North Korea’s deputy UN ambassador accused the United States on Monday of turning the Korean Peninsula into “the world’s biggest hotspot” and creating “a dangerous situation in which a thermonuclear war may break out at any moment.”Kim In-ryong told a news conference that “if the US dares opt for a military action,” North Korea “is ready to react to any mode of war desired by the US.” He said the Trump administration’s deployment of the Carl Vinson nuclear carrier task group to waters off the Ko

North Korea April 18, 2017

The reclusive regime of North Korea often surprises the South Korean media with a display of unusual posturing. This time, it's about an acrobatic pose by a photographer in the middle of a massive military parade held in Pyongyang. Scene-stealer (Yonhap)In a photograph from Saturday’s North Korean festival of “Day of Sun,” marking the 105th birthday of the state’s founding president Kim Il-sung, a man was spotted taking in the view of a missile-carrying tank with a camera in his hands. He could

North Korea April 17, 2017

US Vice President Mike Pence used a visit to the heavily militarized border between the two Koreas Monday to declare "all options are on the table" in dealing with Pyongyang, the day after the North's latest failed missile test.Pence's trip to the flashpoint frontier underscored Washington's shifting policy towards the isolated state after years of nuclear and missile tests carried out in defiance of the international community.US Vice President Mike Pence (center) talks with US Gen. Vincent Bro

North Korea April 17, 2017

Mike Pence arrived at the gateway to the Demilitarized Zone dividing the two Koreas on Monday, an AFP correspondent reported, in a show of US resolve hours after North Korea failed in its attempt to test another missile.The US vice president flew by helicopter into Camp Bonifas, a US-led United Nations command post just a few hundred metres (yards) south of the DMZ. From there, he was expected to move to the truce village of Panmunjom that straddles one of the most heavily militarised borders on

North Korea April 17, 2017

The two men who picked up over 200 dolls from a claw machine establishment in Daejeon under two hours did it without foul play, according to the police. Daejeon Seobu Police on Sunday closed the case that had been suspected as theft, without pushing for criminal punishment.Within several hours on Feb. 5, the two men -- a 29-year-old surnamed Lee and his friend -- had emptied claw machines in Daejeon filled with dolls. Claw machines have become popular in Korea as a source of entertainment. Estab

Social Affairs April 16, 2017

The government will send an emergency message to people in Seoul and its satellite cities via mobile phone if severe fine dust is forecast in the region, the public security ministry said Sunday. "Once the message, called cell broadcast service, is issued, public agencies are obliged to follow the government's emergency steps to reduce fine dust in the air, including the introduction of the two-day rotation system for cars and shorter working hours at job and construction sites," the ministry sa

Social Affairs April 16, 2017

US Vice President Mike Pence arrived in South Korea on Sunday for a high-stakes three-day visit to reaffirm the robust security alliance and warn against North Korea's possible provocations, Seoul officials said.After touching down at a US air base in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, Pence headed to a Seoul national cemetery in a symbolic gesture to highlight the alliance forged during the 1950-53 Korean War. His visit to South Korea, his first Asian trip since his inauguration in Jauna

Foreign Affairs April 16, 2017

South Korean pop culture businesses have been seriously hurt by China's retaliation against South Korea's deployment of a US anti-missile system, with more than 30 such cases reported over the past month alone, the culture ministry said Sunday. "A total of 31 damage cases were reported between March 16, when a damage report center was launched, and April 15," a ministry official said. The center is jointly being operated by the Korea Creative Content Agency, the Korea Film Council and the Public

Social Affairs April 16, 2017

Bangkok (ANN News Desk) -- Tensions between the United States and North Korea continues to threaten the uneasy peace that the region is accustomed to with several regional players raising alarms and taking precaution. Despite continued talks with China, Japan and South Korea, indications from Washington are that the United States are prepared to take unilateral action if North Korea continues its provocation.A carrier task force is now in the area after being diverted from Southeast Asia and Pre

World News April 16, 2017

North Korea on Sunday failed in a missile launch from its eastern coast, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, but it wasn't immediately clear what kind of missile was fired.The launch from the city of Sinpo comes a day after one of the biggest North Korean propaganda events of the year_ celebrations of the 105th birthday of late North Korea founder Kim Il Sung, the current leader's grandfather. North Korea regularly launches short-range missiles, but it is also developing mid-range and long

North Korea April 16, 2017

North Korea on Sunday attempted to launch an unidentified ballistic missile from its east coast, but it exploded right after lift-off, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said.Pyongyang fired off the missile from a land-based launch facility in Sinpo, South Hamgyong Province, at around 6:20 a.m., the JCS said, noting that it needed further analysis to determine the exact type of the missile and other details. The botched missile launch came before US Vice President Mike Pence arrives in Seoul in

North Korea April 16, 2017

North Korea on Thursday told foreign journalists staying in the regime to prepare for a “big and important event.” North Korean officials did not specify if the notice was related to the “Day of the Sun” -- the 105th birth anniversary of the communist state’s founding father Kim Il-sung -- which falls on Saturday, or if it was linked to the geopolitical tension involving the North’s continued weapons development. (Yonhap)About 200 foreign journalists are in Pyongyang for the Day of the Sun, the

North Korea April 13, 2017

A woman was apprehended for theft of golden bracelets from a shop in Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju, after concealing the items between her buttocks.According to the Heungdeok police, Tuesday, the 21-year-old suspect first denied the theft claiming she had nowhere to hide the jewelry, as she was wearing pocketless skintight leggings.However, the shop’s security camera recordings show the suspect studying the missing bracelets before putting them in her pants multiple times while the shop owner was occup

Social Affairs April 12, 2017

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has urged Donald Trump to peacefully resolve tensions over North Korea’s nuclear programme, as the US president touted the power of a naval “armada” steaming towards the Korean peninsula.Chinese state media said Wednesday the two leaders had spoken by phone, in an apparent effort to avoid further escalation after Trump deployed the aircraft carrier-led strike group in a show of force. (AP-Yonhap)It headed for the region with a renewed warning that Washington was ready t

World News April 12, 2017