The main bondholder of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. on Monday agreed to the debt rescheduling measures proposed by the state-run Korea Development Bank led creditors, paving the way for the troubled shipyard's other bondholders to support the plan.After a weeks-long tussle over the debt rescheduling proposal, the National Pension Service said earlier in the day that it has accepted the plan to keep the troubled shipbuilder afloat.(Yonhap)The NPS, which owns some 30 percent of the

Prosecutors on Friday raided a local polling agency over allegations a lawmaker collaborated with it to carry out a biased survey on the upcoming presidential election.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said it raided two locations, including the pollster’s office, and confiscated relevant materials, including computer hard disks. Rep. Yeom Dong-yeol of the conservative Liberty Korea Party. (Yonhap)The National Election Commission on Thursday filed a petition with the prosecution see

Conservative candidate Hong Joon-pyo vowed Friday to push for the redeployment of US tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea to fend off Pyongyang's growing military threats. National security topped the list of 10 priority election pledges the nominee of the pro-government Liberty Korea Party submitted to the National Election Commission, according to the party.To beef up defense against the North, he will consult with Washington to bring back the US nuclear arsenal that was withdrawn from the

South Korea will spend 38.4 trillion won ($33.7 billion) this year on tackling the low birthrate and aging population as such trends can hurt Asia's fourth-largest economy by reducing its workforce and driving up welfare costs, the health ministry said Friday.      The Ministry of Welfare and Health said the budget for 2017, finalized during a meeting of a government evaluation committee, is set to increase 8.8 percent on-year.(Yonhap)A large portion of the money will be spent on creating more j

Prosecutors on Friday questioned an executive at retail giant Lotte in connection with a corruption scandal that removed former President Park Geun-hye from office.So Jin-sei, the chief of the group's committee for social contribution, was summoned to appear at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office to bear witness to possible bribery related to its duty-free business.So Jin-sei, chief of Lotte Group's committee for social contribution, arrives at the Seoul Central District Court in the

Jin Air will increase flight service to Japan and Southeast Asia to offset a drop in passenger traffic from China due to the diplomatic row over the deployment of an advanced US anti-missile system on South Korean soil, the budget carrier said Friday. The number of Chinese travelers fell dramatically as the neighboring country has banned the sale of tour packages since mid-March. The move is apparently in retaliation against the installation of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system.A Ji

Top diplomats of South Korea and Angola will have talks next week to discuss cooperation in a wide range of areas, including the economy and security, the foreign ministry in Seoul said Friday.South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se will meet with his Angolan counterpart Georges Chikoti on Tuesday, according to the ministry.  South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se (Yonhap)They will exchange views on regional and global issues and discuss cooperation in economy, security and other areas, t

South Korea's defense ministry said Friday it will earmark 246.5 billion won ($218 million) to enhance its cybersecurity over five years to fend off growing threats from North Korean hackers. The ministry's plan to develop technology and train manpower for cyberwarfare was included in its midterm defense plan for 2018 to 2022.   An image of North Korea's cyberattacks in a photo provided by Yonhap News TV (Yonhap)The North has continued to improve its cyberwarfare capabilities. Most recently, its

Moon Jae-in, the presidential candidate of the liberal Democratic Party, on Friday strove to head off his image as an anti-business interventionist, promising transparent regulations and a market-friendly government. "Do there still remain any concerns among our businesspeople that I, Moon Jae-in, might be business unfriendly? I will tell you for sure. That is the farthest from the truth," he said in a special meeting with members of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Moon Jae-in, the p

Korean Air said Friday it will not raise airfare on domestic routes to and from the southern resort island of Jeju to buttress the local tourism industry hit hard by China's decision to discourage its people from visiting South Korea."We've decided not to increase airfare to prop up domestic consumption that can help the tourism industry here," the country's biggest flag carrier said in a statement. (Yonhap)There has been a sharp drop in Chinese visitors from mid-March after Beijing banned the s

South Korea will lease several military spy satellites from a foreign country next year and speed up the improvement of its combat power against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, the Ministry of National Defense announced Friday.It plans to pour 238.2 trillion won ($210 billion) into a number of projects aimed at boosting the country's military firepower between 2018 and 2022 under the revised mid-term national defense blueprint. Hyunmoo-3 cruise missiles. (Yonhap)The South, which has a

Centrist presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo pledged Friday to create a regulation-free industrial park to encourage the launch of more startups.The nominee of the center-left People's Party made the promise during a meeting with trade industry representatives, saying he believes in the importance of easing regulations while simultaneously strengthening the monitoring of firms. Ahn Cheol-soo, presidential nominee of the People's Party, speaks to trade industry representatives at the Convention

North Korea is apparently preparing to stage a large-scale military parade as early as this weekend, officials here said Friday, amid rising tensions on the peninsula."There is intelligence that North Korea has controlled traffic in Pyongyang for a military parade," a South Korean government official said.He said the move, if true, could be intended to transport various types of weapons and other equipment, stored at the Mirim airfield, to the downtown area of the capital. North Korea stages a m

A local detention center came under fire Friday over allegations it gave a special favor to former President Park Geun-hye, who has been arrested in connection with a corruption scandal that removed her from office.According to the Seoul Detention Center, Park was allowed to stay at one of its offices for prison guards for two days until it completed the maintenance work for a solitary cell where she was later detained.  Former President Park Geun-hye heads to the Seoul Central District Court fr

North Korea's vice foreign minister said that the country will conduct another nuclear test at any time upon the leadership's decision, a news report said Friday.In an interview with the Associated Press, Vice Foreign Minister Han Song-ryol said that the situation on the Korean Peninsula was in a "vicious cycle," adding that Pyongyang won't tolerate a US pre-emptive strike.(Yonhap)"If the US comes with reckless military maneuvers then we will confront it with a pre-emptive strike" Han was quoted

삼성그룹 서초사옥에 폭발물을 설치할 계획이라 는 신고가 14일 접수돼 경찰이 특공대를 동원해 수색 중이다. 서울 서초경찰서는 서초구 서초동 삼성 서초사옥에 입주한 삼성생명 빌딩에  있 는 사람들을 전원 대피시키고 수색하고 있다고 밝혔다. (사진=연합뉴스)경찰 등에 따르면 이날 오전 11시 18분께 부산지방경찰청에 '삼성생명 사무실에 폭발물을 설치할 계획'이라는 페이스북 메시지를 받았다는 신고가 접수됐다.이 메시지에는 '북한공작원 2명이 생명본사 4층에 폭발물을 설치했다'고 영어로 쓰여져 있던 것으로 전해졌다. 신고자가 이 메시지를 받은 시점은 이달 11일이다.  (연합뉴스)

WASHINGTON -- The United States is assessing military options in response to North Korea's weapons programs, a White House foreign policy advisor confirmed Friday, saying another provocative test was a question of "when" rather than "if."As speculation mounted that Pyongyang is preparing to fire a trial nuke or missile on a major anniversary Saturday, the official said the United States was poised to deal with the security threat posed by North Korea's nuclear ambitions."Military options are alr

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Vice President Mike Pence is opening his trip to the Asia-Pacific region amid increasing tensions in North Korea over the regime's nuclear and missile programs. Pence is set to arrive Sunday in South Korea as President Donald Trump vows that Kim Jong Un's government is a "problem" that will be "taken care of." Vice President Mike Pence speaks during a town hall. (AP-Yonhap)The vice president's 10-day trip comes as North Korea celebrates the 105th anniversary of the birth of na

PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) - North Korea's vice foreign minister on Friday blamed President Donald Trump for building up a "vicious cycle" of tensions on the Korean Peninsula, saying that his “aggressive'' tweets were “making trouble.'' In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press in Pyongyang, Vice Minister Han Song Ryol also said Pyongyang won't “keep its arms crossed'' in the face of a pre-emptive strike by the US  “If the US comes with reckless military maneuvers then we will confron

The South Korean women's national football team returned home on Thursday from North Korea after qualifying for the top Asian competition next year.South Korea, led by head coach Yoon Duk-yeo, won the Asian Football Confederation Women's Asian Cup Group B qualifying tournament in Pyongyang, where they competed against North Korea, Uzbekistan, Hong Kong and India. The South Korean women's national football team poses for a group photo at Gimpo International Airport in Seoul on April 13, 2017. (Yo