• Pregnant N. Korean defector beaten, sent to gulag

    The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has published its first list of North Korean human rights violations to enhance public awareness about the dire situation in the world’s last Stalinist state and put pressure on Pyongyang. A commission official said Friday that the list contained the names of 278 prisoners…

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  • China weakens UN sanctions on North Korea

    The U.N. Security Council (UNSC) ordered the freezing of all assets abroad of three North Korean state companies Wednesday to punish the recalcitrant state for its failed April 13 rocket launch. While some experts did not expect the move to inflict major pain on Pyongyang, it was seen as a…

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  • Politics

    Hypocrites!

    Series of fraudulent acts taint credibility of leftist party Rep. Lee Jung-hee, the baby-faced 43-year-old who jointly leads the leftist Unified Progressive Party (UPP), issued a formal apology Thursday for fraudulent candidate selection of proportional representatives in the April 11 National Assembly elections. The party, led by Lee and three…

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  • Politics

    Hu calls on U.S. to build cooperative partnership

    Chinese President Hu Jintao addresses the opening session of the fourth round of the China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Beijing, capital of China, May 3, 2012. <Xinhua/Li Tao> BEIJING, May 3 — Chinese President Hu Jintao on Thursday called on China and the United States to break the traditional…

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  • Politics

    Egyptian military to hand over power when outright election winner appears

    Egypt’s military is ready to hand over power to a new president after the first round of the vote on May 24, Egyptian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Sami Anan said on Wednesday. That will happen if the first round produces an outright winner, he said. “The Military Council is…

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  • Korea, China will start FTA talks

    The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade announced the start of free trade agreement (FTA) talks with China, the nation’s largest trading partner, Wednesday. “Beginning the negotiations is a historical step for both nations,” said Trade Minister Bark Tae-ho during a joint press conference with China’s Commerce Minister Chen Deming…

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  • Left-wing minor party apologizes for election irregularities

    A left-wing minor party leader issued a public apology Thursday for suspected vote rigging and other irregularities in the party’s selection of candidates for last month’s parliamentary elections. Lee Jung-hee, one of four co-leaders of the Unified Progressive Party (UPP), said in a meeting with party officials she “would assume…

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  • Politics

    Incompetent!

    Foreign ministry runs out of tricks to deal with big powers Does Korea have diplomacy it can call its own? If so, the next question would be what has the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade been doing. Whenever a diplomatic row surfaces, it cites strategic ambiguity or quiet diplomacy,…

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  • Politics

    Foreign minister in knotty mission in Myanmar

    South Korea’s top diplomat will hold talks with the foreign minister of Myanmar this week as the resource-rich Southeast Asian country draws a flurry of high-profile visits from European countries and the United States. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Kim Sung-hwan will sit down with his counterpart Wunna Maung…

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  • Underdogs challenge Park

    Several politicians, whose support rates combined are lower than that of Park Geun-hye, are forming a collective front against her by declaring their bid to run in the Saenuri Party primary for December’s presidential election. The contenders, including Rep. Chung Mong-joon and Gyeonggi Governor Kim Moon-soo, are dreaming of a…

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