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East Asia
Foreign ministry decides to fire diplomat accused of leaking Moon-Trump talks
The foreign ministry decided Thursday to fire a diplomat for leaking the content of a phone conversation between President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump. The decision was made at the ministry’s disciplinary panel held earlier in the day, ministry spokesman Kim In-chul said. Another official who was also…
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East Asia
S. Korea’s aid to N.K. will be used for most vulnerable people: WFP Seoul chief
The humanitarian assistance South Korea promised to provide to the North via the World Food Programme (WFP) will be used for the most vulnerable populations in the impoverished country, including women and children, the agency’s Seoul bureau chief said Thursday. Lim Hyong-Joon made the remarks during a seminar in Seoul,…
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East Asia
7 South Koreans killed, 19 missing in Hungary cruise sinking: foreign ministry
Seven South Koreans were killed and 19 others went missing after a tourist boat sank in Hungary’s Danube River, the foreign ministry here said Thursday. A total of 33 Koreans and two Hungarian crew members were aboard the cruise when it collided with another vessel and sank in the river…
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Culture
Bong Joon-ho’s ‘Parasite’ depicts a microcosm of Korean society
Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” tells a tragicomic story of two families, one rich and one poor, who become entangled in a string of mishaps. But there is more to this film than that. “Parasite” hooks its audience with laughs early on, then segues to fine-tuned suspense, mystery and horror. The gears…
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East Asia
Jeju peace forum begins amid stalemate in U.S-N.K. nuke talks
An international peace forum began on the southern resort island of Jeju on Wednesday, with a focus on ways to facilitate North Korea’s denuclearization and entrench a lasting peace on the peninsula, organizers said. The three-day Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity comes as Seoul seeks to create fresh momentum…
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East Asia
N. Korea closely monitoring Seoul’s DMZ demining, excavation work
North Korea built a small observation post inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) to closely monitor the demining and war remains excavation work under way south of the border, officers said Wednesday. Since April, the South Korean military has been carrying out the project to remove land mines and recover war…
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East Asia
Trump deflects criticism after supporting N.K. insult of Biden
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday deflected criticism that he insulted a fellow American over a dictator when he agreed with North Korea’s harsh assessment of Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden. Trump has come under fire since he made remarks on Twitter and during a press conference in Tokyo over…
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East Asia
International lawyers’ groups to look into N.K. restaurant workers’ defection
A team of international lawyers is pushing to visit Pyongyang in September to investigate a high-profile 2016 defection of a dozen North Korean restaurant workers, its representative said Tuesday. Two organizations — the International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) and the Confederation of Lawyers of Asia and the Pacific —…
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Business
Regulator rejects 2 applications for online banks
In an unexpected turn of events, South Korea’s financial regulator on Sunday rejected applications by two consortia to set up the nation’s third and fourth Internet-only banks. One consortium is backed by financial technology firm Viva Republica and the other is led by brokerage Kiwoom Securities. The Financial Services Commission…
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East Asia
Pence vows continued efforts to recover remains from N. Korea
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said Monday that the United States will not stop working to recover the remains of American soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War. In a speech marking Memorial Day, Pence recounted the return of 55 cases of remains from North Korea last year following an…
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