GNP likely to push Assembly vote on Korea-U.S. trade dealA showdown between ruling and opposition lawmakers looms over the parliamentary ratification of the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement, as rival political parties showed little willingness to compromise. The governing Grand National Party on Thursday decided to force the bill through, a move likely to lead to an ugly brawl among legislators on the parliamentary floor. “We shouldn’t allow any more delay (in the ratification of the FTA.) We hav

Wisdom teeth, also known as third molars, are the last teeth to erupt in your mouth. This generally occurs between the ages of 17 and 25, a time of life that has been called the “Age of Wisdom.” It is hardly surprising that many countries including Korea, Japan and China call them wisdom teeth. What is an impacted tooth? Anthropologists note that the much softer modern diet could be responsible for the withdrawal or elimination of a stimulus that excites an adequate development of the human jaws

Korea’s IT, construction, finance and airline industries are swamped with layoffs and job reductions as global economic uncertainties stretch out. IT exporters have been losing money due to the recession in Europe and the U.S., while high oil prices and a weak Korean won against the dollar continue to weigh on air carriers. Korean Air recently decided to let go of about 100 senior employees who signed up for voluntary resignations, a program brought back after five years. The outgoing middle-man

GNP may push for vote on Korea-U.S. FTA bill on Nov. 24The Democratic Party on Wednesday refused to make any concession in its opposition to the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, rejecting President Lee Myung-bak’s offer to seek revision of a disputed part of the deal after its ratification. The liberal main opposition party, instead, demanded written commitments from both the Korean and U.S. governments that they will open talks immediately to delete or suspend clauses on the controversial Inves

A British professor who recently visited North Korea said Pyongyang citizens are still impoverished, though North Korean media are pouring out reports on how their factories and companies have boosted production. The North Korean mouthpieces, including the North Korean Central Broadcasting Station, have been releasing news reports about how the communist state’s light industries and factories overachieved their initial production targets.Hazel Smith, professor of security at Cranfield University

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― The United States raised concerns Tuesday over a nuclear reactor in North Korea that the communist state claims will soon start operating.North Korea’s uranium enrichment program “and construction of a light-water reactor violate U.N. Security Council resolutions as well as their commitment to the 2005 joint statement,” said State Department spokesman Mark Toner.“We have concerns,” said Toner. “Certainly we’re concerned about the matter.”North Korea on Nov. 10 announced throug

Experts say better social care needed to help them adapt to life in SouthMany North Korean defectors who risked their lives to come here have sought asylum in other countries after failing to adapt to life in the South, where they initially thought a rosy future lay ahead.When they land on foreign soil on a travel visa, they immediately discard their passports to disguise themselves as asylum seekers coming directly from the impoverished state, according to defectors and North Korea experts.Expe

An international festival is to give people a chance to share cultures from all around the world in Ulsan on Tuesday, Nov. 29. The Ulsan International Volunteer Center is to hold its annual One Heart Festival in the gymnasium at the community center in Ulsan Grand Park from 3-6 p.m.The center is seeking presenters to share their cultures through singing, dancing or any other way they wish, with prizes for the best performances. Last year, people from the area’s Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Vietnam

The Korean Animal Welfare Association is to hold a star-studded party for its supporters on Nov. 25. The event at ThinkCoffee in the Jongno area of Seoul will be attended by celebrities including Korean pop-star Lee Hyo-ri. The former Fin.K.L singer turned solo artist has supported several KAWA campaigns to improve living conditions for animals both in Korea and abroad. The animal rights organization will also be holding an awareness day on seal hunting this weekend. Campaigners will be handing