The ruling Saenuri Party said Thursday it has seen government records backing up allegations that late South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun tried to nullify the de facto maritime border separating the two Koreas, a move that is seen as undermining South Korea's sovereignty.   The controversy centered on allegations that Roh, who stepped down in early 2008 at the end of a single five-year term, had tried to nullify the so-called Northern Limit Line (NLL) during an inter-Korean summit in 2007 with

 South Korea lost to Iran 1-0 but still advanced to the FIFA World Cup finals for the eighth consecutive time Tuesday.   Despite the defeat at Munsu Football Stadium here in Ulsan, South Korea secured one of the four automatic Asian berths to football's global extravaganza in Brazil next year. South Korea finished second in Group A with 14 points, two points behind Iran.  Uzbekistan also ended with 14 points in Group A, thanks to its 5-1 win over Qatar on Tuesday, but finished behind South Korea

President Park Geun-hye said Tuesday she will draw on the talents of Koreans living abroad to create a more competitive South Korea in the world.Park made the remarks in a meeting with representatives of Korean communities across the world, emphasizing that her vision for "happiness of the people" includes also the millions of Koreans living overseas."I'm going to build a strong South Korea that can boldly compete in the world," she said at the meeting at a Seoul hotel. "(I) will provide ample o

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's special envoy met with Chinese President Xi Jinping Friday to deliver Pyongyang's willingness to re-join long-suspended six-party talks on ending its nuclear programs, news reports and sources said. Choe Ryong-hae, the director of the General Political Bureau of North Korea's People's Army, met Xi at the Great Hall of the People on the final day of his three-day trip to China, China News Service said, adding Choe had delivered Kim Jong-un's personal letter to Xi

South Korea officially joined an international treaty on adoption to provide protection for children, the health ministry said Friday.According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, South Korea became a member state of the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption, as Health Minister Jin Young signed the deal on Friday.The convention establishes protection for children, birth parents and adoptive parents while endorsing the concept of in

South Korean stocks are expected to gather ground next week, as the Bank of Korea (BOK)'s Thursday rate cut that kept step with the government stimulus will likely spark momentum in the market, analysts said Saturday.   The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) closed at 1,944.75 on Friday, down 1.07 percent from the previous week. Poor Chinese manufacturing data released on Monday put downward pressure on the main index, dropping it to the early 1,960 level.   The KOSPI then staye

   BUSAN (AFP) - A U.S. naval strike group led by the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz arrived off South Korea Saturday for drills, following joint exercises that infuriated North Korea.   The Nimitz Strike Group includes 64 aircraft as well as cruisers and destroyers, said the group's commander, Rear Admiral Mike S. White, after the aircraft carrier anchored off the southern port of Busan.   "I believe it's critically important that we maintain our inter-operability with our partners like the Republ

박근혜 대통령의 방미 기간 벌어진 '성추행 의혹'으로 경질된 윤창중 전 청와대 대변인은 11일 의혹을 전면 부인했다.윤 전 대변인은 이날 오전 서울 종로구의 한 음식점에서 기자회견을 열고, 자신의 수행으로 배치한 여성 인턴을 호텔바와 자신의 호텔방에서 거듭 성추행했다는 의혹에 대해 전면 부인했다.그는 여성인턴에 대해서는 "너무나 매끄럽지 못하게 저를 가이드했고, 일정 등도 제대로 모르고 출발시간과 차량을 대기시키지 못하는 등 잘못을 여러차례 해 그때마다 단호하게 꾸짖었다"고 말했다.또 "나중에 '너무 심하게 꾸짖었다'는 자책이 들어 위로하는 뜻에서 술한잔을 사겠다고 했고 그래서 워싱턴호텔 지하1층 허름한 바에서 운전기사를 동석시켜 30분 동안 화기애애하게 이야기를 나눴다"면서 "운전기사가 앉았는데 제가 어떻게 그 여성을 성추행할수 있겠는가"라고 주장했다. 윤 전 대변인은 이어 "좋은 시간을 보내다가 나오면서 그 여자 가이드의 허리를 툭 한차례 치면서 '앞으로 잘해, 미국에서 열심히

The former presidential spokesman, who was fired after becoming embroiled in a sex scandal while accompanying President Park Geun-hye on her first trip to the U.S., denied allegations Saturday of having sexually assaulted a youngAmerican woman who worked for him during the visit.   Yoon Chang-jung, who accompanied Park to Washington for her first summit with U.S. President Barack Obama, hastily left for South Korea Wednesday as police were investigating allegations that he sexually assaulted a 2

The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae offered a public apology Friday over allegations that the now-fired spokesman for President Park Geun-hye sexually assaulted a woman while accompanying Park on her first visit to Washington earlier this week. The swift apology underlines the seriousness of the case that sparked public outrage and dealt a blow to the image of the Park administration less than three months after its inauguration.   "As senior press secretary, I am very disappointed and apologe

North Korea marked the founding anniversary of its armed forces Thursday with a march-past of troops attended by leader Kim Jong-un, senior officials and top military commanders, state media said.Kim "saluted the columns marching past the tribune of honor in fine array" during a ceremony in front of the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the embalmed bodies of the country's founding leader Kim Il-sung and his son Kim Jong-il lie in state, the Korean Central News Agency said in a report, monitored

 Prime Minister Chung Hong-won on Thursday dismissed a suggestion that South Korea send a special envoy to North Korea on a mission to defuse cross-border tensions, saying it is not the right time to do so.   During a parliamentary interpellation session, Chung said that past experiences show that "unilateral goodwill" alone cannot resolve problems between the two Koreas. That appears to mean Pyongyang should first soften its stance.   Earlier Thursday, South Korea formally offered North Korea d

Creditors of STX Offshore & Shipbuilding agreed Thursday to provide the ailing South Korean shipbuilder with 600 billion won (US$540 million) in emergency loans, the main creditor bank said.   STX Offshore, the shipbuilding unit of STX Group, a South Korean shipping and shipbuilding conglomerate, has been suffering a credit crunch as demand for new ships has fallen sharply in the past few years.   A senior official at Korea Development Bank (KDB), the main creditor, said that seven creditor bank

 DETROIT -- Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia are recalling almost 1.9 million vehicles to fix problems with air bags and brake light switches.   The brake light recall covers the Hyundai Accent, Elantra, Genesis Coupe, Santa Fe, Sonata, Tucson and Veracruz. Also affected are Kia's Optima, Rondo, Sedona, Sorento, Soul and Sportage. The vehicles are from the 2007 through 2011 model years.   U.S. safety regulators say a faulty switch can stop the brake lights from illuminating when drivers press t

Eight out of 10 people employed here work more than the legal limit of 40 hours per week, a survey showed Wednesday   According to the survey of 587 workers, 81 percent, or 475 respondents said they work more than 40 hours per week. The survey was conducted by the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, one of the country's major umbrella labor unions, last month.   In 2004, the government implemented a policy to cap the weekly working limit to eight hours per day and 40 hours per week from the previ

Prosecutors on Thursday rejected a police request to impose an overseas travel ban on Kim Hak-ui, the former vice justice minister involved in an escalating sex-for-favors scandal, news reports said.　Bans against some 10 others implicated in the same scandal were also turned down, according to them.　Police have obtained statements from a woman allegedly hired by a contractor to perform sexual services for the official in 2009 at a country house in Wonju, Gangwon Province. After his name was disc

  North Korea on Thursday called on countries involved in the "nuclear standoff" on the Korean Peninsula to clarify their views on what future actions should be taken that can either lead to war or peace.    In an article carried by the Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, Pyongyang said the world at large should not underestimate the dangers of nuclear war.    "DPRK-U.S. nuclear war goes beyond the two countries," it stressed.   The paper monitored in Seoul then claime

  The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld an earlier ruling by an appeals court to confiscate four dolphins that can allow the marine mammals to be set free into the wild.   Justices confirmed the high court's ruling and sentenced the owner of the dolphins who ran a tourist attraction near Jungmun Beach on southern Jeju, to eight months in prison, suspended for two years. The owner identified only by his surname of Heo, willalso have to pay a fine of 10 million won (US$9,000).   The country's highe

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended a military 'information workers' meeting on Thursday, in a move to highlight the importance the country places on the ideological indoctrination of its soldiers.   The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the meeting was attended by workers belonging to all branches of the Korean People's Army (KPA), including its rocket force and officers of various military schools.   The workers have similar roles to political commissars found in many communist count

South Korea squeezed past Qatar 2-1 in their World Cup qualifier on Tuesday, taking an important step toward making another appearance in the quadrennial tournament.At Seoul World Cup Stadium, second-half substitute Son Heung-min scored as the last-minute winner for the home team. In Group A in the final Asian qualifying stage, South Korea improved to 10 points after five games with three wins, one loss and one draw. Winger Lee Keun-ho headed in the first goal for the home team in the 59th minut