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Geopolitics Israel-Palestine War Russia-Ukraine War War in Ukraine

Talkin’ World War III Blues? North Koreans In Ukraine, Iran v. Israel, U.S.-China Heat

The United States’ confirmation of the presence of North Korean soldiers alongside the Russians in Ukraine has raised fears of an international escalation. All the more reason to fear that the current local or regional conflicts will gradually turn into global ones.

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Geopolitics

Pyongyang Lessons: Putin Leans In To Role As World’s Autocrat-In-Chief

Vladimir Putin presents himself as the leading advocate for multipolarism, but continues to reveal his true world view, where we are divided among those that respect nothing but personal power — and fools.

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In The News

Is Severodonetsk The Next Mariupol?

Russian troops are attempting to encircle Severodonetsk, the last key city remaining under Ukrainian control in the Luhansk region, as Vladimir Putin looks to claim victory in a war that is not going Moscow’s way. But will the toll be for civilians?

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Geopolitics

South Korean Military Under Fire After Rape, Suicide Of Air Force Officer

The suicide of a female officer in the South Korean Air Force who had been sexually assaulted has sent shock waves through the country, finally prompting the government to initiate a reform of the military, The Dong-a Ilbo daily reported this week. As French daily Le Monde reported, President Moon Jae-in took advantage of the […]

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In The News

North Korean Defectors Watch Summit With Hope, Trepidation

SEOUL – They are the simplest of dreams. To see familiar streets once more. Or walk along a river at the center of childhood memories. Or throw a big party with wine. These dreams belong to people who risked everything to flee North Korea and then, as some of the most high-profile defectors, spoke out about the rights abuses and repression of Kim Jong Un’s regime. But now, ahead of Tuesday’s summit between Kim and President Donald Trump in Singapore, the defectors are considering a question that until recently seemed foolish to ask: Could they one day return home? Such […]

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In The News

Next On The Korean Peninsula: Trump And Pyongyang Nukes

Kim Jong Un’s historic call for peace also included an unspoken message to U.S. President Donald Trump: North Korea won’t surrender its nuclear weapons easily. The agreement Kim reached Friday with South Korean leader Moon Jae-in declared “a new era of peace” and sought a formal end to the seven-decade-old Korean War. While it said both countries committed to a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula, it gave no details on concrete steps to achieve it. More ominously, North Korean’s state-run media released a commentary shortly after the agreement was announced calling on the U.S. to drop its “anachronistic hostile policy” and “bad […]

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In The News

Korean Fried Chicken, How Seoul Owners Are Winging It

South Korean fried chicken franchises are popping up all over the country. Tight competition is squeezing owners.

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blog

July 12

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Economy Smarter Cities

Seoul Aims To Be World Capital Of The Sharing Economy

For the last several years, South Korea’s capital has made the sharing economy a priority, funding a citywide initiative that has enabled dozens of startups to emerge. But they are still struggling to export.

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blog

On This Day – November 29

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Society

This South Korean Monk Comforts North Korean Souls

SEOUL – Alongside the highway that runs from Seoul to the barbed wire fences of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) there is an all but forgotten cemetery. For one South Korean Buddhist monk, this is a truly sacred site. Muk-gai chants — this is meant to ease the suffering of the spirits that inhabit this graveyard. With his shaved head and grey tunic, he taps on a small drum as he walks past the headstones that dot this hillside. These graves belong to 769 North Korean soldiers. The 58-year-old monk says he doesn’t consider them as enemies. “It isn’t about sympathy […]

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Geopolitics

On The *Trip Of Death* From North To South Korea

SEOUL – The distance between the North Korean border town of Hyesan and South Korea’s capital Seoul is 440 kilometers (273 mi) as the crow flies. It took Park Kun-ha five years to complete the journey. His way turned out not only to be a lot longer but tortuous, taking him through the jungle of […]

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Geopolitics

What’s In A Threat? North Korea’s Escalating Rhetoric In Ten Nasty Steps

KCNA (North Korea), YONHAP (South Korea), BBC NEWS (UK), REUTERS, AFP Worldcrunch North Korea has warned foreigners to evacuate South Korea to avoid being dragged into a “thermo-nuclear war” – the latest in a series of provocative declarations that led Japan to deploy Patriot missiles in Tokyo on Tuesday. Here’s a look back at the […]

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Geopolitics

North Korea Threatens To Strike U.S. Bases And South Korea

KCNA (North Korea), THE KOREA TIMES (South Korea), AFP, REUTERS Worldcrunch North Korea announced on Tuesday that it had put its artillery and rocket units into “combat posture,” and threatened to attack South Korea and U.S. bases in Hawaii, Guam and the U.S. mainland. The Supreme Command of the Korean People’s Army released a statement […]

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Future

North Korean Hackers Suspected After Major Cyber Attack on South Korean Banks, TV Stations

KOREA TIMES, YONHAP, KOREA INFORMATION SECURITY AGENCY (South Korea), AP Worldcrunch SEOUL – Two banks and three major broadcasting stations in South Korea went into shutdown mode on Wednesday in what is a suspected hacking from North Korea. According to Korean news agency Yonhap, three broadcasters, three banks and two insurance firms reported to the […]

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Geopolitics

South Korea’s First Female President Takes Office, Warns North Korea On Nukes

THE KOREA TIMES, THE KOREA HERALD (South Korea), REUTERS Worldcrunch SEOUL – Park Geun-hye was sworn in on Monday as South Korea’s first female president ; she began her five-year term by urging an increasingly hostile North Korea to drop its nuclear ambitions. “North Korea’s recent nuclear test is a challenge to the survival and […]

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Ideas

New Dawn For China-South Korea Relationship?

As tensions increase again on the Korean Peninsula, and China rethinking its rapport with Pyongyang, a reset could be in order between Seoul and Beijing.

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Geopolitics

South Korea Elects First Ever Woman President

SKYNEWS (UK), KOREAN TIMES (South Korea) Worldcrunch SEOUL – South Korea has elected its first female president, as Park Geun-Hye, the daugther of the country’s longtime autocratic ruler, defeated opposition candidate Moon Jae-in. Park, 60, the conservative party candidate, claimed victory early Thursday, after collecting 51.5% of the votes against Moon’s 47.9%. The campaign largely […]

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Geopolitics

North Korea Declares Rocket Launch A Success

KCNA (North Korea), THE KOREA HERALD (South Korea), NHK (Japan) Worldcrunch North Korea’s state-run news agency has announced the country has successfully put a satellite into orbit Wednesday. Pyongyang says the three-stage, long-range rocket was successfully launched off the west coast of North Korea Wednesday morning, after its previous attempts failed earlier this year. “The […]

Categories
Future

South Korea Shuts Nuclear Reactors Over Dodgy Parts

THE KOREA HERALD (South Korea), BBC NEWS (UK) Worldcrunch SEOUL – South Korea has shut down two nuclear reactors after it was revealed that some parts used had not been properly vetted, reports BBC News. Almost all the parts were used in a nuclear power complex in Yeonggwang, which is located some 330 kilometers southwest […]

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Geopolitics

North Korea Threatens “Merciless Military Strike,” Kim Jong-Un’s Nephew Speaks Out

KCNA (North Korea), YONHAP (South Korea), YLEISRADIO (Finland) Worldcrunch North Korea announced Friday that it would launch a “merciless military strike” on South Korea, if the country allows anti-North activists to disseminate propaganda leaflets in the communist country next week. Yonhap news agency, citing the North’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), quoted the warning statement […]

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