The official campaigning period for the June 4 local elections kicked off Thursday amid lingering uncertainties about voter sentiment following strong public criticism of the government's handling of a deadly ferry sinking last month.The nationwide elections for 17 new provincial governors and mayors, as well as education superintendents and local council members, are seen as a referendum on President Park Geun-hye's conservative administration.Park, who took office in February 2013, has seen he

Paul McCartney, a former member of legendary British band the Beatles, has canceled his planned first-ever concert in South Korea due to health problems, organizers said Wednesday.The legendary pop star planned to hold a concert at Seoul's Jamsil Stadium on May 28 as part of his "Out There" world tour, which began in Brazil last year and has taken him to 23 big cities around the world.The 71-year-old artist earlier canceled all of his four concerts planned in Japan as he failed to improve after

 South Korea's Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung paid a landmark visit to North Korea on Wednesday to meet with South Korean Catholics working at a joint inter-Korean factory park, officials said.The one-day trip to the North's western border city of Kaesong comes as tensions persist over North Korea's possible nuclear test and its recent verbal tit-for-tat with rival South Korea.It marked the first time that a Catholic cardinal has visited North Korea. It also comes less than three months before Po

Thailand's caretaker Prime Minister Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisan on Tuesday called for fresh polls to be held on August 3 in a bid to end the nation's political turmoil, after the military imposed martial law across the kingdom.He told reporters that the government had written to the Thai Election Commission proposing the new date for polls and hoped to "submit a royal decree" next week for the king to endorse a new national vote. (AFP)

The elder half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has surfaced in Indonesia, dismissing speculation that he might have been hiding following the execution of his uncle, a South Korean television reported Tuesday.Kim Jong-Nam was sighted at an Italian restaurant run by a Japanese businessman in Jakarta on May 4 with two women, cable news network YTN said.YTN quoted one of Kim's friends as saying the 43-year-old had been living well, shuttling back and forth among Singapore, Indonesia, Mal

South Korea and the United States plan to hold a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) meeting in June, during which they are expected to mainly discuss the treatment of Korean civilian staff hired by U.S. troops, sources said Tuesday.The meeting of the SOFA Joint Committee will be held in Seoul next month in a bid to mainly discuss ways to enhance the treatment of some 8,500 Koreans working at U.S. military bases, according to the sources.Both sides may exchange views about the treatment and wages

Samsung Electronics Co. Chairman Lee Kun-hee, in hospital treatment following a heart attack last week, has been moved to a general ward on improved condition, company officials said Tuesday."All test results show he is stable as explained before," Samsung's communications team said. "As his conditions improved significantly, he was transferred to the general ward on Monday."Lee, 72, had been hospitalized at Samsung Medical Center (SMC)'s special ward since May 11 for myocardial infarction, comm

South Korea expressed its condolences to North Korea over a recent deadly collapse of an apartment building in Pyongyang, an official said Tuesday, a rare goodwill gesture after recent harsh verbal tit-for-tat between the archrivals."We convey our deep condolences over the loss of many lives in the accident," South Korea's Red Cross said in a message sent to its North Korean counterpart earlier in the day through a dialogue channel at Panmunjom, a neutral village on the inter-Korean border.The m

Soldiers on Tuesday encircled a pro-government "Red Shirts" protest in Thailand's capital, the rally leader said, after the military declared martial law to quell months of political unrest."We have been surrounded by troops on all sides," Jatuporn Prompan told AFP.The military is trying to convince the Red Shirts to end their gathering, according to Paradorn Pattanatabut, chief security adviser to Prime Minister Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisan."The military is negotiating with the Red Shirts to dis

Saudi health authorities reported Monday a new death from the MERS coronavirus, taking to 169 the overall number of fatalities from the disease in the world's worst-hit country.The health ministry said on its website that the latest person to fall victim to the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome was a 59-year-old man who died on Sunday in the western city of Taif.It reported two new infections, one in Riyadh and the other in the commercial capital of Jeddah, raising the total number of MERS cases

Girl group AOA leader Jimin and actor Park Hyung-sik signaled that they were in a sweet mood on a variety show. In “Real Men,” an MBC reality show in which celebrities experience life in a military barracks, which was aired Sunday, the surprise guest AOA melted the hearts of the military unit that was joined by Park Hyung-sik and other celebrities. In a quiz competition which offered a holiday for the soldier who won the final round, Park and Jimin teamed up together. The partner was chosen by J

South Korea's top automaker, Hyundai Motor Co., is recalling over 120,000 vehicles here for a problem possibly related to airbags, the transportation ministry said Monday.The problem involves bolts that attach the cover of the vehicle's horn to the steering wheel, which can affect the operation of driver's airbag, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.The recall affects 122,561 Tucson compact sport utility vehicles (SUVs) produced between Jan. 1, 2011 and Dec. 26, 2013.

South Korea said Monday that it is considering sending a message of condolence to North Korea over a recent deadly collapse of an apartment building in Pyongyang that has claimed an unspecified number of casualties.A Red Cross official said that an internal review is under way to determine whether to send a message, though he did not say when a final decision will be made.Unification ministry spokesman Kim Eui-do told reporters that the Red Cross will make an appropriate judgment on the case.The

Defense ministers of South Korea, the United States and Japan plan to meet in Singapore next week for possible discussions on cooperation in dealing with North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, officials said Monday.South Korea's Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin is set to meet with his U.S. counterpart Chuck Hagel and Japanese defense chief Itsunori Onodera on May 31 in Singapore on the sidelines of the Asia Security Summit, according to the defense ministry here.The 13th security summit, known

Popular veteran singer Seo Tai-ji will return to his fans with a new album in the fall, an entertainment agency said Monday.Wellmade Starm Inc. said Seo has recently signed a contract with its performance planning subsidiary, Show21, for a nationwide concert tour to mark the planned release of his ninth full-length album.The tour is set to begin in Seoul but the exact timing and venues of the shows were not fixed, the company said.The shows are expected to sell more than 10 billion won (US$9.77

President Park Geun-hye said Tuesday that South Korea should concentrate on realizing unification with North Korea, stressing that it will bring about peace and prosperity not only on the Korean Peninsula, but also in Northeast Asia.Park made the remarks during a dinner she hosted for the heads of South Korea's overseas diplomatic missions, days after she made proposals aimed at laying the groundwork for unification during a visit to the former East German city of Dresden last week."Looking at h

Hyo-yeon, a member of K-pop group Girls' Generation, has undergone questioning by police on suspicion of hitting a male acquaintance after a practical joke went awry, police said Tuesday.Seoul's Yongsan Police Station called in Hyo-yeon for questioning after the man, whose identity was withheld, filed a report accusing the singer of striking him in the face at a mutual acquaintance's home on Sunday."The man did not sustain any injury," said a police officer close to the investigation, adding tha

Russia's state-controlled natural gas giant Gazprom says it will cancel a price discount for natural gas supplies to Ukraine.Gazprom chief Alexei Miller said Tuesday in televised remarks that Ukraine has accumulated a $1.5-billion debt for Russian gas supplies. He added at a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev that Gazprom will cancel a price rebate for Ukraine starting April 1.Russia offered the discounted price and a $15-billion bailout to Ukraine in December following Presiden

Accusing the West of encouraging an ``unconstitutional coup'' in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Moscow reserves the right to use all means to protect Russians there. The Russian leader's first comments since Ukraine's fugitive president fled to Russia last month came just as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was flying to Kiev to meet with Ukraine's new government.   Putin also declared that Western actions were driving Ukraine onto anarchy and warned that any sanctions the West plac

Hyundai Elevator Co., South Korea's top moving solutions provider, said Sunday that Schindler Holding AG's teleconference last week aimed only to divert blame for its losses and failed merger and acquisitions (M&A) plan.In a press release, the elevator company blasted the Swiss firm, which is its second largest investor, for trying to distort basic truths in their business relationship."The global teleconference held Friday ahead of Schindler's board meeting was one long show full of lies and so