Most Popular
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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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Key suspects grilled over alleged abuse of power in Marine death inquiry
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S. Korean children, teens grow taller, mature faster than before: study
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Army takes group action against Hybe for neglecting BTS
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Marine Corps commander summoned by CIO for questioning on alleged influence-peddling case
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[Graphic News] Number of coffee franchises in S. Korea rises 13%
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Some junior doctors are returning: Health Ministry
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Ador CEO's request for exclusive right to terminate NewJeans' contract with Hybe refused in February
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Naver will consider company benefits in deciding on selling Line shares: CEO
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Woman dangling from power lines rescued by residents holding blanket
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N. Korea hit by extensive outbreak of bird flu
North Korea has experienced an outbreak of bird flu since last month, culling tens of thousands of poultry so far, its news agency said Wednesday.A chicken farm in the capital city of Pyongyang first reported symptoms of avian influenza (AI), known as the H5N1 virus, on March 21, and the virus has been spreading to other poultry farms, the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported, citing Director Ri Kyung-kun of its agricultural ministry."(We) are suffering from extensive economic dama
April 9, 2014
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Kim Jong-un reelected as head of N.K.'s most powerful body
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was reelected as first chairman of the country's most powerful National Defense Commission on Wednesday, the state news agency said, an expected move that could help further cement his grip on power.The election was made in the first session of the North's newly elected rubber-stamp parliament as all the deputies and participants in the session "broke into stormy cheers of 'hurrah!'" the Korean Central News Agency said.His election is "the great jubilee in the nat
April 9, 2014
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S. Korea's smartphone sales promising from global boom: analysts
South Korea's tech players will be able to boost their smartphone sales this year as they concentrate more on moderately priced models while global demand is likely to grow to a new high, local analysts said Wednesday."Samsung Electronics Co. is expected to sell 370 million units around the world in 2014," said Lee Seung-woo, an analyst at IBK Investment & Securities Co. "The number is above the 319 million units estimated a year earlier."Lee based the strong outlook on Samsung's strategy with i
April 9, 2014
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N. Korea to hold first session of new parliament
North Korea was to hold the first session of its newly elected rubber-stamp parliament on Wednesday, which analysts say could provide a glimpse into any change in the communist country's leadership.The North's state media has yet to report whether the inaugural session of the 13th Supreme People's Assembly elected early last month has begun.North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was elected to the legislature in uncontested nationwide elections along with 686 deputies, including those who were consider
April 9, 2014
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S. Korea OKs private humanitarian aid to N. Korea
South Korea allowed a civilian group Wednesday to provide humanitarian aid to North Korea, despite renewed tensions on the Korean Peninsula.A local private group named Seomgim, or the Devotion, was permitted to ship basic medical supplies worth 17 million won ($16,248) to maternity clinics in the North Hamgyong Province, according to Seoul's unification ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs.The latest approval brought the total amount of assistance by the South's private entities to its i
April 9, 2014
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U.S. says open to North Korea talks, cites Iran
The United States on Tuesday asked North Korea to look at Iran's example, saying it was willing to negotiate with a hostile nation when it is "serious" about its promises.Amid high tensions between North Korea and its neighbors, Deputy Secretary of State William Burns said that the United States remained firmly opposed to North Korea's nuclear weapons program but was open to diplomacy."We have consistently said we are willing to engage when countries show a credible and serious interest in abidi
April 9, 2014
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Water woes endanger N.K. reactor
North Korea may have temporarily shut down its plutonium reactor due to water supply problems that could pose risks of radiation exposure in case of a natural disaster or other major incidents, a U.S. think tank said Monday, adding to controversy over the nuclear complex’s safety. Recent satellite imagery indicated that the Yongbyon site in the country’s northwest appeared to have been struggling to ensure stable water supplies to its cooling systems in the aftermath of torrential rain and subse
April 8, 2014
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Seoul, Washington, Tokyo warn N. Korea against nuclear test
The chief negotiators of South Korea, the U.S. and Japan on North Korea’s nuclear weapons program agreed Tuesday to boost cooperation to discourage the communist state from engaging in further provocations amid growing concerns over the possibility of a fourth atomic blast. They gathered in Washington to discuss ways to ramp up their trilateral coordination as Pyongyang repeatedly threatened a “new form of nuclear test” to beef up its deterrence. Hwang Joon-kook, Seoul’s new special representati
April 8, 2014
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U.S. institute: Water woes endanger N. Korea reactor
North Korea may have temporarily shut down a plutonium reactor earlier this year as it wrestled with water supply problems that could threaten the safety of its nuclear complex, a U.S. research institute said Monday.The North restarted the 5-megawatt reactor at the Nyongbyon complex only last year, backtracking on a commitment of previous aid-for-disarmament negotiations and raising fresh alarm over its nuclear weapons program.A constant water supply from a nearby river is essential to cool the
April 8, 2014
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S. Korea, U.S., Japan issue joint warning to N. Korea
In a show of unity in dealing with North Korea, South Korea, the U.S. and Japan jointly warned the communist nation Monday not to take any more provocative steps."If North Korea goes ahead with another nuclear test, we, along with the international community, will make it pay the price for that," South Korea's top nuclear envoy Hwang Joon-kook told reporters in Washington, D.C. "North Korea's nuclear test would be a direct challenge to the international community, and a threat to peace and secu
April 8, 2014
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N.K. lashes out at Seoul for ballistic missile test
Pyongyang on Monday again lashed out at Seoul for its recent test of a new ballistic missile capable of hitting anywhere in North Korea, threatening retaliation against what it said was a “grave provocation.” South Korea’s Defense Ministry said last week that the March 23 test-firing was successful and the missile has a range of 500 kilometers and a payload of 1 ton. “If a U.S. missile or the South Korean puppet forces’ missile falls on any part of the DPRK (North Korea), we will pound all the s
April 7, 2014
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N.K. TV considers broadcasting BBC shows
North Korea is reportedly considering whether to air BBC programs on its tightly controlled state TV after months of negotiations with the British government. North Korean authorities have selected three BBC shows ― science-fiction series “Dr. Who,” “Top Gear,” a show about motor vehicles, and preschool children’s show “Teletubbies” ― that the state is willing to consider showing its people, the Independent in the U.K. reported Sunday. The decision came after the BBC took the initiative last yea
April 7, 2014
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Pyongyang intensifies verbal attacks against Park
The level of North Korea’s slanderous remarks against South Korean President Park Geun-hye has far exceeded most people’s expectations. It is quite common for North Korea to publicly run defamatory comments against South Korean leaders. But the language has become extremely libelous and sexist, as she was described as an “ignorant bitch” and an “unchaste political prostitute.” Breaking its promise to stop slandering one another in February, the authoritarian state’s verbal attacks were resumed a
April 7, 2014
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N. Korea expanding prison camps
Pyongyang is reportedly expanding its prison camps to accommodate the increasing number of what it calls political criminals, further deepening concerns over human rights abuses in the reclusive state.Japan’s Sankei Shimbun reported Monday that there had been moves in the North to expand Camp 16 in Hwasong, North Hamgyong Province; Camp 25 in Chongjin of the same province; and Camp 18 in Bukchang, South Pyongan Province.The North appears to be expanding the existing prisons or constructing new f
April 7, 2014
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Park calls for preparedness for N. Korean provocations
President Park Geun-hye said Monday that South Korea should be prepared to immediately repel any North Korean provocations, stressing it is an ominous sign that the communist nation has fired missiles and strengthened reconnaissance with drones.In a weekly meeting with senior aides, Park also ordered officials to come up with measures to close the holes in South Korea's air defense that were revealed in the wake of findings that a series of North Korean drones flew undetected over the South on s
April 7, 2014
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S. Korea adamant against lifting sanctions on North
South Korea is not considering lifting its four-year-old sanctions against North Korea, Seoul's unification ministry said Monday, maintaining its stance that the North should first admit to its deadly torpedo attack against the South's warship.In the wake of the sinking of the South's Cheonan warship near the Yellow Sea border with the North on March 26, 2010, which claimed the lives of 46 South Korean sailors, the Seoul government imposed a set of sanctions against Pyongyang on May 24 that year
April 7, 2014
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N. Korea slams South for test-firing ballistic missile
North Korea blasted South Korea Monday for test-firing a ballistic missile capable of reaching all parts of the communist country, threatening strong retaliation against any provocation.Late last month, South Korea successfully tested the ballistic missile with a range of 500 kilometers and a payload of 1 ton at a firing range southwest of Seoul, which hit the intended target.Calling the March 23 test launch a "grave provocation," the North's Academy of the National Defense Science said that Pyo
April 7, 2014
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U.S. to send 2 missile destroyers to Japan
TOKYO (AP) ― U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel delivered a two-pronged warning to Asia Pacific nations Sunday, announcing that the U.S. will send two additional ballistic missile destroyers to Japan to counter the North Korean threat, and saying China must better respect its neighbors.In unusually forceful remarks about China, Hagel drew a direct line between Russia’s takeover of Ukraine’s Crimea region and the ongoing territorial disputes between China, Japan and others over remote islands in
April 6, 2014
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S. Korea returns three rescued N. Korean sailors, two bodies
South Korea handed over three rescued North Korean sailors and two bodies to the North on Sunday, an official said.The repatriation took place at the truce village of Panmunjom inside a military buffer zone that separates the two Koreas, according to the government official.The move came two days after the North asked for the repatriation of its surviving crew members and the bodies of the dead through a dialogue channel at Panmunjom.On Friday, a Mongolian-flagged cargo ship sank some 63 kilomet
April 6, 2014
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S. Korea finds suspected third N. Korean drone
South Korea found a suspected third North Korean drone on a mountain on the east coast, officials said Sunday, in what could be the latest in a series of border incursions by North Korea's spy drones.South Korean soldiers found the crashed drone in the middle of a mountain in Samcheok, 290 kilometers east of Seoul, on Sunday after three local residents informed the military that they had seen a crashed unmanned drone in the mountain in October, the defense ministry officials said.The residents t
April 6, 2014