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Culture
Award-winning Han Kang wants to write about books in her life
Han Kang, the winner of the 2016 Man Booker International prize, said during a local book fair she would someday like to write about the books that guided her through her sometimes difficult life. “I think I might write a book about books someday. I have this wish to write…
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East Asia
Xi arrives in Pyongyang for summit with Kim
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Pyongyang on Thursday, embarking on a two-day trip to North Korea that is expected to focus on solidifying their alliance and addressing other issues, including the North’s nuclear program. Xi’s plane arrived in Pyongyang at 11:40 a.m., China’s Xinhua reported. The trip is the…
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East Asia
N.K. media reports on ‘Parasite’ popularity, highlights downside of capitalism
A North Korean propaganda media outlet carried a report on South Korea’s Cannes-winning film, “Parasite,” on Tuesday, saying the movie shows that the South’s society is seriously ill with the cancerous problem of the rich-poor gap. The article in DPRK Today, one of the North’s propaganda websites, marks the…
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East Asia
In graying S. Korea, retirees delay receiving public pension
At 62, Kim Byung-jong reached public pension age last month. Instead of automatically taking the state pension, Kim, a retired car salesman, asked the National Pension Service (NPS), the operator of South Korea’s state pension fund, to defer his pension for five years. The reason? Delaying his pension will increase…
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East Asia
Defense chief calls for tightened discipline after N.K. boat’s border crossing
Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo vowed Wednesday to look thoroughly into what went wrong with the maritime border surveillance and hold whoever is responsible to account following revelations that a North Korean fishing boat crossed deep into South Korea waters and reached the shore undetected. Concerns and criticism have mounted over…
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East Asia
S. Korea, China hold economic cooperation talks amid U.S. campaign against Huawei
South Korea and China held their annual vice-ministerial economic cooperation talks Wednesday amid a U.S. campaign to push allies to shun Chinese telecom giant Huawei Technologies Co. Vice Foreign Minister Lee Tae-ho and officials from other related ministries met with a Chinese delegation headed by Beijing’s Assistant Minister of Commerce…
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East Asia
S. Korea aims to re-eradicate malaria by 2021
South Korea aims to re-eradicate malaria by 2021 and win international confirmation as a country free from mosquito-borne infectious disease, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said Monday. Under the five-year plan, Seoul aims to bring down domestic malaria cases to zero by the target date and…
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East Asia
Xi’s visit to N. Korea may help restart nuclear talks with U.S.
Xi Jinping’s upcoming visit to North Korea, his first as China’s leader, signals to the United States a possible opportunity to resume nuclear negotiations with Pyongyang. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has held talks with Xi before and after major diplomatic events, including his first and second summits with U.S.…
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East Asia
Cheong Wa Dae says inter-Korean summit is not a must before G-20
South Korea’s presidential office publicly toned down its expectations for another inter-Korean summit Tuesday, a day after Beijing and Pyongyang announced this week’s bilateral summit. Attending the Oslo Forum in the Norwegian capital last week, President Moon Jae-in expressed his desire to meet again with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un…
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East Asia
White House on Xi’s N.K. visit: Focus is on denuclearization
Adding weight to the theory is the current stalemate in denuclearization negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang. No working-level talks have taken place since Trump and Kim abruptly ended their second summit in February without an agreement. Trump said last week, however, that he had received another “beautiful” letter from…
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