A Seoul court on Friday denied arrest warrants for two police officers accused of leaking a presidential document alleging a former close aide to President Park Geun-hye meddled in state affairs behind the scenes.Seoul Central District Court dismissed the prosecution's request for the warrants to detain the officers, only identified by their surnames Choi and Han, at Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency for further questioning."There is not enough reason to detain (the two) at the present stage cons

South Korean President Park Geun-hye and her Southeast Asian counterparts were to discuss how to move forward their ties on the second and last day of their special summit, Park's office said Friday.The leaders were also expected to hold in-depth consultations on such issues as climate change and crisis management, according to Park's office.The talks come amid global efforts to galvanize action on cutting emissions of heat-trapping gases that scientists blame for global warming.South Korea has

Sen. Saxby Chambliss received a state medal from South Korea's government Thursday for his efforts to move relations between the two countries forward.On behalf of President Park Geun-hye, South Korean Ambassador to the United States Ahn Ho-young awarded the Gwanghwa Medal of the Order of Diplomatic Service Merit to the senator in a ceremony at the embassy on Thursday.Chambliss, who is set to retire after about two decades of service in the House and the Senate, has worked hard throughout his te

The deployment of ballistic missile defense systems around North Korea by the United States and its allies could be an effective way to change China's strategic thinking about Pyongyang, a U.S. congressional report said.The Congressional Research Service made the point in a recent report, "North Korea: U.S. Relations, Nuclear Diplomacy, and Internal Situation," saying Beijing would find it not in its national interest if provocative actions by the North lead to increased military deployments in

South Korean Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae held a series of meetings with U.S. lawmakers and asked for their support for Seoul's policy on North Korea, including its push for unification preparations, officials said Thursday.The lawmakers -- Reps. Steve Chabot (R-OH), Ed Royce (R-CA) and Charles Rangel (D-NY) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) -- expressed backing for South Korea's approach to the North and offered advice during the meetings that took place on Wednesday, officials said.Rubio said

South Korea's unification minister appealed to lawmakers Wednesday to pass a bill on North Korea's human rights abuse, citing the need for a legal basis for "systemic" efforts to address the problem.The legislation, if adopted, would give a ray of hope to North Korean people, said Ryoo Kihl-jae, Seoul's point man on Pyongyang."If the North Korea human rights bills are enacted through a compromise between the ruling and opposition parties, the government will draw up a basic plan to improve North