The U.S. ambassador to South Korea said Tuesday that Washington is not concerned about the "speed or scope" of inter-Korean dialogue, signaling that its tough stance on North Korea doesn't conflict with Seoul's move to improve ties with Pyongyang.The remarks by Mark Lippert, Washington's ambassador to Seoul, came amid growing concerns here that Washington's recent sanctions on the North may hamper Seoul's initiative. Earlier this month, the U.S. imposed fresh sanctions on North Korea following t

The Korean authorities are chasing a 48-year-old man who allegedly killed his three family members and ran away in Seoul, police said Tuesday. Three women -- a 43-year-old surnamed Lee and two teenagers -- were found dead in their apartment in Seocho-gu, Seoul, in the early morning, police said. The man, surnamed Kang, reported his crime to the police before running away from the crime scene. According to the police, Kang said he had strangled his wife and two daughters to death and he would kil

International search planes and ships scouring Indonesian waters for a missing AirAsia plane focused Monday on a patch of oil for possible clues, as a top official warned the aircraft was likely at the bottom of the sea.Australia, Singapore and Malaysia joined the Indonesia-led search as anguished relatives waited for news of their loved ones more than a day after Flight QZ8501 disappeared over the Java Sea with 162 people on board.The Airbus A320-200 lost contact en route from Surabaya in Indon

An object spotted during a sea search for an AirAsia plane was not from the aircraft, Indonesia's vice president said Monday, after reports that an Australian surveillance aircraft had found something."It has been checked and no sufficient evidence was found to confirm what was reported," Jusuf Kalla told a press conference at Surabaya airport from where the ill-fated plane departed.Kalla said there were 15 ships and 30 aircraft searching the area."It is not an easy operation in the sea, especia

Four bodies have been recovered from icy seas during an operation to rescue hundreds of passengers stuck on a blaze-hit car ferry crossing from Greece to Italy, a Greek  minister said on Monday."The Italian authorities have confirmed that four bodies have been recovered," Maritime Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis told reporters. At least one passenger -- a Greek national -- was previously confirmed to have died as a result of the disaster.Overall, 391 people have been rescued from the ferry that

Italy's navy said Monday it had completed the evacuation of all passengers and most of the crew from the blaze-hit ferry Norman Atlantic.The ferry has been drifting in the Adriatic since catching fire in the early hours of Sunday. The navy said only a skeleton crew of nine men remained on board the vessel, which was due to be towed to port. (AFP)

약 2천만원짜리 다이아몬드 반지를 훔쳐 삼킨 혐의로 붙잡힌 영국 강도가 현재 경찰 입회 하에 화장실에서 “신호”를 기다리고 있다고 외신이 16일 보도했다. 지난 14일, 영국 브라이튼의 보석 상점에서 한 22세 청년은 18캐럿 화이트 골드 에레랄드 컷 반지를 훔쳤다. 그는 수중에 반지가 없는데도 불구하고 현재 절도 혐의로 수감돼 있다. 경찰은 CCTV 분석 결과 그가 반지를 입에 넣는 것을 확인했다며 그가 반지를 삼킨 것이 확실하다고 밝혔다. 경찰은 현재 화장실에서 그의 “볼일”을 기다리는 중이다.(khnews@heraldcorp.com)

South Korean pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun has failed to reach an agreement with the San Diego Padres, Kim's current domestic club announced Friday.The SK Wyverns in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said the 26-year-old left-hander will stay at home at least for another season, after he was unable to sign a deal with the Major League Baseball (MLB) club by the deadline.The Wyverns posted Kim in early November and the Padres submitted the highest bid for Kim with US$2 million. The Padres had 30 day

Countries in Northeast Asia should beef up energy cooperation in a bid to bring peace and security to the region where a lack of trust has intensified geopolitical conflicts, a ranking Seoul diplomat said Friday.Speaking at a forum on energy security in Seoul, Ahn Chong-ghee, deputy foreign minister for economic affairs, said Northeast Asia, highly dependent on overseas energy imports, faces growing challenges for regional energy cooperation due to geopolitical tension."The current geopolitical