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North Korea releases photos of leader Kim Jong Un watching missile launch

North Korea's official news agency KCNA on Friday (July 26) released still photographs of the state's leader Kim Jong Un watching a missile launch.KCNA said the latest launch was a warning to South Korean "warmongers" to stop importing weapons and conducting joint military drills, a message that analysts said was also aimed at the United States.Kim personally watched the test-fire of two short-range ballistic missiles on Thursday (July 25), the first since Kim met with U.S. President Donald Trump last month and agreed to revive denuclearisation talks.The missile tests raise doubts about the revival of denuclearisation talks, which stalled after the collapse of a second summit between Kim and Trump in Hanoi in February. (Reuters)

Jul 26, 2019By Choi Won-suk

North Korea releases photos of leader Kim Jong Un watching missile launch

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U.S. urges North Korea to stick with diplomacy

The United States on Thursday urged North Korea to refrain from further provocations after the communist country test-fired two new short-range ballistic missiles and said it still hoped for a resumption of working-level talks on North Korea's denuclearization. Nathan Frandino reports.The U.S. on Thursday urged North Korea to avoid making any more provocative moves, after Pyongyang conducted its second missile test in two months.State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus."We want to have diplomatic engagement and continue to urge the North Koreans to resolve all of things through diplomacy."Earlier Thursday, the North fired off two short-range missiles that South Korea's National Security Council identified as a new type of projectile that poses a military threat to the peninsula.The South's Defense Ministry spokesperson urged the North to halt the tests, which follow a pair of earlier launches in May.Analysts said the test firing from the east coast city of Wonsan could jeopardize the recent decision by the U.S. and the North to revive stalled nuclear talks.Kim

Jul 26, 2019By Choi Won-suk

U.S. urges North Korea to stick with diplomacy

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North Korea fires suspected missiles into ocean

North Korea fired at least two projectiles early on Thursday from an area near Wonsan, on North Korea's eastern coast, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. Jillian Kitchener reports.At least two unidentified projectiles were fired from North Korea’s eastern coast early on Thursday — traveling about 260 miles to the east.That’s according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.Japanese government sources say the projectiles were short-range ballistic missiles.The White House, Pentagon and U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Thursday marks the first missile test reported since U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met at the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas at the end of June.The U.S. and North Korea recently agreed to hold fresh talks… but since then, the isolated country has sharply criticized upcoming joint military drills by U.S the South Korean troops.On Tuesday, North Korea’s state news agency reported that Kim visited a factory

Jul 25, 2019By Choi Won-suk

North Korea fires suspected missiles into ocean

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South Korea and U.S. to hold scaled-down military drills in August

South Korean and American armed forces are set to hold a scaled-down version of their annual military drills amid protests from North Korea.The U.S. and South Korea have announced that the 19-2 Dong Maeng military exercise will take place in August. South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reports that the exercise was first launched in March this year.Pentagon Spokesman Dave Eastburn said this is a regular exercise that shows U.S.commitment to their alliance with South Korea, and to the defense of the Korean Peninsula.During the exercise, the two sides will assess Seoul's initial operational capability. This is to verify whether South Korea is on track for its plan to retake wartime operational control of combined forces from the U.S. by 2022.The three requirements for the transfer include: South Korea acquiring key military capabilities to lead their combined forces, securing capabilities to respond early to nuclear and missile threats from North Korea and favorable security circumstances on the Korean Peninsula, accordi

Jul 23, 2019By Choi Won-suk

South Korea and U.S. to hold scaled-down military drills in August

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Stay cool and beat the heat

A child rinses himself off after participating in Mud Day at the Nankin Mills Park, Tuesday, July 9, 2019, in Westland, Mich. The annual day is for kids 12 years old and younger. While parents might be welcome, this isn't an event meant for teens or adults. It's all about the kids having some good, unclean fun during their summer break and is sponsored by the Wayne County Parks. AP Kids play at a fountain at Georgetown Waterfront Park in Washington D.C., the United States, on July 17, 2019. The highest temperature reached 36 degrees Celsius in Washington D.C. on Wednesday as a result of a prolonged heat wave. Xinhua A Palestinian child is poured with water to stay cool during hot weather, in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, July 17, 2019. Xinhua Palestinian woman gives her children a bath in a slum on the outskirts of the Khan Yunis refugee camp,  southern Gaza Strip on July 17, 2019, during a heat wave. AFP People cool off near the fountain at Washington Square Park during a hot afternoon day on July 17, 2019 in New York City. Sweltering heat is

Jul 18, 2019By Choi Won-suk

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South Korean merchants boycott Japanese products after Tokyo's export curbs

South Korean merchants staged a rally calling for the boycotting of Japanese products on Monday (July 15) amid a Japan-South Korearow after Tokyo curbed the export of high-tech material to Seoul.About 30 protesters from small and medium-sized enterprises, mostly supermarket owners, gathered near the Japanese Embassy, cutting up Japan-branded clothes and pouring Japanese beer into dustbins. Protest leader, Kim Sung-Min said that Japan was insulting at last week's talks and merchants like them will keep boycotting Japanese products.Japan had tightened restrictions on the export of three materials used in high-tech equipment, citing what it has called "inadequate management" of sensitive items exported to South Korea, as well as a lack of consultations about export controls.South Korean small and medium-sized business owners throw papers showing logos of major Japanese brands into a trash can during a rally calling for a boycott of Japanese products in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, July 15, 2019. South Korea and Japan last Friday, July 12, f

Jul 17, 2019By Choi Won-suk

South Korean merchants boycott Japanese products after Tokyo's export curbs

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Festivals around the globe

A man jumps over a campfire during the traditional Ivan Kupala Night festival at the Koza-Dereza farm near the Siberian village of Pridorozhnyy in Krasnoyarsk region, Russia, July 6, 2019. Picture taken July 6, 2019. Reuters People celebrate at the start of La Vaquilla festival in Teruel, Spain, 06 July 2019, a tradition dating back to 1982. EPA Revellers hold their arms up during the launch of the 'Chupinazo' rocket, to celebrate the official opening of the 2019 San Fermin fiestas in Pamplona, Spain, Saturday July 6, 2019. The blast of a traditional firework opened Saturday nine days of uninterrupted partying in Pamplona's famed running-of-the-bulls festival. A member of the northern city's official brass band was chosen for this year's launch of the rocket, known as the "Chupinazo," to mark 100 years since the local ensemble's foundation. AP Dancers of the Swan Lake of Saint Petersburg Ballett perform during the 55rd edition of the International Festival of Carthage at the Roman theater of Carthage in Tunis, Tunisia, 11 July 2019. The festival runs from 11 July to 20

Jul 12, 2019By Choi Won-suk

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Frustration of surviving pricey Hong Kong stirs protest anger

Laundry clings to the windows of a dilapidated building on Kweilin Street in Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong, July 4. Sham Shui Po, with the high population rate of migrants from mainland China, has long been left behind in Hong Kong's land development. Economic, cultural polarization due to a cultural gap and communication barrier between Hong-Kong residents and the migrants has been dividing the citizens there. One of the poorest districts, Sham Shui Po mirrors the city's social gap between rich and poor that is one of the world's worst. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk A man carries a box on Shek Kip Mei Street in Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong, July 4. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk Native Hong Kong resident William Lun, 22, majoring in economy, an aspiring lawyer, who lives with his father and brother, poses for a picture in his 6.5 square meter bedroom of his family's apartment in Hong Kong, China, June 27, 2019. "I think it's everybody's dream to get a house. It is a Chinese mentality that you have to have a house. It marks a stage in your life when you finally get settled

Jul 11, 2019By Choi Won-suk

Frustration of surviving pricey Hong Kong stirs protest anger

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Blacksmith revives his trade with the internet

In the small, mountain valley town of Yeongju, 66-year-old blacksmith Seok Noh-ki had been bracing for closing his struggling workshop until his homi, a traditional Korean hand plow, began selling like hot cakes on Amazon.com and eBay Inc late last year following a promotional campaign on Youtube.For over half a century Seok Noh-ki has been a blacksmith.He makes traditional Korean hand plows called homi, and until recently the 65 year-old had been bracing for the closure of his struggling workshop.But then he heard of something called Amazon.66-YEAR-OLD SOUTH KOREAN BLACKSMITH, SEOK NOH-KI, SAYING:"I thought 'they're talking about the rainforest. I didn't know there was this major website called Amazon."After a promotional campaign on Youtube late last year, his hand plows have been selling like hotcakes on Amazon and eBay.He says sales have tripled since he's set up shop online and now he's shipping to all corners around the world.66-YEAR-OLD SOUTH KOREAN BLACKSMITH, SEOK NOH-KI, SAYING:"I've never lived overseas or in Europe, but based on the calls and Internet revie

Jul 10, 2019By Choi Won-suk

Blacksmith revives his trade with the internet

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Trump crosses over the DMZ while meeting with Kim Jong-un

U.S. President Donald Trump met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for the third time on Sunday amid hopes for new talks at ending North Korea's nuclear programs. Trump met Kim on the southern side of the border village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarised Zone separating the two Koreas. Trump briefly crossed the inter-Korean military border into the North, becoming the first ever U.S. president to set foot in the reclusive country. (Reuters)

Jun 30, 2019By Choi Won-suk

Choi Won-suk

Read more

North Korea releases photos of leader Kim Jong Un watching missile launch

U.S. urges North Korea to stick with diplomacy

North Korea fires suspected missiles into ocean

South Korea and U.S. to hold scaled-down military drills in August

Stay cool and beat the heat

South Korean merchants boycott Japanese products after Tokyo's export curbs

Festivals around the globe

Frustration of surviving pricey Hong Kong stirs protest anger

Blacksmith revives his trade with the internet

Trump crosses over the DMZ while meeting with Kim Jong-un

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