진행자: 원호정, Paul Kerry 1. 탈북자들에 대한 경호조치 강화 김정남 피살사건 이후 긴장이 고조되는 가운데, 한국정부는 북한의 다른 표적이 될 수 있는 인물들에 대해 경호조치를 취하고 있다. 특히 지난해 탈북한 태영호 전 영국주재 북한공사에 대한 경호 강도를 배로 높였다고 국정원이 밝혔다. 아이튠즈(아이폰): https://itunes.apple.com/kr/podcast/koliaheleoldeu-paskaeseuteu/id686406253?mt=2 팟빵 (안드로이드): http://www.podbbang.com/ch/6638 'S. Korea ups security for NK defectors after murder of Kim Jong-nam' [1] With the North Korean ruler’s estranged half-brother killed in an apparent assassination, attention

Liberal presidential hopeful An Hee-jung on Wednesday underlined his realpolitik approach to Seoul's diplomacy with superpowers and North Korea, striking a contrast with his party primary rival, who is often criticized by rightists for belittling the United States and being too lenient on Pyongyang. In a forum with an association of senior journalists, the governor of South Chungcheong Province said that South Korea should urgently coordinate policies on North Korea and alliance issues with the

South Korea unveiled a long-term plan Wednesday to secure indigenous space technology with an aim to successfully emerge as a global power in the space sector by 2040, the science ministry said.Under the roadmap crafted by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, the government will first analyze the current technology level and develop 200 core space technologies that are necessary for the development of its indigenous space program. (Yonhap)"The roadmap for developing space technology

South Korea's official average land prices for 2017 rose 4.74 percent from the previous year, marking the fastest annual gain since the 2008-09 global financial crisis, government data showed Wednesday. The rise in land prices came from growing demand as parts of government institutions and public firms moved out of Seoul and construction projects boomed on the southern resort island of Jeju and the port city of Busan, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. (yonhap)On a

Stud after stud after stud. If you like being soaked in a world filled with beautiful men flashing their fine-toned abs and running loose fighting bad guys, then KBS 2TV's "Hwarang" may have been for you."Hwarang" is admittedly unapologetic eye candy, especially to K-pop fans at home and abroad given its cast filled with idol singers. But the big budget series came up short in resonating with the general audience.The fusion period series' final episode aired Tuesday and recorded a 7.9 percent vi

South Korea on Wednesday denounced Japan for sending a high-ranking official to a local event aimed at promoting its territorial claim to Seoul's easternmost islets of Dokdo."We strongly protest Japan's central government for maintaining its unjustified claim to Dokdo by sending a high-ranking official again to the so-called Dokdo Day held by Shimane Prefecture," the foreign ministry said in a statement. "We demand an immediate stop to the attempt." South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho Ju

South Korea's ruling Liberty Korea Party, which has been facing a political crisis after the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye, on Wednesday expressed hope on what it calls "shy conservatives," claiming opinion polls do not fully reflect the underlying public sentiment.According to the latest poll conducted by Realmeter, the main opposition Democratic Party posted an all-time high approval rating of 47.7 percent last week. The Liberty Korea Party managed to post 15.1 percent, followed by th

South Korea's short-term foreign debt rose 0.8 percent in 2016 from a year earlier, central bank data showed Wednesday.The country's short-term external debt, with a maturity of one year or less, totaled $105.2 billion as of the end of 2016, up $800 million from the end of 2015, according to the data by the Bank of Korea. (Yonhap)The figure accounted for 27.6 percent of the country's total external debt, up 1.3 percentage point from the end of 2015, the data showed.The nation's total external li

Childbirths in South Korea dropped to a record low last year despite decade-long efforts to tackle the country's chronically low birthrate, a report showed Wednesday.The number of babies born in 2016 reached 406,300, down 7.3 percent, or 32,100, from a year earlier, according to the report by Statistics Korea. (Yonhap)The figure marked the lowest number of newborns since 1970 when the statistics agency started to compile such data.The crude birth rate, referring to the number of live births per

South Korea's major conglomerates are ramping up efforts to run their sprawling business empires in a more transparent and law-abiding way following a high-profile corruption scandal that led to the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye, sources said Wednesday.Dozens of large companies, including top conglomerate Samsung Group, have been found to have donated tens of millions of dollars to two shady foundations controlled by Choi Soon-sil, a detained long-time ally of President Park.In a move t

One of South Korea's annual automobile exhibitions is set to kick off late next month, heralding in a series of new hybrids and autonomous vehicles, its organizing committee said Wednesday. The Seoul Motor Show will take place for a ten-day event in Ilsan, north of Seoul, starting from March 31, under the theme of "Picture the future, Enjoy the present," the Seoul Motor Show Organizing Committee said in a press release.  (Yonhap)"We will bring this opportunity to visitors not only to provide inf

The finance minister said Wednesday that his government will do its best to improve South Korea's economic and social systems to support its adaptation to the fourth industrial revolution in a timely manner."The government will go through a close review on our situation, strength and weakness before mapping out a strategy for the fourth industrial revolution," Finance Minister Yoo Il-ho said in a kick-off meeting of the government's fourth-revolution strategy committee on the outskirts of Seoul.

Malaysian police said Wednesday they have identified two additional North Koreans, including a diplomat, as suspects involved in the murder of the half brother of the North's leader Kim Jong-un.Police said they identified a North Korean embassy official and an airline employee -- Hyon Kwang-song and Kim Uk-il -- as those that need to be questioned in relation to the death of Kim Jong-nam.The diplomat holds the rank of second secretary at the North's embassy in Kuala Lumpur, while the airline emp

South Korea's parliamentary chief on Wednesday ruled out the possibility of exercising his authority to put to a vote an opposition proposal to extend the term of the independent counsel investigating a corruption scandal involving President Park Geun-hye. Opposition parties have been seeking to adopt a bill to extend the activity of the independent counsel whose term ends this month as Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn is unlikely to approve the request for an extended probe. In

South Korea said Wednesday that it does not favor efforts by some North Korean defectors' to establish a government-in-exile, adding that the government is in charge of inter-Korean unification.Local media reports said that North Korean defectors, mainly those living abroad, are seeking to set up an alternate government in a bid to put pressure on the North's ruler Kim Jong-un. (Yonhap)South Korea's unification ministry dismissed such an idea, saying that the Constitution stipulates that the Rep