As opposition lawmakers waged attacks over suspected irregularities, Foreign Minister nominee Kang Kyung-wha apologized while defending against some of their allegations and stressing her credentials as a seasoned diplomat, during her confirmation hearing Wednesday. The National Assembly grilled the former UN official together with Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister nominee Kim Dong-yeon and Constitutional Court President nominee Kim Yi-su in separate sessions. Opposition legislators rel

The government and ruling Democratic Party of Korea agreed Monday to set up a ministry to shore up small and medium-size enterprises and startups and revive a trade bureau within the industry ministry as part of their administration restructuring plans. The sides will also upgrade the chief of the agency for veterans affairs to a minister level, while detaching the fire-fighting and maritime police departments from the Ministry of Public Safety and Security in favor of two separate organizations

 With confirmation hearings for top Cabinet nominees slated for this week, President Moon Jae-in faces yet another showdown with opposition parties in a crucial early test of his leadership which seeks to bring rivals and foes aboard his bold reform agenda.The National Assembly is scheduled to grill Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister nominee Kim Dong-yeon, Foreign Minister nominee Kang Kyung-wha and Constitutional Court president nominee Kim Yi-su starting Wednesday. Opposition lawmakers

JEJU -- President Moon Jae-in on Thursday pledged to take the lead in North Korea’s nuclear issues without “leaning on the role of other countries,” in a veiled swipe at growing calls for China to play a greater role in tackling the dilemma.Despite concerns over his reconciliatory approach to Pyongyang, the liberal leader said he would respond to the recalcitrant neighbor’s provocations with robust punishment in line with the international community.(Yonhap)“We will convince and pressure North K

JEJU -- Academics from Seoul, Washington, Beijing and Tokyo clashed over ways to rein in North Korea’s evolving nuclear and missile program and bring it back on the path toward denuclearization at a forum in Jeju on Wednesday. The Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity kicked off its three-day run on the resort island, bringing together some 5,500 former and incumbent heads of state, top policymakers and scholars from about 80 nations around the world. At a preopening session, experts from four key

North Korea’s recent series of missile tests poses a challenge to the alliance between South Korea and the US, constraining the choices of the Moon Jae-in government even before his planned first summit with Donald Trump amid a global sanctions and pressure campaign against Pyongyang. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said Pyongyang launched at least one Scud type projectile from its eastern coast Monday morning, its ninth ballistic missile test and third provocation since Moon took office on

1. What’s the goal of North Korea’s missile program? North Korea has been spurring its missile development at an unprecedented pace since last year, seeking to diversify its missile lineup and delivery means and thus boost its deterrence against the US. The ultimate objective of North Korea’s nuclear and missile program is to secure the capability to hit the US with a nuclear-equipped missile, which will ensure the regime’s survival and give it greater negotiating power.2. How far the North has

South Korea's former Ambassador to the US Hyun Hong-choo, noted for his active role in expanding Seoul's diplomatic frontiers in the 1980s-1990s, passed away Saturday. He was 76.The cause of his death is not immediately known. A memorial altar for him is set up at Asan Medical Center in Seoul.Hyun, who served as Seoul's top envoy to the US from 1991-1993, has transcended the fields of politics, diplomacy, academia, government administration and the prosecution with his expertise, experience and

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Earth is likely to hit more dangerous levels of warming even sooner if the US pulls back from its pledge to cut carbon dioxide pollution, scientists said. That's because America contributes so much to rising temperatures. President Donald Trump, who once proclaimed global warming a Chinese hoax, will soon decide whether the United States stays in or leaves a 2015 Paris climate change accord in which nearly every nation agreed to curb its greenhouse gas emissions.   US Presiden

President Moon Jae-in's policy advisory panel on Saturday reaffirmed his stance that police must enhance its protection of human rights before they are given more power in an effort to better keep the prosecution in check.Concerns have lingered over Moon's election pledge to give more investigation authority to police with critics pointing to their history of allegedly excessive crackdowns on street protesters, some of which resulted in fatalities.  Park Beom-kye, a senior member of the State Af

South Korea's military dispatched a naval unit in waters off Somalia after pirates presumably hijacked a fishing vessel, officials said Saturday. The 234-ton vessel, which had a crew of three South Koreans and 18 Indonesians catching squid, lost contact after relaying that it was being followed by a suspected pirate vessel, Seoul's Foreign Ministry said in a statement. South Korea's anti-piracy Cheonghae Unit was participating in international operations to combat piracy in nearby waters before

CANNES, France (AFP) -- Hollywood has always adapted the classics but film and television's voracious appetite for new material now has film-makers raiding the bookshelves like never before.Six of the movies in the running for the Cannes film festival's Palme d'Or top prize -- which will be awarded Sunday -- are taken from books.Sofia Coppola drew from Thomas Cullinan's classic Southern Gothic novel for "The Beguiled" starring Colin Farrell as a handsome Union officer who stokes sexual tension a

COLOMBO (AFP) -- Indian medical teams and emergency relief arrived in Sri Lanka Saturday as the monsoon-related death toll reached 100 and authorities warned of more flooding in low-lying areas.A ship carrying medical supplies docked in Colombo, sent by India to help deal with the worst flooding in the island's western and southern regions in 14 years after record rainfall. Indian Navy troops offload emergency supplies from the Indian ship Kirch at Colombo harbour in Colombo on May 27, 2017. (AF

MANCHESTER (AFP) -- Britain has arrested a "large part" of the network behind Manchester's suicide bomb attack, police said Friday, while the government came under fire for cutting police budgets as election campaigning resumed.Nine suspects are currently in detention on UK soil in connection with the blast, for which the Islamic State group has claimed responsibility. Police in Libya have detained the father and brother of 22-year-old bomber Salman Abedi.Mark Rowley, head of Britain's counter-t

WASHINGTON (AP) -- If the FBI wants to talk to Jared Kushner about his Russian contacts, they won't have to track down the president's son-in-law. Amid reports the FBI is scrutinizing Kushner's encounters, his lawyer says he stands ready to talk to federal investigators as well as Congress about his contacts and his role in Donald Trump's 2016 campaign. Federal investigators and several congressional committees are looking into Russia-Trump campaign connections, including allegations that there

Nearly a half-century after she first declared herself to the world as a young woman unafraid to ruffle feathers and challenge authority, Hillary Clinton was back at the very same podium at Wellesley College. And once again, she was at a crossroads in her life. The first time, she was 21, the first graduating senior ever chosen to address Wellesley's commencement, and her bold speech challenging the remarks of the U.S. senator who spoke before her delighted classmates, dismayed the school's pres

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Zbigniew Brzezinski, who helped topple economic barriers between the Soviet Union, China and the West as President Jimmy Carter's national security adviser, died Friday. He was 89. His death was announced on social media Friday night by his daughter, MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski. She called him "the most inspiring, loving and devoted father any girl could ever have." Earnest and ambitious, Brzezinski helped Carter bridge wide gaps between the rigid Egyptian and Israeli leaders,

TAORMINA, Italy (AP) -- Down to the final day of his lengthy first international trip, President Donald Trump will lift off for Washington having rattled some allies and reassured others, returning to a White House that sits under a cloud of scandal. Trump will spend Saturday at the second day of the G-7 summit in Sicily, bringing to an end a nine-day trip that started in Saudi Arabia and Israel before moving on to three European stops. The trip has largely gone off without a major misstep, with

BEIJING (AFP) -- China has arrested a visiting Taiwanese rights activist on suspicion of subverting state power, according to reports.Lee Ming-che, a 42-year-old NGO worker, had been unreachable since March 19 after he entered the southeastern Chinese city of Zhuhai from Macau, according to Taiwan's government. On Friday China's official state news agency Xinhua reported that he was in detention and had "confessed" following interrogation.Lee had "colluded with mainlanders...established illegal

TAORMINA, Italy (AFP) -- G7 nations risk unprecedented deadlock on Saturday after US President Donald Trump ditched the charm for snarls, resisting calls for concerted action on hot-button issues such as climate change.After starting his first presidential trip abroad wreathed in smiles, Trump is ending it with rebukes, upbraiding America's European partners over military spending, trade and global warming.An enduring motif of the G7, which represents the lion's share of global economic output,