UNITED NATIONS (AFP) ― The U.N. General Assembly on Monday condemned human rights abuses in North Korea but U.N. leader Ban Ki-moon vowed to maintain international aid for the country after the death of Kim Jong-il. The 193-nation assembly passed the condemnation of the North by 123 votes to 16, with 51 abstentions. It was a record vote in favor but China, a key ally of the north, was among coun...

South Korea may have to reconsider its cross-border cooperation budget strategy following the sudden death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, sources said Tuesday. The reassessment is necessary because Seoul is financially unprepared to handle sudden developments in the North that could require the injection of substantial funds, according to the sources. In 2011, the government set aside a li...

Anti-Pyongyang activists in South Korea said Tuesday they would float leaflets denouncing North Korea’s late leader Kim Jong-Il across the tense border. The North Korean defectors and other activists will on Wednesday launch balloons carrying 200,000 leaflets lambasting the ruling Kim dynasty, Park Sang-hak, one of their leaders, told AFP. Park and others have regularly sent leaflets calling fo...

South Korea will reconsider plans to light Christmas decorations along the border owing to the recent developments in North Korea, Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin said Tuesday. Speaking to the National Assembly’s defense committee, Kim said that the ministry plans to “reconsider the plans as they are not suitable for the current situation,” referring to the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il...

North Korea's decision to not welcome foreign delegations to the funeral of former leader Kim Jong-il has some analysts in South Korea speculating about instability in the North, with the abrupt death of Kim heightening the uncertainty surrounding his untested heir-apparent. North Korea declared a 13-day mourning period through Dec. 29 from the day of Kim's death on Saturday, while stating it wi...

PARIS (AP) _ A French neurosurgeon confirmed Monday that Kim Jong Il had a debilitating stroke in 2008, and described secretly treating the reclusive dictator while the North Korean public and world remained unaware of his condition. Dr. Francois-Xavier Roux _ speaking to The Associated Press on Monday _ described Kim's concerns for his future, the challenge of working under constant surveillanc...

North Korea test fired a short-range missile on the east coast hours before the death of its leader Kim Jong-il was announced on Monday. According to local news reports, the South Korean government confirmed that North Korea conducted a missile test around 8 a.m. The number and type of missile fired was not confirmed. The exercise, however, is thought to be unrelated to the death of Kim Jong-il...

WASHINGTON (AP) ― The Obama administration is warily watching developments on the Korean peninsula after the death of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-il and may postpone decisions on re-engaging the reclusive country in nuclear talks and providing it with food aid, U.S. officials said Sunday. The administration had been expected to decide on both issues this week, possibly as early as Monday, but ...

SYDNEY (AFP) ― Australia on Monday said it was critical governments exercised calm and restraint after the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, while urging Pyongyang to engage with the global community. The North’s state media, in a shock announcement, reported Monday that the 69-year-old Kim died of a heart attack Saturday while on board a train during one of his field trips. Australian ...

PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) ― North Korea on Monday urged its 24 million people to rally behind 20-something heir-apparent Kim Jong-un as the nation mourned the death of supreme leader Kim Jong-il. South Korea, meanwhile, put its military on high alert, while people in the streets of Pyongyang broke into tears as they learned the news that Kim had died at the age 69 of heart failure. The United ...

North Korea and the United States are highly likely to delay bilateral nuclear talks set for this week in Beijing, following the report of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s death, a senior Seoul official said Monday. “In the wake of the North Korean leader Kim’s death, it would be difficult for the two sides to hold the talks in Beijing this week,” the official at Seoul’s foreign ministry said o...