The Korean government is considering declaring the areas connected to the deadly ship sinking on Wednesday special disaster zones. "There is a need for swift, government-level support for the area as physical and emotional damages to Ansan city and Jindo-gun are growing," an official from the Prime Minister's office said Saturday.Ansan is the location of the high school attended by the 325 students aboard the sunken ship. Only 75 out of the 325 students have been rescued with the remaining 250 s

The arrested captain of the ferry that capsized sank off Jindo Wednesday, leaving more than 300 missing or dead, defended his decision to delay its evacuation,Lee Joon-seok, 68, was arrested early Saturday on suspicion of negligence and abandoning people in need. Two crew members also were taken into custody, including a mate who a prosecutor said was steering in challenging waters unfamiliar to her when the accident occurred.Dressed in dark raincoats with their hoods pulled up, the three kept t

At least 10 people were killed and more than 100 were injured after a resort building collapsed in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, Monday. The ceiling of the prefab building, used as an auditorium, caved in at 9:15 p.m. apparently due to heavy snow, according to witnesses.Some 1,100 freshmen of the Busan University of Foreign Studies were attending a welcome event organized by the student council at the Mauna Ocean Resort, the school said. There were 565 students in the building when it cav

North Korea on Friday criticized the South Korean leader by name and reiterated its resolve to simultaneously develop its nuclear capability and economy, a goal that President Park Geun-hye has said is doomed to fail.The North said that all efforts by Park and her cohorts to join forces with foreign powers and strive to denuclearize the North will only end in failure, according to a statement by the North's National Defense Commission. It said such a move amounts to perpetrators "digging their o

South Korea plans to wait and see how Japan's move to win the constitutional right to strengthen its military will affect Seoul's national interests, government sources said Friday.South Korea's stance on the issue came after United States Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel signed a landmark agreement with their Japanese counterparts on Thursday in Tokyo. The two countries pledged to further tighten their military cooperation and renew their bilateral defense coop

South Korea's health authority said Sunday it has confirmed 63 patients have been infected with a super bacterial infection that cannot be easily treated by antibiotics, raising concerns over a possible contagion.The number of patients infected with OXA-232-type carbapenemase-producing enterobacteriaceae, also known as a super bacteria, came to 63 at 13 local hospitals as of Thursday, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.It marked the first time for this type of CPE

The South Korean government warned of growing destruction from a red tide off the country's southern and eastern coasts Sunday, noting the damages have already topped 13 billion won.The government issued a red tide alert last month for waters off the eastern coast for the first time in six years.A red tide is a natural phenomenon believed to be caused by a combination of high temperatures, salinity and nutrients. Some experts believe that when these conditions meet low winds and certain rain lev

The ruling and main opposition parties again failed Sunday to narrow their differences on a parliamentary probe into the spy agency's alleged involvement in last year's presidential election, only agreeing to jointly receive a report from the agency.The agreement took place at a special meeting between the leaders of the ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic Party (DP)."The sides agreed their leaders will continue to hold discussions on which witnesses will be summoned after re

Former spy agency chief Won Sei-hoon was arrested on charges of taking bribes from a local construction company in exchange of business favors. The Seoul Central District Court approved the prosecution’s request for an arrest warrant for Won, a close associate of former President Lee Myung-bak.In a separate case, the former head of the National Intelligence Service was indicted last month on charges of masterminding an online smear campaign against opposition parties to sway public opinion ahead

The chairman of food and entertainment conglomerate CJ Group was put behind bars Monday on charges of creating secret funds and evading taxes.Lee Jay-hyun was taken to the Seoul Detention Center on the southern outskirts of Seoul immediately after the Seoul Central District Court issued an arrest warrant for allegedly dodging some 70 billion won ($61.4 million) in taxes by stashing secret funds and misappropriating 100 billion won in company money. The country's 10th richest man is also accused

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The White House says it wants ``credible negotiations'' with North Korea that will lead to a nuclear-free North.The Obama administration is responding to a proposal by North Korea's top governing body for high-level nuclear and security talks with the United States.The U.S. says it always has favored dialogue, but that Washington will judge the North by ``its actions and not its words.''National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden says North Korea must live up to ``its

BEIJING (AFP) - The state-owned Bank of China has shut the account of a North Korean bank accused by the United States of supporting the North's nuclear programme, Dow Jones Newswires said Tuesday.The closure would be the first openly acknowledged move by an institution in China -- the North's key backer -- against North Korean interests in the current stand-off, which escalated in February with Pyongyang's third atomic test.But the details of the move were not revealed, and an analyst warned it

President Lee Myung-bak's signature project to refurbish South Korea's four major rivers is seriously flawed, posing a threat to the environment and even threatening dams and other facilities built along them, the state auditor said Thursday. The 22.2 trillion won (US$20.1 billion) project, aimed at enhancing the nation's water management system as well as preventing the Han, Nakdong, Geum and Yeongsan rivers from flooding, was completed last year, despite mounting criticism.The project, one of

North Korea said Sunday it is considering postponing the dates of its planned long-term rocket launch this month, citing unspecified "reasons."North Korea announced last week that it would fire off a space rocket, called Gwangmyeongseong, or lode star, between Dec. 10 and Dec. 22. South Korea and other regional powers suspect that the launch is a disguised test of a long-range missile that may target the United States."Our scientists and technicians are now seriously examining the issue of readj

Four South Korean sailors have been set free more than 19 months after they were seized by Somali pirates, after paying an unspecified amount of ransom, a Seoul official said Saturday.The four South Koreans were kidnapped by Somali pirates on April 30, 2011 aboard the MT Gemini, a tanker operated by Singapore-based Glory Ship Management, along with 21 non-Korean sailors. The ship was en route from Kenya to Malaysia at that time.Seven months later, the pirates freed the vessel, but broke an agree

North Korea plans to launch a long-range rocket between December 10 and 22, the North's official news agency said Saturday.South Korea expressed its grave concern, calling the move a "provocation" and "challenge" to the international community.In a statement carried by the North's Korean Central News Agency, the Korean Committee for Space Technology said it planned to launch a working satellite after scientists had studied mistakes made during a failed rocket launch in April."Scientists and tech

Prosecutors requested a second warrant Tuesday to arrest an assistant prosecutor accused of having sex with a criminal suspect he was questioning, after their first request was rejected the day before.The prosecutors are seeking to charge him with bribery this time again, claiming the woman provided sex in return for favors.The Supreme Prosecutors' Office arrested the 30-year-old junior prosecutor surnamed Jeon without a warrant on Saturday for questioning into allegations he had sexual activity

The two opposition presidential candidates inched toward an agreement Thursday night on the format of an opinion poll to select a single candidate between them. Moon Jae-in of the Democratic United Party and independent Ahn Cheol-soo were struggling to narrow their differences over the wording of the survey question. The two sides came up with new proposals combining both positions, raising the possibility that a deal may be reached as early as Friday.Ahn’s side favors asking respondents who the

A trainee prosecutor was found to have performed sexual acts with a suspect in the office and later had sexual intercourse with her at a motel, prosecution officials said Thursday, leading to concerns the incident could deal another blow to the scandal-ridden prosecution.Inspectors at the Supreme Public Prosecutors' Office have launched an inspection to determine the details of the incident, the officials said."We are conducting an inspection into a law school graduate who is currently working a

ATHENS (AFP) - Greece on Tuesday reached agreement with its international creditors on a new wave of austerity measures necessary to unlock new bailout loans, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras said."Today we concluded the negotiation on the measures and the budget," Samaras said in a statement, adding that approval by parliament of a new round of cuts will keep Greece in the 17-nation eurozone."If this deal is approved and the budget is voted, Greece will stay in the euro and exit the crisis," the