South Korea on Wednesday approved three major defense projects, including a long-range rocket system, to help bolster its capabilities to better counter growing North Korean military threats.The government's approval comes amid mounting geopolitical uncertainties surrounding the Korean Peninsula as Pyongyang ratchets up its saber rattling and many countries in the region feel uneasy about Donald Trump's surprise victory in last week's U.S. presidential race.During the 2017-2020 period, Seoul wil

PARIS (AP) -- Donald Trump's election in the U.S. has given a new boost to conservative leaders in what may be the next major populist battleground, France, where far-right leader Marine Le Pen is convinced that her anti-immigration, anti-Islam views can lead her to the presidency in five months.Former President Nicolas Sarkozy, running to get his job back, says that Trump’s election shows that politicians must listen to "the wrath of the people.""Mr. Trump wants to defend American interests? Fi

BRUSSELS (AFP) -- The EU said Wednesday that draft budgets from Italy and seven other eurozone countries risk breaking the bloc's rules, setting up a row with Prime Minister Matteo Renzi ahead of a crucial referendum.The European Commission said the budgets for Spain and Portugal were also problematic, just a year after the two countries became the first to officially face sanctions for public over-spending.But the commission, the executive arm of the European Union, dropped a threat to suspend

Some 100 meters of walkway by the famous stone wall surrounding Deoksugung in Seoul will be opened to the public next August. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said earlier this week that it has begun work on the section of the walkway that is currently on the property of the British Embassy, following an agreement between Seoul City and the embassy last year.A 170-meter section of the 1.1-kilometer wall is currently off limits to pedestrians, as it is part of the British Embassy compound. After

A new Seoul City Tour Bus debuted this week with a single deck and half open top. This adds to the existing three types of sightseeing buses operated for tours of the capital city: a fully open top double-decker bus, a normal single-decker bus and a trolley bus.Seoul City Tour BusHalf of the back portion of the new vehicle is equipped with windows that can be removed and a foldable top, so that it can flexibly respond to weather conditions, explained the city tour bus operator Honeymoon Travel.

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon has been awarded the Gothenburg Award for Sustainable Development for his efforts to develop Seoul as a “Sharing City.” Park, who worked as a civil rights lawyer and activist before becoming mayor, is recognized for having integrated social issues into “sharing economy” projects, as well as raising public awareness and supporting initiatives in the sharing of information and assets, the award organizer said in a statement. Park is the first Korean, and the second in Asi

A Seoul court ruled Tuesday that a local manufacturer of humidifier disinfectants should compensate victims who died of lung disease allegedly due to toxic substances in its products.This marks the first time that a local court has recognized damage in the “killer disinfectant” debacle, four years after the authorities pinpointed chemicals used in disinfectants as the likely reason behind what was then perceived as a mysterious lung disease mostly affecting pregnant women. So far, 189 deaths --

The number of people in South Korea with multicultural backgrounds has more than tripled in the past decade to reach 1.71 million as of November 2015, latest government data showed Tuesday. This marks 3.4 percent of the county’s total population of 51 million. The multicultural population has risen steadily, moving from 540,000 in 2006, to 1.57 million in 2014 and 1.71 million last year. The tally includes foreign nationals, naturalized Koreans as well as their children. Fifty-seven municipaliti

Saturday’s peaceful candlelight vigil calling for President Park Geun-hye to step down over the scandal involving her close friend Choi Soon-sil garnered attention and made headlines within and beyond the nation. Despite the embattled president’s second apology last week, calls have continued to grow for Park to take responsibility for the state crisis. Some 1.1 million angry citizens took to the street Saturday. News agency Reuters reported that Gwanghwamun Square was flooded with citizens of a

Hundreds of thousands of people took to the central Seoul on Saturday to attend the latest massive rally to demand President Park Geun-hye's resignation over the growing scandal involving her close confidante.Police expected about abour 220,000 people joined the candlelight rally at the public square near Seoul City Hall, while organizers forecast up to 1 million people turned out. It is expected to be the largest rally to be held in South Korea this century to date.The police deployed some 25,0

Posco chairman Kwon Oh-joon (Yonhap)The chief of South Korea's top steelmaker Posco was grilled overnight by prosecutors until Saturday morning over an allegation that the sale of its former unit was related to an influence-peddling scandal involving President Park Geun-hye's close friend, prosecutors said.Kwon Oh-joon, 66, returned home at about 7:10 a.m. after about 12 hours of intensive questioning at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, they said.He is the first head of a major So

A group of students from Harvard University in Massachusetts called on President Park Geun-hye to resign, denouncing Park over the scandal involving her close confidante. “The Park administration has utterly lost the people’s trust in its moral legitimacy and competence to govern. … we demand that President Park immediately step away from state affairs,” a total of 193 Korean Students and Scholars of Harvard University said in a statement released Saturday. “Having completely failed the trust of

NEW YORK (AFP) -- Demonstrators took to the streets in New York City to oppose Donald Trump's election as US president for a fourth straight day Friday.Some 1,200 people gathered in the Washington Square neighborhood of lower Manhattan, some carrying enormous red balloons and placards with hearts and the words "peace and love."Others held signs reading "Your Wall Can't Stand in Our Way" -- a reference  to the anti-immigration barrier the billionaire real estate baron has promised to build on the

Tens, and possibly hundreds, of thousands of South Koreans were expected to rally in Seoul on Saturday demanding the ouster of President Park Geun-hye in what would be one of the biggest protests in the country since its democratization about 30 years ago.Police anticipate about 170,000 people to turn out near City Hall and an old palace gate, while the protest organizers estimate as much as a million participants. It will be the latest of a wave of massive rallies against Park, whose presidency

A plastic surgery clinic in Seoul's Gangnam district has become embroiled in the political scandal plaguing President Park Geun-hye. The clinic that Choi Soon-sil, Park’s confidante accused of meddling in state affairs, and her daughter Chung Yoo-ra are said to have frequented for skin care treatments is accused of receiving favors from Cheong Wa Dae. After suspicions surfaced, the plastic surgery clinic, which also runs a skin care clinic and cosmetics business, had closed down and was unavaila

One in 6 South Korean teenagers eat fast food more than three times a week, data showed Monday. According to a survey by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 16.7 percent of students aged 13-18 regularly consume fast food such as hamburgers, pizzas and chicken, up 1.9 percentage points from a year earlier. The figure was also 4.5 percentage points higher than 2009, when the annual survey began to be conducted. The report also showed that slightly more male students (17.9 percent) opted

Police have caught 477 people running clinics without proper qualifications in a recent clampdown on medial malpractices, the National Police Agency announced Monday. Between August and October, authorities came across 707 cases of illegal activities in medical and pharmaceutical industries here. A total of 1,693 people were nabbed, with 20 arrested as of November. Compared to the previous crackdown, conducted from January to July this year, the number of illegal cases rose by 514, with 1.75 tim

Some 100 Seoul residents, art connoisseurs and city officials gathered at Seoul City Hall on Saturday to mark the completion of a two-month program to find and promote lesser-known street art and landmarks in the capital city. Under the “Art on Seoul’s Streets Found by Citizens” project, participants -- in groups of 10 each joined by field experts -- visited various parts of Seoul to discover relatively unknown artworks. They came up with ideas on how to promote and preserve these hidden gems. 　

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon and People’s Party founder Ahn Cheol-soo on Wednesday officially called on President Park Geun-hye to resign in an angry response to her Cabinet reshuffle proposal. “I am outraged. President Park Geun-hye shows no remorse after putting the country in a mess like this,” the mayor told an emergency press conference held an hour after the reshuffle was announced. Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon (yonhap)“Her unilateral appointment of new Cabinet members is an act of belittling th

Three days before the Han River water taxi service resumed last month, a group of reporters boarded one at the dock located inside Banpo Han River Park in Seoul.Eight water taxis were anchored at the water taxi stand, while workers were busy putting the finishing touches to the boulevard that led to the dock.“We will get to your destination as soon as possible in the safest way,” said Kim In-geun, a water taxi driver with 30 years of experience at sea, welcoming passengers with a friendly smile.