Refusing to talk to North Korea won't make the nuclear and missile threats the communist nation poses go away, a US expert said, criticizing the administration of President Donald Trump for refusing to issue visas for North Korean diplomats set to visit for unofficial talks.Choe Son-hui, director-general at the North Korean Foreign Ministry in charge of US affairs, had planned to visit New York sometime this month for talks with former American officials, such as former US nuclear negotiator Rob

South Korea's foreign exchange reserves fell slightly in February from a month earlier due to a decrease in the value of non-dollar currencies when converted into the dollar, central bank data showed Monday.As of the end of February, the country's foreign exchange reserves came to $373.91 billion, down $130 million from the previous month, the Bank of Korea said in a statement. Dollar notes at KEB Hana Bank (Yonhap)Foreign exchange reserves consist of securities and deposits denominated in overs

The chief of the independent probe into President Park Geun-hye and her associates on Friday regretted that his team failed to get to the bottom of the deep corruptive links between political power and business giants which underlie the whole scandal.The special prosecution led by lawyer Park Young-soo wrapped up the 70-day probe Tuesday. A total of 30 people, including Samsung Group's de facto leader Lee Jae-yong, were indicted and the president was named as a bribery suspect who colluded with

The recent killing of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half brother with a toxic nerve agent constitutes a serious human rights violation, South Korea's unification minister said Friday."North Korea readily takes human lives in order to maintain power, and that's the reality of North Korea's human rights situation," Hong Yong-pyo told a forum in Seoul on the reclusive country's human rights conditions. (Yonhap)Kim Jong-nam, the first son of late former leader Kim Jong-il, died last month at an

Rumors surrounding the recent assassination of Kim Jong-nam, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half brother, in Malaysia are quickly spreading by mouth in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, the leader of a group of North Korean defectors here said Friday. "Pyongyang citizens are in a rage as the rumors of Kim's murder have reached them via North Korean officials working abroad," Kim Heung-kwang, head of the North Korea Intellectuals Solidarity in Seoul, said. Members of the youth committee o

모델 반서진은 2일 자신의 인스타그램에 두장의 사진을 공개하며 근황을 알렸다. (사진=반서진 인스타그램)공개된 사진에 그는 ‘포르쉐911GTS’라는 해시태그를 걸며 소유 차량을 공개했다.‘911’은 포르쉐의 대표 스포츠카로 ‘GTS’모델은 약 1억 6천만원에 달한다. (사진=반서진 인스타그램)그의 차량 뒷 자석에는 프랑스 초고가브랜드 에르메스 쇼핑백도 눈에 띈다. 반씨는 ‘청담동 주식부자’로 알려진 이희진 씨의 전 연인으로 알려져 있다.  코리아헤럴드 지예은 인턴기자 (yeeunjie@heraldcorp.com)

President Park Geun-hye's lawyers pushed Friday to overturn her impeachment by petitioning the Constitutional Court to delay its ruling or dismiss the case.The court's ruling on whether to oust or reinstate the president is widely expected to come no later than March 13 before one of its justices retires and creates another vacancy on the bench. This image shows President Park Geun-hye (R) and an illustration of the eight Constitutional Court justices reviewing the legality of her impeachment. (

The foreign ministry said Friday that it would be "most regrettable" if China is blocking its nationals from visiting South Korea as part of retaliatory actions against Seoul's move to host an advanced US antimissile system on its soil.On Thursday, media reports said that Beijing has ordered its local travel agencies to stop selling tour products for South Korea in what appears to be the latest action in a series of retaliations against the planned deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area D

A Seoul court will begin the trial of Samsung Group's de facto leader Lee Jae-yong next week in connection with a corruption scandal involving President Park Geun-hye, legal sources said Friday.The Seoul Central District Court will hold a preparatory session on the vice chairman of Samsung Electronics Co. 2 p.m. Thursday, according to the sources. Lee Jae-yong, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics Co., arrives at the special prosecutor's office in southern Seoul on Feb. 26, 2017, to undergo an i

South Korea's finance minister said Friday that he will put more efforts into intense corporate restructuring in all industries in a bid to revive the country's growth potential."It is important for companies to preemptively reorganize and restructure to prevent possible risks," Finance Minister Yoo Il-ho said in a ministerial meeting in Seoul. "The government will push forward with corporate reorganization both in the manufacturing and service industries." (Yonhap)He said the government will he

South Korean stocks dropped by more than 1 percent Friday as investor sentiment was dampened by the growing spat between China and South Korea over the deployment of a US missile defense system. The Korean won fell sharply against the US dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 23.90 points, or 1.14 percent, to close at 2,078.75. Trade volume was moderate at 408 million shares worth 4.97 trillion won ($4.3 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 633 to 184. (Yonhap)The loca

South Korea's central bank said Friday that it has selected a dozen operators for its pilot project that could potentially transform the country into what it calls a coinless society.Under the project set to begin in April, consumers can deposit small change left from purchases of goods into their prepaid or mobile cards at convenience stores, discount stores and department stores, according to the Bank of Korea. (Yonhap)The BOK said 12 participants in the pilot project include CU, a major South

South Korea and the United States conducted a joint exercise last month to seize and destroy North Korean weapons of mass destruction, according to the US military.More than 400 soldiers, including 200 Korean Army soldiers, took part in the Warrior Strike 5 exercise at a live fire complex in Pocheon, 46 kilometers north of Seoul, from Feb. 14-17, the US 2nd Infantry Division's Web page showed. In this photo taken during a joint exercise to counter WMDs held last month in Pocheon, just north of S

South Korea's financial market has already factored in expectations for US interest rate hikes this year, the finance minister said Friday, indicating it is well-positioned to withstand their impact.After boosting its benchmark interest rate by a quarter point to 0.75 percent in December, the US Fed forecast it could raise the federal funds target rate three times in 2017, instead of the two quarter-point increases previously projected.Finance Minister Yoo Il-ho attends a ceremony to mark Taxpay

North Korean leaflets were found in the western city of Incheon on Friday, police said, in the first propaganda campaign carried out by the reclusive country against the South since the North Korean leader's half brother was assassinated last month.Police retrieved some 810 leaflets near an apartment complex in Incheon, west of Seoul, at around 2 a.m. The leaflets carried messages that criticized the South Korean government, with images of missiles and the national map, according to police. The

Hanwha Life Insurance Co., a major South Korean insurer, decided Friday to pay all overdue insurance claims on suicide.Hanwha plans to pay around 91 billion won ($78.8 million) on 637 unsettled cases in the decision made at a board meeting.It's apparently aimed at reversing the state financial watchdog's tough punishment against the firm.Last month, the Financial Supervisory Service issued a two-month suspension of partial business operations for its refusal to pay most of unpaid benefits for su

Supporters of former late President Roh Moo-hyun on Friday demanded South Gyeongsang Gov. Hong Joon-pyo apologize and step down for making disparaging remarks about the symbolic figure of the liberal bloc. South Gyeongsang Gov. Hong Joon-pyo (Yonhap)Hong, a potential presidential candidate for the ruling Liberty Korea Party, said recently that Roh "killed himself after receiving bribes." "We are angered at the absurd remark by Hong, and we plan to take strong action against it," the Roh Moo-hyun

Incheon, South Korea's major port of call for cruise ships, is on alert as the Chinese government is known to have ordered its travel agencies to stop selling South Korean tour programs to its locals in retaliation for Seoul's unwavering push for the deployment of an advanced US anti-missile system on its soil.China harshly criticizes Seoul's decision to introduce the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, which it claims poses threats to its security, and vows every kind of retaliatory ste

South Korea's trade minister will meet with his US counterpart next week to discuss pending issues between the two countries, the ministry here said Friday.The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Trade Minister Joo Hyung-hwan will visit Washington on March 5-8 and have talks with new US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and other officials. South Korea's Trade Minister Joo Hyung-hwan (Yonhap)Ross was confirmed by the Senate on Monday and took the helm of the Department of Commerce the fo

LG Electronics Inc. said Friday its new flagship smartphone, G6, has won a total of 31 awards from foreign technology magazines at a wireless industry fair in Spain. LG unveiled the G6 smartphone earlier this week at the annual Mobile World Congress fair with the aim of reviving its loss-making smartphone business. (Yonhap)Samsung Electronics Co. and Apple Inc. did not release their new flagship smartphones at the fair. According to LG, foreign technology media organizations, including Wired, Di