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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S. Korea's gender pay gap worst in OECD
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Revote on Marine probe bill to be held next week
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S. Korea, China seek ways to resume nuclear talks with N. Korea
BEIJING -- The top nuclear envoys of South Korea and China held talks Friday to try to breathe new life into long-stalled multilateral talks aimed at ending North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, following the North's recent threat of a "new form" of nuclear test.Hwang Joon-kook, Seoul's chief envoy to the six-party talks that also involve the United States, North Korea, Russia and Japan, met with his Chinese counterpart, Wu Dawei, in Beijing. The meeting came on the heels of three-way talks wit
April 11, 2014
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S. Korean PM seeks int'l support for unification
South Korean Prime Minister Chung Hong-won asked the international community Thursday to extend support for the reunification of the two Koreas, stressing that a unified Korea will be a new global growth engine.He made the remarks during his keynote speech at the Boao Forum of Asia held in China's tropical island of Hainan. Chung is on his eight-day trip from Wednesday, which will also take him to Pakistan early next week."Our peaceful reunification will set out a novel blueprint for the future
April 10, 2014
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[Graphic News] North Korean reshuffle underscores focus on domestic stability
North Korea’s new parliament on Wednesday rubber-stamped a reshuffle of top positions in the ruling party and Cabinet, the North’s official Korean Central News Agency said.The Supreme People’s Assembly elected Choe Ryong-hae, the military‘s top political officer, as a new vice chairman of the North’s most powerful body, the National Defense Commission ― a post that had been vacant following last year’s bloody purge of Jang Song-thaek, leader Kim Jong-un’s once-powerful uncle. The North also appo
April 10, 2014
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Seoul warns against North Korea nuke test
Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se on Thursday warned North Korea of “unimaginable consequences” amid threats of a fresh nuclear test, calling on its leadership to choose between coexistence or isolation. Concerns have grown after North Korea repeatedly threatened to conduct a “new type of nuclear test” since late last month to boost its nuclear deterrence in the face of ongoing South Korea-U.S. military drills and the U.N. Security Council’s condemnation of its recent test of ballistic missiles.Offi
April 10, 2014
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N. Korea names former envoy to Switzerland as new foreign minister
North Korea has named a former ambassador to Switzerland as its new foreign minister, the country's state media reported Wednesday.Ri Su-yong replaced Pak Ui-chun as the top diplomat of the communist country in a reshuffle of key officials announced after the first session of the North's newly elected rubber-stamp parliament.Ri is believed to have served as a guardian of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un when Kim studied at an international school in Switzerland in the 1990s. (Yonhap)
April 9, 2014
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Kim ‘reelected’ as chief of N.K.’s powerful defense body
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was “reelected” as head of the country’s most powerful body at a parliamentary session Wednesday, which experts said may offer a glimpse into its leadership reconfiguration in the wake of the execution of his influential uncle. The Supreme People’s Assembly meeting came about a month after the election under the young ruler of a new roster of deputies for the rubber-stamp parliament, including Kim Jong-un and other 686 military and party officials who all won unan
April 9, 2014
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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