North Korea

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    Google News: North Korea

  • Top Obama adviser: US willing to resume North Korea nuclear talks - Jerusalem Post

    6 Nov 2009 | 5:40 pm
    AFPTop Obama adviser: US willing to resume North Korea nuclear talksJerusalem PostObama is slated to visit Japan, Singapore, China and South Korea in the coming week. The US has in the past conducted direct talks with North Korea on its Obama administration would talk to North Korea: aideReutersWhat Obama Should Say to North KoreaWall Street JournalNorth Korea-US Bilateral Talks Could Happen by Year's EndGlobal Security NewswireToronto Star -Brisbane Times -Goal.comall 92 news articles »

  • US is reaching out to East Asia's powerful nations - Washington Post

    6 Nov 2009 | 5:39 pm
    Boston GlobeUS is reaching out to East Asia's powerful nationsWashington PostIt also engineered the first UN-backed effort to prevent North Korea from selling weapons of mass destruction. The administration has committed to closer Obama will push economic rebalancing on China tripReutersObama to Asia: The United States Is BackThe Carnegie Endowment for International PeaceReuters World News Highlights at 1000 GMT, Nov 6ForexyardWall Street Journal -The Week Magazineall 185 news articles »

  • ASI Research Update: Victor Cha on the Future of North Korea and the ROK-US ... - Asia Security Initiative News & Blog (blog)

    6 Nov 2009 | 3:50 pm
    ASI Research Update: Victor Cha on the Future of North Korea and the ROK-US Asia Security Initiative News & Blog (blog)This week, we're featuring recent policy briefings by the Ilmin International Relations Institute at Korea University. The third in the series is by Victor ASI Research Update: John Park on the Effects of Sanctions on North KoreaAsia Security Initiative News & Blog (blog)all 2 news articles »

  • PRESS DIGEST - South Korean newspapers - Nov 6 - Reuters

    5 Nov 2009 | 4:15 pm
    Boston GlobePRESS DIGEST - South Korean newspapers - Nov 6ReutersSouth Korean foreign minister Yu Myung-hwan said on Thursday that official talks between North Korea and the United States were expected to be held by the N. KOREA HOLDS LARGER-THAN-EXPECTED FOREIGN CURRENCY: PROFESSORTrading Markets (press release)nkorea seeks private food aid: reportAFPSeoul to delay fact-finding mission to AfghanistanYonhap Newsall 23 news articles »

  • SCENARIOS-Next steps in North Korea nuclear crisis - Reuters

    3 Nov 2009 | 7:01 pm
    Boston GlobeSCENARIOS-Next steps in North Korea nuclear crisisReutersSEOUL, Nov 4 (Reuters) - North Korea has increased pressure on regional powers trying to persuade it to abandon nuclear arms in exchange North Korea's Plutonium Process Flouts UN Measures, US SaysBloombergIn North Korea, the military now issues economic ordersWashington PostN. Korea Says It Has More Bomb-Grade PlutoniumNew York TimesWall Street Journal -guardian.co.uk -Voice of Americaall 1,576 news articles »
 
 
 
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    North Korea Times

  • US open to N Korea visit

    7 Nov 2009 | 12:51 am
    Deputy Commander of North Korea Air Force Kin Kwan-su salutes China's President Hu Jintao (R) during a group meeting ahead of the 60th anniversary of China's People's Liberation Army Air Force, at the...

  • US says open to North Korea visit

    6 Nov 2009 | 5:59 pm
    The United States is open to sending an envoy to Pyongyang if North Korea shows it is serious about giving up nuclear weapons, President Barack Obama's top Asia adviser said on Friday.North Korea ...

  • U.S. mulls Bosworth's visit to N. Korea by year-end: sources+

    6 Nov 2009 | 4:57 pm
    WASHINGTON, Nov. 6 (AP) - (Kyodo)—(EDS: ADDING INFO AT 2ND GRAF) The United States has entered the final stage of arranging a visit to North Korea by the end of the year by Stephen Bosworth, spec...

  • Kim Mi-hyun Gives Birth to Baby Boy

    6 Nov 2009 | 10:58 am
    By Cho Jae-hyon Staff Reporter LPGA Tour golfer Kim Mi-hyun, 32, who tied the knot with Olympic judo gold medalist Lee Won-hee last December, gave birth to a boy in Orlando, Fla., on Wednesday. ...

  • Moscow urges calm over North Korea's plutonium weaponizing

    6 Nov 2009 | 8:16 am
    MOSCOW, November 6 (RIA Novosti) - North Korea's weaponizing of plutonium at its Yongbyon reactor should not be 'dramatized,' a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday. Pyongyang sa...
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    Big News Network

  • US open to N Korea visit

    7 Nov 2009 | 12:51 am
    Deputy Commander of North Korea Air Force Kin Kwan-su salutes China's President Hu Jintao (R) during a group meeting ahead of the 60th anniversary of China's People's Liberation Army Air Force, at the...

  • US says open to North Korea visit

    6 Nov 2009 | 5:59 pm
    The United States is open to sending an envoy to Pyongyang if North Korea shows it is serious about giving up nuclear weapons, President Barack Obama's top Asia adviser said on Friday.North Korea ...

  • U.S. mulls Bosworth's visit to N. Korea by year-end: sources+

    6 Nov 2009 | 4:57 pm
    WASHINGTON, Nov. 6 (AP) - (Kyodo)—(EDS: ADDING INFO AT 2ND GRAF) The United States has entered the final stage of arranging a visit to North Korea by the end of the year by Stephen Bosworth, spec...

  • Kim Mi-hyun Gives Birth to Baby Boy

    6 Nov 2009 | 10:58 am
    By Cho Jae-hyon Staff Reporter LPGA Tour golfer Kim Mi-hyun, 32, who tied the knot with Olympic judo gold medalist Lee Won-hee last December, gave birth to a boy in Orlando, Fla., on Wednesday. ...

  • Moscow urges calm over North Korea's plutonium weaponizing

    6 Nov 2009 | 8:16 am
    MOSCOW, November 6 (RIA Novosti) - North Korea's weaponizing of plutonium at its Yongbyon reactor should not be 'dramatized,' a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday. Pyongyang sa...
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    CNN.com : North Korea News and Videos

  • North Korea produces plutonium with 'weapons potential'

    3 Nov 2009 | 7:50 am
    North Korea has completed reprocessing thousands of spent fuel rods, producing plutonium which could be used in nuclear weapons, state-run media reported Tuesday.

  • Doing business in North Korea

    2 Nov 2009 | 9:28 am
    As the chairwoman of South Korea's Hyundai group, Hyun Jeong-eun, faces business challenges few other executives can imagine.

  • North Korea calls for direct talks with U.S.

    2 Nov 2009 | 4:35 am
    North Korea pressed for direct talks with the United States on Monday, saying the two need to settle their differences before meaningful multilateral nuclear discussions could proceed, state media reported.

  • South Korea accepts North's apology

    15 Oct 2009 | 1:56 am
    North Korea's apology for a flooding incident that killed six people in the South shows a "willingness on the part of North Korea to improve relations," a South Korean presidential spokesman said.

  • Report: North Korea open to nuke talks

    6 Oct 2009 | 3:11 am
    North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has again indicated willingness to participate in bilateral talks with the United States and return to six-party talks over its nuclear program, China's Xinhua news agency reported.
 
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    U.S. News: North Korea

  • The Value of Clinton's Photo-Op With Kim Jong Il

    Last week's release of two American journalists from North Korea produced a pair of memorable images. There was the heartwarming scene of the women, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, joyfully emerging from the plane in Southern California into the arms of their families, whom they hadn't seen in months. But before that, there was also a more ambiguous tableau: former president Bill Clinton sitting woodenly with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in a Politburo-style group portrait.

  • Freed Journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee Reunite With Families

    BY Michael Saul DAILY NEWS POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT The two American journalists imprisoned for five months by North Korea came home to a tear-filled airport reunion with their families Wednesday morning following a dramatic rescue mission led by former President Bill Clinton.

  • North Korea Pardons 2 American Journalists

    North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has issued a special order that pardons two American journalists who were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for illegal entry and engaging in "hostile acts." The announcement by North Korea's official news agency comes on the same day former President Bill Clinton made a surprise visit to the country, where he met with Kim to negotiate the release of the jailed journalists, Euna Lee, 36, and Laura Ling, 32.

  • Kim Jong Il Pardons U.S. Journalists During Bill Clinton Visit

    By Richard Sisk Daily News Washington Bureau WASHINGTON -- Dictator Kim Jong-Il pardoned two jailed U.S. women after a personal appeal Tuesday by former President Bill Clinton  as a sign of North Korea's "humanitarian and peace-loving policy."

  • North Korea Launches Test Missiles

    North Korea test-fired four short-range missiles off its eastern coast today, a move that had been highly anticipated as the nation continues to defy U.N. sanctions. The four missiles were launched in the late afternoon and early evening from a base near the eastern coastal city of Wonsan, a South Korean defense spokesman told South Korea's Yonhap News Agency.
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    World news: North Korea | guardian.co.uk

  • North Korean defectors tell of torture and beatings

    Mark Tran
    4 Nov 2009 | 8:48 am
    Former prisoners describe harrowing ordeals as UN prepares to scrutinise North Korea's human rights recordIn the nine months after his arrest on espionage charges, Guang-il Jung was beaten by North Korean security guards with a thick wooden club. He still bears the scars on the back of his head.In the course of beatings, the guards broke all his teeth, leaving him toothless for four years. To deprive him of sleep, the guards at the underground prison at Hoeryong city near the Chinese border used "pigeon torture". Jung was handcuffed and tied by his arms to an object behind him so he could not…

  • North Korea says it possesses weapons-grade plutonium

    Mark Tran
    3 Nov 2009 | 1:10 am
    Announcement seen as fresh demand for talks with US as observers claim Pyongyang could create another atomic weaponNorth Korea today claimed to have completed reprocessing spent fuel rods at its Yongbyon nuclear plant to extract weapons-grade plutonium."We have finished reprocessing 8,000 spent fuel rods as of August. We have made substantial achievements in weaponising plutonium from the extraction," Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency said.Experts said North Korea might be able to produce enough material for one more atomic weapon from the fuel rods cooling at the Soviet-era…

  • Japan renews effort to free citizens abducted by North Korea

    David Munk
    28 Oct 2009 | 1:13 pm
    Hatoyama ministers say long captivity of victims snatched by Pyongyang secret agents is bar to thaw with Kim Jong-ilOn the evening of 7 July 1978, Yasushi Chimura and his fiancée, Fukie Hamamoto, drove in a small truck to a lookout point above the craggy coast that marks the city of Obama's meeting with the Sea of Japan. The waters were placid, and the couple were excited about their wedding in November.They were not alone. Agents from North Korea were on the hillside. They overpowered the couple, took them to a waiting boat on Wakasa Bay and transported them nearly 500 miles to the…

  • UN envoy says North Korea should feed its 9 million hungry citizens

    Mark Tran
    23 Oct 2009 | 1:34 am
    Vitit Muntarbhorn's UN report says World Food Programme is able to reach fewer than 2 million needy due to aid shortfallNorth Korea should take urgent steps to improve its "abysmal" human rights record by providing food to its hungry citizens, a UN envoy said yesterday as he released a scathing report on the reclusive country.The report noted that almost 9 million people in North Korea were suffering from food shortages, with the World Food Programme (WFP) able to reach fewer than 2 million of the hungry population due to a shortfall in international aid as countries cut funding in response…

  • Sven-Goran Eriksson and North Korea: a marriage made in heaven

    Barney Ronay
    14 Oct 2009 | 4:05 pm
    The former England manager may have turned down the opportunity to work for Kim Jong-Il. Big mistake . . .Sven-Goran Eriksson has turned down the chance to manage North Korea at next year's World Cup. This is a great shame, as a closer look reveals the rogue Swedish football manager and the rogue one-party state are in fact a match made in heaven.Sven-Goran ErikssonCurrent status: Face of a mysterious and shadowy regime (newly oil-rich Notts County FC).Experience with dubious authority figures: Employed at Manchester City by Thaksin Shinawatra, deposed Thai prime minster recently sentenced to…
 
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    Huliq News

  • North Korea Test Fires Series of Short-Range Missiles

    Michael Santo
    12 Oct 2009 | 8:36 am
    Despite a proposal by its southern neighbor on Monday, North Korea test-fired five more short-range missiles off its east coast. Thus continues the saber-rattling North Korea has been doing of late.

  • South Korea Launches Rocket into Space

    Michael Santo
    25 Aug 2009 | 8:25 am
    South Korea launched its first rocket blasted into space on Tuesday following an aborted attempt last week. Unlike rival's North Korea own launch, which months ago drew much international ire, the South's launch drew applause, not rancor.

  • Clinton Says Acted As American And Father

    Armen Hareyan
    7 Aug 2009 | 5:24 am
    Bill Clinton describes what prompted his trip to North Korea. He said he acted as an American and as a father. Also he wanted to so that his country and North Korea can see where they want to go from here. Clinton said he is not a policy maker and shouldn't be, but has an obligation to report to his government. By Armen Hareyan

  • American Journalists to Be Freed: N. Korean State Media

    Michael Santo
    4 Aug 2009 | 3:55 pm
    North Korea's state media announced that after an unannounced visit by former U.S. President Bill Clinton, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il has pardoned American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee, and ordered their release.

  • Bill Clinton A Luxury Negotiator for Obama and Hillary

    Armen Hareyan
    4 Aug 2009 | 5:40 am
    The former U.S. president Bill Clinton arrived today in North Korea, seeking a release of two American journalists detained for illegal entry into the country. The U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and wife of Bill, had sought amnesty in July. White House says Clinton's trip to North Korea is "solely private." Just new reports are coming that Mr. Clinton met with North Korea's president Kim Jong-il.
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    North Korea Economy Watch

  • Kyongsong Castle

    NKeconWatch
    5 Nov 2009 | 8:43 pm
    (Click image to enlarge) While cataloging North Korea’s economic, military, and political infrastructures on Google Earth, my colleagues and I have labeled over a dozen historical fortresses (castles) in the DPRK.  Normally the remnants of these fortresses consist of stone walls which skirt the surrounding mountain tops. Today, however, I came upon Kyongsong Castle in Sungnam-ri on the DPRK’s east coast.  As far as I can tell it is the only walled city of this type remaining in the DPRK.  If not, it is certainly the most impressively preserved.  It is a shame nobody can visit…

  • In North Korea, the military now issues economic orders

    NKeconWatch
    5 Nov 2009 | 8:24 pm
    Blane Harden wrote an excellent article for the Washington Post on the KPA takeover of state-owned trading companies and how these companies are increasing natural resource exports to China.  (As an aside, China has just recently ceased publishing North Korean trade data).  This is interesting because just a year-and-a-half ago we were discussing Jang Song-thaek’s anti-corruption campaign which was supposed to be closing down KPA companies and making them reapply for export licenses with the Ministry of Foreign Trade (meaning the WPK could start dipping into the revenue pools).

  • North Korean food shortage to grow, crimes of necessity on the rise

    NKeconWatch
    3 Nov 2009 | 5:40 am
    Institute for Far Eastern Studies (IFES) NK Brief No. 09-11-02-1 11/2/2009 The North Korean agricultural ministry has announced that the countries food shortages are expected to be even greater next year. Edition 302 of the newsletter “North Korea Today,” distributed by the group Good Friends, reports that the Ministry of Agriculture announced harvest predictions for farms in North and South Hwanghae and Pyongan provinces, North Korea’s ‘ricebowl region’. It stated that if the country was to avoid a food crisis next year, everyone would need to strictly manage this year’s crops.

  • China obscures trade relationship wth DPRK

    NKeconWatch
    2 Nov 2009 | 7:26 pm
    China has ceased publishing its balance of trade with North Korea. Since China is the DPRK’s largest trading partner, this story has significant implications for all those who study the DPRK. According to Reuters: China has stopped publicly issuing trade data about North Korea, veiling the potentially sensitive numbers about its wary neighbour under another category while the two countries seek improved ties. Destination and origin statistics on China’s imports and exports for September issued on Monday gave no separate numbers for second straight month for the Democratic…

  • North Korean workers leave the Czech Repblic…

    NKeconWatch
    2 Nov 2009 | 6:58 pm
    According to the Choson Ilbo: Nachod is a small village in the Czech Republic around three hours by car from the capital Prague. It is an isolated place sparsely dotted with farm houses. On the outskirts of the village is a two-story factory called Snezka that manufactures sheets for cars and travel bags. Until 2007, the factory was filled with North Korean women who had gone there to work. The European press described the women as “21st century slaves,” being watched 24 hours a day by North Korean minders and required to wire most of their earnings back to North Korea. The Czech…
 
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    Are You NK?

  • A call to action, to myself

    S.K.
    19 Oct 2009 | 6:19 pm
    I’m out of things to say. I think I’ve said everything that needs to be said about about this issue. So unless someone wants to take over the blog, I’m shuttering it. But that is not the end of the story. For years, I’ve urged people to take action on one of the most pressing human rights issue in the world. Awareness is important, but it only really matters if it translates into action. I’ve had this blog for over 3 years now, I’m one of the most aware persons. Why am I not doing anything? So this morning on my way to work, I thought about what I can do. I…

  • Something to look forward to

    S.K.
    28 Sep 2009 | 6:26 am
    Now that the Ling and Lee stories are behind us, let us not forget that journalism inside North Korea is still active. These North Korean journalists are risking more than abduction Reporting from Seoul – Editor Jiro Ishimaru dimmed the lights and started the shaky video clip before a roomful of North Korea experts. The footage, taken surreptitiously from a speeding motorcycle, was jarring: It showed the Soonchun Vinylon factory, which many defectors claim has been secretly used to produce lethal chemicals, including nerve gas. But the video showed a deserted complex slouching forlornly…

  • Juche in Siberia

    S.K.
    28 Aug 2009 | 1:59 pm
    We’ve heard of these North Korea logging camps, this is the first substantial documentary about them To the West, North Korea is a pariah state, best known for its secrecy, famines, belligerent politics and its leader’s brutality. At home, North Koreans live under total government control and the watchful eye of the Dear Leader, Kim Jong-il. But in the Amur region of Russia, almost 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from the border, North Korea has created a home away from home at a series of remote logging camps in which nearly 1,500 workers are employed. I travelled to one of the camps deep…

  • Say no to Ling and Lee

    S.K.
    13 Aug 2009 | 8:19 pm
    I better write up my review for a Long Road Home, before these two publish theirs Laura Ling, one of the women journalists captured by the North Koreans in March and then freed earlier this month following a visit by former President Bill Clinton, is shopping a book proposal–with her sister. According to a publisher who has seen the proposal and asked to remain anonymous, Ms. Ling, together with her sister, Lisa Ling, a special correspondent for “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” is offering a book that will examine the meaning of sisterhood and journalistic ideals. The issue of Laura Ling’s…

  • John Choe: Pro-North Korean?

    S.K.
    7 Aug 2009 | 9:05 pm
    Rarely does one find a politician in America that is Pro-North Korean, but OFK might have found one in John Choe, who is running for the NYC Council in Queens. You should read his take. I don’t live in New York so I have no stake in this and Choe’s foreign policy views aren’t applicable in city council. If he does get elected, it may or may not be interesting fodder for this blog.
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    Travel Blog from North Korea

  • Anxious Times at the Border

    After being awakened to many aspects of North Korea the passionate pursuit of a military policy and panegyrics about the Great Leader being two examples there were more revelations as we concluded our North Korean odyssey. One was the extremely proud nature of the North Korean people. This extended to a great pride about their history and they make great efforts to preserve and display thei

  • The Art of Isolation

    In a country renowned for its international isolation North Korea is equally adept at isolating foreigners visiting their nation. I have never journeyed to a country where I was kept so separated from the local populace. On almost every occasion we were deliberately distanced from the local people we would always eat in the most secluded section of a restaurant be ushered out of a separate e

  • Eternal Vigilance Against Imperialist Aggressors

    Within the North Korean psyche nothing is more despised than imperialist aggressors. Those evil external forces that threaten to usurp the Juche idea of selfreliance and besmirch the Great Leader. Public enemy number one in this regard are the US and they have held this title for the past sixty years when they overtook Japan and their imperialist efforts in the first half of the twentie

  • Bowing before the feet of the Heavenly Leader

    Moments after arriving at Pyongyang train station our hosts whisked us through a side exit and into a 25 seat van reserved only the two of us 8211 there would be no fighting over who would get the window seat on this tour. We were introduced to our three North Korean hosts 8211 our constant companions for the next 10 days. The Driver was a young person of about 30 years with a wide face

  • Taking the Night Train to Pyongyang

    8220You are going where8221 my friend would exclaim. 8220North Korea8221 I would calmly reply with a nonchalance likened to asking a flight attendant for another orange juice. 8220Don8217t you mean South Korea8221 would come the inevitable response. 8220No I mean North Korea missile tests captured US journalists...8221 and the answer would always be 8220
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    Family Care Foundation - North Korean Refugees

  • North Korea “the best socialist state in the world” about to be scrutinized

    6 Nov 2009 | 10:25 pm
    Conditions in North Korea face unusually close scrutiny at the U.N. Human Rights Council on December 7, when it goes through a “universal periodic review” (UPR), a mechanism designed to examine one-by-one the rights records of all 192 U.N. member states. Each review is based on three reports, provided ahead of time by the government, U.N. rights experts and NGOs. Pyongyang is sensitive to outside criticism, and state media outlets hit back this week, accusing the U.S. and Japanese governments in particular of using human rights as part of “a despicable plot” to apply political…

  • Amid Berlin Wall commemorations, activists rally for liberation of North Korea

    6 Nov 2009 | 12:33 pm
    November 9th marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. And activists in South Korea will hold a series of events to highlight calls for similarly momentous developments leading to the liberation of North Korea. Planned events this weekend include a mass human rights and democracy demonstration led by North Korean refugee leaders in Seoul on Saturday; an all-day national day of prayer, fasting and repentance on Sunday; and another demonstration on Monday at the Demilitarized Zone dividing the two Koreas, calling for the North’s liberation. Largely eclipsed by the Kim Jong-il…

  • North Korean refugee documentary wins another award

    5 Nov 2009 | 10:45 pm
    A documentary about North Korean refugees produced by the Chosun Ilbo has won the award for best investigative television documentary by the Association for International Broadcasting (AIB) in London.The film "Korea: Out of the North" is a 52-minute edited English version of "On The Border" and was aired in BBC in May last year. "On The Border" was first broadcast in March last year, and has since been aired on 16 channels around the world including the BBC, PBS in the U.S., CANAL+ in France, TBS in Japan, and ARD in Germany. The documentary has drawn worldwide acclaim, winning 14 awards both…

  • North Korea's "abysmal" human rights record

    4 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm
    The appearance of two North Korean defectors before MPs and European officials in Britain was timed to bring maximum public pressure on the North Korean government before its human rights record is scrutinized for the first time by the UN human rights council in Geneva. Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), which organized the European visit, says that there is a prima facie case that Kim Jong-il's regime has committed crimes against humanity and possibly acts of genocide against religious groups, specifically Christians. "[North Korean refugees] have experienced suffering and deprivation on…

  • Stats on North Korea, Land of the Dear Leader

    3 Nov 2009 | 10:01 pm
    -- North Korea is about half the size of Britain. -- The population is about 23.9 million-- In 2008 per capita income was $1,800 -- Life expectancy is 63 years -- 37 per cent of children under 7 have growth problems -- The armed forces include 1.17 million military personnel, 3,700 tanks, 420 warships and 60 submarines -- There are three newspapers, one television station and one radio station to which all radios are automatically set.
 
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    Korea Report

  • World Church Leaders Reaffirm Support of Korean Reunification

    Korea Report
    30 Oct 2009 | 8:00 am
    Korean Christians in south and north Korea have been early pioneers in civilian, inter-Korea reconciliation efforts as they made initial contacts that paved a way for comprehensive interactions between Koreans separated by division, war memories, ideological confrontations, and geopolitics. Their meetings, held initally in third countries in Europe, Japan and North America, led to the reaffirmation of the desire of Koreans towards reconciliation and reunification.International ecumenical organizations such as the World Council of Churches (WCC) have been supportive of these efforts. The WCC…

  • Doing Business in North Korea

    Korea Report
    28 Oct 2009 | 7:19 am
    [Korea Report's 300th posting.]In a respite from preoccupation with the North Korean nuclear/security issue, U.S. media is beginning to take notice of other issues, such as joint ventures and business interactions in North Korea, that shed some light on changes occuring within North Korea.The CNN carried an interview with Hyun Jeong-eun, the chairwoman of South Korea's Hyundai Asan, which has pioneered inter-Korea joint ventures with investment of $272 million in North Korea, in projects like the Kaesong Industrial Park and tours to Mount Kumgang.The Fortune magazine recently featured "The…

  • Amnesty International Report: "Migrant workers treated as 'disposable labour' in South Korea"

    Korea Report
    20 Oct 2009 | 10:40 am
    After a long lull, South Korea is again appearing in the reports of the Amnesty International, recently on the reemergence of political repression under the Lee Myong-bak administration, and now another report has shed light on abuses of migrant workers in South Korea. The Lee administration is busy signing free trade agreements and touts globalization, yet it is not dealing seriously with this critical issue at home, especially in light of South Korea's hard-earned gains in Korean worker's rights. (The photo shows a demonstration by migrant workers in Korea demanding their rights.)

  • "Tiger Spirit" -- A Documentary Film on Korean Reunification

    Korea Report
    17 Oct 2009 | 10:15 am
    Films on Korean reunification issues are scarce, as the news media is mainly preoccupied with the security issue and bypasses the underlying issues of the division and its impact on average Koreans. This new documentary film by a Korean-Canadian filmmaker Min Sook Lee, supported by the National Film Board of Canada, sheds some light on the latter. The following is a description of the film from the film site:The psychic scar shared by millions of people, separated from their families during the Korean War in the 1950s, is symbolized by the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) dividing communist North…

  • Women's Call for Peace in Northeast Asia

    Korea Report
    8 Oct 2009 | 7:03 am
    The 2009 Northeast Asian Women´s Peace Conference ("Negotiating Regional Peace, Reconciliation and Cooperation") took place on October 6, at the George Washington University campus in Washington, DC. The organizers stated that women's voices are important but have often gone unheard during the Six Party Talks and other deliberations on the future of the Korean Peninsula. This conference, in contrast, brought together a diverse group of Asian, Russian and American women speakers from civil society and government to address peace and security issues in Northeast Asia.The conference provided a…
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    Korean Language Notes

  • Have you read "Outline of Classical Chinese Grammar"?

    31 Oct 2009 | 11:14 pm
    It cost me an arm and a leg (72,000 won), but I bought Edwin G. Pulleyblank's book, "Outline of Classical Chinese Grammar." When it first arrived, I thought I had been ripped off because it was only a flimsy, little 206-page book, including Contents and Index pages. It did not look like it was worth 72,000 won, which is the most I have ever paid for any book, but after reading the first forty pages, I have changed my mind. It was a good investment.Though the book is not that well written or organized, it is crammed full of short-and-sweet grammar rules with one or two example sentences for…

  • What does 苟且偸安 mean?

    23 Oct 2009 | 11:52 pm
    Yesterday, I bought a Korean book entitled "이이화의 한문 공부," which teaches the basics of classical Chinese writing. I bought the book not only because it was the only book in the store that taught the basics of classical Chinese, but also because it looked pretty good, at least in the store. However, after getting it home and reading more of it, I noticed a few problems.One of the problems with the book is that it assumes the reader already knows the Korean pronunciations for the Chinese characters used in many of the book's example sentences. In other words, the book gives you…

  • Does 乳以 mean the same as 以乳?

    21 Oct 2009 | 4:18 am
    Today, I was reading the 四字小學(사자소학), which was a book that Korean children used to study in traditional Korean schools (書堂 - 서당), when I came across something I did not understand. Why does 以 come after the nouns in lines 3 and 4, but before the nouns in lines 5 and 6?[My] father () gave life () [to] my (我 body ().My] mother () raised (鞠 my (我 body ().懷我With [her] stomach () [she] sheltered () me ().哺我With [her] milk () [she] fed () me ().溫我With () clothes () [they] warmed () me ().飽我With () food () [they] filled () me ().From what little I know…

  • Was 之 (지) used to make causative verbs?

    14 Oct 2009 | 8:55 am
    According to THIS WEB PAGE, the Chinese character 來 (내) was used in classical Chinese to mean, "[He] comes," and 來之 (내지) was used to mean, "[He] makes him come." In other words, the 之 (지) seems to have made "to come" (來) into a causative verb. In classical Chinese, was 之 sometimes used to make causative verbs?I am curious because I want to know if the following translation is correct:A temple ( gave ( [us] rice cake (餠), tea (茶), rice gruel (粥) and soy sauce (醬) and had us eat them.Does the 之 (지) change 食 (식) from "to eat" to "to have someone eat" (…

  • What's the problem with "뭐가 불만이냐"

    10 Oct 2009 | 4:21 am
    뭐가 불만이냐 means "What's your problem" or "What's your complaint." It is a low form that is usually used among friends. If you use it with someone who is not your friend, you are asking for a fight. The problem with the expression is that 뭐가, strickly speaking, is an incorrect construction since 뭐 is a contraction of 무엇, so it would be like saying 무엇가, which is incorrect. The correct contraction for 무엇이 is 뭬. However, since few Koreans say "뭬 불만이냐," you could just drop the subject marker and say, "뭐 불만이냐." I think I will try to use 뭬.The…
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    ROK Drop

  • Swine Flu Vaccines Available for USFK Servicemembers

    GI Korea
    7 Nov 2009 | 2:31 am
    Those of you stationed in Korea who haven’t had a swine flu shot yet it is now available: U.S. Forces Korea personnel have begun receiving H1NI flu vaccinations, with the goal of immunizing all military and Department of Defense civilians by Thanksgiving.The first shipment of the 54,000 vaccines arrived this week, and the remainder should arrive by next week, said Col. Jeff Clark, 65th Medical Brigade commander. Airmen at Osan and Kunsan air bases began receiving their immunizations on Monday and Tuesday, respectively, and nearly all airmen were expected to receive vaccines by the end…

  • USFJ Security Contractor Killed In Drunk Driving Accident

    GI Korea
    6 Nov 2009 | 8:40 pm
    This has to be one of the most unusual commands for someone to have, but it must suck to have to apologize for actions of civilian workers: A U.S. military security contractor was killed last week in a drunken-driving crash in northern Japan, local Japanese officials confirmed Wednesday.The crash — the area’s second fatal alcohol-related incident in recent weeks — prompted the local mayor on Thursday to write to the U.S. Army commander of the Shariki Communications Site in Tsugaru, urging him to emphasize traffic safety among the staff at the rural base. Greg A. Williams, 48, who worked…

  • Korea Finder 32-09

    GI Korea
    6 Nov 2009 | 2:34 pm
    So who knows the name of this city: Here is this year’s Korea Finder Leadersboard: Mark – 9 Leon Laporte – 8 RoK N Roll – 5 Brewcrew17 – 1 Obiwan – 1 Rommel – 1 Sonagi – 1 A Listener – 1 Brian – 1 Alex – 1 Lord of E2 – 1 Kushibo – 1 The person with the most points at the end of the year of the weekly Korea Finder contest will rewarded with a book or DVD of their choice from Amazon.com.   Also note that if you got a picture that you think would make a great Korea Finder feel free to send it in to me.

  • Picture of the Day: Winter Comes to Mt. Mudeung

    GI Korea
    6 Nov 2009 | 11:01 am
    Visitors look at trees covered with the first snow of the year at Mt. Mudeung in Gwangju on Monday.

  • 8th Army Headquarters to Remain In Korea

    GI Korea
    6 Nov 2009 | 7:48 am
    Remember what I said about the building of improvements at Yongsan?  Well here you go: The U.S. military in Korea has scrapped an idea to relocate its key Army headquarters to Hawaii, in a move to reaffirm its commitment to the defense of South Korea, a military source said yesterday. “I understand that the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff and the U.S. Army have accepted the proposal by the U.S. Forces Korea that the 8th Army headquarters should remain in Korea as a symbol of (U.S. military commitment) to the defense of the peninsula,” said the source. The United States has been…
 
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