Most Popular
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[AtoZ into Korean mind] Humor in Korea: Navigating the line between what's funny and not
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[Exclusive] Korean military set to ban iPhones over 'security' concerns
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Yoon seeks rebound, taps 5-term lawmaker as chief of staff
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Korean, Romanian leaders discuss defense tech, nuclear energy
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Medical standoff deepens as doctors reject new med school plan, talks
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[Graphic News] 77% of young Koreans still financially dependent
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[Herald Interview] Why Toss invited hackers to penetrate its system
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S. Korea calls on Japan to confront history amid Yasukuni Shrine visit
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S. Korean envoys convene to navigate strategy amid Middle East tensions
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North Korea fires several short-range ballistic missiles into sea: JCS
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Park, Xi vow efforts to induce N. Korea to give up nuclear programs
South Korean and Chinese leaders agreed Monday to step up their efforts to induce North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons programs, an official said.South Korean President Park Geun-hye and her Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, also agreed to hold consultations to resume dialogue meant to produce progress to denuclearize North Korea and stop Pyongyang from advancing its nuclear capability, said Ju Chul-ki, senior presidential foreign affairs secretary.Ju made the comments after a summit betwee
Nov. 10, 2014
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N. Korea approves U.N. protocol on child protection
North Korea said Monday it has formally ratified a U.N. protocol on the protection of children, claiming it is committed to international cooperation in the human rights field.The move came as the communist nation braces for a U.N. vote on a strongly worded resolution against its human rights record.The Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, the North's top legislative body, issued a decree last week ratifying the 2000 Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, accordin
Nov. 10, 2014
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Obama sends personal letter to N.K. leader to win release
U.S. President Barack Obama delivered a personal letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un via his national intelligence director sent to the communist nation to win the release of two American citizens, a senior U.S. official said Sunday.The "brief letter" stated that Director of National Intelligence James Clapper was sent in his capacity as Obama's personal envoy to obtain the release of the two Americans, the senior official told reporters aboard Air Force One before they took off for Asia,
Nov. 10, 2014
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N.K. released Americans to ease human rights pressure: analysts
North Korea’s release last week of its two remaining U.S. detainees appears to have been aimed at easing the growing international pressure to improve its human rights record and its deepening isolation, analysts said Sunday.The release of Kenneth Bae and Matthew Todd Miller is expected to create the momentum for dialogue between the U.S. and the North at a time when Washington recognizes the need to more actively tackle North Korea’s increasing missile and nuclear threats.Washington announced S
Nov. 9, 2014
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N. Korea frees two remaining American detainees
North Korea has released the two last-remaining American detainees, the U.S. government announced Saturday, a decision seen as aimed at improving Pyongyang's image amid international efforts to punish the regime for human rights violations.The two -- Kenneth Bae and Matthew Todd Miller -- have been allowed to depart North Korea and are on their way home to re-join their families. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper is accompanying them, his office said in a statement.Diplomatic sourc
Nov. 9, 2014
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Two Koreas to hold joint Buddhist service in N. Korea
A South Korean Buddhist order said Saturday it will hold a joint memorial service in North Korea later this month to mark the anniversary of its founder's death.The Cheontae Order said it agreed during a meeting with officials from the North's Korea Buddhist Federation on Thursday to hold the joint memorial service to mark the 912th anniversary of the passing of Uicheon on Nov. 26.Founded by Uicheon, a Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392) monk, the Cheontae school has since become the second-largest Buddhi
Nov. 8, 2014
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Obama, Xi to discuss 'mix of diplomacy, sanctions' toward N. Korea: official
U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping will discuss ways to use a "mix of diplomacy and sanctions" to end North Korea's nuclear program when they hold summit talks next week, a senior White House official said Friday.Evan Medeiros, senior director for Asian affairs at the National Security Council, made the remark during a briefing at the Foreign Press Center previewing Obama's trip to China next week, saying the U.S. believes the North's denuclearization should be the "pa
Nov. 8, 2014
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S. Korea undaunted by N. Korea's threat over human rights issue
South Korea on Friday dismissed North Korea's threat of the breakdown of bilateral ties as retaliation for Seoul's cooperation in a campaign against the communist nation's human rights abuse. "Our government has a position that North Korea's human rights situation should be improved," unification ministry spokesman Lim Byeong-cheol said at a press briefing. The North's human rights problem is not only associated with universal value but also an important task in preparations for reunificati
Nov. 7, 2014
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Kaesong complex gets ISO certifications in globalization efforts
South Korea said Friday it has obtained global certifications for the infrastructure of the Kaesong Industrial Complex in a meaningful step toward the globalization of the joint venture with North Korea. The management committee of the complex secured quality management certifications from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for an internal bus operating system as well as environmental management certification for a water purification and drainage service, according to the
Nov. 7, 2014
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Kim Jong-un seen limping slightly in N. Korean TV footage
In his first video footage since returning to public view following a conspicuous absence, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Thursday was seen slightly limping on the communist country's state television. The Korean Central Television showed Kim walking without a cane as he held a meeting of battalion commanders and political instructors of the country's troops in Pyongyang on Monday and Tuesday. This was the first moving image of Kim since he returned to the public eye on Oct. 14, ending a
Nov. 7, 2014
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N. Korea slams S. Korea for seeking new unification plan
North Korea strongly criticized South Korea's Park Geun-hye administration Thursday for working to create a new charter for the reunification of Korea. In the inaugural meeting of the Presidential Committee for Unification Preparation in August, Park said her administration will declare the charter next year, the 70th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's 35-year colonial rule. She said it will serve as a basis for the Constitution of a reunified Korea. "It demonstrates the South's
Nov. 6, 2014
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N. Korea steps up quarantine efforts to prevent Ebola
North Korea has been ramping up quarantine efforts on foreigners coming from Ebola-hit regions to prevent an outbreak of the deadly virus, a pro-North Korea newspaper said Thursday. The communist country is isolating travelers coming from Ebola-stricken areas at separate hotels, including one in the western border city of Sinuiju, for 21 days because of potential Ebola infection risks, the Choson Sinbo newspaper, the mouthpiece of the communist country in Japan, reported. The country has rec
Nov. 6, 2014
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N. Korean leader meets commanders, carrying no cane
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made a public appearance without a walking stick, as he convened a rare meeting of battalion commanders and political instructors of the country's troops, according to its state media Wednesday. Kim attended the two-day meeting from Monday held in Pyongyang and had a photo session with participants, reported the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). It was the first event of its kind in eight years. The previous meeting of battalion commanders and political instr
Nov. 5, 2014
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U.N., U.S. officials to discuss N.K. rights in Seoul
Two of the most symbolic figures in the international community’s campaign against North Korea’s human rights abuse will travel to Seoul next week amid efforts to bring the issue to the International Criminal Court (ICC), diplomatic sources said Tuesday.Marzuki Darusman, U.N. special rapporteur on North Korea, plans to visit Seoul from Monday through Friday, according to the sources.Amb. Robert King, U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights issues, will make a separate three-day trip sta
Nov. 4, 2014
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Defectors learn English to speak up on rights
When Lee Geun-hyuck attended school in North Korea, he studied English to learn more about the United States, believing knowing the enemy was the best strategy to get the better of them.Together with his mother, Lee fled the impoverished, regimented communist country and defected to capitalist South Korea in 1998 in search of freedom and a better life.Sixteen years after his defection, the 33-year-old university student says his current purpose for studying English is to better communicate with
Nov. 4, 2014
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NK defectors learn English to speak about human rights
When Lee Geun-hyuck attended school in North Korea, he studied English to learn more about the United States, believing knowing the enemy was the best strategy to get the better of them. Together with his mother, Lee fled the impoverished, regimented communist country and defected to capitalist South Korea in 1998 in search of freedom and a better life. Sixteen years after his defection, the 33-year-old university student says his current purpose for studying English is to better communicate wi
Nov. 4, 2014
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N. Korea struggles with troop shortage
North Korea is moving to extend the mandatory military service term for male draftees and recruit more female conscripts in efforts to address its worsening troop shortage, sources said Monday.Pyongyang has recently been encouraging male soldiers to serve at least one more year beyond their 10-year service term to help maintain its 1.19-million-strong military, and more stably mobilize troops for various state construction projects, the sources said. “The North has yet to officially announce its
Nov. 3, 2014
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Prime minister says N. Korea's attitude not understandable
Prime minister says N. Korea's attitude not understandableSouth Korea's prime minister rapped North Korea on Monday for its refusal to hold high-level talks on the pretext of the anti-Pyongyang leaflets spread into the communist country by civilians here. Speaking at a National Assembly session, Chung Hong-won said Pyongyang's attitude is "regrettable" and "not understandable." "(The government) has no grounds to legally control the scattering of leaflets against North Korea," he said. Chu
Nov. 3, 2014
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N. Korea slams South over smartphone hacking accusation
North Korea lambasted South Korea Monday for its latest claim of the communist country's hacking attempts, denouncing the accusation as a plot to stir up anti-Pyongyang sentiment. The National Intelligence Service (NIS), the South Korean spy agency, said in a parliamentary report last week that North Korea had attempted to hack into South Koreans' smartphones by spreading malicious applications online, possibly infecting more than 20,000 phones from May to September. Denouncing the latest h
Nov. 3, 2014
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U.S. policy on N. Korea unlikely to change after midterm elections
The U.S. policy on North Korea is unlikely to differ much from now after this week's midterm elections because the issue sits low on Washington's priority list and there is little difference between the rival parties on how to deal with the communist regime, analysts said Sunday. Tuesday's elections are expected to be a watershed in U.S.President Barack Obama's second term in office amid widespread views that the Republicans are expected to take control of not only the House of Representatives
Nov. 3, 2014