South Korea

Seoul -- 21 August 2008 -- In just a few decades, South Korea transformed itself from an impoverished country devastated by war into the world's 13th largest economy. But that dramatic growth has a dark side, some mental health professionals say. South Korea has seen its suicide rate rise sharply, and the nation's youth are at risk. Jason Strother has the story from Seoul.

On the platforms in many of Seoul's subway stations, tall glass gates open and close as passengers enter and exit the train cars.

These barricades are a safety precaution but they were also installed to prevent people from throwing themselves onto the paths of trains. Last year, 23 people in Seoul attempted suicide this way, up from 18 the year before.    » read more »

August 5, 2008 -- PRESIDENT LEE: Mr. President, Mrs. Bush, as well as your lovely daughter, Barbara Bush, I would like to welcome you from the bottom of our hearts. Yes, well, Mr. President, the majority of the Korean people have been eagerly waiting for your visit to Korea this time, and as you saw yesterday, there were many people who gathered together to welcome your visit to Korea.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you.

PRESIDENT LEE: And also, Mr. President, yesterday, in the lawn in front of the Seoul City Hall, there were many people gathered there, thousands of people gathered, who came together to pray, not only for your visit, but also for the future of the Korea-U.S. relationship, as well.    » read more »

Seoul -- 17 June 2008 -- South Korea's biggest labor confederation says its members will go on strike, next month, to protest the policies of the country's president. The labor troubles heap new crisis on an administration facing mass street protests about trade with the United States.

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions announced Tuesday it would conduct a nationwide general strike on July 2. And, KCTU president Lee Seok-haing says that is just the beginning.

Lee says after the strike, there will be several days of organized labor protests.

The KCTU is an umbrella union group for more than 600,000 members, working in nearly every sector of the country's economy.    » read more »

February 7, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Pendants and Candle Charms

Units: About 460,000

Importer: Benjamin International, of Middlebury, Conn.

Hazard: The recalled pendants and charms contain high levels of lead. Lead is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health effects.    » read more »

29 January 2008 -- Iraq has halted crude oil exports to South Korea, in protest of an exploration deal between Korean firms and the Kurdish regional government.

The annual contract between Iraq and South Korea's top refiner, SK Energy, was due for renewal January 1. SK Energy says it has been told to back out of the Kurdistan deal if it wants exports to resume.    » read more »

26 January 2008 -- North Korea has called for a peace treaty formally ending the Korean War to be signed as soon as possible, to ease military tensions with the United States.

The call was made in a commentary published by the Rodong daily, the newspaper of the North's ruling Workers' Party. It said now is the right time for a peace treaty to replace the armistice that has been in place since 1953.

The Korean peninsula is technically still at war since the fighting ended.    » read more »

10 December 2007 -- South Korean officials say they will declare a long stretch of the country's western coastline a disaster area. The move makes residents and businesses eligible for compensation as an enormous oil spill devastates wildlife and fishing resources along the coast. Even with thousands of workers mobilized, the cleanup is expected to take months.

More than 100 boats and nearly 9,000 soldiers, police and civilians fought to limit the damage along the west coast of South Korea Monday as oil from a punctured tanker washes ashore near the city of Taean.    » read more »