Most Popular
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Court refuses injunction on medical school expansion
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Why Korean crime stories typically feature nameless, faceless perpetrators
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Debate on 'no-seniors zones' heats up
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S. Korea, Cambodia forge strategic partnership
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Rare mid-May heavy snow warning issued over mountainous areas of Gangwon
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Is NewJeans headed for a long 'break'?
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[KH Explains] Hyundai-backed Motional’s struggles deepen as Tesla eyes August robotaxi debut
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Police raid popera singer Kim Ho-joong's house over hit-and-run suspicions
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Trump may like to 'solve' N. Korean nuclear problem if reelected: ex-official
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New Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office chief vows full-fledged probe into first lady
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Koreas agree to go ahead with family reunions, end slander
The two Koreas agreed Friday to hold a new round of reunions of families separated by the Korean War and halt slander as a first step to building mutual trust. At the second round of the first high-level inter-Korean dialogue since 2007, senior officials from each side also pledged to continue discussions over pending issues, make “active efforts” for better relations and meet again soon. The meeting opened at the truce village of Panmunjeom to iron out differences over South Korea-U.S. military
Feb. 14, 2014
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Ex-U.S. envoy urges N. Korea to free detained American ‘soon’
BEIJING (Yonhap) ― A former U.S. ambassador to South Korea said Friday that he called on North Korea to swiftly release detained American Kenneth Bae during this week’s visit to Pyongyang and expressed “regret” over the North’s cancellation of a U.S. envoy’s visit aimed at securing his release.Donald Gregg, who served as U.S. ambassador to Seoul from 1989-1993 and made a five-day trip to North Korea as head of a U.S. private institute, said he conveyed his call for Bae’s freedom to the North Kor
Feb. 14, 2014
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Institute: More digging at N.K. nuclear test site
WASHINGTON (AP) ― A U.S. research institute said Thursday North Korea has accelerated excavation at a site used for underground nuclear test explosions, though a test doesn’t appear imminent. The findings, based on satellite photographs, were released as Secretary of State John Kerry and his South Korean counterpart warned the North against any possible aggression. The U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies said that the North likely started work last May
Feb. 14, 2014
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Koreas end high-level talks, no details available
South and North Korea ended their high-level talks meant to break an impasse in their relations, Seoul's unification ministry said Friday.The ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, did not say whether the rival Koreas reached a deal on family reunions and the upcoming joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises.The rival Koreas have locked horns over the military exercises that partly overlap with a new round of reunions of separated families set to be held at a North Korean mountain resort
Feb. 14, 2014
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Ex-U.S. envoy urges N. Korea to free detained American 'soon'
A former U.S. ambassador to South Korea said Friday he expressed "regret" to North Korea over its cancellation of a U.S. envoy's visit regarding jailed American Kenneth Bae and urged the North to release Bae "soon.""When we heard that he was not going to be released, I expressed regret and said that I hope he would be released soon," Donald Gregg told reporters upon his arrival at Beijing Capital International Airport after wrapping up a five-day visit to North Korea.Gregg, who heads a U.S. civi
Feb. 14, 2014
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N. Korea‘s food situation better a tad in 2013: WFP
The food situation for North Korean people improved slightly last year thanks to increased food rations and more outside support, a report by the World Food Programme said Friday.According to the WFP report, about 46 percent of North Korean families consumed an “acceptable” level of essential nutrients in the October-December period of 2013.About 17 percent were categorized as having “poor” food consumption, while the rest, about 38 percent, were defined as at the “borderline” level.The report i
Feb. 14, 2014
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Kerry urges Korea, Japan to mend ties
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday urged South Korea and Japan to work to overcome historical animosities and improve their relations to better counter North Korean threats and other challenges together. After their talks in Seoul, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and Kerry also renewed calls for Pyongyang to demonstrate its commitment to denuclearization through actions. Though Kerry displayed respect for “deeply felt historical differences,” he said that positive relations between Seo
Feb. 13, 2014
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Koreas to reconvene over family reunions
The two Koreas will reopen talks on Friday on the planned reunions of separated families after their first high-level dialogue in seven years ended with no agreement due to differences over upcoming Seoul-Washington military drills, the Unification Ministry said Thursday. The meeting will start at the border village of Panmunjeom at 10:00 a.m., led by Kim Kyou-hyun, vice chief of the South’s presidential National Security Office, and Won Dong-yon, deputy head of the United Front Department of th
Feb. 13, 2014
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Koreas to resume high-level talks this week
South and North Korea will resume high-level talks this week, an official said Thursday, in an apparent attempt to break the deadlock in their relations.The sides will hold the talks at the border village of Panmunjom at 10 a.m. on Friday at the North's request, the official of the unification ministry said.The move came a day after the rival Koreas ended their first high-level talks in seven years without any tangible agreement.The official said the two Koreas are expected to discuss the reunio
Feb. 13, 2014
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No agreement reached at inter-Korean dialogue
The two Koreas failed to reach an agreement during their first high-level talks in seven years on Wednesday due to differences over planned Seoul-Washington military drills.Senior officials from the two sides met at the truce village of Panmunjeom to discuss pending issues ahead of reunions of separate families slated for Feb. 20-25.During the 12-hour marathon talks, the North “constantly demanded” Seoul’s postponement of the Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercises until after the event. The joint
Feb. 13, 2014
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Japanese PM as unpopular as N.K. leader among S. Koreans: poll
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's favorability among South Korean citizens has dipped to match that of North Korea's young leader, a poll showed Wednesday.The February poll of 1,000 South Koreans by the Asan Institute for Policy Studies saw respondents give Abe an average of 0.99 out of 10, a figure identical to that given to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.The Japanese leader was given 1.65 in the same poll last July and 1.43 last December before his rating dropped to the current level.The p
Feb. 12, 2014
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N. Korea demands pay raise for Gaeseong workers
North Korea has demanded a $30 pay raise for its workers at an inter-Korean industrial complex in exchange for sending more workers, officials at South Korean companies operating in the complex said Wednesday.The base pay of North Korean workers at the Gaeseong complex, named after the North's border city where it's located, was set at a minimum of $67 per month based on an inter-Korean agreement. South Korean companies give a 5 percent raise annually, and each company pays overtime."North Korea
Feb. 12, 2014
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Kerry to visit Seoul for talks on N. Korea
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will visit Seoul this week for talks with his South Korean counterpart on such issues as North Korea and the political situation in Northeast Asia, the foreign ministry here said Wednesday.Kerry will arrive in Seoul Thursday afternoon for a meeting with Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, the ministry said. This will be their second face-to-face meeting this year following the first one held in Washington early last month.Security issues involving North Korea are ex
Feb. 12, 2014
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Koreas hold first high-level talks since 2007
South and North Korea began their first high-level talks in seven years on Wednesday, a crucial meeting that could set the tone for inter-Korean ties after months of tensions.The rare talks come four days after North Korea made a surprise offer for a comprehensive discussion on inter-Korean relations as an apparent part of its recent conciliatory overtures toward South Korea.The officials of the Koreas sat down for the talks at the border village of Panmunjom shortly after 10 a.m., South Korea's
Feb. 12, 2014
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U.N. panel to publish final report on N. Korea's human rights next week
Wrapping up its year-long investigation, a special United Nations panel on North Korea's human rights abuses plans to publish a final report on the issue next week, a media report said Wednesday.In March last year, the U.N. launched the Commission of Inquiry, a three-man investigation body led by retired Australian Judge Michael Kirby, and has conducted a probe into the rights situation in the communist country.It was the U.N.'s first attempt to launch such an official investigative mission on t
Feb. 12, 2014
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Chinese diplomats make first visit to N. Korea since purge
A group of Chinese diplomats in charge of Korean affairs visited North Korea last week, marking the first visit by Chinese officials since the high-profile purge of leader Kim Jong-un's uncle about two months ago, a diplomatic source said Wednesday.The Chinese delegation, led by Deputy Director-General of Asian Affairs Xing Haiming, included some diplomats who are working to persuade North Korea to return to the long-stalled multilateral talks aimed at ending the North's nuclear weapons developm
Feb. 12, 2014
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Presidential security official sacked one week after appointment
A senior security official at the presidential office has been sacked only a week after his appointment, an official said Wednesday, a highly unusual decision that has sparked speculation that he had conflicts with other officials over how to deal with North Korea.Chun Hae-sung, a senior unification ministry official who was named last week as the presidential secretary for security strategy under the office of national security, has been sent back to his ministry, presidential spokesman Min Kyu
Feb. 12, 2014
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Koreas to hold high-level talks
The two Koreas will hold their first high-level talks in seven years on Wednesday, the Unification Ministry said Tuesday, as the North ramps up efforts to put their strained relations back on track. The meeting will open at the truce village of Panmunjeom at 10:00 a.m. led by Kim Kyou-hyun, vice chief of the presidential National Security Office, and Won Dong-yon, deputy head of the United Front Department in the North’s ruling Workers’ Party. The vice ministerial contact will mark the first hig
Feb. 11, 2014
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‘North Korea, Japan held secret meeting’
An adviser to Japanese Premier Shinzo Abe held a meeting with North Korean officials in China in October, a news report said Tuesday, kindling speculation that Tokyo is seeking to reopen talks with Pyongyang over the issue of Japanese abductees. In response to the Kyodo News report, South Korea cautioned against any unilateral move by Japan regarding Pyongyang. “Japan’s talks with North Korea should be conducted in close communication and coordination with South Korea and the United States,” For
Feb. 11, 2014
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Koreas to hold high-level talks this week
South and North Korea will hold high-level talks this week, an official said Tuesday, a sign of thawing ties amid Pyongyang's conciliatory overture toward Seoul.The two Koreas will meet at the border village of Panmunjom at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, said an official of the unification ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs.The talks came three days after North Korea made the proposal to discuss overall inter-Korean affairs, the official said.He said the two sides are expected to discuss ways t
Feb. 11, 2014