South Korea

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South Korean Prez Meets Grim Kim in Historic Summit

Chilly Kim greets Roh in second summit ever

(Newser) - South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun crossed the border to be met by cheering crowds and grim-faced North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il in Pyongyang today for the second summit ever between the two countries. Roh hopes to make progress toward a permanent truce between the nations but won't broach the touchy...

Only Details Left in North Korea Disarmament

Delegates head home to talk 'nuts and bolts' with their governments

(Newser) - North Korea’s nuclear disarmament seems near at hand. Delegates from six-party negotiations returned home today to walk their governments through the plan's “nuts and bolts.” The talks fleshed out Korea’s February pledge to disarm for fuel aid. “Assuming we go forward with this, it lays...

Oil, Steel Fuel Surge in Asian Markets

Near-record crude prices outweigh fears of US skid

(Newser) - Crude climbed within 50 cents of a record today, and that meant Asian stock indexes were climbing as well with the Nikkei rising 0.3% and the Asia-Pacific index up 0.1% after big losses Friday. Steel joined oil as a big mover when South Korean producers announced a price...

End Iraq War? Korean War Isn't Over Yet

Bush and Roh spar about closure on 50-year-old conflict

(Newser) - President Bush got into an unusually undiplomatic tiff with South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun in Sidney today when the latter urged the US to declare a formal end to the Korean War that concluded with a truce—but no treaty—50 years ago. Bush said the US position is to...

N. Korea Agrees to Ban Nukes
N. Korea Agrees to Ban Nukes

N. Korea Agrees to Ban Nukes

Move could lead to friendlier relations with US

(Newser) - North Korea has promised to disable all of its nuclear facilities by the end of this year, the BBC reports, possibly paving the way for warmer relations between the US and a country it now lists as a supporter of terror. After meeting with representatives from the North, US negotiator...

Korean Hostages Back Home
Korean Hostages Back Home

Korean Hostages Back Home

They're sorry for 'causing trouble'

(Newser) - Nineteen relieved Christian aid workers returned home to South Korea yesterday after Taliban kidnapers released them from six weeks of captivity. They sank into the grateful arms of family and apologized to the public for "causing trouble." Korean officials had warned the church group not to travel to...

Final Korean Hostages Walk Free
Final Korean Hostages
Walk Free

Final Korean Hostages Walk Free

Christian aid workers out of Taliban hands after 6 weeks

(Newser) - Taliban militants in Afghanistan freed the remaining seven South Korean hostages today, CNN reports, ending an episode that began July 19 with the abduction of 23 Christian aid workers. After two were executed, the remaining hostages were gradually released as the South Korean government negotiated with the captors, promising to...

Taliban Frees 4 More Captives
Taliban Frees 4 More Captives

Taliban Frees 4 More Captives

Last Koreans also scheduled for release

(Newser) - Taliban militants released four of their remaining seven South Korean hostages today. The two men and two women were released to Red Cross officials on a road in central Afghanistan, the AP reports. The Red Cross is on its way to pick up the three remaining hostages from the original...

8 Korean Hostages Freed
8 Korean Hostages Freed

8 Korean Hostages Freed

Taliban freeing prisoners after reaching a deal with South Korea

(Newser) - The Taliban released eight hostages today, a day after reaching a deal with the South Korean government. Three who were released earlier this morning were brought to the town of Ghazni by tribal elders—acting as mediators—then handed over to the Red Cross. South Korea has agreed to pull...

Deal Reached on Hostages
Deal Reached on Hostages

Deal Reached on Hostages

Taliban, Seoul agree on terms, including withdrawal of troops

(Newser) - Talks between the Taliban and the South Korean government have resulted in the outline of a deal to release the remaining 19 hostages held in Afghanistan for over a month. The agreement involves withdrawal of Korea's 200 noncombat troops and an end to missionary activity, CNN reports, but not payment...

Asian Markets Soar After Fed's Rate Cut

Stocks see biggest jump in 5 years as panic gives way to optimism

(Newser) - The global equities sell-off ground to a halt today as Asian stocks had their biggest gains in five years. Responding to Friday’s cut in the US Federal Reserve’s discount rate, Japan’s Nikkei 225, Hong Kong's Hang Seng and South Korea's Kospi indexes all saw huge gains as...

Police Raid Frees Kabul Hostage
Police Raid Frees Kabul Hostage

Police Raid Frees Kabul Hostage

Kidnappers call themselves 'a special network,' police say they are not Taliban

(Newser) - Afghan police stormed a secret location in Kabul today and freed a German aid worker held by kidnappers this weekend, CNN reports. Her abductors had circulated a video of her asking for the release of unknown prisoners and pleading for her own freedom. The captors said only that they are...

Korean Hostage Talks Fail
Korean Hostage Talks Fail

Korean Hostage Talks Fail

Taliban says demands not met; group is considering the fate of 19 captives

(Newser) - As the 19 remaining Korean hostages await news of their fate, negotiations to secure their release have failed, according to a Taliban spokesman. The terror group says its principal demand—the liberation of insurgents being held by coalition forces—was not met; South Korean officials have insisted Seoul has no...

Mission Church Does Some Seoul Searching

Hostage crisis has Korean Christians pondering direction

(Newser) - As 19 South Korean aid workers wallow in a Taliban prison camp, many in the world community are openly wondering why they were in Afghanistan in the first place. Even as they pray for the release of their fellow parishioners, members of a suburban Seoul church are dodging critics who...

Taliban Frees 2 South Korean Hostages

Women in Red Cross custody after roadside hand-over

(Newser) - The Taliban freed two of the South Korean hostages abducted in Afghanistan today, releasing them to the Red Cross in Ghazni province, the Telegraph reports. A BBC reporter saw the two women, who were reported to be in "fair" health and were released after talks with South Korean negotiators....

Taliban to Free 2 Hostages
Taliban to Free
2 Hostages

Taliban to Free 2 Hostages

Militant group will release sick women from captivity, report says

(Newser) - The Taliban will release two South Korean hostages who have become sick after nearly a month of captivity in Afghanistan. The announcement came during talks between the militant group and South Korean emissaries, but hasn't been confirmed by international groups monitoring the situation.

South Korea Begins Taliban Hostage Talks

Hostages said to be safe while negotiations continue

(Newser) - A South Korean team began face-to-face negotiations with the Taliban today, hoping to secure the lives of 21 Korean aid workers abducted last month. The meeting is taking place in an Afghan government-controlled zone where the Taliban has been guaranteed temporary safe passage. Seoul has already cautioned that it doesn't...

Two Koreas Set Summit
Two Koreas
Set Summit

Two Koreas Set Summit

Leaders of divided peninsula will meet for first time since 2000

(Newser) - The leaders of North and South Korea will meet for a three-day summit at the end of the month for the first time in 7 years, Reuters reports. The summit in Pyongyang is expected to have little impact on the six-party negotiations that succeeded in inducing the North Koreans to...

Seoul Pleads for Taliban Talks
Seoul Pleads for Taliban Talks

Seoul Pleads for Taliban Talks

Delegation arrives in Afghanistan while Afghans, Taliban search for venue

(Newser) - South Korean officials are in Afghanistan seeking direct talks with the Taliban, Reuters reports, as the terrorist group and the Afghan government bicker over a venue for their own negotiations to free the  21 remaining Korean hostages. Two male members of the church group have been killed by the kidnappers.

Seoul to Taliban: Our Hands Are Tied

Frustrated South Korean govt. lacks authority to satisfy kidnappers' demands

(Newser) - South Korean officials on a desperate mission to Afghanistan are attempting to impress upon the Taliban that they cannot single-handedly meet the organization's demands. The delegation has been in contact with the kidnappers in an efforts to negotiate the release of 21 South Korean hostages, Reuters reports, but it can't...

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