Most Popular
-
1
Opposition-led Assembly unilaterally passes bill to probe Marine's death
-
2
Golden chance to liquidate babies’ gold rings?
-
3
Inflation eases in April, continues bumpy ride
-
4
Russia sent more than 165,000 barrels of refined petroleum to N. Korea in March: White House
-
5
Seoul to more than double military drones by 2026 to counter NK threats
-
6
Key suspects grilled over alleged abuse of power in Marine death inquiry
-
7
Seoul alerts overseas missions to NK terror threats
-
8
Over 60% of S. Koreans support W100m childbirth incentive: survey
-
9
‘Inside Out 2’ adds four new emotions, explores teenage life
-
10
Questions raised over fair promotion of RM, NewJeans
-
N. Korea claims it caught S. Korean spy
SEOUL, Nov. 7 (Yonhap) -- North Korea on Thursday claimed it caught a South Korean spy who sneaked into the country.A spokesman from the North's National Security Agency said in a statement that the agency had captured a member of the South's National Intelligence Service (NIS) and was carrying out interrogations.The announcement was carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).The spokesman said the "unknown person" was discovered entering Pyongyang, the North's capital.The official said th
Nov. 7, 2013
-
China calls for 'wisdom' to resume N. Korea nuclear talks
Nations involved in the long-stalled nuclear talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear weapons program should use their "wisdom" to restart the multilateral forum at an early date, China's foreign ministry said Thursday.Ministry spokesman Hong Lei made the remarks as China is accelerating its diplomatic efforts to breathe new life into the six-nation talks that have been dormant since late 2008. China's chief nuclear envoy, Wu Dawei, is in Pyongyang to discuss ways to resume the talks, Hong sa
Nov. 7, 2013
-
N. Korea‘s NLL economic zone separate from 14 special biz zones: official
A special economic zone that North Korea reportedly wants to set up near the western sea border with South Korea seems to be unrelated to Pyongyang’s original plan to create 14 special business zones, a Seoul official said Thursday.The Asahi Shimbun reported Wednesday that the North seeks to establish beaches, golf courses and hotels in Kangryong County near the so-called Northern Limited Line (NLL) in an effort to lure foreign investors that may include South Korean companies. The unification m
Nov. 7, 2013
-
N. Korea to open embassy in Spain: media report
North Korea is expected to open an embassy in Spain, a media report said Thursday.According to a report by Radio Free Asia, Madrid's foreign ministry recently gave North Korea the green light to set up a diplomatic mission there.The embassy will be set up at the Aravaca ward in the capital city, with Pyongyang already having signed a lease for the space, the Washington-based broadcaster said, citing local sources.North Korea established diplomatic relations with Spain in 2001.In recent months, P
Nov. 7, 2013
-
HRNK, Holocaust museum in joint work against N. Korean prison camps
A U.S. human rights group has teamed up with a Holocaust museum in efforts to call attention to North Korea's human rights abuses.The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK) said Wednesday it would hold a forum, titled "The Heart of Darkness:North Korea's Hidden Gulag," at the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center later in the day. Among the participants will be Amb. Robert King, U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights, it added.The Washington-based HRNK and the museum i
Nov. 7, 2013
-
Korea, U.S., Japan cautious on China’s N.K. talks offer
Top South Korean, U.S. and Japanese nuclear envoys met here on Wednesday to discuss appropriate conditions for restarting the six-way talks with North Korea, apparently in response to China’s aggressive diplomatic efforts.Glyn Davies, U.S. special representative for North Korea policy, hosted the trilateral session with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts ― Cho Tae-yong and Junichi Ihara.The three sides reaffirmed that denuclearization should be the No. 1 agenda item if the negotiations a
Nov. 7, 2013
-
N. Korea accuses S. Korea president of 'moral vulgarity'
North Korea accused South Korean President Park Geun-hye of "moral vulgarity" Wednesday after she suggested she was ready to hold a summit with its leader Kim Jong-un at any time.The North's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea accused Park of talking about a summit with Kim while making provocative remarks against Pyongyang."Park's remark about 'summit talks' does not deserve even a passing note and is just a last resort to tide over the political crisis inside and outside," the st
Nov. 6, 2013
-
China’s offer not enough to resume nuke talks: Seoul official
WASHINGTON, (Yonhap News) ― China’s new offer for conditions to restart the six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear program is “forward-looking” but it still falls far short of South Korean and U.S. expectations, a senior South Korean official said Tuesday.As it stands, chances are low that the negotiations will resume at an early date, as relevant parties will have to continue consultations, the official told reporters on background.“We take a positive view of China’s efforts to create conditi
Nov. 6, 2013
-
N.K. provocation possible: Seoul Army chief
South Korean Army chief said Wednesday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is likely to launch provocations to take a strategic initiative in the stagnant inter-Korean relations, calling for measures to counter the potential threat.“There is a very high chance of provocation by North Korea‘s Kim Jong-un regime to turn the tide and take the lead in the inter-Korean relations,” Gen. Kwon Oh-sung said in a speech to a military forum held in Seoul. “The South Korean Army should prepare for the pres
Nov. 6, 2013
-
Stanford medical school to help N.K. doctors treat TB
The Stanford University School of Medicine plans to send a team of doctors and healthcare providers to North Korea this month to help the country diagnose and treat tuberculosis, a media report said Wednesday.The team will arrive in the North next Tuesday and plans to stay for two weeks to pass on know-how on how to combat TB to local doctors and nurses, Radio Free Asia said. North Korea reportedly has a large number of people suffering from TB, with the disease being closely associated with pov
Nov. 6, 2013
-
U.N. rapporteur on N.K. human rights to visit S. Korea
The United Nations’ special rapporteur on North Korea’s alleged human rights violations will visit South Korea next week as part of his investigation efforts, a Seoul official said Wednesday.Marzuki Darusman will fly to Seoul late next week, the foreign ministry official said, without specifying the date of the U.N. official’s arrival.“This is his annual visit aimed at reviewing his report (on North Korean human rights conditions) to be submitted to the U.N. Human Rights Council next March.” Dur
Nov. 6, 2013
-
N. Korea denies explosion report, blames Seoul for fueling unrest
North Korea on Wednesday denied South Korean media reports that there was an explosion at a military arms factory, accusing Seoul of spreading lies to fuel unrest in the communist country.In an article carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Pyongyang dismissed as groundless reports about an explosion in North Pyongan Province and a fire breaking out on a train carrying equipment for the country's armed forces in Ryanggang Province.The North news wire service said reports by conservati
Nov. 6, 2013
-
N.K. progressing on ICBM to strike U.S.: think tank
North Korea is making progress on an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of delivering a first-generation nuclear warhead to the continental United States, a leading U.S. think-tank said Tuesday.The closely followed 38 North website of the Johns Hopkins University’s U.S.-Korea Institute argued that ICBM mock-ups seen at recent military parades in Pyongyang were “less fake” than originally believed.Numerous experts had widely ridiculed the models of the North’s road-mobile KN-08 ICBM seen
Nov. 5, 2013
-
2 S. Korean firms withdraw from inter-Korean factory park
Two South Korean companies with factories at the inter-Korean factory park in Gaeseong have decided to close operations in the face of unfavorable business conditions, sources said Tuesday.The unification ministry and corporate insiders said a textile manufacturer and an electronic parts producer opted to close their factories at the Gaeseong Industrial Complex and signed contracts to sell off their assets.Another company is also close to inking a deal to sell off its holdings in the face of mou
Nov. 5, 2013
-
N. Korea-China trade up 4.4 pct in Jan.-Sept. despite sanctions
North Korea's trade with China gained 4.4 percent from a year ago in the first nine months of this year, new data showed Tuesday, raising questions about the effectiveness of sanctions put in place to punish the North for conducting its third nuclear test earlier this year.Trade volume rose to US$4.69 billion between January and September from $4.49 billion for the same period last year, according to the data released by the China Customs Information Center. The data, seen by Yonhap News Agency,
Nov. 5, 2013
-
S. Korean, U.S. envoys 'fine-tune' conditions for talks with N. Korea
Amid growing media speculation that the resumption of nuclear talks with North Korea may be in the offing, top South Korean and U.S. officials had a four-hour meeting here Monday aimed at "fine-tuning" a strategy on North Korea demanding dialogue without pre-conditions attached. Cho Tae-yong, Seoul's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security, said he had "very productive and useful" discussions with his American counterpart Glyn Davies."We reaffirmed that our line of thinkin
Nov. 5, 2013
-
Hopes rising for restart of six-party talks
Hopes are growing for a restart of six-nation negotiations to denuclearize North Korea as the South, the U.S. and China strive to close the gap over the preconditions for what would be the first gathering in nearly five years. Cho Tae-yong, Seoul’s special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, is in Washington for talks with his U.S. counterpart Glyn Davies, special representative for North Korea policy. His five-day stay includes a trilateral consultation with Junichi
Nov. 4, 2013
-
N. Korea slams Seoul's trust-building policy
North Korea lambasted South Korea Monday for pursuing an inter-Korean trust-building policy that it claims will only fuel tensions on the Korean Peninsula.An article carried by the Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the ruling Workers' Party of (North) Korea, said the Korean Peninsula trust-building process is a plot to spark confrontation between different political systems and is based solely on hostile intent.The North has opposed all forms of political unity and said unification should be achieved w
Nov. 4, 2013
-
Park's office cautions against speculation into remarks on summit with N. Korea
The office of South Korean President Park Geun-hye cautioned Sunday against reading too much into her remark that she is willing to hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at any time, saying it was an unspecific and general statement.Park had made the remark in an interview with the French daily Le Figaro published Saturday. She said Seoul is ready to help the North and she can meet with the North's young leader if it is necessary for moving inter-Korean relations forward and promoti
Nov. 3, 2013
-
Seoul moves to break impasse in inter-Korean relations
Seoul is seen moving to break the impasse in the inter-Korean relationship with various options in mind, including a bilateral summit and the lifting of its ban on economic exchanges with Pyongyang.Its prolonged stalemate with the communist state has begun to raise questions over the efficacy of President Park Geun-hye’s “peninsular trust-building process,” a dialogue-based initiative to enhance ties with the North based on robust deterrence.In an interview with the French daily Le Figaro publis
Nov. 3, 2013