도날드 트럼프 미국 대통령이 문재인 대통령과의 정상회담 시에 백악관 집무실에서 소동을 피우고 집무를 훼손한 한국 언론에 대해서 불만을 제기했다고 뉴욕포스트가 전했다.문재인 대통령과 트럼프 미국 대통령이 백악관 집무실에서 정상회담에 임하기 전에 담소를 나누고 있다 (사진=연합뉴스)두 정상의 회담을 취재하기 위해서 한국 특파원 다수를 포함한 백악관 풀기자단은 집무실에서 돌아다니는 한국 기자들에게 소음을 자제할 것을 요청해야 했다고 호소했다.하지만 백악관 집무실에 익숙하지 않은 한국 기자들이 좋은 자리를 차지하기 위해서 두 정상이 앉을 의자들 주변을 부산스레 움직였고 이 과정에서 소파 하나는 이동되어야 했으며, 근처 테이블 옆에 서있던 램프가 쓰러질 뻔 했다고 목격자들이 전했다.이에 짜증난 기색의 트럼프 대통령이 "너무 심해진다"면서 기자들에게 면박을 주기도 했다.정상회담과 뒤에 이어진 공동기자회견에서 트럼프 대통령은 "북한 정부를 전략적 인내심으로 대하던 시대는 실패로 끝났다"면서 강화

North Korea on Monday denounced a set of United Nations Security Council sanctions against Pyongyang's nuclear and missile tests as they are hampering the country's development in the sports field.Kang Ryong-gil, deputy secretary general of North Korea's Olympic Committee, told foreign reporters in Pyongyang that the sanctions "hinder the aspiration of North Koreans to develop sports," according to the Korean Central News Agency.He claimed that the UNSC sanctions resolution adopted in March last

Further improving the business environment in South Korea is key to upgrading the economic relationship between the Northeast Asian country and the United States to the next level, Washington's ambassador to Seoul said Friday."The next phase of this economic relationship really needs to be focused on business environment here. (It needs) fair, predictable and transparent regulatory reform, creating a better investment climate," Amb. Mark Lippert told a group of reporters in a joint interview wit

Chung Yoo-ra, daughter of the scandal-ridden presidential confidante Choi Soon-sil, on Friday said that she would not return back home, where she has been summoned to face intense questioning over the extensive influence-peddling scandal pivoting on her mother.Her change of stance, which means that she would rather stay in her current custody in Denmark, is likely to cause a setback for the ongoing special investigation here as her repatriation may drag on for months.Chung, who was arrested in t

Choi Soon-sil, President Park Geun-hye's longtime friend who stands at the center of a massive influence-peddling and corruption scandal, appeared before special investigators Saturday to face questioning.Choi's prime charge is that she exerted influence for personal interests and meddled in confidential state affairs, using her ties with the president -- a scandal which led the National Assembly to vote on impeaching the state chief earlier this month.The 60-year-old suspect, wearing a prisoner

South Koreans spend the most on weekends, the country's central bank data showed Saturday, as they spend more time with families and friends for eating out, travel and entertainment on weekends.A survey on 2,500 adults over the period of June and July found that South Koreans spend the most on Saturdays with 22.4 percent in terms of payment, followed by Sundays with 21.4 percent, according to the Bank of Korea.People 60 or older spend 25.7 percent on Saturdays, it said.South Korean spend the lea

Large crowds of South Koreans were expected to march in the streets on Saturday, calling for the permanent removal of impeached President Park Geun-hye and extending the historically biggest protest movement in the country to Christmas Eve. The protest comes as a special prosecutor widens an investigation into a corruption scandal surrounding Park, which saw millions of people take to the streets before the country's opposition-controlled parliament on Dec. 9 voted to impeach her. Organizers exp

North Korea is seeking to conduct another nuclear test around South Korea's presidential election next year, a high-profile North Korean defector has said, in the latest sign that Pyongyang would not abandon its nuclear program despite growing international pressure.Thae Yong-ho, a former No. 2 official at the North Korean embassy in London, said North Korea's foreign ministry has sent documents to its overseas missions that Pyongyang is seeking to carry out its sixth and seventh nuclear test by

South Korea's justice ministry said Saturday that it has submitted its views on the recent parliamentary vote to impeach President Park Geun-hye to the Constitutional Court, adding that the process has met all the necessary legal requirements.On Dec. 9, the National Assembly voted 234-56 to impeach the president over her alleged involvement in corruption and influence-peddling scandals. It immediately suspended her from all powers and the prime minister has since been working as acting president

South Korea and Russia agreed Friday to work closely together to enforce UN Security Council sanctions on North Korea as the two countries held high-level strategic talks in Moscow, a senior South Korean diplomat said.South Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam said he reached the agreement with Russia's First Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Titov, while reaffirming that the two countries will never recognize North Korea as a nuclear weapons state.Russia also shared an understanding

South Korean stocks will likely remain in a tight range next week as investors are forecast to take the sidelines ahead of events such as the announcement of next year's economy policy plan, analysts said Saturday.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 0.31 percent this week to end at 2,035.90 points on Friday."The KOSPI is expected to stay between 2,020 and 2,060 points next week," said Kim Yong-koo, a Hana Financial Investment analyst. Next Friday marks this year's last session o

Unionized pilots of South Korea's No. 1 flag carrier Korean Air Lines Co. said Monday they will launch a 12-day strike later this month. The pilot union said it notified the company that its union members will lay down their tools from Dec. 20 to 31. They are likely to carry out the plan if the union and the management fail to reach an agreement on wage deals at their final negotiation session scheduled on Wednesday. A majority of unionized pilots of Korean Air already voted "yes" to go on strik

In the biggest-ever parliamentary questioning of the nation’s industrial figures, nine chaebol chiefs are set to take the stand at the National Assembly Tuesday, to answer questions over their relationship with President Park Geun-hye and her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil.It is the first time in South Korea’s modern history that the top chaebol leaders will be brought together in a televised parliamentary hearing to face questions over their allegedly cozy ties with politics and power, a topic t

The South Korean economy remains "on track" despite the influence-peddling scandal which rocked the country over past few weeks, an official from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said Monday.Randall Jones, the OECD's Japan and Korea desk head, said there has been no significant change in the country's stock and foreign exchange market in relation to the scandal surrounding President Park Geun-hye's confidante Choi Soon-sil, who allegedly exerted influence on stat

North Korea's foreign ministry said Monday its nuclear provocations followed what it calls "hostile acts" by the United States, apparently urging US President-elect Donald Trump to make more dovish gestures.According to the statement reported by Pyongyang's Korean Central News Agency monitored in Seoul, North Korea's foreign ministry said the US aimed to "overthrow" its system after the death of its former leader Kim Jong-il."This fully reveals the true nature of the policy of 'strategic patienc

South Korea's two main policy lenders announced plans Thursday to provide Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. (DSME) with financial support worth a total of 3.2 trillion won (US$2.7 billion), urging the firm's labor union to refrain from taking collective actions and support its restructuring efforts.The Korea Development Bank (KDB), a main creditor of the troubled shipyard, said it will convert 1.8 trillion won of debt into equity. The Export-Import Bank of Korea (Eximbank) also plans

President Park Geun-hye late on Friday called for the resignation of her senior secretaries en bloc, apparently giving in to the mounting public censure over an unprecedented political scandal of her confidante allegedly meddling in state affairs.The urgent action came amid crushing approval ratings, which most of the key surveys showed to have dipped to a critical 10 percent range this week, and also shortly ahead of a massive candlelight rally scheduled in central Seoul to demand for Park’s re

A police officer was killed in a gunfight with a criminal suspect in northern Seoul and the suspect involved in the shooting has been apprehended, law enforcement authorities said Wednesday.In the gunfight that began at around 6:30 p.m. in front of a tunnel near Beon-dong in northern Seoul, the 45-year-old suspect, identified only by his family name Seong, opened fire with a privately manufactured gun, according to the police.The police responded to a report that the suspect had attacked his nei

North Korea's advancing ballistic missile programs pose the biggest challenge to the international regime for controlling the proliferation of missile technology, a high-ranking South Korean official said Wednesday. "Today, North Korea's ballistic missile program is undoubtedly the biggest challenge" facing the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam said in his opening remarks at the 30th MTCR general meeting held in the southern port city of Busan. The MTCR

The chief of South Korea's top automaker Hyundai Motor Group on Tuesday called for strengthened efforts to develop luxury, environmentally friendly and sports utility vehicles to catch up with the latest market trends.Group Chairman Chung Mong-koo made the calls during his visit to the US sales branch and a design center in California. Chung said the future-oriented strategy is needed to further expand Hyundai's presence in the US market, the world's second-largest auto market.  Hyundai Motor ch