Most Popular
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Jennie, Stray Kids's Met Gala attendance puts them on 'digital guillotine' blacklist
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Korean industries gauge impact of Biden's steep tariffs on China
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Do Korean doctors make too much money?
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Controversy brews over shakeup of prosecutors amid probe of first lady
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Another suspect behind murder of Korean tourist in Pattaya arrested in Cambodia
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S. Korea to inject $70m into AI-powered public education
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Is FTC's conglomerate listing a boon or bane for Hybe?
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NewJeans to headline palace show
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Coupang's Kim Bom escapes chaebol chief designation again
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Rare mid-May heavy snow warning issued over mountainous areas of Gangwon
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N. Korea has already taken steps toward fielding KN-08 ICBM: U.S. intelligence chief
The United States believes North Korea has already taken steps toward deploying the KN-08 road-mobile intercontinental ballistic missile, feared to be capable of reaching American territory, the U.S. intelligence chief said Thursday. "Pyongyang is committed to developing a long-range, nuclear-armed missile that is capable of posing a threat to the United States and has publicly displayed its KN-08 road-mobile ICBM twice," Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said in a statement for a
Feb. 27, 2015
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‘N.K.’s nuke miniaturization limited’
North Korea is not yet likely to have miniaturized nuclear warheads to mount on ballistic missiles, though it appears to have been developing related technology to a “considerable” degree, Seoul’s Defense Ministry said Thursday.“They have technology of a considerable level but it is unlikely they are capable of miniaturizing nuclear warheads. In other words, they have not mastered the weaponization process,” ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said at a regular news briefing.His remarks run counter
Feb. 26, 2015
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N. Korea unilaterally ups Kaesong workers' wages
North Korea has notified South Korea of its unilateral decision to raise the minimum wage for its workers at the Kaesong Industrial Complex by 5.18 percent, the unification ministry said Thursday.In a fax message sent Tuesday, the North said it would increase the minimum wage from $70.35 to $74 starting on March 1, a ministry official told reporters.In addition, the North announced that it would collect 15 percent of their basic wage plus overtime payments as "social security," he said. Currentl
Feb. 26, 2015
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N. Korean company renames ships to evade sanctions: U.N.
A North Korean shipping company that famously tried to hide fighter jets under a cargo of sugar later sought to evade U.N. sanctions by renaming most of its vessels, a new report says. The effort by Pyongyang-headquartered Ocean Maritime Management Company, Ltd. is detailed in the report by a panel of experts that monitors sanctions on North Korea. The report, obtained by The Associated Press, makes clear the challenge of keeping banned arms and luxury goods from a nuclear-armed country with a
Feb. 26, 2015
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N. Korea yet to miniaturize nukes: Seoul
North Korea does not appear to have miniaturized nuclear warheads to fit on its ballistic missiles despite having advanced its technology to "a considerable level," Seoul's defense ministry said Thursday. Officials and experts from South Korea and the United States have said the communist country is believed to have the technology to build nuclear-tipped missiles, though Pyongyang has yet to demonstrate the miniaturization capability. "Despite its significant technology level, we don't think t
Feb. 26, 2015
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N. Korea may lift Ebola restrictions on April 1: tour firm
North Korea, which has banned foreign tourists from visiting the isolated country since last October due to fears over the spread of the deadly Ebola virus, may open its borders to foreigners on April 1, according to a China-based tour firm specializing in tours to the North on Thursday. Although no cases of Ebola have been reported in countries near North Korea, the Pyongyang regime has closed its borders to foreign tourists and imposed a strict 21-day quarantine on all people, including dipl
Feb. 26, 2015
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Int'l water body invites N. Korea to forum in S. Korea
The international council on water management has sent an invitation to North Korea to attend a forum to be held in South Korea this year, officials here said Thursday. "The France-based World Water Council has delivered an invitation for North Korea to the World Water Forum through the North's diplomatic mission to UNESCO in Paris," an official from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said. The official, while speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Seoul government also p
Feb. 26, 2015
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N. Korea's possible nuke test forecast to be more powerful: Seoul
North Korea has continued high-explosive detonation tests and its possible nuclear test is forecast to be much more powerful both in scale and yield than previous ones, Seoul's intelligence authorities said Wednesday. "North Korea has been carrying out high-explosive tests at a test site in Pyongyang to secure technology for weapons miniaturization and stronger explosive power," an official said, requesting anonymity. "Should the North conduct a fourth round of nuclear test, its explosion woul
Feb. 25, 2015
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5 nations want exploratory talks on N.K. nuke program: Seoul envoy
Five countries to the six-party talks on ending North Korea's nuclear program have reached a consensus on the need to have exploratory dialogue to gauge Pyongyang's willingness to denuclearize, Seoul's top nuke envoy said. The remarks by Hwang Joon-kook came after he and his Russian counterpart, Morgulov Igor, held a meeting in Moscow on Tuesday to discuss ways to resume the long-stalled six-party talks. Hwang left for Russia on Monday for a three-day visit. Hwang said that five countries -- S
Feb. 25, 2015
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FBI learned N. Korea's culpability in Sony hack within month: official
The FBI learned North Korea was responsible for last year's cyber-attack on Sony Pictures within a month after the case was first reported, a senior agency official said Tuesday, rejecting allegations that it could be an act by insiders. "We were absolutely positive in a very short period of time" that the North Korean government was behind the attack, Joseph Demarest, assistant director of the FBI's cyber crime division, was quoted as saying at a briefing, according to news reports. Demarest
Feb. 25, 2015
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N. Korea's nuclear stockpile could expand to 100 weapons: U.S. expert
North Korea's nuclear stockpile could expand to as many as 100 weapons by 2020, a U.S. expert said Tuesday, calling for greater international attention and efforts to stop the communist regime from its nuclear rush. Joel Wit, the chief analyst running the website 38 North at Johns Hopkins University, announced the projections during a seminar, saying Pyongyang is currently believed to have 10-16 nuclear weapons, six to eight of them based on plutonium andfour to eight based on weapons-grade ura
Feb. 25, 2015
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N. Korea ratchets up threats against S. Korea, U.S.
North Korea on Tuesday intensified its propaganda campaign, coupled with war threats, against South Korea and the United States ahead of their annual joint defense drills. Pyongyang's mouthpieces carried stories putting the blame on Seoul for the failure to resume dialogue and warning of a war with Washington. "A chance for dialogue or a diplomatic solution has been already lost. What is left is to respond militarily while strengthening deterrence to the maximum," the Rodong Sinmun said in a c
Feb. 24, 2015
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N. Korea bans foreigners from marathon race over Ebola concerns
North Korea has banned foreigners from running an international marathon race, set for April in the North's capital of Pyongyang, due to fears about the spread of the Ebola virus, two China-based travel firms specializing in tours to the reclusive state said Monday. North Korea has barred foreign tourists from entering the country since October last year, requiring all foreigners visiting the North to be put under quarantine for 21 days as a precaution against the spread of Ebola. "We are sorry
Feb. 23, 2015
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N. Korean leader calls for full combat readiness
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called for full combat readiness and a change in the machinery of his troops, as he chaired a key session of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, Pyongyang's media reported Monday. Kim delivered a "historic speech" at the extended meeting of the party's Central Military Commission, the first of its kind in 10 months, according to the official Korean Central News Agency. He was quoted as saying that the security situations at home and abroad have been graver t
Feb. 23, 2015
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N.K. continues saber-rattling over holiday
North Korea conducted military drills last week to “strike and occupy” South Korea’s northwestern border islands in an apparent show of force ahead of the Seoul-Washington annual defense exercise to begin early next month.According to the North’s state media, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and the regime’s top brass including Hwang Pyong-so, director of the general political bureau of the Korean People’s Army, observed the drills. The media did not specify exactly where and when the drills were
Feb. 22, 2015
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Inter-Korean tension feared to last till May
South and North Korea are likely to see their strained relations last at least until May when a bilateral summit could be expected on the sides of a World War II anniversary celebration in Russia, experts on North Korean affairs predicted Sunday.The experts pointed out that the rival Koreas have missed out on "their golden opportunity" for fence-mending, created at the beginning of the new year when they showed eagerness to improve relations.In an effort for a breakthrough in strained inter-Kore
Feb. 22, 2015
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N. Korean leader invited to Bandung meeting in Indonesia in April
Indonesia has officially invited the North Korean leader to an international meeting to be held Jakarta in April although his attendance has yet to be confirmed, government sources said Sunday.Along with leader Kim Jong-un, the Indonesian government has also invited Kim Yong-nam, North Korea's nominal head of state and the president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, the sources noted. Indonesia is planning to host the Asian-African Conference from April 22-23 in Jakarta to be fo
Feb. 22, 2015
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North Korean leader inspects island attack training
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has inspected an artillery and landing exercise by front-line units deployed near the Yellow Sea, Pyongyang's media reported Saturday.The drill, joined by artillery forces of the 4th Corp. and island defense units, focused on training for "striking and seizing an island," said the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has inspected an artillery and landing exercise by front-line units deployed near the Yellow Sea, Pyongyang`s
Feb. 21, 2015
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N. Korea in 'heated zeal' of public sports: Pyongyang official
North Korea is in a "heated sporting zeal," a Pyongyang official said, as it encourages its people to take up sports as a means of boosting industrial output and strengthening national defense.North Korea's young leader Kim Jong-un, known as an avid basketball fan, has put great emphasis on promoting sports since he took power in late 2011. The country has recently opened its only luxury ski resort, Masik Pass, as one of his pet projects and hosted former NBA star Dennis Rodman to hold an exhibi
Feb. 19, 2015
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U.S. urges N. Korea to accept U.N. recommendations on human rights
The United States urged North Korea on Wednesday to take steps to improve its human rights record in accordance with recommendations in a landmark U.N. report on the situation.State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the U.N. Commission of Inquiry (COI) report reflects the international community's "consensus view that the human rights situation in North Korea is among the world's worst.""We urged North Korea to take concrete steps as recommended by the Commission of Inquiry to improve the hu
Feb. 19, 2015