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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N. Korea may be preparing for another missile test: experts
After months of a peace offensive, North Korea may be gearing up for another missile launch, U.S. experts said Monday.They note the return of Pak To-chun, a top North Korean official in charge of missile and nuclear development, to a public scene.Pak, communist party secretary overseeing the munitions industry, had been unusually absent from major reported events since May. His disappearance raised speculation that he might have been purged or demoted due to possible technical glitches in the na
Sept. 24, 2013
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N. Korea tests long-range rocket engine: U.S. think-tank
New satellite images suggest North Korea tested a long-range rocket engine last month, a U.S. research institute said Monday.While the exact engine type could not be identified, possibilities included the second stage of the Unha-3 Space Launch Vehicle or the second- or third-stage engine of a much larger rocket under development, the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University posted on its 38 North website.Analysis of before and after satellite photos indicated the test had taken place so
Sept. 23, 2013
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Seoul urges Pyongyang to carry out family reunions
South Korea on Monday urged the North to change course and cooperate to hold the reunions of separated families that had been scheduled for this week but were abruptly called off by Pyongyang last weekend. The Unification Ministry also said the North’s decision effectively nullified Seoul’s proposal for talks on Oct. 2 on resuming tours to Mount Geumgangsan. “North Korea should come forward to accept the family reunions as quickly as possible so that the families’ pain and wounds are healed,” mi
Sept. 23, 2013
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Family reunions snub sours reconciliatory mood
Pyongyang on Saturday dampened the emerging mood for inter-Korean reconciliation as it unilaterally postponed the cross-border reunions of separated families slated for this week.In a strongly worded statement, Seoul called the delay “inhumane” and upbraided the North for putting off the reunions ― slated for Sept. 25-30 at Mount Geumgangsan ― for political reasons. It also warned of a “stern” response. The North in return blamed conservatives in the South for fomenting confrontation and further
Sept. 22, 2013
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[Newsmaker] ‘Time is not on our side’
Thousands of families were torn apart at the end of the Korean War (1950-1953) and their pain persists as the remaining members anxiously write the final chapters of their lives, still hoping to see their loved ones again. Of the 129,035 people originally registered in South Korea’s separated-family database since August 1988, 56,544 have passed away while most of the surviving 72,491 are in their 70s, 80s or 90s.The two Koreas have held 18 family reunions for the survivors since 2000, enabling
Sept. 22, 2013
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N.K.’s nuclear envoys return home from China
BEIJING (Yonhap News) ― North Korea’s veteran nuclear negotiator, Kim Kye-gwan, and his aides returned to Pyongyang on Friday after a five-day visit to Beijing, where he urged for the resumption of the six-party talks “without preconditions.” Kim and his aides, including Ri Yong-ho, the North’s chief delegate to the long-stalled talks aimed at ending Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions, left for Pyongyang via an Air Koryo flight at around noon. Upon arrival at the Beijing airport, they did not give an
Sept. 22, 2013
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‘N. Korea possess W6,986tr worth of mineral resources’
North Korea possesses roughly 6,986 trillion won ($6.4 trillion) worth of untapped mineral resources, a report by a ruling party lawmaker claimed Thursday.The findings released by Rep. Kim Eul-dong’s office and based on data provided by the National Assembly Research Service showed the communist country having some 20 types of economically viable resources.The total is roughly 22 times greater than the estimated 319 trillion won worth of minerals buried in South Korea, the Saenuri lawmaker said.
Sept. 22, 2013
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S. Koreans visiting N.K. total more than 2,800 in July
The number of South Koreans making cross-border trips to North Korea reached more than 2,800 in July from zero a month earlier as Pyongyang allowed businessmen to travel to a jointly-run industrial complex, government data showed Saturday.A total of 2,814 South Koreans visited the North in July, according to data from the Unification Ministry. All of them traveled to the industrial complex in the North’s border city of Gaeseong, the data showed.Those visits were made possible as Pyongyang allowe
Sept. 22, 2013
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U.N. probe exposes N.K. rights abuses
GENEVA (AFP) ― A U.N.-mandated investigator has spotlighted “unspeakable atrocities” in North Korea’s political prison camps, citing survivors who saw babies drowned, had relatives killed before their eyes, and lived on vermin.Michael Kirby said last Tuesday he aimed to draw up a list of violators within the regime after hearing testimony from North Koreans who had escaped Pyongyang’s clutches. “Testimony heard thus far points to widespread and serious violations in all areas,” said Kirby, who s
Sept. 22, 2013
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Study backs U.S., China zones in collapsed N.K.
WASHINGTON (AFP) ― The U.S. should consider negotiating a separation line with China in a collapsed North Korea, a study said Thursday, warning of catastrophic consequences if Kim Jong-un’s regime suddenly falls.The report by Rand Corp., a prominent U.S. research institute, said that the crumbling of the totalitarian state could trigger a new, severe famine as well as a human rights crisis in a country that holds hundreds of thousands of prisoners.The United States and its ally South Korea would
Sept. 22, 2013
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N. Korea blames South for postponement of family reunions
North Korea on Sunday blamed South Korea's confrontational policy for its abrupt decision to postpone the scheduled family reunions, further clouding the prospects for the highly anticipated event.The latest response comes one day after Pyongyang unilaterally put off the reunions of family members separated by the Korean War six decades ago, just four days before the planned event. Both sides had exchanged the final lists of about 200 candidates to be reunited at the North's mountain resort of K
Sept. 22, 2013
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Seoul says Pyongyang has nothing to gain abusing reunions as political tool
Seoul denounced North Korea’s decision to postpone the cross-border family reunions as “inhumane” on Saturday and warned that Pyongyang had nothing to gain by using the event as a political tool. On Saturday North Korea announced that the family reunions, scheduled to be held at North's mountain resort of Kumgang from Sept. 25-30, are being postponed accusing Seoul of creating an atmosphere of contention. Pyongyang also postponed the planned negotiations with the South, slated for Oct. 2, on how
Sept. 21, 2013
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China: N. Korea ready to make nuclear commitment
WASHINGTON (AP) – China's foreign minister pushed Friday for the restart of international talks on North Korea's nuclear program, saying that Pyongyang is ready to recommit to the goal of denuclearization.North Korea withdrew from the aid-for-disarmament talks in 2009, and over the past year has made clear it wants to be treated as a nuclear weapons state.But Foreign Minister Wang Yi told a Washington think tank the North has recently said it is ready to come back to a 2005 commitment on giving
Sept. 21, 2013
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N. Korea abruptly postpones family reunions with S. Korea
North Korea said Saturday it is postponing the planned reunions for families separated for six decades since the Korean War, accusing the South of seeking confrontation with the communist nation.The two Koreas have prepared to hold a round of family reunions at the North's scenic mountain resort of Kumgang from Sept. 25-30, in one of a series of signs of a thaw in relations between the two sides, along with the reopening of a joint industrial complex in the North.On Saturday, however, the North'
Sept. 21, 2013
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Report: N. Korea's collapse possible any time
WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) – The collapse of North Korea could occur abruptly and with little warning like that of East Germany, a U.S. think tank report said Friday."It is more a matter of 'when' that 'if' it will occur," said the 295-page report by Bruce Bennett, a senior defense analyst at RAND, a nonprofit research organization.South Korea and the United States need to craft detailed contingency plans in case of the communist regime's collapse, which would be far more disastrous than the fall
Sept. 21, 2013
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N. Korea's nuclear envoys return home from China
North Korea's veteran nuclear negotiator, Kim Kye-gwan, and his aides returned to Pyongyang on Friday after a five-day visit to Beijing, where he urged for the resumption of the six-party talks "without preconditions." Kim and his aides, including Ri Yong-ho, the North's chief delegate to the long-stalled talks aimed at ending Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions, left for Pyongyang via an Air Koryo flight at around noon. Upon arrival at the Beijing airport, they did not give any remarks. This w
Sept. 20, 2013
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S. Korean firms to discuss inter-Korean biz resumption next week
A civic group comprised of local companies doing business with the North are discussing ways to resume their inter-Korean business suspended for more than three years since May 2010 in a meeting with the unification vice minister next week, it said Friday."The companies plan to call for being allowed to visit the North to inspect their facilities and the permission to bring imports from the country such as sand, which have been previously paid for, into the South," said an official of the group.
Sept. 20, 2013
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Chinese FM 'confident' of deal with U.S. on N. Korea
In a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, China's top diplomat expressed confidence Thursday that the two global powers will produce a fresh deal associated with efforts to resume multilateral denuclearization talks with North Korea. Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed the need for reviving the six-way negotiations, also involving South Korea, Japan and Russia, in the interest of regional peace and stability. "I believe it is an important time for the six parties to review the past,
Sept. 20, 2013
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5 N. Korean workers died early this year in Russia: source
Five North Korean workers died from suffocation while sleeping with a diesel heater on early this year in Russia, a source familiar with the matter said Friday. "North Korean workers in Russia usually live in old apartments built during the Soviet Union days or underground shelters," the source said, adding their working conditions are very severe. Most North Korean workers dispatched abroad are forced to live in places with no heating and cooling facilities near their workplaces, it said.
Sept. 20, 2013
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S. Korean advance party heads to N. Korea ahead of family reunions
A group of South Korean Red Cross officials crossed the border into North Korea Friday to arrange accommodations for South Korean families who are scheduled to meet with their relatives in the North next week. The advance party of about a dozen Red Cross officials entered North Korea via the border office on the east coast and headed to the venue of the temporary family reunions at the Mount Kumgang resort. The reunions, scheduled for Sept. 25-30, are expected to bring together more than
Sept. 20, 2013