Thirty-one North Koreans crossed the tense sea border and arrived on a frontline South Korean island at the weekend, but it is unlikely they are defectors, the Seoul government said Monday. The North Koreans, consisting of 11 men and 20 women, arrived on South Korea’s Yeonpyeong Island on a 5-ton fishing boat on Saturday. Their ship has been towed to a nearby port city for investigation, the South

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- North Korea's parliament has proposed holding talks with South Korea to ease tensions and improve relations between the two Koreas.The North's official Korean Central News Agency reported Thursday that the Supreme People's Assembly made the offer in a Wednesday letter to South Korea's National Assembly.The offer comes days after a North Korean committee proposed that law

TULLY, Australia (AP) -- The most powerful storm in a century ripped across Australia's northeast coast early Thursday, blasting apart houses, laying waste to banana crops and leaving boats lying in the streets of wind- and wave-swept towns.Authorities said they were surprised to learn at daybreak that no one had been reported killed by Cyclone Yasi, but cautioned that bad news could eventually em

The captain of a rescued South Korean freight vessel has regained his consciousness and has begun to recognize some family members 13 days after he was wounded, his medical team said Thursday. Medical staff take care of Seok Hae-kyun, the wounded captain of a rescued South Korean freighter, at Ajou University Hospital in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province Wednesday. (Yonhap News)The 58-year-old captain, Seo

OSLO, Norway (AP) -- A Norwegian lawmaker has nominated WikiLeaks for the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, saying that its disclosures of classified documents promote world peace by holding governments accountable for their actions.The Norwegian Nobel Committee keeps candidates secret for 50 years, but those with nomination rights sometimes make their picks known.Snorre Valen, a 26-year-old legislator from

South Korea's food prices climbed the second most on-year among the organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) members in December, data showed Thursday.Food prices in South Korea jumped 10.6 percent in December from a year earlier, higher than the OECD average of 2.6 percent, according to the data by the OECD.Among the 33 tallied countries, Estonia topped the list at 12.2 percen

The captain of a rescued South Korean freight vessel is expected to spend the Lunar New Year holidays lying unconscious in a hospital bed, as his medical team said Tuesday he remains in a critical condition. South Korea’s 11,500-ton chemical freighter Samho Jewelry and its 21 crew members were rescued on Jan. 21 by the Navy days after it was seized in waters between Oman and India.All crewmen were

South Korea’s foreign minister will meet his counterparts in the United Arab Emirates and Algeria next week, during which he is also seeking to visit Libya to patch up a months-long diplomatic row, the ministry here said.“We are currently discussing the details with the Libyan government so that the minister can visit the country upon his trip to the Middle East,” a ministry official said, asking

Korean crew of rescued freighter to return homeSeven South Korean crewmembers of a freight vessel recently rescued from Somali pirates are expected to return home this week following Oman’s approval of the ship to dock in the country, a Seoul official said Monday. South Korea’s 11,500-ton chemical freighter Samho Jewelry and its 21 crew members were rescued on Jan. 21 by the Navy days after it was

Instead of setting preconditions, South Korea will watch how much veracity North Korea shows toward denuclearization and the two deadly attacks last year in their upcoming talks to decide when to restart larger-scale peace talks, Seoul’s foreign minister said. The comments by Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan come as the two Koreas are preparing to hold defense talks viewed by regional powers as a st

The following are excerpts from the interview with Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan. ― Ed. The Korea Herald: Regarding the upcoming inter-Korean dialogue, what is the government’s official position on not linking North Korea’s apology for the attacks last year with the resumption of the six-party talks?Kim Sung-hwan: While we can set the conditions for the inter-Korean talks and have the initiative,

South Korea has said this week it will not link an apology from North Korea for last year’s attacks with resuming multinational disarmament talks, taking a step toward making peace with its nuclear-armed rival. The change of attitude could lead to early resumption of the six-nation talks aimed at North Korea’s denuclearization, an issue that has sparked a months-long tug of war among regional powe

The international community must send a strong, coordinated message that North Korea’s new uranium enrichment activity will not be tolerated, a senior U.S. diplomat said Tuesday, visiting Seoul amid Pyongyang’s recent efforts to resume peace talks with regional powers. It is “very important that the international community sends a strong message” that any uranium enrichment activities by North Kor

Lee meets with GNP leaders to call for stronger president-party relationshipPresident Lee Myung-bak’s conservative party is in dispute over whether the parliament should revise the country’s decades-old Constitution within Lee’s term, a move that could change the political landscape ahead of big elections.The ruling Grand National Party said Monday it will hold a three-day all members’ meeting ear

The deputy U.S. secretary of state will arrive in Seoul next week to debrief officials on the results of the U.S.-China summit, Washington announced Friday.James Steinberg will also travel to Japan and China to follow up on U.S. President Barack Obama’s meeting with his counterpart Hu Jintao in Washington this week, the U.S. State Department said. Steinberg will arrive in Seoul on Jan. 26.The trip

Evaluating the outcome of the U.S.-China summit as positive, South Korea repeated on Thursday that the resumption of any kind of dialogue with North Korea “depended fully” upon the nuclear-armed state’s earnest intent to halt provocations and disarm. Overcoming their once-divided view on how to deal with Pyongyang’s growing belligerence, U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao

With the U.S. and China expected to try resolving their once complicated relations by emphasizing common goals at their summit this week, South Korea is preparing for any changes which may occur in the regional powers’ attitude toward North Korea. U.S. President Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao are expected to discuss a wide range of economic and diplomatic issues Thursday, inclu

Disgraced TV celebrity Shin Jung-hwan returned to Korea on Wednesday to face investigations at home into allegations he gambled away hundreds of millions of won in the Philippines last year. Setting foot in his homeland for the first time in more than five months, the troubled 36-year-old admitted the illegal gambling charges.“I am ready for punishment. Please punish me harshly,” the singer-turned

Choi Joong-kyung pledges to stabilize commodity prices, create jobsWhile defending himself against ethical suspicions at a parliamentary hearing Tuesday, President Lee Myung-bak’s economy minister-nominee pledged to focus on stabilizing commodity prices and creating more jobs once parliament approves his appointment. Choi Joong-kyung, who formerly served as senior presidential secretary for econom

Culture minister-nominee grilled over alleged tax evasion, real estatePresident Lee Myung-bak’s culture minister-nominee pledged to end the cultural gap between social classes while being grilled by parliament over ethical issues on Monday. “I will push for policies that help integrate society,” said minister-designate Choung Byoung-gug during his parliamentary confirmation hearing. “I pledge to m