Another U.S. soldier in Korea is under investigation on suspicion of raping an underage South Korean girl, police said Friday, less than two weeks after a similar case enraged locals. The Seoul Mapo Police Station said they were interrogating the 21-year-old private from a communications brigade of

Social Affairs Oct. 7, 2011

South Korea said Thursday it will not repatriate two North Koreans who crossed the eastern sea border earlier this week, a development that could anger North Korea.The two brothers clearly expressed their wish to stay in South Korea after sailing here on a small boat on Monday, according to South Ko

North Korea Oct. 6, 2011

More than 230,000 habitual drunk drivers nationwide were caught more than three times in the last 11 years, a police report showed Thursday.In a report submitted for a parliamentary audit, the National Police Agency said that about 3.2 million drivers were caught driving drunk between 2000 and 2010.

Social Affairs Oct. 6, 2011

South Korea’s new chief envoy to the stalled six-nation talks on North Korea’s nuclear weapons programs left for the United States Thursday, amid cautious diplomatic jostling to revive the multilateral forum. Speaking to Yonhap News Agency before departing for Washington, Lim Sung-nam said that he “

North Korea Oct. 6, 2011

North Korea has met with both the U.S. and South Korea on the resumption of the six-party talks aimed at its denuclearization. China and Russia have already spoken forcefully in favor of the talks’ resumption. But what role Japan is willing to take should they resume is unclear. This question is sig

North Korea Oct. 5, 2011

South Korea is pressuring China to stop the deportation of a group of alleged defectors from North Korea back to their home country, officials said Wednesday.The move comes days after a South Korean humanitarian group, the Commission to Help North Korean Refugees (CNKR), claimed that a total of 35 N

North Korea Oct. 5, 2011

Pyongyang has called on Seoul to repatriate two North Korean men who are in South Korean custody after crossing the eastern sea border earlier this week, an official said Wednesday.The North made the request in a message to South Korea via a Red Cross channel at the truce village of Panmunjom, which

North Korea Oct. 5, 2011

North Korea has met with both the U.S. and South Korea on the resumption of the six-party talks aimed at its denuclearization. China and Russia have already spoken forcefully in favor of the talks’ resumption. 　But what role Japan is willing to take should they resume is unclear. 　This question is s

North Korea Oct. 5, 2011

President Lee Myung-bak watched the local box-office sensation reconstructing the true story of teachers sexually abusing disabled students for years, and called for measures to prevent such crimes from happening again, his spokesman said.The film “Dogani,” whose English title is “The Crucible,” has

Politics Oct. 4, 2011

North Korea plans to partially open its landmark hotel next April to mark the centennial of the birth of Kim Il-sung, the country’s late founder, a source said Tuesday.The move comes as the North is working on the interiors of the 105-story Ryukyong Hotel, which has stood unfinished in downtown Pyon

North Korea Oct. 4, 2011

North Korea and the United States have agreed to hold “working-level” talks on resuming recovery missions for the remains of American troops killed during the Korean War on Oct. 16-18 in Bangkok, a senior Seoul diplomat said Tuesday. The talks come amid a flurry of recent diplomatic efforts by South

North Korea Oct. 4, 2011

Despite an official order in 2006 to limit overnight interrogations by prosecutors in order to protect human rights, their frequency surged nearly 2.5-fold over the past three years, a report showed Tuesday. A total of 554 people were held overnight for questioning by prosecutors in 2010, up 151 per

Social Affairs Oct. 4, 2011

BEIJING (Yonhap News) ― North Korea is expanding travel routes between China and its scenic resort in Mount Geumgang, a source familiar with the North said Monday, indicating Pyongyang’s continued efforts to earn much-needed cash from Chinese tourists.The new routes will include extra flights from C

North Korea Oct. 3, 2011