Lee Hee-ho, the widow of former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, returned home Saturday without the much-anticipated meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, dashing hopes for a breakthrough in cross-border relations. Lee Hee-ho hugs a child during her visit to Aeyukone, an orphanage for kindergarteners in Pyongyang last Thursday. Kim Dae-jung Peace CenterHer failure to hold the meeting -- which had been expected by some as the Seoul government had discounted her trip as a personal one

North Korea Aug. 9, 2015

North Korea lashed out at the U.S. for “aiming to remove” its socialist regime Thursday, saying that whether it would push ahead with another nuclear test depends on the “U.S. attitude.”Ri Tong-il, North Korea's former deputy U.N. representative, speaks during a press conference in Malaysia on Thursday. (Yonhap)On the sidelines of the multilateral ASEAN-related meetings in Malaysia, Ri Tong-il, Pyongyang’s former deputy U.N. representative, also warned that the U.S. military buildup targeting th

North Korea Aug. 6, 2015

South Korea’s Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se on Wednesday stepped up diplomacy to prevent North Korea’s possible provocations and the growth of its nuclear program, as he attended a series of bilateral and multilateral meetings involving Asia-Pacific nations in Malaysia.On the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum, high-level multilateral security talks involving 27 Asia-Pacific countries, Yun met with his counterparts from China and Russia to discuss North Korean threats, and other bilateral and

Foreign Affairs Aug. 5, 2015

Lee Hee-ho, the widow of former President Kim Dae-jung, arrived in Pyongyang on Wednesday, hoping to create momentum to enhance cross-border relations as the two countries mark the 70th anniversary this month of their liberation from Japan’s colonial rule. Lee Hee-ho (center), the widow of former President Kim Dae-jung, and her entourage pose for a photo upon arrival at Pyongyang Sunan International Airport on Wednesday. (Yonhap)Her four-day trip to the communist state came as inter-Korean relat

North Korea Aug. 5, 2015

Lee Hee-ho, the widow of former President Kim Dae-jung, will embark on a four-day trip to North Korea on Wednesday, amid high expectations that her visit would set the mood for a thaw in the frosty cross-border relations.The 93-year-old widow of the former leader, noted for his efforts for inter-Korean reconciliation, will fly over the West Sea to Pyongyang via South Korean low-cost carrier Eastar Jet. Lee last visited the North in December 2011 to attend the funeral for former North Korean rule

North Korea Aug. 4, 2015

North Korea has recently repositioned its 170 millimeter-caliber self-propelled howitzers in a frontline unit on the reverse slope, enhancing their survivability and further escalating artillery threats to South Korea, a government source said Sunday.Hidden in mountain caves or tunnels, the howitzers used to come out through their gates facing the South in an emergency. But they will now move out through their newly-built northern gates, making it difficult for South Korea to strike them promptl

Defense Aug. 2, 2015

South Korea and the U.S. will conduct a joint on-site investigation at the U.S.’ Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, next Thursday, as their initial step to probe the accidental shipment of a live anthrax sample to the base, Seoul officials said Wednesday.Maj. Gen. Jang Kyung-soo, director general of the policy planning bureau at Seoul’s Defense Ministry, shakes hands with Maj. Gen. Robert F. Hedelund, U.S. Forces Korea assistant chief of staff for policy and plans, before the first

Defense July 29, 2015

Construction of facilities to enhance the missile launch pad in North Korea’s northwestern town of Dongchang-ri, appears to have been completed, a U.S. research website said, reinforcing the speculation that Pyongyang may engage in a provocative act in the coming months.North Korea’s Deputy Ambassador to the U.N. Jang Il-hun (right) is joined by councilor Kwon Jong Gun as he speaks during a news conference on Tuesday at the communist state’s mission in New York. (AP-Yonhap)Based on its analysis

North Korea July 29, 2015

MOSCOW -- At the heart of this sprawling city, a storied cemetery enshrines a once high-flying Korean independence fighter alongside late Russian President Boris Yelchin, novelist Anton Chekhov, composer Dmitri Shostakovich and other luminaries: Gen. Kim Kyu-myun. Gen. Kim Kyu-myun’s memorial is laid at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow on Monday. (Shin Hyon-hee/The Korea Herald)　Kim and his wife Nadezhda are known to be the sole Koreans venerated at the Novodevichy Cemetery. Though the site is

Foreign Affairs July 28, 2015

North Korea appears to be holding out an olive branch to China by repeatedly extending, in recent days, gratitude to its longtime patron for having participated in the 1950-53 Korean War in support of the communist regime.  The bronze statues of the late North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il tower over people as they watch fireworks explode, Monday, July 27, 2015, in Pyongyang, North Korea as part of celebrations for the 62nd anniversary of the armistice that ended the Korean War. (AP

National July 28, 2015

Over in the South, descendants of veterans who fought in the Korean War participate in a ceremony marking the 62nd anniversary of the Korean War Armistice Agreement and U.N. Forces Participation Day at the Olympic Hall in eastern Seoul on the same day. (Yonhap)The two Koreas on Monday celebrated the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, with commemorations on each side as jarringly different as the current state of the Korean Peninsula separated by economic and ideological disparities and military conf

Defense July 27, 2015