South Korea's leading presidential contenders all cited the United States and China as the key players to stop North Korea from conducting its sixth nuclear test in their second TV debate Wednesday.The five candidates for the May 9 election were asked during the debate hosted by public broadcaster KBS what diplomatic leverage the South Korean government has to block another nuclear experiment by the North. The question addressed growing regional tensions caused by Pyongyang's saber-rattling and

South Korea will be looking for a quick start at the men's hockey world championship opening in Ukraine this weekend.Coached by former National Hockey League defenseman Jim Paek, South Korea will compete in the April 22-28 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship Division I Group A, which is the second-highest level of men's international hockey.All games will be held in Kiev.It's a key test tournament for South Korea ahead of its Olympic debut on home ice next year at the PyeongCh

WASHINGTON -- The White House sought to fend off criticism Wednesday that President Donald Trump and other top officials have misleadingly said a Navy strike group was heading to the Korean Peninsula to deter North Korea when it was actually moving in the opposite direction.US officials came under fire following revelations that the group of ships led by the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson were thousands of miles away from Korea despite earlier statements suggesting they would be in the region

Front-runner Moon Jae-in of the liberal Democratic Party took a battering from his rivals over his views on North Korea and national security during the second presidential TV debate Wednesday. Two conservative candidates set an aggressive tone from the outset, accusing him of kowtowing to North Korea and flip-flopping on missile defense.Presidential candidates hold hands before their second TV debate, hosted by KBS, on April 19, 2017. From left are Sim Sang-jeung, Hong Joon-pyo, Yoo Seong-min,

WASHINGTON -- US Vice President Mike Pence said Wednesday he doesn't expect the US to hold direct negotiations with North Korea any time soon.Pence made the remark in an interview with CNN aboard the USS Ronald Reagan at the Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan, saying the focus is now on increasing pressure on the North."The policy of President Trump is to marshal the support of our allies in the region -- Japan, South Korea, nations around the world, and China," he said.(Yonhap)Asked if he envisioned

South Korea's vice unification minister on Wednesday met with Japan's top envoy to Seoul to discuss North Korea's nuclear and missile problems, government officials said.Vice Minister Kim Hyung-suk held the meeting with Amb. Yasumasa Nagamine to exchange views on security concerns and the importance of cooperation in responding to North Korea's threats, according to Seoul's unification ministry. This photo taken on April 19, 2017, shows Japanese Amb. Yasumasa Nagamine (center) heading to South K

BEIJING -- China called on North Korea on Wednesday to exercise restraint with actions that could heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula as the North is ramping up its provocative rhetoric. (Yonhap)"What I want to emphasize is that China objects to any words that could heighten tensions since the current situation on the Korean Peninsula is highly complicated and sensitive," Lu Kang, spokesman at the Chinese foreign ministry, said during a regular press briefing. He called for relevant countr

The item rental market in South Korea is expanding its range of lineups into various areas, ranging from fashion accessories and digital cameras to furniture, as a growing number of consumers are willing to use products at affordable prices and return them instead of owning them outright, industry observers said Wednesday. Renting goods have emerged as a lucrative business here, as people, especially the younger generation, are increasingly open to the idea of borrowing items for everyday use an

South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo on Wednesday stressed the importance of real combat training for his troops as he visited the Army's major battle training field."It's the military's natural duty to focus on actual combat-like training in order to become stronger under the grim security conditions," Han said during the tour of the Korea Combat Training Center in Gangwon Province.Defense Minister Han Min-koo tests the multiple integrated laser engagement system at the Korea Combat Traini

BUSAN -- The Japanese Consulate in the southern South Korean port city of Busan on Wednesday exerted indirect pressure on the city's Dong Ward municipality to remove a statue symbolizing Korean women forced to work in wartime Japanese military brothels, officials at the regional government said.Japan's consul general in Busan, Yasuhiro Morimoto held talks with Park Sam-seok, chief of the municipality, earlier in the day as he offered to pay a courtesy call. Morimoto returned along with Japanese

MOKPO -- Salvage workers are examining the fourth-floor deck inside the wreck of the Sewol ferry on Wednesday, in their second day of searching for the remains of nine people who are still unaccounted for. A total of nine access holes were made into the hull of the 6,800-ton ferry to allow the workers to gain access to the vessel.  (Yonhap)A smartphone was found on the fourth-floor deck near the bow of the ship on Wednesday morning, officials said. It marks the second time that a smartphone has

An appeals court on Wednesday upheld a 16-month prison term handed down to a local professor on charges of bribery for manipulating a report in favor of Oxy Reckitt Benckiser in a high-profile toxic humidifier disinfectant case.The Seoul High Court convicted the professor at Hoseo University in Asan, some 100 kilometers south of Seoul, of writing the report in return for money between October 2011 and September 2012. members of civic consumers' groups cross out the images of the products of Oxy

During a military parade last week, North Korea's leader did not shake hands with Kim Won-hong, who made his first public appearance following his alleged dismissal as spy chief, footage by the state-run TV station showed Wednesday.Kim Jong-un shook hands with key officials lining up at a reviewing stand after overseeing the military parade on Saturday to mark the 105th birthday of late state founder Kim Il-sung, according to footage unveiled by the Korean Central TV Broadcasting Station. This i

Hyundai Mobis Co., South Korea's leading auto parts maker, said Wednesday that it has begun production of head and rear lamps at its Czech Republic plant to supply the core parts of a vehicle to its affiliates Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp.Hyundai Mobis has spent 140 billion won ($123 million) on the plant that is capable of producing head lamps for 750,000 vehicles and rear lamps for another 750,000 units annually, the company said in a statement. (Yonhap)The value-added auto parts will

Right-wing presidential nominee Hong Joon-pyo on Wednesday unveiled his security doctrine focusing on an arms beef-up and "aggressive" deterrence, appealing to voters concerned amid North Korea's unrelenting saber-rattling.During a press conference, the candidate of the conservative Liberty Korea Party reiterated his pledge to bring in US tactical nuclear arms to the peninsula to achieve "nuclear balance" with the communist neighbor and strengthen the nation's missile defense."With the North hav

South Korean artists on Wednesday filed a petition with the Constitutional Court over allegations the ousted President Park Geun-hye's administration blacklisted cultural figures deemed critical of the government, a civic group said.The People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy said eight artists and cultural foundations filed the case against Park and her former aides, asking the court to rule on the constitutionality of such action.Members of the People's Solidarity for Participatory Dem

Sales of South Korea's major chicken franchises rose last year from the previous year despite the outbreak of avian influenza and weak economic growth, government data showed Wednesday.Fried chicken and beer, called "chimaek" in South Korea, is one of the most popular foods in the country, as well as soju and samgyeopsal, or grilled pork belly. (Yonhap)Kyochon, the biggest franchise, posted a 13-percent increase to 291 billion won ($255 million) last year from $257 billion won a year earlier, ac

South Korean drug maker Daewoong Pharmaceutical Co. said Wednesday its generic antibiotic, Meropenem, was launched in the United States.Meropenem, which is used in treatment for a wide range of diseases ranging from serious bacterial infection to general infection, was rolled out under the name "Daewoong Meropenem Inj" in the world's largest pharmaceutical market, it said. (Daewoong Pharmaceutical Co.)In December 2012, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted Daewoong Pharmaceuticals'

An agency claiming to help the son of the slain brother of North Korea's leader has openly asked South Korean presidential contenders to reveal their stances on the protection of North Korean defectors on the run abroad.The website for Cheollima Civil Defense, seen on Wednesday, asked the candidates for the May 9 presidential election whether they are willing to accept and protect every North Korean in need of shelter. (Yonhap)"In the past, the government's policy on defectors fluctuated, depend

Progressive presidential nominee Sim Sang-jeung on Wednesday proposed initiating Asia's version of a European peace process to address North Korea's nuclear conundrum and growing regional geopolitical tensions.During a debate hosted by the Korea Broadcasting Journalists Club, the candidate of the far-left Justice Party also stressed she has never opposed sanctions or pressure on Pyongyang, saying there have been "great misunderstandings" about her stance on the communist state. Sim Sang-jeung, t