U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed a deal between South and North Korea to reopen a jointly run industrial complex in the communist nation, saying he hopes the resumption of the factory park will help improve inter-Korean relations.Officials of the two Koreas reached the agreement to resume operations at the complex in the North's border city of Gaeseong during negotiations Wednesday, salvaging the last-remaining symbol of inter-Korean rapprochement from permanent closure. The complex w

South Korea conducted naval drills in waters near the country's easternmost islets of Dokdo in late June, a government source said Thursday, as Japan continues to lay claims to the rocky outcroppings.The one-day drill was carried out under a scenario in which other countries approach and illegally land on the islets, the source said. It followed regular maritime drills in the East Sea in the same month.The source did not say why the drill was not made public at the time.South Korea has carried o

Two members of Japan's cabinet paid their respects Thursday at a Tokyo shrine seen as a symbol of the country's imperialistic past despite long-running protests from South Korea and China against such visits.Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Yoshitaka Shindo and Keizi Huruya, the minister in charge of North Korea's abduction of Japanese nationals, visited the Yasukuni Shrine that honors Japan's war dead, and includes class-A criminals.Thursday was the anniversary of Japan's defeat in

미국 연구팀이 인간의 줄기세포로 쥐의 박동하는 심장을 만들어내는 데 성공했다.미국 피츠버그 대학 의과대학 발달생물학교수 레이 양 박사는 인간의 피부세포로 만든 유도만능줄기세포(iPS)를 심장조직을 구성하는 전구세포로 분화시키고 이를 모든 세포를 제거한 쥐 심장의 틀(기본골격)에 심어 박동하는 심장으로 키워내는 데 성공했다고 AFP통신과 영국의 데일리 메일 인터넷판이 13일 보도했다.그의 연구팀은 먼저 인간의 피부에서 채취한 섬유아세포를 배아줄기세포와 유사 한 iPS로 환원시키고 이를 다시 다분화능 심혈관전구세포(MCP: multipotential card iovascular progenitor cell)로 분화시켰다.MCP는 심장조직을 구성하는 3대 세포인 심근세포, 혈관내피세포, 평활근세포로 분화할 수 있는 기능을 지니고 있다.이어 쥐의 심장을 떼어내 10시간에 걸쳐 모든 세포를 제거하고 남은 뼈대에 MCP 를 심었다.이식된 MCP는 심장구조를 지지하는 조직인 세포외 기질(extr

The chief executives of Kakao Talk, one of the most used mobile messenger services here, were allegedly questioned by the U.S. authorities in June over a possible connection to a crime ring.  The reports said the authorities believed the company chairman Kim Beom-su and co-CEO Lee Sir-goo, along with a vice president, could have been working with a Korean-American crime organization to illegally import stolen phones to Korea. Lee, however, flatly denied the reports, saying that they were not eve

중국과 동남아시아 지역의 관광객이나 외국인 환자의 우리나라 입국이 한층 쉬워진다.법무부는 다음 달 1일부터 중국인에 대한 복수비자 발급을 확대하고 동남아 국가 관광객에 대해 복수비자 발급 요건을 완화한다고 11일 밝혔다.중국인 중 복수비자 신규 발급 대상은 기존 복수비자 소지자의 배우자•미성년 자녀, 국내 콘도미니엄 회원권(3천만원 이상) 소지자, 베이징•상하이 호적 보유자, ‘211 공정대학’(중국 정부가 지정한 우수대학 112개) 재학생이다.동남아 국가 국민에게는 우리나라를 1회 방문한 경우 유효기간 1년의 복수비자를, 2회 이상 방문한 경우 유효기간 3년의 복수비자를 발급해준다. 이제까지는 한국을 최근 2년 이내 4회 이상 방문한 경우 유효기간 3년인 복수비자를 발급했다.또 동남아 국민에게는 유효기간 5년인 복수비자를 발급하지 않았지만 앞으로는 유효기간 3년의 복수비자를 받은 경력이 있으면 유효기간 5년인 비자를 발급한다. 법무부는 외국인 환자 유치 우수기관에 대해 전자비자 대

South Korea's Incheon International Airport Corp. said Sunday that it has been picked as the preferred bidder for the development of a new international airport in Myanmar.The company, which operates the country's largest airport, said it will hold detailed negotiations with authorities from Myanmar on the size of the new airport and other matters related to costs and operations, with the final agreement to be reached by the year's end.Once an agreement is reached, the goal will be to open Hanth

The main opposition party said Sunday that it will start a nationwide signature drive this week in an effort to thwart a government plan to raise taxes on the middle class.In meeting with reporters, Democratic Party chairman Kim Han-gil said the campaign will kick off on Monday to foil the latest tax reform that calls for collecting more from ordinary, middle income earners, which cannot be tolerated. "There is a definite need to stop the government plan to change the tax code that strives to pu

More than 4 million salaried workers in South Korea will see their tax burden increase next year as the government is pushing to overhaul its tax code aimed at broadening its tax revenue base and raising sufficient money to meet growing fiscal demand.The government will also impose taxes on earnings by monks, priests and other religious leaders starting in 2015, putting an end to a years-old controversy over the issue.These are part of measures included in the 2013 tax code overhaul proposal tha

One in every five college students in South Korea owes banks heavy debts to pay off their school fees and meet living expenses, data showed Monday, amid the government's push to ramp up financial support for the troubled young group. The portion of students who have taken out a loan from local financial companies for school and living expenses stood at 20.4 percent, according to a survey by the Financial Services Commission (FSC), the country's top financial regulator. The poll was based on indi