Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se called on Japan Friday to take "sincere action" over the history issue. Yun had phone talks with his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida shortly after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe issued a war anniversary statement, a government official said.The Japanese minister explained the background of Abe's wordings and stressed that the Abe administration will stick to the history perception held by its predecessors, the official told reporters on the condition of anonymity.In r

China's state-run news agency Friday criticized Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for issuing a "watered-down" apology in his speech marking the 70th anniversary of the country's surrender in World War II. In a commentary, Xinhua news agency said the speech by Abe was a "retrogression" from past apologies by former Japanese leaders, saying, "The adulterated apology is far from being enough for Japan's neighbors and the broader international community to lower their guard." One day before Japan

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe acknowledged Friday that Japan had inflicted “immeasurable damage and suffering” on innocent people in World War II, but stopped short of apologizing in a statement marking the 70th anniversary of the country's surrender.Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delivers a statement to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II during a press conference at his official residence in Tokyo Friday. (Yonhap)Instead he said that Japan's repeated past “heartfelt ap

North Korea on Friday denied its involvement in the landmine explosion on the South Korean side of the demilitarized zone, demanding Seoul provide solid proof.North Korea's National Defense Commission said in a statement that it "does not make sense" for it to bury the landmines that injured two South Korean staff sergeants on Aug. 4.South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff immediately refuted the statement, adding that the North will suffer the consequences of their actions. Three wooden-box landmin

Greek lawmakers approved their country's draft third bailout in a parliamentary vote Friday that relied on opposition party support and saw the government coalition suffer significant dissent.The vote came after a marathon all-night session marked by procedural delays and acrimonious debate over the three-year, about 85 billion-euro ($93 billion) rescue package that includes harsh spending cuts and tax hikes. Greece needs the money to avoid defaulting on its debts and securing its future in the

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon was picked as the most preferred potential candidate to run in the next presidential election, a poll showed Friday, outpacing the leader of the ruling Saenuri Party.Around 16 percent of the 1,005 respondents said they would vote for Park in the next presidential election, according to the poll conducted by Gallup Korea. It marked a percentage point drop from June and July, but he maintained the top spot for the third month in a row.Kim Moo-sung, chairman of the ruling

Rescuers Friday pulled out a firefighter who was trapped for 32 hours after responding to two huge explosions in Tianjin, state media said, as authorities moved forward gingerly in dealing with a fire still smoldering amid potentially dangerous chemicals.A man stands near the charred remains of new cars at a parking lot near the site of an explosion at a warehouse in northeastern China's Tianjin municipality. (AP)The two explosions late Wednesday at the Chinese port city -- one of them the equiv

Lee Maeng-hee, the elder brother of South Korea's Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee, died on Friday at the age of 84 after a years-long battle with cancer. Lee Maeng-hee (Yonhap)The elder Lee, also the father of CJ Group Chairman Lee Jae-hyun, passed away at a hospital in Beijing where he was being treated for lung cancer that had spread to other parts of his body, said a CJ group official. The elder Lee "passed away from a chronic disease at a hospital in Beijing as of 9:39 a.m. (Beijing time)

China's central bank on Friday raised the yuan currency against the US dollar by 0.05%, the national foreign exchange market said, ending three days of falls after a surprise devaluation.The daily reference rate was set at 6.3975 yuan to $1.0, up from 6.4010 the previous day, the China Foreign Exchange Trade System said. The rate was also slightly stronger than Thursday's close of 6.3982 yuan.The stronger fixing for the yuan came after the People's Bank of China(PBoC) reassured financial markets

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is to deliver a war anniversary statement Friday that neighboring nations, particularly China and South Korea, will scrutinize for signs of sufficient remorse over Tokyo's past militarism.The words that Abe chooses to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II carry symbolic importance and could set future relations with countries that suffered from its brutal march across Asia.Any attempt to tone down explicit apologies made by previous leaders could

North Korea said Friday it was not behind the latest hacking of the computer network of a Seoul-based university hospital, adding that such a claim "lacked knowledge."The remark by the North's propaganda organ Uriminzokkiri was a response to the National Police Agency, which said earlier this week that Pyongyang hacked into the central control system of the hospital in August 2014, obtaining full control over the network.Police added it didn't find any patient information leaks as the North's ai

South Korea's top carmaker Hyundai Motor is estimated to have lost 160 billion won ($136 million) from huge explosions in China's northeast port city of Tianjin, industry watchers said Friday.China Central Television said the blasts involved a shipment of explosives at the Ruihai warehouse in Tianjin, and occurred around 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The exact cause was not immediately known.Hyundai had parked around 4,000 automobiles at the site, including Genesis and Equus luxury sedans.While Hyund

The Lotte founder’s nephew and Lotte Giants chief Shin Dong-in said Monday he would step down from his post in an apparent move to distance himself from a bitter dispute between the estranged siblings over the family-run conglomerate succession. “I will step down from my position by the end of August to bail out of disgrace and misunderstanding (caused by the public spat),” Shin was quoted as saying.   Group officials and observers believed that the baseball team owner is siding with the founder

Korean private-equity firm MBK Partners plans to sell off its controlling stake in Korean water and air-purifier-maker Coway, which is valued at around 3 trillion won ($2.5 billion), industry sources said Sunday. MBK Partners, the biggest shareholder of Coway with a 30.9 percent stake, hired U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs to broker the sale. “MBK is considering the sale process and other measures as many potential buyers lined up for the acquisition and it’s been nearly three years since the

South Korea’s largest cosmetics maker AmorePacific, which has upped its presence in the skin care arena with its patented cushion technology, is ramping up R&D efforts with tailored products to target overseas markets.  Cushion technology-applied compact products from AmorePacific’s in-house brands including, Laneige, Sulwhasoo and Mamonde (AmorePacific)“AmorePacific created the world’s first multifunctional cushion-type cosmetics. It has been strengthening the quality and function of the techno

Lotte Group chairman Shin Dong-bin received a boost in his move to solidify his managerial power as CEOs of the group’s units and Japan-based Lotte Holdings’ CEO pledged their full support for his leadership amid an intensified power struggle with his elder brother. Lotte Group chairman Shin Dong-bin (second from left) visits a Lotte distribution center in Osan, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday. (Lotte Group)CEOs of 37 Lotte Group units said the current 60-year-old chairman is a “competent chief” to l

The nation’s fourth largest harbor, Pyeongtaek Port, is eyeing a bigger role in trade between South Korea and China following the official signing of a free trade agreement between the nations in June, an official from the Gyeonggi Pyeongtaek Port Corp. said Monday. Kim Jeong-hun, director of Gyeonggi Pyeongtaek Port Corp.“Following the FTA between Korea and China, Pyeongtaek Port’s role will be strengthened as it is the nearest port to China and a gateway to the central region of Korea,” said K

South Korean builders said Friday that they won deals worth $5.3 billion to build an oil refinery in Kuwait even as the construction industry is struggling with a sharp drop in orders from the Middle East this year.The project, worth $14 billion in total, is to build the biggest refinery in the Middle East, which will boost its oil refining output capacity of 615,000 barrels per day in the region of Al Zour, south Kuwait. Of the five packages split from the main project, four were awarded to con

Lotte Group’s family feud is escalating as two sons of the conglomerate founder are bracing for a final showdown to seize control of the 112 trillion won ($97 billion) business group.  (Yonhap)Lotte chairman Shin Dong-bin, the younger son of founder Shin Kyuk-ho, and eldest son Shin Dong-joo both expressed confidence in winning at the coming crucial shareholders vote. Group insiders said the two brothers have entered a new phase of the tug-of-war to woo support from shareholders of the Japan-bas

 Jin Air executive director Cho Hyun-min (11th from left) and Ihssane Mounir (13th from left), Boeing‘s Northeast Asia vice president of sales and marketing, pose during a ceremony to celebrate the delivery of low-budget carrier Jin Air’s first B737-800 at the Boeing Delivery Center in Seattle, U.S., Tuesday. (Jin Air)