The two Koreas will exchange lists of their candidates for the upcoming reunions for families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War at the truce village of Panmunjom next week, the local Red Cross said Saturday.   The Korean Red Cross said it will send a list of 250 candidates from the South while receiving a list of 200 candidates from its North Korean counterpart on Tuesday.   The move came as South and North Korea agreed earlier this month to hold the reunions for 100 separated families each fr

The northeastern Chinese province of Liaoning plans to attract more tourists to border areas near North Korea, a Chinese official has said, in the latest sign of boosting tourism with the reclusive neighbor.    North Korea joined a three-day travel fair, which was held by the Liaoning province at the Chinese border city of Dandong and ended on Saturday. Tourism representatives from about 20 nations, including South Korea, Russia and Japan, also attended the annual fair.    Tong Zhiwu, deputy dir

The United States said Friday it deeply appreciates the strong support its ambassador to South Korea received following a knife attack in March after a Seoul court handed down a heavy prison term to the attacker.   The Seoul District Court sentenced the 55-year-old attacker, Kim Ki-jong, to 12 years in prison on conviction of attempted murder and other charges. Kim slashed Amb. Mark Lippert on his face and wrist at a breakfast function in Seoul on March 5.   The attack left Lippert with deep gas

 The South Korean government vowed Friday to push ahead with its own bill on labor reform, after negotiations between labor, management and government representatives fell through.　Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Choi Kyung-hwan said the government had no choice but to initiate the legislative procedure citing time constraints. But he added that any agreement reached by the tripartite committee before the process was finalized would be reflected in the bill. 　“Considering the time nee

FIFA presidential contender Chung Mong-joon has criticized election monitors who cleared the Asian Football Confederation of improperly supporting Michel Platini.    The former FIFA vice president from South Korea says the FIFA-appointed committee investigated for only three days and forfeited its ``duty to ensure the fairness of the election.''    He filed a complaint after the AFC sent members a template letter soliciting support for Platini, the UEFA president.    Asian leaders publicly suppo

South Korea is considering a test-launch of a ballistic missile with a range of 800 kilometers, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Friday, unveiling the test plan of the missile the country is developing to guard against North Korea's advancing missile threats.   "We are reviewing a plan to do a launch into the international sea south of the Korean air defense identification zone (KADIZ) and the island of Ieodo," Maj. Gen. Yang Byung-hee of the JCS said during a parliamentary audit.    His com

A nuclear test or a test-launch of long-range missiles by North Korea would constitute an "abnormal situation," in which South Korea would be compelled to resume its loudspeaker broadcasts against the North under a recent inter-Korean deal, the chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Friday.   "North Korea's nuclear test and long-range missile launch should be deemed as an abnormal situation," JCS Chairman Choi Yoon-hee said in a parliamentary audit, indicating that Seoul will resume its p

While the passion for beauty never dies, the standard of what is beautiful has changed over time. 　Traditionally in Korea, big eyes with double eyelids and a pronounced nose used to be the typical standard of beauty. While this is still common, the interest has recently moved on to having a so-called “V-line face,” referring to a narrow jawline that resembles the shape of the letter V. In both surgical and nonsurgical ways, women attempt to reduce the size of their face and make them more oval.

Ruling Saenuri Party chief Rep. Kim Moo-sung found himself in unexpected controversy as the opposition on Friday dup up a drug case involving his son-in-law, who was recently found to have been given a suspended sentence for drug abuse.　News reports said the 32-year-old entrepreneur, who married Kim’s daughter last month, was given a three-year suspended sentence because he had no criminal record. The prosecutors did not file an appeal.  　The revelation prompted the main opposition New Political

Rival parties on Thursday agreed to summon Lotte Group chairman Shin Dong-bin as a witness during an audit session next week, ending weeks of partisan wrangling over the opposition party‘s demand to reveal the dubious web of corporate governance.　The ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy have also agreed to question 41 businessmen who will testify before lawmakers at the audit session. 　At the audit session on Sept. 17, lawmakers are expected to questio

Mudslinging between the rival parties is in full swing over the ruling Saenuri Party’s public accusation that the country’s two major Internet portals are politically biased.　The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy has slammed the ruling party attack as an attempt at censorship ahead of the parliamentary elections next year.　At the center of the dispute is Saenuri Party chairman Rep. Kim Moo-sung, who has been unleashing remarks daily targeting Naver and Daum Kakao. 　The Saenuri

South Korea’s late President Roh Moo-hyun is the epitome of the nation’s rags-to-riches story: a poor farmer’s son with a high school diploma who rose to the presidency after racking up a reputation as a prominent human rights lawyer.Without passing the bar exam -- known as “sasi” in Korean -- in 1975, he wouldn’t have been able to begin the legal career that transformed his life. So it was ironic that Roh pushed to abolish sasi, the nationwide test open to anyone regardless of educational backg

Main opposition party chief Rep. Moon Jae-in on Tuesday met with representatives of the country’s large businesses, praising their commitment to inter-Korean exchanges in a rare visit seemingly aimed at underscoring his security initiatives and assuaging the business community.　In his first-ever visit to the Federation of Korea Industry, South Korea’s biggest business lobby group, the chairman of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy expressed his endorsement to the FKI’s recent initiative to

Tension mounted between the rival parties over the scope of their witness lists, as each sought to call in high-profile business leaders in a trial of strength that will unfold during the 22-day audit session kicking off Thursday.　The ruling Saenuri Party urged the chiefs of the nation’s two major Internet giants, Naver and Daum Kakao, to take to the stand during the audit, while the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy sought to grill the owners of Korea’s family-controlled congl

　Former presidential candidate and member of the main opposition Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo on Sunday called for sweeping changes to keep the party afloat amid faltering public support against its vapid reform moves.　Ahn, a software mogul-turned-politican, urged the NPAD reform committee to overhaul the party in a way to break away from what he described as “outdated” liberal values that he said resonate little with the general public. 　The former cochairman of the NPAD suggested that addressing burgeon

Two students lit a match to a pile of firewood on the playground and hesitated over who would put the butane inside. A boy with an anxious face finally placed the butane in the middle of the firewood and ran away. Then, the two kept an eye on their concoction. In less than five seconds, the firewood exploded -- called a “butane rocket.”　This is one of the bomb-making videos that can be easily found on video websites. The video shows how to make a butane bomb with simple materials -- wood, paper

The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy said Friday it has decided to seek for an impeachment of the home affairs minister for his controversial comment criticized for violating political neutrality.　Government Administration and Home Affairs Minister Chong Jong-sup reportedly chanted “must win general election” while delivering a toast during the ruling Saenuri Party lawmakers’ meeting earlier this week. Chong on Friday apologized for his remark and described it as a simple plea

The main opposition party leader Rep. Moon Jae-in on Wednesday urged the government to broaden the scope of reunions for separated families following the two Koreas’ agreement to resume the event.　The New Politics Alliance for Democracy chairman said during a party meeting that the reunion list should include more than 1,000 members of separated families, as more of them are passing away without having the opportunity to see their loved ones. 　His proposal came a day after the two Koreas’ agreem

South Korea’s rival parties Tuesday welcomed the two Koreas’ agreement that effectively ended the latest military standoff, urging Seoul to build on the momentum and take concrete steps to ease cross-border tensions.  　The ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy hailed the government’s efforts to elicit North Korea’s regret over the land mine explosion that wounded South Korean soldiers this month. 　Urging the need to turn the crisis into an opportunity f

Health and Welfare Minister nominee Chung Chin-youb on Monday revealed his support for the government’s plan to allow doctors to remotely provide health care to patients, a policy that opposition lawmakers and a doctors’ representative body have strongly opposed. 　Chung, an orthopedics doctor who had served as a head of Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, testified before lawmakers at a National Assembly hearing that telemedicine would expand medical services to those living in remote ar