South Korean President Moon Jae-in left Wednesday for Vladivostok, Russia, where he will attend a regional forum and hold a series of bilateral summits with other leaders that will largely focus on how to punish North Korea for its latest nuclear test.Following his arrival in the Russian city, the South Korean leader is set to hold a bilateral summit with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, according to officials from the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae.North Korea and its recent provocati

South Korea advanced to their ninth consecutive FIFA World Cup following a scoreless draw against Uzbekistan in their final qualifying match Tuesday.The teams traded 30 shots without landing one in the back of the net at Bunyodkor Stadium, but South Korea earned to right to compete at the 2018 World Cup in Russia after Iran and Syria ended in a 2-2 draw.South Korea finished in second place in Group A of the final Asian qualifying round with 15 points from four wins, three draws and three losses.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in called for stepped up efforts to further improve his country's relationship with Russia on Tuesday, also expressing hope for the countries to sign a free trade agreement to enhance their economic ties.(Yonhap)Moon insisted increased cooperation between the two countries may be crucial to establishing lasting peace in the region."Since the establishment of diplomatic ties in September 1990, South Korea and Russia have continued to expand their cooperation in var

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday he will not reject any form of talks with North Korea if necessary to resolve the nuclear standoff, but this is not the right time.Moon Jae-in (Yonhap)He made the remarks in a written interview with TASS Russian News Agency ahead of his visit to Russia's Vladivostok on Wednesday to attend a regional forum known as the Eastern Economic Forum. He is also set to hold bilateral talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.He said the North's recen

North Korea on Tuesday called its recent nuclear test and other provocations a “gift package” for the United States.(Yonhap)Han Tae-song, the North’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, was addressing the UN-sponsored Conference on Disarmament two days after Pyongyang conducted its sixth and largest nuclear test to date.“The recent self-defense measures by my country, DPRK, are a gift package addressed to none other than the US,” Han was quoted as saying by Reuters. The DPRK is short for North Korea

A Seoul court on Tuesday dismissed local residents’ request to temporarily invalidate the government’s offering of land to host a U.S. missile defense system.  Site designated for THAAD deployment in Seongju, some 300 km southeast of Seoul (Yonhap)In April, 396 people filed an administrative suit against the provision of a former golf course in Seongju County, North Gyeongsang Province, to U.S. Forces Korea, claiming that it is a violation of the law on state-owned land. The also asked the court

SK Wyverns' third baseman Choi Jeong on Tuesday became the fifth player in South Korean baseball to hit 40 home runs in back-to-back seasons. Choi Jeong of the SK Wyverns launches a three-run home run off the Hanwha Eagles during the clubs` Korea Baseball Organization game at Incheon SK Happy Dream Park in June. (Yonhap)Choi launched his 40th homer of the 2017 Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season off Song Seung-jun of the Lotte Giants in the bottom of the first at Incheon SK Happy Dream Park

The ruling Democratic Party and government on Tuesday agreed on the need for sanctions and pressure to rein in an increasingly provocative North Korea, calling its latest nuclear test a "grave provocation on a level different from the past."They, however, reiterated the importance of a peaceful resolution to the decadeslong military standoff that escalated after Pyongyang conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test to date on Sunday.Back Hye-ryun, the spokeswoman of the ruling Democratic

The commander of the US Pacific Fleet said Tuesday his forces will continue to deploy formidable defense assets to or near the Korean Peninsula in order to show Washington's security commitment here with "actions."Adm. Scott Swift, commander of the US Pacific Fleet (Yonhap)Adm. Scott Swift stressed that his fleet is responsible for nearly 60 percent of US Navy assets amid the "Third Fleet Forward" initiative. It calls for ships of the San Diego-based fleet to participate in missions in the Weste

China appears to have intensified its crackdown on North Kora defectors and detained at least 41 refugees over the past two months, New York-based Human Rights Watch said Tuesday. "China has detained at least 41 North Korean refugees, and an undetermined number of their guides, in the past two months," the organization said on its homepage citing activists and North Koreans living in South Korea.  (Yonhap)Most of them were arrested in China's Yunnan Province, which borders Laos, and Jilin Provin

South Korea's small and medium-sized enterprise leaders called on the government Tuesday to provide more support in the face of an increased minimum wage and reduced working hours that will impact their businesses.In a meeting with Labor Minister Kim Young-joo, Park Sung-taek, chairman of the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business, said its member companies will cooperate with the government's efforts to raise the minimum wage and reduce working hours, but stressed Seoul has to provide fi

Prosecutors on Tuesday requested court warrants to arrest two retired officials of the National Intelligence Service as part of a probe into the spy agency's interference in the 2012 presidential election. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office said they are seeking to arrest them on charges of violating the election law. Former NIS chief Won Sei-hoon has recently been convicted for violations of laws regarding both elections and the intelligence agency by hiring civilians to write Intern

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon said Tuesday South Korea will enlarge its pool of money established to lend to developing countries as the country should pay back foreign aid that helped transform it into an economic powerhouse.Lee made the remark during an international conference marking the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Economic Development Cooperation Fund, a pool of money the country created in 1987 to provide low-interest loans to developing countries."It's difficult for developi