Most Popular
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Seoul vows action over Naver's Line, Yahoo dispute
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[KH Explains] Hyundai Motor’s plan for new landmark keeps hitting bumps
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Key S. Korean, USFK special operations officials to hold rare meeting amid NK threats
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[Grace Kao] American racism against Stray Kids
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Samsung doubles down on Vietnam
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In Beijing, S. Korean top diplomat aims to jumpstart ties with China
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NewJeans' members' parents complained to Hybe, email shows
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Controversy brews over shakeup of prosecutors amid probe of first lady
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Suspect behind murder of Korean tourist in Pattaya arrested
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Prosecutors summon pastor involved in Dior bag scandal
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Official leaves for rare trip to monitor food aid in N.K.
A South Korean official and four civilians left for North Korea on Friday on a rare mission to ensure that recent aid from Seoul had reached its intended beneficiaries, an official said.The trip comes a day after North Korea threatened to turn South Korea‘s presidential office into “a sea of fire” in anger over Seoul’s massive military maneuvers near the tense sea border.The show of force near Yeonpyeong Island was timed to mark the first anniversary of the North‘s shelling of the South Korean b
Nov. 25, 2011
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U.N. envoy pledges efforts to locate ‘abducted’ family in N. Korea
The United Nations’ envoy on North Korean human rights Friday promised to work toward the return of a Korean family believed to be held in the communist country, saying the case highlights the urgency of resolving abductions by the North.Thousands of South Koreans, including lawmakers and human rights activists, have mounted calls at home and abroad for the return of Shin Sook-ja and her two daughters, who were reportedly being held at a prison camp in North Korea, at least until recently.Shin’s
Nov. 25, 2011
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North Korea threatens to turn Cheong Wa Dae into sea of fire
North Korea on Thursday threatened to turn the South’s presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae into a “sea of fire” in a statement by its military denouncing Wednesday’s military exercise on Yeonpyeongdo and Baengnyeongdo.South Korea carried out the exercise on the border islands on the first anniversary of the North’s artillery attack on Yeongpyeongdo that killed two marines and two civilians.The belligerent rhetoric is some of the strongest in recent months. It is the first time for it to issue s
Nov. 24, 2011
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N. Korean defectors in China vulnerable to human trafficking
Female North Korean defectors in China are susceptible to human trafficking carried out by Chinese and ethnic Koreans, a recent survey showed Thursday.More than half of about 120 North Korean women surveyed by South Korean activists in China said they experienced trafficking in China, according to F
Nov. 24, 2011
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N. Korea adopts law on preventing damage from earthquakes and volcanoes
North Korea has adopted a new law on preventing damage from earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, the country’s official news agency said.“The law stipulates principles concerning observation and forecast of natural disasters, prevention of damages and rescue activities,” the Korean Central News Agency reported Wednesday, without giving details.The development comes after experts have warned that North Korea’s Mount Baekdu, which borders China, may still have an active core, citing topographical s
Nov. 24, 2011
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N. Korea condemns Seoul's railroading of KORUS FTA
SEOUL, Nov. 23 (Yonhap) -- North Korea on Wednesday condemned South Korea's parliament for ramming through a free trade agreement with the United States, saying that the move invited strong backlash from the public and opposition parties.South Korea's ruling-party controlled parliament on Tuesday ra
Nov. 24, 2011
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N.K. sees jump in number of mobile phone users
Spread of information through phones may not immediately lead to big change: expertsThe number of North Korean mobile phone users has jumped in recent years, with the figure projected to top 1 million by year’s end, an noteworthy phenomenon in the tightly controlled state.In the last three months, there has been an increase of around 140,000 cellular phone registrations, according to a recent report by Egypt’s Orascom Telecom, the sole wireless carrier in the communist country.The figure, which
Nov. 23, 2011
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Seoul to set up unification fund
The South Korean government said it will establish a “unification fund” under the current inter-Korean cooperation fund to prepare for reunification with North Korea in the future.The Unification Ministry said the fund will be run separately from the inter-Korean cooperation fund so that it can be used for a stable integration of the two Korean regions and social security. The unification fund will be raised through government funds, private sources, money left over from the inter-Korean coopera
Nov. 23, 2011
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Number of N.K. mobile phone users jump in recent years
Spread of information through phones may not immediately lead to big change: expertsThe number of North Korean mobile phone users has jumped in recent years, with the figure projected to top the 1-million mark by year’s end, an unusual phenomenon in the tightly controlled state.In the last three months, there has been an increase of around 140,000 cellular phone registrations, according to a recent report by Egypt’s Orascom Telecom, the sole wireless carrier in the communist country.The figure,
Nov. 23, 2011
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North Korean media spreads rumors on war with South, U.S.
Scaremongering about an imminent war with North Korea is quickly spreading among residents in the communist state, as the media in Pyongyang have increasingly distorted facts about Seoul’s military drills in recent weeks, sources said.The Korean Central Television, which controls both radio and TV broadcasting, said through its radio station on Monday that South Korea and the U.S. were “getting ready to stage a new nuclear war against North Korea by organizing the Extended Deterrence Policy Comm
Nov. 23, 2011
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Yu urges China to send N.K. defectors to S. Korea
BEIJING (Yonhap News) ― South Korea’s top official in charge of relations with North Korea on Tuesday asked China to quickly send North Korean defectors to South Korea.Tens of thousands of North Korean defectors are believed to be hiding in China, hoping to travel to Thailand or other Southeast Asian countries before resettling in South Korea.Unification Minister Yu Woo-ik sought cooperation from Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi to ensure that “North Korean defectors can quickly come to Sout
Nov. 22, 2011
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Ex-soldier investigated for spying
A former South Korean Army soldier is being investigated for suspicions of espionage.According to the Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency on Tuesday, the former sergeant first class was arrested on suspicion of passing military secrets to North Korea.Police suspect that the soldier, Kim, 34, whose full name was undisclosed to the media, crossed through Shenyang, northeastern China, into the North and handed over information gathered during and after his military service.The police report found tha
Nov. 22, 2011
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‘Denuclearization first, six-party talks later’
North Korea should stop its uranium enrichment program and implement denuclearization measures if it wants to resume the stalled six-party talks, a senior U.S. diplomat said Tuesday.“I think that both the Republic of Korea, the United States and our other partners have been very clear on what North Korea must do to be able to have a resumption of the six-party talks,” U.S. Under-Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman told reporters in Seoul after meeting with South Korean Foreign
Nov. 22, 2011
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Panel suggests talks over Geumgang tours
A presidential advisory panel on national reunification has recommended to President Lee Myung-bak inter-Korean talks for the resumption of tours to the Mount Geumgang resort in North Korea.The recommendation by the National Unification Advisory Council came as Seoul has softened its hard-line stance toward Pyongyang to improve ties soured by two deadly attacks last year.“Although the North rejected our offer for comprehensive talks on the resumption of the tour program, the possibility at this
Nov. 22, 2011
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Military plans drill to mark Yeonpyeong attack
South Korea will hold a military drill in the West Sea on Wednesday, the one-year anniversary of North Korea’s attack on Yeonpyeongdo.In the drill, units including the Northwest Islands Defense Command, Air Force Operations Command and the Navy Operations Command will engage in an exercise simulating last year’s attack under the command of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Jung Seung-jo. The exercise will also include simulating the defense of Baengnuyeongdo against a North Korean attem
Nov. 22, 2011
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U.N. drafts resolution on N. Korean human rights
NEW YORK (Yonhap News) -- The human rights panel of the United Nations General Assembly on Monday adopted a resolution condemning North Korea’s human rights abuses as part of annual move to put pressure on the communist regime, diplomats here said.The Third Committee of the U.N. General Assembly, which handles social, humanitarian and cultural issues, approved the measure co-sponsored by South Korea and 51 other member states. A total of 103 members voted in favor and 16 were against it, with 55
Nov. 22, 2011
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Bosworth dissatisfied with ‘management strategy’ on N. Korea
WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) -- Stephen Bosworth, a former top U.S. envoy on North Korea, said Monday that he does not want to use the words “management strategy” regarding North Korea and pointed out that there is no “hard evidence” of Pyongyang’s nuclear ties with Teheran. “I would not use those words myself,” he said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency, the first with Korean media since he quit two and a half years of service as special representative for North Korea policy last month.As Wash
Nov. 22, 2011
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U.N. drafts resolution on N. Korean human rights
NEW YORK, Nov. 21 (Yonhap) -- The human rights panel of the United Nations General Assembly on Monday adopted a resolution condemning North Korea's human rights abuses as part of annual move to put pressure on the communist regime, diplomats here said.The Third Committee of the U.N. General Assembly
Nov. 22, 2011
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U.S. unlikely to resume food aid to N. Korea this year: official
The United States is unlikely to provide humanitarian food aid to North Korea this year as it believes food shortages in the communist state have been eased slightly by the autumn harvest, a Seoul official said. The U.S. has been considering an appeal from North Korea for food aid and sent a team in May of this year to assess the needs of the impoverished country, but is withholding its decision because of monitoring concerns. “The U.S. expects North Korea’s harvest volume to increase somewhat t
Nov. 21, 2011
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‘Seoul expects favorable response from N.K.’
Unification minister visits China for talks on Pyongyang with Dai Bingguo, Yang JiechiSouth Korea’s Unification Minister Yu Woo-ik said on Monday he hopes North Korea could return Seoul’s favor, taking a more active approach in efforts to improve inter-Korean relations.His remarks came at a meeting with Korean residents in Beijing during his three-day visit there to meet with China’s senior officials for talks on North Korean issues.“I hope our government’s heartfelt efforts could see a favorabl
Nov. 21, 2011