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

The United States’ decision to refuse 85 South Koreans entry into its territory was due to complications found in their purposes of visit, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Monday.  Airline passengers await in line to go through the security checkpoint at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia. (AP)“According to our Consulate General in Atlanta, it has been confirmed that 85 of our citizens were denied entry into the US on Monday on matters related to their stated purposes of v

Social Affairs Nov. 22, 2017

A lack of response from the North Korean leader toward an ongoing visit by China’s special envoy may be a sign of Kim Jong-un’s frustration toward China’s newfound cooperation with the United States, an expert in South Korea said Monday. Song Tao (left), the head of the International Liaison Department of the Communist Party of China and Kim Jong-un (right), North Korea`s current leader. (Yonhap) “The meeting between Kim Jong-un and Song Tao, if realized, could be viewed as a barometer for the N

North Korea Nov. 20, 2017

The top nuclear envoys of South Korea and the United States on Friday upheld bilateral cooperation in forging a path for a diplomatic solution to bring North Korea to dialogue. The two also said Pyongyang needs to show a “clearer sign” of willingness to talk.  From left: Lee Do-hoon, South Korea`s special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs and his US counterpart Joseph Yun (Yonhap)Lee Do-hoon, South Korea’s special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and securit

North Korea Nov. 17, 2017

More than 1,500 residents in the southeastern port city of Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, have been displaced by Wednesday’s 5.4 magnitude earthquake and a series of aftershocks following the initial tremor. The city was rattled by South Korea’s second-largest earthquake on record at 2:29 p.m. on Wednesday, which was followed by nearly 45 aftershocks of up to magnitude 4.3 through Thursday afternoon, the Korea Meteorological Administration said.  (Yonhap)Although there were no reports of imm

Social Affairs Nov. 16, 2017

Seoul on Wednesday welcomed a United Nations panel’s adoption of a resolution urging North Korea to improve its human rights conditions.“The government welcomes the North Korean human rights resolution which was adopted in consensus by the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly at its 72nd session and where South Korea participated as a co-sponsor among 61 nations,” the Foreign Ministry said in a commentary released in the name of spokesman Noh Kyu-duk. (Yonhap)The government is also fully a

North Korea Nov. 15, 2017

North Korea has taken a break from military provocations, not firing anything into the air nor detonating underground munitions for two months, but signs pointing to further development of its weapons program lurk beneath the calm surface. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visits the Chemical Material Institute of the Academy of Defense Science in this undated photo released by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency in August. A display titled “Pukguksong-3” (circled) is shown in the background.

North Korea Nov. 14, 2017

The top US envoy on North Korea will visit South Korea this week to hold a meeting with his South Korean counterpart, a diplomatic source here said Monday.  US Special Representative for North Korea Policy Joseph Yun (Yonhap)Joseph Yun will meet with Lee Do-hoon, the special representative for peace and security affairs on the Korean Peninsula, to discuss the security situation here, including North Korean nuclear issues, while attending events hosted by the US Embassy in Seoul. Coupled with sec

Foreign Affairs Nov. 13, 2017

In response to North Korea calling him an “old lunatic,” Donald Trump said Sunday that he would never call North Korean leader Kim Jong-un “short and fat,” in the latest exchange of taunts between the US president and the rogue regime.  US President Donald Trump speaks at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea. (Yonhap)“Why would Kim Jong-un insult me by calling me ‘old,’ when I would NEVER call him ‘short and fat?’” Trump said in a tweet from Hanoi. “Oh well, I try so hard to be his friend

North Korea Nov. 12, 2017

After Presidents Moon Jae-in and Donald Trump talked about South Korea’s possible purchase of advanced weapons, a potential “shopping” list has already surfaced. A senior Seoul official said it could include nuclear-propelled submarines. US President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in (Yonhap)“We have the greatest military equipment in the world and South Korea will be ordering billions of dollars of that equipment, which for them makes a lot of sense and for us means jobs and r

Defense Nov. 7, 2017