Most Popular
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Opposition-led Assembly unilaterally passes bill to probe Marine's death
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Golden chance to liquidate babies’ gold rings?
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Inflation eases in April, continues bumpy ride
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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 to more than double military drones by 2026 to counter NK threats
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Seoul alerts overseas missions to NK terror threats
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Key suspects grilled over alleged abuse of power in Marine death inquiry
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Over 60% of S. Koreans support W100m childbirth incentive: survey
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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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More signs of imminent nuclear test detected in N. Korea: source
(Yonhap) -- Increased activity has been spotted at a tunnel of North Korea's main underground nuclear site, a government source here said Saturday, the latest indication the communist state is preparing to conduct a third test. "At a tunnel in the southern part of the test site in Punggye-ri, we've found that work presumed to be part of preparations for a nuclear test has entered its final stage," said a government source in Seoul on condition of anonymity. It is the most recent in a series
Feb. 2, 2013
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U.N. secretary-general urges stern measures against N. Korean nuclear test
NEW YORK (Yonhap) -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday called for swift, stern measures against North Korea if the communist nation conducts its third nuclear test in further violation of U.N. sanctions. The call came at a meeting with Ambassador Kim Sook, chief of the South Korean mission to the United Nations who assumed the month-long chairmanship of the U.N. Security Council on Friday. "The role of the Security Council has become ever important," Ban told the South Korean d
Feb. 2, 2013
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N. Korea appeals for military volunteers
North Korea is urging its youth to voluntarily join the military en masse in an apparent effort to unite its people ahead of what appeared to be an imminent atomic test, according to media reports from the reclusive country.Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper, carried an article on Thursday featuring a university architecture student who suspended his studies to join the military in a bid to help defend his country from outside threats.The same article also reported that a group of middle
Feb. 1, 2013
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N.K. blasts U.S. for staying silent on Japan’s spy satellites
North Korea criticized the United States for staying silent about the recent launch of two spy satellites by Japan, which it claimed showed the double standard employed by the superpower on international affairs.The Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, said Washington has consistently been at the forefront of penalizing countries that have tried to thwart its ambitions to dominate the world.It said, on the other hand, the U.S. turns a blind eye to actions taken by its a
Feb. 1, 2013
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Pentagon nominee calls N.K. ‘real nuclear power’
Chuck Hagel, the U.S. defense chief nominee, on Thursday called North Korea a “real nuclear power,” stressing the importance of bolstering security alliances with South Korea, Japan and other partners to handle the provocative state.During his confirmation hearing at the Senate Armed Services Committee, the decorated Vietnam War veteran expressed his views on America’s domestic and international security challenges including nuclear conundrums posed by Pyongyang and Tehran. “North Korea is beyon
Feb. 1, 2013
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U.S. sub, cruiser arrive in S. Korea
A U.S. Navy nuclear-powered submarine and Aegis-equipped cruiser have arrived in South Korea in what appears to be a show of force against North Korea pushing for a third nuclear test despite international criticism.The USS San Francisco, a 6,927-ton Los Angeles-class submarine, and USS Shiloh, a 9,800-ton guided-missile cruiser, are now in Jinhae, South Gyeongsang Province, and Busan, respectively. The top-of-the-line vessels will participate in the allies’ antisubmarine drills next week, offic
Feb. 1, 2013
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N. Korea covers nuclear site to evade monitoring: source
North Korea has covered the entrance to one of the tunnels at an underground nuclear site in an apparent effort to avoid satellite monitoring as the communist nation makes final preparations for an imminent nuclear test, intelligence sources said Friday. The latest move comes as South Korea and the United States are mobilizing intelligence assets, including spy satellites, to detect early signs of a third atomic test in Punggye-ri in the North's northeastern tip. The sprawling nuclear test site
Feb. 1, 2013
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N.K. leader’s uncle appears to enjoy exalted status
In recent TV scenes and photos, Jang Song-thaek, the uncle of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, has appeared laidback and inattentive when the dynastic ruler is nearby, in what observers say highlights his recently emboldened status.Broadcast by the North’s Korean Central Television Tuesday, some scenes of the ruling Workers’ Party’s high-level meeting show Jang fidgety and bored during Kim’s speech while other participants sat upright respectfully.“The scenes speak volumes about how much clout h
Jan. 31, 2013
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Seoul warns N.K. of ‘grave consequences’
Seoul is considering pushing for tougher sanctions against Pyongyang in tandem with the U.S., China and Japan, officials said Thursday, warning of “grave consequences” for its possible third nuclear test.A senior Seoul official said “all possible options will be on the table,” but remained reluctant to touch on a military option, stressing that consultation with the concerned countries was under way. President Lee Myung-bak instructed Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin to ensure the top readiness pos
Jan. 31, 2013
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S. Korea warns N. Korea will face 'grave consequences' in case of nuclear test
South Korea warned North Korea on Thursday that the communist nation will face "grave consequences" if it conducts a nuclear test, increasing pressure on Pyongyang to call off the test plan amid growing concern.The warning came after President Lee Myung-bak held a meeting with top security ministers."If North Korea misjudges the situation and pushes ahead with a provocation again, it will cause very grave consequences," presidential spokesman Park Jeong-ha said. "The government urges North Korea
Jan. 31, 2013
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S. Korea calls for 'intolerable' sanctions against N. Korea's nuke ambition
"Intolerable" sanctions are the best way to convince North Korea to give up its nuclear ambitions, South Korea's presidential national security adviser said Wednesday, amid threats by the communist country to conduct its third nuclear test. "The best way to break a nuclear illusion of North Korea is to increase the degree of consequences from the international community to a level that the North is intolerable any more," Chun Yung-woo told a security forum in Seoul. Chun said that the worl
Jan. 30, 2013
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Military launches task force to cope with N. Korea nuclear test
The South Korean military has launched a crisis management task force to step up monitoring on North Korea’s nuclear site as the communist state is preparing for a third nuclear test, the defense ministry said Tuesday. “South Korea and the United States have stepped up monitoring to cope with a nuclear test as well as other provocations,”ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said during a briefing. “The Joint Chiefs of Staff have been operating a small-sized crisis management task force.”The defense m
Jan. 29, 2013
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Google unveils detailed N.K. map with gulags
Weeks after its chairman Eric Schmidt’s secretive visit to North Korea, Google has rolled out a detailed map of the isolated state that even labels some of its remote and infamous gulags.Until now North Korea was pretty much a blank canvas to users of Google’s “Map Maker,” which creates maps from data that is provided by the public and fact-checked in a similar process to that used by Wikipedia.“For a long time, one of the largest places with limited map data has been North Korea. But today we a
Jan. 29, 2013
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A turning point in the N.K. human rights issue
With a global consensus slowly emerging, calls are growing for an independent inquiry mechanism to carry out an in-depth investigation into egregious human rights violations committed by North Korea. In his confirmation hearing last week, U.S. Sen. John Kerry emphasized the need for “speaking out for the prisoners of gulags in North Korea.” North Korea imprisons an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 people in its sprawling political prison camps. As shown in the testimonies of survivors and defectors,
Jan. 29, 2013
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S. Korea maintaining careful watch to detect signs of N. Korean nuke test
South Korea is maintaining a 24-hour watch to detect the first signs of North Korea conducting another underground nuclear test, official sources said Tuesday.Sources at the state-run Korea Institute of Geoscience & Mineral Resources said a situation room has been set up at its National Data Center in Daejeon that can receive and process seismic information and relay it immediately to government authorities.“Our job is to detect the blast and figure out its location and size,” said Chi Heon-cheo
Jan. 29, 2013
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North Korea likely to conduct multiple uranium boom tests
As North Korea threatens to conduct a “high-level” nuclear test, speculation has been raised over its method, type, intensity and venue, as well as how far its military nuclear technology has come.Seoul officials and experts say Pyongyang may conduct an underground test using highly enriched uranium. The first two tests in 2006 and 2009 used plutonium-based fissile material.They largely concur that the explosive power of a future test will be greater than the past ones given that the communist s
Jan. 29, 2013
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N. Korea threatens 'merciless' retaliation on South
North Korea on Tuesday vowed "merciless" retaliation against the South for its support of U.N. sanctions, as Seoul urged Pyongyang to step back from a widely expected nuclear test.The perennially tense situation on the Korean peninsula has been stretched to its limit in the past week, with almost daily threats from the North that it is preparing to conduct a nuclear test as a riposte to the expanded sanctions.A lengthy commentary published Tuesday by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA
Jan. 29, 2013
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U.S. envoy urges North Korea to scrap nuke test plan
TOKYO (AP) -- A U.S. envoy said Monday that North Korea is playing a dangerous game with the international community by threatening a nuclear test and urged the communist nation to scrap its plan.Glyn Davies, U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Policy, urged Pyongyang to return to its international obligations in abandoning its nuclear programs."We find North Korea that seems bent on playing a game of risk. This is very dangerous," he told reporters after meeting with his Japanese count
Jan. 28, 2013
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U.S. detainee accused of plotting to kill N.K. leadership: Namkung
A U.S. citizen detained in North Korea that former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson sought to bring home during his recent visit is accused of plotting to topple the regime and assassinating the leadership, a member of his delegation told The Korea Herald. Kun “Tony” Namkung, a North Korea expert known for longstanding ties with Pyongyang, arranged and took part in the trip by Richardson and Google Inc. executive chairman Eric Schmidt from Jan. 7-10. The much-trumpeted mission was partly aime
Jan. 28, 2013
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U.S., China need candid consultations over N. Korea: experts
As tensions on the Korean Peninsula soar amid the North's military threats, U.S. experts are calling for full-fledged consultations between Washington and Beijing on ways to deal with Pyongyang.They emphasize that major dialogue between the superpowers, also involving South Korea, is necessary not only to prevent another conflict on the peninsula but also to prepare for possible emergencies in the North."If Washington and Beijing fail to coordinate and communicate, we could face the possibility
Jan. 28, 2013