North Korea’s young leader Kim Jong-un appears to be running the communist regime under collective leadership, but it remains to be seen how long the inexperienced leader will depend on the new system, Britain’s top diplomat stationed in Pyongyang said Wednesday.Kim Jong-un, the third and youngest son of late leader Kim Jong-il, is believed to be in his late 20s and has been rapidly consolidating power since the death of his father on Dec. 17. North Korea’s military, the backbone of the country’

Some suspect his intentions behind interviews given to Japanese mediaRecently revealed remarks by Kim Jong-nam, the eldest son of late North Korean ruler Kim Jong-il, have drawn attention here as he painted a grim outlook for the leadership of his brother Jong-un.Through his remarks, he disparaged the third-generation power succession, doubted Jong-un’s untested leadership and asserted the need for an openness policy to shore up the moribund economy of the North.Jong-nam apparently fell out of h

Volunteers are being sought to help out with language buddy programs in Seoul. The Seoul Village group is seeking more facilitators to help with its informal conversation clubs as well as its more focused weekly group meetings for learners of languages such as Spanish, Korean, French, Russian and Portuguese. The group is also seeking volunteer linguists to provide simplified translation services offered via phone, text or e-mail. “Considering that we don’t have enough volunteers, we provide simp

Animal lovers are invited to join a trip to Asan animal shelter on Jan. 22. The group will meet at the Cheonan/Asan KTX station near Dunkin Donuts at 11 a.m. before traveling together to the shelter. Volunteers are advised to bring hand sanitizer, snacks for the animals as well as a change of clothes and sturdy pair of shoes. Volunteers will walk and play with the animals as well as helping out with some cleaning and grooming. Anyone wishing to attend should first e-mail tatianahopps@yahoo.com.

Students from a school near the DMZ have visited the U.K. Embassy to deliver a poster of thanks dedicated to British veterans of the Korean War. Three students from Jeokseong Composite High School in Paju, Gyeonggi Province traveled to Seoul with their teachers to thank British Ambassador Scott Wightman for U.K. soldiers’ service during the 1951-53 war and for scholarships they have donated to Korean students ever since. The fund is supported by British companies doing business in Korea. High sc

 Suwon homeless help group remembers late teacher’s giving spiritThe leader of a new homeless support group in Suwon has paid tribute to the volunteer leader that inspired him to start helping others. Sarah Farkas helped organize scores of international volunteers to give out food to homeless people around Seoul Station every Sunday, before leaving Korea to travel in Cambodia. But the English teacher, who had been suffering from health problems for some time, died suddenly on Sept. 9 while on h

DETROIT (AP) ― That clunker in America’s driveway has reached a record old age, but there are signs that people may be growing confident enough in the economy to get a whiff of that fresh new car scent very soon. The average age of a car or truck in the U.S. hit a record 10.8 years last year as job security and other economic worries kept many people from making big-ticket purchases such as a new car. That’s up from the old record of 10.6 years in 2010, and it and continues a trend that dates to