North Korea’s third nuclear test is expected to further erode China’s patience toward the runaway ally as Beijing comes under mounting pressure to join international action against the communist country’s blunt provocations. China strongly criticized the Tuesday blast, warning against “additional actions that could cause the situation to further deteriorate.”“Heedless of widespread international opposition, (North Korea) has again carried out a nuclear test, to which the Chinese government expre

North Korea Feb. 12, 2013

Korea saw the highest number of international marriages between Korean men and Chinese women over the last 10 years, while more Korean women married Japanese men.According to Statistics Korea, the number of marriages between Korean men and Chinese women reached 130,230 between 2002 and 2011. Observers speculate that the high rate is related to the increase in the number of ethnic Koreans in China who visit or stay in Korea.This figure is followed by Korean marriages with Vietnamese women at 59,6

Feb. 11, 2013

A senior security official on Monday put aside North Korea’s latest mixed signals over its threatened nuclear test, saying a “critical point” in the conjuncture will come this week.The communist country is believed to have completed technical preparations at its test site in the northwest town of Punggye. World attention is now focused on just when it will set off a third blast. “Only Workers’ Party first secretary Kim Jong-un knows when North Korea will test its nuclear device,” the official wa

North Korea Feb. 11, 2013

In a familiar tactic of coupling saber-rattling and peace overtures, North Korea called for the incoming Seoul government’s efforts to put cross-border relations back on track amid signs of its impending nuclear test. The Choson Sinbo, a Tokyo-based mouthpiece for the communist regime, said Wednesday that the resumption of inter-Korean dialogue hinged on Seoul’s attitude under President-elect Park Geun-hye. “In the wake of the United Nations Security Council sanctions, the new government’s behav

North Korea Feb. 7, 2013

President-elect Park Geun-hye’s plan to reorganize the government structure faces intensifying resistance from state agencies as politicians, even from her own party, criticize her dogmatic style. The ambitious measures sparked protests across ministries and offices handling foreign policy and trade, education and science, broadcasting and communication, and nuclear energy. They voiced concerns that administrative efficiency, industrial competitiveness and regulatory independence would hurt. But

Politics Feb. 6, 2013

Korea on Wednesday called on Japan to rescind its plan to set up a new government body responsible for territorial sovereignty policies to reinforce its claim to neighboring islands including Dokdo. The Foreign Ministry expressed regret, calling the plan “unacceptable.” Japan’s NHK reported that the organization would be installed within the Cabinet Secretariat. It said the office will deal with policies on the Korean islets in the East Sea, the Senkaku or Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea cl

Foreign Affairs Feb. 5, 2013

President Lee Myung-bak believes North Korea could detonate multiple devices when it goes ahead with a nuclear test expected in the coming weeks or even days.In an interview published Tuesday in the Chosun Ilbo daily, the outgoing president also acknowledged the huge challenge the international community faces in seeking to wean Pyongyang off its nuclear weapons program.The North has signaled that it will carry out a “higher level” nuclear test very soon, in a defiant response to UN sanctions im

North Korea Feb. 5, 2013

As North Korea warns that it plans its third nuclear test since 2006, outside governments and analysts are trying to determine a crucial question: Just what will Pyongyang’s scientists explode?The last two tests are believed to have been of plutonium devices, but the next logical step for Pyongyang’s ambitious nuclear program could be to conduct a highly enriched uranium explosion. That would be a major accomplishment for North Korea ― and a worrying development that would raise already high sta

Foreign Affairs Feb. 5, 2013

An Army officer was found dead on Sunday after he had been missing for more than a month, officials said. Park Jin-woong, a 25-year-old second lieutenant, was found to have apparently hanged himself from a tree while still in his uniform on a hill about 1 kilometer from his unit in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province. The border town is about 90 kilometers northeast of Seoul.Park, who had been a platoon leader, disappeared at around 11:30 a.m. on Dec. 29 before he was scheduled to begin search and ambush

Social Affairs Feb. 3, 2013