US would use force to defend allies, says president, condemning 'pariah state that starves its people' during South Korea trip Barack Obama has warned North Korea that the United States "will not hesitate to use our military might" to defend allies, condemning the actions of "a pariah state that would rather starve its people than feed their hopes and dreams" and characterising...
Pyongyang issues report about detention of 24-year-old as US president Barack Obama meets South Korean counterpart North Korea has detained an American tourist for "rash behaviour" while passing through immigration, the official KCNA news agency reported on Friday as Barack Obama met the South Korean president in Seoul. The state news agency said the 24-year-old was placed in custody over...
Families camped out at information centre surround officials and accuse them of lying about the rescue operation Frustrated relatives of the scores of people still missing from the sinking of the ferry Sewol staged a marathon confrontation with the fisheries minister and the coast guard chief, surrounding the senior officials in a standoff that lasted overnight and into Friday morning as they vented...
Hopes of supporting pivot to Asia flounder after round-the-clock talks deadlocked over farm produce and cars President Barack Obama wrapped up a state visit to Japan on Friday during which he assured America's ally that Washington would come to its defence, but failed to clinch a trade deal key his "pivot" to Asia and to prime minister Shinzo Abe's reforms. Obama and Abe had been seeking...
Satellite images suggest Pyongyang could be planning show of strength to coincide with US presidential visit to South Barack Obama arrived in Seoul on Friday to growing signs North Korea was preparing for another nuclear test. The American president landed at a US Air Force base outside a South Korean capital still wracked with grief over the 300 people dead or missing more than a week after the sinking...
US president warns Pyongyang of sanctions with 'more bite' if it goes ahead with fourth nuclear test North Korea's threats will only make it more isolated, Barack Obama has said, warning Pyongyang of sanctions with "more bite" if it went ahead with a fourth nuclear test. The US president's arrival in South Korea for a two-day visit was overshadowed by growing signs that North Korea is making...
Seoul government says some victims' remains 'wrongly transferred' after families discover mix-up at funeral homes The South Korean government has conceded that some bodies recovered from the sunken ferry Sewol have been misidentified and announced changes to prevent such mistakes from happening again. South Korean media reports this week revealed bodies were going to the wrong families, with the error...
Although the said sorry to his Chinese fans for visiting a Japanese memorial, he forgot to include his equally upset Korean admirers Justin Bieber seems to have bungled his recent apology for visiting Japan's controversial Yasukuni war shrine. Although the singer said he didn't mean to offend his Chinese fans, he forgot to acknowledge South Korea for whom visiting the Tokyo site is also considered...
Child who made emergency call as South Korean ship sank is among more than 150 whose remains have been retrieved Searchers have found the body of a South Korean boy who first raised the alarm that an overloaded ferry with hundreds of children on board was sinking. His body was retrieved from the sunken ship and informally identified by his parents, the coastguard said. The parents had seen his body...
International internet report shows Australia dropped three places in global speed rankings to 44th Australia's internet is speeding up but not as fast as it is elsewhere, a report says. Average Australian connection speeds increased by 27% in 2013 to reach 5.8 megabits per second (Mbps) in the December quarter, according to Akamai Technologies' latest State of the Internet report . Continue reading......
South Koreans mourn the students who died after a ferry carrying 476 passengers capsized last week. A memorial altar is set up at the Olympic Memorial Hall in the city of Ansan for people to pay their respects. A spokesman from the coastguard says more victims have been found, bringing the total to 128 so far. Search operations are continuing Continue reading... ...
Prosecutors raid 10 firms and other organisations connected to ferry operator Chonghaejin Marine as death toll rises The death toll in the South Korean ferry disaster rose to 152 on Wednesday, as the investigation into the cause of the accident widened with raids on the offices of the vessel's operator. Prosecutors raided 10 firms and other organisations connected to the ferry operator, Chonghaejin...
Unlike the Sewol tragedy, the fate of these schoolchildren has gone unreported, vanished into a dangerous world Where are they? Every morning for a week the news has been dominated by the South Korean ferry tragedy . The terrible grief of the parents, the shocking response of the crew to the unfolding disaster, and the inexorably rising body count. Continue reading... ...
Singer removes photo of himself at Yasukuni shrine, which China and South Korea regard as symbol of Japanese militarism Justin Bieber has apologised after posting a photograph that showed him standing in front of the controversial Yasukuni war shrine in Tokyo. The Canadian pop singer removed the image but only after it had been tweeted to his 51.1 million followers and attracted 660,000 likes on Instagram....
In pictures taken from the International Space Station, most of North Korea is shrouded in darkness - but it's the tiny specs of light that are worth examining, says Witness to Transformation North Korea network: follow the Guardian and our partners for unique reporting and analysis New images taken by an astronaut on the International Space Station this year captured a fresh view of the Korean peninsula...
Authorities investigate head of Yoo family, which ran Sewol service, as recovery of bodies enters second week South Korean prosecutors investigating the fatal sinking of the Sewol ferry have raided the home of Yoo Byung-un, the head of a family behind the vessel's parent company, as the undersea search for victims entered its second week. The Yonhap news agency reported that Yoo's home and a church...
US president to hold talks with Japanese PM on first stop of eight-day tour of Asia taking in South Korea and Malaysia Barack Obama is expected to offer guarded support for Japan in its bitter territorial dispute with China over a group of islands in the East China Sea, as Washington seeks to reassure its Asia-Pacific allies of its commitment to regional security in the face of an increasingly assertive...
Defence ministry in Seoul reports increased activity at Punggye-ri where three previous detonations were carried out North Korea may be preparing to carry out its fourth nuclear test, South Korea's defence ministry said on Tuesday, citing a significant step-up in activity at the North's main test site. "Our military is currently detecting a lot of activity in and around the Punggye-ri nuclear...
It's one of the most secretive places on the planet, making it the subject of much speculation and rumour. How much do you really know? Continue reading... ...
Although photography is tightly controlled, the images that do emerge are often compelling. Here's a glimpse of daily life Continue reading... ...