LONDON  (AFP) - Former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, the "Iron Lady" who shaped a generation of British politics, died following a stroke on Monday at the age of 87, her spokesman said."It is with great sadness that Mark and Carol Thatcher announced that their mother Baroness Thatcher died peacefully following a stroke this morning," Lord Tim Bell said, referring to Thatcher's children. Britain's Queen Elizabeth II was saddened to hear of her death, Buckingham Palace said. "The Queen

President Park Geun-hye on Sunday named Lee Kyeong-jae, a close ally and veteran politician, to head the state agency regulating the broadcasting and communications industries.In addition to the ministerlevel post, the presidential office also announced eight new vice minister-level officials at agencies including the finance, science and defense ministries. Park has striven to fill her government posts as a number of her choices stepped down amid allegations of ethical misdeeds, including a vic

Prime Minister-designate Kim Yong-joon withdrew himself from nomination late Tuesday amid spiraling allegations surrounding real estate speculation and the exemption of his sons from military service.“I have decided to resign as prime minister-nominee as I have caused concerns among the people and brought trouble to President-elect Park Geun-hye due to my lack of discretion,” Kim said in a statement relayed by transition committee spokesman Yoon Chang-jung.Kim will follow Park’s decision as to w

The K-pop girl group leaders of Girls’ Generation have made their long awaited comeback with the release of their fourth full album, “I Got a Boy.” The nine beauties have not only transformed the group’s image from cute and innocent to raw and edgy: they have a new sound to match.“I personally think that Girls’ Generation’s strength, and from this album on, is versatility,” said Tiffany during an interview Monday. “Just by listening to the album itself you can get hip-hop to sweet songs, to toug

Freezing temperatures, negative tactics and voter disenchantment with the familiar left-right divide did little to deter Koreans voting in vast numbers in one of the closest presidential elections in history. Koreans, young and old, braved the frosty weather to make their ballot count, pushing the turnout much higher than in many previous elections. Before dawn, voters started to trickle into 13,542 polling stations across the country to elect the 18th president of Korea. Just 20 minutes after p

The chief of a Seoul district prosecution office offered to resign Friday over a sex sandal involving a junior prosecutor, the latest in a series of incidents which have tarnished the elite law enforcement agency.The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office launched an investigation into allegations that a trainee prosecutor performed sexual acts with a female suspect in his office during an interrogation after promising to clear her of charges.The incident comes as the prosecution office falls under growing

Twenty-something Jang Geu-rae has been struggling to adapt to One International, a global trading firm. He is not a college graduate -- he barely finished high school but instead focused on baduk, and he doesn’t speak English nor has any computer skills. His colleagues are all highly educated, carrying around various certifications and qualifications. It intimidates Jang from time to time, but he keeps learning and learning without complaint, facing trials and errors and moving forward to becomi

The chief of a Seoul district prosecution office offered to resign Friday over a sex sandal involving a junior prosecutor, the latest in a series of incidents which have tarnished the elite law enforcement agency.The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office launched an investigation into allegations that a trainee prosecutor performed sexual acts with a female suspect in his office during an interrogation after promising to clear her of charges.The incident comes as the prosecution office falls under growing

Presidential candidates Ahn Cheol-soo and Moon Jae-in inched towards finalizing the format of the unified candidate selection survey on Friday, with the negotiation teams as well as special envoys meeting to reach an agreement.On Friday, representatives of Democratic United Party’s Moon and independent Ahn opened dual-channel talks to resolve issues surrounding the wording and format of the survey with less than three days left until the deadline.Under the agreement issued on Nov. 6, the unified

 SEOGWIPO, Jeju Island ― Jeju Island has long been the gem of Korean tourism with its natural wonders, mild weather and convenient access from neighboring countries. It was the center of Korea’s plans to turn the nation’s cities into Northeast Asian hubs for various businesses in the early 2000s when the volcanic southern island was designated a free international city with no-visa entry, tax-free shopping and a range of advantages for tourists and businesses.Jeju is now sseeking to rival Hong K

South Korea is likely to make its third attempt to launch its first-ever space rocket in mid-November at the earliest after being forced to postpone it hours before liftoff due to a technical glitch, officials said Saturday.On Friday, South Korea postponed its latest attempt to launch the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1), also known as Naro-1, after a potential fuel leak was detected during the final inspection.Officials at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and the Korea Aer

Members of civic groups hold a protest on Thursday in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, censuring the Japanese government for its sovereignty claim on Korea’s easternmost islets of Dokdo. (Yonhap News)

South Korea carried on with one historic feat after another in the final days of the Summer Olympics in London. Its football team won the country’s firstever Olympic medal on Friday, two days before the Games closed. Taekwondo fighter Hwang Kyungseon pulled off her second straight Olympic triumph, bringing South Korea its 13th gold medal to match its previous record for most gold medals.Son Yeon-j