Most Popular
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Opposition-led Assembly unilaterally passes bill to probe Marine's death
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Inflation eases in April, continues bumpy ride
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Golden chance to liquidate babies’ gold rings?
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Seoul to more than double military drones by 2026 to counter NK threats
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Russia sent more than 165,000 barrels of refined petroleum to N. Korea in March: White House
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Seoul alerts overseas missions to NK terror threats
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Over 60% of S. Koreans support W100m childbirth incentive: survey
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Key suspects grilled over alleged abuse of power in Marine death inquiry
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‘Inside Out 2’ adds four new emotions, explores teenage life
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Questions raised over fair promotion of RM, NewJeans
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Gaeseong committee secretariat opens for business
South and North Korea on Monday opened a joint body to coordinate in preventing another work stoppage at an inter-Korean factory zone that opened a fortnight ago after a five-month hiatus, the unification ministry said. The permanent secretariat in the North Korean border town of Gaeseong, staffed by both South and North Korean government officials, will assist the joint management committee tasked with running the business park, the ministry said.This newly established steering committee gives
Sept. 30, 2013
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Seoul, Washington reaffirm goal of nuke-free North Korea
Top diplomats from Seoul and Washington reaffirmed their goal of denuclearizing North Korea Friday amid reports that Pyongyang is reactivating its atomic weapons programs while offering to resume long-stalled disarmament-for-aid negotiations. South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se met with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly to discuss bilateral ties, Pyongyang’s nuclear program, the Syrian crisis and other regional and global issues. They concurr
Sept. 29, 2013
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Court finds man not guilty of paying respect to N.K. founder
An appeals court has lowered the sentence for a South Korean man charged with making an unauthorized visit to North Korea after finding him not guilty of paying his respect to late North Korean founder Kim Il-sung, a court official said Sunday.The defendant, identified only by his surname Cho, 54, made the visit to the North via Germany, Japan and China in 1995, and attended a series of events, including paying homage at Pyongyang’s Kumsusan Palace, where the embalmed body of the country’s found
Sept. 29, 2013
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Panama slaps $1 million fine on North Korean ship
COLON, Panama (AFP) ― The Panama Canal Authority announced Thursday that it slapped a $1 million fine on a North Korean cargo ship caught with an undeclared shipment of Cuban weapons in July.The canal administrator, Jorge Quijano, said the ship was sanctioned because “it put our canal and our people at risk to a certain point.”The fine was delivered to the freighter’s captain and owners, he said, adding that the boat is barred from unmooring until they pay at least two-thirds of the penalty, or
Sept. 29, 2013
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U.S., China warn tough N.K. sanctions must be kept up
NEW YORK (AFP) ― The United States and China on Thursday agreed to keep up a tough sanctions regime on North Korea amid warnings that the reclusive nation is still managing to pursue its nuclear program, a U.S. official said.“Sanctions efforts in general were explicitly discussed” in talks between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, the senior State Department official said.“Notwithstanding any sweet sounding comments that foreign diplomats may think they’ve h
Sept. 29, 2013
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Russian expert urges Koreas to move forward with trilateral railway
BEIJING (Yonhap News) ― South and North Korea need to revitalize a long-discussed project with Russia to link railways across the three nations to keep the momentum of easing inter-Korean tensions, a Russian expert said Friday, days after Moscow reopened a rail track with Pyongyang. Discussions for the project to connect the Trans-Siberian Railway with the Trans-Korean Railway have been under way for more than a decade, but they were dragged on at snail’s pace due mainly to North Korea’s provoca
Sept. 29, 2013
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No sign North Korea is serious about dialogue: U.S. officials
WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― The Obama administration puts a “significant priority” on the North Korean nuclear problem and the communist nation has not shown any signs that it is serious about denuclearization talks, top U.S. officials said Friday.Daniel Russel, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, said Pyongyang is trying to “have its cake and eat it, too.”The communist nation appears to be seeking economic support from the West but it also wants to be allowed to reta
Sept. 29, 2013
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N. Korea again condemns S. Korea's shooting on defection-seeker
North Korea again condemned South Korea Saturday for shooting to death a defection-seeker earlier this month, asking the international community to pass its own judgement on the case.On Sept. 16, a 47-year-old South Korean man was shot dead by South Korean soldiers while trying to swim across a border river in an attempt to defect to North Korea. The man had disobeyed an order to return, South Korean officials said.For the second time in less than a week, North Korea, through its Red Cross socie
Sept. 29, 2013
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Seoul willing to help Pyongyang if denuclearized: FM
The Park Geun-hye administration of South Korea is willing to help North Korea should it avert its course of nuclear weapons development, Seoul's top diplomat said Friday, addressing a U.N. General Assembly meeting. "If the DPRK (North Korea) decides to give up its so-called parallel pursuit of economic development and nuclear armament, and in turn embarks on a path of genuine change through concrete actions, the Republic of Korea (South Korea) stands ready to help North Korea," Foreign Minister
Sept. 29, 2013
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China urges S. Korea to resume nuclear talks with N. Korea
BEIJING-- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged his South Korean counterpart to reopen long-stalled multilateral nuclear talks with North Korea, state media said Saturday. Wang made the appeal at a bilateral meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, China's Xinhua news agency reported. After conducting its third nuclear test earlier this year, North Korea has expressed its willingness to return to the six-party tal
Sept. 28, 2013
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U.S., China warn tough N. Korea sanctions must be kept up
The United States and China on Thursday agreed to keep up a tough sanctions regime on North Korea amid warnings that the reclusive nation is still managing to pursue its nuclear program, a U.S. official said."Sanctions efforts in general were explicitly discussed" in talks between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, the senior State Department official said."Notwithstanding any sweet sounding comments that foreign diplomats may think they've heard from the Nor
Sept. 27, 2013
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Pyongyang denounces S. Korea's killing of man trying to defect to N. Korea
North Korea lashed out at South Korea on Thursday for shooting and killing a man earlier this month who tried to defect to the communist nation. The South Korean man, 47, identified by his surname Nam, was shot dead on Sept. 16 while trying to swim across a border river to North Korea after ignoring warnings from border guards to turn back. Officials said the guards acted in accordance with guidelines. The North's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea denounced the killing. "The (S
Sept. 26, 2013
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N.K. strives for attention amid budding thaw between U.S., Iran
As the U.S. and Iran inch toward reconciliation, North Korea, another rogue nuclear aspirant, is vying for Washington’s attention in hopes of escaping from isolation and ease international sanctions.Pyongyang has recently stepped up its peace offensive, expressing its willingness to negotiate with the U.S. and resume the long-stalled six-party talks on its nuclear programs.But its overture, backed by its sole ally China, has been given the cold shoulder by the U.S. Washington remains skeptical a
Sept. 26, 2013
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Koreas end talks without agreement on treatment for South Korean workers in Gaeseong
South and North Korea ended working-level talks inconclusively Thursday after failing to resolve differences on how to protect the rights of South Korean workers at the inter-Korean factory park in Gaeseong, an official said. The meeting at the Gaeseong complex touched on issues related to legal and administrative matters governing the treatment of South Koreans when they are detained for breaking laws while working at the zone. "Discussions will take time because a lot of legal problems ar
Sept. 26, 2013
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N. Korea ‘close to miniaturizing nuclear warhead’
North Korea may be one test shy of developing a technology to miniaturize a nuclear warhead small enough to fit on its long-range ballistic missile, a nuclear policy researcher said Wednesday. “In the last (third) nuclear test, they could not finish the task of miniaturization ... but if they have a chance for more nuclear tests, maybe one more, they would be able to have small and more reliable device for their missile,” Li Bin, a nuclear policy expert at the Carnegie Endowment for Internationa
Sept. 25, 2013
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N. Korea postpones Gaesong complex communications, travel sub-panel talks
North Korea on Wednesday postponed scheduled talks to enhance communications links and ease access to and from the inter-Korean factory park in Gaesong.The Ministry of Unification in Seoul said Pyongyang called for a delay of the sub-panel meeting without giving a reason or setting up an alternate date. The meeting was set to take place at the Gaesong Industrial Complex on Thursday. Issues on communications links include building infrastructure, allowing Internet access to factories at the North
Sept. 25, 2013
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S. Korea to prioritize trust-building to lay foundation for unification
South Korea has reviewed a five-year plan for fostering inter-Korean trust-building and sustainable relations that can achieve small breakthroughs critical for laying the foundation for eventual reunification down the line, the government said Wednesday. The plan, which defines the Park Geun-hye administration's policy towards Pyongyang, focuses on trust and "a small form of unification" as its two main objectives, the Ministry of Unification said.Trust is critical for the two Koreas to expand e
Sept. 25, 2013
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N. Korea may learn to miniaturize nuclear warhead for ICBMs in few tests: researcher
North Korea may be one test shy of developing a technology to miniaturize a nuclear warhead small enough to fit on its long-range ballistic missile, a nuclear policy researcher said Wednesday."In the last (third) nuclear test, they could not finish the task of miniaturization ... but if they have a chance for more nuclear tests, maybe one more, they would be able to have small and more reliable device for their missile," Li Bin, a nuclear policy expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International
Sept. 25, 2013
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China lists items banned from export to N.K.
BEIJING (AP) ― China has tightened restrictions on North Korea by issuing a long list of weapons-related technology and materials banned from export to its neighbor, reflecting Beijing’s desire to get Pyongyang to recommit to scrapping its nuclear programs and rejoining disarmament talks.The list of forbidden items posted by the Chinese Commerce Ministry on its website Tuesday includes those with both civilian and military applications in the nuclear, ballistic, chemical and biological fields. T
Sept. 24, 2013
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North Korea can likely build key nuke parts: U.S. experts
North Korean scientists are able to build crucial equipment for uranium-based nuclear bombs on their own, cutting the need for imports that had been one of the few ways outsiders could monitor the country’s secretive atomic work, according to evidence gathered by two American experts.The experts say material published in North Korean scientific publications and news media shows that Pyongyang is mastering domestic production of essential components for the gas centrifuges needed to make such bom
Sept. 24, 2013