Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after holding talks with Kim’s special envoy.Russia confirmed that it is ready for contact with North Korea at various levels, including the highest level, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in response to a question from a Korean news provider whether his discussions with the North’s special envoy, Choe Ryong-hae, included the possibility of

North Korea agreed Friday to former South Korean first lady Lee Hee-ho’s plan to make an overland trip to the communist country, one of her aides said.The North also promised to allow the wife of late former President Kim Dae-jung to stay at the Paekhwawon State Guesthouse in Pyongyang, according to former culture minister Kim Sung-hoon.But no date has been set yet for the date of Lee’s planned visit and the size of her entourage, he added.“We agreed to discuss the matters in the second working-

A district court on Thursday handed down a prison term of 10 years to Kim Han-shik, chief of Chonghaejin Marine Co., the operator of the sunken ferry Sewol, for neglecting the safety of the vessel.Eight other officials of the marine company were given prison sentences ranging from three to six years, and two officials were handed suspended jail terms, the Gwangju District Court said.They included the executive in charge of maritime affairs, surnamed Ahn, who was given six years in prison with a

Nineteen incumbent and former officials of a state-funded sports agency have been implicated in an embezzlement scheme involving corporate funds, police said Wednesday. The suspects include Jung Jung-taek, former chairman of the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation; the incumbent chief secretary, surnamed Kim; and 17 other officials. The KSPO is a state-owned company that uses taxpayers’ money with the approval of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.Ex-chairman Jung, 69, has been booked wit

The University of Suwon is suspected of irregularly appointing the daughter of a political heavyweight as its faculty despite her ineligibility for the post, a civic group alleged Tuesday.The daughter of the ruling Saenuri Party chairman Kim Moo-sung is working as an assistant professor of the university’s college of art & design in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province.While the prosecution on Monday cleared the university of any irregularity, the Peoples’ Solidarity for Participatory Democracy has expre

The Seoul High Court ruled Tuesday that bar owners should pay taxes on the income they earned from arranging sex-for-money activities between female employees and male customers; a ruling that effectively allows authorities to collect taxes from illicit sex businesses.The appellate court sentenced a bar owner surnamed Jeon to four years in prison for selling alcohol and letting female workers have sexual relations with customers in return for money.Jeon was also ordered to pay a criminal fine of

The number of young applicants for part-time jobs is expected to surge in the coming weeks as the annual college entrance exam took place last Thursday.Seoul YMCA said Monday younger jobseekers, aged 18-20, must check the basic labor laws and regulations such as the nation’s minimum wage and the upper ceiling on working hours when signing on for part-time positions. Citing its previous poll of 1,540 high school students, Seoul YMCA said that employers of young part-time workers break an average

A Seoul court on Monday sentenced a government official to eight months in prison for illegally accessing personal data on a former prosecutor general’s extramarital son. Cho I-je, 54, a high-ranking official at the Seocho District Office in southern Seoul, was found guilty of accessing and leaking the boy’s information, a move that prompted Prosecutor General Chae Dong-wook to resign in September last year. In addition, a National Intelligence Service official was given a suspended jail term fo

Earlier this year, the government unveiled its plan to offer a 1-million-won subsidy for hybrid cars per unit. But the number of beneficiaries will likely stay at 32,500 next year under a recent budget adjustment.The Ministry of Environment has been pressured to scale back its spending on subsidies for eco-friendly hybrid vehicles by 18 percent from its earlier plan, which may lead to a backlash from consumers and automakers.Though the ministry had planned to provide 40,000 retail buyers of hybr

Taxi operators are set to enjoy higher fuel efficiency as the government will allow them to introduce diesel-powered taxis in the second half of next year.The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has paved the way for the taxi industry to operate vehicles powered by diesel. The ministry argued that fuel diversification is necessary to improve the financial status of the operators and to weather fluctuations in the cost of liquefied petroleum gas.Most of the 250,000 taxis nationwide run

A fire occurred at Guryong village in Gaepo district, southern Seoul, at around 2 p.m., causing 139 residents to evacuate.Police said a 71-year-old resident was found dead around 7 p.m.Firefighter were able to contain most of the blaze at about 3:30 p.m., and are continuing to put out the last flames.The fire, which started at a junk shop, burned through some 900 square meters of the town, including some 60 residences in 16 unauthorized housing structures.Most residents evacuated to a nearby mid

BEIRUT (AFP) - More than 1,000 people, mostly jihadists, have been killed in Kobane since the Islamic State group launched an offensive on the Syrian town nearly two months ago, a monitor said Sunday.IS jihadists, who proclaimed a "caliphate" in June straddling territory captured in Iraq and Syria, launched their offensive for the town -- also known as Ain al-Arab -- in mid-September."At least 1,013 people have been killed in fighting in Ain al-Arab from the beginning of the offensive till last