Recent satellite imagery shows no indications that North Korea is close to carrying out its threat to test-fire an intercontinental ballistic missile, but the communist nation is capable of conducting a launch at any time, a US website monitoring the North said."While North Korea threatens to test an intercontinental ballistic missile ... commercial satellite imagery from November 2016 through January 2017 of the Sohae Satellite Launching Station provides no evidence of an imminent launch or eng

The United States should exercise "outside pressure" on Japan to get the ally to put aside its complaint over a South Korean statue symbolizing Tokyo's wartime sexual slavery and work hard to mend ties with Seoul, a former State Department official said.Mintaro Oba, a former diplomat handling Korea-Japan relations, made the remark in an article to The Diplomat, strongly criticizing Tokyo for overreacting to the establishment by civic activists of the girl's statue in front of Japan's consulate i

Sales of the Korean lottery Lotto hit their highest last year, statistics from the operator showed Monday, a trend that comes during economic slumps, social analysts say.The statistics from the Korea Lottery Commission said Lotto sales reached 3.55 trillion won ($3.02 billion), or 3.55 billion tickets, last year, an increase of 9 percent from the year before.The sales volume is the highest on record since it was first introduced in the country in 2002. The monetary amount of the sales is also th

Park Jie-won, former floor leader and interim chief of the minor opposition People's Party, was elected as the new chairman with an overwhelming majority at the party's general convention on Sunday.The four-term lawmaker and former close aide to late President Kim Dae-jung, won the chairmanship with more than 61 percent of the votes cast.  Former floor leader and interim chief of the minor opposition People`s Party, Park Jie-won celebrates after being elected as the new chairman at the party`s g

Choi Soon-sil will attend the impeachment trial of her longtime friend President Park Geun-hye for the first time this week, her lawyer has said, as the court seeks to expedite proceedings.The Constitutional Court has added another hearing to this week’s schedule in the ongoing trial, in response to apparent delay tactics by Park’s attorneys. The nine judges of South Korea’s top court have scheduled sessions for Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, summoning key witnesses including Choi Soon-Sil, Park’

South Korea's Constitutional Court President Park Han-chul has pointed out both positive and negative aspects of a 2015 deal between Seoul and Tokyo over the issue of Japan's wartime sexual enslavement of women, in a rare public commentary.Park made the remarks in a contribution to a publication the court released in time for the launch of the Seoul-based Research Secretariat of the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions early this month.Constitutional Court Presi

North Korea is intentionally not rebuilding flood-ravaged areas nears its border with China to stem the flow of defectors, a US based media outlet claimed Sunday.According to Radio Free Asia, commercial satellite photos taken of parts of Heoryong City in North Hamgyong Province in late October showed very little progress being made on repairs to neighborhoods.The region in the northeast part of the country was hard hit by a typhoon and torrential rains in late August that caused extensive damage

Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has had a hectic schedule of what appears to be a presidential campaign since his arrival in Korea, making moves that tried to embrace both conservative and liberal voters.In the four days since his return Thursday, the potential presidential hopeful tried to address a diverse range of topics from the livelihood of citizens to national security. On Sunday, Ban headed to the Navy’s 2nd Fleet Command in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, where a sunken warship,

The amount of time South Korean women spend on household chores is three times the length of time spent by man, a local report showed Sunday, displaying deeply rooted gender roles in a society where a growing number of women have entered the workforce. According to the study by the Seoul Foundation of Women and Family, working mothers spend around 3 1/2 hours a day on household chores. Their spouses, on the other hand, spend slightly less than an hour on housework. Based on an analysis of the am

Special prosecutors investigating a corruption scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and her friend said Sunday that they are close to deciding whether to seek an arrest warrant against the de facto leader of Samsung Group on bribery charges.The prosecutors said the decision could come as early as Monday and said that they are in the "final" review process regarding the warrant, taking into account various factors, including the possible impact of the arrest of Lee Jae-yong, vice chairman of

In December, South Korea witnessed how a massive wave of peaceful candlelight rallies led to President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment over a corruption scandal.  　While the nation awaits the Constitutional Court’s final decision on Park’s fate, there is another group of people determined to take to the streets to make their voices heard -- Park’s staunch supporters. 　On Saturday, thousands of them -- 1.2 million according to an organizers' tally which seems grossly inflated -- gathered in central S

Rhee In-je of the ruling Saenuri Party on Sunday declared his presidential bid for the fourth time since 1997, unveiling his plans for a constitutional revision and state governance.The former six-term lawmaker said that if elected, he would push for a constitutional amendment to enact a "power-sharing" model that would diffuse powers currently concentrated wholly in a single president, within six months of his election. Rhee In-je of the ruling Saenuri Party (Yonhap)Rhee, a former member of the

South Korea is considering a move to disclose how much it spends on national defense to deflect calls by the incoming US administration for greater security burden sharing, sources here said Sunday.The move comes as President-elect Donald Trump, who will be sworn into office this week, has espoused an "America First" policy and on numerous occasions called on Washington's close allies to do more for their defense instead of relying on the United States.This view was echoed by James Mattis, tappe

A South Korean man who was abducted by a radical Islamic group returned to Korea on Sunday after being released from an island near Malaysia where he was under detention for nearly three months, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said. The Korean captain was kidnapped by the Philippines-based terrorist group Abu Sayyaf, which attacked his cargo vessel on Oct. 20 near Borneo, Malaysia. A Filipino crew member was also seized. Both had been held hostage for ransom until their release Saturday.  Members of Ab

North Korea will continue to launch rockets capable of placing satellites into orbit despite objections raised by the international community, the country's largest newspaper said Sunday.In an article carried by the Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, the North claimed that the hostile policy stance of the United States toward the communist country will invariably fail.It said no matter who objects, Pyongyang will never end its space development program. People of Nort

The foreign ministers of South Korea and Iraq will hold talks this week to discuss bilateral economic cooperation and other issues of mutual concern, Seoul's foreign ministry said Sunday.Seoul's Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and his Iraqi counterpart Ibrahim Al-Jaafari will meet Tuesday to exchange views on a series of bilateral and regional issues, including security on the Korean Peninsula and the Middle East. Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se (Yonhap)Al-Jaafari's four-day schedule, which was arra

A South Korean man, who was abducted near Malaysian waters last year by a radical Islamic group, and released after nearly three months in captivity returned home, Seoul's foreign ministry said Sunday.The Philippines-based militant group Abu Sayyaf attacked the 11,391-ton South Korean cargo vessel on Oct. 20 near Borneo, Malaysia, and kidnapped the South Korean captain, as well as a Filipino crew member.The captain in his 30s, identified only by his surname Park, arrived at Incheon International

The majority of South Koreans believe that the incoming US administration under President-elect Donald Trump will have considerable impact on the North Korean nuke issue, a poll showed Sunday.According to the survey carried out by the National Unification Advisory Council, 60.5 percent said there would likely be a considerable impact, significantly more than 33.4 percent who said the influence would be small.   The findings also showed 73 percent were concerned that Pyongyang would engage in mor

Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon revved up what is seen as a preliminary presidential campaign over the weekend, moving to appeal to both conservatives and liberals through his mantra of national integration.   On Sunday, Ban, a prominent presidential aspirant, is set to visit the Navy's 2nd Fleet Command in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, where the wreckage of the ill-fated corvette Cheonan is on display -- a trip that observers say is intended to court security-conscious conse

A fire broke out in a popular fish market in South Korea's southwestern city of Yeosu on Sunday, damaging 116 out of the 125 stores, the local fire department said. No fatalities or injuries have been reported.Fire authorities said that the fire incurred an estimated 520 million won ($442,364) worth of damage, and that they are trying to find out the exact extent and cause of the fire at the Yeosu fish market.  Firefighters walk around the Yeosu fish market to check on the extent of damage cause