South Korea has reached an agreement with Taiwan to further expand air travel between the two countries, the government said Friday.    The agreement reached in Seoul involves opening new flight services and increasing the number of seats available on existing routes that have been cited f

   North Korean leader Kim Jong-il inspected a fish farm and related facilities to give on-site guidance to workers, a media report said Friday.   The North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Kim toured the gravity-fed river fish farm and hatchery, and expressed sa

An innovative oral vaccine that can be used to prevent and control cholera around the world has received a stamp of approval from the World Health Organization (WHO), a Seoul-based international health research institute said Friday.   The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) said its joi

   TOKYO -- Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda says Japan will participate in talks to join a U.S.-backed Pacific Rim free trade zone that aims to boost trade by eliminating tariffs.   Noda's decision Friday to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership talks comes after intense debate w

South Korea's government said Friday that it will raise wages of state-run companies by a maximum 3 percent in 2012 to reflect the general rise in living expenses.   The finance ministry said a committee governing public sector management passed the increase motion after reviewing demands

   North Korea's official news media confirmed Friday that the communist country has resumed joint efforts to recover the remains of U.S. soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War.   The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) citing a spokesman for the country's armed forces said Nort

A South Korean civilian relief group with ties to the Unification Church said Friday that it plans to send 300 tons of flour to North Korea early next week.   The Ambassadors for Peace said the flour will be sent to a children's home in a town in North Pyeongan Province near the border wit

   The government on Friday banned the sale of six types of sterilizers used in household humidifiers because they may have caused the mysterious hardening of lung tissue that killed nine people this year.   The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said detaile

South Korea’s top economic policymaker said Saturday that the government should continue its efforts to strengthen fiscal health to prepare for any possible future crisis. “In preparation for another economic crisis and potential fiscal challenges stemming from the low birthrate and aging population

Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea’s largest automaker, said Sunday that total car exports to Latin America reached 2 million units, fueled by competitiveness in quality and successful marketing efforts.The company said the milestone, which was reached on Saturday with the loading of 800 Tucson ix sport

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) _ Cries of panic and horror filled the air as a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Turkey, killing at least 138 people as buildings pancaked and crumpled into rubble. The death toll was expected to rise as rescuers sifted through the rubble and reached outlying villages.Tens

South Korea’s central bank will resume its efforts to raise the interest rate if a set of external economic uncertainties are reduced, its chief has said.Bank of Korea policymakers face a dilemma in how to deal with lingering inflation concerns and heightened economic uncertainty sparked by dimmer g

Korea’s economic growth rate is forecast at far below the estimated inflation gain this year, data showed on Sunday, raising fears that the country might be entering an era of a chronically slow growth. According to the data by the Korea Center of International Finance, 10 foreign investment banks p

   Choi Kyoung-ju claimed his own tournament on home soil Sunday, taking the inaugural the CJ Invitational Hosted by K.J. Choi with a final round comeback.   Choi shot a five-under 67 in the final round at Haesley Nine Bridges in Yeoju, about 105 kilometers south of Seoul, for a

   BUSAN (Yonhap) -- The SK Wyverns defeated the Lotte Giants 8-4 in the deciding fifth game of the second round of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) playoff on Sunday, reaching the championship Korean Series for a record fifth straight year.   At the Giants' home Sajik Stadi

Experts call for government to sign more currency swaps with the U.S., ChinaThe expanded currency swap between South Korea and Japan is likely to bolster the value of the Korean won and help reduce its volatility, local brokerages said Thursday. Korea and Japan announced on Wednesday their agreement

Samsung Electronics Co. on Thursday said nothing had been decided over whether to file a preliminary injunction against Apple’s iPhone 4S in South Korea, amid intensifying speculation that a sales ban is likely.If implemented, such a ban would likely have a huge impact on the local handset market. T

Fahad Al Attiya, chairman of the Qatar National Food Security Program, said a systematic effort was needed to tackle expanding desertification in order to protect the environment. “Qatar, a small country, has been exposed to drought, land degradation and desertification and has withstood its impact

Financial firms rebut mounting criticism over compensationKorea’s financial regulators continued their push to force the local financial industry to shape up, but changed their tone, mindful of excessive meddling in the private sector.The industry is under fire for getting away with large paychecks

Fear indicator down, KOSPI makes back recent lossesSouth Korea’s financial markets have been shifting back to normal faster than earlier predicted after suffering a series of shocks sparked last month by fears of a global recession. Investment sentiment, though still cautious, is turning positive at