South Korean rapper-singer Psy has issued a formal apology Saturday for anti-American lyrics he performed at a 2004 concert protesting the U.S. presence in Iraq, following their recent revelation in U.S. media two days before he is set to perform for the U.S. president and his family.The 35-year-old rapper, who became a worldwide star with his hit song "Gangnam Style," said in the statement that the concert was held as a "deeply emotional reaction" to the war in Iraq following the beheading of a

South Korea and the United States have agreed to step up cooperation on shale gas, an increasingly popular source of energy, a visiting top Seoul official said Friday."In a meeting with U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu yesterday, I had a lot of discussions on cooperation in the shale gas sector," South Korean Knowledge Economy Minister Hong Suk-woo told reporters. His ministry handles trade, energy and industry affairs. He is on a trip here for the U.S.-Korea Investment and Trade Cooperation

SEOUL, Dec. 6 (Yonhap) -- Ban Ki-moon, the South Korean-born U.N. secretary-general, will receive the highest medal given by the International Olympic Committee for his contribution to the Olympic Movement, IOC officials said Thursday.The IOC  said in a statement that Ban will be awarded the Olympic Order in gold. The decision was reached at the conclusion of the IOC's final executive board meeting of 2012, it said.The Olympic Order, which was established in 1975, is awarded for distinguished co

BERLIN (AP) -- An international watchdog group says a new survey shows the countries worst hit by the European financial crisis are also seen as among the most corrupt in the European Union.Transparency International's annual Corruption Perceptions Index released Wednesday shows Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece with the lowest scores in western Europe.Where 0 is ``highly corrupt'' and 100 is ``very clean,'' Greece scored a 36, Italy 42, Portugal 63 and Spain, 65.By comparison, Denmark and Finla