• Obama will return royal seals to Korea

    U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to return nine stolen Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) seals to Korea during his Asian trip next week, a source familiar with the situation said Tuesday. They are three state seals, which kings used on diplomatic and other significant documents, and six ceremonial ones, which royal…

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  • Park makes apology to save spy master

    President Park Geun-hye apologized Tuesday for the spy agency forging evidence in an attempt to convict a former Seoul city employee of spying for North Korea. Park’s remarks came on the heels of the apology from National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Nam Jae-joon after Seoul prosecutors indicted two NIS officers,…

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  • President high popularity may affect local elections

    Will President Park Geun-hye’s popularity help the governing Saenuri Party win the upcoming June 4 local elections for representatives of municipal governments and legislatures? A majority of experts agree that it will but they are split over the extent of influence. “Experiences tell us that local elections are always a…

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  • South refutes N. Korea’s denial of drone incursion

    The defense ministry criticized North Korea, Monday, for describing recent drone incursions as a fabrication by South Korea. After recovering three unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and examining them over the past three weeks, the ministry’s interim result released Friday identified the drones as coming from the reclusive state, based on…

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  • PM’s China trip reveals President’s priorities

    Prime Minister Chung Hong-won’s visit to China is seen as an indication of closer Korea-China ties. But observers question whether this could come at cost to the Korea-U.S. alliance. Chung finished his five-day visit to China, Sunday, which included a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang. “President Park Geun-hye…

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  • Spy master exonerated

    Two NIS officials indicted in evidence fabrication case A special prosecution team confirmed Monday that a number of spy agency officials fabricated evidence to frame Yu Woo-sung, a former Seoul government official who posed as a North Korean defector, for espionage. National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Nam Jae-joon and two…

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  • Seoul, Tokyo to hold talks on wartime sex slavery

    South Korea and Japan will hold talks to discuss the thorny issue of Japan’s sexual enslavement of Korean women during World War II in Seoul next week, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sunday. According to the ministry, Lee Sang-deok, director-general for Northeast Asian affairs at the foreign ministry, and…

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  • Abe plans to skip Yasukuni visit

    Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe does not plan to visit the Yasukuni Shrine ahead of a state visit to Tokyo by U.S. President Barack Obama scheduled for April 24. Experts said this doesn’t mean that Abe has changed his revisionist stance but is instead aiming to avoid conflict with Korea…

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  • US missile defense to pit Park, Obama

    President Park Geun-hye may come under pressure to pledge support for a U.S.-led missile defense system (MDS) during President Barack Obama’s visit this month, according to observers. This time, Park will find it harder to maintain an ambiguous position, they added. “The U.S. will want South Korea to join its…

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  • Paranoid Kim Jong-un on edge

    The recent massive military drill in North Korea proved its leader Kim Jong-un going to the extreme with his paranoia, Radio Free Asia reported. He is seen by many as a precarious leader driving himself as his own worst enemy, it said. The report comes after the Global Times’ March…

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