Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Monday confirmed that his government received money from the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, following reports of cash being handed over in suitcases and backpacks."Yes, the NSC of Afghanistan has received money from CIA in the past 10 years. The amount was not big, rather it was small," Karzai said in a statement, referring to the National Security Council which is part of the president's office. (AFP) 

The withdrawal of South Koreans from the joint industrial park in Gaeseong would leave the two Koreas with no means of official bilateral communications, further dampening the prospects of reconciliation.The absence of regular contact channels would augment challenges to the Seoul government, which has sought dialogue-based trust building to mend fences with the reclusive state, experts said.For North Korea, the suspension of the complex has reaffirmed that the unruly state was not a reliable an

안철수 후보가 4•24 재보궐선거에서 승리하면서 그의 "새 정치"에 확고한 기반을 마련한 동시에 민주통합당에는 새로운 도전 과제가 주어졌다. 이번 선거에서 60.46%의 압도적인 지지를 받고 노원 병 지역 의원으로 선출된 안 당선자와는 대조적으로 선거에 나섰던 6명의 민주당 후보들은 새누리당 후보들에게 자리를 내어주며 고배를 마셨다. 안 당선자의 승리 자체만으로 민주당에 주는 영향은 제한적이겠지만 앞으로의 행보는 야권에 광범위하고 장기적인 영향을 미칠 것으로 보인다. 민주당은 오랜기간 안 당선자의 입당을 제안했지만 안 전 교수는 입당할 것인지 아니면 신당을 창당할 것인지에 대해 함구하고 있다. 안 전 교수는 당선이 확실시 되자 "국회 의정활동도 준비기간이 필요하다고 생각한다. 향후 계획에 대해선 그런 것들이 마무리되고 생각이 정리되면 말씀드리겠다"고 말했다. 민주당은 전패 후 당 개혁을 감행할 것을 다시 한번 강조했다. 민주당 박기춘 원내대표는 "선거에서 보여진 민심이 야권을 자극하

The Fair Trade Commission unveiled its policy to take stern disciplinary measures against conglomerates for their irregular business practices during its report to President Park Geun-hye on Wednesday.The antitrust regulator, which has already pledged to crack down on unfair intragroup trading among conglomerate-based affiliates, said it would also introduce the system of class action lawsuits by pushing for a law revision in June.“Enterprises including financial firms engaging in cartel practic

South Korea and the U.S. have agreed to extend their bilateral atomic energy accord by two years after Seoul failed to secure Washington’s consent to develop independent nuclear fuel production capability, officials said Wednesday.The two countries have been in talks since October 2010 to amend the so-called 123 agreement which was signed in 1965, last revised in 1974 and due to expire next March. Despite progress in such issues as a joint research project for a new technology called pyroprocess

South Korea's defense ministry reaffirmed its commitment Monday to work with its American counterpart to take back wartime operational control in 2015 as scheduled, despite growing calls to delay the process to counter North Korea aggression.Asked about the need to postpone the deadline in the wake of growing threats posed by Pyongyang, Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin told lawmakers that preparations are "well underway" as agreed by the governments of the two nations."Currently, the defense minist

The prosecution is considering expanding its investigation into the previous government's highly controversial project to refurbish the country's four major rivers, sources said Sunday.The administration of former President Lee Myung-bak carried out the 22.2 trillion won ($19.8 billion) project to refurbish the rivers to prevent floods and boost tourism. But environmental activists and the opposition party have long accused it of causing irreversible environmental damage.Local large construction