Experts see conflicting signs over economic overhaul under young leader Kim Jong-unIn July 2002, North Korea raised expectations of a change toward a market-oriented system with a set of bold macroeconomic experiments. It eased the rigid command economy by dissolving the rationing scheme, allowing for street markets, increasing wages and prices and introducing incentives and graded compensation. North Korea watchers were surprised to see its leaders professing “reform,” a term loathed in the iso

A quarter of a world away, Korea and Seychelles may appear to have little in common. The Asian and African countries in fact are similar in many aspects ― a relatively small size of land, ample marine life, fast-growing economy, vibrant democracy, educational zeal and a vision for environmentally friendly development ― on which they will continue to build cooperation, said Jean-Paul Adam, the country’s foreign minister.“Korea and Seychelles may seem like two different countries and seem very far

The postponed military accord between Korea and Japan faces a rough ride as a public and political backlash driven by anti-Japanese sentiment is expected to persist in a pivotal election year. In a major diplomatic embarrassment, Seoul called off a signing ceremony at the last minute on Friday for the General Security of Military Information Agreement, designed to facilitate the exchange of intelligence on North Korea and search-and-rescue-related operations.The main opposition Democratic United

SHENYANG (Yonhap News) ― A cruise to North Korea’s scenic mountain resort from China has officially been launched, Chinese media reported Saturday.According to the China News, some 100 Chinese tourists from the northeastern province of Jilin sailed along the North’s east coast to visit Mount Geumgang on a four-day itinerary early Friday.After crossing the border to North Korea by land from the city of Hunchun in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, the tourists boarded a cruise ship in the

Economic policymakers from four Latin American countries are visiting Seoul to enhance cooperation with Korea and study the country’s experience in rapid development, officials said Sunday. The delegation includes Sergio De La Torre Gimeno, Guatemala’s economic minister; Juan Carlos Paiz Venezuela, Guatemala’s presidential commissioner for competitiveness; Robert Gabriel Frugoni Vega, Uruguay’s director of the Planning and Budget Office; Maria Dolores Almeida, Ecuador’s vice finance minister; an

South Korea will post two government officials in Germany and Russia next month as part of its diplomatic efforts to prepare for eventual reunification with North Korea, an official said Sunday.The new posts were created in April under the initiative of Unification Minister Yu Woo-ik, who has campaigned to win the interest and support of key partner nations for the reunification of the two Koreas.Since taking office last September, Yu has visited the United States, China and Germany as part of t

A trilateral council comprised of the government, labor and management on Saturday agreed to raise the country’s minimum wage by 6.1 percent to 4,860 won ($4.24) per hour next year.Representatives of the Minimum Wage Council reached the deal in a 10-8 vote with 9 abstentions at the end of overnight negotiations, the council said.The decision will increase the monthly salary of those who work 40 hours a week to 1.02 million won, according to the council. It is expected to benefit roughly 2.58 mil

Two countries set to sign defense intelligence agreement on FridayThe Korean government will push ahead to sign the first military accord with Japan on Friday, officials said, brushing aside growing criticism over its clandestine and hasty handling of the politically sensitive issue. The Cabinet on Tuesday approved the General Security of Military Information Agreement to facilitate the sharing of intelligence on North Korea and search and rescue-related missions. The Foreign Ministry said Thurs

On Nov. 29, 2011, more than 3,000 participants gathered in the bustling city of Busan to attend the fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness. Its outcome, the “Busan Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation,” is the most inclusive agreement on the effectiveness of development cooperation to date.In addition to setting out shared principles, common goals and differentiated commitments to effective cooperation, participants agreed to forge a global partnership to support these efforts

South Korea is set to strike its first military accord with Japan, an official said Wednesday, despite domestic opposition over historical disputes and the possibility of the move aggravating North Korea and China.The Cabinet on Tuesday endorsed the General Security of Military Information Agreement to facilitate the sharing of intelligence on North Korea and related to search and rescue missions.It is also designed to set an institutional framework for the classification, protection and handlin

Iran threatened to cease importing Korean products on Wednesday in retaliation to Seoul’s decision to halt purchasing Iranian crude in line with EU sanctions. “Iran may decide to fully stop imports of Korean goods if the Korean government realizes its decisions to ban Iran oil imports,” Hormoz Ghahremani, a spokesperson for the Iranian Embassy in Seoul, told the Korea Herald.The Ministry of Knowledge Economy said Tuesday it will suspend oil imports from the Gulf country starting July 1, when an

Leaders of overseas Korean communities on Tuesday called for improvements in the absentee voting process to boost their participation in the December presidential election. They stressed the need for the government to devise new voting methods that are easier yet secure, such as post, proxy or electronic systems. “Many overseas Koreans demand improvements in the system because they have a hard time making two trips to cast their vote between the diplomatic missions and their homes far away,” sai

Nearly 400 Korean business and community leaders from 72 countries will gather on Tuesday in Seoul to boost cooperation between Korean societies overseas. The four-day World Korean Community Leaders Convention is hosted by the state-run Overseas Korean Foundation and sponsored by the Foreign Ministry. Since its inception in 2000, the annual event has set the stage for networking between Korean entrepreneurs and politicians abroad and sharing knowhow in Korean language education and helping young

The government said Monday it appointed Jeon Kyong-mann, a leading defense specialist, as the new executive director of the state-run Institute for Unification Education.Jeon, 61, will replace Cho Myung-chul, a North Korean defector who became a proportional representative of the ruling Saenuri Party following the April general election. Jeon’s two-year tenure took effect immediately. He is a former vice president of the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses and has held various posts at the gove

The Unification Ministry on Monday unveiled six ceramic jars that emblemize its drive to boost public awareness and raise funds to prepare for unification with North Korea. Minister Yu Woo-ik on Saturday took part in the glaze firing of the so-called “unification jars” on the last leg of a 40-day course with a renowned potter Kim Jeong-ok in Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang Province.The white porcelain vessels are a symbol of Yu’s ongoing campaign to create a “unification account” to bankroll a futur

Japan’s recent amendment to its atomic energy law is rekindling fears about its formidable nuclear and missile technologies that experts say could quickly turn it into an atomic weapons power. Its parliament on Wednesday passed the revision to the Atomic Energy Basic Act including “national security” among its goals. The revision was the first in 34 years.“The safe use of atomic power is aimed at contributing to the protection of the people’s life, health and property, environmental conservation

Japan has rewritten the basic law on atomic energy to include “national security” among its goals, fueling concerns over the possibility of using nuclear power for military purposes.The first amendment in 34 years of the Atomic Energy Basic Act, a regulatory and institutional roadmap for its nuclear activities, invited criticism from Japan’s anti-nuclear scientists and civic activists. “The safe use of atomic power is aimed at contributing to the protection of the people’s lives, health and prop

Human rights groups claim up to 200,000 North Koreans are held in political prison camps and penitentiaries across the country facing malnutrition, harsh labor, torture and executions.Most prisoners were confined not for dissent but for political misdemeanors such as singing South Korean songs or joining a reading club, former detainees and activists say. According to Amnesty International, 150,000 to 200,000 are incarcerated in six sprawling gulag-style prisons ― Camp No. 12 in Hoeryeong, No. 1

Access to foreign news, entertainment seen changing people’s views, challenging regime Before crossing North Korea’s border with China in 1999, Joseph Park could never have imagined seeing a South Korean soap opera. When he visited the North about a decade later, he saw a booming black market in films, dramas and music produced in the democratic, affluent South.Sophisticated but low-cost gadgets are being sneaked into border towns, where food and daily goods had been clandestinely dealt in since

Twenty years ago in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil hosted the U.N. Conference on Environment and Development, better known as the “Earth Summit.” The concept of sustainable development was reconfirmed in Rio to be handed down to future generations after its first introduction by the Brundtland Commission in 1987. After two decades, we are back in Rio to celebrate its twentieth anniversary and build on its legacy.A total of 122 heads of states are here in Rio with delegations from 189 countries. Their pu