• East Asia

    ROK to take back wartime control in 2015 as planned

    South Korea and the United States have reaffirmed that the two allies will adhere to their earlier plan to transfer Washington’s wartime operation control (OPCON) over South Korean troops to Seoul by the end of 2015 as scheduled. The announcement was made Tuesday following the annual Military Committee Meeting between…

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  • South East Asia

    Aquino rating back to ‘very good’ +62

    Philippine Daily Inquirer –The Aquino administration’s net satisfaction rating bounced back to a “very good” net satisfaction rating of plus 62, gaining 18 points from the preceding quarter’s “good” net rating of plus 44, results of the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed. The survey, which used face-to-face interviews…

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  • East Asia

    New Chinese Consulate General Inaugurated In Khon Kaen, Thailand

    Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Xie Hangsheng (2nd L), Deputy Permanent Secretary of Thai Foreign Ministry Nuttawudh Photisaro (C) and guests attend the inauguration ceremony of China’s new consulate general in Khon Kaen, northeastern Thailand, Oct. 23, 2012. China officially opened a new consulate general in Khon Kaen in northeastern Thailand…

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  • West Asia

    Libyans Celebrate 1st Anniversary Of Their Liberation From Dictator Gadhafi

    Libyans celebrate one year on since the country was declared liberated from former dictator Moammar Gadhafi, at Martyrs Square in Tripoli, Libya , Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2012. <AP Photo/Gaia Anderson>

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  • East Asia

    North Korea phases out ‘strong and prosperous’ claim

    North Korea is not known to shy away from hyperbole. The impoverished country, after all, boasts that the late despot Kim Jong-il scored 11 hole-in-ones during his first round of golf. It appears to be taking a more measured tone, however, on its long-held claim that it will emerge a…

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  • Depression hits 1 in 3 female NK defectors

    Life in South Korea is not easy for North Korean defectors and their difficult situation is reflected in numbers. A study showed Tuesday that 30 percent of 140 female North Korean defectors settled here suffered from depression. The depression was a comprehensive result of their weakened physical condition and psychological…

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  • East Asia

    Japan’s Justice Minister Resigns Over His Alleged Connection With Yakuza

    In this Oct. 12, 2012 photo, Japan’s Justice Minister Keishu Tanaka speaks during a press conference at justice ministry in Tokyo. Japanese media reported that Tanaka submitted his resignation on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2012 over health issues and allegations that he took questionable contributions and attended a gangster’s wedding. <AP…

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  • Seoul to boost claim in E. China Sea

    The government plans to submit official documents calling for a U.N. body to recognize the continental shelf in the East China Sea near the southernmost island of Marado as its territory. According to a foreign ministry official, Seoul will claim in the official documents to be submitted to the U.N.…

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  • President-elect to set new records

    The president-elect will set new records, regardless of whether it is the Saenuri Party’s Park Geun-hye, the Democratic United Party’s (DUP) Moon Jae-in or independent Ahn Cheol-soo. If Park wins in the December poll, she will be the nation’s first female president. America has still to elect a female president…

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  • East Asia

    ‘Spicy kimchi kept me warm in winter’

    Peace Corps volunteers recount their discovery of Korea in late 1960s The first group of American Peace Corps volunteers to come to Korea in the mid-1960s had their own way of keeping warm during the icy winter weather, despite the poor heating systems. Some wore several layers of clothes, while…

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