U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday he had nailed down the terms of a key security pact to govern the presence of U.S. troops in Afghanistan beyond 2014.The hard-won agreement was announced just hours before Afghan leaders were to debate the deal.Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai appears to have bowed to a U.S. demand that American troops not be tried in local courts if they are accused of any crimes, a key sticking point."As we sit here tonight we have agreed on the language th

A congressional advisory panel sounded a warning Wednesday about China's military buildup, predicting Beijing could possess the largest fleet of modern submarine and combatant ships in the western Pacific by 2020.The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission said China's military modernization is altering the balance of power in the Asia-Pacific region and challenging decades of U.S. pre-eminence.The commission advises Congress on the national security implications of the relationship b

Five men are accused in New York City of conspiring to smuggle 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of North Korean methamphetamine into the United States.The men were arrested in Thailand in September. All pleaded not guilty to conspiracy charges before a Manhattan judge on Wednesday.Authorities say two of the defendants were members of a Hong Kong-based criminal organization that marketed meth produced in North Korea. Two others are British citizens accused of agreeing to store and transport the drugs.A

The United States and Australia agreed Wednesday to enhance substantial military cooperation with South Korea in handling regional and global security problems."The two countries committed to intensifying their collaboration with the Republic of Korea (ROK) in the promotion of stability on the Korean Peninsula," the allies said in a joint communique to sum up the results of the Australia-U.S. Ministerial Consultations.In the annual meeting held in the 63rd year of the Washington-Canberra allianc

The U.S. government would not immediately confirm reports Wednesday that an elderly American man has been detained in North Korea since last month."We've seen the reports. I can't provide you any specific details, given the Privacy Act," Jen Psaki, the State Department's spokeswoman, said at a daily press briefing.Japan's Kyodo News Service reported the possibility of another American citizen being held in the communist nation.Some American media identified the man as Merrill Newman, 85, from Pa

President Barack Obama's national security adviser said Wednesday North Korea won't be allowed to resume dialogue as long as it keeps key parts of its nuclear weapons program running.Susan Rice made clear that for now, the Obama administration is more interested in talking with Iran than North Korea."We are no more interested in talking for talking's sake with North Korea than we would be with Iran," she said in a speech at Georgetown University.Her speech, titled "America's Future in Asia," cam

Lactic acid found kimchi was discovered to be effective in relieving atopic dermatitis, a study conducted by South Korean research team showed. According to Samsung Medical Center on Wednesday, its team of professors and a research team from Chung-ang University Hospital have proven the positive effect of lactobacillus plantarum (CJLP133) in cases of atopic skin conditions for the first time in the country.The researchers divided 83 atopic dermatitis patients, aged from one to 13, into two group

김치 유산균이 아토피 피부염 완화에 효과가 있다는 연구결과가 나왔다.20일 삼성서울병원에 따르면 소아청소년과 안강모•김지현•한영신 교수팀과 중앙대병원 연구팀은 김치 유래 유산균인 '락토바실루스 플랜타룸(Lactobacillus plantarum) CJLP133(이하 CJLP133)'이 아토피 피부염을 완화하는 데 효과가 있다는 사실을 국내 처음으로 규명했다. 이같은 연구성과는 지난해 '소아 알레르기 면역학'(Pediatric Allergy and Immunology)지에 게재했다.연구는 아토피 피부염 진단을 받은 1~13세 어린이 83명을 CJLP133 복용그룹(44명)과 비복용그룹(39명)으로 나눠 12주간에 걸쳐 비교 분석했다. 그 결과 CJLP133을 먹은 아이들은 12주가 지나자 아토피 피부염 중증도 지수(SCORAD, SCORing Atopic Dermatitis)가 27.6점에서 20.4점으로 낮아졌다. 아토피 중증도 지수가 26점 이상이면 아토피가 심한 편으로 평가받지만

High school students from the affluent Gangnam area in Seoul are strengthening their dominance on the admission roster for Korea’s top university, a lawmaker’s report showed on Wednesday.In a report by Rep. Yoo Ki-hong of the main opposition Democratic Party, seven out of 10 high school graduates from Seoul that were accepted to the prestigious Seoul National University came from the three Gangnam districts: Gangnam-gu, Seocho-gu and Songpa-gu. Out of the total 187 Seoul-based students who made

2013학년도 서울대 정시 합격생 10명 중 7명이 강남 출신인 것으로 알려졌다. 서울대학교가 국회 교육문화체육관광위원회 소속 유기홍 민주당 의원에게 제출한 자료에 의하면, 2013학년도 서울대 정시모집에 합격한 서울 지역 일반고 학생 187명 가운데 131명이 강남구, 서초구, 송파구, 이른바 강남 3구 출신인 것으로 나타났다.강남 3구 출신의 서울대 정시 합격률은 2011년 54.3%, 2012년 57.7%, 2013년에는 70.1%로 매년 증가하는 추세를 보이고 있다. 학교 소재지가 강남구에 집중되어 있는 현상에 대해 유 의원은 “일부 지역에 서울대 쏠림 현상을 완화하기 위해 학군 개편을 검토할 때”라고 지적했다.(임우정 인턴기자 / 코리아헤럴드)<관련영문기사>New Gangnam style: students dominate admission for top collegeHigh school students from the affluent Gangnam area in Seoul

South Korean stocks closed 0.71 percent lower Wednesday, as investors' sentiment was dented by weak economic growth outlooks from home and abroad, analysts said. The local currency fell against the U.S. dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) shed 14.4 points to finish at 2,017.24. Trading volume was moderate at 329.3 million shares worth 4.36 trillion won (US$4.13 billion) with losers outnumbering gainers 416 to 385.Analysts said Seoul shares lost ground as investors' sen

An international inspection of South Korea's nuclear power plants and its state-run operator has identified nearly 200 minor problems, though they do not warrant any immediate safety concerns, the country's nuclear commission said Wednesday.According to the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC), the special inspection by Germany's TUV SUD concluded that South Korea's nuclear power generation system is largely immune to any immediate threat, while identifying 35 findings, along with 145 r

Japan should be fully aware of its misdeeds during its imperialistic period, South Korea's foreign ministry said Tuesday, following the discovery of fresh records on Korean victims during Japan's colonial rule.   The South Korean Embassy in Japan recently found a few dozen lists containing the identities of South Koreans victimized in a nationwide independence movement in 1919 and in Japan's massacre of Koreans after the 1923 earthquake in Kanto, Japan.   The new records, filed in the 1950s by t