The highest-level North Korean diplomat to defect to South Korea said Wednesday he decided to flee because he didn't want his children to live ``miserable'' lives in the North.    Thae Yong Ho, a former minister at the North Korean Embassy in London, told reporters that he was lucky to have been able to bring both of his sons to London, unlike other North Korean diplomats who are forced to leave some of their children at home as ``hostages.''     After his sons, now 20 and 27, learned about life

South Korea and France agreed Wednesday to collaborate closely in pressing North Korea to give up its nuclear and missile programs, holding the two countries' first high-level talks on the North Korean nuclear issue.   The high-level consultative talks were held in Paris, France, with each side represented by South Korea's top nuclear envoy Kim Hong-kyun and Political Director of the French Foreign Ministry Nicolas de Riviere.   The bilateral talks dedicated to tackling North Korea's nuclear wea

LG Electronics on Wednesday announced its performance improved last year, although its mobile device unit performed worse than a year earlier.  　According to a regulatory filing, LG said it posted 55.4 trillion won ($47.5 billion) in sales and 1.34 trillion won in operating profit in 2016. 　While its annual sales dropped 2 percent on-year, LG saw a 12.2 percent gain in its operating profit, owing to the largest-ever profits from its home appliance and TV businesses. 　The company’s home appliance

South Korea, China and Japan are unlikely to hold a trilateral summit in February as was originally planned amid a complicated diplomatic landscape involving the three Asian neighbors, a Seoul official said Wednesday.Japan tried to host the summit in December, but it was delayed, as China didn't respond to Tokyo's proposed timetable. Ever since, negotiations have been under way to hold the summit in the middle of February. "South Korea, China and Japan have made efforts to arrange a meeting in F

Korean Buddhism's monk-centric culture may be a major reason behind a steep drop in the country's Buddhist population in the last decade or so, a religious expert argued Wednesday."Many people consider Korean Buddhism a religion for monks. In Buddhist jargon, it's called monk-centric religion," said Park Soo-ho, a researcher at the Joong-Ang Sangha University's Institute of Buddhist Social Science at a pan-religion forum held in central Seoul. "On the outside, (the religion) claims to be a publi

Volvo Korea has launched the new D4 model of its flagship S90 series, the company said Wednesday, touting the vehicle as one of the country’s most reasonably priced and affordable luxury sedans. 　Offered in both “Momentum” entry-level and “Inscription” trim, the 2017 D4 is priced at 59.9 million won ($51,400) and 66.9 million won, respectively, including taxes. 　In comparison, in Korea the Mercedes E-Class series runs anywhere from 60.9 million won to 98.7 million won, while Ford’s newly release

The Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association announced Tuesday that it will offer free inspection services by five automakers during the Lunar New Year holiday this weekend.　From Thursday to Sunday, Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors, GM Korea, Renault Samsung Motors and Ssangyong Motors will offer their customers vehicle inspection services free of charge at 22 participating highway rest stops and 48 service centers nationwide. 　The services will be offered at northbound rest stops on Thursday and Fri

　Honda Korea has launched sales of its latest SUV model, the New Pilot 2017, less than a week after unveiling its new Accord Hybrid, the company announced Monday. 　“There continues to be growing interest … in the Pilot series because of its design, safety and space utilization, especially in a consumer culture of meticulous comparison that focuses on safety and fuel efficiency,” said Honda Korea CEO Chung Woo-young, in the company’s press release Monday.Honda Korea releases its “New Pilot 2017”

IBM’s supercomputer Watson, an artificial intelligence-based cognitive computing program, is receiving mixed reviews a month after being introduced to Korean medical institutions.　Gachon University Gil Medical Center in Incheon became the first medical institute in Korea to utilize artificial intelligence to examine and treat cancer patients since October. 　Over the past 12 days, the hospital said Watson has been used to diagnose 85 cancer patients, receiving positive reviews from both patients

Protestors march across southern Seoul for Women's March against the US president Donald Trump on Saturday. (Ock Hyun-ju/The Koreal Herald)Hundreds of men and women took to the streets of Seoul on Saturday for the Women’s March that swept through the US and elsewhere on the first day of Donald Trump’s presidency. Braving the snow and subzero temperatures, an estimated 1,000 people, according to the rally organizers, marched for three hours through Gangnam, Seoul, joining the global grassroots ca

"Twilight" star Kristen Stewart said Friday President Donald Trump was "obsessed" with her when he posted a series of tweets in 2012 attacking her for cheating on co-star Robert Pattinson.   The 26-year-old actress responded for the first time at the Sundance Film Festival to Trump's criticisms, made while he was a still a reality star on NBC's "The Celebrity Apprentice."   "He was mad at me a couple years ago, really obsessed with me a couple years ago, which is f---ing crazy," Stewart told ent

President Donald Trump's inaugural speech promised "America first'' policy, but offered no specifics about America's place in the world.    The billionaire businessman and reality television star -- the first president who had never held political office or high military rank -- promised to stir a "new national pride'' and protect America from the "ravages'' of countries he says have stolen U.S. jobs.    "This American carnage stops right here,'' Trump declared. In a warning to the world, he sai

South Korea's culture minister resigned after being arrested Saturday for allegedly creating a "blacklist" of nearly 10,000 artists who voiced criticism of impeached President Park Geun-Hye.   Cho Yoon-Sun, who is the first minister in active service to be arrested in South Korea, is accused of creating the vast catalogue to starve the artists of government subsidies and private investments and place them under state surveillance.    The list's existence has sparked widespread anger, raising the

Apple is suing mobile chip maker Qualcomm for $1 billion in a patent fight pitting the iPhone maker against one of its major suppliers.    The 100-page complaint filed Friday in a San Diego federal court depicts Qualcomm as a greedy monopolist abusing its power in a key segment of the mobile chip market to extort royalties for iPhone innovations that have nothing to do with Qualcomm's technology.    For instance, Qualcomm demanded royalties on Apple's fingerprint identification system built into

The Republican-led Senate, taking little time to fill two critical national security posts, overwhelmingly confirmed a pair of retired Marine generals tapped by President Donald Trump to run the Pentagon and secure America's borders.    A little more than an hour later, Vice President Mike Pence administered the oath of office to James Mattis to be defense secretary and John Kelly to lead the Department of Homeland Security. Mattis had been confirmed by a 98-1 vote and Kelly 88-11.    Earlier in

The United States has asked South Korea to arrest former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's brother on charges of bribery, sources said Saturday.   South Korea's Ministry of Justice is in talks with the US government after it requested the arrest of Ban Ki-sang, the sources said. The younger Ban has been indicted with his son in New York in October. Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (Yonhap)   Ban's brother and his nephew Ban Joo-hyun are accused of attempting to hand over some

North Korea is showing no signs of carrying out provocations at least so far amid worries that Pyongyang might pursue such action in time for Donald Trump's inauguration, the military here said Saturday.   Concerns have been growing that the North could conduct missile or nuclear tests to draw attention from Washington on and around the day when the Trump administration takes office. Trump was sworn in as the U.S. president on Friday (local time).    "There have been no strange developments goin

Since launching its presale period on Jan. 4, Kia’s All New Morning compact smart car has landed more than 4,000 contracts in two weeks, the company announced Friday. 　Officially released to the public Tuesday, it marks the first new edition of Kia’s compact series in six years, since the second-generation model was released in 2011. The first in line to purchase the new All New Morning car was 25-year-old working mom Choi Soo-bin of Paju, Gyeonggi Province.Choi Soo-bin (center), the first custo

Hyundai Motor Company Vice Chairman Chung Eui-sun attended this year’s 2017 World Economic Forum, held in Davos, Switzerland from Jan. 17 to 20. 　Chung joined in on key sessions with the forum’s automotive committee, sharing his analysis of some of the industry’s top trends, including eco-friendly cars and autonomous vehicles, according to a press statement released by Hyundai on Thursday. 　The vice chairman reportedly met privately with CEOs of major global automakers, gauging future automotive

Following Volkswagen’s emissions scandal in Korea that resulted in an order to recall 27,000 Tiguan SUVs starting next month, the Ministry of Environment announced Thursday that VW’s next recall plan involves roughly 15,000 CC mid-size sedans. 　According to the ministry, the German carmaker is currently negotiating the terms of the recall. The measure is expected to be approved by the ministry sometime in the middle of next month. 　Approximately 126,000 VW vehicles in Korea are expected to be re