Most Popular
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1 in 3 Koreans live alone, family types becoming diverse
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Korea, Japan finance chiefs vow to tame rampant FX market volatility
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US 'incredibly concerned' about suspected NK-Iran military ties
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K-pop group's manager dismissed for setting up spycam in theater dressing room
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K-pop singer lost consciousness after being hit by foul ball, cancels show
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Korean Muslim YouTuber's plan to build mosque in Incheon goes viral
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Why is Apple Pay struggling to get purchase in Korea?
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Contentious grain bill put directly to plenary meeting for vote
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Yoon's office denies considering liberal figures for key posts
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Seoul says Fu Bao loan 'not going to happen'
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N.K. leader's public outings drop in 2014 due to ankle surgery
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made fewer public appearances in 2014 than the previous year due to his alleged ankle surgery, which had kept him out of the public eye for more than a month, according to government data Thursday.Kim made a total of 172 public appearances in 2014, 17.7 percent less than the total 209 outings registered in 2013, the data by the unification ministry showed.Economy-related activities stood at 62, followed by visits to military units with 56 and social and cultural o
Jan. 15, 2015
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N. Korea raps Seoul-Washington-Tokyo intel-sharing pact
North Korea lashed out at the United States Thursday for clinching a military intelligence-sharing pact with South Korea and Japan, calling it "an attempt to be the hegemon in the Asia-Pacific region."Late last year, South Korea, the U.S. and Japan signed the pact on sharing sensitive military information on North Korea's nuclear and missile programs to better counter Pyongyang's evolving security threats to the region and beyond.The arrangement "is the first step for the U.S. to compete its mis
Jan. 15, 2015
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China starts civilian patrols at N.K. border after killings
China has begun civilian patrols along parts of the border with North Korea in a bid to better protect its citizens after a North Korean army deserter killed four Chinese during a robbery attempt late last month, a Chinese state-run newspaper reported Thursday.China's Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, which shares a 500-kilometer border with North Korea, established a "military-civilian defense system for better border security," the China Daily reported.China lodged a protest with North Kor
Jan. 15, 2015
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'No daylight' between U.S., S. Korea on efforts to improve inter-Korean ties
Inter-Korean talks could help bring North Korea back to genuine denuclearization talks, the State Department said Wednesday, stressing there is "no daylight" between Seoul and Washington on efforts to improve inter-Korean ties.Speculation has grown recently that Seoul and Washington may be out of sync over how to deal with North Korea, with the U.S. trying to tighten sanctions and the South seeking dialogue with the communist nation.On Tuesday, Amb. Sung Kim, special representative for North Kor
Jan. 15, 2015
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U.S. reiterates rejection of N. Korean proposal
The United States reiterated its rejection Wednesday of North Korea's offer to suspend nuclear tests in exchange for the U.S. scrapping joint military drills with South Korea, a day after a North Korean diplomat proposed to provide an explanation about the proposal."Our position on the offer from the DPRK has not changed. That it's an implicit threat linking something that is, by definition, defensive, annual in nature, with something that they would possibly do that is a violation of multiple U
Jan. 15, 2015
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Obama could mention N. Korea in State of Union address
U.S. President Barack Obama could mention North Korea in his State of the Union address set for next week as cyber-security is expected to be a key topic in the speech, diplomatic sources said Wednesday.Obama has made cyber-security a top priority for this year after North Korea's alleged hacking attack on Sony Pictures. This week, the Twitter and YouTube accounts for the U.S. Central Command were also taken over by hackers who claimed to be working on behalf of Islamic State militants.On Monday
Jan. 15, 2015
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Singapore navy finds main body of crashed AirAsia jet
A Singaporean navy ship has located the fuselage of the crashed AirAsia plane in the Java Sea, Singapore's defense minister said Wednesday.Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen said on his Facebook page that images taken by a remote controlled vehicle from the ship showed parts of the plane's wing and words on the fuselage.He said Indonesian search officials have been notified so they can begin recovery operations.The plane disappeared from radar on Dec. 28 less than halfway into a two-hour flight from Su
Jan. 14, 2015
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Without Pyongyang's denuclearization, N. Korea-China ties very uncertain: scholar
The already strained political relations between North Korea and China will become more uncertain unless Pyongyang fulfills its denuclearization commitments, a Chinese foreign policy researcher said Wednesday. In a rare frank comment on China's relations with South and North Korea, Yan Xuetong, director of the Institute of Contemporary International Relations of Tsinghua University, said Beijing's ties with Pyongyang "are not as close as" its ties with Seoul. China's relationship with its only
Jan. 14, 2015
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Facebook account of N. Korean airline hacked by Islamist group
The Facebook account of North Korea's state-run airline was hacked Wednesday by what appeared to be the same Islamist group that has previously cyberattacked a Twitter account of the U.S. military.All of the postings on Koryo Air's Facebook account were withdrawn and replaced by photo images of armed Islamist men riding a jeep and weeping North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as of late Wednesday.One of the postings said, "North Korea, the communist thug nation, and the Chinese communist thugs will pa
Jan. 14, 2015
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N. Korea unveils plan to develop 13 economic zones
North Korea has drawn up a blueprint to develop 13 special economic zones in an effort to boost international exchanges and cooperation, the country's official news agency said Wednesday.Under the plan adopted by the Supreme People's Assembly, the North will develop the 13 areas across the country into special zones for economic, industrial, tourism, agricultural development as well as export manufacturing, the Korean Central News Agency said.The development zones include the northern coastal ci
Jan. 14, 2015
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S. Korea prods North to accept talks offer
South Korea renewed its call on the North on Wednesday to accept its December offer to hold high-level talks as the communist country has remained silent on the overture for over two weeks."(The government) once again calls on North Korea to come to the negotiating table immediately," unification ministry spokesman Lim Byeong-cheol said in a regular briefing.For the moment, the government intends to wait for an answer from the North over the offer without making another official proposal, the sp
Jan. 14, 2015
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S. Korea vows stern punishment for N.K. provocations over leaflets
South Korea warned North Korea of stern punishment Wednesday should it carry out provocations in protest of anti-Pyongyang leaflet campaigns by civic groups here.North Korea has demanded that the South deter its civic groups from releasing balloons carrying leaflets that criticize the North Korean regime, while the Seoul government has been cautious, citing their freedom of speech."If North Korea provokes, using the leaflet campaigns as an excuse, our military will, as warned repeatedly, mercile
Jan. 14, 2015
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U.S. drills may offer 'excuse' for N.K. nuke test: China expert
North Korea is likely to use annual military drills between South Korea and the United States as an "excuse" for the North to follow through on its threats to conduct a fourth nuclear test, a Chinese expert said Wednesday.North Korea, which has threatened to carry out a nuclear test in response to a U.N. resolution censuring its human rights record, offered on Saturday to temporarily suspend nuclear tests if the U.S. agreed to cancel annual military exercises with South Korea, a proposal firmly
Jan. 14, 2015
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North Korea offers direct talks with U.S.
North Korea on Tuesday offered to hold direct talks with the United States on its proposal to suspend nuclear tests, and suggested dialogue could pave the way to changes on the Korean peninsula.The U.S. State Department has rejected Pyongyang's offer to suspend nuclear tests in exchange for a temporary freeze on U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises but said it "remains opens to dialogue" with Pyongyang.North Korea's Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations An Myong-hun told a news conference
Jan. 14, 2015
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U.S. Treasury says will raise pressure on North Korea
U.S. officials Tuesday warned they will boost pressure on North Korea with new economic penalties after the cyber-attack on Sony, but said Washington was open to engagement with the rogue state.President Barack Obama slapped sanctions on North Korea early this month in retaliation for the hacking of Hollywood studio Sony Pictures' computer network.U.S. officials have blamed the attack on Pyongyang and described it as the most damaging commercial hack in U.S. history, costing the Hollywood studio
Jan. 14, 2015
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N. Korea's trade dependence on China deepens: report
More than 90 percent of North Korea's exports were bound for China in 2013, a report showed Wednesday, indicating that Pyongyang's trade dependence on its main ally has deepened significantly over the past decade.According to the report compiled by the Beijing office of the Korea International Trade Association, North Korea exported 90.6 percent of its products to China in 2013, much higher than the 50.9 percent tallied in 2003.North Korea's exports to China were estimated at $400 million in 200
Jan. 14, 2015
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N. Korean diplomat urges U.S. to accept proposal calling for ending military drills
A senior North Korea diplomat urged the United States to accept Pyongyang's proposal to halt joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises in exchange for the North's suspension of nuclear tests, saying "many things" will be possible if the offer is realized.After calling a news conference, the North's deputy ambassador to the United Nations, An Myong-hun, also told reporters that the North is ready to provide the U.S. with additional explanations about the proposal, such as the intention behind the
Jan. 14, 2015
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U.S. vows to cut N. Korea off from international financial system
The United States will identify and impose sanctions on financial institutions doing business with North Korea so as to cut the communist nation off from the international financial system, a senior U.S. sanctions official said Tuesday.Assistant Treasury Secretary for Terrorist Financing Daniel Glaser made the remark during a House committee briefing, saying the 2005 sanctions on the Banco Delta Asia, a bank in Macau, were so successful because it "created a chilling effect" throughout the inter
Jan. 14, 2015
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North Korea seeks to revive Tumen River development
North Korea is seeking to revive a moribund project to develop the border areas along the Tumen River and a pipeline to transport Russian gas as part of efforts to build trust and expand economic cooperation with South Korea and other neighbors, according to a report. The Tumen River Area Development Project, which was later renamed the Greater Tumen Initiative, was launched in 1992 as a joint initiative among China, Russia and Japan and the two Koreas following a proposal a year earlier by the
Jan. 13, 2015
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N. Korea vows to seek both nuclear, economic development
North Korea said Tuesday it will press ahead with its policy of simultaneously pursuing both nuclear and economic development, despite desperate U.S. attempts to end its nuclear capabilities."No matter how the international situation and the relations of neighbors change, (the North) will stick to the military-first policy and the dual-line policy to the very end," the North's Rodong Sinmun newspaper said.Despite the introduction of economic sanctions by the outside world, the North has long pur
Jan. 13, 2015