Vice Transportation Minister Yeo Hyung-koo resigned Saturday amid speculation he may run in next year's parliamentary elections.Yeo's resignation came days after President Park Geun-hye conducted a partial reshuffle of Cabinet ministers and other government officials, including the transportation minister."The issues and duties I took on when I took office have all been settled, and I think it is time for me to let go," Yeo told Yonhap News Agency by phone. "The past 35 years as a public officia

U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Friday he will visit South Korea next week for talks on North Korea's missile and nuclear programs. U.S. Defence Secretary Ashton Carter speaks during a news conference with his British counterpart Michael Fallon at Lancaster House in London, Britain on Oct. 9. (Reuters-Yonhap)At a press briefing in the Pentagon, Carter said he will be in South Korea next week to discuss "the ability of our collective defense to respond to those kinds of North Korean pro

South Korea won Group B at the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile on Friday after a scoreless draw with England.  The South Korean team pose for a photo before a match with England at the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile on Friday. (Yonhap)South Korea completed their undefeated group phase at Estadio Francisco Sanchez Rumoroso in Coquimbo, Chile. Coached by Choi Jin-cheul, South Korea had already secured a spot in the round of 16 following two straight 1-0 victories over Brazil and Guinea.South

Hundreds of South Koreans left for North Korea on Saturday to meet with their loved ones in North Korea that they have not seen since the 1950-53 Korean War.A group of 90 families or about 250 South Koreans were to arrive at a resort on Mount Geumgangsan on the North's east coast to have reunions with their North Korean relatives from Saturday to Monday.The upcoming event follows the previous three-day reunion that involved another 96 families that ended Thursday at the scenic resort on the Nort

The issue of South Korea’s troop reduction returned to the spotlight this week, as the government endorsed a revision to the defense reform act to postpone the target year for the reform to 2030 from the previous 2020, at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday. Defense Minister Han Min-koo speaks during a parliamentary session on Monday. (Yonhap)As the reform measures under the act include a plan to decrease the active-duty troop level to 522,000 from the current 633,000 by 2022, the revision has given more

Nearly 400 South Koreans will gather in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, Monday, a day before they travel across the border into the North to reunite with family members they have been separated from since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.South Korea`s Red Cross workers check wheelchairs at a hotel in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, on Sunday. (Yonhap)At Hanwha Resorts, a total of 394 people will be briefed on an array of issues including details about the reunions at Mount Geumgangsan, their health care an

Concerns are escalating over a possible airpower vacuum in South Korea as the country’s warplane acquisition is not faring well with difficulties in procuring key technologies from the U.S. and the aging fighter fleet.Last week, Washington reiterated its position against Seoul’s call for the technological transfer, foreshadowing a potential delay in Seoul’s ambitious project to develop an indigenous fighter jet, which is already more than a decade behind schedule.For the South’s Air Force, the p

President Park Geun-hye returned to Seoul on Sunday from her four-day trip to the U.S. with a set of diplomatic achievements such as obtaining Washington’s stronger commitment to North Korea’s denuclearization and its support for her initiatives for unification and regional peace.President Park Geun-hye shakes hands with Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yong after her arrival at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province on Sunday. (Yonhap)Her trip also helped ease the growing impression that Seo

The freedom of religion does not exist in practice in North Korea, an annual U.S. government report said Wednesday, noting the repressive regime continues to harshly handle religious people through executions, torture, beatings and arrests.US Secretary of State John Kerry speaks during the release of the 2014 International Religious Freedom Report at the US State Department in Washington on Wednesday. (AFP-Yonhap)The State Department’s 2014 International Religious Freedom Report pointed out that

KBS World Radio, the foreign-language radio service of KBS, will hold a walkathon event at the Peace Plaza in Olympic Park in Jamsil, southern Seoul, on Oct. 24 to mark the 40th anniversary of its Arabic service, officials said Wednesday.The event is open to anyone wishing to enhance his or her understanding of Arab countries and build friendship with them. It is expected to be attended by some 1,000 participants including Arab fans of Korea’s pop culture, the organizers said.The participants wi

How President Park Geun-hye will be treated during her visit to the U.S. this week is drawing keen attention as it comes at a delicate juncture when she should show strong unity with the U.S. against North Korea and dispel the growing impression that Seoul is tilting toward Beijing.President Park Geun-hye shakes hands with Saenuri Party leader Kim Moo-sung before boarding the presidential plane at the Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday. (Yonhap)Like her visit to the U.S. in

This is the first installment in a series of interviews with renowned scholars and experts on China as a resurgent Asian power triggering shifts in the regional order. This installment analyzes the evolution of China’s foreign policy. -- Ed.　By Song Sang-ho　Chinese President Xi Jinping has forged a new institutional mechanism to enable him to ease the constraints of the country’s collective leadership structure and take control of foreign policy, a China expert said. Kim Heung-kyu, political sci

South Korean singer-actor Rain has founded his own entertainment agency, the company said Sunday."Rain signed up with the Rain Company on Oct. 1," Rain Company said in a release. It said unlike other entertainment agencies in Korea where a single agency handles all businesses at home and abroad in such sectors as music albums, TV series and films, it will introduce an American-style agent system in which specialists from each sector take control of their field.The company said it will have separ

The government will announce a plan to introduce state-designated history textbooks for secondary school students this week, a government official concerned with the matter said Sunday."The Ministry of Education will make an official announcement on the plan tomorrow," the official said, requesting not to be named.Education minister Hwang Woo-yea will brief reporters on the government decision at 2 p.m. Monday, according to other sources. Currently, eight private publishing companies print histo

The United States won the Presidents Cup for the ninth time Sunday, defeating the International Team 15 1/2 to 14 1/2 after a nail-biting finish on a chilly afternoon by the Yellow Sea.The Americans grabbed six points out of 12 matches at the par-72, 7,380-yard Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in Incheon, just west of Seoul, with five victories and two halves. This was the first Presidents Cup held in Asia.The United States has now won the biennial match play competition nine out of 11 times, with

PARIS ― As a city where 2 million residents coexist with several million visitors and an average of 28 million commutes are made every day, Paris, like many other metropolitan cities, considers tackling air pollution and emissions as a top priority to solving public health issues.  A replica of Clichy-Batignolles Lee Hyun-jeong/The Korea HeraldAccording to the City of Paris, several millions of residents in the French capital and its surrounding areas were found to have been exposed to particles

A South Korean environment policy professor was elected to lead a U.N. panel on climate change, Seoul's Foreign Ministry said Wednesday, touting the election as an opportunity to enhance the nation's influence in the global efforts to tackle environmental challenges.  Lee Hoe-sung, professor at Korea University’s Graduate School of Energy and Environment Policy and Technology, will succeed Rajendra Pachauri from India as the sixth chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Lee Ho

Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se (right) speaks with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken before a meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul. (Yonhap)North Korea is unlikely to launch a rocket Saturday to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers’ Party, Seoul officials and experts said Tuesday, noting that there were no signs yet of Pyongyang’s preparations for any imminent launch.The prediction came as Seoul has been stepping up diplomacy to prevent the communist regim

The nation’s top intelligence agency is considering filing a complaint with the prosecution against its former chief as he appears to have revealed confidential information he obtained during his leadership from 2006-2008.Former NIS chief Kim Man-bok (Yonhap)Last week, Kim Man-bok, who led the National Intelligence Service during the former Roh Moo-hyun administration, disclosed in a media interview that Roh and former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il were able to talk with each other at anytime

The chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency will visit Seoul on Tuesday to meet with high-level South Korean officials including Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se to discuss North Korea’s nuclear program and other issues, Seoul officials said Sunday.IAEA director General Yukiya Amano’s visit here will be an opportunity to deepen cooperation between Seoul and the U.N. nuclear watchdog, particularly when Pyongyang is expected to carry out provocations, potentially including a nuclear test, Seo