Lotte Engineering & Construction Co., the builder of a 123-story skyscraper whose safety has raised concerns, said Thursday the structure is not responsible for signs of a nearby sinkhole found by the Seoul city government. "There were no sinkholes found (according to Lotte's safety inspections of the area)," Lotte E&C said through a press release."It was confirmed that the roads look like they have sunk because a part of the lanes has been paved temporarily with deck panels to set up a bus stop

A controversial anti-corruption bill was passed by a sub-committee of the National Assembly on Thursday, more than two years after it was originally introduced.The proposed Kim Yong-ran Law calls for punishing public officials who are caught taking money or valuables worth more than 1 million won (US$912) in bribes even if they were not in exchange for favors.Public officials range from those working in government departments, courts, parliament, state-funded corporations and agencies to private

The management agency of South Korean pop singer Yoon Mi-rae said Friday that it will take legal action against Sony Pictures Entertainment for allegedly using one of her songs in a controversial movie without permission."The Interview," a comedy about the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, hit about 320 theaters in the United States on Thursday. The film has drawn huge attention at home and abroad due to a cyber attack blamed on North Korea and threats against its release."We cam

BEIJING -- China on Friday appeared to be wary of an impending accord among South Korea, the United States and Japan that would allow the three nations to share intelligence on North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. The pact, to be signed on Monday, would pave the way for South Korea, the U.S. and Japan to better cope with North Korea's potential provocations, but some Chinese experts have expressed displeasure because such an agreement draws the U.S. closer into Northeast Asia.Asked about

BEIJING -- Hundreds of thousands of Chinese Web users have flocked to illegal video-streaming sites to see the "The Interview," a Sony Pictures parody film about a plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The satire film, which debuted in some 300 theaters across the United States on Christmas Day, has drawn international attention as Washington blamed Pyongyang for hacking the Hollywood studio last month. Sony had decided to cancel the Christmas Day release amid hackers' threats aga

KHAO LAK, (AFP) - Tearful mourners lit candles on Friday to remember the 220,000 people who died a decade ago when tsunami waves devastated coastal areas along the Indian Ocean, in one of the worst natural disasters in human history.On December 26, 2004 a 9.3-magnitude earthquake off Indonesia's western tip generated a series of massive waves that pummelled the coastline of 14 countries as far apart as Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Somalia.Among the victims were thousands of foreign tourist

South Korean Prime Minister Chung Hong-won and his Finnish counterpart, Alexander Stubb, discussed bilateral relations between the two countries and economic cooperation during their talks on Thursday in Seoul, Chung's office said.Chung, during the meeting, proposed enhancing cooperation in fields such as South Korea's "creative economy" vision, maritime shipping and the exploration of mineral resources, the office said.The Finnish prime minister is in Seoul on a four-day visit, his first trip t

ABUJA (AFP) -- Nigerian security forces fired teargas on Thursday inside the parliament complex as opposition lawmakers, including the speaker of the lower house, arrived for a key vote on emergency rule in the northeast. The leader of the Senate, David Mark, later ordered the immediate closure of both chambers until next week over the incident. Multiple reports, including from eye witnesses, indicated that security agents tried to block House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal, who defec

CHUNCHEON-- Upholding a lower court ruling, an appellate court on Thursday fined 151 teachers and public officials for making donations to a minor opposition party in violation of a law requiring government employees to maintain political neutrality.The Chuncheon branch of the Seoul High Court penalized 151 teachers and civil servants with fines ranging from 300,000 won(US$269) to 500,000 won for giving donations to the Democratic Labor Party (DLP).Prosecutors indicted 152 teachers and public of

ROME (AP) -- Pope Francis demanded a more just distribution of the world's bounty for the poor and hungry Thursday, telling a U.N. conference on nutrition that access to food is a basic human right that shouldn't be subject to market speculation and quests for profit."We ask for dignity, not for charity," Francis told the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization.His speech came a day after more than 170 countries at the conference adopted new voluntary guidelines to prevent malnutrition, promote h

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP)  -- The World Health Organization says the transmission of Ebola remains ``intense'' and widespread in Sierra Leone, even as some improvements are being seen in the two other countries worst hit by the crisis.Nearly 200 new cases were confirmed in Sierra Leone's capital in a recent one-week period.The WHO report released late Wednesday indicated that Sierra Leone had the lowest percentage of Ebola patients who had been isolated -- only 13 percent.The disease is spread

BEIRUT (AFP) - Lebanon's parliament on Wednesday extended its mandate until 2017, a parliamentary source said, once again postponing elections amid political paralysis and security concerns tied to the conflict in neighbouring Syria."The parliament voted by 95 votes out of 97 members present to extend its mandate until June 20, 2017," the source told AFP.

MANILA, Philippines (AP) -- Philippine police say two German tourists who were freed last month by Abu Sayyaf militants after six months of jungle captivity have helped investigators identify at least five of their captors, who will face criminal complaints.   Police Senior Superintendent Roberto Fajardo said Wednesday that the Germans identified the leaders of their kidnappers when they were shown portraits of Abu Sayyaf militants. Criminal complaints will be filed soon against the alleged kidn

HONG KONG (AFP) -- A property flagship led by Asia's richest tycoon Li Ka-shing said on Wednesday it plans to buy up to 60 passenger jets in a series of transactions that amount to more than $2.5 billion. The Hong Kong businessman made his first major foray into the aviation industry in August by announcing plans to buy into Irish aircraft leasing group AWAS, and the new purchases expand his investments into a field that can yield stable and long-term cash flow, analysts have said.A filing writt