North Korea said Thursday the body of late leader Kim Jong-il will lie in state permanently at a mausoleum and his February birthday will be instituted as the “Day of the Shining Star.”The North also said it will erect Kim’s statue and portraits and build towers across the country in what could be an attempt to strengthen his personality cult and justify the dynastic power succession of his son, Kim Jong-un.“From the standpoint of Jong-un, Kim Jong-il needs to be idolized,” said a South Korean o

TOKYO (Yonhap News) -- The eldest brother of North Korea’s new leader Kim Jong-un has expressed doubts about his half-sibling’s hold on power, anticipating the ruling elite to extend their influence over the communist country, a Japanese newspaper said Thursday.Kim Jong-nam told the Tokyo Shimbun in an e-mail sent on Jan. 3 that he has “doubts about how a young successor with some two years (of training as heir) can retain the 37 years of absolute power”wielded by his late father and former lead

South Korean military officials are being targeted by hackers using e-mails with North Korea-related attached files.According to local news reports, South Korean military officials have been receiving e-mails containing attached files with titles related to North Korea or Seoul-Washington relations.One e-mail contains a file with a title that suggests it is an analysis of North Korea’s New Year’s editorial.Another appears to be from a U.S. military officer, and contains a hacking program in a fi

Decision invites backlash from women’s groups, opposition parties Maternity leave should not be counted as part of a woman’s working period, the Ministry of Government Legislation said Thursday, sparking a backlash from women’s groups.Critics claim that the interpretation is against the law, calling for equal treatment and opportunities for all working women regardless of pregnancy.The dispute was sparked when the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism asked the Ministry of Government Legislati

Police here are investigating two men on suspicions of providing and selling passes onto a Seoul U.S. military base, officials said Thursday.According to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Station, a retired Korean Army lieutenant colonel and his associate, a special assistant for international relations for a former U.S. Forces Korea commander have been booked without detention.The reserve officer and his acquaintance are being questioned regarding allegations that they provided passes onto the Yong

Six out of 100 people here visit Oriental medical doctors, a Ministry of Health and Welfare survey found Thursday. Expensive treatment and lingering doubts about the safety of medicines are stopping more people from choosing traditional treatments over Western practices, the authority said. According to research conducted on 5,507 people who have used Oriental medicine, as well as 471 Oriental medical institutions and 863 places selling Oriental medicines, 86.5 percent of people use Western medi

The prosecution has indicted and arrested a number of securities firm officials on charges of taking bribes in warrant bond issuance deals.The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office, which has been investigating illegal deals in the financial industry since late last year, has indicted four executives and working-level officials of four local securities firms.According the investigators’ findings the four securities dealers took bribes of as much as 830 million won ($717,000) for helping co

North Korea said Wednesday it did not ask the U.S. for food aid before the death of Kim Jong-il, accusing Washington of “politicizing” food issues.“Enemy forces are spreading false gossip as if we had asked for food (from the U.S.),” North Korea’s foreign ministry spokesperson said.According to Pyongyang, the food aid issue was raised in early 2011, as the two sides were discussing an undelivered 330,000 tons of food aid of 500,000 tons the U.S. had promised in 2008. Pyongyang said Washington of

Korea should swiftly draft measures to meet surging demand from the aging population and deep-pocketed Arab and Asian consumers to sustain growth for the next 10 years, a trade association urged Wednesday. Over the next decade, the growing elderly population will be a significant factor driving the market around the world and create niche products, the Korea International Trade Association said in a report. The United Nations forecasts the number of people aged 65 or older will rise from 530 mil