South and North Korea will open a small business center with Internet connectivity in the joint industrial park of Kaesong as a first step in bringing the complex online, officials here said Sunday."We are planning to launch the basic level of Internet services at the Kaesong Industrial Complex starting in the first half of this year," an official of Seoul's Ministry of Unification said."Officials and employees in the North's border city will be able to use most of online services now available

GS Caltex Co., a South Korean oil refiner blasted for late response to last week's oil leak, said Tuesday it will start talks on compensation with fishermen and relevant agencies.On Friday, a speeding Singapore-registered tanker collided into pipelines operated by GS Caltex, the country's second-largest refiner, causing an oil spill into waters off the coast of Yeosu, 455 kilometers south of Seoul. GS Caltex said that while the company is also a victim in the case, it has decided to join efforts

Pope Francis on Monday urged reconciliation on the Korean peninsula and voiced hope that talks in Geneva next week will kick off a peace process in Syria."I wish to implore from God the gift of reconciliation on the peninsula, and I trust that, for the good of all the Korean people, the interested parties will tirelessly seek out points of agreement," Francis said in a speech to the Vatican diplomatic corps.Francis also expressed grave concern about the humanitarian situation in Syria and said u

The South Pacific nation of Tonga was lashed by a powerful cyclone on Saturday, destroying homes and ripping roofs from churches and other public buildings in the populous northern islands. There were no immediate reports of injuries.A state of emergency was declared for two of Tonga's three island groups, Vava'u and Ha'apai,  on Saturday morning as category-five storm Cyclone Ian brought heavy rain and strong winds forecast to gust at up to 287 kilometers (178 miles) per hour.The storm was late

The South Korean peacekeeping forces in South Sudan Friday returned 10,000 rounds of ammunition they borrowed from Japan through a U.N. mission last month to beef up security amid an escalating civil war there, the South Korean military said."We've returned the ammunition borrowed from the Japanese forces based in Juba through the U.N. mission in South Sudan," a senior official of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.Two C-130 carriers departing from South Korea arrived at the Juba airport on Dec. 27

South Korea and the United States plan to resume their talks Saturday on sharing the cost of keeping 28,500 U.S. troops here with a view to finalizing a deal, defense sources said.The two parties are anticipated to come up with a final deal to end the 10th round of their negotiations that started Thursday to renew the latest five-year Special Measure Agreement (SMA).The two allies have so far failed to bridge their differences for a renewal, including the size of Seoul's contributions and rules

프랑수아 올랑드 프랑스 대통령(59)이 여배우와 몰래 만나고 있다는 염문설이 제기됐다. 프랑스 연예 전문 주간지인 클로저는 10일(현지시간) 올랑드 대통령이 여배우 줄리 가예트(41)와 밀회를 즐기고 있다고 보도했다. 주간지는 올랑드 대통령이 오토바이를 타고 파리를 가로질러 가예트 집에 가서는 밤을 새우고 돌아오곤 한다고 전했다. 클로저는 올랑드 대통령으로 추정되는 헬멧을 쓴 남자가 지난달 30일에도 가예트 집을 찾았다고 주장했다. 주간지는 올랑드 대통령이 지난해 6월부터 가예트를 비밀리에 만나 왔다고 전했다. 이 주간지는 대통령이 오직 한 명의 경호원만 데리고 가예트 집으로 이동하는 사진들을 보여주면서 경호에 문제가 있을 수도 있다고 지적했다. 올랑드 대통령은 사실 관계를 부인하지 않은 채 "사생활을 침해당했다"면서 법적 대응을 검토하겠다고 밝혔다. 올랑드 대통령은 클로저 보도에 관해 이날 대통령이 아닌 개인 명의로 성명을 냈다. 가예트는

Over BP's objections, a federal appeals court on Friday upheld a judge's approval of the company's multibillion-dollar settlement with lawyers for businesses and residents who claim the massive 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico cost them money.BP has argued that U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier and court-appointed claims administrator Patrick Juneau have misinterpreted settlement terms in ways that would force the London-based oil giant to pay for billions of dollars in inflated or bogus clai

연일 계속 되는 폭염으로 최소 6명이 사망하고 수 백명의 온열질환자가 발생한 것으로 알려졌다. 대부분의 지역에 폭염 특보가 내려진 가운데 말복인 12일에도 35도를 넘나드는 불볕 더위는 계속 됐다. 열대야도 일주일 이상 계속 지속되면서 시민들은 밤잠마저 설치고 있다. 더위가 계속 되면서도 사망 사건도 잇따르고 있다. 11일 오후 2시께 전북 남원시의 한 옥수수밭에서 노모(80ㆍ여)씨가 숨진 채 발견되었고 앞서 전남 완도군에서는 오전 10시께 70대 노인(여)이 밭일을 하다가 쓰러졌다. 노 씨는 병원으로 급히 옮겨졌지만 숨졌다. 한편, 중앙재난안전대책본부는 9일을 기준으로 이번 폭염으로 인해 633여 명의 온열질환자가 발생했다고 밝혔다. (코리아헤럴드)　<관련 영문 기사>Heat waves grip East Asia By Lee Hyun-jeong and news reportsRecord heat waves have been baking East Asian countries inclu

President Barack Obama and President Xi Jinping wrapped up their first U.S.-China summit Saturday after securing new levels of understanding on North Korea, climate and cyber issues.Obama and Xi spent a total of eight hours together over two days, encompassing talks, a private dinner, and a stroll through the lush vegetation of a California desert oasis, seeking to forge a personal connection.U.S. officials said the unusually informal talks at the Sunnylands retreat, had allowed Xi and Obama a r

NHN Corp., which runs South Korea’s biggest Web portal, said its new ad service for online cartoons generated average monthly revenue that translated into more than $2,000 per artist in extra income. NHN launched the ad scheme called “page profit share” in April in order to help provide more income to the webtoon artists it hires for a set fee. Webtoon artists, aside from a few top names, had struggled with subpar income even while their online comic strips help attract traffic for portals. PPS