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TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — With fireworks, feasts and red envelopes stuffed with cash for the kids, numerous Asian nations and overseas communities have welcomed Saturday the Lunar New Year. It begins with the first new moon of the lunar calendar and ends 15 days later on the first full moon. Firing bottle rockets and other fireworks is a traditional way of welcoming the new year and seeing off any lingering bad memories. Royal palaces and other tourist sites were also packed with visitors wearing the country’s colorful traditional “hanbok” flowing robes. Parades and commemorations are also being held in cities with large Asian communities overseas, particularly in New York and San Francisco.

Persons: Lai Ching, Han Kuo, Tsai, “, ” Tsai, Yoon Suk Yeol Organizations: Nationalist Party Locations: TAIPEI, Taiwan, China, Seoul, Southern, Paju, North Korea, Vietnam, New York, San Francisco

A satellite city 22 miles northwest of Seoul, South Korea, Paju is small, with a population of around half a million. The streets are quieter than those of the bustling capital, the air cleaner and the pace of life half a beat slower. While many people know the city for its military base, Paju is also home to the nation’s elaborate book publishing hub — officially known as Paju Publishing Culture, Information and National Industrial Park but commonly referred to as Paju Book City. Around 900 book-related businesses, including printing presses, distribution companies and design studios line the streets, and signs reading “Paju Book City” are everywhere.

Organizations: Paju Publishing Locations: Seoul, South Korea

☆ North Korea slams UN nuclear agency as US mouthpiece
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File... Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreSEOUL, Oct 2 (Reuters) - North Korea on Monday denounced the U.N. atomic watchdog for joining a U.S.-led pressure campaign and "cooking up" a resolution over its nuclear programmes, calling the agency a "paid trumpeter" for Washington. An unnamed spokesman of Pyongyang's Ministry of Nuclear Power Industry released a statement criticising a resolution adopted on Friday at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) general conference that calls for the North to curb its nuclear programmes. The spokesman described the resolution as a "result of conspiracy" by the United States and its allies, saying North Korea's status as a nuclear weapons state has already become "irreversible." Grossi warned last year that the reclusive country could resume nuclear testing for the first time since 2017. The IAEA has had no access to North Korea since Pyongyang expelled its inspectors in 2009 and then restarted nuclear testing.

Persons: Tae Sung, Kim Hong, Rafael Grossi, Grossi, Hyonhee Shin, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: REUTERS, Monday, Pyongyang's Ministry of Nuclear Power Industry, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, DPRK, Democratic People's, Thomson Locations: Gijungdong, Paju, South Korea, SEOUL, North Korea, U.S, Washington, United States, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, DPRK, Pyongyang

☆ South Korea warns North Korea, Russia against breaching UN resolutions
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Sept 14 (Reuters) - South Korea's National Security Council (NSC) said on Thursday North Korea and Russia would "pay a price" if they violate U.N. Security Council resolutions. "The government said that with any actions that threaten our security by North Korea and Russia violating (U.N.) Security Council resolutions, there will be a price to pay," it said. The message comes after the NSC held a meeting to discuss the summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The South Korean meeting was attended by senior officials including the foreign minister as well as the unification minister, who is in charge of relations with North Korea. Earlier, Unification Minister Kim Young-ho also expressed concern over military cooperation between North Korea and Russia.

Persons: Kim Hong, Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin, Kim Young, ho, Hyunsu Yim, Kevin Liffey, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Korea's National Security Council, Thursday North, NSC, Unification, Thomson Locations: Paju, South Korea, Rights SEOUL, Thursday North Korea, Russia, Pyongyang, Moscow, United States, Japan, North Korea, Russian, Angus

☆ Missiles aren't the only threat from North Korea. Its conventional arms are just as deadly
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Lim Hui Jie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

A fire assault drill by North Korean rocket artillery units at an undisclosed location in North Korea in March 2023 in this photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). In late 2022, CFR estimated North Korea had 1.3 million active military personnel, in addition to a 600,000 strong reserve force. Pinkston pointed out that North Korea is not the only one that can launch an attack at short notice. Holistic perspectiveWhy would North Korea need to develop missiles if it holds such a potent threat over South Korea — even if short-lived? However, Cha pointed out that there have also been studies that have shown the damage inflicted by North Korean artillery is "not that effective."

Persons: that's, Naoko Aoki, Victor Cha, Rand, Daniel Pinkston, Pinkston, Cha Organizations: North Korean, North, Korean Central News Agency, Reuters, Korea's, Rand Corporation ., of Foreign Relations, CFR, Korean, Artillery, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Rand Corp, Samsung Electronics, Rand, . Rand Corporation, LG, South Korean, Troy University, CNBC, Korea People's Army, CSIS Locations: North Korea, Korean, Korea, South Korea, Seoul, Pyongyang, U.S, Paju, counterfire, Washington, United States, Victor, Victor Cha Korea

☆ North Korea confirms custody of U.S. soldier Travis King, who crossed DMZ in July
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Phil Helsel | Mosheh Gains | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A U.S. soldier who had served in South Korea crossed the military demarcation line separating the two Koreas into North Korea without authorization. North Korea commented Tuesday for the first time about a U.S. soldier who ran into the isolated country's territory last month. North Korea also alleged that King said he decided to cross into North Korean territory. North Korea had offered a very brief response to United Nations officials about King, the Pentagon's spokesman said Aug. 1. North Korea has also six times conducted nuclear tests, which are also banned by the U.N.

Persons: KCNA, Travis King, Lloyd Austin, King, Jonathan Franks, Claudia Gates, Gates, today's, Travis, Franks, Martin Meiners, Private King, Meiners, Patrick Ryder, Ryder Organizations: Security Area, DPRK, Democratic People's, U.S . Army, Army, Korean Central News Agency, . Defense Department, Private, United Nations, Pentagon, Air Force, Command, Joint Security Agency, United Nations Command, North Locations: Paju, South Korea, U.S, North Korea, Panmunjom, Korea, Korean, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North, DPRK, KCNA

[1/3] Foreign tourists participating in DMZ tour walk past a military fence near the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, in Paju, South Korea July 19, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Hong-JiPAJU, South Korea, July 19 (Reuters) - Only hours after U.S. Most infamously, axe-wielding North Korean soldiers in the DMZ in 1976 murdered two U.S. soldiers who were cutting down a tree to secure a clear view. In 2017, a North Korean soldier was riddled with bullets by his comrades, but ultimately survived as he made a dash into the South. He must have done it not knowing exactly what North Korea is like," Lee told Reuters at the observation point.

Persons: Kim Hong, Ji PAJU, Travis T, King, Felicia, Lee Sang, Lee, Soo, hyang Choi, Gyun Kim, Hongji Kim, Ed Davies, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, Joint Security Area, South Korean, United Nations Command, UNC, ITC, North, American, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Paju, South Korea, North Korea, Korea, U.S, North Korean, Seoul, Minwoo

North Korea's state media has made no mention of the incident. North Korea has been testing increasingly powerful missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, including a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile last week. Forces Korea, said the military was "working with our KPA counterparts to resolve this incident," referring to North Korea's People's Army. NORTH KOREA FIRES MISSILESThe soldier was on a tour of the Panmunjom truce village with other visitors when he crossed a Military Demarcation Line, U.S. officials say. The launch came hours after the South Korea and the United States held the first round of talks on Tuesday on upgrading coordination in the event of a nuclear war with North Korea.

Persons: Travis T, King, Lloyd Austin, Austin, Isaac Taylor, Taylor, Kim Hong, Panmunjom, Tae Yong, Josh Smith, Hyonhee Shin, hyang Choi, David Brunnstrom, Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Nobuhiro Kubo, Jack Kim, Lincoln Organizations: U.S, The U.S . Army, Security Area, U.S . Defence, United Nations, U.S . Forces, Korea's People's Army, Command, UNC, North Koreans, KOREA, REUTERS, Ji, U.S ., Korea's Unification Ministry, South, United, Thomson Locations: North North Korea, Pyongyang, U.S, South Korea, WASHINGTON, American, North Korea, Washington, The, New York, U.S . Forces Korea, Paju, Ji U.S, United States, Korean, Korea's, Seoul, Tokyo

☆ Private Travis T. King: what do we know about the U.S. soldier who crossed to North Korea?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/4] A North Korean soldier stands guard at their guard post in this picture taken near the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, in Paju, South Korea July 19, 2023. Private Travis T. King, who joined the U.S. Army in January 2021, is a Cavalry Scout with the Korean Rotational Force, which is part of the U.S. security commitment to South Korea. WHY DID HE CROSS TO NORTH KOREA AND WHERE IS HE NOW? His mother, Claudine Gates, told ABC News she was shocked at the news her son had crossed into North Korea. U.S. officials say King is likely to be in North Korean custody.

Persons: Kim Hong, Ji, Travis T, TRAVIS, King, expletives, Sarah Leslie, Handout, Claudine Gates, Travis, 1,265.8500, Crystal Chesters, Edmund Blair Organizations: REUTERS, WHO, U.S . Army, Korean, Force, U.S . 1st Armored Division, 4th Infantry Division, National Defense Service, Korean Defense, Overseas Service, Court, Security Area, U.S, The Korea Times, ABC News, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Korean, Paju, South Korea, United States, U.S, North Korea, Washington, Pyongyang, Seoul, Panmunjom, New Zealand, North, New York

REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File PhotoSEOUL, June 29 (Reuters) - South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday picked a conservative scholar and an outspoken critic of North Korea's human rights record as the country's new unification minister handling relations with Pyongyang in a cabinet reshuffle. Kim, 63, served as a presidential secretary for unification and a human rights envoy under the conservative Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye administrations. North Korea has long rejected criticism of its rights conditions as part of a plot to overthrow its rulers. Kim is the right person to pursue a "principle-based" and consistent North Korea policy, said Yoon's chief of staff, Kim Dae-ki. The unification ministry's role ranges from cross-border dialogue and exchanges to studying human rights abuses in North Korea and helping defectors resettle in the South.

Persons: Kim Hong, Yoon Suk, Kim Yung, Yoon, Kim, Lee Myung, Kim Jong, Kim Dae, Jang Mi, Soo, hyang Choi, Hyunsu Yim, Jack Kim, Ed Davies, Gerry Doyle Organizations: South, REUTERS, Sungshin Women's University, North, Thomson Locations: Korean, South Korean, Paju, South Korea, SEOUL, Pyongyang, North Korea, North Korean, Korea, United States

☆ Top US general predicts troops will have to always be on the move and be 'nearly invisible' to survive on future battlefields
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Gen. Mark Milley painted a terrifying picture of what future battlefields will look like in a new podcast interview. Soldiers will have to be almost invisible to survive on battlefields that are far more lethal, he warned. Breakthroughs in this space include the development of long-range precision munitions, the emergence of hypersonic weapons, an increased ability to sense and track environments, and integration of unmanned robotic systems. "What are some of the attributes of a future force? But speed, size, and being nearly invisible will be fundamental to survival on a future battlefield."

☆ North Korea says U.S.-South Korea drills push tension to 'brink of nuclear war'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Yonhap via REUTERS/File PhotoSEOUL, April 6 (Reuters) - North Korea on Thursday accused the U.S. and South Korea of escalating tensions to the brink of nuclear war through their joint military drills, vowing to respond with "offensive action," state media KCNA reported. KCNA released a commentary by Choe Ju Hyon, whom it called an international security analyst, criticising the exercises as "a trigger for driving the situation on the Korean peninsula to the point of explosion." "Now the international community unanimously hopes that the dark clouds of a nuclear war hanging over the Korean peninsula will be removed as early as possible," it added. "The drills have turned the Korean peninsula into a huge powder magazine which can be detonated any moment," it added. North Korea has reacted furiously to the exercises, calling them a rehearsal for invasion.

☆ In pictures: North Korea's recent missile launches
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Jeremy Schultz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Children play with a pair of binoculars as they try to look toward the north near the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, in Paju, South Korea, November 4, 2022. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

☆ North Korea fires missile after Harris leaves South Korea
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

North Korea test-fired two ballistic missiles on Wednesday, a day before Harris visited South Korea, and one before she left Washington on Sunday. Getty Images AsiaPacSouth Korea’s military says North Korea has fired at least one ballistic missile toward its eastern waters. Thursday’s launch was the third round of missile tests by North Korea this week. North Korea test-fired two ballistic missiles on Wednesday, a day before Harris visited South Korea, and one before she left Washington on Sunday. In this handout image provided by the South Korean Defense Ministry, The U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan (C) and South Korean warships seen during a US-South Korea combined naval exercise on September 29, 2022 in East Sea, South Korea.

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