Seoul says high-level meeting possible when North takes responsible stepsThe North Korean military said Thursday that it no longer felt any need to engage in dialogue with its South Korean counterpart, blaming Seoul for Wednesday’s breakup of the inter-Korean working-level military talks.Its statement, in which it called the South the “group of traitors” ― a hostile expression it has refrained fro

Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin is on a five-day trip to Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates, which began Monday with an aim to encourage Korean troops stationed there and enhance defense cooperation with the two countries, officials said Wednesday.It is the first official overseas trip for Kim since he took office last December.On Tuesday, Kim visited the Korean contingent, called the “Ashena

The two Koreas failed to narrow their differences at their working-level military talks Tuesday and will hold more talks Wednesday at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjeom, Seoul’s Defense Ministry said.The talks, where Col. Moon Sang-gyun and his North Korean counterpart Col. Ri Son-kwon represented each side, were aimed at coordinating details about the venue, date, agenda and level of r

Shin Young-moo, a 65-year-old veteran lawyer whose election as chairperson of the Korean Bar Association was virtually predetermined, has vowed to tackle the unemployment issue facing new attorneys.“This year, the Judicial Research and Training Institute produced 1,000 new attorneys. Of the total, (nearly) 45 percent remain unemployed,” said Shin. “In the local legal market at crossroads, the live