On Dec. 5, two empty wooden boats were found adrift in waters near Niigata Prefecture in Japan.Soon the Japanese Coast Guard also detected two dead bodies presumed to be from the boats.  Eight bodies presumed to be North Koreans were found in a boat grounded on a beach in Akita Prefecture, Japan on Nov. 27. (Yonhap)It was just a mere day after three decomposed bodies were found off the coast of Sakata in the adjacent Yamagata Prefecture. Remains of eight people were found in a boat grounded on a

North Korea Dec. 12, 2017

The Donald Trump administration has nominated former White House official and Washington-based academic Victor Cha as the next US ambassador to South Korea and asked for Seoul’s approval, US sources said Sunday. According to sources in Washington, the request was recently delivered to the South Korean government in the form of an “agrement,” a formal request sent to the receiving state from the sending state before dispatching a diplomatic representative. The decision was made after an extensive

Foreign Affairs Dec. 11, 2017

More North Korean entities and individuals will be subjected to South Korea’s unilateral sanctions, as Seoul steps up efforts to curb the North‘s weapons development programs, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Sunday.According to the Foreign Ministry, an additional 20 North Korean firms and 12 individuals will be subjected to Seoul‘s sanctions from Monday. North Korea`s "Hwasong-15" missile test on Nov. 29. (Yonhap)“It is expected that the updated sanctions will block the inflow of illegal financial

North Korea Dec. 10, 2017

Dozens of nations have not completely upheld international sanctions imposed on North Korea, claimed a Washington-based think tank.  (Yonhap)A total of 49 countries including China, Germany, Brazil, India, and France have violated United Nations Security Council between March 2014 and September 2017 “to varying degrees,” the Institute for Science and International Security said in its report published on its website Tuesday. North Korea “often cooperates with or otherwise exploits countries with

North Korea Dec. 7, 2017

South Korea expressed regret Tuesday over Japan’s disregard for its previous vow to honor the victims of colonial-era forced labor in its managing of UNESCO World Heritage-listed industrial facilities.  Hashima Island, also known as Battleship Island, is located 15 kilometers from the city of Nagasaki, southern Japan. (Yonhap)“The government expresses regret over the implementation report that Japan recently submitted as part of its follow-up measures on the world heritage listing of its modern

North Korea Dec. 5, 2017

The United States reiterated denuclearization as a precondition for talks with North Korea in response to Pyongyang’s request that Washington must recognize it as a nuclear weapons state to start dialogue.  North Korea test-fires its new "Hwasong-15" missile on Nov. 29. (Yonhap)“It is not enough for (North Korea) to stop its program where it is today,” US State Department spokesperson Katina Adams told Voice of America on Monday. “We do not see any signs that North Korea is willing or interested

North Korea Dec. 4, 2017

With just about 70 days ahead of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics, North Korea chose to indirectly forfeit by missing the deadline to send its qualified figure skating pairs team, a report said Friday.  (Yonhap)“North Korea’s Olympic Committee missed an Oct. 30 deadline to confirm it would send its qualified pairs figure skating team to the Winter Games,” NBC Sports said.In September, North Korean figure skaters Ryom Tae-ok and Kim Ju-sik grabbed their golden ticket to PyeongChang by finishi

North Korea Dec. 1, 2017

North Korea’s latest intercontinental ballistic missile is a newly developed weapon rather than a variant of existing models, South Korea’s military said Thursday.  North Korea tests its Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile Wednesday. (Yonhap)“(We) are assessing that the Hwasong-15 is a new type,” Army Col. Roh Jae-cheon, spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a press briefing. The announcement follows North Korea’s release of photos that showcased updated features of its new

North Korea Nov. 30, 2017

North Korea declared completion of its missile development program Wednesday by claiming success in test-firing of its longest-range intercontinental missile to date, but outside experts said the communist regime is not there yet. North Korea test-fires a Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile in July. (Yonhap)The missile reached an altitude of around 4,500 kilometers and flew 960 kilometers before landing in the East Sea, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. It was launched from the

North Korea Nov. 29, 2017

North Korea’s nuclear and missile hit list includes Cheong Wa Dae, the White House and major cities in both South Korea and the United States, a European think tank report said.  (ECFR)“North Korea lacks a clear distinction between the use of nuclear weapons against military targets and their use against civilian targets, or any plan for a gradual escalation from attacking military bases to striking cities,” the European Council on Foreign Relations said in a recent report. The hit list names pr

North Korea Nov. 28, 2017

The South Korean military is delivering updates on the North Korean soldier who was wounded while defecting, via loudspeaker broadcasts to the North amid the rogue regime’s refusal to talk directly with the South.  (Yonhap)The FM Radio “Freedom Voice” system near the inter-Korean border has been broadcasting about the recovery of the 24-year-old soldier, identified only by his surname Oh, after he sustained gunshot wounds while crossing the border on Nov. 13, the South Korean military said Sunda

Defense Nov. 27, 2017

Despite a series of complaints from North Korea against sanctions imposed against the country, its key business partners are showing signs of upholding the measures drawn to cripple the rogue nation’s economic growth.  (From left) Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Yonhap)North Korea’s exports to China in October dropped 62 percent on-year, amounting to about $90 million, showed Chinese customs data released Thursday. The figure also fell nearly 38 percent compar

North Korea Nov. 26, 2017

North Korean-built underground tunnels designed for a surprise invasion of South Korea pose a bone-chilling reminder that the 1950-53 Korean War never actually ended. After the first was discovered in November 1974, three more tunnels were uncovered in the following decades. All four run either below or nearby the Demilitarized Zone in the South and have been altered since to deprive them of their initial purpose. The Korea Herald visited the third tunnel Tuesday. The tunnel is 73 meters below t

North Korea Nov. 24, 2017

With an expected summit between the leaders of South Korea and China next month, attention is being paid to whether the two countries will be able to mend strained ties caused by Seoul’s deployment of an advanced US missile defense system and Beijing’s economic retaliation.  South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. (Yonhap)Seoul’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi agreed to work together to organize President Moon Jae-in’s state

North Korea Nov. 23, 2017

World Wide Fund for Nature International has named Pavan Sukhdev, an environmental economist and former head of the UN Environment Program’s Green Economy Initiative, as the new president of its board.  Pavan Sukhdev, the new president of the board for the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)The announcement came during a board meeting Sunday attended by Sukhdev. He will succeed Yolanda Kakabadse, who had served two consecutive four-year terms.Sukhdev played a key role in a major green economics stu

People Nov. 22, 2017