North Korea has proposed fostering cooperation with China to jointly fight water pollution on cross-border rivers, China's state media reported Thursday. The proposal was made by Pak Ho-yong, vice minister of North Korea's Ministry of Land and Environmental Protection, to China's vice minister of Environmental Protection, Li Ganjie, during their talks in Beijing earlier this week, the China Environment News reported, quoting the two officials. North Korea and China share a 1,334-kilometer-long b

KT&G Corp., South Korea's largest tobacco manufacturer, said Thursday its second-quarter net profit decreased 4.3 percent from a year earlier due to stronger local currency.Net income stood at 184.3 billion won ($179.2 million) in the April-June period, compared with 192.7 billion won a year earlier, the company said in a regulatory filing. Sales, however, rose 8.5 percent to 992.3 billion won in the cited period, and operating profit surged 15.1 percent to 286.3 billion won. The numbers reflect

South Korea should encourage local brokerage houses to seek more mergers and acquisitions (M&A) by offering incentives and foster investment banks with diversified asset businesses in a bid to reorganize the faltering financial market, a ruling party lawmaker said Thursday.South Korean brokerage houses have been in a prolonged slump due to decreasing brokerage fees stemming from slow trading on the stock market. Out of 62 brokerage houses, about 10 have been put up for sale in the local M&A mark

Nearly half of the teenage boys in Seoul think they could go under the knife to make themselves look better, a poll showed Thursday, in a growing sign of their liberal attitude toward a once-taboo subject.According to the survey by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, 49.4 percent of the male adolescents between 15 and 19 in Seoul said "yes" when asked if they would get surgery to enhance their looks. Only 16.9 percent answered "no." It marks a sharp turnaround from 2007, when 38 percent rejected

President Park Geun-hye removed the education and culture ministers from office on Thursday, her office said, despite a delay in the formation of her new Cabinet.Education Minister Seo Nam-soo and Culture Minister Yoo Jin-ryong were both subject to a partial Cabinet reshuffle last month, which came in the wake of a deadly ferry sinking in April that claimed the lives of more than 300 people, mostly high school students.Park informed Seo and Yoo of their dismissals earlier in the day, her office

 The music video for South Korean rapper Psy's new song "Hangover" surpassed 100 million views on YouTube on Thursday, a little over a month after its release.As of 8 a.m. on Thursday, the video had some 123.9 million views on video-sharing site YouTube, 39 days after the video's release on June 9. With this, Psy became the first singer to top the 100 million mark in YouTube views for the third time in a row following "Gangnam Style" and "Gentleman."This proved Psy's steady global influence even

North Korea has filed a complaint with the White House about a forthcoming Hollywood movie on a plot to assassinate leader Kim Jong-un, a U.S. news report said Thursday.Pyongyang recently sent a letter to the office of President Barack Obama to protest against the film, according to the Voice of America, which cited multiple diplomatic sources."The Interview," a comedy movie to be released in September, features a story about a TV host and his producer securing an exclusive interview with the No

The United States declined to confirm a news report Wednesday that Secretary of State John Kerry has warned against Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visiting North Korea as it could harm efforts to pressure Pyongyang.Kerry made the remark during a phone call with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida on July 7, saying the recent warming of relations between Japan and the North, if it goes too far, could disrupt cooperation between the U.S., South Korea and Japan in dealing with the North's n

The United States said Wednesday it has expressed concern to the U.N. aviation safety agency about North Korea's recent launches of rockets and missiles without prior safety notifications, saying such firings show Pyongyang's disrespect for international rules.State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the U.S. joined other nations on July 8 in co-signing a letter to the president of the International Civil Aviation Organization about "serious threats" posed by the North's recent test shots."No

Families of the victims of April's ferry disaster on Wednesday renewed their call for an early adoption of a special law aimed at shedding light on the cause of one of the country's worst disasters.The 6,825-ton ferry Sewol capsized in waters off the country's southwest coast on April 16 with some 476 people on board, mostly high school students. A total of 293 people have been confirmed dead, with 11 others still unaccounted for."There is no choice but for us to respond with a stronger act such

Former Major League Baseball player Luke Scott was released by his South Korean club SK Wyverns on Wednesday following a heated exchange with his manager in public.The Wyverns said they have placed the 36-year-old veteran on the waivers a day after Scott got into a verbal spat with his manager Lee Man-soo. Their exchange took place on the field at the Wyverns' home Munhak Stadium in Incheon, hours before they were to host the Hanwha Eagles.Scott, with 135 career homers in the majors and three co

A progressive teachers' union on Wednesday filed a petition with the national human rights watchdog, demanding the education ministry cancel moves to discipline and seek the criminal punishment of union members for taking part in political protest.Early this month, the ministry asked prosecutors to investigate 36 teachers who led strike action last month and 71 union officials accused of preparing an anti-government statement on behalf of more than 10,000 teachers.The government has claimed the

South Korean President Park Geun-hye ordered the country's military Wednesday to swiftly retaliate against any provocation from North Korea amid heightened tensions over the North's recent missile launches and firing of artillery.Park gave the order during a luncheon with about 140 key military commanders, including Defense Minister Han Min-koo, saying the communist nation has become increasingly unpredictable in recent weeks.She especially noted that the North has made a "conciliatory gesture"

Eighteen North Korean defectors have been arrested for their alleged involvement in a voice phishing ring or smuggling drugs from China, police said Wednesday.The Busan Metropolitan Police Agency said three people were taken into custody and 15 others booked without physical detention on charges of engaging in a voice phishing scam and defrauding 30 victims of 500 million won ($486,240). Of them, seven, including the ring leader surnamed Park, are North Korean defectors. The voice phishing ring

Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva will visit Seoul this week for summit talks with South Korean President Park Geun-hye on expanding bilateral cooperation in trade, investment and other areas, Park's office said Wednesday.The Portuguese leader will visit Seoul for three days starting on Saturday at Park's invitation, according to the office."President Cavaco Silva's official visit will be an opportunity to build on the trust and bonds between the two countries' leaders and serve as an opp

Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's largest carmaker, said Wednesday that it has ordered the recall of some 2,100 Sonata midsize sedans made at its Alabama plant after finding wiring related problems that can affect the power steering system.The problem with the wiring harness can require drivers to exert more physical effort to steer the car. In addition, drivers may have a harder time getting the gear shifter out of the "park" position."The problems were found in-house, and the company took actio

South Korea will not seek an extra budget this year, the new finance minister said Wednesday, adding that it will instead push for other fiscal alternatives to bolster economic recovery, including expanding its budget spending assigned for next year.Speaking to reporters after his inauguration, Choi Kyung-hwan also said he will downgrade the country's growth outlook for this year and draw up a policy management plan based on the revised assessment of the latest economic situations.Criticizing lo

The South Korean economy is expected to return to an above-par growth level during the second half of the year, but downside risks have been pronounced recently for Asia's fourth-largest economy, the central bank chief said Wednesday."The economic growth would recover after the third quarter of the year, but given a protracted contraction in domestic demand and investment, an increased volatility of the Korean won, downside risks are slightly greater (for the economy than upside ones)," Bank of

South Korea's jobless rate inched down in June from a month earlier, but job creation slowed for the fourth straight month, raising concerns that employment conditions are getting tough for many job seekers, a government report showed Wednesday.According to the report by Statistics Korea, the jobless rate stood at 3.5 percent last month, down from 3.6 percent tallied in May. The seasonally adjusted jobless rate also fell to 3.6 percent from the previous month's 3.7 percent. The number of employe

The number of senior citizens in South Korea grew on-year in 2014, with more older people seeking employment to help support their families, a government report said Tuesday.The number of senior citizens aged 55-79 totaled 11.38 million this year, up 4.2 percent, or 461,000, from a year earlier, according to the report by Statistics Korea. Of the total, 55.1 percent of the senior population was engaged in economic activities, up 1.1 percentage points from a year earlier, the report showed. Over