Jeju International Airport resumed operations at noon on Monday after a 42–hour closure due to heavy snow and high winds. (Yonhap)Nearly 86,000 people were stranded and some 1,100 flights were canceled on the southern resort island over the weekend and early Monday. The island recorded its biggest snowfall in three decades at 11 centimeters as of Sunday, with more than 1 meter of snow in mountain areas. (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

Rival parties agreed Saturday to put a set of bills on North Korean human rights and corporate revitalization to a full-floor vote this week, ending a months-long dispute which had crippled the legislative procedures.They, however, failed to reach a final consensus on other disputed bills, such as those on terrorism prevention and labor reform bills as well as the revision bill to redraw the nation’s electoral map ahead of the April general elections.The floor leaders of the Saenuri Party and Th

SEOUL/JEJUDO ISLAND-- The number of frozen-pipe accidents and hypothermia patients soared while operations at the Jeju International Airport were paralyzed following the biggest snowfall in the region in three decades Sunday, as the nation experienced the coldest weather this winter.Just a day after the Korea Meteorological Administration issued a cold wave warning for Seoul, temperature in the capital dropped to minus 18 degrees Celsius on Sunday -- the coldest since January 2001. Also on Sunda

Lincoln Park overlooking the Golden Gate to the San Francisco Bay is a special place for me. My father, bless his soul, used to spend a lot of time there, poring over his oil painting canvass, trying to capture the beautiful surroundings. The park also houses an art museum, Legion of Honor, known for its European painting collection. An Auguste Rodin bronze statue, The Thinker, guards its entrance, where my children used to run around during the 1970s and 1980s. Come November 1984, Holocaust Mem

Former National Assembly Speaker Lee Man-sup passed away Monday. He was 83. Lee Man-sup (Yonhap)Lee, who served as the parliamentary speaker in the early 1990's and 2000's, died at 4:31 p.m. at Severance Hospital, a general hospital in western Seoul, according to Kwon Joong-tae, a parliamentary official.A graduate of Yonsei University, Lee worked as a reporter for the daily Dong-a Ilbo before entering politics in 1963.Eight-term lawmaker Lee first served as speaker in 1993 when he replaced Park

Samsung Group has decided to sell its affiliate’s stake in chemical units to Lotte Chemical, an apparent move to focus on its flagship businesses including information technology and electronics.In separate regulatory filings on Friday, the group’s affiliates -- including Samsung Electronics, Samsung SDI, Samsung C&T, Samsung Electro-Mechanics and Hotel Shilla -- said they would sell off their entire stake, totaling 31.5 percent and valued at 470 billion won ($412 million), in Samsung Fine Chemi

Muslim pilgrims gather around bodies of people crushed in Mina, Saudi Arabia during the annual hajj pilgrimage on Thursday. (AP-Yonhap)Two giant waves of Muslim pilgrims collided at an intersection Thursday near a holy site in Saudi Arabia, and more than 700 people were crushed and trampled to death in the worst disaster at the hajj in a quarter-century."People were climbing over one another just to breathe," said Abdullah Lotfy of Egypt. "It was like a wave. You go forward and suddenly you go b