Most Popular
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[H.eco Forum] H.eco Forum calls for transition to clean, carbon-free energy
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[Exclusive] LACMA admits it needs further research on donated Korean paintings
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Russia likely offering N. Korea technology aid to expand threats to US, others: Pentagon official
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[Bridge to Africa] Africa-Korea partnership: Why it matters for future
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[Herald Interview] Korean adoptees embark on journeys to find roots
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[Graphic News] Medical tourists visiting Korea reach record high
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‘Gimflation’ in S. Korea as dried seaweed prices grow on rising global demand
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Yoon to resume diplomatic activity via 3-way summit with Japan, China
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Revote on Marine probe bill to be held next week
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S. Korea's gender pay gap worst in OECD
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Police raise security for North Korean defector after assassination threat
Police have strengthened security for a North Korean defector who serves as a ranking official at a South Korean state-run think tank after the North ordered his assassination, a source said Friday.Since mid-January, police have beefed up the guard over Ko Young-hwan, vice president of the Institute for National Security Strategy, as North Korea is believed to have issued an order to kill him according to a source familiar with North Korean affairs.Ko defected to South Korea in 1991 after servin
Feb. 19, 2016
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South Korea questions North Korea's qualification as U.N. member
South Korea has officially questioned North Korea's qualification as a member of the United Nations during a U.N. meeting this week, citing Pyongyang's repeated violations of U.N. Security Council resolutions.South Korea's U.N. ambassador, Oh Joon, raised the question during a meeting Monday of the U.N. Security Council, saying the North pledged to accept and to uphold the purposes and principles of the U.N. as laid out in its charter when it joined the U.N. in 1991, together with South Korea."T
Feb. 19, 2016
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Russia expresses opposition to unilateral sanctions on North Korea
Russia reiterated its opposition Thursday to unilateral sanctions against North Korea, saying all but U.N. Security Council sanctions are illegal."Pressuring any countries by imposing unilateral sanctions on them for political purposes is illegal," Russian Foreign Ministry's official spokesperson Maria Zakharova said at a press briefing. "We recognize only sanctions imposed by UN Security Council." She was responding to a question from Yonhap News Agency about whether Russia is willing to suspen
Feb. 19, 2016
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Korea, U.S. agree to focus N.K. policies on pressure rather than dialogue
South Korea and the United States agreed Thursday to focus their North Korea policies on pressure rather than dialogue to make the communist regime understand it has nothing to gain from nuclear and missile development, an official said. The two sides reached the understanding when Cho Tae-yong, deputy chief of South Korea's presidential national security office, held talks with Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken to discuss strategies to deal with Pyongyang in the wake of its nuclear and m
Feb. 19, 2016
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Obama signs North Korea sanctions: White House
US President Barack Obama on Thursday signed off on new sanctions against North Korea to punish the reclusive Asian nation for its provocative recent nuclear test and rocket launch.The White House said Obama had signed measures passed by Congress, tightening sanctions on anyone importing goods or technology related to weapons of mass destruction into North Korea, or anyone who knowingly engaged in human rights abuses. "The administration is deeply concerned about North Korea's actions and their
Feb. 19, 2016
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[NEWS ANALYSIS] Park’s sudden shift on N.K. raises doubts
Concerns and skepticism persist over Seoul’s policy direction and future cross-border relations since President Park Geun-hye broke a taboo by warning of “regime collapse” in North Korea.During her parliamentary address Tuesday, Park in effect demanded North Korean leader Kim Jong-un make a choice: Abandon nuclear weapons or face the demise of the communist system. The recent pullout from the Gaeseong industrial park is only the “beginning” of “strong and effective” steps for a change to be take
Feb. 18, 2016
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Navy, Coast Guard hold joint training on defense against North Korean terror threats
The Navy held a joint exercise with the Coast Guard Thursday to counter potential terrorist attacks on the sea by North Korea, the Navy said Thursday.The Navy-led joint drill was held in the East Sea with the participation of nine warships and patrol vessels, including the Navy's 3,200-ton destroyer Gwanggaeto the Great and the 1,500-ton patrol ship Je-min from the Coast Guard.The Navy's UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter and a joint anti-terror team composed of Navy SEALs and the maritime police speci
Feb. 18, 2016
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North Korean threats call for closer defense ties
South Korea and Japan should bolster their defense ties in response to growing threats from North Korea, Japan's defense minister said, citing advances in the North's missile development.Japan believes North Korea's missiles could have a range of more than 10,000 kilometers, Gen Nakatani said, making them capable of striking targets in South Korea, Japan and the U.S. mainland."Assuming that a warhead weighs under 1 ton, we presume that it will be possible for (the missiles) to have a range excee
Feb. 18, 2016
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North Korea prepares for terror attacks on South Korea: intelligence unit
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered his military and intelligence agents to intensify preparations for terror attacks on South Korea, a ruling party lawmaker said Thursday, citing information from Seoul's state intelligence agency.The North's Reconnaissance General Bureau is preparing for such disruptive acts including cyber attacks on the South, Rep. Lee Chul-woo said after an urgent meeting between the ruling party and the government over North Korea.The bureau is tasked with intellige
Feb. 18, 2016
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$44 mln necessary to implement N.K. sanctions bill for 5 years
About $44 million would be needed for the next five years to implement a North Korea sanctions bill that Congress has overwhelmingly approved in response to Pyongyang's nuclear and missile tests, the Congressional Budget Office estimates.Of the total, $33 million is necessary to carry out provisions for radio broadcasting and other programs to improve access to information to North Koreans and humanitarian assistance to North Korean refugees, the office said in a cost estimate report.The other $
Feb. 18, 2016
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Obama will sign N.K. sanctions bill: White House
U.S. President Barack Obama will sign a North Korea sanctions bill that has passed Congress with overwhelming support, the White House reaffirmed Wednesday, saying the legislation will serve the administration's goal of increasing pressure on Pyongyang.The legislation (H.R.757) passed through the Senate and the House last week in a demonstration of bipartisan support for a tough response to the North's nuclear and missile tests that raised concern that Pyongyang is making progress in efforts to
Feb. 18, 2016
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Korea hopes to work with U.S. to force change in N.K.
South Korea wants to work closely with the United States to force a change in North Korea's behavior so as to curb its nuclear and missile development, a senior South Korean official said Wednesday.Cho Tae-yong, deputy chief of the presidential office of national security, made the remark upon arriving in Washington for talks with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken, underlining Seoul's push for greater pressure on Pyongyang. "The No. 1 goal of the Korea-U.S. collaboration should be on c
Feb. 18, 2016
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U.S. voices support for Park's 'principled, firm' approach to North Korea
The United States supports President Park Geun-hye's "principled and firm" approach toward North Korea, the State Department said Wednesday, after Park outlined a hard-line policy she would take on Pyongyang."We support President Park's principled and firm approach toward North Korea," State Department spokesman Katina Adams said. "Her decisions reflect growing concern in the region about North Korea's growing threat and flagrant disregard of multiple UN Security Council resolutions. We refer y
Feb. 18, 2016
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New U.S. bill hoped to teach North Korea a lesson: vice FM
South Korea's No. 2 diplomat expressed hope Wednesday that a new U.S. sanctions bill targeting North Korea will help teach Pyongyang that its provocations come at a price, the Foreign Ministry said.Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam made the remarks in a meeting with two U.S. Congress members -- Rep. Robert Wittman (R-Va) and Rep. Madeleine Bordallo (D-Guam) -- saying their visit as members of the House Armed Services Committee is very timely given the regional security landscape following North
Feb. 18, 2016
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South Korea's wages to N.K. workers not in violation of U.N.
South Korea's payment of wages to North Korean workers at a joint industrial park in the North was not in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions even if the money ended up going to the Pyongyang government, a former deputy chief of the South's spy agency said Wednesday.Jun Ok-hyun, who served as deputy chief of the National Intelligence Service during the 2008-2013 Lee Myung-bak administration, made the claim during a press conference at the National Assembly as some opposition politicia
Feb. 18, 2016
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Experts: North Korea's nuclear test may trigger volcanic eruption
A team of South Korean experts warned Wednesday that North Korean nuclear tests may trigger a volcanic eruption of Mount Baekdu, a North Korean mountain situated close to the test site.Hong Tae-kyung, a professor of seismology at Seoul's Yonsei University, said in a paper published in the Scientific Reports that strong ground motion can induce large dynamic stress changes. This may disturb the magma chamber of a volcano, thus accelerating volcanic activity."An underground nuclear explosion test
Feb. 18, 2016
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North Korea must pay 'necessary price' for nuke test, rocket launch: China FM
North Korea must pay a "necessary price" under a new U.N. resolution against the North's fourth nuclear test and launch of a long-range rocket this year, China's foreign minister said Wednesday. Speaking to reporters after talks with Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China supports a new U.N. resolution that makes North Korea "pay the necessary price."Wang described North Korea's nuclear test and rocket launch as "serious" violations of the existing
Feb. 17, 2016
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North Korean foreign minister to join U.N. meeting on human rights
North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Su-yong will attend a U.N. human rights meeting to open in Geneva later this month, an official of the organization said Wednesday.Ri plans to deliver a speech at the 31st session of the U.N. Human Rights Council on March 1, according to the official. The session is scheduled to begin on Feb. 29."North Korea has informed (us) that Ri will attend a high-level panel meeting," the official said.Ri participated in last year's session, during which he claimed that the
Feb. 17, 2016
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North Korean leader pays tribute to late father on anniversary
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has paid tribute to his late father as the country celebrated the 74th birthday of the former leader, the North's state media said Wednesday.The North's young leader visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun with his wife Ri Sol-ju on Tuesday to mark the birthday of Kim Jong-il, known as the Day of the Shining Star, according to the Korean Central News Agency.The mausoleum honors Kim Jong-il and Kim Il-sung, the founding leader of the North and grandfather of Kim Jon
Feb. 17, 2016
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ITU sends strong warning to North Korea for failing to provide satellite information
The International Telecommunciation Union has sent a warning to North Korea for failing to provide the frequency and other information about a satellite put into orbit in a widely condemned rocket launch, an official said.The U.N. agency sent a letter under the name of Radiocommunication Bureau Director Francois Rancy to the North's posts and telecommunications minister, Kim Kwang-chol, on Monday, saying it is "extremely concerned and alarmed" that Pyongyang has provided no information, ITU spok
Feb. 17, 2016