The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) plans to file a resolution next week calling for the resignation of National Assembly speaker Kang Chang-hee over his alleged violation of parliamentary laws in support of the ruling party, a DP spokesman said Friday.The move comes a day after Kang put to a vote the motion for the confirmation of Hwang Chan-hyon -- President Park Geun-hye's nominee for the head of the Board of Audit and Inspection -- amid objections from the opposition party.A plenary se

LONDON, Nov. 7 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Park Geun-hye fell while stepping out of her car upon arrival at the venue for a dinner reception hosted by Lord Mayor of London Roger Gifford Wednesday, but she wasn't hurt, a Seoul official said.Park fell frontward after arriving at Guildhall in London, senior presidential press secretary Lee Jung-hyun said. It appears that she stepped on her hanbok skirt, he said. She was not hurt at all, he said."Dramatic entry!" Park was quoted as telling a

BRUSSELS, Nov. 7 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Park Geun-hye arrived in Brussels on Thursday for summit talks with Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo and meetings with top European Union leaders.The two-day trip begins with a visit to a war memorial honoring Belgium's participation in the 1950-53 Korean War. Park will then attend a "creative economy" forum with scientists and business people from the two countries and hold summit talks with Di Rupo.Park plans to use the summit to pitch for expandi

SEOUL, Nov. 7 (Yonhap) -- North Korea on Thursday claimed it caught a South Korean spy who sneaked into the country.A spokesman from the North's National Security Agency said in a statement that the agency had captured a member of the South's National Intelligence Service (NIS) and was carrying out interrogations.The announcement was carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).The spokesman said the "unknown person" was discovered entering Pyongyang, the North's capital.The official said th

LONDON, Nov. 7 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Park Geun-hye left for Belgium on Thursday, winding up a four-day state visit to Britain marked by a splendid royal welcome at Buckingham Palace and a summit agreement to bolster trade and financial cooperation.Park's trip to London marked the second-ever state visit to Britain by a South Korean president. The late President Roh Moo-hyun made the first in 2004. Britain invites only two foreign leaders for state visits each year, officials said.On

Ranking diplomats from South Korea, Japan and China on Thursday agreed to ramp up their trilateral collaboration in a meeting held amid frayed ties over historical and territorial issues with Tokyo.The meeting brought together Seoul's Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Lee Kyung-soo, China's Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Liu Zhenmin and Asia Bureau Director General Shinsuke Sugiyama from Japan's foreign ministry."In the latest meeting, the three countries reaffirmed the importance of the t

 제주 올레길은 한국의 걷기 유행을 일으킨 시초로서 2007년 올레길 조성을 시작으로 전국 지자체들이 너도나도 걷기코스를 조성하게 된 계기이기도 하다. 전직 언론인으로 종사하던 서명숙 현 올레재단 이사장은 2007년 올레길을 디자인하며 제주도의 아름답고 숨겨진 비경을 세상에 공개했다. 현재 21개의 올레길은 제주도의 아름다운 해안선과, 오름, 그리고 마을들을 지나고 있다. 2007년을 시작으로 조성된 현재 까지도 제주도의 올레길은 관리가 매우 잘 되어 있으며 걷기에 편리하다. 그 이유는 제주특별자치도와 올레지기들이 지속적으로 관리하기 때문이다. 많은 올레길 중 7, 8 코스가 관광객들과 걷기 초보자들에게 가장 인기 있는 코스인데 그 이유는 제주도의 다양한 비경의 모습을 볼 수 있기 때문이다. “7코스는 가장 아기자기하고 풍광이 좋아요. 그리고 아스팔트와 시멘트 길이 제일 적어요. 7코스의 절벽, 벼랑의 풍경들이 정말 아름답죠.” 제주올레 자원봉사팀 7코스 김미선 올레지기가 말했다.

South Korea's top military commander said Tuesday North Korea could wage war if its regime is threatened or if it misjudges the security situation on the Korean Peninsula.Navy Adm. Choi Yun-hee, the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), warned of the possibility that the North could make a bad decision when asked by lawmakers under what condition a war could occur on the peninsula.North Korean leader Kim Jong-un could opt for war if his regime is threatened, the balance of military power chan

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono sent a personal letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the North's official media said Tuesday. The personal letter was delivered to Kim Yong-nam, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA), by Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, who is visiting North Korea, the (North) Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.However, the KCNA failed to reveal the contents of the personal letter. Last month, the Indonesian presiden

South Korea announced Tuesday it had completed its first commercial freight voyage via the Northern Sea Route, amid growing global interest in the increasingly open Arctic Ocean shipping route.The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said it had shipped in 44,000 tones of naphtha via the Northern Sea Route in a pilot project aimed at slashing energy transport costs and avoiding piracy risks associated with the Suez Canal.The shortcut between Asia and Europe along Russia's Arctic coast has been eyed

The spread of enhanced versatile disc (EVD) players in North Korea is making it harder for authorities to crack down on citizens watching South Korean-made videos, and fueling the spread of the "Korean wave" in the communist country, a local scholar said Tuesday.Kang Dong-won, a professor of international relations at Dong-a University, said that the arrival of cheap, Chinese-made "portable TVs" that started reaching the isolated country in 2005 has made it possible for people to watch various m

(파나마시티 AP=연합뉴스) 미신고 무기를 싣고 파나마 운하를 지나다 파나마 당국에 적발된 북한 선박 청천강호 선원들의 거취가 곧 판가름난다.파나마 검찰의 하비에르 카라바요 검사는 18일(현지시간) 구금중인 청천강호 선원들을 기소할지 아니면 석방할지에 대한 결정을 내달 초에 내릴 계획이라고 밝혔다.청천강호에 타고 있던 선장과 선원 등 35명은 모두 불법 무기 소지 혐의를 받고 있으며 유죄가 확정되면 징역 12년형에 처해질 수 있다.페르난도 누네스 파나마 외무장관은 청천강호를 북한에 돌려보내는 데에는 아무런 법적 걸림돌이 없지만 안에 실려 있던 미그기 등 무기와 설탕은 파나마에 남겨놓아야 한다고 말했다.북한은 청천강호 선원들을 석방하도록 파나마 정부를 압박하기 위해 파나마에 외교관을 파견할 계획으로 알려졌다.청천강호는 지난 7월 파나마운하를 통과하던 중 설탕 밑에 숨겨 놓은 미사일 부품 등 미신고 물품이 파나마 당국에 적발돼 억류됐다.수색 결과 선박에서는 미그 21 전투기 2대(195

NEW YORK (AP) – ``The Lion King'' has more reason to roar – it's on pace to end the week as the first Broadway show to earn $1 billion.According to The Broadway League, the show ended last week with a 16-year gross of $999,267,836, and it regularly pulls in between $1 million and $2 million a week over eight performances at the Minskoff Theatre.The show, featuring the music of Elton John and Tim Rice, including the Academy Award-winning ``Can You Feel the Love Tonight,'' brought the 1994 animate

"확인에 최장 2주 소요"…법의학팀 유족 대상 DNA검사 준비완료(하노이=연합뉴스) 김권용 특파원 = 최근 한국인 3명 등 모두 49명이 사망한 것 으로 알려진 라오스 여객기 추락사고 현장에서 모두 32구의 시신이 수습됐다.19일 라오스 주재 한국대사관과 현지 소식통에 따르면 현지 당국은 이날 오전(현지시간) 참파삭 주(州) 메콩강 사고현장에서 시신 2구를 추가 인양했다.이에 따라 지금까지 사고현장에서 수습된 탑승자 시신은 모두 32구로 늘어났다.그러나 이들 시신 가운데 육안으로 식별할 수 있는 한국인 시신은 없는 것으로 파악됐다고 대사관 측은 밝혔다.소식통들은 사고 이후 강물 속에 잠겨 있던 시신들이 부패가 이미 진행된 데다 사고 당시의 충격으로 시신이 훼손된 상태여서 신원 확인에 다소 시간이 소요될 것 이라고 밝혔다.실제 일부 시신의 경우 팔, 다리 등이 잘려나간 상태여서 육안 확인이 사실상 어려운 것으로 알려졌다.대사관 측은 법의학팀이 DNA 검사를 실시할 경우 시신 상태에

HANOI, Oct. 19 (Yonhap) -- A total of 32 bodies have been recovered from the Mekong River in the wake of a plane crash in Laos earlier this week, but it has yet to be determined if the three South Korean victims are among the remains, officials said Saturday.The Lao airplane crashed into the river amid bad weather Wednesday, killing all 49 passengers and crewmembers on board, including three South Korean businessmen. Rescue workers have since pulled 32 bodies from the water, including two on Sat

PANAMA CITY (AP) – Panama will soon decide whether to release or file weapon charges against the crew of a North Korean ship that was seized in July after it was found to be carrying Cuban fighter jets and missiles, an official said Friday.Anti-drug prosecutor Javier Caraballo said that a decision is expected in early November.Panama is expecting a visit soon by North Korean diplomats who will press for the 35 crew members' release from prison.The crew members are accused of illegal possession o

WASHINGTON (AP) – A rift within the Republican Party is widening in the aftermath of its clear defeat in the budget-debt brawl that threatened a default and shutdown much of the U.S. federal government for 16 days.Implored by House Speaker John Boehner to unite and ``fight another day'' against President Barack Obama and Democrats, Republicans are instead intensifying attacks on one another.That's an ominous sign for the party in advance of 2014 midterm elections and more difficult policy fights

SEOUL, Oct. 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korean hurler Ryu Hyun-jin's first Major League Baseball (MLB) postseason ended on a sour note in St. Louis on Friday, as his Los Angeles Dodgers were eliminated in the National League Championship Series (NLCS) following their 9-0 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 6.Ryu made two starts in the playoffs, going 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA in 10 innings pitched. Ryu was lined up to start Game 7 if the Dodgers won Friday to stay alive.In his postseason debut on Oct. 6

SEOUL, Oct. 19 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean stock market is expected to continue its upward trend next week as foreigners are anticipated to maintain their buying rally amid eased woes over the U.S. political impasse, analysts said Saturday.The country's key stock index, the KOSPI, advanced 1 percent this week to close at 2,052.40 on Friday.Earlier this week, the local stock market was dented by concerns stemming from political tension in the U.S. over its debt limit.However, the market returned

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Just hours after winning a coveted place on the U.N. Security Council for the first time, Saudi Arabia did a stunning about-face Friday and rejected the seat, denouncing the body for failing to resolve world conflicts such as the Syrian civil war.The unprecedented move at the United Nations appeared largely directed at Saudi Arabia's longtime ally, the United States, reflecting more than two years of frustration.The oil giant and the world's superpower are at odds over a nu