A 61-year-old man on Sunday jumped from a government building in downtown Seoul after setting fire to an office room, police said. According to the police, the man, identified only by his family name Kim, entered the government main building in the Gwanghwamun district in the heart of Seoul at 1:30 p.m. and passed through the security line with a fake government ID card. He then went into a room o

The Korean historical film "Gwanghae:the Man Who Became the King" reigns at the local box office,breaking the 5 million mark in attendance numbers, officials said Monday.The movie, directed by Choo Chang-min and starring top actor Lee Byung-hun, drew 5.23 million viewers as of Monday, 18 days after its release, according to the Korean Film Commission.Actor Lee plays dual roles as King Gwanghae, th

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un Monday sent a congratulatory message to Chinese President Hu Jintao on the occasion of the 63rd anniversary of the foundation of the Chinese government, North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency reported. "We, on behalf of the Workers' Party of Korea and the government and people of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea,extend a warm congratulations and

NATO forces in Afghanistan say that a bombing in the country's east has killed 3 international service members and their translator.Coalition spokesman Maj. Adam Wojack says the attack happened on Monday morning. He declined to provide further details, saying the alliance is still gathering information about the incident.Afghan officials said there was a suicide bombing against a joint Afghan-inte

South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin Monday called on South Korean soldiers to prepare for North Korea provoking in other areas than the disputed sea border in the Yellow Sea."North Korea may provoke in a way which we cannot expect, although they are currently focusing on waters (in the Yellow Sea)," Kim told soldiers at a naval command in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.Kim was referring to r

South Korea's southern port city of Busan is gearing up to establish an international film hub in the coming years, city officials said Monday.Construction will begin next year to build the tentatively named "International Image Contents Valley" near Busan's Centum City areas and the nearby Gijang region for research and development activities for film contents, an official of the Busan Metropolit

South Korea has brought to court more U.S. soldiers suspected of murder, rape and other serious crimes last year than the previous year, figures from the Justice Ministry showed Monday.A Status of Forces Agreement between Seoul and Washington allows South Korean law enforcement authorities to try U.S. soldiers in cases in which they are suspected of having committed serious crimes.The U.S. station

Two South Korean trade agencies said Monday that they will jointly hold an event later this month aimed at providing local companies with a chance to meet with Chinese buyers and help them advance into the world's largest consumer market.The "2012 China Business Plaza" will be held by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) and the Korea International Trade Association in Seoul on Oct.

Anne Hathaway from the film "Bride Wars"Hollywood actress Anne Hathaway, 29, married on Saturday her boyfriend of four years, actor-turned-jewelry designer Adam Shulman, 31. The couple got married at a private estate in California’s Big Sur coastal region, according to U.S.-based media reports. Event planners Yifat Oren and Stefanie Cove organized the big event which started off with a rehearsal d

South Korea's leading convenience chain said Monday it has opened the country's first-ever drug store-type shops that incorporate pharmacies into convenience stores.The new type of stores was set up after the South Korean government passed legislation in May to allow sales of some non-prescription drugs at convenience stores and supermarkets.Two CU stores run by BGF Retail Co. have opened in Chang

The number of Japanese visitors surged during the first eight months this year despite Seoul and Tokyo wrangling over territorial and historical disputes.As many as 2.5 million Japanese visited South Korea during the January-August period, up 23.3 percent from a year earlier, according to figures from the Justice Ministry.August also witnessed a rise of 6.5 percent to 345,163 Japanese visitors ami

A South Korean civic group said Monday it will launch a campaign to promote South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo via social networking services against Japan's renewed territorial claim.Tension remains high between Seoul and Tokyo over the rocky outcroppings in the East Sea following the unprecedented visit there by South Korean President Lee Myung-bak in August.Lee has cited Tokyo's unrepent

The number of "active" stock trading accounts in South Korea declined in recent weeks amid relatively stagnant market situations, a trade association said Monday.Stock trading accounts -- accounts holding more than 100,000 won ($90) and being used at least once in the past six months -- totaled 19.9 million last Thursday, according to the Korea Financial Investment Association.The number of active

South Korea has yet to return more than 600 sets of remains of North Korean soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War amid Pyongyang refusing to accept them, a lawmaker said Monday.South Korea has 614 sets of remains of North Korean soldiers retrieved since 2000, according to figures provided by the Defense Ministry to Rep. Chung Hee-soo of the ruling Saenuri Party.The ministry has excavated 7

South Korea's trade surplus widened from a year earlier last month as its imports shrank at a faster rate than exports, the government said Monday.The country's trade surplus reached an estimated $3.15 billion in September, compared with a $1.6 billion surplus the same month last year, according to the Ministry of Knowledge Economy.The figure also marks a growth from $2.04 billion in August.Export

South Korean rapper Psy performs his massive K-pop hit "Gangnam Style" live on NBC's "Today" show, Friday, Sept. 14, 2012, in New York. (AP-Yonhap News)K-pop viral phenomenon Psy’s hit “Gangnam Style” jumped to No.1 in the formal British music chart on Sunday (local time).It is the first time that a Korean singer conquers the Official Singles Chart.“He’s done it! Gangnam Style fever has swept the

Expressways to and from Seoul were packed with vehicles Sunday evening as residents continued to head for their hometowns on the second day of Chuseok, the traditional thanksgiving holiday.But the traffic jams on major expressways eased to some degree after peaking around 5 p.m., according to transportation authorities.Traffic congestion on major highways linking Seoul and other major regional cit

The head of the Unification Church's joint automaking venture said Wednesday that he received North Korea's condolence message over the death of its founder Rev. Sun Myung Moon, but did not confirm the North's dispatch of adelegation to the funeral."I received the message of condolence (over the death of Rev. Moon) from North Korea," said Pyeonghwa Motors President Park Sang-kwon, a U.S. national,

South Korea's top sports governing body said Wednesday that it has further reduced penalties on badminton players involved in a match-throwing scandal at the London Olympics.The Korea Olympic Committee (KOC) said that the four female players -- Jung Kyung-eun, Kim Ha-na, Ha Jung-eun and Kim Min-jung -- will be suspended from international play for one year, removing an additional six-month domesti

A Seoul court on Wednesday gave a suspended one-year prison term to a South Korean man for ramming a truck into the Japanese embassy here in protest against a right-wing Japanese activist's nationalistic act.The 61-year-old local antique dealer, surnamed Kim, was charged with driving his cargo truck into the main gate of the embassy in central Seoul on July 9. No casualties or damage were reported