Seoul police on Thursday captured a 43-year-old man suspected of killing the mother of a senior member of a conservative civic group on Thursday.The murder case has drawn keen public interest as speculation has circulated that pro-North Korea terrorists might have killed her, as her son’s group has actively engaged in a series of activities against the communist country in recent years.The suspect

Pyongyang renews threat to strike South’s psychological warfare ‘facilities’Seoul’s Unification Ministry said Thursday that it would not intervene in a plan by North Korean defectors here to fly anti-Pyongyang leaflets to the North, a day after the communist state renewed its threat to strike South Korea’s propaganda apparatus.“There is nothing special the government can say about the activities b

Navy plans maritime drills to mark first anniversary of Cheonan sinkingSouth Korea and the U.S. are conducting a three-day joint military amphibious logistic support exercise in the West Sea that ends Thursday, as part of efforts to enhance the allies’ combat readiness, the Combined Forces Command said Wednesday.The “Combined Joint Logistics over the Shore” exercise being staged in waters off Anmy

Police are investigating the possibility that an ethnic Korean of Chinese nationality may have killed the mother of a senior member of a conservative civic group earlier this month, officials said Tuesday.Police said that DNA detected at the scene was identical to that of an ethnic Korean suspected of having robbed a house last April in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, where many ethnic Koreans from Chin

Deceased sailor’s father wants to bring ‘leader of main enemy’ to justiceThis is the second of a two-part series to mark the first anniversary of the sinking of the corvette Cheonan. ― Ed.One year after the sinking of the corvette Cheonan, survivors and bereaved families still cannot believe they can meet their loved ones only in dreams occasionally, never in the flesh.To get on with their lives,

North Korea has once again accused U.S. troops of trespassing into the Demilitarized Zone, saying that South Korea would take the responsibility for all the results from the “provocations” including “human damage.”The communist state’s military has sent a notice containing such a threat to the South, according to the North’s official Korean Central News Agency on Sunday.In the notice, the North cl

S. Korean Armed Forces focus on combined capability, countering asymmetrical threatsThis is the first of a two-part series to mark the first anniversary of the sinking of the corvette Cheonan. ― Ed.North Korea’s torpedo attack on the corvette Cheonan a year ago has prompted South Korea to reshape its military strategies against the belligerent neighbor and sharply raised public security awareness.

Korea to send blankets, water; Lee orders check on Korean nuclear plantsSouth Korea plans to mobilize “all possible means” including military aircraft and Coast Guard vessels to pull its citizens out of Japan should the nuclear crisis in the northeast coast escalate to a dangerous level, the vice foreign minister said Friday.The Seoul government has also advised South Koreans ― even those further

South Korea is advising its citizens in Japan to evacuate to safe areas outside a radius of 80 kilometers from the quake-stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant, Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan said Thursday.It had previously told Korean nationals to stay at least 30 kilometers away from the troubled plant. However, it has increased the safety distance as concerns over rising radiation levels are mo

A South Korean Air Force cadet receiving commissioned education at the U.S. Air Force Academy has become “vice wing commander,” the second highest cadet leadership position, since January, officials here said Thursday.Bae Jae-jin, 24, was given the honorable post on Jan. 2 for the first time as a foreign cadet in the 63-year history of the prestigious academy located in Colorado Springs, Colorado,

The state financial regulator has launched an inquiry into rumors about the possible effects of radioactive leakage from Japan on Korean soil, which apparently contributed to Tuesday’s plunge in Korean shares, officials said Wednesday.In tandem with the police and Korea Exchange Inc., the Financial Supervisory Service is investigating allegations that some people were trying to manipulate stock pr

By Song Sang-hoSouth Korean rescue workers Tuesday began searching for survivors in a Japanese northeastern coastal city, devastated by last week’s earthquake and tsunami, according to the Foreign Ministry in Seoul.On Monday, the 102-member rescue team arrived in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture ― one of the hardest-hit regions in the country struggling to deal with the aftermath of the 9.0 magnitude qua

South Korea plans to hold a series of commemorative events next week to mark the first anniversary of the sinking of the corvette Cheonan, which North Korea torpedoed in March last year, killing 46 sailors. The events, which will include a memorial ceremony on March 26, the day of the tragic sinking, are aimed at honoring the deceased soldiers and enhancing security awareness among South Koreans,

The leader of South Korea's main opposition party on Monday visited the Japanese Embassy in Seoul to express deep consolation for Japan's enormous human and property losses caused by massive earthquake and tsunami."I express my deepest consolation to the Japanese people," Sohn Hak-kyu, chairman of the Democratic Party (DP), said in his meeting with Masatoshi Muto, Japan's ambassador to South Korea

Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin discussed bilateral military exchanges and cooperation in the defense industry with Philippine Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin in Seoul on Monday, officials said.Gazmin, 68, arrived here Sunday for a four-day schedule. During his stay here, he is scheduled to visit Seoul National Cemetery, the monument in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province, which marks the participation o

S. Korea sends 102-member rescue team to devastated areasSeoul has accepted a request to divert liquefied natural gas to Japanese power companies to help fight power shortages in the wake of Friday’s earthquake.Several of Japan’s nuclear power plants have been out of commission following the earthquake that ravaged the country’s northeastern coastal region.The state-run Korea Gas Corp. said it wou

A government investigation team arrived in Shanghai, China, Sunday, to investigate the sex-for-favors scandal involving several South Korean diplomats and a Chinese woman, officials said.The high-profile probe into the scandal involving at least four of South Korea’s elite officials is to continue through Saturday. The case has seriously eroded public trust in diplomats’ ethical standards.The dipl

Prosecution probes alleged illicit funding involving sponsors of Gyeonggi governorGyeonggi Governor Kim Moon-su, one of the ruling bloc’s strong presidential hopefuls, is facing a potentially critical setback as prosecutors are expanding their inquiries into allegations of illicit political funding involving several of his sponsors.Prosecutors are investigating allegations that employees of Gyeong

Experts say latest GPS disruption proves new kind of military threat from NorthNorth Korea’s recent jamming of communications signals in South Korea is drawing keen public attention to its electronic warfare capabilities and raising questions over whether the South is making due efforts to enhance its own capabilities.Last Friday and Sunday, the North sent strong electric waves to the South, tempo

The Ministry of National Defense on Tuesday confirmed its plan to revamp the top military command structure for the first time in some 20 years in efforts to enhance interoperability among all military branches.It has also confirmed a series of measures to counter North Korea’s possible provocations and its asymmetrical military threats, streamline the military structure and deal with other types