WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- "For S. Korea, islands are outposts of national pride," reads a front-page story of the Washington Post's Friday edition.   It shed lights on Dokdo, a pair of rocky islets in the East Sea, after a rare trip by one of its reporters there earlier this week.    The South Korean government organized a helicopter tour of Dokdo, which is at the center of its diplomatic tension

 Seoul reportedly plans to announce its agreement with Washington on revising a bilateral ballistic missile pact as early as Sunday. The revision is to allow South Korea to develop ballistic missiles with a range of up to 800 km, up from the previous 300 km, so as to better deal with missile threats from North Korea, reports say. The weight of the payload is to remain at the current 500 kg. “(Seou

Kukdong Engineering & Construction on Wednesday filed for court receivership. The 65-year-old firm, an affiliate of Woongjin Group, announced its insolvency on Tuesday. It is the second time the firm has filed for court receivership, having previously applied in 1998. The firm, which ranks 38th in the construction field, had led the country’s advance into the Middle East market in the late 1970s a

South Korea's liberal presidential candidates on Wednesday called for extending the voting hours for the Dec. 19 election day so more people can cast their ballots to pick the country's new leader.The main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP) had forwarded a revision bill that would allow people to vote from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., compared to the present closing time for polls set at 6 p.m.In a com

  GOYANG (Yonhap) -- Rep. Moon Jae-in, the front-runner in the main opposition party's presidential nomination race, secured his 12th straight win in the regional primary on Saturday, putting his overall tally at 53.49 percent of votes cast.   Moon's latest victory in Gyeonggi Province surrounding Seoul raised the prospects that he may be able to avoid a run-off that could take place if none of th

A mother in her 20s who had previously decorated the cover of Time magazine breastfeeding her 3-year-old son has appeared on another magazine’s cover.Jamie Lynne Grumet, 26, a stay-at-home mom in Los Angeles and her son had been the cover photo of Time magazine for a story on “attachment parenting,” in May and reactions ranged from applause to cringing to shrugs.On Twitter, at that time, the cover

  BEIJING (AP) _ Angry protesters are staging anti-Japanese demonstrations in cities across China over Japan's control of disputed islands, with a protest in Beijing turning violent before being brought under control by police.   Thousands of protesters threw rocks and burned Japanese flags in front of the Japanese Embassy in Beijing on Saturday morning. Some tried to breach a metal police barrica

 (Yonhap) -- South Korean rapper-singer Psy on Saturday topped the iTunes Chart with his single "Gangnam Style," making him the first Korean artist to reach No. 1 on the U.S. online chart.   YG Entertainment, Psy's agency in Seoul, said the chart-topping feat appears to have been aided by the singer's live performance in New York for NBC's "Today Show" on Friday.   "It's surprising to see a Korean

(Yonhap) -- Heavy rainstorms are forecast across the country this weekend as another major typhoon makes its way toward the Korean Peninsula, weather officials said Saturday.   Typhoon Sanba, positioned about 470 kilometers south-southeast of Okinawa, Japan, was traveling north-northwestward at a speed of about 18 kilometers per hour as of 9 a.m. Saturday, according to the Korea Meteorological Adm

     BEIJING (AFP) - China's Vice President Xi Jinping has made a public appearance, state media said Saturday, following swirling speculation about the whereabouts of Beijing's leader-in-waiting.   Xi had not been seen in public since September 1 and cancelled meetings with four foreign dignitaries including US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, giving rise to intense speculation about his healt

(Yonhap) -- South Korea and China have agreed to speed up their ongoing free trade talks as part of efforts to increase economic cooperation between the neighboring countries, the finance ministry said Saturday.   Both also agreed to intensify cooperation in currency polices, while seeking to increase settlements by using the won and the yuan, according to the ministry.   The agreements were made

(Yonhap) -- An estimated 35,000 mourners attended an emotion-filled funeral for Unification Church leader and founder Rev. Sun Myung Moon in the church's main compound in Gapyeong, east of Seoul, on Saturday, according to the church.Moon's family and followers wept as the casket was carried into the CheongShim Peace World Center, a church-owned sports and cultural center, for the funeral service.M

 WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- Apple Inc. scored another victory Friday over its rival Samsung Electronics Co., this time in a preliminary ruling by a U.S. government trade commission.Apple didn't violate Samsung's patent rights in producing the iPod touch, iPhones and iPads, James Gildea, a judge at the International Trade Commission (ITC), said on its website.The ITC's ruling deals another blow to Sams

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. government’s debt rating could be heading for the “fiscal cliff” along with the federal budget.Moody's Investors Service on Tuesday said it would likely cut its “Aaa” rating on U.S. government debt, probably by one notch, if budget negotiations fail.If Congress and the White House don’t reach a budget deal, about $1.2 trillion in spending cuts and tax increases will automa

OSLO (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak called for closer economic and other cooperation with Norway on Tuesday as he met with Crown Prince Haakon and parliamentary leaders, officials said.Lee arrived in Oslo on Monday, for economic cooperation talks with Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, especially about new shipping lanes in the Arctic region, resource development and green growth.N

　A fire broke out in a building in central Seoul on Tuesday night. No injuries were reported.　The fire started at around 7:07 p.m. on the fourth floor of the building, unleashing dark plumes of smoke. It was put out about 47 minutes later.   The floor is used for storing clothes. The cause of the fire has yet to be known.　The nearby fire station sent some 30 fire engines along with about 120 firef

 (Yonhap) -- The ruling party's presidential candidate, Park Geun-hye, drew fire again Tuesday for refusing to criticize the legacy of her father and late President Park Chung-hee, under whom eight student activists were executed and subsequently cleared of wrongdoing.On Monday, Park told a local radio talk show the courts gave two verdicts on the infamous "Inhyukdang" incident, saying history sho

The defense ministry will spend 2.7 trillion won (US$2.3 billion) over the next five years to secure tactical weapons to counter threats of North Korea's nuclear and artillery attacks, the state-run procurement agency said Tuesday.The Defense Acquisition and Procurement Agency (DAPA) held a meeting presided over by Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin and approved the 61.4 trillion won budget for the 201

(Yonhap) -- Torrential downpours in the southern parts of South Korea flooded local farms and houses, leaving two people dead and causing damage across the region, the police and weather agency said Thursday.   An 85-year-old woman, surnamed Yeom, was found dead by alandslide in Boseong, a town in South Jeolla Province, 397 kilometers southwest of Seoul, after being buried in soil for an hour unti

(Yonhap) -- South Korea and New Zealand signed a pact Friday aimed at forging policy and logistical cooperation in the development of Antarctica, Seoul officials said.    The pact was signed between South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan, who is on a two-day visit to Auckland, and his New Zealand counterpart Murray McCully, the ministry said in a statement.   The agreement "paves the way for