Unified Progressive Party Rep. Lee Seok-ki was indicted on Thursday on charges of planning a revolt.Lee was arrested Sept. 4 on suspicions of plotting a rebellion through the Revolutionary Organization or RO, the underground antigovernment organization Lee allegedly established within the UPP. “Like the People’s Democratic Revolutionary Party, the RO participated in the North’s revolutionary movement against the South. (RO) aimed to destroy liberal democracy with violence and prepared for the de

President Park Geun-hye apologized Thursday for scaling back her election promise to pay a monthly allowance to all senior citizens, saying the current economic conditions could not sustain the program.The basic pension plan was one of Park's key campaign pledges during last year's presidential election. It called for giving a monthly allowance of 200,000 won ($186) to all senior citizens aged 65 or above regardless of their income level."I'm sorry for being unable to provide (the allowance) to

The U.N. Security Council, long paralyzed by deep divisions over how to deal with the Syrian conflict, is about two days away from agreeing on a resolution to require Damascus to dismantle its chemical weapons stockpiles, Russia's deputy foreign minister said Wednesday.Gennady Gatilov told The Associated Press that the text of the resolution will include a reference to Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, which allows for military and nonmilitary actions to promote peace and security.But he stressed t

South Korean stocks opened lower Thursday as an impasse in U.S. budget and debt-ceiling issues dented investors' sentiment, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 4.05 points, or 0.2 percent, to 1,994.01 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Shares lost ground across the board, with market behemoth Samsung Electronics falling 0.29 percent and No. 1 carmaker Hyundai Motor losing 0.2 percent. Top auto parts maker Hyundai Mobis shed 0.34 percent.Logistics also lost

South Korea and the United States opened a new round of negotiations Wednesday on splitting the cost of stationing American troops on the peninsula.The two-day meeting in Washington is the fourth of its kind intended to decide how much South Korea should pay for the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea (USFK).The U.S., stuck in federal budget problems and confronted with increased North Korean threats, apparently wants South Korea to share more of the burden.The appropriate amount of Seoul's financia

South Korea's top central banker said Thursday that structural reforms are essential for Asian countries to emerge from their lackluster growth amid highly uncertain economic situations."A fundamental cause of the weakening of growth momentum in Asia seems to lie in a lack of proper structural reforms for productivity enhancement, rebalancing between internal and external demands and inclusive growth," Bank of Korea (BOK) Gov. Kim Choong-soo said in welcoming remarks for the conference on Asia's

Kenyan and foreign forensics teams scoured the wreckage of a Nairobi shopping mall Wednesday for bodies and clues after a four-day siege by Islamist gunmen left 67 dead and dozens more missing.Rescuers and investigators wore face masks and some soldiers wrapped scarves around their mouths because of an overpowering stench inside the Westgate centre, once the capital's most upmarket mall. A large part of the complex has collapsed after heavy explosions and a fierce fire.Across Kenya, flags flew a

South Korean consumer sentiment declined to a five-month low in September as private spending remained subdued amid lingering economic uncertainty, the central bank said Thursday.The consumer sentiment index (CSI) -- a gauge of consumers' overall economic outlook, living conditions and future spending -- came in at 102 for September, down from 105 tallied in the previous month, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).The index stayed unchanged at 105 for the third straight month in August, the high

Sales at South Korea's three major department store chains grew from a year earlier in August while sales at major discount outlet chains dropped for a second consecutive month, the government said Thursday.Combined sales by the three department store chains rose 6.6 percent in August from the same month last year, posting an on-year growth for the second straight month, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.The ministry attributed the increase partly to a rise in sales of luxu

시리아 내전을 종식시키기 위한 국제사회의 움직임이 다시 교착상태에 빠짐에 따라 서방 언론으로부터 반기문 유엔 총장에 대한 비판의 목소리가 높아지고 있다.미국 외교 전문지 “포린 어페어스(Foreign Affairs)의 조나단 테퍼먼 편집장은 24일 (현지시간) 인터내셔널 헤럴드 트리뷴(International Herald Tribune)에 “반기문, 당신은 어디 있는가(Where are you, Ban Ki-moon)”이란 제목의 글을 기고했다.그는 이 글을 통해 반 총장이 시리아를 포함해 최근 국제사회에 있었던 사태에서 뾰족한 해법을 제공하지 못했다면서 “투명인간 총장 (invisible secretary general)”라고 비판했다.테퍼먼은 “반 총장과 유엔은 (시리아 내의) 대학살에서 완전히 무능(totally ineffective)했으며 이것은 그 스스로도 인정하는 바이다”라고 적었다.그는 반 총장을 “수동적”이라고 묘사하며 시리아 사태와 더불어 2009년 스리랑카 유혈사태