The defense ministers of South Korea and Japan agreed Saturday to augment their military hotline as the neighbors seek to intensify joint cooperation in defense against North Korea's worsening nuclear and missile threats, Seoul's defense ministry said.The agreement was reached during bilateral talks between Defense Minister Han Min-koo and his Japanese counterpart Gen Nakatani in Singapore on the fringe of the ongoing Asia Security Summit, also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue.Currently, South K

South Korea has the undoubtedly clear intention to deploy the U.S. advanced air defense shield because such a move can better protect the country from North Korea's ever-growing nuclear and missile threats, Seoul's defense minister said Saturday."(South Korea) undoubtedly has the intention to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)," Minister Han Min-koo said in response to a number of experts' questions on the deployment issue during the Asia Security Summit held in Singapore."Th

Nexson Corp., a local online game developer, said Saturday that it lent money to a former prosecutor to buy its stocks, which helped him amass a huge personal wealth, an indication that the company paid a favor to the former government official.Nexson's belated confession came as the controversy over a shoddy stock transaction involving former senior prosecutor Jin Kyung-joon is escalating. Nexson, currently listed on the Japanese stock market, had up to that point tightened its lips on details

South Korea has ruled out any dialogue with North Korea until the communist country takes action to give up its nuclear weapons, Defense Minister Han Min-koo said Saturday, calling for concerted international effort to pressure Pyongyang.South Korea has rebuffed North Korea's proposals for working-level military talks which were issued on May 21 and 24, respectively, following Kim Jong-un's calls for inter-Korean dialogue made during the rare ruling party congress held in early May in Pyongyang.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the United States is committed to implementing a full range of military capabilities to deter any North Korean attacks on South Korea, Seoul's defense ministry said Saturday after the allies' defense chiefs held bilateral talks."Secretary of Defense Carter stressed that the U.S. will continue to provide extended deterrence to South Korea, utilizing all categories of military capabilities," the Ministry of National Defense said in a statement.Defense Minister Han

South Korean reality TV series "New Journey to the West 2" has racked up more than 200 million views on a Chinese video platform, its production company said Saturday.The series starring South Korean comedians Kang Ho-dong, Lee Soo-geun, singer Eun Ji-won and actor Ahn Jae-hyeon was watched more than 211 million times on Tencent (http://v.qq.com) as of Friday, tvN said.It is the shortest time a video has ever taken on the website to break 1 million views, the South Korean cable network said, add

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has visited a remodeled children's camp in Pyongyang to promote "Pyongyang Speed," a term referring to the North's rapid industrialization, the communist country's state media reported Saturday.Kim carried out an inspection of Mangyongdae Children's Camp in Pyongyang, and he was "blown away by the work employees have done to improve the facility offering comprehensive education and training to children," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.Kim "was impresse

South Korea's top 10 conglomerates have suffered a drop in their market capitalization this year as a protracted slump in domestic and overseas markets continued prodding investors to take to the sidelines, data showed on Saturday.According to the data compiled by industry tracker FnGuide, the combined market value of Samsung, Hyundai and eight other business groups stood at 633.91 trillion won (US$534 billion) as of Friday, down 10.94 trillion won, or 1.7 percent, from the end of last year.No.

How much to pressure North Korea is expected to be a key point of contention in the upcoming annual strategic talks between the United States and China as Washington is sending strong signals that Beijing should do more.The U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED), set for Monday and Tuesday in Beijing, will take place after the U.S. Treasury Department designated the North as a "primary money laundering concern" in an effort to cut off the provocative regime from the international bank

The chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia called for greater efforts to impose additional sanctions on North Korea as he welcomed the Treasury Department's recent designation of Pyongyang as a "primary money laundering concern."The unprecedented designation, announced Wednesday, is considered one of the most powerful sanctions the U.S. has ever imposed on the communist nation, and is designed to cut off Pyongyang from the international banking system for pursuin

A 57-year-old executive of the South Korean unit of U.S. carmaker General Motors Co. was formally arrested Friday on charges of receiving bribes in return for business favors.The Incheon District Court issued a warrant to arrest the executive in charge of labor management, whose identity was withheld. He is suspected of collaborating with GM Korea Co.'s labor union leaders to give favors to a certain company when purchasing gifts for employees in return for some tens of millions of won.Later in

South Korean President Park Geun-hye and her French counterpart, Francois Hollande, pledged Friday to take additional steps against North Korea, if necessary, in the latest move to get Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear program."I would like to continue cooperation with France in the future,” Park said in a news conference with Hollande after their summit, citing France's leading role in adopting U.N. sanctions on North Korea.Hollande said France will make all efforts to deter North Korea’s provoc

Thousands of Chinese tourists feasted on Korean food by Seoul's signature river Tuesday, fighting off evening chills with warm bowls of ginseng chicken soup.Chinese healthcare company Joymain Science & Technology (Zhongmai Group) sent 4,000 employees to the banks of the Han River in Banpo area, southern Seoul, for a mass serving of "samgyetang" and 4,000 cans of beers.They were the second group of Joymain employees to enjoy the traditional chicken soup by the river. Last Friday, 4,000 of their c

South Korean Son Yeon-jae completed a gold medal sweep at the eighth Rhythmic Gymnastics Asian Championships in Uzbekistan on Tuesday, brightening hopes for her first Olympic medal this summer.Son was crowned the champion in four apparatuses in Tashkent, a day after capturing her third consecutive individual all-around title.She won the gold in ribbon with a new career-high 18.700 points. Sabina Ashirbayeva of Kazakhstan finished second with 18.300 points, followed by Elizaveta Nazarenkova of Uz

With every passing year and a steady influx of foreigners chasing the "Korean dream," the number of people born abroad and those from multicultural families will grow and this change will invariably nudge South Korea to become a more diverse society, local observers said Tuesday.As of March, 1.94 million foreigners were living in South Korea, an increase of more than four-fold compared to 2000, data by the Ministry of Justice showed. The greatest jump was seen among long-term residents who accou

Incendiary Philippine politician Rodrigo Duterte vowed Tuesday a relentless crackdown on crime after securing a landslide presidential victory built on foul-mouthed populist tirades that exposed deep voter anger at the establishment. Mayor Rodrigo Duterte gestures during his news conference in Davao in the southern Philippines on Monday. (AP-Yonhap)The 71-year-old firebrand's main rivals conceded defeat after an unofficial tally showed Duterte had an insurmountable lead in Monday's election of 6

Japan on Monday enlisted US help to airlift supplies to some of the 100,000 people made homeless by earthquakes in the country's south, as rescuers struggled to find those still missing in a massive landslide.Many of those evacuated after their homes were damaged or destroyed have been forced to sleep in temporary accommodation or huddle in makeshift shelters, and media have reported problems in delivering food and other emergency supplies.The disaster-prone country's worst humanitarian challeng

Brazilian lawmakers authorized impeachment proceedings against President Dilma Rousseff in a rowdy, circus-like showdown that plunged Latin America's biggest country into profound political crisis and sparked claims that democracy was under threat.Opposition deputies in the lower house of Congress needed 342 of the 513 votes, or a two thirds majority, to send Rousseff to the Senate, which will now decide whether to open a trial. They got there near midnight on Sunday after five hours of voting.

Aid began to flow in Sunday to areas devastated by Ecuador's strongest earthquake in decades and the death toll continued to rise as people left homeless hunkered down for another night outside in the dark. Officials said the quake killed at least 246 people and injured more than 2,500 along Ecuador's coast. Vice President Jorge Glas said the toll was likely to rise because a large number of people remained unaccounted for, though he declined to say how many. (AP-Yonhap)Much damage was reported

North Korea on Tuesday dismissed South Korea's demand for it to first denuclearize before holding any discussions to sign a peace treaty, accusing the South of starting a nuclear arms race on the Korean Peninsula.In a signed commentary carried by its official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Pyongyang also rejected Seoul's demand to be a part of such discussions to sign a peace treaty that will replace the Korean armistice agreement signed over six decades earlier to end the 1950-53 Korean War