Page 23 - South Korea

Senior North Korean diplomat based in Cuba defects to South Korea

Any high-level defection can be an intelligence bonanza for South Korea, allowing it to look at the workings of North Korea's secretive government

Sister of Kim Jong hints at resuming flying trash balloons toward S Korea

The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed Sunday to respond to what she called a fresh South Korean civilian leafleting campaign, signalling North Korea would soon resume flying trash-carrying balloons across the border. Since late May, North Korea has floated numerous balloons carrying waste paper, scraps of cloth, cigarette butts and even manure toward South Korea on a series of late-night launch events, saying they were a tit-for-tat action against South Korean activists scattering political leaflets via their own balloons. No hazardous materials have been found. South Korea responded by suspending a 2018 tension-reduction deal with North Korea and resumed live-fire drills at border areas. In a statement carried by state media, Kim Yo Jong said that dirty leaflets and things of (the South Korean) scum were found again in border and other areas in North Korea on Sunday morning. Despite the repeated warnings of (North Korea), the (South Korean) scum are not ...

India-Korea to hold next round of FTA review meeting from Jul 17 in Seoul

With talks to upgrade the existing India-Korea free trade agreement (FTA) moving forward, senior officials of both countries will hold the next round of negotiations from Wednesday in Seoul, an official said. The agreement, dubbed as comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA), was operationalised in January 2010. So far, 10 rounds of review talks have been concluded. The Indian team "will visit Seoul from July 17-19" for the next round of review meetings, the official added. "In the 11th round, both the sides would discuss the broad contours for closing the deal," the official said, adding that Korea is keen to conclude the negotiations this year. The two countries have sought greater market access for certain products, which are under the negative list of the agreement. No customs duty concessions are granted for the goods under this list. The Department of Commerce has engaged with different ministries, including heavy industries, steel, and chemicals, to prepare the of

US, South Korea sign joint nuclear guidelines amid North Korean threats

The US and South Korea signed joint nuclear deterrence guidelines, weeks after North Korea and Russia struck a defence pact that deepened concerns in the region about the North's growing nuclear threats. Meeting Thursday on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Washington, President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol commended what they called the tremendous progress that their countries' alliance have made a year after creating a joint Nuclear Consultative Group. Last year, the US and South Korea launched the bilateral consultation body to enhance information-sharing on nuclear and strategic operations. The US will retain the control of its nuclear weapons, and the body's establishment was meant to ease South Korean worries about North Korean nuclear threats. The two leaders authorised the US-ROK Guidelines for Nuclear Deterrence and Nuclear Operations on the Korean Peninsula that was signed by their defence officials earlier Thursday, according to South Korea's ...

N Korea balloons, GPS interference raise safety risks for S Korean airspace

Hundreds of balloons landed in the South during seven waves between May 29 and June 27, including one on a runway at Incheon airport

Why did Denmark ban these spicy noodles from South Korea? Explained

The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration (DVFA) issued an urgent recall of three fiery varieties of the beloved Buldak instant noodles, citing an unexpected chilli overload

S Korean prez to discuss Pyongyang's 'distinct threat' to Europe at Nato

Seoul would make a decision on weapons support for Ukraine based on how a new military pact between Moscow and Pyongyang plays out

Over 6,500 Samsung workers walk off assembly lines over pay, vacation time

This week, Samsung's preparing to unveil new foldable phones and watches as well as a smart ring in Paris ahead of the Olympics, in an attempt to forestall a challenge from Apple Inc

Sister of Kim Jong calls S Korea's live-fire drills 'suicidal hysteria'

The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called South Korea's recent front-line live-fire drills "suicidal hysteria" as she threatened unspecified military steps on Monday if further provoked. The warning by Kim Yo Jong came after South Korea performed firing exercises in its tense land and sea borders with North Korea in the past two weeks. The exercises were the first of their kind since South Korea suspended a 2018 agreement with the North aimed easing frontline military tensions in June. "The question is why the enemy kicked off such war drills near the border, suicidal hysteria, for which they will have to sustain terrible disaster," Kim Yo Jong said in a statement carried by state media. She accused South Korea's conservative government of deliberately escalating tensions as a way to escape a domestic political crisis. She said the riskiness of the South Korean drills is clear to everyone as they happened amid "a touch-and-go situation" established after the US,

Man who stabbed South Korea's Oppn leader sentenced to 15 years in prison

A man who stabbed South Korea's opposition leader in the neck earlier this year was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Friday, court officials said. The knife-wielding man attacked Lee Jae-myung, head of the liberal Democratic Party, South Korea's biggest political party, in January after approaching him asking for his autograph at an event in the southeastern city of Busan. After being detained by police, he told investigators that he wanted to kill Lee to prevent him from becoming South Korea's president. The Busan District Court said the man was handed the 15-year prison term after being found guilty for an attempted murder and a violation of an election law. The court said that both the man and prosecutors have one week to appeal. The attack happened ahead of the country's crucial parliamentary elections in April, which ended with Lee's Democratic Party and other opposition parties winning a massive victory against President Yoon Suk Yeol's conservative governing party. A cou

Work stress claims first robot victim: Gumi City's cyborg leaps to its end

The robot's unexpected end has sparked a conversation about the mental well-being of even the most advanced technologies

Govt directs utilities to procure $33 bn equipment for coal power boost

The unprecedented move by the government will help add 31 gigawatts (GW) in the next 5-6 years

North Korea claims new ballistic missile capable of carrying huge warhead

North Korea said Tuesday it had test-fired a new tactical ballistic missile capable of carrying a huge warhead, as the country is pushing to modernise its weapons arsenal to cope with what it calls US-led threats. The North's official Korean Central News Agency called the weapon Hwasongpho-11Da-4.5 which can carry 4.5 ton-class super-large warhead. It said the test-fire on Monday was meant to verify flight stability and hit accuracy at the maximum range of 500 kilometres (310 miles) and the minimum range of 90 kilometres (55 miles). South Korea's military earlier said that North Korea launched two ballistic missiles from one of its southwestern towns in a northeastern direction on Monday and that the first missile flew 600 kilometres (370 miles) and the second missile 120 kilometres (75 miles). The second missile's flight distance was too short to reach the waters off the North's east coast, a typical landing site for North Korean test missiles. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff

Samsung workers to strike in S Korea on July 8-10, says union official

The union wants a more transparent system for bonuses and time off, and wants the company to treat it as an equal partner

In a first, North Korean officials seen wearing lapel pins with Kim's image

For the first time, North Korean officials have been seen wearing lapel pins with the image of leader Kim Jong Un, another sign the North is boosting his personality cult to the level bestowed on his late dictator father and grandfather. North Koreans are required to wear pins over their hearts which for decades bore images of either the country's founder, Kim Il Sung, or his son Kim Jong Il, or both. The existence of pins dedicated to Kim Jong Un had not been verified until state media published photos on Sunday showing officials wearing his pins at a ruling Workers' Party meeting. The pins are part of a state-sponsored mythology surrounding the Kim family which treats Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il like gods. They are memorialised with numerous statues across North Korea, their birthdays are two of the country's main holidays and their portraits are hung in all homes and offices. Few question current leader Kim Jong Un's hold on power, but few images honouring the 40-year-old have be

South Korea's SK Hynix plans to invest $75 billion on chips through 2028

SK Hynix's HBM chips are optimised for use with Nvidia Corp.'s artificial intelligence accelerators

Biden's shaky debate has overseas allies steeling for Trump's return

Joe Biden's supporters had hoped the debate would erase worries that he was too old to serve, but several lawmakers, analysts and investors also said the event had given Trump a boost

US, Japan, and S Korea vow cooperation to boost security, economies

The meetings were decided by the countries' leaders at an August summit at Camp David

Hyundai to pay $40mn fee to banks advising on India IPO, 2nd biggest payday

Hyundai Motor's India unit this month filed for regulatory approval for a listing, which could be the nation's biggest and will see the South Korean parent raise around $2.5-$3 billion

Suspected North Korean hypersonic missile exploded, says South Korea

A North Korean ballistic missile test on Wednesday likely ended in failure, South Korea's military said, days after the U.S. deployed an aircraft carrier for a new trilateral military drill with South Korea and Japan. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that North Korea launched a ballistic missile from its capital region around 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday. It said the missile was launched toward the North's eastern waters, but the launch was suspected to have ended in failure. It gave no further details like whether it assessed the North Korean missile likely crashed on the ground or exploded in mid-air. Japan's Defense Ministry said earlier Wednesday that it also detected a suspected ballistic missile by North Korea. The North's reported launch also came hours after South Korea said North Korea floated huge balloons likely carrying trash across the border for a second consecutive day. South Korea's earlier threatened to retaliate with anti-Pyongyang front-line ...