An assailant believed to have been dressed in a Santa Claus costume opened fire at a crowded nightclub in Istanbul during New Year's celebrations, killing at least 39 people and wounding close to 70 others in what the province's governor described as a terror attack. Gov. Vasip Sahin said the attacker, armed with a long-barreled weapon, killed a policeman and a civilian outside the club at around 1:15 a.m. Sunday before entering and firing on people partying inside. He did not say who may have c

Former President Lee Myung-bak on Sunday unveiled his plan to leave the ruling Saenuri Party early this year to remove his "political hues," dealing another blow to the feud-ridden party that has been dominated by loyalists to impeached President Park Geun-hye.During a meeting with reporters at the Seoul National Cemetery, Lee also said that he is not considering creating a new political entity or joining the new party that dozens of Saenuri defectors plan to launch later this month."I wanted to

North Korea is in the final stages of preparing to test-fire an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the country's leader Kim Jong-un said Sunday, as it seeks to advance its weapons of mass destruction capability.North Korea became a powerful state with nuclear weapons last year, boosted by the success of its hydrogen bomb and nuclear warhead explosion tests, the North's leader said in his verbal New Year's message broadcast by the state-run TV station."We were vibrant in developing advanc

The independent counsel team investigating a corruption scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and her friend Choi Soon-sil plans to seek an arrest warrant this week against a professor suspected of offering academic favors to Choi's daughter, an informed source said Sunday.The probe team, led by Independent Counsel Park Young-soo, is set to request the warrant by Monday at the latest to formally arrest Ryu Chul-kyun, a professor of Ewha Womans University, who has allegedly offered inappropri

South Korea's Marine Corps will get new guided missile systems that will allow its troops to better counter seaborne threats from North Korea, the military said Sunday.The military said that all static 90 mm coastal defense guns, based on the main armament of the vintage M-47 and M-48 tanks, will be replaced by the new 70 mm Low-Cost Guided Imaging Rocket (LOGIR). The new weapons will be deployed by the end of the year."The move will greatly enhance the capability of marines to counter fast-movi

South Korea's defense chief stressed Sunday that the new year will pose a new set of challenges and that the country's armed forces must be prepared for all developments.In a New Year's message sent out to the country and more than 600,000 troops, Han Min-koo made clear that the primary role of the armed forces is to fight the enemy and win."The armed forces will fulfill its role in the face of the grave situation the country faces as long at it stays true to this goal," the defense minister sai

North Korea kicked off the new year with a large-scale fireworks display over the capital city, the country's state-run media said Sunday.According to Chosun Central TV, the fireworks lit up the sky along the Daedong River that flows through Pyongyang. The 20-minute-long display was broadcast live to the country with the media outlet reporting that a countless number of people saw the display that began at midnight.The television announcer said that 2016 was a memorable year for the DPRK since i