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Opposition-led Assembly unilaterally passes bill to probe Marine's death
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Seoul alerts overseas missions to NK terror threats
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Questions and answers on N. Korea's nuclear program
North Korea carried out an apparent nuclear test Tuesday, its third, despite numerous appeals and warnings to desist.Here are some questions and answers about the country's nuclear weapons program, which has grown over the decades despite ever-tighter UN sanctions:Q. Is North Korea a nuclear weapons state?A. No, or at least not yet. It conducted confirmed nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009. Both were believed to be fairly crude plutonium devices with relatively low yields, and the 2006 test was wide
Feb. 12, 2013
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Seoul citizens show concern over N. Korea's nuclear test
South Korean civic groups and citizens expressed grave concern over the nuclear test by North Korea on Tuesday, urging the Seoul government to deal more sternly with the communist neighbor."North Korea should be held responsible for bringing about extreme tension in Northeast Asia," Kim Sam-soo, an official at the Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice, said.Kim also stressed that the incoming Seoul government should continuously urge Pyongyang to abide by all U.N. Security Council resolutions
Feb. 12, 2013
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Seoul decries blast, discusses countermeasures with allies
The South Korean government entered emergency mode by stepping up the security alert level and fully activating diplomatic channels to discuss countermeasures following North Korea’s defiant nuclear test Tuesday.Outgoing and incoming presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye met at 3 p.m. in Cheong Wa Dae for discussion upon Pyongyang’s nuclear test in Kilju County despite vehement warnings by the international community.“It is deemed that the North is attempting to raise anxiety among our gove
Feb. 12, 2013
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Obama rebukes North Korea over test
U.S. President Barack Obama said Tuesday that North Korea's "provocative" nuclear test did not make it more secure and called for "swift" and "credible" international action in response.Obama also vowed in a written statement that Washington would remain vigilant in the face of the underground detonation by the Stalinist state and steadfast in its defense commitments to its allies in Asia."These provocations do not make North Korea more secure," Obama said."Far from achieving its stated goal of
Feb. 12, 2013
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Latest nuclear blast seen as weaker than expected
The power of the device used in North Korea’s third nuclear test fell short of expectations based on Pyongyang’s earlier statements, fueling concerns for further tests.“If it was a high-standard test North Korea claimed, it should have been more than 10 kilotons, but it fell short of that mark. It is lower even than the explosive power (Seoul) has been estimating” an anonymous military official was quoted as by local news agency. The high-standard test refers to Pyongyang’s Jan. 24 threat of con
Feb. 12, 2013
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Seoul faces calls for stronger deterrence against N.K. threat
Calls are growing for South Korea to map out a more effective, stronger deterrence strategy against North Korea after it carried out a third nuclear test on Tuesday in defiance of international warnings.Military strategists argue Seoul should devise a fresh military approach to fend off the threat such as developing its nuclear deterrence capability and strategic, asymmetrical weapons systems including special operations forces and stealth combat aircraft.But others say Seoul should maintain its
Feb. 12, 2013
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U.N. Council to hold emergency talks on N. Korea nuclear test
The UN Security Council ordered emergency talks Tuesday on North Korea's nuclear weapon test, which UN leader Ban Ki-moon condemned as a "deeply destabilizing" provocation.The isolated North Korean government ignored a "strong warning" from its close ally China against staging the test, a UN diplomat said.The 15-nation council, which called closed talks for 9:00 am New York time (1400 GMT), passed a resolution last month threatening "significant action" against Pyongyang in the event of a new nu
Feb. 12, 2013
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North Korea conducts 3rd nuclear test
North Korea on Tuesday conducted a third nuclear test, more powerful than the previous, in its northeast village of Punggye-ri, triggering international condemnation and warnings of tougher sanctions. The Seoul government said the explosive power of the test was around 6-7 kilotons -- stronger than its two previous tests but far weaker than the “Little Boy” atomic bomb the U.S. dropped in Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945.The North’s nuclear explosions in 2006 and in 2009 were 1 kiloton and around 2-6 k
Feb. 12, 2013
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Chronology of major events surrounding N. Korean
The following is a chronology of major events leading to North Korea's third underground nuclear test on Tuesday.▲2006July 4: North Korea test-fires at least six missiles, including a long-range Taepodong-2, despite a chorus of international warnings.July 5: North Korea test-fires a seventh missile, despite international condemnation of its earlier launches.July 17: The U.N. Security Council unanimously votes to impose sanctions on North Korea over the missile tests. The resolution bans U.N. mem
Feb. 12, 2013
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S. Korea condemns N.K. nuclear test as violation of U.N. resolutions
South Korea condemned North Korea's third nuclear test as a violation of U.N. resolutions, an "unacceptable threat" to peace and stability in the region and a "head-on challenge" to the international community.The government also warned that Pyongyang will be seriously held accountable for its defiance in an official statement issued after President Lee Myung-bak held an emergency meeting of the National Security Council. Lee was also to meet with President-elect Park Geun-hye to discuss the sec
Feb. 12, 2013
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N. Korea test seen as setback to new U.S. approach
North Korea's third nuclear test looks likely to set back any new diplomatic drive from the United States, which had seen glimmers of hope with the new cast of leaders in the region.The renewed crisis comes just as all three key regional players -- China, Japan and South Korea -- go through transitions to leaders who in varying ways have hinted they are seeking new ways to handle the regional pariah.U.S. President Barack Obama has made engagement a key priority in his foreign policy, but had lar
Feb. 12, 2013
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163 South Korean workers in the North confirmed safe
South Koreans who reside in the Gaeseong Industrial Complex in North Korea were confirmed to be safe amid growing tension in the wake of North Korea’s third nuclear test Tuesday. “No unusual situation has been found in the district yet after the North’s nuclear test,“ an official from the Ministry of Unification said. Currently, 163 South Koreans are said to be staying in the Gaeseong industrial area as many of the residing workers came back home to spend the Lunar New Year holiday with their fa
Feb. 12, 2013
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S. Korea, U.S. agree to 'swift, unified' U.N. action over N. Korea's nuke test
South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan telephoned U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday and they agreed to take "swift and unified" action at the U.N. Security Council over North Korea's third nuclear test, Seoul's foreign ministry said Tuesday. North Korea's state media confirmed that it has successfully carried out a third nuclear test, using a miniaturized device that yielded a greater explosive force than previous tests. South Korea condemned the test as a violation of U.N. Secu
Feb. 12, 2013
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China warned N. Korea against blast: envoy
North Korea ignored a "strong warning" from China against staging its suspected nuclear weapon test, a UN diplomat said, as the Security Council planned emergency crisis talks for Tuesday.The 15-nation council warned the North in a resolution passed last month that it would take "significant" action in the event of a new test or missile launch, and the body has called an emergency session for 9:00 am (1400 GMT).The United States and South Korea, the council president for February, had both calle
Feb. 12, 2013
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Seoul calls meetings to gauge market impact of suspected nuke test
South Korea's economic policymakers beefed up their market monitoring and held emergency meetings on Tuesday to gauge the impact of a suspected nuclear test by North Korea.Authorities detected an unusually powerful seismic tremor near the North's nuclear site in its northeast shortly before noon Tuesday. Experts believe that it could be a sign that the North has conducted its third nuclear test in defiance of repeated international warnings.The news sent economic policymakers rushing to convene
Feb. 12, 2013
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N.Korea blast 'roughly congruent' with earlier tests: CTBTO
North Korea's blast was similar to previous nuclear tests, the Vienna-based monitoring agency CTBTO said early Tuesday, slamming it as a potential threat to international security."The event shows explosion-like characteristics and its location is roughly congruent with the 2006 and 2009 DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) nuclear tests," agency chief Tibor Toth said in a statement. "For now, further data and analysis are necessary to establish what kind of event this is," he added."If
Feb. 12, 2013
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S. Korean FM telephones Kerry about N. Korea's apparent nuke test
South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan telephoned U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday and agreed "close cooperation" over North Korea's apparent nuclear test, a Seoul diplomat said. "Minister Kim and Secretary of State Kerry discussed measures over the North's possible nuclear test and agreed to closely work together," the diplomat said on the condition of anonymity. Kim is in New York to preside over the U.N. Security Council's open debate. (Yonhap News)
Feb. 12, 2013
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North Korea nuke test could test China's patience
North Korea's apparent nuclear test Tuesday could bring China's growing frustration with Pyongyang to a head.Beijing signaled its unhappiness earlier by agreeing to tightened U.N. sanctions after North Korea launched a rocket in December, surprising China watchers with its unusually tough line, which prompted harsh criticism from Pyongyang. And while China isn't expected to abandon its communist neighbor, it appears to be reassessing ties a year after new North Korean leader Kim Jong Un took off
Feb. 12, 2013
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N.K. has conducted 3rd nuke test
South Korean government and authorities confirmed Tuesday that North Korea conducted a third nuclear test in its northeastern village of Punggye-ri in the morning in defiance of international warnings against it. South Korea seismologists detected an artificial earthquake with a magnitude of between 4.5 and 5.0 at around 11:57 a.m.“In close cooperation with the U.S., South Korea has been closely watching the possibility of its third nuclear test, and based on our analysis of various materials,
Feb. 12, 2013
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N. Korea apparent test yield at 6-7 kilotons: South
North Korea's apparent nuclear test on Tuesday had an explosive yield of between six and seven kilotons, South Korea's defence ministry said, revising its earlier estimate of 10 kilotons or more.Ministry spokesman Kim Min-Seok said seismic monitors had detected a tremor with a 4.9 magnitude emanating from the North's nuclear test site."Converting that, we calculate a yield of 6.0-7.0 kilotons," he said.Kim had earlier put the yield at 10 kilotons or more, signalling "enormous destructive power."
Feb. 12, 2013