President says Pyongyang will seek dialogue with Seoul for stability as it goes through power transition FRANKFURT -- President Lee Myung-bak on Tuesday met with four leaders of the 1990 German reunification in Berlin to share their experiences and advice in preparing for South Korea’s reunification with North Korea. Lee met with Lothar de Maiziere, the last prime minister of East Germany; Wo...

Gyeonggi Governor Kim Moon-soo, one of the ruling camp’s presidential hopefuls, expressed his intention to join the Grand National Party’s leadership contest on Tuesday. The former third-term lawmaker said that should all the other presidential hopefuls join the race, he would throw his hat in the ring to “save the party,” now faltering after its recent by-election defeat. The leadership contest...

A reservoir dike collapse cutting off water supply to more than half a million North Gyeongsang Province residents is thought to have been caused by works on the four-rivers project. An alternative water supply had still not been provided to some areas in and around Gumi as of Tuesday afternoon. The city’s mayor said that the dredging of the Nakdong River had increased erosion of the reservoir ...

Retired officers say plans to revamp military do not go far enough The Ministry of National Defense will hold a three-day session next week to outline to retired general-grade officers its military reform efforts, which critics claim will not effectively address problems in the military. About 600 retired general-grade officers are expected to attend the session from Tuesday to Thursday next we...

Opposition leader’s rise alarming ruling party’s front runner In the early morning of April 28, a throng of lawmakers were gathering at the entrance of the National Cemetery in Seoul, waiting for their party leader to arrive. When Sohn Hak-kyu, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party, showed up around 8:30 a.m., they extended their hands for him to shake and followed him to the tomb of...

Hyundai Motor Co. is boosting its presence in the U.S. luxury sedan market with its Genesis and Equus vehicle grabbing influential shares of sales. The automaker saw its Genesis sedan capture more than 10 percent of the U.S. market in the mid-luxury class for the first time last month. According to Autodata Corp., sales of the Genesis came to 2,648 units in April, up 16.9 percent from a year ea...

Samsung Electronics chairman Lee Kun-hee left for the International Olympic Committee’s headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Tuesday. PyeongChang, like all cities bidding to host the 2018 Winter Olympics, is to participate in an official technical briefing at the organization’s headquarters from May 18-19. Lee is one of the IOC’s 110 members. Lee was escorted by his son Lee Jae-yong, a pre...