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Court refuses injunction on medical school expansion
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S. Korea, Cambodia forge strategic partnership
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Jimin of BTS, actor Song Da-eun suspected to be dating, again
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Police raid popera singer Kim Ho-joong's house over hit-and-run suspicions
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[KH Explains] Hyundai-backed Motional’s struggles deepen as Tesla eyes August robotaxi debut
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Trump may like to 'solve' N. Korean nuclear problem if reelected: ex-official
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What's next for the government's push in quota hike?
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U.N. to open N. Korea rights office in Seoul
The U.N. plans to open a field office in Seoul next Tuesday to systematically monitor North Korea’s human rights situation, ratcheting up pressure on Pyongyang to end its deeply rooted inhumane practices.The U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights will establish the office in line with the recommendation by its Commission of Inquiry in February 2014 to take measures, including instituting the field structure, to address Pyongyang’s human rights violations.The office, with five to s
June 19, 2015
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Chinese ambassador vows farm cooperation with drought-hit N. Korea
The Chinese ambassador to North Korea, Li Jinjun, has vowed to forge agricultural cooperation with the reclusive North, which said it was hit by its worst drought in a century. Li made the remarks during his recent visit to a crop field jointly run by the two nations, according to a statement posted on the Chinese Embassy in Pyongyang and dated on June 5. The statement did not give details of how severe the drought in North Korea was, other than saying that the drought would make the "situation
June 19, 2015
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N. Korea claims to have developed panacea for MERS
North Korea said Friday it has developed an injection that is highly effective in preventing and curing the MERS virus and other contagious diseases. But doubts have arisen over the credibility of its claim given its poor health care system.North Korea's Pugang Pharmaceutic Co. has developed "Kumdang-2," made of extracts from ginseng with the injection of rare earth elements, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency."As a strong immune-activator, the injection has been recogn
June 19, 2015
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Drought in N. Korea not yet catastrophe: U.S. expert
The drought now gripping North Korea is not yet a "catastrophe," a U.S. agricultural expert said Thursday, suggesting the communist nation may be exaggerating the situation.The North's official Korean Central News Agency said earlier this week that the "worst drought in 100 years" is "causing great damage" to the country, adding that about 30 percent of rice paddies across the country are "parching up."The report came days after the South's unification ministry forecast last week that the North'
June 19, 2015
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N. Korea world's 29th most fragile state: annual index
North Korea is the world's 29th most fragile state, according to an annual index assessing the stability of countries around the world.North Korea recorded 83.8 points in the 2015 Fragile State Index compiled by the nonprofit organization Fund for Peace and announced by Foreign Policy magazine Thursday. The index assesses stability in 12 areas, including political and security stability.Higher scores mean a more fragile state.North Korea was in 26th place in 2013 and 2014.South Sudan topped this
June 19, 2015
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China says 'no information' on possible talks with N. Korean FM
China said Thursday it had "no information" about a possible meeting between North Korea's foreign minister and Chinese officials, shortly after the North Korean minister was spotted at the Beijing airport. North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Su-yong arrived at the Beijing airport earlier in the day, with the North's Korean Central News Agency reporting that he will visit some African countries.The Chinese capital of Beijing serves as a de facto gateway for North Korean diplomats who travel worldwi
June 18, 2015
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S. Korea sends 5 N. Korean fishermen back home
South Korea sent home five North Korean fishermen Thursday who were rescued while drifting on a vessel in waters off its east coast, the Unification Ministry said.On Tuesday, South Korea's Coast Guard rescued the North Koreans on a ship that was drifting near the island of Ulleung in the East Sea. They were allowed to head back to the North after fixing a broken engine, but they were again rescued on Wednesday morning as they were found drifting in South Korean waters.The ministry said that on h
June 18, 2015
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U.N. office on N. Korean human rights set to open in Seoul
The United Nations human rights agency opened Twitter and Facebook accounts Thursday for its envisioned field office in Seoul to monitor the North Korean situation."Hello world! We are the United Nations Human Rights Office (Seoul). Our office will be launched very soon," read its Facebook message. "We will be doing a lot of work on monitoring and documentation of the human rights situation in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea."A Twitter post also said the new office will open soon but d
June 18, 2015
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N. Korea holds first meeting of reconnoitering officers
North Korea held its first conference of military officers handling reconnoitering affairs, Pyongyang's media said Thursday, a move seen as part of efforts to beef up the secretive nation's spy and counterintelligence capabilities at home and abroad.Leader Kim Jong-un had a photo session with participants in the Reconnoitering Officers' Conference of the Korean People's Army.Kim praised them for their dedication to "the most difficult and dangerous" front, according to the Korean Central News Ag
June 18, 2015
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U.S. has no plan to provide food aid to N. Korea amid report of record drought
The United States said Wednesday it has no plans to provide food aid to North Korea amid concern food shortages in the impoverished communist nation could significantly worsen due to what the country calls the worst drought in a century.The North's official Korean Central News Agency said earlier this week that the "worst drought in 100 years" is "causing great damage" to the country, adding that about 30 percent of rice paddies across the country are "parching up."The report came days after the
June 18, 2015
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N.K. nuclear reactor running at low levels or not at all: 38 North
North Korea appears to be running its main plutonium-producing nuclear reactor either at low levels or not at all while constructing a new building next to a still-incomplete light water reactor, a U.S. think tank said Wednesday.Satellite imagery from May 24 showed no signs of steam or hot water discharge from the 5-megawatt reactor at the North's Yongbyon nuclear complex, according to the website 38 North, run by the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies
June 18, 2015
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N.K. sends 2 S. Korean tourists home
North Korea on Wednesday sent back two South Koreans it accused of illegally entering the country, calling the decision “humanitarian” and warning against a recurrence. The 59-year-old man surnamed Lee and 51-year-old woman surnamed Chin were transferred to South Korean authorities at the border village of Panmunjeom at around 10:15 a.m., the Unification Ministry said. “The government plans to check their health conditions and look into the exact account of their entry into North Korea,” ministr
June 17, 2015
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S. Korea to send rescued 5 N. Korean fishermen back home
South Korea plans to return home five North Korean fishermen this week who have been rescued while drifting on a vessel in the East Sea, the Unification Ministry said Wednesday.On Tuesday morning, South Korea's Coast Guard rescued the North Koreans on a ship that was drifting near the eastern island of Ulleung. They headed back to the North after fixing a broken engine, but they were again rescued on Wednesday morning as they were found drifting in South Korean waters.As the fishermen aboard the
June 17, 2015
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JCS chairman orders full readiness against N.K. provocations
South Korea's top military officer called Wednesday for a watertight readiness against possible provocations by North Korea, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.The JCS chairman, Adm. Choi Yun-hee, made the remarks while visiting a front-line Army unit in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province, two days after a North Korean soldier defected to the South after crossing the military demarcation line in the region."It is necessary to make every effort to maintain full readiness by effectively managing guard troops
June 17, 2015
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N. Korea violates western sea border 4 times in June
North Korea has crossed the inter-Korean western maritime border four times this month alone, raising tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Wednesday.Patrol boats of the communist country violated the Northern Limit Line, the de facto inter-Korean sea border in the Yellow Sea, three times last week, and once on Tuesday, according to the JCS data presented to Rep. Song Young-geun of the ruling Saenuri Party."On last Thursday and yesterday, the North Korean vessels retre
June 17, 2015
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N. Korea set to send 2 S. Koreans back home
North Korea said Wednesday it repatriated two South Koreans who allegedly sneaked into the communist nation last month during their trip to China, citing humanitarian grounds.The Korean Central News Agency said that it sent a 59-year-old man, surnamed Lee, and a 51-year-old woman, surnamed Jin, back to the South earlier in the day via the truce village of Panmunjom, which sits on the inter-Korean border.The KCNA said they should be handled by the North's law, but the North decided to send them b
June 17, 2015
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N. Korean soldier makes weeklong journey to reach S. Korea
The teenage North Korean soldier who defected to South Korea this week left his barracks earlier this month and finally crossed the border after a week-long journey, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday.On Monday, the 19-year-old lowest-ranking North Korean enlistee defected to the South through the border in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province, 118 kilometers northeast of Seoul. He told investigators that he made the decision after suffering from chronic assaults in the military."He went AWOL on J
June 16, 2015
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N. Korean leader watches nighttime naval firing drill
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un observed a nighttime firing drill by navy warships and ground artillery sub-units, the North's media said Tuesday, amid its offer for talks with South Korea.The young leader was "pleased" to watch the artillery and warships mercilessly hit their targets, according to the Korean Central News Agency.It said that Kim arrived at an observation post at around 3:00 a.m., but it did not specify the date.The KCNA said that "various types of ground artillery pieces, includ
June 16, 2015
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China appoints new deputy envoy to N. Korea nuclear talks
China has appointed its ambassador to Hungary as the new deputy envoy to the six-party talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear program, a diplomatic source said Tuesday.Xiao Qian, the Chinese ambassador to Hungary, is set to succeed Xu Bu, the Chinese deputy envoy to the long-stalled six-nation talks, who has been named as China's ambassador to Indonesia, the source said on the condition of anonymity.The replacement comes as numerous diplomatic efforts to resume the nuclear talks with North
June 16, 2015
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U.S. envoy for N.K. human rights to travel to Geneva, Brussels
The U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights issues is on a visit to Geneva and Brussels this week for consultations with the United Nations and the European Union, the State Department said Monday.Amb. Robert King was in Geneva on Monday and is scheduled to visit Brussels on Tuesday to attend a policy coordination meeting on the North Korean human rights issue, according to the department and diplomatic sources in Washington.King is scheduled to return home on Thursday.The issue of huma
June 16, 2015