South Korea and the U.S. agreed Wednesday to push for stern punishment of North Korea but leave the door open for dialogue, as Seoul continued to send conciliatory signals toward Pyongyang despite its increasing threats. Lim Sung-nam, Seoul’s special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, and David Cohen, U.S. Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, met in Seoul to discuss country-level sanctions over the North’s nuclear test on Dec. 12.

North Korea March 20, 2013

The latest round of electronic break-ins on Wednesday added to tension across the border, rekindling concerns over North Korea’s increasingly sophisticated cyber warfare capabilities. Police launched an investigation after major broadcasters of KBS, MBC and YTN and Nonghyup and Shinhan banks reported a paralysis of their websites and computer networks. The South Korean military notched up its special alert level called INFOCON from 4 to 3. The Korea Communications Commission said malware was use

North Korea March 20, 2013

Korea is seeking to boost its role in the Arctic by sharing research assets and technological knowhow on coping with climate change, energy, shipping and other key issues, Seoul officials said Monday. Nearly 100 policymakers, diplomats, scientists and industry officials from Korea and the Arctic region took part in an international symposium in Seoul to discuss their policy, research and other activities. Titled “Arctic Research & Policy in the New Age of Opening Arctic,” the one-day event was j

Foreign Affairs March 18, 2013

Washington’s plan to reinforce its missile defense appears to be aimed at staying ahead of increasing threats by North Korea, which officials and analysts see as fast progressing on its path to a nuclear weapons state. U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Friday the Pentagon will install 14 new ground-based interceptors at its bases in Alaska and California by September 2017. That marks a nearly 50 percent increase in the country’s missile defense capability with 30 units currently in place.

North Korea March 17, 2013

Norway signed an agreement with the Global Green Growth Institute on Thursday to provide $8 million to support environmentally friendly development in Ethiopia. Under the deal, the GGGI will lead research and help with policy planning in the African country. Norway is a founding member and donor partner of the GGGI, which was set up by the Korean government in 2010 and became an international organization in October. The Seoul-based institute envisages a “think and act tank” that brings together

Foreign Affairs March 14, 2013

Tension continued to escalate on Tuesday as North Korea intensified threats against South Korea and the U.S. warning of “catastrophic consequences.”The regime has cut off an emergency hotline with the South and declared the end of nonaggression pacts, in protest of joint military drills of the two allies.Pyongyang’s official media carried a statement from the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, blasting Seoul and Washington for staging “the most dangerous drills for a nuc

North Korea March 12, 2013

South Korea seeks to enhance public diplomacy efforts with China and Japan this year to help defuse regional tensions and find long-term solutions to territorial and historical issues, a Seoul envoy told The Korea Herald.The three countries agreed to launch a trilateral public diplomacy forum during a summit in Beijing last May. The plan proposed by former President Lee Myung-bak has made little progress amid rising political tensions among the three neighbors. “We are seeking to hold the public

Foreign Affairs March 11, 2013

North Korea ratcheted up tension Friday declaring it would end nonaggression pacts and an emergency hotline with the South. In a fury over new U.N. sanctions and South Korea-U.S. joint military drills, Pyongyang also threatened that its nuclear-tipped, long-range missiles are on standby.In response, President Park Geun-hye used her first speech to military cadets to reaffirm Seoul’s resolve to deal sternly with any provocations.The totalitarian regime has recently escalated its rhetoric includin

North Korea March 8, 2013

The South Korean military notched up its defense posture on Wednesday and vowed stern punishment against North Korea’s provocations after Pyongyang warned of retaliation for imminent U.N. Security Council sanctions and Seoul-Washington joint military drills. North Korea’s military leadership late Tuesday threatened to launch “nuclear strikes,” annul the inter-Korean truce, close its office in the border village of Panmunjom, and cut off its military hotline with the United Nations Command. “The

North Korea March 6, 2013

Foreign Minister nominee Yun Byung-se on Thursday ruled out the possibility of military options in upcoming U.N. and country-level sanctions against North Korea for its recent nuclear test. “Major U.N. Security Council members including Korea are neither considering military sanctions nor expected to consider the issue,” the 60-year-old former deputy foreign minister said during his confirmation hearing at the National Assembly.Yun is one of the key architects of President Park Geun-hye’s policy

North Korea Feb. 28, 2013

Seoul’s Songpa District boasts ample cultural heritage, verdant landscapes and salubrious neighborhoods with a slew of parks and lakeside trails providing its residents with a quick getaway from it all. One of the world’s most livable communities recognized by the United Nations, the eastern district spearheads Seoul’s efforts to cope with climate change, pollution and other urban challenges. The municipality runs three solar power plants, raising the supply of renewable energy and helping the u

Social Affairs Feb. 28, 2013