BEIJING (Yonhap) -- China plans to build a new wing at a museum in the northeastern city of Harbin to display more artifacts on atrocities committed by Japan's notorious Unit 731 during World War II, a local daily reported Saturday. The reported move is seen as the latest step by Beijing to broaden its efforts to raise awareness of Japan's wartime aggression at a time when Tokyo's relations with its neighbors, especially Beijing and Seoul, have plunged to one of their lowest points in many years

The stunning defeat of South Korean figure skating star Kim Yu-na in the ladies' singles competition at the Sochi Winter Games has left fans and experts, both at her home and abroad, up in arms about judging in one of the marquee events at the sporting event.Kim, the 2010 Olympic champ, fell shy of winning her second straight gold on Thursday in Russia, settling for silver with 219.11 points in total, 5.48 points behind the upstart Russian, Adelina Sotnikova.Kim held the slim, 0.28-point lead ov

A group of South Korean activists rallied Saturday in front of the Japanese Embassy here on what Japan has designated as "Takeshima Day," protesting Tokyo's territorial claims to South Korea's Dokdo islets.Hundreds of protesters gathered in front of the embassy in central Seoul and expressed concerns over Japan's celebration of Takeshima Day, named after Japan's moniker for the islets in the East Sea. Japan marks the controversial day, which falls on Feb. 22, to continue to lay claims to the roc

President Barack Obama met Tibet's Dalai Lama on Friday over the strong objections from China that the U.S. was meddling it its affairs. The White House took pains to ensure the meeting was not portrayed as a conference of two heads of state.Obama played host to his fellow Nobel laureate in the White House's Map Room rather than the Oval Office, where the president traditionally brings dignitaries for photos. Beijing decries the Dalai Lama as an anti-Chinese separatist because of his quest for g

A bomb attack on a tourist bus in Egypt has killed three South Koreans, along with one Egyptian, and injured 13 others, Seoul's foreign ministry said Monday.The bus, carrying 31 South Korean churchgoers and two Korean tour guides, was hit by the suspected suicide attack on the Sinai Peninsula on Sunday, when it was preparing to cross into Israel, according to the ministry.The blast killed one South Korean female tourist and two South Korean tour guides, along with the Egyptian driver, the minist

Following her first practice on Sunday at the venue for the figure skating competition at the Sochi Winter Games, South Korean star Kim Yu-na said ice conditions there shouldn't present problems.Kim skated for the first time at Iceberg Skating Palace, where she will try to defend her gold medal in the ladies' singles. The short program is scheduled for Wednesday, and the free skating will follow the next day.Kim arrived in Sochi last Thursday and trained for two days at a practice rink before re

South Korea's newly appointed cardinal, Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, left for the Vatican on Sunday for a formal ceremony this weekend to make his new title official."I feel a big responsibility," Yeom said ahead of his trip to the Holy See. "I would appreciate if you pray for me."Yeom is set to attend a Vatican ceremony on Saturday, in which Pope Francis will install Yeom and 18 other churchmen as new cardinals. The 71-year-old, who served as archbishop of Seoul, will be South Korea's third cardinal,

An American Christian missionary who has been detained in North Korea for more than a year should serve out his sentence, Pyongyang's top envoy to Britain said, in a remark suggesting that the isolated country may not free him anytime soon.Kenneth Bae was arrested in November 2012 while leading a group of tourists. He was accused of unspecified anti-state crimes and sentenced to 15 years of hard labor, though he has been hospitalized in recent months due to illness.North Korea's ambassador to Br

South Korea lashed out Friday at Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for his remarks that Tokyo is considering bringing their territorial dispute over Dokdo to the International Court of Justice.Japan has long laid claims to South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo, stoking deep resentment among South Koreans against Japan, which colonized the Korean Peninsula in 1910-45.Seoul's Foreign Ministry condemned Abe's comment made a day earlier, calling it nothing but "empty rhetoric and a meaningless

Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae on Friday renewed Seoul’s calls for North Korea to quickly respond to its proposal to hold the reunions of separated families from Feb. 17-22, stressing that it is an urgent humanitarian issue. “If (Pyongyang) is really willing to address the issue of separated families, it should unconditionally respond to the proposal as soon as possible,” Ryoo said during an event to encourage the families with their loved ones in the North at Imjingak in Paju, Gyeonggi Prov

The number of online financial scams in South Korea surpassed 30,000 in the first 10 months of last year, as scamming methods become increasingly diversified and sophisticated, the police said Friday.Four online financial scams such as SMishing, pharming, instant messenger phishing and memory hacking reached 32,060 cases in the January-October period of last year, the police said.Among the above-cited online financial fraud methods, SMishing caused the most damage to financial consumers, reachin

North Korea's top envoy to Britain dangled the possibility of progress in staging reunions for families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War as he renewed Pyongyang's demands that Seoul cancel its annual military drill with the United States.Hyun Hak-bong said in a video interview posted Thursday that the two Koreas can discuss a date for staging the family reunions, breaking the silence the North has kept since South Korea proposed earlier this week to hold the reunions for the aging Koreans."As

In dealing with South Korea's plan to upgrade its non-military nuclear program, the U.S. government continues to put a priority on a global nonproliferation regime, Washington officials said Thursday.Thomas Countryman, assistant secretary of state for international security and nonproliferation, admitted that Seoul's pursuit of consent for enriching uranium and reprocessing plutonium is a major sticking point in bilateral talks on civilian nuclear cooperation."I'll simply reaffirm that with the

A legislative panel at the Virginia House of Delegates on Thursday passed a bill requiring new school textbooks to use the Korean name East Sea as well as the Sea of Japan.The 5-4 vote in the education subcommittee kept alive the Korean-American community's hopes that Virginia will become the first U.S. state to introduce legislation to identify the waters between Korea and Japan as the East Sea.The state's Senate approved a similar bill last week.Koreans contend the Sea of Japan, still more pop

북한 급변사태 가능성에 대한 우려가 증가하고 있는 가운데, 주한미군은 수년 안에 특수지뢰방호차량인 MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) 80대 이상 한반도 배치를 추진 중이라고 밝혔다. 2012년 미군은 MRAP의 한반도 운용 적합성에 대한 평가를 한 후에, 2사단 운용이 부적합하다는 평가를 내렸었다. 그럼에도 80대 이상의 MRAP 배치를 추진하는 것은 북한 급변사태를 고려한 것이 아니냐는 분석이 나오고 있다.미육군성의 승인하게 되면, 한국에 있는 미군기지에 MRAP이 배치될 것이라고 미8군측은 설명했다. 미군은 MRAP의 배치 뿐만 아니라, 2월 기계화보병부대 순환 배치 계획을 포함해 대북 억지력을 강화하고 있는 상황이다. 전문가들은 주한미군이 북한 김정은 국방위원장의 고모부인 장성택 처형이후 불안해진 안보상황을 감안해 군사력을 보강하고 있다고 분석하고 있다.MRAP은 미 지상군의 아프간 이라크 전쟁에서 큰 역할을 했다. 특히 MRAP은 전투상황에

South Korea's trade commission on Friday launched a formal investigation into alleged dumping by a local importer of ethanolamine.The probe will affect products from the United States, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.Ethanolamine is a chemical compound used to produce various products including detergent and plasticizer.In 2012, the country's market for ethanolamine came to about US$47 million with 49 percent of the total supplied by the four

North Korea on Friday accepted South Korea's call to hold working-level talks next week to improve the overall competitiveness of the inter-Korean factory park in Kaesong.The Ministry of Unification said Pyongyang notified the South through the Kaesong Industrial Complex joint management committee secretariat that it wants to hold three subcommittee meetings next Wednesday and Thursday."The North proposed talks on three sub-panels related to investment protection, internationalization and rules

North Korea on Friday threatened to take action against the head of South Korea's spy agency for masterminding the kidnapping of its citizens and for plotting to undermine the country's sovereignty.The spokesman for the North's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea said Seoul is using the National Intelligence Service (NIS) to carry out anti-DPRK activities. The DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's official name.He warned that all those who take part

The office of South Korean President Park Geun-hye cautioned Sunday against reading too much into her remark that she is willing to hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at any time, saying it was an unspecific and general statement.Park had made the remark in an interview with the French daily Le Figaro published Saturday. She said Seoul is ready to help the North and she can meet with the North's young leader if it is necessary for moving inter-Korean relations forward and promoti

The LG Twins blanked the Doosan Bears 2-0 on Thursday to knot their Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) playoff series at one game apiece, backed by a dominant performance by their flame-throwing starter.Radhames Liz struck out 10 and gave up only one hit in eight overpowering innings for the victorious side at Jamsil Stadium, and leadoff Park Yong-taik went 4-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI to back the right-hander.The third game will be back at Jamsil at 2 p.m. Saturday. Since both teams share