International authors will discuss setting up a group for North Korean writers in exile at a meeting in Gyeongju this year. Vice president of the Czech PEN Club Marketa Hejkalova said that issues of human rights and freedom of expression in North Korea would be discussed at the PEN International world congress this September. The acclaimed novelist came to Korea as part of a delegation of write...

The U.S. ambassador to Korea has stated that the trade pact between the two countries is “vitally important” to both economies amid calls from the Korean opposition party to repeal it. The Democratic Unity Party is calling for the free trade agreement to be revised, saying the deal contains elements that could damage the Korean economy. But ambassador Sung Kim called the KORUS FTA a milestone i...

The president of an organization for foreigners’ welfare has called on diplomats and other foreigners here to speak up on their bugbears about Korea. Shin Kwang-yul organizes diplomatic conferences on migrants’ welfare, publishes a newspaper promoting multicultural society and runs a migrant workers’ welfare center. But he said foreigners must be honest about the elements of Korean life they di...

Goats, like people, can develop accents based on their surroundings, a British university study indicates. Until now, experts assumed most species' "voices" were dictated exclusively by genetics and not their surroundings. Exceptions were thought to be limited to humans, elephants, dolphins whales and bats. A team from Queen Mary, University of London, recorded the bleats of four groups of pygm...

Prosecutors on Sunday visited the official residence of National Assembly Speaker Park Hee-tae for questioning over his suspected bribery of fellow lawmakers before winning the ruling party's top position in 2008. The rare questioning comes almost seven weeks after prosecutors launched an investigation into allegations that Park bribed fellow lawmakers and other party members in a bid to muster ...