South Korea

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Obama Visits DMZ, Praises Troops at 'Freedom's Frontier'

President gives credit to troops for success of South Korea

(Newser) - President Barack Obama visited the Demilitarized Zone today, staring down North Korea from behind bulletproof glass just 100 yards from the demarcation line and praising US troops serving on "freedom's frontier." His visit, which the AP calls "an unmistakable show of force," comes 100 days...

US-South Korea Free Trade Opens to Cheers, Jeers

Korean left vows to change, repeal, if they win looming elections

(Newser) - The US-South Korea free trade agreement takes affect today, despite plenty of opposition in both countries, reports Reuters . As South Korea is the fourth-largest economy in Asia, US officials touted the deal as a major win for the American economy. "Starting today, Korea's doors are wide open for...

Fistfight Breaks Out Between Korean Diplomats

UN meeting in Switzerland turns ugly

(Newser) - Things got ugly at a UN meeting in Switzerland yesterday, as the South Korean and North Korean delegations briefly came to blows. The confrontation came after North Korean ambassador So Se-pyong dismissed a UN report on his country's human rights record as a "useless interpretation" that had been...

N. Korea to South: We&#39;ll Attack
 N. Korea to South: We'll Attack 
ON EVE OF WAR GAMES

N. Korea to South: We'll Attack

Kim Jong Un vows retaliatory strike if US or South intrude '.001 millimeter'

(Newser) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened a powerful retaliatory strike against South Korea if provoked, state media said today, a day before the annual South Korean-US military drills that Pyongyang calls an invasion rehearsal. South Korean and US officials have said the 12-day, largely computer-simulated war games are defensive...

South Korea Ignores North's Threats, Holds Military Drill

North calls drill 'clear declaration of war'

(Newser) - South Korea held its previously announced military drill today—complete with howitzers and attack helicopters—defying warnings from Pyongyang that the activities would prompt a "punishment." The South fired artillery for an hour on western islands near the border with the North; drills in the same region in...

S. Korea Returns Remains of US Soldier

He was killed in the early days of fighting in 1950

(Newser) - One more US soldier from the Korean War is coming home: South Korea today handed over the remains of an American killed in the early days of the war in 1950, reports the Korea Herald . The remains were found last year on a hill in South Chungcheong Province, and they...

South Korean Balloons Head North With ... Socks

Activists say it's about warm feet, not politics

(Newser) - Another sign of just how bad things have gotten in North Korea: Activists in the South sent balloons skyward today carrying a hot black-market item: warm socks. Members of North Korea Peace tell AFP it's not about politics. "All we want is that people in the North wear...

In South Korea, Human Ashes Become ... Beads

South Korea firm turns human ashes into pretty beads

(Newser) - South Korea, with its Confucian heritage, has long honored the dead, but these days there's little space for outdoor burials and many people find the thought of stowing a loved-one's ashes in an urn distasteful. That's where a company called Bonhyang comes in: It transforms the ashes...

North Korea Well Positioned for War: Report

Pyongyang would have advantage in early days of conflict with South Korea

(Newser) - North Korea’s offensive-minded military strategy is in some ways superior to South Korea’s defensive-minded one, and would give it an edge in the early days of an all-out war, a Korean-based think tank concludes in a new report. With 1.2 million military personnel and a record number...

North Korea: Do Not Expect Us to Change

Pyongyang will have 'no dealings' with Seoul: statement

(Newser) - The passing of Kim Jong Il won't change anything in North Korea, the country announced today in quite the blustery manner. "We declare solemnly and confidently that the foolish politicians around the world, including the puppet group in South Korea, should not expect any change from us,"...

North Korea Wants South to Open Wallet

It hopes to revive old pact calling for big investments

(Newser) - One thing hasn't changed in the dynamic of the two Koreas: The North wants its richer neighbor to pump in much-needed cash in the form of investments, reports the New York Times . The head of North Korea's parliament today pressed the issue when speaking with Lee Hee-ho, the...

S. Korea's Former First Lady Meets Kim Jong Un

Heads one of two private mourning delegations from Seoul

(Newser) - South Korea's 89-year-old former first lady is in Pyongyang meeting with the North's new 20-something "Supreme Commander," reports the BBC . Lee Hee-Ho, the wife of late President Kim Dae-Jung, headed one of two delegations South Korea allowed to visit Pyongyang to pay respects to Kim's...

North Commands South: Show Respect to Kim Jong Il

North Korea warns neighbor: Allow citizens to attend funeral

(Newser) - Kim Jong Il’s death is leading to more tension between the Koreas: North Korea warned its neighbor today that it must “show proper respect” over Kim’s death by allowing citizens to attend his funeral. The statement accused South Korea of “insult and mockery” because it expressed...

Architects Apologize for Design Echoing 9/11

Dutch firm says towers supposed to evoke cloud

(Newser) - A Dutch architecture firm is apologizing for the design of a new luxury high-rise it announced last week, after people complained it was reminiscent of the exploding World Trade Center on 9/11, reports Reuters . Called The Cloud, the development in Seoul, South Korea, called for two white high-rises of 54...

US Soldier Sentenced to 10 Years in S. Korea Rape

Pfc. Kevin Flippin convicted of assaulting 16-year-old

(Newser) - A 21-year-old US soldier stationed in South Korea has been sentenced to 10 years in prison today for raping a 16-year-old girl. Pfc. Kevin Flippin was convicted of breaking into the girl’s boarding room and threatening her with scissors, a knife, and a lighter while committing numerous “sadistic...

South Korean Men Must Take Marriage Classes

... at least when marrying a foreign bride

(Newser) - Men in South Korea who wish to marry a foreign woman are now required to enroll in courses designed to teach them how to be a good husband to a non-Korean bride, reports the Christian Science Monitor . The mandatory lessons come on the heels of a surge in failed marriages...

South Korea's Lee Visits White House

State visit coincides with new free trade agreement

(Newser) - President Obama welcomed Lee Myung-bak to the White House with all the requisite pomp and circumstance today, touting the newly-minted free trade agreement between South Korea and the US. “With our landmark trade agreement, we will bring our nations even closer, creating new jobs for both our people and...

Congress Passes 3 Free-Trade Pacts

Obama scores win with S. Korea, Colombia, Panama deals

(Newser) - President Obama scored a victory with the passage of a trio of free-trade pacts yesterday, marking America's biggest trade expansion in nearly 20 years. The House and Senate both approved the pacts with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama. While the Latin American pacts may have little impact, the South...

'Occupy' Protests Hit ... South Korea

Thirty civics groups plan to Occupy Seoul

(Newser) - Apparently the Occupy Wall Street protest movement has gone global. A coalition of 30 civic groups is planning a two-day “Occupy Seoul” protest, calling on Koreans to gather throughout South Korea’s capital, including in its Yeouido financial district, the Yonhap news service reports. “We will join the...

Too Much Studying Can Be Illegal in S. Korea

'Hagparazzi' seek rule-breaking private tutors

(Newser) - South Korea’s got a new kind of secret agent: the private education spy. The government is cracking down on costly tutoring institutions, and it offers a reward to citizens who catch tutors breaking the rules. The institutions, known as hagwons, have sprung up nationwide, sparking concerns that wealthy kids...

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