Most Popular
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[Exclusive] Korean adoptee sisters meet for the first time in 39 years
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Signs point to N. Korean troops in Russia-Ukraine combat zone
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Rose's 'Apt.' redefines K-pop's global appeal
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Two years on, thousands mourn Itaewon tragedy, calling for accountability
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Yoon calls for measures to protect Koreans amid escalating Iran-Israel conflicts
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Civil servant’s death linked to workplace bullying
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[Weekender] Walk around Korea to really get to know the country
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[Herald Interview] Love for K-drama, food defines 'Secret Ingredient'
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Hanwha, HD Hyundai vie for Poland’s $2.7b submarine program
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[Photo News] Rallying against LGBTQ+
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N. Korea's rare party congress appears imminent as delegates arrive in Pyongyang
North Korean delegates participating in an upcoming congress of the ruling Workers' Party have gathered in Pyongyang and were awarded certificates, state media said Thursday, raising the possibility that the meeting could take place as early as this week. The upcoming session, which will be the first party congress in four years, has drawn keen attention as the North is expected to unveil a new economic development plan and could announce its new policy line on the United States and South Korea
Dec. 31, 2020
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[Newsmaker] N. Korea to set new policies at key party meeting soon
North Korea said Wednesday it will open a party congress in early January where leader Kim Jong-un is expected to set fresh economic and foreign policies. “At a politburo meeting Kim chaired Tuesday, matters that will top the agenda at the congress were discussed,” the Korean Central News Agency said, without revealing exactly what the agenda will be or when the congress will convene. North Korea watchers speculate Kim will launch new economic plans in the face of worsening food
Dec. 30, 2020
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5 NK defectors face forcible repatriation after arrest in China: UN human rights office
Five North Korean defectors, including a teenager and a pregnant woman, are facing forcible repatriation after they were arrested in China in September, Five North Korean defectors, including a teenager and a pregnant woman, are facing forcible repatriation after they were arrested in China in September, according to a letter released by the UN human rights agency. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) disclosed a letter that the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
Dec. 30, 2020
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6 countries provide $10m in food aid to N. Korea this year: UN data
Russia, Switzerland and four other countries have provided about $10 million in food assistance to North Korea this year to help its choric food shortages, UN data showed Wednesday. According to the data provided by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the countries, also including Sweden, Norway, Canada and Bulgaria, have provided food assistance worth $10.5 million this year through the World Food Programme (WFP). Switzerland offered $5.22 million in food aid to
Dec. 30, 2020
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NK leader helms politburo meeting to prepare for party congress in early January
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presided over a politburo meeting of the Workers' Party and decided to hold a party congress early next month, state media reported Wednesday. The politburo meeting, held Tuesday, "examined and made confirmation as to the qualifications of the delegates" and "proposals for forming the presidium, members of the platform and secretariat of the 8th Congress of the Party," according to the Korean Central News Agency. It also adopted a decision on
Dec. 30, 2020
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US flies reconnaissance plane over Korea amid report of military parade preparations in Pyongyang
A US reconnaissance plane flew over central South Korea on Tuesday, an aviation tracker showed, as North Korea appeared to be gearing up for a ruling party congress. The US Air Force's RC-135W Rivet Joint was spotted flying over the southern coast and then the central regions Tuesday morning, according to the tracker, No callsign. The aircraft, which specializes in detecting telemetry signals before missile launches, took off from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. The RC-135W Rivet Joint als
Dec. 29, 2020
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N. Korea could conduct ICBM test early next year: think tank
North Korea could test-fire an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in the early months of the incoming US administration of Joe Biden if nuclear talks between the two countries remain stalled, a local think tank said Tuesday. The North has undertaken military provocations in the past to test Washington's approach or grab its attention when a new US administration took office. President-elect Joe Biden is set to be inaugurated on Jan. 20. Biden has called for "principled diplomacy&qu
Dec. 29, 2020
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S. Korea's new top nuclear envoy holds phones talks with Chinese counterpart
South Korea's new chief nuclear envoy, Noh Kyu-duk, spoke by phone with his Chinese counterpart on Tuesday in their first talks since his appointment last week, the foreign ministry said. His talks with Wu Jianghao came as Seoul seeks to ensure international support for its ongoing efforts to resume dialogue with North Korea that has been stalled amid a deadlock in nuclear negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang. "The two sides shared their assessments of the recent situation on the
Dec. 29, 2020
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NK urges vigilance against COVID-19 variant
North Korea’s main newspaper on Tuesday urged vigilance against the new COVID-19 variant, as a more contagious strain of the coronavirus spreads around the world, including in South Korea. The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling Workers’ Party, said the coronavirus is spreading at a faster pace and the global public health situation continues to worsen. The emergence of a new strain of the virus with a much higher transmission rate, which has been detected in seve
Dec. 29, 2020
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Human rights groups file constitutional complaint over leafleting ban
Nearly 30 human rights groups in South Korea filed a constitutional complaint Tuesday over a recently legislated ban on sending anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets into North Korea and requested an injunction against the law. The organizations, including Transitional Justice Working Group and Keunsaem led by North Korean defectors, claimed that the leafleting ban infringes on the human rights of North Koreans and supports the autocratic regime in Pyongyang. "By using the safety of people i
Dec. 29, 2020
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NK official paper urges heightened alert against coronavirus variant
North Korea's official newspaper called Tuesday for heightened alert against the coronavirus pandemic, warning that a more contagious variant of the virus is spreading in many countries around the world. "With the vicious transmissible disease spreading at a faster pace, global public health situation is getting worse," the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the North's ruling party, said. "More problematic is that a new vicious variant has appeared and been spreading in se
Dec. 29, 2020
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NK leader could skip New Year's Day speech ahead of party congress: experts
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un could skip a New Year's Day address later this week because he could unveil policy directions at a Workers' Party congress expected to convene in the coming weeks, experts said Monday. Kim has delivered a televised speech on Jan. 1 almost every year since he took power following the death of his father in 2011 to put forth his annual policy plans and directions. The speech has been closely watched for signs of where the reclusive country could be headed for the f
Dec. 28, 2020
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Thousands spotted in Pyongyang for party congress: 38 North
North Korea appears to be gearing up for its party congress next month, a US-based North Korea monitoring website said, with thousands of people mobilized in the main square in the capital, Pyongyang, to rehearse for an event. Satellite images captured Saturday revealed thousands of people gathered at Kim Il-sung Square, “apparently practicing for an upcoming event” by standing in a formation spelling out “kyeolsaongwi” in Korean, which means to “defend with one
Dec. 28, 2020
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[Graphic News] Malaria infections in N. Korea halve in 2019: WHO
The number of malaria infections in North Korea nearly halved in 2019 from a year earlier, a UN agency’s report showed, as global aid organizations have worked to help with the impoverished country’s fight against the contagious disease. According to the report by the World Health Organization, North Korea reported a total of 1,869 malaria cases last year, compared with 3,698 tallied a year earlier. The North had reported over 10,000 malaria cases annually from 2008-2014, b
Dec. 28, 2020
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Thousands of people seen in Pyongyang practicing for party congress: 38 North
Thousands of people in North Korea were seen at a square in central Pyongyang apparently practicing for an event believed to be related to a Workers' Party congress expected to be held next month, a US monitoring website has said. Satellite imagery taken Saturday showed thousands of people gathering in Kim Il-sung Square "apparently practicing for an upcoming event" by making a formation and spelling out "kyeolsaongwi" in Korean, which means to "defend with one's life,&
Dec. 28, 2020
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[Newsmaker] N. Korean exports to China down to $2,400 last month
North Korea’s exports to China slumped to just $2,382 last month, as the reclusive regime’s all-out push to stave off COVID-19 outbreak on its soil has brought trade with its largest economic partner to a halt. In November, North Korean shipments to China totaled $2,382, the Voice of America reported Saturday, based on data from China’s General Administration of Customs. This figure excludes $1.123 million of electricity exports. The VOA does not count this as expo
Dec. 27, 2020
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N. Korea's newspaper calls for powerful defense capabilities
North Korea's main newspaper on Thursday stressed the importance of strengthening national defense on the 29th anniversary of a late former leader's inauguration as the supreme commander of the army. Kim Jong-il, the father of current leader Kim Jong-un, was appointed as the supreme commander of the North's Korean People's Army in 1991, three years before he took power of the country. The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the North's ruling party, touted the late leader's military-first
Dec. 24, 2020
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NK steps up COVID-19 fight, but year away from vaccine
North Korea is stepping up efforts to hold back the coronavirus, but the isolated regime will see its people vaccinated in early 2022 at the earliest, market data firm Fitch Solutions said in its latest report on global vaccine distribution. The report categorized countries in the Asia-Pacific region into three groups. Groups one and two will get vaccinated by June and September next year. Group three, with North Korea and eight other countries including Mongolia and Brunei, will secure vaccine
Dec. 23, 2020
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Seoul’s new nuclear envoy holds phone calls with US, Japan counterparts
Noh Kyu-duk, South Korea’s new top nuclear negotiator, spoke on the phone with counterparts in Washington and Tokyo, in his first such talks since his appointment this week, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday. On Tuesday evening, Noh held phone talks with US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun, who doubles as Washington’s point person on North Korea. During the conversation, Biegun congratulated Noh on his appointment and reaffirmed the US’ commitment to resum
Dec. 23, 2020
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73% of S. Koreans positive about Biden-Kim summit: poll
About 73 percent of South Koreans are positive about incoming US President Joe Biden holding a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un either unconditionally or in case of real progress in nuclear negotiations, a survey showed Wednesday. According to the poll conducted by the state-run Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU), 20.1 percent said that Biden should hold talks with Kim "unconditionally," while 52.9 percent responded that they should meet if real progress is mad
Dec. 23, 2020