North Korea said Monday that South Korea should not interfere with its nuclear development policy, claiming it is a matter for discussion between Pyongyang and Washington. In a commentary carried in Uriminzokkiri, a North Korean propaganda website targeting South Koreans, the North said, "The nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula is a matter to be discussed between the United States and ourselves as the parties concerned, and South Korea, a mere puppet of the US, should not meddle in it." Presid

The presidential committee on job creation on Monday met with representatives of the country's major business lobby to discuss labor market conditions and other economic issues.Lee Yong-sup, vice chairman of the Presidential Committee on Job Creation, met with Bahk Byong-won, chairman of the Korea Employers Federation, and other officials of the business lobby at the committee's office in Seoul to seek recommendations on what the government should do to help businesses create more jobs, the comm

South Korea has been chosen to be a member of UNESCO's Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, the culture ministry said Monday.The election took place during the sixth ordinary session of the Conference of Parties to the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions held at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris from Monday to Thursday last week.Since entering into force March 18, 2007, the UNESC

Ramyeon instant noodles raises blood sugar, blood pressure and the chance of artery hardening and heart attack due to its high fat, sodium, sugar and carbohydrate content, the latest findings showed Monday.Those who regularly eat ramyeon three or more times a week are 2.6 times more susceptible to cardiovascular metabolic disease than those who have the instant noodles once or less frequently per month, a screening of 3,397 college students by professor Chang Nam-soo of Ewha Womans University an

South Korea's top diplomat has asked the United Nations chief to provide strong support for the ongoing efforts aimed at resolving North Korea's nuclear problem, the foreign ministry said Monday.Kang Kyung-wha, a former UN policy adviser, was officially appointed by President Moon Jae-in on Sunday to lead the ministry, and she is to assume her duties Monday.Kang held telephone conversations with current and former UN chiefs, including incumbent Secretary-General Antonio Guterres right after her

South Korea said Monday it will hold a combined live-fire naval exercise with the United States and Canada this week in its southern waters.Hosted by South Korea's Maritime Task Flotilla Seven, the three-day training exercise will be staged in waters near Jeju Island from Friday, according to the Navy. (Yonhap)It will involve five South Korean warships, including the Aegis cruiser DDG-992 Yulgok Yii, P-3C Orion maritime surveillance aircraft and Lynx multi-role planes as well as the USS Dewey (D

President Moon Jae-in's approval rating declined to the mid-70 percent range last week, a survey showed Monday, amid a political standoff over his controversial personnel choices.In the survey conducted from Monday through Friday by local pollster Realmeter, Moon's rating was tallied at 75.6 percent, down 3.3 percentage points from a week earlier.In the same poll, 17.4 percent disapproved of the president's job performance, up 2.7 percentage points from the previous week, while 7 percent said th

WASHINGTON -- The comatose return of an American college student from North Korea is bad for improving relations between the two countries, former US Ambassador to the UN Bill Richardson said Sunday."This is not a very good situation to try to improve the relationship with North Korea when they treat our people like this," he said in an interview with a New York-based radio station, according to the Hill newspaper. (Yonhap)Otto Warmbier, a 22-year-old University of Virginia student, returned to

WASHINGTON -- US concerns about President Moon Jae-in's policy could worsen after one of his special advisers suggested a willingness to consider scaling back joint military exercises with the US if North Korea freezes its nuclear and missile programs, experts said Sunday.Moon Chung-in, a Yonsei University professor serving as special presidential adviser for foreign and security affairs, made the remark during a Wilson Center seminar in Washington on Friday, saying President Moon has proposed t

MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan (AFP) -- Seven American troops were wounded Saturday in an insider attack by an Afghan soldier at a military base, as the US appears set to boost its troop presence in the country.The shootout at Camp Shaheen near northern Mazar-i-Sharif city is the second “green-on-blue” attack -- where Afghan soldiers turn their weapons on international forces assisting them -- reported this week.It comes as Washington is expected to announce an increase in the US military deploymen

Prosecutors on Sunday sought for a second time a court warrant to formally arrest Chung Yoo-ra, the daughter of former President Park Geun-hye's friend, who was extradited from Denmark last month.Prosecutors believe the 21-year-old daughter of Choi Soon-sil received inappropriate academic favors at Ewha Womans University and irregular funding for equestrian training from Samsung Group based on her mother's ties to the former leader.Chung Yoo-ra, the daughter of former President Park Geun-hye`s c

BEIRUT (AFP) -- A diplomatic crisis pitting Saudi Arabia against Qatar has put Syrian rebels in a difficult position, analysts say, after rivalries between Gulf backers had already weakened the opposition.Both Sunni-ruled monarchies sided with the protesters in March 2011, when the war started with the brutal repression of anti-government demonstrations.They continued supporting the mostly Sunni rebels when unrest spiraled into conflict between the armed opposition and troops loyal to President

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) -- A strong explosion from a bomb rocked one of the busiest shopping centers in Colombia’s capital Saturday, killing three people, including a 23-year-old French woman, and injuring nine others, authorities said.Witnesses told of being evacuated from movie theaters and stores after the blast in a second-floor women’s restroom at the upscale Centro Andino in the heart of Bogota’s tourist district. Ambulances and firetrucks rushed to the scene and the injured were taken to a

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) -- The president of Vanuatu, Baldwin Lonsdale, has died of a heart attack, the Vanuatu Daily Post reported Saturday. He was 67.Lonsdale, who sacked his government two years ago over a massive corruption scandal, passed away in the Pacific island nation’s capital of Port Vila.“National Flag is at half-mast early this morning. His body is reportedly at the Vila Central Hospital,” the newspaper said.  A filke photo taken on March 17, 2015, shows Vanuatu President Baldw

LONDON (AFP) -- The presumed death toll from the London tower block inferno jumped to 58 on Saturday as embattled Prime Minister Theresa May, accused of misreading the growing anger over the tragedy, pledged action after meeting survivors desperately seeking answers.Dozens of people were still missing three days after the 24-storey Grenfell Tower was engulfed in flames, and worries over the safety of the apartment block‘s charred wreck has slowed the search for human remains.Sixteen bodies have

More than 7 out of 10 South Koreans no longer listen to music on CDs as consumers increasingly turn to smartphones and computers, a poll showed Sunday.The Korea Creative Content Agency released the results of its 2016 survey of 1,200 Koreans aged between 10 and 59 on their music listening habits, which allowed multiple responses.According to the survey, included in the "2016 Music Industry White Paper," 91 percent of the people listen to music on their smartphones, followed by television (78.8 p

South Korea issued heat wave alerts nationwide for the third straight day Sunday, with the mercury expected to reach 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) in some regions.The Korea Meteorological Administration issued heat wave warnings in parts of North Gyeongsang Province in the southeastern part of the country as of 11 a.m. (Yonhap)Several other towns in the province were placed under heat wave advisories.Heat wave warnings are issued when the daily high is expected to stay above 35 C fo

WASHINGTON -- South Korea may consult with the United States about scaling back joint military exercises, such as downsizing the deployment of American strategic assets, if North Korea suspends nuclear and missile activities, an adviser to President Moon Jae-in said Friday.Moon Chung-in, a foreign affairs scholar and special presidential adviser, made the remark during a Wilson Center seminar in Washington, saying President Moon has proposed the idea as part of an incremental solution to the nuc

A political standoff over President Moon Jae-in's controversial personnel choices is expected to continue next week as opposition parties remain adamantly opposed to some nominees under fire for alleged ethical lapses.The standoff has stoked fears that Moon's efforts to quickly round out his new government and secure parliamentary approval for an extra budget and administration reorganization could be undermined.The main opposition Liberty Korea Party, in particular, called for the withdrawal of

WASHINGTON -- North Korea should denuclearize if the United States is to open talks with the communist nation, the State Department spokesperson said, after President Moon Jae-in expressed a willingness to hold unconditional talks with Pyongyang if it refrains from additional provocations. (Yonhap)"Our position has not changed. For the DPRK, for us to engage in talks with the DPRK, they would have to denuclearize. And that is not something we're seeing them take any steps to do so," State Depart