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Three allies urge N.K. on denuclearization

Foreign affairsJul 24, 2011

Foreign ministers of two Koreas hold meetings to explore possible resumption of dialogueSouth Korea, the United States and Japan called on North Korea on Saturday to take action to dismantle its nuclear program before the resumption of six-party talks.In a joint statement after the trilateral meeting on the sidelines of Asia’s largest security forum in Indonesia, South Korean Foreign Minister Kim
Lee names new vice ministers for agriculture, environment

PoliticsJul 21, 2011

President Lee Myung-bak named technocrats as the new vice ministers for agriculture and environment Thursday in a minor reshuffle that also affected three other vice ministerial posts.Lee also named actor-turned-former culture minister Yu In-chon as his special adviser.Lee Sang-kil, a senior agriculture ministry official, was tapped as the ministry’s first vice minister, while Yoon Jong-soo of the
Inter-Korean dialogue still needed ahead of nuclear talks: China

Foreign affairsJul 21, 2011

BALI (Yonhap News) ― The foreign ministers of South Korea and China reaffirmed their joint stance that improvement in inter-Korean relations is a prerequisite to moving toward reopening multinational talks on North Korea’s nuclear program, officials said Thursday. South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan (left) shakes hands with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi ahead of their meeting on the
‘World food supply faces tough future’

Foreign affairsJul 21, 2011

The world’s population will hit 7 billion people later this year, the U.N. estimates. With this, comes the challenge of feeding a population that has increased by 40 percent in just over 20 years.Just this week, the U.N. declared a famine in parts of Somalia with neighboring countries also affected by the worse drought to hit the horn of Africa in 60 years.To find ways to respond to the greater ne
Pastor helps N. Koreans grow food

North KoreaJul 21, 2011

Kim Seon-man is more than a pastor working to spread the gospel.He has also been working as an agricultural advisor to North Korea for more than a decade. It started in July 2000, when the North’s Geumgangsan Tourist Region, only recently opened to South Korean tourists, had the need for an agricultural expert to teach the locals how to grow vegetables to satisfy the palates of their Southern visi
Vietnam P.M. Nguyen Tan Dung one of most excellent Asian leaders

Foreign affairsJul 20, 2011

The Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung was officially inaugurated on June 27, 2006. He has proved his capability to lead the country and overcome many difficulties to ensure social security and the stability of Vietnamese people’s income be maintained and to develop Vietnam to a new high level, despite the fact that Vietnam has been facing many difficulties and is still poor ― a country und
Former Sejong Center exec indicted on bribery charges

Social affairsJul 20, 2011

Former managing director of Sejong Center for the Performing Art’s programming division was indicted Tuesday for receiving bribes from show production companies, according to the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office. The former director, identified only as a Choi, 54, is accused of having received a total of 42 million won from Lim, a show production house head, since last September. In return, Lim receive
Fitness fanatics may have caused mall shaking

Social affairsJul 19, 2011

Jumping in a fitness center is believed to have caused the shaking of the 39-story shopping mall in Seoul that had forced the evacuation of hundreds of tenants earlier this month, experts said Tuesday.The upper floor of TechnoMart, which houses hundreds of electronics retailers and commercial offices, rocked up and down for about 10 minutes on July 6 for no apparent reason. Authorities evacuated t
Lee calls for efforts to curb consumer prices

PoliticsJul 18, 2011

President Lee Myung-bak called Monday for concerted efforts to curb rising consumer prices, instructing aides to set up a prices-monitoring team and to make the issue a fixture on the agenda for weekly meetings of senior secretaries, his spokesman said.“The most important thing for our government is the issues of prices and jobs. We have to tighten the rein on prices,” Lee told a meeting of senior
Scientists develop efficient oil-refining zeolite catalyst

PeopleJul 17, 2011

South Korean scientists said Friday that they have developed a highly efficient nanoporous industrial catalyst that can have a considerable impact on chemical and oil-refining sectors.The team of scientists led by Ryoo Ryong, a chemistry professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, said the solid zeolite compound developed in the laboratory has a reaction speed five to 10 t
‘Lee may nominate new justice minister by Friday’

PoliticsJul 14, 2011

President Lee Myung-bak is expected to nominate a new justice minister and new prosecutor-general as early as Friday, an official said Thursday, as Lee faces opposition from within his own party against naming one of his secretaries for the minister’s post.The nominations will be announced after consultations with the ruling Grand National Party and background checks on candidates to see if they a
Workers groan under high prices for food, fuel, rent

Social affairsJul 14, 2011

High prices for basic necessities such as food and housing are taking their toll on Seoul’s office workers, with many people turning to cheaper alternatives to make ends meet.Im Su-jeong, 33, works in Seoul’s financial hub of Yeouido, where dining out is known to be expensive. In a culture where going Dutch is still awkward and sometimes embarrassing, Im finds herself easily paying 40,000 won ($38
Court gives N. Koreans right to assets left by father in South

Social affairsJul 13, 2011

Four North Koreans from the same family have come to share assets left by their late father with their half-brothers and sisters in South Korea under mediation by a Seoul court in the first case of its kind.The North Koreans, surnamed Yoon, had filed a lawsuit against their South Korean stepmother and four half-brothers and sisters in February 2009 demanding they split 10 billion won ($9.35 millio
Red Cross officials of two Koreas hold informal talks

Social affairsJul 11, 2011

Red Cross officials from the two Koreas held informal talks on the sidelines of an international conference in China last week, a South Korean Red Cross official said Monday.Kim Yong-hyun, secretary-general of the South’s Red Cross, and Paek Yong-ho, vice chairman of the Central Committee of the Red Cross Society of North Korea, met during breaks at the East Asian regional Red Cross leadership mee
Korea to conduct nuclear disaster drill

Social affairsJul 11, 2011

South Korea will carry out a disaster drill on a nuclear power plant on the east coast this week to check updated emergency protocols on damage control and evacuation, the government said Monday.The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said the drill will be carried out at the Wolsong station, located 370 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Tuesday and Wednesday. The plant currently has fou