President Park Geun-hye on Thursday vowed to further cement a cooperative partnership with Ethiopia, emphasizing that South Korea will remain a "reliable partner" for the African state's growth and development.In her contribution to the state-run Ethiopian Herald daily newspaper, Park also touted Ethiopia's potential to grow as Africa's economic powerhouse in the "not-too-distant" future, highlighting Seoul's commitment to forging "mutually beneficial" relations.The contribution was published We

North Korea is expected to collapse "much sooner than many of us think" due to internal unrest, former U.S. Forces Korea commander Walter Sharp said.Sharp, who commanded USFK from 2008 to 2011, told a symposium in Hawaii on Tuesday that he recently guaranteed new USFK commander Gen. Vincent Brooks that there would be major changes on the peninsula before his term ends, according to a Military.com report."First off, I believe there will be strong provocations, strong attacks by North Korea that c

U.S. President Barack Obama said Wednesday he has agreed with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to strengthen defense capabilities against threats posed by North Korea.Obama made the remark during a joint press conference in Japan after holding a summit meeting with his Japanese counterpart. The two leaders talked for little over an hour."Given the threat from North Korea, we agreed to continue reinforcing deterrence and strengthening our defense capabilities," Obama said.Later this week, Obama

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday North Korea and its leader, Kim Jong-un, are the "primary threats" in the region and the "lead threat globally," rejecting speculation the U.S. is focused on countering China.Kerry made the remark at a press briefing at the end of President Barack Obama's visit to Vietnam that included the lifting of a decades-long embargo on U.S. arms sales to the Southeast Asian nation, a decision seen as a counterweight to an increasingly assertive China."We e

진행자: 원호정, Paul Kerry1. '강남역 사건’ 추모객 사이에 나타난 핑크 코끼리기사요약: ‘묻지마’ 혹은 ‘여성혐오’ 살인사건으로 불리는 ‘강남역 사건’ 이후 강남역 10번출구를 찾는 사람들 사이에 크고 작은 충돌이 일어나기 시작했다. 그 중 화제가 된 사건은 소위 ‘핑크코끼리 사건.’ 분홍색 코끼리옷을 입은 남성이 디즈니 영화 ‘주토피아’에 영감을 받은 피켓을 들고 있었는데, 주변 다른 사람들에게 여성혐오자라며 폭행을 당한 것이다. 아이튠즈(아이폰):https://itunes.apple.com/kr/podcast/koliaheleoldeu-paskaeseuteu/id686406253?mt=2 　팟빵 (안드로이드): http://www.podbbang.com/ch/6638Pink elephant's 'Zootopia' protest aggravates Gangnam murder[1] A ruckus broke out Sunday at the makeshift memoria

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in South Korea on Wednesday for a six-day visit that has spurred speculation of a possible bid for the presidency in his native country.Ban, who flew in to the southern resort island of Jeju from a humanitarian summit in Istanbul, will attend the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity, which brings together thousands of political and business leaders from around the world to discuss issues of peace and security. (Yonhap)Drawing more attention, however, is

A study conducted by the Ministry of Education has shown that date rape is prevalent among college students. One in 25 individuals have committed or attempted to commit date rape, according to the ministry’s study, which surveyed 1,441 university students -- 652 males and 789 females -- from 150 universities in the country in November 2015. This is a stock image. (123RF)Out of the participants, 58 admitted to having committed date rape.One in three individuals had also committed verbal sexual ha

A 26-year-old rape victim, whose years of suffering sexual violence at the hands of her brother-in-law only recently came to light after she killed her 3-year-old son, claimed she had been raped on more counts than prosecutors had determined in official case records. According to the Incheon Bucheon district court on May 19, the woman told her lawyer that “she had repeatedly had unwanted sexual relations with her older sister’s husband,” stressing the damage of the crimes she suffered was graver

North Korean workers in China are forced to send 70 to 80 percent of their meager wages to the North Korean regime as a "loyalty fund," making their lives more miserable, a U.S.-based news media report said Wednesday.A source in China told Radio Free Asia recently that many North Korean laborers have no choice but to cope with poor living conditions since their actual income stands at less than $100 per month.Such developments are taking place despite the fact that their wages have been on the r

Creditor banks said they have begun discussing whether to put Korea’s midsized shipbuilder STX Offshore & Shipbuilding under court receivership, as their years of financial aid have failed to improve the shipyard’s business prospects.Leading creditor Korea Development Bank said Wednesday the creditors agreed to put an end to the shipyard’s self-rescue plan and to decide on whether to put the company into the hands of a court by the end of this month.“Creditors have concluded that the company goi

Monaco has filed its implementation report for United Nations-led sanctions against North Korea for its nuclear test and other provocations, becoming the first member country to submit the action plan, sources said Wednesday.The move came about a week before the deadline by which all member countries are required to submit their own guidelines on how to carry out the toughened sanctions adopted by the U.N. about three months ago. Details, including what measures Monaco will take, have not been d

South Korea's ruling Saenuri Party on Wednesday said it will hold a general meeting in the "near future"to discuss the normalization of the party, which may include reorganizing its power structure to grant more authority to a single leader.Chung Jin-suk, the floor leader, said the party will hold a meeting to exchange ideas on details of the discussions made by key officials earlier this week. The meeting will try to find a breakthrough in the prolonged power vacuum at the top after the party's

A South Korean court on Wednesday dismissed an appeal by two male filmmakers to legally recognize their marriage, saying that same-sex marriage cannot be accepted without due "legislative" action.Kim Chokwangsu and Kim Seung-hwan tied the knot in a public wedding in September 2013 but are still seeking to get legal status as the country does not recognize same-sex marriages.They submitted a report of marriage to a Seoul district office, but it was denied by the office on the grounds that "same-s

An annual Arab film festival will be held simultaneously in Seoul and Busan later this week, providing a rare chance for a South Korean audience to better understand the Arab world, a co-organizer said Wednesday.  The 5th Arab Film Festival will feature 15 films from 10 Arab nations, including the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Iraq, Egypt and Palestine, the Busan Cinema Center here said. The event, which runs from May 26-June 1 at Arthouse MOMO in Seoul and the BCC in Busan, consists of three s

North Korea has extended its offer to hold dialogue with South Korea for the sixth day in a row, calling on Seoul to accept its proposal to ease tension on the Korean Peninsula, the country's state media reported Wednesday.An institute under the ruling Workers' Party of Korea said North Korea is ready to have candid talks with South Korea, blaming Seoul for not accepting its dialogue proposal, according to the Rodong Sinmun, the party's main newspaper.The offer is part of North Korea's charm off

South Korea's central bank will develop a supplementary economic indicator to offset the limitations of gross domestic product figures, its chief said Wednesday, attributing their falling credibility to the changing landscape of global industries.In a bimonthly meeting with economists, Bank of Korea Governor Lee Ju-yeol said, "GDP has been a representative indicator that shows the size of an economy, the pace of its growth and its status of prosperity. But its credibility is on the decline as it

South Korea's defense chief will leave for Singapore early next month to attend a regional security meeting where he will exchange views on North Korea's nuclear provocation and other mutual issues, Seoul's officials said Wednesday.Defense Minister Han Min-koo will join the Asia Security Summit to be held from June 3-5 in Singapore, according to the defense ministry. The summit, also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, is an annual security meeting organized by the International Institute of Strat

Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Wednesday said the country will come up with measures to better protect women and vulnerable citizens from crimes, as the recent stabbing of a female in southern Seoul sparked a public outcry for more security."I am saddened by the fact an innocent citizen was killed in a cruel crime," Hwang said, urging prosecutors and police, as well as gender and welfare ministries to come up with plans that can boost public safety.Last week, a 34-year-old man killed a 23-year-

A team of officials from the International Monetary Fund will visit South Korea this week to assess its economic conditions and exchange opinions on economic, financial and fiscal policies, the finance ministry said Wednesday.During its stay, which will last until June 8, the IMF delegation will meet with the nation's key financial and economic policymakers from the finance ministry, the central bank and the Financial Services Commission, the ministry said. It will also visit major public and pr

The state human rights watchdog on Wednesday said it will recommend the government require state-funded corporations to consider a human rights factor in their operations, a move to shore up corporate ethics.  The decision came amid the prosecution's sprawling investigation into the toxic humidifier disinfectant case that sparked intense criticism against businesses that churn out products despite their potential health risks. National Human Rights Commission of Korea (Yonhap)In the wake of the