Lawmakers of rival parties are working in unison for legislation to help each other avoid charges related to political funds, drawing criticism from the public, prosecution and presidential office.An aide to President Lee Myung-bak said Lee may veto the revised bill that practically legalizes political donations for legislative lobbying purposes. “It would be an ex post facto legislation to offer

South Korea’s intelligence chief said Friday that North Korea was tightening control of information to keep its people from being influenced by the pro-democracy protests in the Middle East. “North Korea is strengthening its ideological training through media statements, fearing domestic spread of the news” that uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia overthrew dictatorships and spread to Libya, Won Sei-ho

President Lee Myung-bak said Thursday that he wished the South Korean church could help bring the country together, without mentioning its latest fury over a bill on Islamic bonds. “I hope the Korean church can untie the knots of social conflict and serve as a bridge for national integration,” Lee said during the national prayer breakfast in southern Seoul.“I believe an attitude of understanding a

President Lee Myung-bak will pay an official visit to the United Arab Emirates next Saturday at the invitation of UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Lee’s office said Wednesday.During his three-day visit, Lee is scheduled to visit the South Korean troops deployed in the UAE, hold summit talks with Sheikh Khalifa and attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the atomic power plant a Sou

Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., South Korea's No. 2 shipbuilder, said Wednesday that it has won a 1.2 trillion won ($1.06 billion) order to build two drill ships.Under the deal with Aker Drilling of Norway, Daewoo Shipbuilding will deliver the vessels, used to explore for oil and gas wells in deep waters, by 2013, the company said in a statement.Daewoo Shipbuilding said it has an opt

The Pentagon on Tuesday announced the nomination of Gen. James Thurman, commander of Army Forces Command, as the new commander of U.S. Forces in Korea."I will recommend General James Thurman, currently the commander of Army Forces Command, to be the next commander of United States Forces Korea, replacing General 'Skip' Sharp who will retire at the end of his tour," Defense Secretary Robert Gates t

South Korea's science and technology ministry said Wednesday that it has authorized the commercial operation of the country's 21st reactor after conducting detailed safety tests.The ministry said checkups conducted by the state-run Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety showed the New Gori 1 reactor, located about 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul, met all nuclear safety requirements."The notification

   South Korea's consumer prices grew sharply in February mainly due to soaring food and energy-related product costs, adding to concerns that mounting inflationary pressure could undercut the nation's economic recovery, a government report showed Wednesday.   According to the report by Statistics Korea, the country's consumer price index surged 4.5 percent last month from a year earlier. The figu

   North Korea has recently asked a visiting Western diplomat for rice assistance, a South Korean government source said Wednesday.   The diplomat, from one of the European Union member countries, visited the communist nation in mid-February and was surprised when North Korean officials requested food aid, the source said.   "I did not hear of anyone who had died of starvation," the diplomat, howe

Washington says has no plans to bring atomic weapons back to South KoreaControversy is brewing once again in Seoul over the need to redeploy U.S. tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea amid renewed threats from the North in a prolonged inter-Korean stalemate.The White House said Monday that the U.S. has no plans to bring tactical nuclear weapons back to South Korea, shortly after a U.S. official

Legislation to exempt taxes on Islamic bonds and tap into the Islamic finance market missed the boat again amid fierce opposition from Protestant leaders, one of whom threatened to topple President Lee Myung-bak.The governing Grand National Party delayed deliberations on the Islamic bond bill last week, fearing conflict with religious groups ahead of the April by-elections.Rev. Cho Yong-gi, senior

A second South Korea-chartered plane has flown out of Libya as part of Seoul's efforts to evacuate its nationals from the North African nation engulfed in bloody clashes between protesters and government forces, the Foreign Ministry said Saturday.The special Korean Air flight left the Libyan capital of Tripoli with 236 South Koreans on board around 11 p.m. Friday (6 a.m. Saturday Korean time) befo

Presidential office to check on oil supply, draw up plans to protect KoreansPresident Lee Myung-bak on Thursday instructed his government to closely monitor the continuing turmoil in the Middle East and take steps to minimize its economic impact during an emergency meeting with related ministers.Lee also called for utmost efforts to ensure the safety of South Koreans in Libya as violent uprisings

Better communication, political coordination key to president’s successPresident Lee Myung-bak greets the third anniversary of his inauguration Friday with a stack of uncompleted policy tasks and lingering concerns of political estrangement.Tricky pending tasks include deciding where to locate a 3.5-trillion-won science-business belt and a new international airport in the southeastern region, both

President Lee Myung-bak on Wednesday named scientist and former minister Kim Doh-yeon as chief of the National Science and Technology Council.Under a revised bill passed late last year, the presidential advisory panel is to become a standing organization in charge of distributing the state budget for research and development, starting in April.The upgrade of the council to the nation’s top decisio

Ruling party still pushing for negotiation with opposition groupsThe main opposition Democratic Party has said it will not participate in any talks on constitutional revision before the parliamentary elections next year.“There will be no discussions on constitutional amendment in the 18th National Assembly,” DP floor leader Park Jie-won said Tuesday during his speech as the representative of a par

President Lee Myung-bak and Honduran President Porfirio Lobo on Monday discussed how to extend bilateral cooperation in trade, investment and infrastructure development during their summit talks in Seoul.The two leaders also agreed to seek ways to share South Korea’s experience in economic development and better protect South Korean citizens in Honduras, Lee’s office, Cheong Wa Dae, said. Presiden

‘Locations of new airport, science belt to be determined within the first half of this year’President Lee Myung-bak on Sunday expressed hopes for dialogue with North Korea this year, adding there was no need for prior discussions with the U.S. on an inter-Korean summit.Post-summit consultations with members of the six-nation nuclear talks, however, would be necessary, Lee told reporters during a l

Ruling party seeks early action, but opposition demands impact assessmentThe National Assembly is set to speed up discussions on South Korea’s free trade deal with the European Union, which the European Parliament ratified on Thursday. Seoul and Brussels signed their bilateral free trade agreement on Oct. 6 after two and a half years of negotiations, agreeing to tentatively put the pact into effec

National Intelligence Service chief Won Sei-hoon traveled to Washington last week to meet with his U.S. counterparts, a government source here confirmed Thursday, raising questions over what was on his agenda.Won met with CIA director Leon Panetta to exchange information on North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s health condition, the power transfer to his son Jong-un and the country’s food shortage amo