WASHINGTON -- A Chinese firm was found to have knowingly exported to North Korea machine tools containing subcomponents banned from exports to the country for concern they could be used for its weapons programs, a US think tank claimed Thursday.Shenyang Machine Tools Company shipped at least two 6-axis machine tools in 2015 whose control units and software licenses were imported from a Western nation on condition that they should not be exported to North Korea, the Institute for Science and Inte

North Korea April 14, 2017

WASHINGTON -- North Korea is 84 percent likely to conduct nuclear or missile tests in the next 30 days, a US think tank predicted Thursday based on analysis of big data on the communist nation."Beyond Parallel," a North Korea analysis project of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, made the prediction together with big data firm Predata after analyzing how often the North is discussed on the Internet in an effort to predict future possibilities, with a higher frequency meaning str

North Korea April 14, 2017

WASHINGTON -- CIA Director Mike Pompeo said Thursday that steady progress in North Korea's nuclear and missile capabilities concerns him the most about the communist nation."Multiple administrations have tried to deal with the threat of an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of putting a nuclear warhead into the US and we're simply closer now than we have ever been at any time in North Korea's history," Pompeo said during a discussion at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

North Korea April 14, 2017

WASHINGTON -- The US dropping of its largest non-nuclear bomb in Afghanistan will certainly send a message to North Korea that the communist nation could face the same fate if it forges ahead with a nuclear test, a US expert said Thursday.The US military announced that it used the GBU-43B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb to strike an Islamic State tunnel complex. It was the first time that the 21,000-pound bomb, also known as the "Mother Of All Bombs," has been used in battle.(Yonhap)The bombing

North Korea April 14, 2017

Though chances are small for the United States to pre-emptively strike North Korea, the unruly state's mistake could heighten uncertainty around the peninsula and send events spiraling out of control, a renowned expert on Korea affairs said Friday. In an interview with Yonhap News Agency, Gordon Flake, CEO of Perth USAsia Center based in Australia, expressed concerns about what reaction the US would take in response to the North's provocation, citing a dearth of East Asia experts in the Donald T

North Korea April 14, 2017

WASHINGTON -- More than half of Americans are concerned about President Donald Trump's ability to handle tensions with North Korea, a survey showed Thursday.The CBS News poll, conducted April 7-9, showed that 56 percent described themselves as "uneasy" about Trump's ability to handle the standoff with the North, while 39 percent said they were "confident" in his ability.(Yonhap)Confidence levels varied largely along party lines, with 85 percent of Democrats saying they're not confident in Trump'

Diplomatic Circuit April 14, 2017

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump pledged again Thursday to take care of the problem of North Korea after authorizing the dropping of the largest US non-nuclear bomb in Afghanistan in a move sure to serve as a warning to Pyongyang.The US military announced that it used the GBU-43B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) bomb to strike an Islamic State tunnel complex. It was the first time that the 21,000-pound bomb, also known as as "Mother Of All Bombs," has been used in battle.(Yonhap)The bomb

North Korea April 14, 2017

South Korea's election watchdog on Thursday asked US social network service Facebook to help prevent the circulation of fake news that may affect the outcome of the upcoming presidential election here, the election commission said.The request was filed in a meeting with Katie Harbath, Facebook's global politics and government outreach manager, according to the National Election Commission.Kim Dae-nyeon (L), secretary-general of South Korea's National Election Commission, holds talks with Katie H

Politics April 13, 2017

Leading presidential candidates here were in near agreement Thursday on what may have caused ongoing difficulties facing the local economy, but again remained apart on how to solve such problems.In a TV debate, all five leading presidential hopefuls noted the ongoing economic slump in Asia's fourth-largest economy may have been partly caused by a drop in household income.But as to what caused the drop in income and how to address the issue, they all differed. (Yonhap)Front-runner Moon Jae-in of

Politics April 13, 2017

Hong Joon-pyo, the presidential candidate of the conservative Liberty Korea Party, pledged Thursday to become a market-friendly leader by swiftly removing regulations that hinder business competitiveness and weigh on growth and employment. The rightist politician also assured business leaders that he will uphold the Constitution that guarantees "the freedom and creative initiative of enterprises and individuals in economic affairs."  Hong Joon-pyo, the presidential candidate of the conservative

Politics April 13, 2017

The number of Chinese passengers traveling via Incheon International Airport in the first 10 days of this month dropped by 37 percent from a year ago amid a diplomatic row over the deployment of a US missile defense system, its operator said Thursday.A total of 226,066 Chinese nationals used the airport, South Korea's main gateway west of Seoul, from April 1 to 10, according to the Incheon International Airport Corp.. The number is down 37.7 percent from 362,647 tallied in the same period last y

Social Affairs April 13, 2017

Asiana Airlines Inc. and Hong Kong Airlines have begun codeshare flights that offer more options for passengers flying to and from Hong Kong, the company said Thursday. Asiana currently offers three to four daily flights on the Incheon-Hong Kong route. Hong Kong Airlines operates one daily flight on the same route, the South Korean flag carrier said in a statement. The updated photo shows the A350-900 passenger jet operated by Asiana Airlines. (Yonhap)Asiana is South Korea's second-biggest passe

Industry April 13, 2017

The SBS TV series "Saimdang, Memoir of Colors" will end earlier than originally planned, its distributor said Thursday, as the fantasy period drama suffered from less than expected ratings. (Yonhap)The Wednesday-Thursday drama starring actress Lee Young-ae premiered on Jan. 26 on local commercial channel SBS as a 30-episode series. SBS said it will end on May 3 or May 4, a week earlier than scheduled. "The drama's producers have put all their energy into reediting the show from the early stage o

April 13, 2017

INCHEON -- A South Korean man was convicted Thursday of violating aviation security laws and assault by engaging in in-flight violence twice last year but was allowed to walk free after his sentence was suspended.The Incheon District Court, west of Seoul, sentenced the 35-year-old man, identified only by his family name Lim, to one year in prison, suspended for two years, and a fine of 5 million won. It also ordered Lim to perform 200 hours of community service. A man, identified by his family n

Social Affairs April 13, 2017

Sales of midsize vehicles exceeded those of large-size cars in March after losing ground for the past previous months, helped by strong demand for Hyundai Motor Co.'s facelifted Sonata sedan, industry data showed Thursday. In March, the country's five carmakers -- Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors Corp., GM Korea Co., Renault Samsung Motors Corp. and SsangYong Motor Co. -- sold a combined 20,169 midsize vehicles, compared with 19,889 large-size vehicles sold last month, according to data offered by the

Mobility April 13, 2017