North Korean soldiers are gathering for a massive military drill involving land, sea and air forces on its western coast, according to a government source on Tuesday. “We noted preparations for a military exercise from the North’s naval base in Nampo and its aerial base in Onchon in South Pyongan Province,” the source said.“Warships and fighters have been assembled there, and although it depends o

The number of petitions against racial and religious discrimination doubled last year from five years earlier.The National Human Rights Commission said Tuesday that it received 64 complaints in 2010 regarding discrimination based on race, religion, nationality, ethnicity and skin color, doubling from the 32 cases filed in 2005.The increasing reports of discrimination have drawn attention as more a

The Chinese and Korean defense ministries will hold inaugural strategic defense dialogue in Seoul this week, hoping to thaw their relationship that has been chilled since two deadly North Korean provocations last year, said Chinese officials Sunday.A top-level delegation led by Air Force Gen. Ma Xiaotian, deputy chief of the general staff of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, will arrive in Seo

Seoul will conduct its first ever census of North Korean defectors to determine their quality of life, the North Korean Refugees Foundation said Monday. According to the public organization, they have conducted interview surveys of all North Korean refugees over 8 years old on family conditions, standard of living, education and other factors. This is the first time the government has held a censu

North Korea had tested the rocket engines for its intercontinental ballistics missile ahead of the deadly attack on Yeonpyeong Island in 2010, according to a high-ranking source on Sunday.“In October of last year North Korea tested the rockets for its intercontinental ballistics missile at its Dongchang-ri base,” said the high-ranking government official. “We believe they conducted the test as a d

The Defense Ministry will hold random inspections of all Marine Corps bases within the year to stem abuse among soldiers, a military official said Wednesday.“The ministry will form special inspection teams involving different areas, such as operations and personnel, and will conduct random checks on Marine bases from August to the end of the year,” said the source.“Soldiers and commanders who are

As the rainy season comes to an end, the country is expected to face sweltering weather throughout the week, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration on Sunday. The North Pacific high-pressure system developed north, placing the Korean peninsula on its outer edges, bringing about a heat wave and partly cloudy skies in place of wet weather.Temperatures will remain at hotter than 30 degr

Global enterprise executives in Korea held the Foreign Investment Advisory Council in Seoul on Wednesday to discuss plans for improvement of the foreign investment environment in the capital.Seoul city, the government and various chambers of commerce officials and heads of multinational corporations gathered in hopes of making Seoul a top global city.“Seoul’s competiveness has advanced greatly ove

Weather agency predicts two or three more heavy storms by SeptemberThe Korean Peninsula is expected to face a mega typhoon of disastrous proportions this summer, according to the state’s weather agency on Tuesday. The Korea Meteorological Administration predicts that two or three more typhoons could hit the two Koreas up till September, after analyzing computer simulations. The KMA found that the

The capital is hoping to ride the wave of PyeongChang’s successful 2018 Winter Olympics bid to attract more foreign tourists, officials said Sunday.The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to expand its sale of tourist packages to the U.S. and Middle East on top of the current eight Asian countries including China, Taiwan and Malaysia.The Seoul City tourism packages are made by domestic tour compan