North Korea refused Friday to accept a South Korean parliamentary resolution calling for the resumption of inter-Korean dialogue, the unification ministry said.In late December, the National Assembly passed the resolution, which calls for preparations for unification with the North and talks between the rival Koreas, in a bid to thaw tensions on the peninsula."(Seoul) tried to deliver the resolution on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning through a communication line, but the North refused to a

North Korea Jan. 9, 2015

South Korean President Park Geun-hye said Friday she plans to expand inter-Korean exchanges this year with a focus on providing humanitarian aid to the North Korean people.Park made the remarks at a New Year's meeting with some 500 South Korean women leaders, asking that they actively take part in efforts to reunite the two Koreas.“The last major task ahead of us is to overcome the disconnection and conflict of 70 years of separation and open the path to an era of a reunified Korean Peninsula,"

Politics Jan. 9, 2015

김정은 국방위원회 제1위원장이 최근 북한 전역에 걸쳐 김일성과 김정일 동상을 세우라고 지시한 것으로 전해졌다.한 탈북자는 8일 150여개의 군(郡) 단위 행정구역 모두가 설립 대상이라며 북한 정권이 “김정일 3년 탈상 이후 독재왕조 우상화를 본격화하고 있다”고 말했다.북한전문가들은 각 지역에 김일성, 김정일 부자 최소 1쌍의 동상건립이 추진된다면 막대한 자금 소요가 불가피할 것으로 예상했다.특히 미국의 제재로 인한 고립이 심화하고 있는 가운데 우상화 작업에 대한 투자는 주민 생활여건을 더욱 악화시킬 전망이다.김정은은 지난 2011년 집권한 이후 금수산태양궁전 개조 및 김일성과 김정일의 초상화 교체 등 각종 우상화 작업에 박차를 가해왔다.안찬일 세계북한연구소 소장은 우상화 작업이 “김정은의 약한 정치적 리더십과 정당성을 강화시키기 위한 노력의 일환”이라고 분석했다. 이어 새로운 우상화 시설을 만드는 것보다 동상건립이 비용면에서 합리적이고 되레 효과적인 선택일 수 있다고 말했다.전문가들

한국어판 Jan. 8, 2015

South Korea's top mobile messenger operator Daum Kakao said Monday it plans to invest 100 billion won (US$90.8 million) to start a new company that will seek out promising venture companies in and out of the country. The company said its board of directors approved the tentatively-named K Venture Group by Jan. 23, 2015, to find new business opportunities in line with its push to lessen its dependency on the conventional free messenger service for growth. "K Venture Group will find new sources of

Industry Dec. 22, 2014

A hacker who obtained blueprints of South Korean nuclear reactors Sunday posted more internal information on the facilities, including the floor maps, on the Internet, threatening further "leaks" unless authorities close down the reactors.Using an account named "president of anti-nuclear reactor group," the hacker revealed on Twitter the designs and manuals of the Gori-2 and Wolsong-1 nuclear reactors taken from the state-run Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP). The information included det

Social Affairs Dec. 21, 2014

North Korea threatened to carry out ultra-harsh military action on U.S. soil Sunday, one day after U.S. President Barack Obama vowed a proportional response against the North's alleged hacking attack into Sony Pictures.In a follow-up to the FBI's recent hacking accusation against Pyongyang, Obama vowed Friday (U.S time) to "respond proportionally," hinting at retaliatory action over the communist country's alleged hacking attack on the distributor of a controversial movie about North Korea, "The

North Korea Dec. 21, 2014

President Park Geun-hye on Saturday hailed as "historic" the Constitutional Court's order to dissolve the minor leftist Unified Progressive Party (UPP) for being pro-North Korean in a ruling that is expected to deepen an ideological divide in South Korea."(The Constitutional Court's ruling) is a historical decision that strongly protects liberal democracy in the country," Park said, commenting on the Friday ruling, according to her chief spokesman, Yoon Doo-hyun.The top court ordered disbandment

Politics Dec. 20, 2014

The South Korean baseball club Nexen Heroes on Saturday said they have accepted a US$5 million bid by a Major League Baseball (MLB) club for their posted shortstop Kang Jung-ho, clearing the path for the slugger to play in the big leagues next season.The Heroes made the decision just hours after the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) informed them of the result of the MLB-wide silent auction for the 27-year-old player. The Heroes said the amount of the winning bid was $5,002,015.Kang is the third

Baseball Dec. 20, 2014

South Korean President Park Geun-hye has been invited to Russia for its 70th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany next year, a source here said Saturday, where North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has also received the invitation."It's right that we've received an invitation from Russia, but we have to check (Park's) schedule for next year," the source told Yonhap News Agency. "Whether she will attend the ceremony or not is not yet decided."Russia commemorates the Victory Day on May 9 every y

Politics Dec. 20, 2014

Russian President Vladimir Putin has invited North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to Moscow next year, news report said Friday, in what would be the first overseas trip by Kim."It is true that such an invitation has been sent," Russian state news agency TASS said, citing Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov.The invitation is timed for the 70th anniversary of the former Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany.Still, it remains unclear whether Kim will visit Moscow for the annual celebration t

North Korea Dec. 20, 2014

The United States has determined that North Korea is responsible for the cyber-attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment that scared the moviemaker into cancelling the planned release of a comedy film, the FBI announced Friday."As a result of our investigation, and in close collaboration with other U.S. Government departments and agencies, the FBI now has enough information to conclude that the North Korean government is responsible for these actions," the FBI said in a statement Friday.The attack o

North Korea Dec. 20, 2014

North Korea is still showing off its products at an annual trade fair with China, but the number of North Korean business entities attending the event this year was about 30 percent less than last year.    The mood is subdued at the five-day trade fair in the Chinese border city of Dandong, reflecting strained political ties between North Korea and China amid Beijing's signals of displeasure with Pyongyang's nuclear ambition.    Organizers had said that about 100 North Korean business entities w

North Korea Oct. 18, 2014