U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Thursday urged North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to exercise "restraint" after the communist nation threatened to reveal a "new strategic weapon" in protest over stalled nuclear talks.Kim made the remark in a New Year's message that expressed his frustratio
President Moon Jae-in appointed Choo Mi-ae, a judge-turned-politician, as justice minister Thursday, Cheong Wa Dae announced.Accordingly, the post has been filled after more than two months of vacancy from Cho Kuk's resignation.Moon nominated Choo, a five-term lawmaker who led the ruling Democratic
The United States is watching North Korea closely and hoping the regime will choose a path of peace as it approaches its year-end deadline for denuclearization talks between the two countries, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday.Pompeo made the remark in an interview with Fox News amid c
“The Republic of Zambia has over 70 tribes bringing different cultures and coexisting peacefully. Zambia is an amazing tourist destination and is home of one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World--The Victoria Falls or “Mosi-o-Tunya” which means the smoke that thunders. With 20 National Parks sp
U.S. National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien warned North Korea Sunday that the United States has many "tools in its toolkit" to respond to any major provocation and will use them to demonstrate its disappointment.O'Brien made the comments in an interview with ABC amid concerns North Kore
A 3.5 magnitude earthquake hit the country's southeastern region early Monday, the weather agency said.The quake occurred shortly after midnight at 00:32 a.m. at some 15 kilometers northeast of Miryang in South Gyeongsang Province, with a depth of 20 km, according to the Korea Meteorological Adm
A Seoul court on Friday rejected an arrest warrant for former Justice Minister Cho Kuk in a probe into his suspected role in ending an inspection into bribery allegations involving a former Busan vice mayor.Earlier this week, prosecutors filed for an arrest warrant for Cho, former senior presidentia
North Korea has reasons to keep up nuclear talks with the United States, but it may consider their timing based on its assessment of the political fortunes of U.S. President Donald Trump, who faces an impeachment trial, a source said Thursday.Though the Senate trial is expected to result in Trump
South Korea's central bank will likely maintain its monetary easing next year to help support the economy and boost the country's consumer prices, with at least another rate reduction in the offing, analysts said Friday.The Bank of Korea (BOK) slashed the policy rate twice this year -- from
The main opposition party's filibuster, designed to block a ruling party-led bill on electoral reform, ended at the stroke of midnight Wednesday night, as the extra parliamentary session came to a conclusion.The contentious bill will be put to a vote during the new extra session a
Chinese President Xi Jinping is "almost certain" to visit South Korea in the first half of next year, a presidential official said Wednesday.President Moon Jae-in invited Xi to visit the South in the near future when they held summit talks in Beijing on Monday. Xi said in response that he will pos
The United States and its allies stand ready to defend themselves even on Christmas day, a Pentagon spokesman said Wednesday, as officials remained on alert for a threatened "Christmas gift" from North Korea.The "gift" was widely expected to be an intercontinental ballistic missile launch after
U.S. President Donald Trump's policy on North Korea is "failing" and the communist nation poses an imminent threat to American troops and allies, one of his former national security advisers said Monday.John Bolton, who worked for Trump until September, made the remark in a tweet as tensions h
South Korean President Moon Jae-in will have his first summit talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in more than a year Tuesday over trade and historical affairs that have impaired relations between the neighboring countries.They are on a visit to Chengdu, a southwestern Chinese city, for a
South Korea's finance ministry said Tuesday that about 71 percent of next year's budget has been allocated for implementation during the first half of the year, as the government aims to boost recovery momentum for Asia's fourth-largest economy.According to the ministry, 71.4 percent of
Top trade officials from South Korea, China and Japan agreed Sunday to accelerate their trilateral free trade talks and ramp up efforts to conclude a mega Asia-Pacific trade deal, Seoul's trade ministry said.South Korea's Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Sung Yun-mo met China's Commer
South Korean President Moon Jae-in will head to China on Monday for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, seeking to strengthen partnerships on the Korea peace process and address various other issues.Moon will travel to Beijing for a summit with Xi, their f
Outgoing Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon has said he will accept whatever the ruling party decides over his role in next year's general elections, as he is set to resume his political career.Lee, a former four-term lawmaker, plans to return to politics as President Moon Jae-in named Chung Sye-kyun, a
South Korea and the United States were set to hold the last day of defense cost-sharing talks on Wednesday, but chances of a deal appear to be low as the two sides remain far apart over how much more Seoul should pay.Jeong Eun-bo, South Korea's chief negotiator, and his U.S. counterpart, James D
U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Policy Stephen Biegun was set to visit Beijing on Thursday amid speculation over whether he will meet with North Korean officials to talk about de-escalating tensions ahead of Pyongyang's year-end deadline for U.S. concessions.The previously unannounce