By Gillian Wong The Associated Press BEIJING, China (AP) — The Google chairman wants a firsthand look at North Korea’s economy and social media in his private visit Monday, Jan. 14 to the communist nation, his delegation said, despite misgivings in Washington over the timing of the trip.
North Korea prepares long-range rocket test launch
By Foster Klug The Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea is gearing up to fire a long-range rocket this month in a defiant move expected to raise the stakes of a global standoff over its missile and nuclear programs.
Unification Church founder Rev. Moon dies at 92
By Hyung-Jin Kim The Associated Press GAPYEONG, South Korea (AP) — Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the self-proclaimed messiah who turned his Unification Church into a worldwide religious movement and befriended North Korean leaders as well as U.S. presidents, has died, church officials said Monday. He was 92. Moon died Monday at a church-owned hospital near […]
North Korean TV shows Disney characters
By The Associated Press Staff PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh took the stage in North Korea during a concert for new leader Kim Jong Un in an unusual performance featuring Disney characters.
Defected North Korea poet writes of hunger and desperation
By Sylvia Hui Associated Press LONDON (AP) — He says he was one of late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il’s favorite propaganda artists, singing the praises of the Dear Leader in dozens of poems. But these days, Jang Jin-sung says he prefers to tell the truth about North Korea.
North Korea to suspend key nuclear activities
By Matthew Pennington The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — North Korea has agreed to suspend uranium enrichment and nuclear and long-range missile tests in a breakthrough in negotiations with the United States, which is set to provide food aid in return.
North Korea’s new young leader gets rock star treatment
By Foster Klug The Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea’s young new leader gets rock star treatment when he visits his troops — just as his father did. But while the late Kim Jong Il mostly stayed aloof in dark shades, his son holds hands and hugs his soldiers. Kim Jong Un […]
North Korea to issue special pardons for convicts around Lunar New Year
By Hyung-jin Kim The Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea will issue special pardons for convicts to commemorate milestone birthdays of its two late leaders, state media said, in the first such dispensations in more than six years.
COMMENTARY: Stereotyped impressions of North Koreans hurting Korean reunification
Dr. Vernasius T. Tandia By Dr. Vernasius T. Tandia For Northwest Asian Weekly Compared to about a decade ago, when there was widespread opposition to reunification, a growing number of Koreans now seem to be settling for it. With increasing public discourse on the issue, including the current jostling over a mandatory reunification tax, the […]
Kim Jong Il’s heir meets with South Korean delegation
PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — North Korea’s next leader burnished his diplomatic skills Monday, welcoming a private South Korean mourning delegation as state media revealed a new title that gives Kim Jong Un authority over political matters. Kim Jong Un has rapidly gained prominence since the death of his father Kim Jong Il on Dec. […]