Gold fell after the biggest advance in almost two weeks as SPDR Gold Trust holdings extended the longest streak of declines and other commodities dropped after China’s producer prices retreated more than forecast.Holdings in the world’s largest exchange-traded fund fell 0.6 percent to 1,051.47 metric tons yesterday, the 22nd day of declines and the lowest since March 2009, according to figures on the company’s website. Bullion climbed 1.5 percent yesterday, the most since April 25, on signs of i

Korea, China and Japan will pledge joint efforts at an annual trilateral meeting to reduce the environmental impact of air pollution and tackle climate change issues in the Northeast Asia region.The Ministry of Environment said Thursday that Environment Minister Yoon Seong-kyu would suggest holding regular three-way talks for tackling air pollution, and setting up a network to share information on environmental policies at the annual 15th Tripartite Environment Ministers Meeting attended by Kore

The Supreme Court overturned a lower court’s ruling that granted refugee status to a Chinese Falun Gong practitioner who sought refuge here to avoid persecution.The court said in its ruling last Thursday that the fact that the man named Choi was a practitioner of Falun Gong was not a strong enough reason to give him refugee status. “Refugee status can be granted only to those Falun Gong practitioners who are clearly subject to oppression by the Chinese government because of their active involvem

The prosecution raided the National Intelligence Service Tuesday as part of its widening probe into the agency’s alleged politicking in the presidential election last year. It was the second time in history for the top spy agency to undergo a search and seizure.The prosecution’s move came a day after former NIS chief Won Sei-hoon was questioned for more than 14 hours for his alleged role in the scandal.A team of 25 prosecutors reportedly seized relevant documents, digital files, and hard disks f

Seoul City government has published a new food and restaurant guide in three foreign languages for travelers visiting the city, officials said Tuesday.The booklet named “Soul Food of Seoul” recommends representative Korean dishes and the 10 must-visit restaurants in the city and is available in English, Chinese and Japanese. It introduces various dining places on popular food streets such as Shindang-dong Tteokboggi (rice cake with spicy sauce) Alley, Hamheung Naengmyun (cold noodle) street and

A group of lawyers accused the National Intelligence Service of fabricating a pro-North Korea espionage charge against a Chinese-Korean man. In February the former Seoul City employee identified by his surname Yoo was indicted for handing information on around 200 North Korean defectors to Pyongyang agents. The Lawyers for a Democratic Society said Saturday that NIS agents threatened and coaxed his sister to make false confessions about her brother’s espionage activities. “Yoo’s sister made the

A string of cases involving parents killing their children have recently shocked the nation, ringing the alarm on the dangers of broken families and mental vulnerability.On Sunday, a mother in her 30s stabbed her two children to death in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, after reportedly suffering from depression. Her husband told police that he had found his wife bleeding from self-inflicted wounds on her neck. The 13-month and 3-week-old sons were found on the bed stabbed in the neck multiple times. Th

Police in Daegu are searching for two suspects in an arson attack on a private English institute which the self-proclaimed anti-American activists apparently mistook for a U.S. government facility. Police said the fire appeared to have been started by improvised explosives on Monday morning. A cleaning worker, surnamed Lee, called the police after she heard an explosion and found smoke with fliers scattered in front of the institute on the third floor of a nine-story building in the city. Police

An investigation into intelligence agents’ alleged interference in politics took a new turn over the weekend upon whistle-blowing by a police chief investigator that sent ripples through political circles and the nation’s intelligence agency. Kwon Eun-hee, a former chief investigator at the Suseo Police Station, confessed Saturday through several media interviews that there was pressure from high-ranking police officers from the National Police Agency during the investigation against agents of t