Defense secretary on tour of Pacific nations Visit a day after pointed speech in Japan Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is expected to get a rare tour on Monday of China's first aircraft carrier, becoming the first foreign visitor to go aboard the ship. A senior defence official said Hagel requested the visit, which comes a day after he told reporters that China must better respect its neighbours a pointed...
US defence secretary says destroyers are to counter the North Korean threat, and says China must respect its neighbours The US defence secretary, Chuck Hagel, delivered a two-pronged warning to Asia Pacific nations on Sunday, announcing that the US would send two additional ballistic missile destroyers to Japan to counter the North Korean threat, and saying China must better respect its neighbours....
Pyongyang's deputy UN ambassador warns US that moves viewed as crossing 'red line' will provoke countermeasures North Korea on Friday accused the US of being "hell-bent on regime change" and warned that any manoeuvres with that intention will be viewed as a "red line" that will result in countermeasures. Pyongyang's deputy United Nations ambassador, Ri Tong Il, also repeated that...
Park Geun-hye is described as a 'cold-blooded animal' and 'little girl' in official newspaper after speech on reunification North Korea has launched a vicious, misogynist tirade against the South Korean president, Park Geun-hye, after she gave a speech on reunification in Germany. While the North's propaganda is often vitriolic, the highly personalised and sexist nature of the attack the latest salvo...
OECD findings show 15-year-olds are outperforming peers in most of Europe and the US, but lag behind those in Asia Teenagers in England have above-average skills in creative problem solving, performing better than their peers in most of Europe and the US, but still lagging behind the emerging economic powerhouses of Asia, according to findings released by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation...
Crashed drone found on South Korean island near border with North as two countries trade fire South Korea says it has recovered an unidentified drone that crashed on one of its border islands the same day that North and South Korea exchanged artillery fire across their disputed maritime boundary . The wreckage was discovered on Baengnyeong island, which lies just south of the maritime border. ...
Residents on South-controlled island are evacuated to shelters after exchange of fire caps days of rising tension ...
South Korea and the US conducted a large-scale amphibious landing drill shortly before an exchange of fire between North and South Korea. After the exercises, shells from North Korea landed south of the international sea boundary. South Korea returned fire into North Korean waters...
Pyongyang warns South that it will be conducting live fire drills in a contested area off its west coast North Korea declared disputed areas off its west coast a no-go area for shipping and has notified the South that it will conduct firing drills, a South Korean government official said. The area is near the so-called "northern limit line", drawn up at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War,...
Residents on South-controlled island are evacuated to shelters after exchange of fire caps days of rising tension South Korea on Monday returned fire into North Korean waters after shells from a North Korean live-fire drill fell south of the rivals' disputed western sea boundary, a South Korean military official said. Residents on a nearby South-controlled island were evacuated to shelters as a precaution....
WHO certifies 11 countries polio free after three years without reporting single new case India and 10 other Asian countries have been declared free of polio, meaning the disease has been eradicated in 80% of the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) certified the south-east Asian region which includes India but excludes Afghanistan and Pakistan polio free after the countries went three years...
Seoul Suburban's Charlie Usher argues that cutting south Korea's onerous working hours would reduce stress, help families and encourage the hiring of more women...
Our bloggers of the week, Seoul Suburban , pick the best and worst features of the south Korean capital City in brief Theres an old Korean saying that goes something like: Even if you have to go sideways, its OK as long as you get to Seoul. The city is absolutely central to this country: almost a quarter of the population lives here, and whether its political, economic, cultural, technological, or...
Launch of three Rodong missiles takes place as leaders of US, South Korea and Japan discuss how to deal with regime ...
Nobody knows cities better than the bloggers who write from the frontlines. Every week we'll feature one of the blogs from our global network in detail. This week: Charlie Usher, whose Seoul Sub→urban blog explores the South Korean capital 'one subway stop at a time' Charlie Usher ...
US parents adopting abroad at lowest level since 1992 as adoptions from South Korea and Ethiopia also plunge ...
Traditionalists fear for national dish, amid changing tastes and trade war with China Its unmistakable smell permeates Seoul subway carriages during the rush hour, and aficionados claim it is the healthiest food on the planet. Once valued as a source of vitamin C before the arrival of refrigerators, kimchi now crops up on menus far from its birthplace on the Korean peninsula. The spicy, garlicky cabbage...
The CEO attempted to fix a British brand that wasn't broken, and unwisely tried to make it more exclusive and international The news that Bruno Guillon has stepped down from Mulberry won't have come as a great surprise to the British fashion industry. Once a shining example of Brit accessory design, it has floundered under Guillon, with the share price falling 67% in the two years he has been in charge....
Rockets are latest in series of launches that have provoked criticism and were allegedly fired off North's east coast North Korea has test-fired 10 rockets into the sea, South Korea's defence ministry has said, in the latest in a series of launches that have provoked criticism from Seoul and Washington. The rockets were fired off the North's eastern coast and flew about 40 milesinto the Sea of Japan,...
The levelling of the Ahyeon overpass marks the latest attempt to improve the environment of South Korea's sprawling capital Demolition work began on 6 February. By the end of August, the Ahyeon overpass will have been replaced by another, greener bus-only lane. Seoul has decided to remove the structure , a symbol of South Korea's high-speed development. Originally built in 1968, the 1km-long highway...