The US may launch a preventive strike against North Korea if Pyongyang succeeds in fielding an intercontinental ballistic missile, which would demand a choice between homeland defense and regional security, an expert said Wednesday. (Yonhap)North Korea carried out two ICBM tests this month alone, triggering speculation the communist state is nearing a full-blown nuclear weapons state. On Tuesday, it fired a Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, wh

North Korea Aug. 30, 2017

More than 3.7 million North Koreans now use mobile phones, a recent Korea Trade Investment Promotion Agency report shows. According to the report, North Korea’s cellphone users topped 3.7 million as of March, which amounts to 15 percent of the entire North Korean population.  People in Pyongyang use mobile phones (Yonhap)While Pyongyang’s mobile penetration rate comes to about 70 percent, figures in rural areas are less than 10 percent, the report said, indicating a wide financial gap among the

North Korea Aug. 29, 2017

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s wife Ri Sol-ju gave birth to a third child in February, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said during a parliamentary intelligence briefing Tuesday. This photo, released by the North`s Korean Central Television on March 3, 2017, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his wife Ri Sol-ju meeting students of the Red Flag Mangyongdae Revolutionary School in Pyongyang. (Yonhap)The gender and name of the baby are yet to be confirmed, added Seoul’s spy age

North Korea Aug. 29, 2017

Gyeonggi Province plans to give cash subsidies to young people working for small- and medium- enterprises as early as this year, in a bid to tackle chronic labor shortages in the SME sector as well as soaring youth unemployment. The plan, consisting of three sub-packages, is to benefit a total of 130,000 residents between the ages of 18 to 34, who work more than 36 hours a week for SMEs headquartered in the province.  Gyeonggi Province Gov. Nam Kyung-pil“The new policy will support the long-term

Social Affairs Aug. 28, 2017

As Korea edges towards the crisp, cool weather of fall, more city-dwellers seek the refuge of nature in urban forests. Although not as lush and large as national parks, they are ready to cater to those who crave fresh air and a break from their routine life. Here are the big three city forests in South Korea’s capital. Statues are seen at forests in Seoul.Seoul ForestSeoul Forest, near Ttukseom Station on Subway Line 2, is on a 595,000-square-meter plot of land that opened in 2005 and is made of

Social Affairs Aug. 25, 2017

The US labeled its new unilateral sanctions against North Korea as a measure to increase pressure on the hermit state and bring it back to the negotiation table amid Pyongyang’s lack of respect for such rules.“These measures represent our whole of government approach to exert diplomatic and economic pressure on (North Korea) and its enablers, including third country individuals and entities,” Grace Choi, spokeswoman for the State Department’s East Asian and Pacific Affairs Bureau, told the Voice

North Korea Aug. 25, 2017

With the intensifying war of words between North Korea and the US, concerns are growing in Seoul and Washington over a possible US pre-emptive strike. In response to North Korea’s second round of threats of “enveloping fire” around the US territory of Guam, US President Donald Trump ramped up his remarks Thursday, saying his recent warning that the US would retaliate with “fire and fury” may not have been tough enough for the reclusive state.  A US B-1B Lancer bomber is stationed at the Anderson

North Korea Aug. 11, 2017

North Korea’s recent decision to free a Canadian-Korean pastor who had been detained for 30 months has sparked further global interest in others imprisoned in the hermit state. Lim Hyeon-soo was released on “sick bail” Wednesday with the North Korean Central Court citing “humanitarian reasons,” according to the Korean Central News Agency. The 62-year-old South Korean-born Canadian was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment in 2015 on charges of conspiring against the regime. Lim Hyeon-soo,

North Korea Aug. 10, 2017

North Korea and the United States are exchanging threats, with US President Donald Trump threatening Pyongyang “with fire and fury like the world has never seen” and the North’s military claiming Wednesday it was examining plans to attack Guam. The comments followed reports that US intelligence now believes Pyongyang has successfully produced a nuclear warhead that can fit inside its missiles. Amid rising tension surrounding the Korean Peninsula, South Korean President Moon Jae-in called for a c

North Korea Aug. 9, 2017

오는 11월 시작될 평창 동계올림픽 성화 봉송 경로에 평양이나 금강산을 포함시키려는 논의가 오갔다고 익명을 요구한 회의 관계자가 7일 코리아헤럴드에 밝혔다. 　이 관계자는 “얼마 전 평창 올림픽 준비 회의에서 조직위원회와 IOC 위원들 사이에서 평양 혹은 금강산을 성화봉송 경로로 지정하려는 말이 오갔었다. 시간과 경로를 따져봤을 때 평양이나 강원도와 근접한 금강산이 성화 봉송 일정 거의 마지막에 포함될 수도 있을 것으로 보인다”고 말했다. 백두산이 우리 민족의 상징성을 지니고는 있지만, 거리가 멀어 여건상 고려되지 않고 있다고도 말했다. (사진=연합뉴스)　지난 6월 도종환 문화체육관광부 장관이 ‘금강산이나 또는 개성이나 평양을 거쳐서 들어올 수 있다면’ 좋겠다는 희망을 밝힌 적이 있으나 이러한 사항이 IOC내에서 논의되었는지는 그동안 구체적으로 확인된 바가 없었다. 　성화 봉송 코스에 북한을 포함시키려는 논의는 북한의 올림픽 참가에 대한 기대가 오가던 가운데 진행된 것으로 현재는 현

한국어판 Aug. 8, 2017

The Olympics torch for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games may be the first of its kind to cross the inter-Korean border to reach North Korea’s capital or Mount Kumkang, a source familiar with the games’ ongoing preparations here told The Korea Herald. From left: President of the PyeongChang Olympics organizing committee Lee Hee-beom, PyeongChang 2018 Honorary Ambassador Insooni, and Gangwon Province Governer Choi Moon-soon. Yonhap“There have been consistent talks within the International Olympics

North Korea Aug. 7, 2017

“Our wish is unification, even in our dreams.”A group of elderly people sang in unison, while neatly placing envelopes in plastic wrapping. Gathering here at an assistance center in Nowon, northeastern Seoul, were defectors from North Korea training for basic job skills to help them survive in the capitalistic world that is South Korea.  Senior North Korean defectors learn how to pack envelopes in plastic wrappings at a Korea Hana Foundation assistance center in Seoul. (Jung Min-kyung/The Korea

North Korea Aug. 6, 2017

A North Korean tech company recently launched a a soccer computer game with three-dimensional graphics that resembles the famous “FIFA” video game series. “The three-dimensional online game ‘Soccer Battle’ developed by Sujeongcheon Tech is gaining popularity among its users,” said Arirang-Meari, Pyongyang’s state-run news outlet.  (Yonhap)The release of the game comes amid North Korea’s growing interest in the PC and mobile gaming industry. Last January, Meari claimed that North Korea’s National

North Korea Aug. 3, 2017

With two successful missile launches in July, North Korea has showcased its ability to obtain the range required for intercontinental ballistic missiles. However, a major hurdle remains for North Korea to prove it can actually hit targets on the US mainland: re-entry technology.  North Korea test-fires a Hwasong-14 ballistic missile on July 4. YonhapConsidered to be the final component of nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles, the technology is crucial to ensuring the missiles withs

North Korea July 31, 2017

The US has hinted that it will no longer make efforts to ease tensions with North Korea through dialogue, following North Korea’s test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile late Friday. 　US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said Sunday that “the time for talk is over,” stressing that “the danger the North Korean regime poses to international peace is now clear to all.” US Ambassador Nikki Haley speaks in the Security Council Chamber at the UN headquarters at an UN Security C

North Korea July 31, 2017