ULAANBAATAR -- President Park Geun-hye on Saturday pointed to North Korea as a "missing link" in the effort to achieve a free, peaceful and interconnected Eurasia, saying the unification of the Korean Peninsula will offer a "fundamental" solution. President Park Geun-hye at the ASEM opening ceremony on Friday. (Yonhap)Speaking at a retreat session of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit, Park made an emphatic call for international cooperation in Seoul's efforts to lay the groundwork for nation

ULAN BATOR -- EU chiefs Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker on Saturday backed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government and urged a "swift return" to normal after a coup attempt."Turkey is a key partner for the European Union. The EU fully supports the democratically elected government, the institutions of the country and the rule of law," European Council President Tusk and European Commission head Juncker said in a joint statement."We call for a swift return to Turkey's constitution

Korea's minimum wage has been set at 6,470 won ($5.70) per hour for next year, up 7 percent from this year, the labor ministry said Saturday.The new minimum wage translates to 51,760 won a day for those who work eight hours a day and some 1.35 million won a month for those who work full time.The Ministry of Employment and Labor said the pay raise will affect an estimated 3.36 million workers in the nation.Minimum Wage Council Chairman Park Jun-sung (center) and other members of the council condu

LONDON -- Britain's Conservative party starts voting on Tuesday to replace outgoing Prime Minister David Cameron following his resignation in the wake of Britain's shock decision to leave the European Union.   Interior minister Theresa May is the clear frontrunner, pitching herself as a sober operator capable of unifying a party fractured by last month's referendum and of leading Britain out of the EU.   The new leader will also have to ease fears over Brexit's effect on the economy, with the Ba

PASADENA -- Braving intense radiation, a NASA spacecraft reached Jupiter on Monday after a five-year voyage to begin exploring the king of the planets.    Ground controllers at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Lockheed Martin erupted in applause when the solar-powered Juno spacecraft beamed home news that it was circling Jupiter's poles.    The arrival at Jupiter was dramatic. As Juno approached its target, it fired its rocket engine to slow itself down and gently slipped into orbit. Becau

[THE INVESTOR] LG Life Science‘s premium health supplement brand Re:Tune has released a new probiotic supplement optimized for improving intestinal health and immunity, the company said Sunday.Probiotics Dual Premium utilizes a patented probiotic strain called DDS-1 produced by the American UAS Labs, and contains 50 billion lactic acid bacteria -- providing the maximum amount of probiotics recommended by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.Probiotics Dual Premium also includes bacteria that has

NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday urged Myanmar's new civilian-led government to complete the Southeast Asian nation's transition to democracy by implementing further reforms to enshrine free markets, development and human rights. Speaking with Myanmar's foreign minister and de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, after talks in the capital of Naypyidaw, Kerry pledged continuing U.S. support for the country and hailed progress it has made since Suu Kyi's political par

Reigning Olympic gymnastics champion Yang Hak-seon, who has been battling a foot injury since March, has been given a second chance to prove himself worthy of the Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, the South Korean gymnastics association said Sunday.Yang participated but withdrew from the national team trials that lasted two days from Saturday, ending up with a score of 0 and finishing last among 15 candidates. Yang Hak-seon (Yonhap)The Korea Gymnastic Association (KGA), however, said it is giving

LONDON (AFP) -- British Prime Minister David Cameron said Sunday it would be decades before Turkey could possibly join the EU, saying that it might happen in the year 3000 on current progress.Even then, the United Kingdom, like all member states, would have a veto on their entry, Cameron said, with future Turkish accession a key battleground in Britain's referendum on its own EU membership. David Cameron (center) (AFP)"It is not remotely on the cards that Turkey is going to join the EU at any ti

MACAU -- Amid heated debates on a second casino in Korea permitting the entry of locals, an international expert warned it would “destroy the country.” Citing the nature of Koreans and their emotional response toward gambling, David Jung, founder and CEO of Hero Poker, a Philippines-focused online poker program, said allowing a casino to open within urban areas in Korea is a dangerous idea, stressing that the people would never draw a clear line between their life and entertainment when it comes

The Agriculture Ministry said Sunday that it would be beginning a survey of all animal breeding farms, but that under current law it would be difficult to penalize those operating illegally.The announcement came after public outcry over the unsanitary and cruel conditions of a dog breeding farm in South Jeolla Province that was broadcast recently on a local TV show. The program showed hundreds of female dogs locked in tiny cages, forced to become pregnant and give birth repeatedly in squalid con