Most Popular
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Jimin of BTS, actor Song Da-eun suspected to be dating, again
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Police raid popera singer Kim Ho-joong's house over hit-and-run suspicions
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What's next for the government's push in quota hike?
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Trump may like to 'solve' N. Korean nuclear problem if reelected: ex-official
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Woman falls to death from acquaintance's home after exhibiting ‘unexplained' behaviors
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N. Korea slams planned S. Korea-US military drills, warns of 'catastrophic aftermath'
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‘Malice should not undermine the system, social order,’ says Hybe's Bang
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N. Korea fires short-range ballistic missiles toward East Sea: JCS
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[Robert J. Fouser] Social attitudes toward language proficiency
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[Graphic News] How much do Korean adults read?
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Amnesty finds signs of N.K. gulag expansion
Satellite images of one of North Korea’s largest political prison camps suggests its inmate population is expanding, Amnesty International said Thursday in a report detailing rape and torture in the North’s notorious gulag.The report by the London-based rights watchdog included rare testimony from a former camp guard, as well as from former inmates about the brutality prevalent in the prison system.“For Amnesty International, which has been investigating human rights violations for the last 50 y
Dec. 8, 2013
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Soap operas tap N. Korean defectors for drama
South Korea’s massively popular soap operas are not known for embracing diversity, with gay or disabled characters only recently making inroads. But now a new minority type is emerging ― the sympathetic North Korean.Since the end of the 1950-53 war that sealed the division of the Korean peninsula, the perception of North Koreans in the South has been moulded by Cold War politics.Images of life north of the border have largely been limited to South Korean TV news broadcasts showing members of the
Dec. 8, 2013
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TV footage further hints at purge of N. Korean leader's uncle
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's powerful uncle was removed from a re-run of a documentary film aired on the country's main TV station Saturday, reinforcing speculation that he has been ousted from power.Earlier this week, Seoul's spy agency said Jang Song-thaek appears to have been removed from all of his party posts, with two of his close confidants being publicly executed in connection with the reported purge.In a documentary footage broadcast by the North's Korean Central Television Station
Dec. 8, 2013
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N.Korea deports US tourist and war vet
North Korea said Saturday it has deported an elderly U.S. tourist who was detained for more than a month, apparently ending the saga of Merrill Newman's return to the North six decades after he advised South Korean guerrillas still loathed by Pyongyang.North Korea made the decision because the 85-year-old Newman had apologized for his alleged crimes during the Korean War and because of his age and medical condition, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency.U.S. Vice President
Dec. 7, 2013
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Koreas unable to find middle ground on Gaeseong Internet connectivity
The two Koreas were unable to find middle ground in working-level talks Friday to set up Internet connectivity at the inter-Korean factory park in Gaeseong.The Ministry of Unification said representatives from the two sides met at the Gaeseong Industrial Complex in the North Korean border city of the same name and discussed various technical issues that must be resolved to make the special economic zone more accessible to businesses."The two sides touched on technical details but could not reach
Dec. 6, 2013
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N.Korea terrorizing populace for power
North Korea is exercising a “reign of terror” under the Kim Jong-un regime, and appears to be making preparations for a military provocation, lawmakers said Friday, citing information provided by National Intelligence Service chief Nam Jae-joon.At a press conference held following Nam’s briefing to the parliamentary Intelligence Committee, Rep. Jung Chung-rae of the main opposition Democratic Party and Rep. Cho Won-jin of the ruling Saenuri Party revealed that Pyongyang was exercising terror to
Dec. 6, 2013
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N. Korea seen expanding activity in Yongbyon nuclear site
North Korea seems to be notably expanding activities at its main nuclear complex in Yongbyon, a U.S. think tank said Thursday, based on analysis of new satellite imagery.The revelation adds to worries that the communist nation may be turning back to a provocation cycle after months of unanswered peace overtures towards Washington."Recent commercial satellite imagery shows that North Korea's Yongbyon nuclear center appears to be increasingly active. There are several signs of new and continued ac
Dec. 6, 2013
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Relatives of N. Korean leader‘s deposed uncle return home
BEIJING (Yonhap News) -- Relatives of Jang Song-thaek, the powerful uncle of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un believed to have been removed from all of his posts, returned home Thursday from Malaysia via China, multiple witnesses said. The wife and two 20-something sons of Jang Yong-chol, the North Korean ambassador to Malaysia and a nephew of the older Jang, were spotted before boarding an Air Koryo flight in China’s northeastern city of Shenyang, they said.The North Korean ambassador to Malaysi
Dec. 5, 2013
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Korea, U.S., Britain to hold drills in waters off Korean Peninsula
South Korea, the United States and Britain will jointly carry out previously planned naval drills in southern waters off the Korean Peninsula, military officials here said Thursday, amid an air defense zone dispute near the area. The two-day exercise, which is slated for Dec. 8-9, will mobilize South Korea‘s 7,600-ton Aegis destroyer, America’s 9,800-ton Aegis cruiser Shiloh and the Royal Navy‘s Daring-class 8,000-ton stealth destroyer, military authorities here said.Ahead of the drill, American
Dec. 5, 2013
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New loyalist group may emerge after Jang’s apparent dismissal
A new cadre of loyalists to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is expected to rise after Jang Song-thaek, Kim’s once-powerful uncle, and his associates apparently fell out of the ruler’s favor.The list of officials, who have recently accompanied the dynastic ruler during his on-site inspections, sheds light on those climbing up the political pecking order of the communist state.On Nov. 30, Kim led his high-level delegation to a provincial village of Samjiyon.The delegation included Kim Won-hong, th
Dec. 5, 2013
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Biden: U.S., China in 'real cooperation' to rein in N. Korea
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday that Washington and Beijing have forged "real cooperation"in reining in North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, while expressing concerns that Beijing's new air defense zone has caused "significant apprehension" in the region. Speaking at a meeting with business leaders in Beijing, Biden also reaffirmed that the U.S. will remain a diplomatic, economic and military power in the Asia-Pacific region because Washington "has a profound stake on what hap
Dec. 5, 2013
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Amnesty says signs N. Korea gulag expanding
Satellite images of one of North Korea's largest political prison camps suggests its inmate population is expanding, Amnesty International said Thursday in a report detailing rape and torture in the North's notorious gulag.The report by the London-based rights watchdog included rare testimony from a former camp guard, as well as from former inmates about the brutality prevalent in the prison system."For Amnesty International, which has been investigating human rights violations for the last 50 y
Dec. 5, 2013
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Rodman heading back to N.Korea to train basketball team
(AFP) -- Former NBA star Dennis Rodman, the new friend of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, will this month make a third visit to the reclusive state to train its basketball team, a source involved in the trip said Wednesday.The heavily tattooed former Chicago Bulls star is organising friendship exhibition games between North Korea and ex-NBA players in January."We're going back, most likely on December 18-21. Dennis is going to train the North Korean team and get them ready for the big match in
Dec. 4, 2013
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Purging of Jang’s associates continues: unification minister
Seoul’s Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae said Wednesday that North Korea is currently in the process of purging associates of Jang Song-thaek, the apparently ousted uncle of leader Kim Jong-un.During an emergency session of the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs and unification, Ryoo said the Seoul government knows Jang’s whereabouts and that his safety is not threatened for now. He added the apparent dismissal of Jang could impact the projects to construct special economic zones in th
Dec. 4, 2013
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Jang’s ouster raises prospect of shifts in N.K. power balance, foreign policy
The apparent ouster of Jang Song-thaek, a key guardian and uncle of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, has raised the prospect of shifts in the reclusive state’s power structure and external policies.Some analysts said that the dismissal of Jang, seen as a dovish reformist, could weaken moderate voices among the power elites and push the regime toward a tougher policy.“One possibility is that Jang was ousted in a power struggle between his faction, which favors change and cooperation with the outs
Dec. 4, 2013
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‘N.K. nurtures science prodigies as hackers’
North Korea is aggressively beefing up its cyber warfare capabilities by adding child prodigies to its 3,000-strong special hacker unit targeting South Korea and its allies, an expert said Tuesday, citing the testimonies of North Korean defectors. Pyongyang regularly screens math and science prodigies to train them to be cyber experts through state-led education programs at home and abroad, according to Steven Kim, a professor at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies. Kim said the selecte
Dec. 4, 2013
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Doubts linger over fate of Jang
A day after Seoul’s top intelligence agency talked of the possible purge of Jang Song-thaek, the powerful uncle of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, doubts still linger over his fate.Analysts argued that it would take more time to confirm his whereabouts. Some argued that Jang could be under temporary house arrest as part of a move to weaken his exalted status and centralize power for the dynastic ruler.“Rather than definitively purging Jang, I believe it was part of efforts by the North Korean l
Dec. 4, 2013
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Those who fell under Kim Jong-un
The apparent removal of Jang Song-thaek and his two lieutenants is the most extensive, but only the latest, purge of top officials as young leader Kim Jong-un tightens his grip on power. Jang, Kim’s uncle and vice chairman of the North’s National Defense Commission, was reportedly relieved of all political responsibilities. Ri Yong-ha and Jang Su-gil, senior officials suspected to be close to Jang, were executed last month according to South Korea’s National Intelligence Service. The two aides
Dec. 4, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Choe in spotlight after Jang's removal
The alleged removal of the North Korean leader’s powerful uncle Jang Song-thaek put the spotlight on Choe Ryong-hae, who is believed to be Jang’s rival and to control the country’s military. Choe is a vice marshal of North Korea’s military and the chief of the General Political Bureau, a powerful military organ under the direct control of the ruling Workers’ Party.Without Jang, Choe, a loyalist of the Kim dynasty, is considered to be in an unrivaled position, with his level of authority overshad
Dec. 4, 2013
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N. Korean media remains mute on Jang Song-thaek's dismissal: official
North Korea media have remained silent on speculations that its leader's uncle has been dismissed from power, Seoul's unification ministry said Wednesday."It is very likely that Jang Song-thaek has been sacked from all posts," said ministry spokeswoman Park Soo-jin. She, however, said that while there is precedence in regards to media outlets reporting on the dismissals and retirement of senior officials, nothing has been reported on Jang so far."We are keeping close tabs on the fact that no off
Dec. 4, 2013