북한에 억류됐다가 31개월 만에 풀려난 한국계 캐나다인 임현수 목사는 13일(현지시간) "북한에서 겨울에도 너비 1ｍ, 깊이 1ｍ의 구덩이를 파야 했다"면서 혹독했던 억류 생활을 일부 소개했다.임 목사는 지난 9일 북한 당국의 병보석으로 풀려났으며, 전날 캐나다에 도착한 것으로 전해졌다.그는 이날 캐나다 온타리오주 미시소거에 있는 큰빛교회 일요예배에 참석, 석방 이후 처음으로 공개장소에 모습들 드러냈다.그는 2015년 1월 북한 취약계층 지원을 위해 북한 나선시를 방문, 이튿날 평양에 들어갔다가 북한 당국에 의해 체포돼 같은 해 12월 '국가전복' 혐의로 무기노동교화형을 선고받고 억류 생활을 해왔었다.이날 예배에서 임 목사는 "땅은 꽁꽁 얼어 있었고, 진흙땅이 너무 단단해 구덩이 하나를 파는 데 이틀이 걸렸다"면서 "상체는 땀으로 흠뻑 졌었지만 손가락과 발가락은 동상에 걸렸다"고 전했다.그는 겨울에 석탄 저장 시설 안에서 꽁꽁 언 석탄을 쪼개는 작업도 했다고 설명했다.임 목사는 봄과

With President Moon Jae-in set to mark his 100th day in office this week, the geopolitical situation on the Korean Peninsula and Seoul's relations with major powers remain tricky, posing a grave challenge for the new leader down the road. Moon came into office on May 10 with urgent missions to address North Korea's advancing nuclear and missile programs and find a way out of inter-Korean tension as well as untangle bilateral feuds with China which frets over Seoul's deployment of a US defense sy

President Moon Jae-in has championed job creation and increased household income as a way to put South Korea on the path of sustainable economic growth that can benefit all people.Moon has vowed to create 810,000 "quality" jobs in the public sector during his single five-year term in office that ends in 2022.Last month, the National Assembly, despite some objections, passed the 11.03 trillion-won ($9.8 billion) supplementary budget bill that aims to create 2,575 central government jobs

In less than 100 days since taking office, new South Korean President Moon Jae-in appears to have successfully turned the boat around, mostly for the better, but also with many challenges that include escalating tension with communist North Korea.The changes initiated by Moon during his first three months have been many and wide, as he pushes for all-embracing reforms of the nation, starting with the way the head of state is treated.Just before he was sworn on May 10, Moon visited the leaders of

South Korean winger Son Heung-min has made his Premier League season debut with Tottenham Hotspur after recovering from an arm fracture, much to the relief of the national team brass ahead of key World Cup qualifiers.Son came off the bench to replace Moussa Sissoko in the second half of the away match against Newcastle United on Sunday. Son didn't score in the Spurs' 2-0 victory, while playing with a compression bandage on his right arm.Son fractured the right forearm in a fall during a World Cu

The head coach of the struggling football club Gangwon FC resigned from his post Monday.Choi Yun-kyum made the decision following Gangwon's 2-0 loss to Jeju United in the top-flight K League Classic on Sunday, the club said.Gangwon FC have lost four of their last five matches, slipping from third to sixth in the 12-team league.With 37 points on 10 wins, nine losses and seven draws with 12 matches remaining, Gangwon FC are nine points back of Suwon Samsung Bluewings in third place, the last quali

WASHINGTON -- US intelligence does not indicate an imminent nuclear war with North Korea, the chief of the Central Intelligence Agency said Sunday, after a week of bellicose rhetoric between the two sides.In an interview on "Fox News Sunday," CIA Director Mike Pompeo said he would not be surprised if North Korea carried out another missile test to advance its missile and nuclear programs.But he rejected talk of the US being on the "cusp of nuclear war.""I've seen no intelligence to indicate we'r

Recent satellite photos suggests that North Korea is preparing for fresh submarine-based missile tests, an expert has said, amid heightened tension between the US and North Korea over the communist state's successful launch of an inter-continental ballistic missile.Referring to photographs posted on Aug. 11 on 38 North, a US website specializing in North Korea analysis, Joseph Bermudez, a North Korea specialist, claimed that they could indicate preparations for a new test of a submarine-launched

Host South Korea and Tunisia played to a draw to open an international men's handball competition in Seoul on Sunday.The teams ended up deadlocked at 28-28 in the first match of the 12th Seoul Cup Handball at SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium in the nation's capital.Iran is the other nation in the tournament. Tunisia and Iran will square off Monday at the same venue. The finale on Tuesday will pit South Korea against Iran. The top team after the round-robin play will be declared the champion.South K

South Korea's interior minister and top police officials apologized Sunday for bickering inside police leadership surrounding an deleted online post that extolled the pro-democracy movement in Gwangju, the home of the 1980 uprising against a military junta.The dispute was sparked by a recent news report that National Police Agency Commissioner-General Lee Choel-sung rebuked the city's top police officer in November for the local police agency's Facebook post that described Gwangju as the Mecca o

South Korea is considering all measures to defuse tensions with North Korea and will leave the door open for dialogue, the country's vice unification minister said Sunday.Chun Hae-sung made the remark as tensions between the North and the United States heightened amid Pyongyang's threat to stage four missile strikes toward the US Pacific Island of Guam."The government is considering all necessary steps to reduce tensions on the peninsula and keep peace based on the strong alliance between Seoul

SEONGJU -- Local residents and activists campaigning against the deployment of an advanced US missile defense system said Sunday they will not accept the outcome of a government survey that ruled out the possibility of its serious environmental damage.On Saturday, the government announced the result of a survey of electromagnetic radiation and noise from the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system in Seongju, some 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul. The defense ministry said the radiation leve

LG Electronics Inc.'s upcoming smartphone, the LG V30, is expected to allow users to enjoy FM radio broadcasting services, industry sources said Sunday.The South Korean tech giant joined ties with the US NextRadio application, allowing users to listen to FM radio via the V30, the sources said. (Yonhap)There has been a rising call for local tech firms to adopt FM radio on smartphones so users can get critical information during disasters.LG applied FM radio on the mid-end smartphone, the Q6, rele

President Moon Jae-in on Sunday watched "A Taxi Driver," a movie about the 1980 pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju at a local movie theater in Seoul. The movie released this month is based on the true story of a Korean taxi driver and Jurgen Hinzpeter, a German journalist who covered the armed revolt.Moon was accompanied by Edeltraut Brahmstaedt, the wife of Hinzpeter, and her family. In May 1980, citizens of the southern city rose up against a military junta led by Chun Doo-hwan, an Army general

Los Angeles Dodgers' Ryu Hyun-jin has taken a no-decision after throwing his worst outing in two months.The South Korean left-hander allowed three runs on seven hits in five innings against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday (local time). He left the game with the Dodgers trailing 3-1 through five, but they rallied to beat the Padres 6-3.Ryu walked two and struck out five in his seventh no-decision in 17 starts. Ryu remained at 4-6, while his ERA went up from 3.53