문재인 대통령의 정책 싱크탱크 ‘국민성장’에서 한반도 안보성장추진단장을 맡고 있는 연세대 정치외교학과 최종건 교수는 “문재인 정부는 2018년 평창올림픽을 남북간 접촉을 시작할 수 있는 플랫폼으로 이용할 것”이라고 말했다. 관련 영어기사 최 교수는 대통령 선거 직전인 지난 8일 가진 코리아헤럴드와의 인터뷰에서 “평창올림픽을 어떻게 활용할 지가 굉장히 중요하다”면서 “올림픽 정신과 남북교류 정신을 살려 남북 접촉을 확대해 한국의 의도에 대한 신호를 보내고 추가 핵실험과 미사일 발사 동결 등 비핵화 관련 명시적인 조치가 이루어질 때 개성공단과 금강산관광에 대한 모종의 조치가 열릴 수 있다”고 말했다. 최종건 연세대 정치외교학과 교수이처럼 문 대통령 외교·안보 자문 그룹의 핵심 인사가 구체적인 남북 대화의 타임라인을 제시한 것은 이번이 처음이다. 이는 문 대통령이 11일 시진핑 중국 국가주석과의 전화통화에서도 언급한 “포괄적, 단계적 북핵 해결”과도 궤를 같이 하는 것이다. 그러나 최 교

MOSCOW (AFP) -- Thousands of Russians marched through central Moscow on Sunday in memory of slain opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, two years after he was shot dead near the Kremlin. The assassination of the former deputy prime minister on February 27, 2015 was the highest-profile killing of a critic of President Vladimir Putin since the ex-KGB officer took charge in 2000. Five Chechen men from Russia's volatile North Caucasus are currently on trial for carrying out a contract hit, but those who

ATLANTA (AP) -- When Tom Perez stepped to the stage as the newly elected Democratic national chairman, his first official act was to invite his vanquished rival to join him as deputy chairman. Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison accepted on the spot and two men stood together, smiling like a national ticket at a presidential nominating convention. Members of the Democratic National Committee cheered wildly at their gathering in Atlanta on Saturday, forgetting the competitive race that took two rounds o

Five months after introducing its digital assistant, Google is sharing the feature with Android partners, hoping the service can boost its odds to win customers from Apple Inc.'s iPhone. Alphabet Inc.'s Google is making its intelligent assistant -- a service that answers queries, plays music and completes tasks -- available for smartphones using the two newest versions of its Android software. It's showcasing the service with a closer partnership with LG Electronics Co. announced Sunday at the M

NEW YORK (AP) -- Samsung's fiasco with its fire-prone Note 7 phone has pushed its rival LG to take additional precautions with its next smartphone.Samsung recalled millions of Note 7 phones after dozens overheated and caught on fire . Samsung blamed numerous problems with its batteries and announced tighter quality controls and more rigorous testing. LG G5 (Yonhap)LG said it's doubling the separation between the battery's positive and negative chambers to reduce the risk of a short. Samsung's in

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Jeff Regan was born with underdeveloped optic nerves and had spent most of his life in a blur. Then four years ago, he donned an unwieldy headset made by a Toronto company called eSight.Suddenly, Regan could read a newspaper while eating breakfast and make out the faces of his co-workers from across the room. He's been able to attend plays and watch what's happening on stage, without having to guess why people around him were laughing.  (eSight)"These glasses have made my l

The American Chamber of Commerce in South Korea said Sunday its delegation plans to visit Washington in May for talks with US officials and policymakers on trade issues with South Korea.The annual doorknock delegation is meant to inform US officials of the effects of the free trade deal between South Korea and the United States and to explain Seoul's deregulation campaign, it said. (123RF)The free trade deal, which went into effect in 2012, has widely been considered a symbol of the economic all

YANGON (AFP) -- Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has broken a month long silence on the daylight assassination of her advisor, calling his killing a "great loss" for the country's democracy struggle.Ko Ni, a prominent Muslim lawyer and critic of Myanmar's powerful military, was shot dead on 29 January outside Yangon airport in a murder that sent shockwaves through the country's young civilian government.A taxi driver, Ne Win, was also killed trying to stop the gunman who was arrested.

BAGHDAD (AP) -- Iraqi militarized police captured a neighborhood on the western side of Mosul on Sunday amid fierce clashes with Islamic State militants, as thousands of people continued to flee the battle to government-controlled areas, security officials said.Iraqi forces, backed by aerial support by the U.S.-led international coalition, launched a new push last week to drive IS militants from Mosul's west, capturing so far the city's international airport and an adjacent military base. Iraqi

TEHRAN (AFP) -- Iran's ex-president Mahmud Ahmadinejad published Sunday an open letter to Donald Trump, welcoming his criticism of the US political system but taking issue with his visa ban and attitude to women.Many Iranians see the new US president as cut from the same cloth as Ahmadinejad, who shocked the establishment with his sudden rise to power in 2005, combining hardline rhetoric and populist economic policies to win a powerful following among Iran's lower classes.At times in the long an

KUALA LUMPUR (AP) -- Malaysia's health minister said Sunday that the dose of nerve agent given to North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un's exiled half brother was so high that it killed him within 20 minutes and caused "very serious paralysis."Kim Jong Nam died Feb. 13 at Kuala Lumpur's airport in what Malaysian police say was a well-planned hit by two women who wiped a liquid on Kim's face. Police revealed Friday that the banned chemical weapon VX nerve agent was used to kill Kim, raising the stakes in

South Korea rallied to defeat Cuba 7-6 in their exhibition game on Sunday ahead of the World Baseball Classic.The home team erased a 3-1 deficit in a six-run seventh inning to beat Cuba for the second straight day at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. On Saturday, South Korea prevailed 6-1.South Korea will host Pool A action in the first round against Israel, the Netherlands and Chinese Taipei, starting on March 6.Cuba will face Japan, Australia and China in Pool B play in Tokyo.The team's next exhibiti

CHONBURI, Thailand (AP) -- Amy Yang rarely wavered with a big lead during the final round of the Thailand LPGA tournament, shooting a 4-under 68 to win by five strokes Sunday.Due to rain delays, Yang was forced to play her final five holes of the third round on Sunday morning, and she led by five strokes after 54 holes. Later in the day, the 2015 Thailand champion saw her lead reduced to three shots on several occasions, but the South Korean held on to post a record 22-under 266 on the Siam Coun

GANGNEUNG (AP) -- The one-year countdown to the Pyeongchang Games began Thursday with Yuna Kim revealing the Olympic torch and organizers opening online ticket reservations.South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn and an International Olympic Committee delegation led by Gunilla Lindberg, who heads the IOC's coordination commission for the games, also attended the ceremony in Gangneung, which will host the ice sports events next year."I am convinced that the Pyeongchang Olympics will be a succes

INCHEON (Yonhap) -- Eight national baseball team members from the reigning league champions Doosan Bears said Thursday they'll represent the country with pride at an upcoming international tournament.No Korea Baseball Organization club will have more representation at the World Baseball Classic next month. And these eight players -- infielders Oh Jae-won, Kim Jae-ho and Hur Kyoung-min; outfielders Min Byung-hun and Park Kun-woo; and pitchers Chang Won-jun and Lee Hyun-seung -- halted their offse

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Twitter came under fresh pressure Thursday as the social network reported sluggish revenue and user growth, and widening losses in the past quarter.Pre-market trades showed Twitter shares slumping 10.8 percent as hopes faded for a rekindling of growth at the messaging platform, which has lagged its rivals in the fast-moving social media segment.Twitter reported a net loss in the fourth quarter of $167 million, after a $90 million deficit in the same period a year ago.Revenue

CAEN, France (AFP) -- An explosion at a nuclear power plant on France's northwest coast on Thursday caused minor injuries, but the authorities said there was no risk of radiation.The blast took place in the engine room at the Flamanville plant, which lies 25 kilometres west of the port of Cherbourg and just across from the Channel Islands."It is a technical incident. It is not a nuclear accident," senior local official Jacques Witkowski told AFP.He said a ventilator had exploded outside the nucl

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump's extended criticism of the judiciary prompted a rebuke from his nominee for the Supreme Court, who told a senator the president's comments were "demoralizing and disheartening."Judge Neil Gorsuch, who was nominated by Trump to the nation's high court last week, made the comments Wednesday after Trump accused an appellate court considering his immigration and refugee executive order of being "so political." Over the weekend, the president labeled a judge

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- Police detained four Islamic State suspects who were allegedly planning to carry out a sensational attack in Turkey and seized 24 suicide attack belts, officials said Thursday.The latest detentions came as CIA chief Mike Pompeo arrived in Turkey to discuss the fight against the extremist group in Syria and Iraq, making his first overseas trip since taking office. The suspects were put under custody in an anti-terror operation in Gaziantep, near the border with Syria, accor

TOKYO (AFP) -- Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe headed to Washington on Thursday with a massive investment package for Donald Trump, possibly designed to inoculate his country against presidential criticism. Abe will dangle proposals linked to the creation of hundreds of thousands of jobs in the US, ranging from high-speed rail projects to private cash from Japanese companies.Their White House summit on Friday will be followed by a game of golf at Trump's palatial vacation estate in Florida, as