s war shrine visit further strained ties with the US, South Korea and China. It will be a rocky 2014 in the Asia Pacific In a key announcement on Friday, Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima agreed to the relocation of the US military base at Futenma to nearby Henoko. The move, which comes after many years of negotiations between Washington, Tokyo, and the Okinawa authorities, has been hailed as a " critical...
s one sitting right next to me," and the wretched boy went white and scrambled off the bench and hurried through the silence to the tent. There were the children. The place was Seoul and the icy wind was like a continuing physical pain. The building had been a Japanese temple and was little more than a shell. It housed some of the hungry and frequently delinquent little orphans who ran wild through...
s fleet of F16 fighter jets, in a fillip for the UK arms manufacturer after it lost out on a much more lucrative deal with the United Arab Emirates. However, there will be no direct benefit for BAE workers in Britain, where the company employs 34,000 people. BAE said it would hire 300 people at its plant in Fort Worth, Texas, to install new cockpit electronics systems, after getting the green light...
Sanghyun Hwang is accused of murdering Min Tae Kim, who disappeared after going to exchange $15,000 for his return home ...
The Japanese occupation of Korea ended after the Second World War. American troops then occupied the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and the Soviets secured the north. Tensions intensified between the two sides which led to an invasion by the north and the start of the Korean War in 1950 Jim Powell ...
s late father, Kim Jong-il) had, as a couple, been at the heart of the North Korean regime for decades, so their removal had to be done publicly and with the utmost ruthlessness; Jang was first stripped of his posts, then arrested and now executed as a "traitor for all ages" and "worse than a dog" as the regime announced. No one outside North Korea seems sure whether the decision by the heir to the...
s parliament is considering a law that would classify online gaming as potentially antisocial addiction alongside gambling, drugs and alcohol. The bill has won support from parents, religious groups and doctors but has alarmed the internet industry and enraged gamers. The legislation includes provisions to limit advertising, while a separate bill would take 1% of the gaming industry's revenue to create...
s influential uncle for his "dissolute and depraved life", alleging corruption, drug use, gambling and a long list of other "anti-state" acts, apparently ending the career of the country's second most powerful official. The young North Korean leader will now rule without the relative who was long considered his mentor as he consolidated power after the death of his father, Kim Jong-il, two years ago....
New spur to regional tensions as Japan also warns China against claims on South China Sea ...
• Move underscores China's tough geopolitical stance in region • Territorial claims continue to dominate visit by Joe Biden Paul Lewis ...
s commitment to the Asia-Pacific region as he met the South Korean president, Park Geun-hye, in Seoul at the end of a week-long regional trip defined by friction over China's new air defence zone . Potentially raising tensions further, Seoul plans to expand its own zone in response to China's move, to cover a submerged reef that both countries lay claim to. The Chinese zone's inclusion of air space...
s uncle is said to be being protected by South Korean officials in China A man who managed funds for the uncle of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, has fled the isolated country and is seeking asylum in South Korea, local media say. The aide is being protected by South Korean officials in a secret location in China, the cable news network YTN said. If true, the defection would be the first instance...
Conservationists and small Pacific nations warn overfishing is threatening the species Oliver Milman ...
Deal set to scrap tariffs on major exports and includes controversial investor-state dispute settlement mechanism Daniel Hurst ...
s unification minister said on Wednesday, a day after the National Intelligence Service in South Korea said he had been removed from two powerful positions. Jang Song Thaek, considered the second most powerful man in North Korea was last seen in public in early November at a basketball match between North Korean and Japanese teams in Pyongyang. "I understand that Jang Song Thaek is not in any physical...
s spy agency reports leader has removed influential Jang Song-taek and two of his aides have been executed Kim Jong-un may have purged his uncle and aide, South Korean legislators have said, in what would be the most significant ousting since the young leader took the helm in North Korea. If the reports of Jang Song-taek's removal are true, it is a major development given his influence and close family...