PARIS -- Police arrested two men in Marseille on Tuesday on suspicion of planning an “imminent” attack, finding guns, explosives and an Islamic State jihadist flag just days before the first round of France’s presidential election.The foiled plot sparked fears that the closing days of the campaign could be a target for extremists ahead of Sunday’s vote, the country’s most unpredictable election in decades.Elite police and intelligence agents detained the two Frenchmen -- identified by sources as

World News April 19, 2017

South Korea's state tourism agency said Wednesday it plans to launch a promotion campaign targeting visitors from Hong Kong, as part of efforts to fend off a sharp decline in Chinese tourists. Under the slogan "Fly to Korea," the campaign will entail a massive promotion event, including discounts and gift vouchers, to attract individual travelers from Hong Kong, the Korea Tourism Organization said in a statement. The campaign will start March 20, running through the end of June. With about a doz

Social Affairs April 19, 2017

A pair of two former US minor league players are thriving in South Korea in the early part of the 2017 season, as they hope to make an impact in their native land.Former Chicago Cubs prospect Kim Dong-yub has been batting cleanup for the SK Wyverns in the Korea Baseball Organization, and through Tuesday's action, he's batting a robust .321 with four home runs and a team-high 14 RBIs.In this file photo taken on March 31, 2017, Kim Dong-yub of the SK Wyverns gets ready for his at-bat against the K

Baseball April 19, 2017

North Korea has unveiled footage of a simulated missile attack on the United States at the latest performance to mark the birthday of late state founder Kim Il-sung, Pyongyang's media reported Wednesday.Footage of what appeared to be a new intermediate-range ballistic missile being fired and the missile crossing the Pacific and hitting an unidentified city of the US was shown on a giant screen at the performance hall, according to the state-run TV station.After the simulated attack, footage of b

North Korea April 19, 2017

Germany-based South Korean midfielder Koo Ja-cheol will miss at least six weeks with a knee injury, a report said Wednesday, casting doubt on his national team availability for World Cup qualifiers.Augsburger Allgemeine said Koo, who plays for the Bundesliga club FC Augsburg, will miss the rest of the German season with a ligament tear in his right knee.(Yonhap)Koo is also doubtful for South Korea's World Cup qualifying match against Qatar on June 13. The 28-year-old has been a fixture on the na

Soccer April 19, 2017

With the FIFA U-20 World Cup just 30 days away, the local organizers and the South Korean national football team are in the final stretch of their preparations to deliver an impressive performance at home.Under the slogan "Trigger the Fever," the U-20 World Cup will be played from May 20 to June 11 in six cities -- Cheonan, Daejeon, Incheon, Jeonju, Suwon and Seogwipo, Jeju Island. South Korea is the third country, along with Mexico and Japan, to have hosted all major FIFA men's tournaments, wit

Soccer April 19, 2017

North Korea's use of tracked transporter erector launchers, instead of wheeled vehicles, in its military parade over the weekend could be a result from China's crackdown on sales of large vehicles to the communist neighbor, a US expert said Tuesday.The North put on a massive military parade on Saturday to mark the "One of the things I found interesting is the use of the track TELs, transporter erector launchers. I view this as the symptom of China cracking down on the sale of wheeled -- large, h

North Korea April 19, 2017

The US Defense Department has been considering military options against North Korea for more than a month in case President Donald Trump decides to take action, a defense official was quoted as saying Tuesday.CNN also quoted the unidentified official as saying that the review of military options is essentially "due diligence" and top military and civilian Pentagon officials are "thinking through every course of action," including updating analysis on how North Korea might militarily react if the

North Korea April 19, 2017

A main difference between President Donald Trump's North Korea policy and that of his predecessor, Barack Obama, is the potential for using military force, a US congressman said Tuesday.The Trump administration has reportedly finalized its North Korea strategy with a focus on "maximum pressure and engagement" toward denuclearization of the communist nation.The new policy does not appear much different from that of former President Barack Obama, known as "strategic patience," which centered on wa

North Korea April 19, 2017

North Korea could undertake a provocation sometime between next week and the May 9 presidential election in South Korea, a US expert said Tuesday.Victor Cha, Korea chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, made the prediction after analyzing data on North Korean provocations related to South Korean elections. (Yonhap)The study has found that the provocation window, which refers to the number of days or weeks between a North Korea provocation and a South Korean election, has be

North Korea April 19, 2017

WASHINGTON -- A US Navy strike group led by the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson was thousands of miles away from the Korean Peninsula over the weekend despite widespread belief it would be in the region to deter North Korea, news reports said Tuesday.That's because the ships aren't heading directly to the peninsula as originally reported. Instead, the group, which also includes guided missile destroyers USS Wayne E. Meyer and USS Michael Murphy and guided missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain, are

Defense April 19, 2017

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump said Tuesday it makes no sense to start a trade war with China when Beijing is trying to help the US with North Korea, rejecting criticism that he's softened his stance on the country."I haven't changed my stance. China's trying to help us. I don't know if they are going to be able to or not, but do I want to start heavy, heavy trade or currency manipulation statements against somebody who's out there trying to stop what could be a very bad situation?" Tru

North Korea April 19, 2017

South Korea's Vice Defense Minister Hwang In-moo met Tuesday with Japan's top envoy here, mainly to discuss the North Korea issue, his ministry said.In the 30-minute talks with Amb. Yasumasa Nagamine, the two exchanged views on the communist nation's nuclear and missile threats.They agreed on the importance of bilateral and tripartite partnerships also involving the US for an effective response, according to the ministry.They also noted that Seoul and Japan have been sharing military intelligenc

Defense April 18, 2017

Presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo claimed Tuesday that the North Korean regime of Kim Jong-un is "afraid" he will take power because of his strong commitment to national defense.The nominee of the center-left People's Party made the claim in response to a North Korean media report that disparaged him as the "lesser evil" for conservatives in an election shaping up to be a two-way race between Ahn and Moon Jae-in of the liberal Democratic Party. Ahn Cheol-soo of the People's Party holds a camp

Politics April 18, 2017