From the controversial deployment of a US-led missile defense system to political reforms, the next administration is laden with many urgent tasks.However, the winner of Tuesday’s presidential election, which was still not clear as of press time, is likely to face an uphill battle in dealing with many of the issues, as potential foes outnumber friends in the political arena.This is why major candidates have all pledged unity and bipartisanship in state management, despite the seemingly vast gulf

Host South Korea will bring back heroes of the past for the opening ceremony of the FIFA U-20 World Cup later this month, organizers said Tuesday.The top youth football competition will kick off on May 20 at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, some 240 kilometers south of Seoul. Jeonju is one of six hosting cities of the 24-nation tournament that wraps up on June 11.Members of the South Korean men's under-20 football team pose for photos at the National Football Center in

North Korea said Tuesday that the conservative bloc in South Korea should not be allowed to take power again as South Korea held its presidential election.In a move apparently aimed at intervening in the South's politics, Rodong Sinmun, North Korea's main newspaper, said in its commentary that the removal of the conservative group will be a shortcut to new politics and life for South Korea. (Yonhap)South Koreans on Tuesday went to the polls to pick a successor to former President Park Geun-hye,

OSLO -- North Korean officials began informal talks with a group of American experts in Oslo, Norway, amid speculation that Washington may seek dialogue with Pyongyang, diplomatic sources said Tuesday.It's their first Track II meeting in half a year. The previous session was held in Geneva, Switzerland.Dialogue between North Korean government officials and US civilian experts opened on Monday in a suburb of Oslo and it will continue through Tuesday (local time), a source said.This composite imag

North Korea on Tuesday reiterated its resolve to continue to fight against the United States as it marked the first anniversary of its leader being elected the chairman of the ruling party.North Korean leader Kim Jong-un became the chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea at a rare party congress held in May last year.North Korea's state media praised Kim's accomplishments, saying that the country has withstood what it calls US nuclear blackmail and sanctions."The US and its followers adhered to

The ladies' figure skating singles final was the hottest ticket for next year's Winter Olympics to be held in South Korea, organizers said Monday.The organizing committee for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games announced the winners of the online ticket lottery on Monday. It said the winners will be informed by e-mail and they have until May 21 to complete their payments.PyeongChang added it took applications for 384,000 tickets, and 162,000 tickets have been allocated for the first phase. Soohora

South Korean football chief Chung Mong-gyu has won a seat on FIFA's main decision-making body.Chung, who leads the Korea Football Association, was elected by acclamation to a FIFA Council membership along with Mariano Araneta of the Philippines and Zhang Jian of China at the Asian Football Confederation Congress in Manama, Bahrain, on Monday. They were each given a two-year term that ends in 2019. Korea Football Association President Chung Mong-gyu speaks during a draw ceremony for the FIFA U-20

SEONGJU -- Hundreds of residents near the deployment site of a US missile defense system here filed a petition with the Constitutional Court on Monday to obtain an injunction against its construction and operation.A total of 527 residents from Seongju County and neighboring Gimcheon, about 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, asked the court to prohibit the shipment of additional components of a US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery into the site, as well as the construction of the batter

A total of 851 people have so far been investigated for suspected election law violations related to this week's presidential polls, police said Monday.South Korean voters will go to the polls Tuesday to pick a successor for ousted President Park Geun-hye.Among the suspected violators booked in 790 cases, those accused of damaging banners or other campaign-related facilities was the largest at 597 persons, followed by 82 persons accused of spreading false propaganda, according to the National Po

A total of 250 medical personnel in South Korea either had confirmed tuberculosis or acquired inactive TB via exposure to patients in 2015, a report showed Monday.The report was based on an epidemiological survey on 2,765 hospital personnel in 153 medical institutions which had at least one TB patient, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The report showed that eight were confirmed TB cases and the remaining 242 were inactive TB cases. (Yonhap)Inactive TB means that bacteri

SAMCHEOK -- A crew member died after a fire-fighting helicopter made an emergency landing in eastern South Korea on Monday, officials said.The 47-year-old maintenance worker on board the helicopter, identified only by his last name Cho, fell unconscious and later died after being taken to a nearby hospital in Samcheok, about 290 kilometers east of Seoul.A fire-fighting helicopter that made an emergency landing in Samcheok, 290 kilometers east of Seoul, on the day. A maintenance worker who was on

South Korea's defense authorities said Monday they are maintaining a heightened state of alert against a possible provocation by North Korea on the eve of the presidential election here.In recent months, there have been increased military tensions on the peninsula amid a series of the North's ballistic missile launches and speculation that it may conduct another nuclear test or fire a long-range rocket. Moon Sang-gyun, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense (Yonhap)"We are maintaining

South Korea's Marine Corps commander inspected front-line troops near the tense maritime border Thursday and stressed any provocations by North Korea will be met with bold retaliations."Commander, Lt. Gen. Jun Jin-goo made an unannounced visit to the Yeonpyeong unit of the front-line Udo Island and carried out an operation inspection," the Marine Corps said. Lt. Gen. Jun Jin-goo (Yonhap)The set of forefront islands lie just below the Northern Limit Line, the de facto sea border with North Korea,

A special policy committee of the Democratic Party on Thursday promised to form a national unity government if it wins the upcoming presidential election, pledging to hire and promote people based on ability instead of party affiliation.Rep. Park Young-sun, a co-chair of the committee on a unified government, said the next administration will also employ people from other political parties if necessary."The Republic of Korea is facing serious security and economic crises amid the world's highest

With the presidential election five days away, South Koreans are yearning for an upright, competent and responsive leader capable of navigating the country through daunting economic and security challenges and restoring its rattled justice and democratic system.The May 9 poll comes on the heels of a massive corruption scandal involving former President Park Geun-hye that laid bare the country's flawed politics and deep-rooted corruption in the top echelons.Disenchantment with status quo politics