Seoul South Korea

The Obama administration is trying tackle the thorny issue of North Korea and its nuclear program. To take a closer look at this issue, Leon Sigal of ...

President Obama arrived today in Seoul, South Korea, the last scheduled stop on his Asian tour. A big part of his agenda is North Korea, reports CNBC'...

President Obama has arrived in Seoul for talks focusing on the economy. CNBC's John Harwood has the details. (CNBC) Seoul - John Harwood - South...

SEOUL, South Korea — A South Korean stem cell scientist once hailed as a hero for bringing hope to people with incurable diseases and creating the world's first cloned dog was convicted Monday on criminal charges related to faked research, but avoided jail.

The Seoul Central District Court sentenced Hwang Woo-suk to two years in prison for embezzling research funds and illegally buying human eggs. However, it suspended the penalty, allowing him to stay free if he breaks no laws for three years.

Prosecutors had asked for four years in prison, but Judge Bae Ki-yeol said the 56-year-old scientist had shown remorse and had notable achievements in dog cloning.

Hwang, who appeared confident as he walked into the courthouse, made no comment as he left. His lawyer, Yoo Chul-min, suggested in an interview with the YTN television network that he would not appeal, saying Hwang had been unable to concentrate on his research because of the "time-consuming" trial.

Prosecutors were not immediately available for comment late Monday.

Defending champion Maria Kirilenko of Russia advanced to the Korea Open quarterfinals on Thursday by beating Francesca Schiavone, who retired with an injury early in the second set.

Kirilenko was leading the third-seeded Schiavone 6-1, 1-2 in the second round when the Italian, who had taken a medical time-out in the first set with an apparent right thigh injury, retired.

Kirilenko will next play seventh-seeded Vera Dushevina of Russia, who beat Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia 7-5, 6-1.

Top-seeded Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia also advanced, defeating Chanelle Scheepers of South Africa 6-1, 6-1.

Hantuchova, who did not face a break point, will next face Kimiko Date Krumm of Japan, who saved a match point before eliminating fifth-seeded Alisa Kleybanova of Russia 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3.

Tokyo should host the 2016 Olympics because it has the most compact set up, the most experience and will be the best stage for the world's athletes, one of Japan's top sports figures and bid backers said Thursday.

Mikako Kotani, an Olympic bronze medalist in synchronized swimming and the head of the athletes' commission for the Tokyo 2016 bid committee, said she has big hopes that Japan's capital will beat out Chicago, Rio de Janeiro and Madrid when the final decision is made on the host site next Friday.

"We have the experience to make the competition go smoothly," she said in an interview with The Associated Press, noting that Tokyo hosted the 1964 Summer Games. "We will be using some stadiums and venues from 1964. ... It will be very special for the Japanese athletes and for the younger generation."

Kotani, who won her bronze in Seoul in 1988, said that Tokyo's plans would have all the athletes staying within 10 minutes of their competition venues, a factor she expected will boost performances by allowing the Olympians more time to focus on their sports and less on traveling.

"As an athlete, this is very important," she said.

SEOUL, South Korea – Most Asian stock markets fell Thursday amid a big drop in oil prices and as investors worried that support measures for the fragile global economy will be withdrawn too quickly.

The declines came after the Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged at a regular meeting in Washington Wednesday, as widely expected, and said the pace of economic activity has "picked up" since its last meeting in August.

But the Fed also said it said it would again slow some of its purchases of mortgage-backed securities, which have been part of the extraordinary support the central bank has given the U.S. economy over the past year.

Investors have focused on when central bankers and governments will begin to unwind some of the measures they have taken to boost the global economy since the onset of the global financial crisis one year ago.

"I think people get scared when the central bankers talk about the withdrawal from the market," said Francis Lun, general manager at Fulbright Securities Ltd. in Hong Kong "I think investors got coddled by the government for too long."

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