South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and US Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday agreed to maintain a close watch for possible North Korea provocations amid uncertainties facing the two countries, Yun's ministry said.During a 15-minute telephone discussion earlier in the day, the two agreed to "keep the current cooperation momentum" under the countries' alliance, the foreign ministry said in a press release."Yun asked Kerry to make efforts in the process of transitioning power to the

South Korea's demand deposits have reached a record high, central bank data showed Saturday, amid an apparent lack of investment opportunities, while the return on long-term bank deposits has also dipped due to record low rates.As of end-October, demand deposits held by local banks and financial institutions here came to some 201.76 trillion won ($169.97 billion), up 3.4 percent from a month earlier, according to the data from the Bank of Korea.The October tally marked the first time demand depo

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama vowed Friday to send a "clear message" to Russia for trying to sway the US election, while calling on Donald Trump and Republicans to put national security before politics.Obama all-but accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of personally ordering an audacious cyber hack that many Democrats believe gravely wounded Hillary Clinton in a closely fought election. The US intelligence community has concluded that a hack-and-release of the Democratic Party emails

The United States will soon release a second list of North Korean officials and entities to be sanctioned for their involvement in human rights violations, a senior state department official said Friday.Scott Busby, deputy assistant secretary for democracy, human rights and labor, made the remark during a seminar held by the non-governmental Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK) in Washington D.C., saying they are at the stage of trimming the list.In October, Busby said they were work

The South Korean coast guard may soon be exempted from responsibilities for any damages or loss of private property caused by their use of firearms while cracking down on illegal fishing, as long as their use of force is within legal boundaries, a bill submitted Saturday proposed.Under the revision submitted by Rep. Hwang Young-cheul of the ruling Saenuri Party, the coast guard will be allowed to use firearms should a ship disobey an order three times to stop or withdraw from a specific area.An

The country's chief economic policymaker and the head of the central bank Friday agreed to take measures to tackle market uncertainties, if necessary, which stem from the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye and the much-expected rate hikes in the US.Finance Minister Yoo Il-ho and Bank of Korea Gov. Lee Ju-yeol also shared the view that a policy mix is increasingly important to help Asia's fourth-largest economy grow. Bank of Korea Governor Lee Ju-yeol (left) and Finance Minister Yoo Il-ho. (Y

BERLIN -- Germany's largest airline, Lufthansa, canceled 830 short- and medium-haul flights on Friday affecting 100,000 passengers after a pilots' strike entered its third day in a long-running dispute over wages. The carrier also announced the cancellation of another 137 long-haul flights scheduled for Saturday, affecting 30,000 more passengers. Since the strikes started on Wednesday the airline has had to cancel 2,863 flights, affecting 345,000 passengers. It said most of its flights will be o

The South Korean Ministry of Education has officially revealed its guidelines for controversial state-authored history textbooks on Friday, which touch on some of the most sensitive disputes in the country's modern history. The guideline compilation has drawn attention from the public, as it serves as a preview of the preliminary version of the government-written history textbook set to be revealed on Monday. The Education ministry said the ruling principle of the textbooks must "reflect the lat

TEHRAN, Iran -- An Iranian official has told state TV that the death toll from a train collision in the country's north has increased to 31. The provincial governor, Mohammad Reza Khabbaz, says that so far 31 bodies have been found at the site of the crash on Friday morning. Earlier, eight people were reported to have been killed. A handout picture released on November 25, 2016 by the Tasnim news agency shows damaged trains following an accident in the Semnan province, some 250 kms east of the I

BAGHDAD -- The death toll from a car bombing south of Baghdad claimed by the Islamic State group rose to 73 on Friday, including about 40 Iranian pilgrims, Iraqi hospital and police officials said, the deadliest IS attack in four months. Civilians search for survivors in the rubble at the scene of a car bomb attack near the city of Hilla about 95 kilometers (60 miles) south of Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday. (AP-Yonhap) The officials said 65 other people were wounded in the attack, which took place on

ROME (AFP) -- At least 110 people are feared drowned off Libya after a migrant shipwreck, the UN's refugee agency said Thursday, quoting survivor testimony."A vessel will around 140 people on board overturned Wednesday just a few hours after setting off from Libya, throwing everyone into the water. Only 29 people survived," UNHCR spokesperson Carlotta Sami told AFP.

KARACHI (AFP) -- At least 21 people have been killed and dozens more injured after two trains carrying hundreds of passengers collided in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi during morning rush hour Thursday, officials said.Witnesses described watching in horror as one train sped into the city's Quaidabad Railway Station and rammed into the second, which was stationary, with the roar of the crash swiftly followed by the screams of people trapped inside. Pakistani volunteer rescuers work at

LONDON (AFP) -- The High Court in London ruled Thursday that the British government alone cannot start the process of leaving the European Union but requires the approval of parliament, in a landmark judgment that could delay Brexit.Three senior judges said Prime Minister Theresa May's government does not have the power itself to trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon treaty, the formal notification of Britain's intention to leave the bloc."We hold that the Secretary of State does not have power

North Korea has named Choe Il as its new ambassador to Britain, Pyongyang's state media said Thursday, following the latest defection to South Korea by a top diplomat stationed in London.Choe has been appointed Pyongyang's envoy to Britain, the Korean Central News Agency said in a short dispatch, replacing his predecessor Hyon Hak-bong.Choe's background remains largely murky, but a handful of reports and documents that contain his name indicate that his work was associated with the U.S. and the

삼성전자가 이르면 올해 말 사물인터넷용 타이젠을 선보인다. 모바일 OS에서 구글에게 주도권을 뺏긴 삼성이 가전제품을 중심으로 한 사물인터넷에서 새 영토를 개척할 수 있을지 주목된다. 타이젠은 2012년부터 삼성전자와 인텔이 주축이 돼 개발하기 시작한 차세대 OS다. 하지만 스마트폰 OS에서는 세계 시장 점유율이 0.2%도 되지 않는다. 인도나 신흥시장에서 팔리는 저가폰에만 일부 사용되고 있다. 스마트폰에서 승산이 없다고 생각한 삼성은 최근 타이젠 개발을 가전용 OS로 방향을 틀었다. 3일 업계관계자는 “삼성이 현재 사물 인터넷 용으로 타이젠을 현재 개발 중이며 이르면 올해 말 혹은 내년 초에 선보일 예정”이라고 말했다. 사물인터넷용 타이젠 개발이 완료되면 해당 OS는 삼성의 모든 가전제품에 적용될 예정이다. 현재는 스마트폰용으로 만들어진 고성능 타이젠을 수정하여 대형가전제품에만 적용하고 있다. 하지만 새로운 타이젠이 개발되면 식기 세척기

DETROIT -- Hyundai is recalling more than 84,000 cars in the US because a wiring problem can cause the front passenger air bag to malfunction.The recall covers Genesis Coupes from the 2010 to 2016 model years.The company says in government documents that an electrical connector for the passenger seat air bag sensor can become disconnected. That can cause the air bag to inflate when a child is in the seat or deploy with too little force to protect an adult. In both cases, passengers could be hurt

BAGHDAD -- As Iraqi forces close in on Mosul, trapped civilians report thick smoke enveloping the city's empty streets as their jihadist rulers attempt to shield themselves from intensifying US-led coalition air strikes.After more than two years of Islamic State group rule, there is hope but also fear of what lies ahead.Mosul, a large city split by the Tigris river, is where IS declared its "caliphate" two years ago but is now the jihadists' last major stronghold in Iraq. Smoke billows as Iraqi

A ranking North Korean official arrived in Beijing on Tuesday before possibly traveling to Malaysia for informal talks with former US officials or experts, a Japanese news report said.North Korea's deputy foreign minister Han Song-ryol was seen at Beijing's international airport, according to Kyodo News."He could be set to meet former US officials or experts on North Korean issues, and the discussions will most likely be held completely behind-the-scenes under the informal, unofficial track II f

GENEVA -- The UN hailed an announcement Tuesday that Russian and Syrian air forces have stopped bombing Aleppo, but said it was waiting for safety assurances from all sides before going in with aid."We remain of course pleased if there is a reduction in fighting...because it will protect civilians," Jens Laerke, spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency, told reporters.But he stressed that "when the weapons fall silent, we need all weapons to fall silent," before "critical humanitarian assistance

[THE INVESTOR] Korea’s National Pension Service, which manages the world’s third-largest pension fund by assets, should spin off its fund management unit into a separate public company, its chief executive said Monday.“In my personal opinion, it is necessary that the unit should be separated,” Moon Hyung-pyo, CEO and Chairman of the NPS, said at a parliamentary audit.The Ministry of Health and Welfare floated the initial spin-off idea in July last year to boost profits of the 541 trillion won fu