Most Popular
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Marine Corps commander summoned by CIO for questioning on alleged influence-peddling case
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Debate rages over ‘overly fatty’ samgyeopsal
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40 flights canceled on Jeju Island due to bad weather
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[Weekender] Korean psyche untangled: Musok
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N. Korea slams US, other countries for seeking alternative to UN sanctions monitoring panel
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Pandemic left Korea more depressed than before: report
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Gov't appears to shelve punitive measures against mass walkout by doctors
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[Eye Interview] 'If you live to 100, you might as well be happy,' says 88-year-old bestselling essayist
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From fake prostitution ring to nonexistent robber, prank calls hamper police
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Missing S. Korean traveler in Paris found safe after 2 weeks
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S. Korea set to mark anniversary of NK shelling of border island
South Koreans are poised to pay tribute to soldiers killed in North Korea's artillery shelling of a western border island four years ago, officials said Thursday, as tensions continue to run high along the sea border. On Nov. 23, 2010, the North fired some 170 rounds of artillery at the front-line island of Yeonpyeong, killing two South Korean marines and two civilians, and wounding 16 others. It was Pyongyang's first artillery attack on South Korean soil since the end of the 1950-53 Korean wa
Nov. 20, 2014
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N. Korea slams U.N. resolution on its human rights
North Korea lashed out at a United Nations resolution on the country's human rights on Thursday, vowing to intensify its nuclear weapons deterrence in the face of what it claims is growing hostility toward the country.The reaction from the North came two days after a U.N. committee passed a strongly-worded resolution, calling on the UN Security Council to refer the communist country to the International Criminal Court (ICC) over its dire human rights situation."We completely reject the forceful
Nov. 20, 2014
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U.S. says U.N human rights resolution sends clear message to N. Korea
A U.N. human rights resolution on North Korea sends a clear message to Pyongyang that the international community is paying attention to the problem and those most responsible must be held accountable, the State Department said Wednesday.The resolution, which calls for referring North Korea to the International Criminal Court for human rights violations, passed through the Third Committee of the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, a move that almost guaranteed its formal adoption at the General As
Nov. 20, 2014
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N.K. nuclear reactor remains shut down amid signs of preparations to restart reprocessing facility: report
North Korea's main nuclear reactor is believed to have been shut down for more than two months amid signs Pyongyang may be preparing to restart the nearby reprocessing facility to extract weapons-grade plutonium from spent fuel, a U.S. think tank said Wednesday.Satellite imagery shows that the 5-megawatt reactor at the Yongbyon nuclear complex has been closed for about 10 weeks, longer than what is required for routine maintenance, according to 38 North, a website run by the U.S.-Korea Institute
Nov. 20, 2014
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U.N. rights resolution to have limited impact on cross-border ties: experts
The passage of a U.N. draft resolution referring North Korea’s human rights record to the International Criminal Court would have limited impact on inter-Korean relations as the rights issue is now one of universal values, analysts said Wednesday.With the ICC referral deemed impossible, Pyongyang may also refrain from taking aggressive action in response to the passage, as it pushes to improve its strained relations with the outside world to help its economy, they said.“The impact of the resolut
Nov. 19, 2014
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N.K. WMDs carry catastrophic potential
Bruce BennettEstimates of weapons of mass destruction threats usually focus on the quantity of weapons an adversary possesses. But it’s really the potential for mass destruction that’s important. In the case of North Korea, its chemical, biological and nuclear weapons could probably kill 1 million people, and perhaps as many as 10 million if employed effectively. The United States and South Korea must be ready to deal with this vast and growing arsenal, should the North turn aggressive or suffer
Nov. 19, 2014
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Son of Jang Song-thaek's aide disappears in Paris
A North Korean college student in Paris has been missing for more than two weeks, sources here said Wednesday, amid speculation that agents from the North are attempting to forcibly take him back to the communist nation.The student, only identified by his surname Han, is a son of an aide to Jang Song-thaek, the once powerful uncle of the North's leader Kim Jong-un. Jang was executed in December last year on treason charges. Han's father is known to have been purged recently as part of the Kim re
Nov. 19, 2014
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S. Korea approves N. Korea trip by ex-first lady's aides
South Korea on Wednesday approved a trip to North Korea by aides to the wife of former president Kim Dae-jung this week aimed at discussing her possible visit there, the unification ministry said.Lee Hee-ho, the widow of the late president, hopes to travel to the communist nation on a humanitarian mission. President Park Geun-hye responded positively to Lee's plan.A group of Lee's aides is scheduled to meet with North Korean officials in Kaesong, the North's border town, on Friday."The governmen
Nov. 19, 2014
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U.N. resolution shows concern over NK human rights: Seoul
South Korea said Wednesday that the adoption of a U.N. resolution on North Korea's dismal human rights conditions indicates the international community's concerns about the situation in the North.A U.N. General Assembly committee on Tuesday passed a resolution calling for the referral of North Korea's human rights violations to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in a 111-19 vote. Fifty-five countries abstained.The move came after the U.N. Commission of Inquiry (COI) published a report in Feb
Nov. 19, 2014
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U.N. committee passes human rights resolution calling for N. Korea's referral to ICC
A U.N. General Assembly committee on Tuesday passed a highly symbolic resolution calling for referring North Korea to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for human rights violations, sparking angry protests from the communist nation.The Third Committee approved the resolution in a 111-19 vote. Fifty-five countries abstained.The resolution's overwhelming passage through the committee almost guaranteed its formal adoption at the U.N. General Assembly.It also represented a victory for the West i
Nov. 19, 2014
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N.K. special envoy meets with Putin
A special envoy of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday and delivered a personal letter from Kim, the Kremlin said.In a brief press release, the Kremlin said Putin met with Choe Ryong-hae, the Workers' Party of Korea secretary, who brought a personal letter from the North Korean leader. It did not provide further details of the closed-door meeting.Sources said that the meeting lasted for about an hour. It took place after 7 p.m. local time, about t
Nov. 19, 2014
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U.N. committee rejects Cuban-proposed revision to N.K.
A U.N. committee on Tuesday rejected a Cuban proposal to remove a call for referring North Korea to the International Criminal Court for human rights violations from a proposed General Assembly resolution.The Third Committee turned down the proposed revision in a 40-77 vote. Fifty nations abstained.Cuba put forward the revision proposal last week that centered on eliminating the call for the North's referral to the ICC from the original resolution and replacing it with a clause calling for human
Nov. 19, 2014
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North Korea faces key vote in UN on human rights
An anxious North Korea will see Tuesday how the boldest effort yet to bring its leaders to account for alleged crimes against humanity will move forward, as the U.N. General Assembly's human rights committee votes on a resolution that demands the country's referral to the International Criminal Court.The vote follows a groundbreaking U.N. commission of inquiry report on North Korea early this year that declared the country's human rights situation ``exceeds all others in duration, intensity and
Nov. 18, 2014
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NK special envoy set to meet Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's special envoy later Tuesday, an official from Putin's office said.Choe Ryong-hae, the Workers' Party of Korea secretary, "is scheduled to pay a courtesy call on President Putin at 5 p.m. today," the Kremlin official told Yonhap News Agency.The public affairs office of the Kremlin later confirmed the planned meeting.Putin plans to have a closed-door meeting with Choe and there will be no press availability, it said.
Nov. 18, 2014
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NK special envoy arrives in Moscow, meeting with Putin unconfirmed
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's special envoy flew into Moscow on Tuesday amid reports that a technical glitch with his plane had caused a delay in his arrival.Choe Ryong-hae, the Workers' Party of Korea secretary, is leading a high-profile delegation which includes Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan, Vice Economy Minister Ri Kwang-gun, and No Kwang-chol, deputy chief of the General Staff of the North's military, They are widely expected to meet President Vladimir Putin, although a related sch
Nov. 18, 2014
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N.K. raises complaint with Clapper over human rights
WASHINGTON (Yonhap) ― North Korean officials criticized the U.S. for using the issue of human rights to intervene in their domestic affairs when they met with the U.S. intelligence chief sent to Pyongyang to win the release of two American citizens, the spy chief said. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper also said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” broadcast Sunday that the North Korean officials were disappointed that his visit did not lead to a breakthrough in the strained relations between
Nov. 17, 2014
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‘N.K. engages in aggressive diplomacy’
South Korea said Monday North Korean leader Kim Jong-un seems to be sending a special envoy to Russia to counter international pressure over its nuclear program and human rights abuses.“Our government views the dispatch of Choe Ryong-hae to Russia as in line with (Pyongyang’s) attempt to diversify its external relations,” unification ministry spokesman Lim Byeong-cheol said at a press briefing.It looks like the North is pushing for aggressive diplomacy, as the international community’s cooperati
Nov. 17, 2014
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U.N. resolution on NK human rights may easily pass panel: official
A United Nations resolution calling for the referral of North Korea's dismal human rights situation to the International Criminal Court (ICC) may easily pass through a U.N. panel later this week, a Seoul official said Monday.The U.N. Third Committee is scheduled to vote Tuesday (New York time) on a European Union-authored resolution, which for the first time calls for the referral of North Korea's human rights violations to the ICC."It is highly likely that it will be passed by an overwhelming (
Nov. 17, 2014
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NK leader's top aide leaves for Russia
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's special envoy embarked on an eight-day trip to Russia Monday, according to news reports, amid growing speculation that Pyongyang is in desperate need of Moscow's diplomatic and economic support.Choe Ryong-hae, the Workers' Party of Korea secretary, left Pyongyang for Russia, accompanied by Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan, Vice Economy Minister Ri Kwang-gun, and No Kwang-chol, deputy chief of the General Staff of the North's military, the Associated Press and
Nov. 17, 2014
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S. Korea dismisses claims of NK's underground tunnel near capital
The defense ministry on Monday dismissed some civic groups' claims of finding an infiltration tunnel dug by North Korea near the capital city of Seoul as "groundless," vowing stern measures against false allegations that cause security jitters.Last week, members of several conservative civic groups held a press conference in the northern city of Namyangju, just north of Seoul, and claimed that they have found an underground tunnel in the city dug by the communist country in order to infiltrate t
Nov. 17, 2014