North Korea

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North Korea Boots Officials from S. Korea

Relations sour as South demands an end to nuclear program

(Newser) - South Korean officials left North Korea this morning, after receiving their eviction notice from Pyongyang. Relations have soured between the Koreas since the South demanded the North cease its nuclear activities, but the South said it was “undaunted” by the expulsion of its men. “We will deal with...

South Korea to Back UN on North Korea

Seoul shifts gears to join in criticism of human rights record

(Newser) - South Korea is set to vote in favor of a United Nations resolution that criticizes the "systematic, widespread, and grave violations" of human rights in North Korea, the AP reports. The South's new president, Lee Myung-bak, is changing a decade of precedent: earlier administrations have either abstained or been...

China Off US Rights Blacklist
 China Off US Rights Blacklist 
Mar 12, 2008 10:26 AM CDT

China Off US Rights Blacklist

State Dept. report drops China from top 10 worst abusers despite poor record

(Newser) - The State Department has taken China off its list of the world's 10 worst human rights abusers, the New York Times reports. China's human rights record "remained poor," the department's annual report said, with abuses including "extrajudicial killings, torture, and coerced confessions of prisoners." Officials declined...

Dressed-Up Pyongyang Hid Grim Reality

N. Korean capital masked poverty for NY Philharmonic's visit

(Newser) - North Korea's capital was prettied up last month to show off the country's nonexistent prosperity to the New York Philharmonic and the accompanying press corps, the LA Times reports. The visitors to Pyongyang ate luxurious meals in newly painted hotels, but after they finished, the lights went out. "As...

Clapton Invited to Pyongyang
Clapton Invited to Pyongyang
Feb 27, 2008 11:41 AM CST

Clapton Invited to Pyongyang

North Korea invites old Slowhand for landmark concert

(Newser) - Kim Jong Il is a diehard Elvis fan, but the Great Leader's son is seriously into Eric Clapton, which could be why North Korea has invited Old Slowhand to play a concert in Pyongyang. Though the New York Philharmonic performed there yesterday, a Clapton appearance  would mark the first time...

Philharmonic Wows North Korea
Philharmonic Wows North Korea
Feb 26, 2008 7:16 AM CST

Philharmonic Wows North Korea

New York orchestra wins ovation after landmark performance

(Newser) - The New York Philharmonic received a huge ovation in Pyongyang tonight after a concert that marked the first thaw in cultural relations between the US and North Korea in 50 years. The performance—which included the countries' national anthems, a Korean folk song, and works by Gershwin, Dvorak, Wagner, and...

Are They Playing His Song?
Are They Playing His Song?
Feb 25, 2008 5:00 PM CST

Are They Playing His Song?

New York Philharmonic arrives in Pyongyang

(Newser) - As the New York Philharmonic arrived in Pyongyang today, Kim Jong-Il still hadn't indicated whether he would attend the orchestra's historic concert, Reuters reports. ”It's kind of a win-win for Kim Jong-Il,” says a scholar of North Korean propaganda, because the visit will likely be portrayed as a...

'Bulldozer' Prez Takes Helm in S. Korea

Conservative ex-CEO charges into office, pledging reform

(Newser) - Proclaiming that "economic revival is our most urgent task," South Korea's new president took office today. Ex-Seoul mayor Lee Myung-bak, a longtime Hyundai exec known as "the Bulldozer," won the office in a landslide but is likely to struggle implementing the reforms he has promised if...

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
Feb 18, 2008 12:10 PM CST

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
Jan 31, 2008 9:38 AM CST

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
Dec 24, 2007 4:15 AM CST

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
Dec 17, 2007 2:46 PM CST

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
Dec 10, 2007 9:01 AM CST

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...

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