North Korea

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North Korea Preps for Visit From NY Philharmonic

Pyongyang tears down anti-US posters in lead-up to concert

(Newser) - Pyongyang may be shedding some of its anti-US propaganda in preparation for the New York Philharmonic's arrival tomorrow, but many worry Dvorak symphonies Tuesday for the elite will prove an ineffectual olive branch during a time of nuclear negotiations. Pshaw, an assistant secretary of state tells the LA Times: "...

N. Korea Opens Nuke Plant to Foreign Media

Controversial Yongbyon facility at core of disarmament talks

(Newser) - North Korea opened its controversial Yongbyon nuclear reactor to the foreign media yesterday, the first time the 5-megawatt plant at the core of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program and the target of international disarmament talks has been seen by journalists,  ABC News reports. The visit seemed to be...

Giant Bunnies Hit Silver Screen
Giant Bunnies Hit Silver Screen

Giant Bunnies Hit Silver Screen

Doc details how N. Korean officials devoured monster rabbits meant for poor

(Newser) - Giant bunnies overran the 2008 Berlin Film Festival, reports Der Spiegel—in the form of a 5-minute documentary on the international intrigue that ensued when a German rabbit breeder sent a dozen of his 20-pounders to North Korea to be bred to help alleviate hunger. Instead, they met a tragic...

Behold, the Worst Building Ever
Behold, the Worst Building Ever

Behold, the Worst Building Ever

105-story Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang draws Esquire 's scorn

(Newser) - The Ryugyong Hotel in downtown Pyongyang is surely one of the worst architectural failures in history, Eva Hagberg writes in Esquire: Not only has the 105-story building—which sucked up an estimated 2% of North Korea’s annual GDP from 1987 to '92—never opened, but the pyramidal “hotel...

North Korea Still Balking Over Nuke Shutdown

Action slow until aid comes through: officials

(Newser) - North Korea is still dragging its feet in disabling its nuclear program, Reuters reports. The slowdown, which began last week, is due to delays in delivery of energy aid promised to North Korea as part of a deal reached earlier this year, authorities said. "We have no choice but...

North Korea Stalling on Nuke Deal
North Korea Stalling on Nuke Deal

North Korea Stalling on Nuke Deal

Nation refuses to remove nuke cooling tower before enjoying benefits

(Newser) - North Korea is balking at US demands that it demolish a cooling tower at its main nuclear complex and get rid of unused fuel, the AP reports. Officials insist they want the benefits from the next stage of the disarmament deal first. The US warns that North Korea could restart...

Japan Shoots Down Dummy US Missile

Japanese expanding missile defense systems with Yank help

(Newser) - A Japanese warship off Hawaii has shot down a US-made mock ballistic missile in flight over the Pacific Ocean, the BBC reports. The test, using a US-developed intercept missile, was the first of its kind by an American ally. Japan and the US stepped up their missile defense cooperation after...

Psych Prof Puts Bush on the Couch
Psych Prof
Puts Bush
on the Couch
OPINION

Psych Prof Puts Bush on the Couch

Snarky summary has implications prez should take seriously

(Newser) - President Bush recently scorned a reporter’s “Psychology 101,” but one mind-minded professor says he could benefit from a few lessons. Bush should start by trying “pattern matching,” Jonathan Haidt writes in the LA Times, with no little humor: If he’d stop equating Islam with...

Historic Train Crosses Korean Border

Freight service aims to narrow economic gap between countries

(Newser) - The historic first of what will be a regular schedule of freight trains crossed the border from South Korea to North Korea today, marking a major leap forward in the countries' reunification process and a step toward what could be a hugely profitable railway system. The link is part of...

NY Philharmonic to Play N. Korea
NY Philharmonic to Play N. Korea

NY Philharmonic to Play N. Korea

Musical diplomacy may help, says ambassador

(Newser) - The New York Philharmonic plans a historic Pyongyang concert in February, giving Kim Jong Il occasion to dig out his fanciest tracksuit—and further defrosting US relations with the onetime axis of evil member. “We haven’t even had Ping-Pong diplomacy with these people,” said ambassador Christopher Hill....

Bush Pulls About-Face on North Korea

Offers normal ties to former 'axis of evil' player for nuke secrets

(Newser) - In a sharp reversal from the days when he labeled North Korea part of the "axis of evil," President Bush has sent a letter to Kim Jong Il saying that if the dictator reveals the details of his nuclear program by the end of the year, the US...

US Envoy Visits North Korean Reactor

Top diplomat makes rare visit to discuss disabling of nukes

(Newser) - A top US official got a rare glimpse of North Korea's nuclear reactor on a visit to ensure the reclusive nation is on track toward disabling its weapons program, the BBC reports. Christopher Hill also met with the North's foreign minister to discuss Pyongyang's timetable on declaring all of its...

Koreas at Impasse on Fishing Zone
Koreas at Impasse on Fishing Zone

Koreas at Impasse on Fishing Zone

Day 2 of defense summit founders on maritime borders

(Newser) - The second day of talks between North and South Korean defense ministers hit a snag today, writes Reuters, as efforts to find a compromise on the disputed maritime border fell short. The two ministers had also sought to begin steps towards a formal peace treaty to end the 1950-53 Korean...

Koreas' Defense Chiefs Begin Peace Talks

Ministers first aim to settle sea dispute

(Newser) - South Korea's defense minister is negotiating today with his North Korean counterpart in a bid to settle the nations' disputed sea border. The first talks between defense ministers in seven years aims to deepen the agreements from last month's landmark summit calling for greater peace via economic collaboration.

US Places Diplomat in N. Korea
US Places Diplomat
in N. Korea

US Places Diplomat in N. Korea

First Pyongyang official lays groundwork for permanent presence

(Newser) - Washington has had a "permanent" diplomat stationed in Pyongyang since mid-month, a source tells the South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo, marking the first time a US official has been assigned full-time to North Korea. The move is seen as a precursor to possible normalization of relations between the US...

Thousands Flee N. Korea Via Covert Network

Brokers charge $2K to $10K to reach Seoul through China

(Newser) - Thousands are fleeing Kim Jong Il's regime, thanks to an expanding network of brokers who smuggle defectors to Seoul through China, the Washington Post reports. Savvy Seoul brokers charge them up to $10,000 for a luxury "planned escape," complete with fake documents, but stakes are rising as...

Bush, Japanese PM Boost Ties
Bush, Japanese PM Boost Ties

Bush, Japanese PM Boost Ties

Leaders offer assurances on Afghanistan, North Korea

(Newser) - President Bush and new Japanese PM Yasuo Fukuda today vowed to reconcile hot-button issues concerning North Korea and Afghanistan that have strained relations, Reuters reports. In his first visit to the White House, Fukuda pledged to do his "utmost" to renew a refueling mission for coalition forces in Afghanistan,...

Korea Chiefs to Launch Border-Busting Railway

Freight link to strengthen economic ties

(Newser) - In their latest step toward closer ties, the leaders of North and South Korea have agreed to establish a cross-border train system to strengthen economic connections. Beginning in December freight trains will follow a 16-mile track through the heavily patrolled border frontier to a joint industrial complex in North Korea's...

Korean PMs Get Down to Business
Korean PMs Get Down to Business

Korean PMs Get Down to Business

After summit, premiers meet in Seoul to discuss economic development

(Newser) - North Korea's prime minister  is in Seoul today for the start of a 3-day summit with his South Korean counterpart. The leaders are discussing how to implement peace agreements from last month's landmark meeting of the two Korean top leaders. But in the first visit by a northern leader to...

US Urges Japan to Return to Afghanistan

Japanese naval contribution halted by domestic politics

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates urged Japan today to resume a naval support mission for US operations in Afghanistan, Reuters reports. Japan has conducted refueling operations in the region for the past six years at a cost of approximately $195 million. The mission was stopped earlier this month after an opposition...

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