An unknown small number of North Korean restaurant staff have recently escaped their workplace in China for possible defections to South Korea, a source familiar to inter-Korean affairs said Monday.The North Koreans are moving to a third country after working at a North Korea-run restaurant in an unspecified city in China, according to the source.If confirmed, the case comes in the wake of the April mass defection by 13 North Korean workers who used to work at a restaurant in the Chinese eastern

South Korea's financial authorities on Monday urged life insurance companies to pay insurance money to the bereaved family of a person who commits suicide as promised in the policy.The Financial Supervisory Service's recommendation comes on the heels of a ruling on May 12 by the Supreme Court that ordered a life insurance company to pay promised insurance money to the bereaved family of a policyholder who killed himself.Local life insurers have often refused to make full payments of insurance mo

A 28-year-old Kenyan who had been undergoing the process to obtain refugee status in Korea was sentenced to 25 years in prison Friday for murdering a computer cafe assistant.According to the Gwangju district court that gave the ruling, the man had visited the immigration office the day before his crime, asking for repatriation.  (Yonhap)The office did nothing for him as he was not an illegal immigrant, rather a refugee applicant. The man entered Korea on a three-month visa in July 2015, with glo

Officials from a South Korean civic group met their North Korean counterparts in Shenyang Friday to discuss how to hold a joint summit anniversary event despite Seoul's opposition, the group said.The South's group held a meeting with North Koreans in China earlier in the day to discuss inter-Korean exchanges and the preparation of a possible joint event to mark the historic inter-Korean summit in 2000.Seoul's unification ministry earlier rejected the group's request for approval of its plan to m

돌싱, 이른 바 ‘돌아온 싱글’은 재혼 상대를 선택할 때 무엇을 가장 중요하게 생각할까? 재혼정보회사 온리-유가 결혼정보업체 비에나래(대표 손동규)와 공동으로 13일 ∼ 19일 전국의 (황혼)재혼 희망 돌싱남녀 518명(남녀 각 259명)을 대상으로 전자메일과 인터넷을 통해 ‘재혼상대의 제반 조건이 좋으면 외모도 덩달아 돋보입니까?’에 대한 설문조사를 한 결과, 여성 응답자는 60.6%가 ‘매우 그렇다’라고 대답했다.  (123RF)이에 비해 남성 응답자는 38.2%만 ‘매우 그렇다’고 했다고. 반대로 ‘다른 조건의 좋고 나쁨이 외모에 별다른 영향을 미치지 않는다’고 말한 남성은 61.8%에 육박했다. 손동규 온리-유 대표는 “여성, 특히 재혼대상 여성들은 대체로 외모보다 더 중요시하는 배우자 조건이 많아 다른 조건이 좋으면 외모도 멋있게 보이는 경우가 많다”라며 “많은 남성은 외모를 배우자 조건 중 가장 중요하게 생각하기 때문에 다른 조건에 의해 영향을 적게 받는다”라고 설명했다.

A section of Gyeongbu Expressway near the city of Daegu was engulfed in a fire that spread from the spilled gas of a 32-ton diesel truck that collided with a roadside barrier after an accident involving another vehicle. Traffic was halted amid emergency firefighting, causing a massive jam in the middle of the day Friday.  (Yonhap)The fire broke out around 11:30 a.m. and was contained by around 1:30 p.m. Video reports from citizens at the scene showed strong flames licking up a stretch of tall ba

Asian victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery denounced the agreement reached by Seoul and Tokyo last year by claiming their views were not properly considered.Wrapping up the 14th Asian Solidarity Conference for the Issue of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, the surviving victims adopted a resolution saying the deal "cannot be a resolution of the issue of Japanese military sexual slavery." Under last year's landmark deal, Tokyo expressed its apology and contrition for its colonial-era atrocit

South Korea will lead the international community in putting pressure on North Korea to give up its nuclear ambitions, the country's top diplomat said Friday."A perception has taken hold in the international community that sanctions and pressure of a different kind compared to the past should be applied to get the North to change and seek denuclearization," Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se said in a speech at a forum."In the last couple of days, Switzerland the European Union took their own sanctio

The pastor and his wife who killed their 13-year-old daughter by violently beating her were respectively given 20 and 15 years in prison, Thursday. The delivered sentences were five and three years higher, respectively, than the prosecution had initially sought. The Incheon district court on Thursday said the 47-year-old pastor and his 40-year-old wife, admitted to their crimes and showed remorse, however, they continued to blame the victim’s alleged theft of church offerings as triggering the c

South Korea on Friday called on North Korea to end its nuclear and missile programs as Seoul marked the 100th day since shutting down the joint industrial complex in the communist country.Seoul shut down the Gaeseong Industrial Complex in the North's border city of the same name on Feb. 10 in response to Pyongyang's January nuclear test and long-range rocket launch in February.The decision came amid concerns that money generated from the factory zone is bankrolling the North's nuclear and missil

President Park Geun-hye and the ruling Saenuri Party's approval rating backtracked, a poll showed Friday, with the public citing a lack of communication as one of the major weaknesses of the incumbent administration.According to the poll conducted by Gallup Korea, only 30 percent of the respondents gave a nod to Park this week, down 2 percentage points from a week earlier. The survey was conducted on 1,004 South Koreans.On the other hand, those who expressed discontent against Park came to 58 pe

Junsu of South Korean boy band JYJ will throw a solo outdoor showcase in Seoul, his star agency said Friday.The 29-year-old heartthrob will perform in the patio near the east gate of COEX, southern Seoul, at 7:30 p.m. on May 30, according to C-JeS Entertainment.The event is organized to promote his fourth full-length solo album "Xignature," to be released the same day.His showcase will be broadcast in real time through "1theK," an online broadcast channel operated by South Korean music streaming

The TV adaptation of the 2001 hit South Korean movie "My Sassy Girl" will premiere in the first half of 2017, its publicist said Friday.The SBS series will be set in the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) period, with actor Joo Won playing Gyeonwoo, the male lead, Ytree Company said.Producer Oh Jin-seok, who created the SBS drama "Yong-pal" starring Joo last year, will lead the production.Auditions are currently underway to find the right woman to play the "sassy girl," who is never named in the movie.A

South Korea on Friday said it has started the construction of a "hallyu" park in line with its move to establish sustainable attractions to lure Asian tourists.K-Culture Valley, a cluster of various cultural facilities to be located in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, aims to promote the hallyu wave, which refers to the boom of South Korea-made entertainment goods around the globe, including pop music, movies and TV dramas. President Park Geun-hye also attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the zone

Russia has joined other countries in imposing sanctions on North Korea in line with the United Nations' push to punish Pyongyang for its nuclear test and other provocative acts this year, a Washington-based media outlet said Friday.Radio Free Asia said in a report posted on its website that Russia's central bank recently ordered other local banks and financial institutions to halt transactions with North Korea.The central bank also said that transactions of bonds held by North Korean individuals

Literally trillions of won will be physically relocated early next year in what will be a once-in-a-lifetime event for South Korea's central bank, bank officials noted Friday, though the actual event itself may not be for everyone to see.The scheduled relocation of the money comes as the Bank of Korea's Seoul headquarters is set to undergo a three-year renovation that will include the reconstruction of the main annex building.It will mark the first time the central bank, as well as its cash rese

U.S. President Barack Obama's planned visit to the Japanese city of Hiroshima will include laying a wreath at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and a "brief tour" of the memorial grounds, a senior White House official said Thursday."We anticipate that he will be able to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial to lay a wreath and engage in a brief tour of the memorial grounds after which he will be able to deliver a statement reflecting upon what his impressions are," Deputy National Security Advisor

A top aide to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday that Ban's upcoming visit to South Korea is no political move, rejecting speculation the trip might be tied to his presidential ambitions.Ban's office announced last week that he will visit South Korea on two occasions beginning May 25 for a series of international conferences. Earlier this week, the office added two new events to Ban's itinerary, a visit to a folk village and a speech near Seoul, fueling speculation about his politi

U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Thursday accused her Republican rival Donald Trump of "praising" North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, saying it is one of a series of statements that show the real-estate tycoon is not qualified to be president.Clinton made the remark in an interview with CNN, calling the North's leader "a despotic dictator.""Whether it's attacking Great Britain, praising the leader of North Korea, a despotic dictator who has nuclear weapons, whether it is sa

A U.S. House Republican lawmaker blasted Donald Trump's willingness to hold talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, saying such a meeting will only bolster the stature of a dictator seeking to "nuke the United States.""You don't meet with a dictator like Kim Jong-un. All you do is, you feed into him at that point, you strengthen him. You put him in a better position," Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) said on CNN, calling the real-estate tycoon a "populist.""The reality is, Donald, you may have goo