South Korea will lease several military spy satellites from a foreign country next year and speed up the improvement of its combat power against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, the Ministry of National Defense announced Friday.It plans to pour 238.2 trillion won ($210 billion) into a number of projects aimed at boosting the country's military firepower between 2018 and 2022 under the revised mid-term national defense blueprint. Hyunmoo-3 cruise missiles. (Yonhap)The South, which has a

Centrist presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo pledged Friday to create a regulation-free industrial park to encourage the launch of more startups.The nominee of the center-left People's Party made the promise during a meeting with trade industry representatives, saying he believes in the importance of easing regulations while simultaneously strengthening the monitoring of firms. Ahn Cheol-soo, presidential nominee of the People's Party, speaks to trade industry representatives at the Convention

North Korea is apparently preparing to stage a large-scale military parade as early as this weekend, officials here said Friday, amid rising tensions on the peninsula."There is intelligence that North Korea has controlled traffic in Pyongyang for a military parade," a South Korean government official said.He said the move, if true, could be intended to transport various types of weapons and other equipment, stored at the Mirim airfield, to the downtown area of the capital. North Korea stages a m

A local detention center came under fire Friday over allegations it gave a special favor to former President Park Geun-hye, who has been arrested in connection with a corruption scandal that removed her from office.According to the Seoul Detention Center, Park was allowed to stay at one of its offices for prison guards for two days until it completed the maintenance work for a solitary cell where she was later detained.  Former President Park Geun-hye heads to the Seoul Central District Court fr

North Korea's vice foreign minister said that the country will conduct another nuclear test at any time upon the leadership's decision, a news report said Friday.In an interview with the Associated Press, Vice Foreign Minister Han Song-ryol said that the situation on the Korean Peninsula was in a "vicious cycle," adding that Pyongyang won't tolerate a US pre-emptive strike.(Yonhap)"If the US comes with reckless military maneuvers then we will confront it with a pre-emptive strike" Han was quoted

삼성그룹 서초사옥에 폭발물을 설치할 계획이라 는 신고가 14일 접수돼 경찰이 특공대를 동원해 수색 중이다. 서울 서초경찰서는 서초구 서초동 삼성 서초사옥에 입주한 삼성생명 빌딩에  있 는 사람들을 전원 대피시키고 수색하고 있다고 밝혔다. (사진=연합뉴스)경찰 등에 따르면 이날 오전 11시 18분께 부산지방경찰청에 '삼성생명 사무실에 폭발물을 설치할 계획'이라는 페이스북 메시지를 받았다는 신고가 접수됐다.이 메시지에는 '북한공작원 2명이 생명본사 4층에 폭발물을 설치했다'고 영어로 쓰여져 있던 것으로 전해졌다. 신고자가 이 메시지를 받은 시점은 이달 11일이다.  (연합뉴스)

WASHINGTON -- The United States is assessing military options in response to North Korea's weapons programs, a White House foreign policy advisor confirmed Friday, saying another provocative test was a question of "when" rather than "if."As speculation mounted that Pyongyang is preparing to fire a trial nuke or missile on a major anniversary Saturday, the official said the United States was poised to deal with the security threat posed by North Korea's nuclear ambitions."Military options are alr

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Vice President Mike Pence is opening his trip to the Asia-Pacific region amid increasing tensions in North Korea over the regime's nuclear and missile programs. Pence is set to arrive Sunday in South Korea as President Donald Trump vows that Kim Jong Un's government is a "problem" that will be "taken care of." Vice President Mike Pence speaks during a town hall. (AP-Yonhap)The vice president's 10-day trip comes as North Korea celebrates the 105th anniversary of the birth of na

The South Korean women's national football team returned home on Thursday from North Korea after qualifying for the top Asian competition next year.South Korea, led by head coach Yoon Duk-yeo, won the Asian Football Confederation Women's Asian Cup Group B qualifying tournament in Pyongyang, where they competed against North Korea, Uzbekistan, Hong Kong and India. The South Korean women's national football team poses for a group photo at Gimpo International Airport in Seoul on April 13, 2017. (Yo

South Korea will attend the International Hydrographic Organization meeting to be held later this month in Monaco to promote the use of "East Sea" in naming the body of water between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, the foreign ministry said Friday.South Korea will send a delegation consisting of 30 government officials and private-sector experts to the IHO's 19th general assembly to be held in Monaco from April 24-28, according to a ministry official. South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson C

Shilla Duty Free said Friday it has launched a mobile app and an Internet website mall targeting Japanese clients to offset the decline in Chinese tourists triggered by the missile defense system row between Seoul and Beijing. It is Shilla Duty Free's second mobile shopping mall for foreigners after one opened for Chinese customers in 2014.(Yonhap)Chinese travel agencies have in recent months suspended sales of tour packages to South Korea as part of the Beijing government's retaliation against

North Korea appears to seek to strengthen internal solidarity and give off an image of being unscathed by sanctions by opening a new high-rise residential area, South Korea's unification ministry said Friday.North Korea on Thursday held the ceremony to mark the completion of the construction of Ryomyong Street lined with skyscrapers in Pyongyang as it is set to celebrate the 105th birthday of late state founder Kim Il-sung on Saturday. A combination of photos carried by North Korea's Rodong Sinm

The South Korea men's national under-20 football team will play friendly matches against Uruguay and Senegal before entering the World Cup at home, the sport's national governing body said Friday. The Korea Football Association said South Korea's U-20 team will face Uruguay on May 11 and take on Senegal three days later. The venues for two matches will be announced later, it added. In this file photo taken on April 10, 2017, South Korea's men's under-20 football team renews its resolution for vi

MOKPO -- Finding the remains of the nine missing people in the Sewol ferry sinking is the top priority of the government-led team tasked with determining the cause and helping to heal the pain caused by the tragedy, official sources said Friday.The Sewol has been safety placed in dry dock in Mokpo a few days before the third anniversary of its sinking, with workers taking steps to clean and disinfect the ill-fated vessel before the full-scale search begins.   (Yonhap)The ferry capsized in waters