repor

Four South Korean nationals have been released after being held as hostages by an unidentified gang for four days in the Philippines, Seoul's foreign ministry said Tuesday.The release was made late Monday, four days after a 35-year-old man, only identified by his surname Cho, and another three men were kidnapped in the city of San Juan on Thursday, according to officials.They were found on a road outside Manila after being beaten by the suspects, but they did not sustain any serious injuries, th

South Korea lambasted the extremist Islamic State (IS) group Monday for its killing of a Japanese hostage, saying that innocent civilians should not be the target of terrorism.The militant IS group claimed Sunday that it had executed Haruna Yukawa, one of two Japanese hostages it had been holding.The group is now demanding that Jordan release a female Iraqi terrorist in exchange for the other Japanese hostage, Kenjin Goto, a 47-year-old journalist.The South Korean government said it cannot help