South Korea to ship instant rice, drinking water for quake victimsTokyo’s decision to restate its territorial claims on Korea’s easternmost islets in school textbooks is provoking Koreans once again, as Seoul continues to send aid supplies to its quake-stricken neighbor.Viewing the two as separate issues, the Seoul government plans to continue humanitarian aid to Japan while taking stern actions a

Former prime minister to keep job as head of shared growth panelFormer Prime Minister Chung Un-chan said Monday he will continue to lead a nongovernmental panel for mutual growth of small and large companies a week after writing to President Lee Myung-bak offering to quit. Chung’s decision comes after he, the ruling party’s coveted potential election candidate, received a “response” of some sort f

The Seoul government on Friday imposed a temporary ban on food imports from parts of Japan contaminated by radiation from its quake-stricken nuclear power plant. Tokyo has so far advised against eating broccoli, cauliflower and leafy vegetables such as spinach produced near the Fukushima Daiichi plant. It is also limiting shipments of spinach, turnips, parsley and milk from Fukushima, Ibaraki, Toc

The main opposition Democratic Party is racked by internal bickering over whether chairman Sohn Hak-kyu, one of its presidential hopefuls, should run in the by-election next month, while the ruling Grand National Party is concentrating its resources on winning the governorship in Gangwon Province.An aide to Sohn criticized a group of DP legislators calling on the party chairman to run in the by-el

The ruling bloc’s plan to put up former Prime Minister Chung Un-chan in a by-election next month hit another snag as the woman at the center of several scandals accused him of unethical behavior. Shin Jeong-ah, a disgraced former art professor whose fabrication of her academic record, embezzlement and affair with a high-ranking government official shook the nation in 2007, returned from prison wit

President Lee Myung-bak said Tuesday that Koreans appeared to be wasting water because it is “too cheap.”Lee made the remarks as he met with representatives of the International Water Association to exchange views on sustainable use of water resources and how to successfully host a biennial water congress in Busan in September.They also discussed the latest developments in the global water industr

Hint at resignation from shared growth body may be attempt to distance self from ruling blocFormer Prime Minister Chung Un-chan, sought by the ruling party as a potential candidate for next month’s by-elections, hinted that he would resign from heading an economic policy panel over criticism of his plan for “profit sharing” between conglomerates and their subcontractors.Regarding Knowledge Economy

President reaffirms safety of Korean nuclear power facilitiesPresident Lee Myung-bak on Thursday said that Korea should provide customized assistance to Japan as the neighboring country reels from its worst-ever recorded earthquake and tsunami.“Because we are close, we can send what Japan needs in the shortest period of time,” Lee told ruling Grand National Party chairman Ahn Sang-soo at the begin

Korea sends drinking water, donations to quake-stricken neighborThe South Korean government is expected to provide its biggest-ever overseas disaster relief to Japan as the neighboring country suffers from the worst earthquake and tsunami in its recorded history.Including the aid supplies, the amount of Seoul’s relief for Japan is likely to exceed the $12.5 million provided to quake-stricken Haiti