Ahn Cheol-soo, former presidential aspirant who ran as an independent, indicated Monday he will form a political camp of his own by fielding candidates of his choice in October's re- and by-elections, a move certain to complicate the rivalry within the country's opposition bloc.Ahn, elected to parliament through last month's by-election, told reporters he hopes to challenge the elections in October if he "can find the people," the first set of comments from Ahn himself confirming speculations th

A Korean man charged with manufacturing and transporting narcotics was sentenced to death by a Chinese higher court and is awaiting a final ruling from the top court, sources here said Monday.The suspect, whose identity was withheld except for his surname, Lee, is a resident of Japan but holds Korean nationality, according to the sources. Though he was given the death sentence by the lower court in April last year and the sentence was upheld by the higher court in December, this information was

President Park Geun-hye will deliver a speech at a joint session of the U.S. Congress during a visit to Washington next month for a summit withPresident Barack Obama, her office announced Tuesday.The address, set for May 8 local time, comes only one year and a half after her predecessor Lee Myung-bak also addressed a joint meeting of the Senate and the House of Representatives during a state visit in October 2011. Park took office in February for a single five-year term. It would be the first ti

The legendary Korean artist Cho Yong-pil made his return to the music scene with a live showcase Tuesday night at the Olympic Hall in Seoul to make his long-awaited 10-year comeback official. Hundreds of eager fans made their way to the limited-seating event where the 63-year-old iconic singer introduced his new 10-track album “Hello,” which was also released to the public on the day. Cho’s showcase was streamed live worldwide on Naver. However, to much disappointment, the guest of honor only pe

Traces of radioactive materials from North Korea's February nuclear test were detected, a U.N. nuclear monitoring body said Tuesday, providing the first evidence of the nuclear detonation.The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization, a U.N. body, said in an emailed statement that its "radionuclide network has made a significant detection of radioactive noble gases that could be attributed to the nuclear test" announced by North Korea on Feb. 12.Two radioactive isotopes of the noble gas

South Korean smartphone manufactures have reduced their factory prices of products in line with the government's effort to tighten regulations on price subsidies, industry sources said Saturday.Samsung Electronics, the world's top smartphone marker,slashed the price of its Galaxy Note 2 model to 990,000 won ($874.9), down 9 percent from the previous 1.08 million won, according to the sources.The top player also discounted the factory price of its Galaxy 3 models to 790,000 won, compared to the p

A major 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck the eastern Indonesian province of Papua on Saturday, the US Geological Survey said, sending panicked crowds running into the streets.There were no immediate reports of damage and no tsunami warning was issued after the quake struck on land at 1:42 pm (0442 GMT) at a depth of 75 kilometres (46 miles), 272 kilometres west-southwest of provincial capital Jayapura, the USGS said.   Local seismologists had measured the quake at 7.2 magnitude.People in the area

국제 탐사보도언론인협회가 역외 조세피난처로 유명한 영국령 버진아일랜드 내부 문건 분석 결과를 추가로 공개했다. 이 명단에는 탁신 태국 전 총리의 전부인과 마하티르 말레이지아 전 총리 아들 등 각 국 유명인사와 고위급 인사가 포함되어 파문이 일고 있다. 최근 신상이 공개된 바야르적트 상가자브 몽골 전 재무장관은 정계 은퇴를 선언하기도 했으며, 프랑수아 올랑드 프랑스 대통령의 친구이자 대선 캠페인 공동 재무담당이었던 장 자크 오기에도 명단에 포함되어 올랑드 대통령 역시 정치적 타격을 입은 상태다. 버진아일랜드에 가짜 회사 세운 후 영국계·아일랜드계 은행에서 기록적인 7억5천만 파운드의 부동산을 대출을 받아 빼돌린 수감된 아킬레아스 칼라키스도 명단에 올라 있다.이 밖에 필리핀의 전 독재자 페르디난드 마르코스 대통령의 맏딸, 스페인의 최고 부자 미술품 수집가이자 미스 스페인 출신인 카르멘 티센-보르네미사도 그림을 사기 위해 조세 회피국의 역외 업체를 이용한 것으로 드러났다.한편 국제 탐사보

More South Koreans on Saturday began to leave North Korea and the factory park where they work, four days after Pyongyang closed the border to people and goods.Twenty-one South Koreans returned from the Kaesong industrial park Saturday morning, and about 100 of the roughly 600 still there were expected to return home by day's end, the Unification Ministry in Seoul said.One manager, Han Nam-il, interviewed as he left, said he saw North Korean security officials ``fully armed'' before he crossed t

북한이 5일 평양에 주재하는 외국 공관들의 직원 철수를 권고한 배경에 관심이 쏠린다.러시아 이타르타스통신 등에 따르면 북한 외무성은 이날 평양에 있는 러시아 및 중국 대사관을 비롯한 외국 공관들에 직원 철수를 권고한 것으로 알려졌다.평양의 러시아 대사관 대변인은 북한이 직원 철수를 요청해 왔지만 상황에서는 철수할 계획이 없다고 데니스 삼소노프 대변인이 말했다. 그는 북한 수도 평양에는 특별히 외부로 드러나는 긴장 정황은 없다고 말했다.북한이 아직 공식매체 등을 통해 관련 내용을 언급하지 않고 있지만 일단 한반도의 긴장 수위를 높이려는 행보의 연장선상으로 볼 수 있다는 게 전문가들의 대체적 분석이다.통상 한 국가가 자국 주재 외국 외교관들에게 철수를 권고하는 행위는 전쟁 등 극도로 위험해지는 상황을 가정한 조치이기 때문이다. 북한은 지난달 26일 전략미사일 부대와 야전 포병군에게 '1호전투근무태세'를 지시하며 전쟁 분위기를 고조하고 있고 최근에는 남북관계의 최후 보루로 인식돼온 개성공

It's a data leak involving tens of thousands of offshore bank accounts, naming dozens of prominent figures around the world. And new details are being released by the day _ raising the prospect that accounts based on promises of secrecy and tax shelter could someday offer neither.Among those named include a top campaign official in France, the ex-wife of pardoned oil trader Marc Rich, Azerbaijan's ruling family, the daughter of Imelda Marcos and the late Baron Elie de Rothschild. The widespread

North Korea has asked all embassies in Pyongyang to move out staff for their security amid sharp military tensions, but the United States said Friday it has no plans yet to take extraordinary steps with regard to Americans in the communist nation.The U.S. has no embassy or consulate in North Korea since they have no diplomatic ties. The Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang serves as interim protecting power for the U.S. and provides basic consular services to American citizens."We have been in touch wit

South Korean rap-pop sensation Psy revealed on Monday that the title of his new song, a follow-up to his massive hit "Gangnam Style," will be "Gentleman."He made a sudden announcement during a TV prime-time news interview aired at 8 p.m. on MBC.Asked about the introduction of the upcoming new song, he also hinted that his dance for the new song will be something new for overseas fans -- recognizable to Koreans, but unfamiliar abroad. After the release of the new song, Psy will launch a world con

"Gee" by South Korean K-pop group, "Girls' Generation" passed 100 million hits on YouTube Monday, according to the global online video website.The video reached the milestone three years and 10 months after it was released on June 8, 2009, becoming the second video by a Korean singer or group to hit the record following rapper Psy's "Gangnam Style.""Gee" was the most-viewed Korean music video on YouTube with about 80 million clicks before the arrival of "Gangnam Style" in July, last year. The vi

Pak Pong-ju, who served as North Korea's prime minister in 2003-2007, has been reappointed to the post in a recent government reorganization, the North's media said Monday.Pak's appointment was confirmed by the North's largely rubber-stamp legislature, the Supreme People's Assembly, according to the report by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA)monitored in Seoul. The 74-year-old Pak, known as an economic expert, was appointed on Sunday to a standing member of the political bureau of the ruling

The U.S. Department of Energy said as much as $20 million was available for researchers to examine ways to protect the energy sector from cyberattacks.U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said the funding would target the development of tools and technology to protect delivery systems for oil, natural gas and electricity from cyberattacks."By developing new cybersecurity tools and technologies specifically designed for the needs of the energy sector, utilities and industry will be better equipped to

The European Union predicted Friday that the economy of the 17 member countries that use the euro will shrink again in 2013 even though it will see its fortunes improve in the second half of the year.In its winter forecast, the EU Commission, the EU's executive arm, said the eurozone is likely to shrink a further 0.3 percent this year, in contrast to November's prediction of 0.1 percent growth.Across the eurozone, it said the debt crisis and the associated belt-tightening are weighing on activit

North Korea staged a huge rally in its capital Pyongyang on Thursday to celebrate its third nuclear test conducted two days ago, hailing it as a "success," according to the North's media.Photos provided by the North's Korean Central News Agency showed huge crowds cheering to mark the underground atomic test, which has drawn a chorus of worldwide condemnation and warnings of tougher sanctions against the North.It was the first nuclear test under young leader Kim Jong-un, who took the helm of Nort

Unemployment in Greece rose to a record 27 percent in November as separate surveys on Thursday showed the country remains stuck in recession and predicted nearly a third of the population would be in poverty by the end of the year.The Statistics Agency said unemployment increased from a rate of 26.6 percent in October and 20.8 percent in November the previous year. More than 30,000 people lost their job in November, the agency said, with the jobless rate accelerating from earlier in the year.Wor

The recession across the economy of the 17 European Union countries that use the euro deepened in the last three months of 2012 as Germany faltered in the face of anemic demand across the debt-ridden region.Eurostat, the EU's statistics office, said Thursday the eurozone economy shrank by 0.6 percent in the final quarter of 2012 from the previous three-month period. The decline was bigger than the 0.4 percent drop expected in markets and represented the biggest fall since the first quarter of 20