SEOUL, Jan. 4 (Yonhap) -- Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Kang Jung-ho, facing indictment over charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, was dropped from the national team for this year's World Baseball Classic (WBC) on Wednesday.Manager Kim In-sik made the decision after meeting with his

SEOUL, Jan. 4 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has emphasized the need to improve its trade structure by expanding the exports of processed goods and services in an apparent bid to circumvent U.N. sanctions on its mineral resources exports."The export ratio of processed goods, technology and services to tot

SEOUL, Jan. 4 (Yonhap) -- North Korea on Wednesday called for efforts to fully implement the country's five-year economic development plan based on self-reliance principles in the face of tough international sanctions.The year 2017 is a meaningful year which should be devoted to carrying out the

SEOUL, Jan .4 (Yonhap) -- Two key witnesses in President Park Geun-hye's impeachment trial have yet to respond to an order to appear before the Constitutional Court, adding uncertainty to the high-profile case, sources said Wednesday.Lee Jae-man and Ahn Bong-geun, two of Park's closest aides

SEOUL, Jan. 4 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's acting president on Wednesday instructed top policymakers to ensure Seoul's efforts to pressure North Korea to denuclearize see tangible results this year, which he said would mark an "inflexion point" in the nuclear conundrum.During the New Year'

Controversial political power peddler Mrs. Choi Soon-sil has even tried to approach King Willem-Alexander Claus George Erdinarnd of the Netherlands through her friends in the Netherlands to help her KD Corporation supply goods. Choi has allegedly do this on three to four different occasions throug t

(ATTN: UPDATES with vice minister interrogation in last 2 paras)By Lee Haye-ahSEOUL, Jan. 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Constitutional Court held its first open hearing Tuesday to determine the fate of President Park Geun-hye following her impeachment over a corruption scandal involving her and he

(ATTN: ADDS comment from Trump aides in para 5)By Chang Jae-soonWASHINGTON, Jan. 3 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's tweet about North Korea this week shows he's recognizing the problem as a priority, but it also illustrates his lack of understanding of how serious the situatio

WASHINGTON, Jan. 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korean Deputy National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong will visit Washington this week for talks with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken about North Korea, the State Department announced Tuesday.The fifth round of U.S.-Korea strategic consultations on No

NEW YORK, Jan. 3 (Yonhap) -- Former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday he will return to South Korea next week, a homecoming that is expected to be watched closely as he has declared his desire to run for president of the country.Speaking to South Korean correspondents as he left the U.

(ATTN: UPDATES with details of hearing in paras 1-5, 7; CHANGES headline)SEOUL, Jan. 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Constitutional Court held its first open hearing Tuesday to determine the fate of President Park Geun-hye following her impeachment over a corruption scandal involving her and her lon

SEOUL, Jan. 3 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean government has ordered the daughter of Choi Soon-sil, the woman at the center of a massive presidential scandal, to turn in her passport in a bid to pressure her to return home and face an investigation, diplomatic sources said Tuesday.Chung Yoo-ra was arre

SEOUL, Jan. 2 (Yonhap) -- President Park Geun-hye is considering holding additional meetings with the press to rebut a slew of corruption allegations against her, an aide said Monday, in an apparent move to rally her core supporters and counter public anger over the scandal that has gripped the coun

Who’s the front runner in the latest Presidential polls published this morning in Korea?According to a report published today by popular Korean-language business daily, Maeil Kyungje, based on the result of a survey conducted on Dec. 27-28, 2016, the popularity rating of the different Presidential h

SEOUL, Jan. 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's opposition parties on Monday criticized President Park Geun-hye for denying her involvement in the influence-peddling scandal.Park, impeached by the parliament in December, on Sunday denied that she had behind-the-scenes ties with her longtime confidante C

A total of 29 former Saenuri Party members of the National Assembly declared the formation of a new party, provisionally named the ‘Reformist New Conservative Party.’ In the declaration, the former Saenuriy lawmakers declared, “The pro-Park Geun-hye hegemonist faction of the Saenuri Party has ruined

The main opposition Minjoo Party leader, Madam Choo Mi-ae, wants President Park Geun-hye to resign by the end of January next year while Kim Moo-sung, leader of the non-mainstream group of the ruling Saenuri Party, says President Park should not be impeached if she decides to step down by the end of

Reports indicate that leading figures of the so-called pro-Park group of political doyens such as Reps. Suh Chung-won, Choi Kyung-hwan and Yoon Sang-hyun had an emergency meeting in Yeoeuido near the National Assembly in Seoul on Nov. 28, 2016, and decided to directly recommend to President Park Geu

A total of over 20 former prime ministers, National Assembly speakers and other top leaders of the Republic of Korea had an emergency meeting at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul on Nov. 27, 2016, and urged President Park Geun-hye to step down as President within the next four months.Then they urged the Nati

Presidency Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria is considered a greatest leader in many countries of the world for his remarkable contributions made to the economic development of Algeria in addition to various other outstanding achievements. In particular, President Bouteflika is noted for the successfu