JEONJU -- South Korean football coach Shin Tae-yong said Wednesday he will rest two FC Barcelona prospects in their final group stage match against England at the FIFA U-20 World Cup.Hosts South Korea will face England at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, some 45 kilometers south of Seoul, on Friday for their last match in Group A. South Korea have already clinched a knockout stage berth after beating Guinea 3-0 and Argentina 2-1.Shin said he will not take too much risk against England and decid

South Korea's defense authorities on Wednesday approved a procurement project to improve the military's system to identify aircraft and determine whether it's an enemy or a friendly force.In a monthly meeting on pending arms-related projects, presided over by Defense Minister Han Min-koo, the military decided to launch the Identification Friend or Foe program next year via both the country's own R&D and overseas purchase, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration.South Korean A

Asiana Airlines Inc., South Korea's second-biggest airline by sales, said Wednesday its decision to reseat a passenger with a physical disability was to protect the safety of its passengers after he took issue with the matter on Youtube.Tim Seward, a 31-year-old industrial designer, was heading to Hawaii from Beijing via Incheon. A Chinese airline staff noticed his prosthetic leg before the plane took off in Beijing on Sunday and asked him to move from an exit row seat to another seat.  "As an a

China is increasingly suspicious of North Korea trying to get in the way of China's ascent as a global power and the resulting decay in China-North Korea relations may open unprecedented opportunities to mobilize China's cooperation in denuclearizing the North, a historian said Wednesday."Great powers, particularly rising great powers ... what they cannot easily tolerate is friends and allies getting in the way of larger pictures. This is what I think has changed with regard to the relations" be

An international youth environment organization said Wednesday that it will hold a peace march and a tree-planting to call for the creation of a "peace forest" inside the Demilitarized Zone bisecting the two Koreas next month. "Some 300 youth from around the world and diplomats (stationed in South Korea) will join the Peace March set for June 23 at Imjingak Pavilion in Paju, north of Seoul, under the slogan of "Above politics. Above borders. Above ideologies," said the US-based International Coo

A South Korean military court on Wednesday sentenced an army captain to a suspended prison term for having sex with a fellow male soldier in a ruling human rights groups criticized as regressive and intimidating. A lawyer for the captain said her client was being punished for having consensual sex with his partner in a private space. She said the captain was briefly treated at a hospital for shock following his conviction. "It's a ridiculous ruling," said lawyer Kim In-sook. She said the militar

President Moon Jae-in's nominee for foreign minister is to return home this week from New York to beef up preparations for a confirmation hearing, government sources said Wednesday.On Sunday, Kang Kyung-wha was named the first foreign minister under the Moon government which was inaugurated on May 10. She has served as a special advisor on policy to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.The nominee is to return home early Thursday morning after about 10 years in New York working for the UN,

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump called North Korean leader Kim Jong-un a “madman with nuclear weapons” during a telephone call with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, according to a transcript of the conversation released by US media Tuesday.A White House readout of the April 29 call characterized it as a “very friendly conversation.” Days after the conversation, Trump said publicly that he would be “honored” to meet with Kim.But in the call, Trump hinted at a possible dramatic escala

The number of childbirths in South Korea sank for the 16th consecutive month in March as the country is struggling with a continuing trend of late marriage and a rapidly aging population, a government report showed Wednesday.About 33,200 babies were born in March, down 13.1 percent, or 5,000, from 38,200 tallied a year earlier, according to the data from Statistics Korea.Childbirths have been on the decline since a 3.4-percent on-year gain in November 2015, along with a double-digit drop for fou

South Korea said Wednesday it will sternly respond to North Korea's nuclear and missile provocations while flexibly considering resuming suspended civilian inter-Korean exchanges.Seoul's assurance came amid concerns that South Korea's plan to seek engagement with North Korea may weaken coordinated fronts in pressuring North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs. (Yonhap)"The United Nations Security Council's discussion on a new sanctions resolution is also part of South Korea's efforts to

LONDON -- British actor Roger Moore, who played James Bond for more than two decades with a suave wit, died Tuesday aged 89, drawing tributes for his portrayal of the womanising super-spy, and for his charity work.“It is with a heavy heart that we must announce our loving father, Sir Roger Moore, has passed away today in Switzerland after a short but brave battle with cancer,” his children said in a statement on Twitter.“We are all devastated,” Deborah, Geoffrey and Christian said. “Thank you Po

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Taiwan could become the first place in Asia to legalize gay marriage Wednesday when a court makes a landmark ruling on whether to allow same-sex unions. Activists are optimistic the decision will go in their favor, with growing momentum behind the push for equal marriage rights on the island.But there is also anger among conservative groups who have staged mass rallies against a change in the law as the debate divides society.Campaigners for and against gay marriage are expecte

MANCHESTER, United Kingdom -- Salman Abedi, the suicide bomber who killed 22 people in an attack on a pop concert in Manchester, was a business student who dropped out of university.Born to a devoutly Islamic Libyan family in Britain's third biggest city, newspapers said he was known to the security services and the Financial Times said he had turned to radical Islam in recent years.Abedi, 22, worshipped at a suburban mosque, where his father was a well-known face who sometimes performed the cal

A day after firing dozens of rounds at a flying object crossing the border from North Korea, South Korea's military said Wednesday it was apparently a balloon carrying propaganda leaflets.The South's military announced Tuesday afternoon that it detected an unidentified object flying across the military demarcation line in the eastern region.More than 90 machine gun rounds were fired as warning shots under a related manual and the object disappeared from radar screens, according to the Joint Chie

The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae installed a new electric bulletin board Wednesday, offering a quick summary of current conditions in the country's employment market, while also highlighting the emphasis the new president and his government place on creating jobs.The new bulletin board was placed at one of President Moon Jae-in's offices, and is largely designed to show a rise or drop in the number of jobs and workers here, Cheong Wa Dae officials said.The board consists of two large panels

The European Union has designated North Korea's state carrier, Air Koryo, as an airline that is restricted from operating in European skies for seven years in a row, a U.S. broadcaster said Wednesday. In its latest update of the EU Air Safety List, the European Commission said it has continuously banned all Air Koryo planes, except for two Russian-made TU-204 airlines, from operating in European airspace as they fail to meet international safety standards, Voice of America said. An Air Koryo pla

MOSCOW -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in's special envoy has told the Russian Far East development minister and parliament leaders that South Korea intends to increase economic cooperation with Russia as a means to dissuade North Korea from its nuclear weapons development and military provocations.After meetings with the Minister for Development of Russian Far East Alexander Galushka and parliamentary leaders on Tuesday, Rep. Song Young-gil of the ruling Democratic Party said the Russian sid

Prime Minister-nominee Lee Nak-yon on Wednesday came under intense scrutiny over his credentials and a string of allegations about his family during a parliamentary confirmation hearing, the first test for cooperation between the nascent government and opposition-led parliament.Opposition lawmakers grilled the former South Jeolla Province governor and four-term lawmaker to see if he is fit to take the government's No. 2 post amid a series of economic and security challenges. "I will take this co

UNITED NATIONS -- China's UN ambassador said Tuesday that multiple North Korean nuclear and ballistic missile tests, with no end in sight, show the "very strong" need for new talks with Pyongyang to reduce tensions and try to achieve denuclearization.Liu Jieyi, whose country is closest to North Korea, said all progress with North Korea on eliminating nuclear weapons from the Korean peninsula has come through dialogue, "so there's no reason why dialogue is not taking place in the current situatio

JEONJU -- Eight shots on target were all South Korea needed to score five goals in their first two matches at the FIFA U-20 World Cup on home soil.South Korea defeated Argentina 2-1 on Tuesday at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, 240 kilometers south of Seoul, to become the first among 24 to clinch a spot in the round of 16. South Korea had four shots on target, and one of the goals came on a penalty converted by Paik Seung-ho. This was after the hosts netted three goals on four shots on targe