North Korea reported Wednesday that strong winds and heavy rains unleashed by Typhoon Bolaven knocked down thousands of roadside trees, destroyed farmlands and buildings and caused other property damage across the impoverished nation.But the Korean Central News Agency reported no human casualties from the storm.The typhoon, which pounded South Korea on Tuesday and left nine people dead, "ravaged o

South Korean investments in overseas securities fell for the first time in three quarters in the second quarter as the eurozone debt crisis hit share prices, the central bank said Thursday.Institutional investors' investments in foreign stocks, bonds and so-called Korean Paper reached an outstanding $54.44 billion as of the end of June, down $2.2 billion from three months earlier, according to the

South Korean stocks got off to a weak start Thursday, dented by losses in blue chips, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 12.04 points, or 0.62 percent, to 1,916.50 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Large-cap shares dipped across the board, with market bellwether Samsung Electronics sinking 1.06 percent and No. 1 automaker Hyundai Motor sliding 1.02 percen

A plane with 180 passengers on board has landed at Amsterdam-Schiphol airport with a possible hijacking in progress, the Dutch military police said Wednesday."The plane has landed at Schiphol. There is a possible hijacking and the police have surrounded the plane," an official of the royal Dutch military police told AFP. "We are trying to make contact with the people in the plane." (AFP) 

South Korea lambasted Japan on Wednesday for trying to dodge responsibility for its mobilization of Korean women as sex slaves during World War II, saying the country would have "no future" if it "turns a blind eye to history."Earlier this week, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and other senior officials made remarks that there is no documentary evidence showing Japan forced Korean women int

Two more bodies of missing Chinese fishermen were found off the southern island of Jeju on Wednesday, the Coast Guard said, bringing to seven the death toll in the running aground of two boats amid a powerful typhoon the previous day.Still missing are eight crew members of the fishing boats that ran aground in waters off Jeju on Tuesday amid strong winds and high waves spawned by Typhoon Bolaven.

South Korea's government on Wednesday submitted a free trade deal with Turkey to the National Assembly for ratification, the final step needed for Seoul to put the pact into effect, the trade ministry said.After nearly two years of negotiations, South Korea and Turkey signed the free trade agreement on manufactured goods on Aug. 1.The two countries plan to hold further talks this year to conclude

Lawmakers from the ruling and opposition parties adopted a resolution on Wednesday calling for the prohibition of the flag Japan used during World War II from football matches with South Korea.Rep. An Min-suk of the main opposition Democratic United Party said in a news conference that 68 lawmakers signed off on the resolution that calls on the South Korean government to petition the International

Japan’s opposition-dominated upper house of parliament passed a censure motion against Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda in a bid to force elections and delay the passage of a bill needed to finance government spending. The main opposition Liberal Democratic Party and smaller groups voted for the non-binding motion, indicating the chamber won’t consider any more legislation before parliament closes on

Officials from Japan and North Korea were holding their first government-to-government talks in four years Wednesday, amid hopes that new leader Kim Jong Un will adopt a less confrontational approach to relations between his isolated, impoverished communist state and the outside world.The talks are being held in China, the North's closest ally and biggest aid source, which has been subtly pushing

Sports drinks shouldn't take the place of regular water intake unless a person is playing sports or exercising, a U.S. registered dietitian says. Brooke Schantz, a Loyola University Health System registered dietitian and certified specialist in sports dietetics, said sports drinks will help hydrate you, but the average healthy child, adolescent and adult doesn't need the extra carbohydrates and ca

South Korea and the United States have resumed their annual military exercise, the military said Wednesday, one day after the 12-day drill was temporarily halted due to the onset of the powerful Typhoon Bolaven."Training related to the Ulchi Freedom Guardian 2012 will resume this morning after a pause due to weather conditions on the peninsula," the Combined Forces Command (CFC) said in a statemen

South Korean stocks opened higher Wednesday, fueled by gains in tech heavyweights amid lingering hopes for stimulus action by the U.S. Federal Reserve ahead of its chief's speech, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 1.56 points, or 0.08 percent, to 1,917.89 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Tech blue chips drove up the shares, with mobile phone maker LG El