Most Popular
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[Weekender] Geeks have never been so chic in Korea
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N. Korea says it test-fired tactical ballistic missile with new guidance technology
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NewJeans members submit petitions over court injunction in Hybe-Ador conflict
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[News Focus] Mystery deepens after hundreds of cat deaths in S. Korea
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S. Korea's exports of instant noodles surpass $100m for 1st time in April: data
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[Herald Interview] Byun Yo-han's 'unlikable' character is result of calculated acting
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[KH Explains] Why Korea's so tough on short selling
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US military commander in S. Korea during Gwangju uprising dies
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Actors involved in past controversies return first via streaming service originals
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[Photo News] Seoul seeks 'best sleeper'
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N.K. signals willingness to discuss Gaeseong normalization
North Korea said Tuesday it is ready for talks on normalizing the Gaeseong industrial town with businesses and semi-official complex managers from South Korea. But Seoul officials remained skeptical toward the latest overture which signaled the North’s changing attitude but is still short of their demand for government-level talks. “We’ve already approved the visit by entrepreneurs of the industrial district, and when they come we will proceed with any discussions over its normalization includin
May 28, 2013
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Opposition leader asks U.S. to help resume six-party talks
South Korea's main opposition party leader called on the United States Tuesday to help resume the long-stalled six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear programs, saying he hopes to see the U.S. contribute to easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula.Rep. Kim Han-gil, the chief of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), made the remarks in a meeting with U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Sung Kim. The meeting came a day after Seoul spurned Pyongyang's call for a resumption of the six-nation talks, demand
May 28, 2013
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Laos returns 9 N.K. defectors to China: official
Laos has sent nine North Koreans who fled their totalitarian homeland through China last month back to China, a senior Seoul official said Tuesday, indicating that they are at risk of being repatriated to North Korea. The nine North Korean defectors, aged between 15 and 23, were deported to China late Monday (local time) after being rounded up by the Lao authorities on May 10, the senior official at Seoul‘s foreign ministry said. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that S
May 28, 2013
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N.K. relaxes controls over worker salaries
PYONGYANG (AP) ― A North Korean economist says the government introduced new economic management methods last month that relax state control of workers’ salaries.Government economist Ri Ki Song says the change introduced April 1 should not be seen as “reform and opening.’’ He says North Korea is sticking to socialist ownership of the means of production.Enterprises will be allowed to set salaries from money left over after repaying the state for its investment and putting aside funds for continu
May 27, 2013
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S. Korea spurns Pyongyang's offer to hold joint June 15 event
South Korea on Monday rejected the North’s offer to host a joint gathering to mark the 13th anniversary of the June 15 inter-Korean joint declaration.The Ministry of Unification said in a statement that Pyongyang should not try to stir internal discord within South Korea by calling for a joint gathering involving private organizations who do not have the authority to resolve outstanding issues that can only be handled at the government level.The June 15 declaration reached at the historic 2000 s
May 27, 2013
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Prospect of N.K. dialogue still bleak
Skepticism is running high over the prospect of multilateral talks over North Korea’s denuclearization, although the reclusive state expressed its desire for dialogue through its special envoy to China last week.As Seoul and Washington call on Pyongyang to show sincerity in its denuclearization efforts while the communist state calls itself a nuclear power and insists on arms reduction talks, forging the mood for dialogue will not be easy, experts noted. On top of it, Seoul remains cautious over
May 26, 2013
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China humiliated by N.K.’s defiant nuclear test: Korean diplomat
China felt humiliated when North Korea defied its warnings and conducted a series of missile and nuclear provocations earlier this year, a South Korea diplomat has said, citing remarks by Chinese diplomats“China felt humiliated over North Korea squarely challenging its request (to stop provocations),” Kim Sook, South Korea’s representative to the United Nations in New York, said in a group interview held on Thursday in Seoul. “That’s what Chinese diplomats have said privately.” Despite reported
May 26, 2013
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Opposition urges Park to restore inter-Korean ties
The main opposition Democratic Party called on the government to normalize inter-Korean ties, saying the prolonged impasse is hurting South Korean businesses.The request came as Friday marked three years since Seoul cut off nearly all inter-Korean exchanges in the wake of the North’s deadly sinking of a South Korean warship in March 2010.The only remaining joint project ― the industrial complex in the North’s border city of Gaeseong ― ground to a halt early last month when North Korea withdrew a
May 26, 2013
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North Korea town opens to Western visitors: travel agents
BEIJING (AFP) ― North Korea’s authorities have opened the border town of Sinuiju to Western tourists, Chinese-based travel agencies said, despite international tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear test in February.The move opens up the possibility of foreign tourists being able to make day tours to the secretive state, a considerably cheaper option than the more expensive multi-day trips currently on offer. The country is largely sealed off from outsiders, with Western travelers allowed in only on
May 26, 2013
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N. Korea condemns U.S. ballistic missile test
North Korea condemned on Sunday the United States' recent ballistic missile test, saying the "military provocation" justifies its military buildup.On May 22, the U.S. fired the intercontinental ballistic missile Minuteman 3 from a California base as part of the country's test flight aimed at determining weapon accuracy. The original test plan scheduled for mid-April was delayed amid tensions with North Korea. "Today's reality on the Korean Peninsula desperately urges our republic to strengthen o
May 26, 2013
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Seoul skeptical of N.K.'s intent to return to six-party talks
South Korea is skeptical of a suggestion made by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's special envoy that his communist regime is willing to re-join long-suspended six-party talks, a Seoul official said Saturday.Choe Ryong-hae, the director of the General Political Bureau of North Korea's People's Army, met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Friday, during which he conveyed Pyongyang's willingness to open dialogue on the issue with "concerned parties." He also conveyed North Korea's plan to
May 25, 2013
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N.K. envoy delivers letter to China's president
BEIJING (AP) -- A top North Korean envoy has delivered a letter from leader Kim Jong Un to Chinese President Xi Jinping and told him Pyongyang would take steps to rejoin stalled nuclear disarmament talks, in an apparent victory for Beijing's efforts to coax its unruly ally into lowering tensions.North Korean Vice Marshal Choe Ryong Hae's three-day visit was seen as a fence-mending mission after Pyongyang angered Beijing with recent snubs and moves to develop its nuclear program. Choe returned to
May 25, 2013
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Seoul, Washington wary of N.K. talks offer
The South Korean and U.S. government remained cautious over reports that a high-ranking North Korea envoy to China expressed willingness to talk with the U.S. and other nations, saying they need more details on the purported overture.On a trip to Beijing, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s special envoy, Vice Marshal Choe Ryong-hae, was quoted as saying his country is willing to take China’s advice and resume joint talks with the U.S. and other nations.Choe first made the remarks in a meeting wit
May 24, 2013
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Kim Jong-un's special envoy meets Chinese president
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's special envoy met with Chinese President Xi Jinping Friday to deliver Pyongyang's willingness to re-join long-suspended six-party talks on ending its nuclear programs, news reports and sources said. Choe Ryong-hae, the director of the General Political Bureau of North Korea's People's Army, met Xi at the Great Hall of the People on the final day of his three-day trip to China, China News Service said, adding Choe had delivered Kim Jong-un's personal letter to Xi
May 24, 2013
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Seoul negative about event with North for 2000 declaration
Seoul may not accept the North's proposal to hold a joint event for the 13th anniversary of a landmark reconciliatory inter-Korean agreement, a government official said Friday. "It's not an easy decision," the government official told Yonhap News Agency. "A lot of South Koreans may have to travel to the North, and it may entail many issues, including a safety guarantee (of the cross-border travelers)," the official said, indicating that the government is likely to reject the joint ceremony offer
May 24, 2013
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S. Korea not moving to ease, lift sanctions on Pyongyang
South Korea is not considering easing or lifting sanctions imposed on Pyongyang after the sinking of one of the South's warships in 2010 that effectively put the kibosh on most cross-border exchanges, official sources said Friday.Seoul announced the so-called May 24 measures after a two-month-long probe that accused Pyongyang of sinking the Cheonan in waters near the maritime border in the Yellow Sea on March 26, 2010. Pyongyang has denied the accusations. Government insiders said that since the
May 24, 2013
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N.K. proposes joint event to mark 2000 inter-Korean summit
North Korea on Wednesday proposed hosting a joint event to commemorate the 2000 inter-Korean summit in what Seoul officials regard as the latest peace offensive to divide the government and civilian sector in the South. The South Side Committee for Implementing the June 15 Joint Declaration said Thursday it has received a fax from its North Korean counterpart, which suggested the celebration take place in the border city of Gaeseong or Mount Geumgangsan.“The only way out to recover inter-Korean
May 23, 2013
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‘N.K. may deploy new multiple rocket launchers this year’
North Korea may be able to deploy its new multiple rocket launchers within this year after test-firing short range missiles over the weekend, a senior Seoul official said Thursday. North Korea fired six rounds of short-range rockets from its east coast for three days from Saturday, putting a damper on hopes for inter-Korean talks to ease tensions after months of bellicose rhetoric from Pyongyang. With analysis currently underway, the transporter-erector-launchers (TEL) for the multiple rocket la
May 23, 2013
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U.S. says it was informed of NK envoy's trip to China
China gave prior notice to the United States on a high-profile North Korean envoy's trip this week to Beijing, according to a U.S. official Wednesday. The notification was seen as unusual for China, which has traditionally kept mum on its top-level diplomatic exchanges with its communist ally.North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's special envoy, Vice Marshal Choe Ryong-hae, flew into Beijing on Wednesday (local time), the first known visit by a top North Korean official to China this year.Choe is one
May 23, 2013
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Choe Ryong-hae, nucleus of N.K. top military echelon
Choe Ryong-hae, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s special envoy to China, is one of his most trusted aides with close family ties to the ruling dynasty.The 63-year-old civilian-turned-general came to prominence in April last year when he took the helm of the General Political Bureau, a powerful military organ under the direct control of the ruling Workers’ Party.The bureau oversees military personnel affairs, including promotion and position assignment and disciplinary action ― a reason why some
May 22, 2013