Government designates area a disaster zoneThe government on Monday designated the area in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province hit by an acid leak a disaster zone amid criticism over its belated response to the incident.Experts said it may take more than five years for the town to fully recover its agricultural land and crops, which are the main source of income and food for residents in the area.The tardy response of the government and miscalculation by the state-run scientific institute is being bl

Korea’s Defense Ministry has its soldiers use aging and out-of-date materials for chemical and biological warfare exercises, raising concerns over their health and drill practicality.Citing a report submitted to the National Assembly’s national defense committee, lawmakers said that the ministry had only disposed of 44,367 materials out of 165,600 between 2008 and 2011. The rest, including 29-year-old mask filters and 13-year-old emergency personal decontaminants, are still being used. Soldiers

South Korea will consider launching a preemptive strike against North Korea should it detect signs that the communist state will use its nuclear weaponry during wartime, said Jung Seung-jo, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.Speaking to the National Assembly’s national defense committee on Monday, Jung said that the new missile guidelines agreed between Korea and the U.S. will give the country more “flexibility” in countering threats from the North.He added that he is satisfied with the outco

An opposition lawmaker has lashed out at some senior diplomats for allowing their sons to dodge military service.Citing a report submitted to the foreign affairs, trade and unification committee of the National Assembly, lawmaker Yoo In-tae from the Democratic United Party said that sons of several diplomats have been found to either indefinitely or completely put off their national duty by living overseas for a long period of time, or by giving up their Korean citizenship.He noted, for example,

Police detained a man who attacked a woman in front of a church in Chilgok, North Gyeongsang Province, on Wednesday in the second random stabbing in less than a week in the town. The 24-year-old man with a developmental disorder stabbed the 54-year-old woman in the left arm and right hand.The suspect, identified by his last name Kim, was caught by other church visitors while trying to flee the scene. Police will issue an arrest warrant after investigating his motives and mental history.On Monday

Korea and China avoided brewing tension over the latter’s planned drone dispatch to inspect areas including leodo after Beijing notified Seoul that the action is intended not to boost its jurisdiction claim, but only for surveillance purposes.This comes after Korea demanded that China verify a Chinese media report that China’s State Oceanic Administration plans to send an unmanned aerial vehicle to monitor the submerged rock south of Jeju Island in the exclusive economic zone shared by the two c

Kim Kyong-hui, the aunt of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, is reportedly ill and has checked into a hospital in Singapore.Various sources and news media in China and Japan reported that Kim may be in seriously poor health as she has not appeared at events or meetings in the communist state for more than a month.Kim, a secretary of the Worker’s Party, has been playing a key role in mentoring her nephew since he took control of North Korea in December 2011 after his father Kim Jong-il passed away

Korea is likely to face tough price negotiations for its planned purchase of advanced attack helicopters, with costs currently appearing almost double the budget allocated for the project.The Defense Acquisition Program Administration plans to select the provider for 36 advanced military copters by late November. Boeing’s AH-64D Apache Longbow, Bell’s AH-1Z Cobra and Turkish Aerospace Industries/AgustaWestland’s T-129 choppers are competing for the deal. The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Age

The government on Tuesday called for a 5.1 percent increase in its defense budget for next year to improve defense and the welfare of its soldiers.The Ministry of National Defense has drawn up a spending plan worth 34.6 trillion won for 2013, up from 32.9 trillion won this year.It plans to allocate 24.1 trillion to the operations and maintenance of its strategic military bases, which includes boosting the health and welfare of its soldiers, and providing other necessities such as high-tech train

The Korean government on Tuesday endorsed a motion to extend its troop deployment in Somalia and the United Arab Emirates for another year until the end of 2013. The Cabinet meanwhile approved a separate bill, calling for the withdrawal of most soldiers in Afghanistan this year except for a 70-strong unit to protect aid workers and embassy staff.The proposals are subject to parliamentary approval.Korea dispatched 310 troops to the Gulf of Aden off Somalia in 2009 as part of a multinational effor

Hyundai Heavy, Hyundai Motor, POSCO had the lowest employment rateKorea’s top ten companies have been slow and reluctant to hire new employees despite a sharp increase in revenue over the years, according to media reports citing data by the Financial Supervisory Service and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry.The number of people employed by the top 10 in their respective sectors such as consumer electronics, automobile, steel and retail only stood at 294,652 last year, up from 222,995 in