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Unification Church founder’s son sues mother

Social affairsMay 2, 2011

The third son of Moon Sun-myung, the founder and leader of the controversial Unification Church, has filed a lawsuit against his mother to get back his company’s money allegedly sent to her missionary group without his consent, court officials said Monday.Moon Hyun-jin, 42, chairman of the Unification Church International, the parent company of Washington Times Aviation Inc., demanded 23.8 billion
Somali pirates hijack ship with four S. Koreans aboard: official

Foreign affairsMay 1, 2011

In this file photo, an armed Somali pirate along the coastline while the Greek cargo ship, MV Filitsa, is seen anchored just off the shores of Hobyo, northeastern Somalia, where its being held by pirates. (AFP-Yonhap News) A Singapore-registered chemical tanker with crew that include four South Koreans has been hijacked by Somali pirates, foreign ministry officials here said Sunday. The MT Gemi
Park Geun-hye in Portugal after Netherlands trip

PoliticsMay 1, 2011

LISBON (Yonhap News) -- Park Geun-hye, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak’s special envoy, arrived in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, Sunday on her second leg of a nine-day European tour after wrapping up a three-day visit to the Netherlands.In the Netherlands, Park, a former head of the ruling Grand National Party (GNP), met with Queen Beatrix and ranking government officials for discussions o
Year’s worst yellow dust chokes Korea

Social affairsMay 1, 2011

The worst yellow dust storm this year covered the Korean Peninsula on Sunday as winds blew a thick layer of the dust from deserts in northeastern China.The weather agency issued a yellow dust watch for five northwestern islands, Daejeon, Daegu, Busan, Ulsan, Gwangju, and Chuncheong, Gyeongsang and Jeolla provinces. It posted yellow dust advisories for the afternoon in Seoul, Gyeonggi and Gangwon p
Korean fathers don’t talk enough with kids

PoliticsMay 1, 2011

A third of South Korea’s fathers feel they don’t talk enough with their children, with the lack of dialogue experienced most among single-parent and poorer families, a survey showed Saturday.More than 34 percent of fathers said they don’t spend enough time talking to their children, while 19.8 percent of mothers felt the same way, according to the survey by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Fami
N.K.’s Kim ready to meet Lee at any time: Carter

Foreign affairsApr 28, 2011

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il wants to hold a summit meeting with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak at any time, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said in Seoul Thursday.“Although we did not meet with the leader of North Korea, when we had already departed from our guest home, we were asked to come back to receive a personal message,” Carter said in a press conference. He added Kim “specific
N.K. has made progress in new light-water reactor: think tank

North KoreaApr 28, 2011

WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― North Korea has made progress in building a light water reactor in its nuclear complex, a U.S. think tank said Wednesday, amid concerns that that might serve as another way of making nuclear weapons for the reclusive communist state.Citing commercial satellite imagery taken March 8, the Institute for Science and International Security said on its website that North Korea
Big issues to resurface after polls

PoliticsApr 27, 2011

Diverse issues put on hold due to the by-elections, which are expected to shake up the nation’s political circles.The government plans to submit the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement to the National Assembly for ratification in early May after finishing translation checks, according to local news reports.The trade pact will likely cause a clash between the rival parties, which are already fiercely d
White House urges Congress to ratify Korea free trade pact

Foreign affairsApr 27, 2011

WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― The Obama administration Tuesday urged Congress to quickly approve a free trade deal with South Korea despite demands that the deal be deliberated along with similar pacts with Panama and Colombia.“We believe that Congress needs to move on these because they are job creators here in America,” White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters.U.S. President Barack Obama has
The importance of clean energy and energy access

Foreign affairsApr 27, 2011

The following article was contributed by Han Dong-man, deputy director general of international economic affairs bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He recently attended international meetings on clean energy in Abu Dhabi and Paris. -- Ed. Han Dong-manWith the impending exhaustion of fossil fuels and the threat posed by climate change, mankind is faced with an urgent call for a pa
S. Korea’s legal system popular in Asian countries

PoliticsApr 25, 2011

South Korea’s judiciary systems, including the electronic litigation process and legal training programs, have been growing in popularity in other Asian countries, the top court here said Monday.According to the Supreme Court, a group of seven high-profile Vietnamese judicial figures, including the vice president of the Supreme People’s Court of Vietnam, arrived in Seoul on Sunday to visit South K
Luxembourg minister presses for EU-FTA passage

Foreign affairsApr 24, 2011

Luxembourg’s foreign minister visited Korea last week with a message for Assembly members over the failed passage of Korea’s trade pact with the European Union.“This is very serious, it is not pressure, but, if we cannot manage the entry into force on the July 1, then we have to change the date (into force) in the council and therefore, my suggestion is to do everything that can be done by the gov
P.M. Gillard mourns Korean War dead

Foreign affairsApr 24, 2011

(Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard (left) watches a North Korean soldier looking through the window as she pays a visit to the conference room of the United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission at Panmunjeom Sunday. Yonhap News)Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Sunday mourned hundreds of her country’s soldiers who fell during the 1950-1953 Korean War and visited the truce v
Allegedly illegal campaign for GNP candidate exposed

PoliticsApr 22, 2011

Police and election authorities are investigating allegations about an illegal campaign for Ohm Ki-young, the ruling party candidate for Gangwon governor.The provincial election authorities said Friday that they received a report about 29 people making telephone calls in a pension in Gangneung to entreat voters to cast ballots for Ohm. According to various opinion polls, Ohm is currently leading
Korean ship back sailing after thwarting hijacking

Social affairsApr 22, 2011

A South Korean container vessel which escaped an apparent hijack by pirates off Somalia on Thursday is back to normal sailing, owners Hanjin Shipping Co. said Friday.“The Hanjin Tianjin began to sail Thursday night, escorted by the South Korean destroyer Choi Young, right after its crew had been rescued,” a Hanjin Shipping official said. “It is speeding up to reach its next port in Singapore becau