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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

☆ U.S. national crosses into North Korea, likely held in custody
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

South Korea's Dong-a Ilbo daily, citing South Korea's army, identified the person as Travis King, a U.S. army soldier with the rank of private second class. "We believe he is currently in DPRK custody and are working with our KPA counterparts to resolve this incident," it added, referring to North Korea's People's Army. North Korea has been testing increasingly powerful missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, including a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launched last week. U.S. State Department travel advisory bans U.S. nationals from entering North Korea "due to the continuing serious risk of arrest and long term detention of U.S. He died in 2017, days after he was released from North Korea and returned to the United States in a coma.

Persons: Travis King, Isaac Taylor, USFK, We're, Otto Warmbier, Hyonhee Shin, hyang Choi, Josh Smith, Jack Kim, Andrew Heavens, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: U.S, United Nations Command, Joint Security Area, National, Democratic People's, . Command, UNC, Twitter, Korea's People's Army, Command, U.S . Army, Reuters, U.S . State Department, Pentagon, Korea's Defence Ministry, North, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, North Korea, Korea's, South, U.S, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, DPRK, South Korea, United States

SEOUL, July 17 (Reuters) - A year after South Korea vowed to step up readiness for extreme weather driven by climate change, experts say not enough work has been done even as greater volumes of sudden and torrential rains are expected in coming decades. South Korea is mountainous and urban development has left many regions vulnerable to landslides, while readiness to respond to extreme weather has not been up to speed. [1/3]Rescue workers look for victims during a search and rescue operation near an underpass that has been submerged by a flooded river caused by torrential rain in Cheongju, South Korea, July 16, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Hong-jiA 2020 study by the Korea Meteorological Administration found that property damage costs and casualties from extreme weather have tripled compared to the yearly average of the previous decade. "In advanced countries, they allocate 70% for prevention and 30% for recovery, prioritising recovery over prevention."

Persons: Jeong Chang, Jeong, Yoon Suk, Yoon, Kim Hong, Sejong, Jung, Lee Su, Lee, 1,267.1100, Hyun Young Yi, Hyunsu Yim, Jack Kim, Tom Hogue Organizations: Induk University, REUTERS, Korea Meteorological Administration, Korea Environment Institute, University of Seoul, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, Korea, Cheongju, Seoul, Busan, Gangnam, South Korea, North Gyeongsang, Gyeongsang

☆ North Korea condemns US plan to send cluster munitions to Ukraine as 'criminal'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, July 11 (Reuters) - North Korea on Tuesday condemned U.S. President Joe Biden's decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine as a "criminal act" and demanded an immediate withdrawal of the plan. Reclusive North Korea has forged closer ties with the Kremlin and backed Moscow after it invaded Ukraine in February last year. The United States announced last week it would send Ukraine the weapons controversial for the danger they pose to civilians long after fighting ends as part of an $800 million security package. Many U.S. allies and partners helping aid Ukraine are among the 111 state parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which prohibits all use, stockpiling, production and transfer of cluster munitions and came into force in 2010. North Korea is not a party to the convention.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Biden, Choe Son Hui, Choe, Jack Kim, Ed Osmond, Nick Macfie Organizations: Korean Foreign, DPRK, Democratic People's, Kremlin, United States, U.S, Cluster Munitions, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, North Korea, Ukraine, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Moscow, Russia, United States, U.S

☆ North Korea denounces US move to bring ballistic missile submarine to peninsula
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( Jack Kim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The statement cited past incidents of the North shooting down or intercepting U.S. aircraft at the border with South Korea and off the coast. North Korea has often complained about U.S. surveillance flights near the peninsula. A U.S. nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine arrived at the port of Busan in South Korea last month. In April, the leaders of South Korea and the United States agreed a U.S. Navy nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine will visit South Korea for the first time since the 1980s but no timetable has been given for such a visit. Yoon is scheduled to attend the NATO summit in Lithuania this week where he is expected to seek greater cooperation with NATO members over North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, his office has said.

Persons: KCNA, Yoon Suk Yeol, Yoon, North Korea's, Jack Kim, Lisa Shumaker, Diane Craft Organizations: Ministry of National Defence, North, United, U.S . Navy, South, Associated Press, NATO, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, North Korea, United States, U.S, South Korea, Busan, Lithuania, Korea, North

☆ IAEA chief says 'absolutely logical' Japan's Fukushima water release draws interest
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( Jack Kim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, July 9 (Reuters) - It is "absolutely logical" that Japan's plan to release treated radioactive water from its Fukushima nuclear plant is attracting great interest in the region, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, said on Sunday. Grossi met with South Korea's opposition Democratic Party members on Sunday who expressed strong public concerns over Japan's plan and criticized the IAEA's findings. "We deeply regret that the IAEA concluded Japan's plan to discharge contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant meets international standards," Wi Seong-gon, the committee chairman, told Grossi. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin on Wednesday criticised the move towards discharging the water and threatened action if the plan should move ahead. North Korea also criticised IAEA's backing of Japan's plan, calling it "unjust" and a demonstration of double standards, citing the U.N. nuclear watchdog's work to curb Pyongyang's nuclear programme.

Persons: Rafael Grossi, Grossi, Wang Wenbin, Jack Kim, Kim Coghill, Sonali Paul Organizations: International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Democratic Party, Sunday, Security, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Korea

☆ North Korea satellite had 'no military utility' - South Korea
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] People watch a TV broadcasting a news report on North Korea firing what it called a space satellite toward the south, in Seoul, South Korea, May 31, 2023. "After detailed analysis on major parts of North Korea's space launch vehicle and satellite which were salvaged, South Korean and U.S. experts have assessed that they had no military utility as a reconnaissance satellite at all," the military said in a statement. It is the first time South Korea has secured a satellite launched by the North, South Korean military experts said. The nuclear-armed North has pursued a satellite launch programme since the 1990s and has said it would launch its first reconnaissance satellite to boost monitoring of U.S. military activities. In a key policy address in January 2021, North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, pledged to develop military reconnaissance satellites.

Persons: Kim Hong, Lee Choon, Yang Uk, Kim Jong Un, Hyonhee Shin, Jack Kim, Ed Davies, Gerry Doyle Organizations: REUTERS, South, Aircraft, South Korea's Science, Technology Policy, Asan Institute, Policy Studies, Workers, Party, Thomson Locations: North Korea, Seoul, South Korea, Korean, SEOUL, North, U.S, Korea, South Korean, Pyongyang, Japan

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

☆ South Korea shoppers buy up salt before Japan's Fukushima water dump
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Hyun Young Yi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Lee Young-Min and her children pose for photographs during an interview with Reuters in Seongnam, South Korea, June 28, 2023. The release of the water from huge storage tanks into the Pacific is expected soon though no date has been set. The rush to stock up contributed to a nearly 27% rise in the price of salt in South Korea in June from two months ago, though officials say the weather and lower production were also to blame. South Korean fisheries authorities say they will keep a close eye on salt farms for any rise in radioactivity. South Korea has banned seafood from the waters near Fukushima, on Japan's east coast.

Persons: Lee Young, Min, Kim SEOUL, Song Sang, keun, Japan's, Hirokazu Matsuno, Kim Myung, Hyun Young Yi, Jack Kim, Robert Birsel Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, Fisheries, ., Thomson Locations: Seongnam, South Korea, Japan, Tokyo, Seoul, Korea, Fukushima, Japan's, China

☆ North Korea says U.S. has 'sinister intention' in rejoining UNESCO
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, June 27 (Reuters) - North Korea criticised on Tuesday the U.S. plan to rejoin the U.N. cultural agency UNESCO as a "sinister" move to use an international organisation for the purpose of "realizing the strategy for hegemony". The Paris-based U.N. agency announced this month the United States intended to rejoin in July, calling it an "act of confidence in UNESCO and in multilateralism". "Clear is the sinister intention of the U.S. hastening the reentry into the organization ... The U.S. has an inglorious background of having withdrawn not only from UNESCO but also from WHO, the UN Human Rights Council and other international organizations," a statement released by North Korea's permanent mission to UNESCO said. The United States initially joined UNESCO at its founding in 1945 but withdrew in 1984 in protest against alleged financial mismanagement and perceived anti-U.S. bias before returning in 2003.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump's, Jack Kim, Ed Osmond Organizations: UNESCO, Wall Street, WHO, UN Human Rights, North, World Health Organization, United, U.S, Trump, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, North Korea, Paris, United States, multilateralism, U.S, Israel, Korea

☆ South Korea aims to curb private education spending, axe 'killer questions'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Hyunsu Yim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"We will cut the vicious cycle of killer questions in exams, which leads to excessive competition among students and parents in private education," education minister Lee Ju-ho told a briefing. The ministry also vowed to crack down on private education "cartels" by ramping up efforts to monitor what it termed false and exaggerated advertising by private schools targeting exam preparations. Local media have reported on alleged connections between the private education industry and government education officials in drawing up college entrance exams that require private tutoring to master. Nearly eight in 10 students use in private education products such as cram schools, known as "hagwons", according to the report. Shin So-young, an activist at civic group The World Without Worry About Private Education, said the planned changes may not be enough to contain the competition.

Persons: Yoon Suk, Lee Ju, Yoon, Shin, Woongjin Thinkbig, 1,302.0300, Soo, hyang Choi, Hyunsu Yim, Jack Kim, Ed Davies, Gerry Doyle Organizations: South Korea, Education, Thomson Locations: South, SEOUL, South Korea's, South Korea, KS, MegaStudyEdu

☆ North Korea fires ballistic missile towards sea off east coast
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

SEOUL, Dec 23 (Reuters) - North Korea fired a ballistic missile towards the sea off its east coast on Friday, the South Korean military and Japanese coast guard said. The launch was the latest in an unprecedented number of missile tests by the North this year. The isolated country fired two mid-range ballistic missiles off its east coast on Sunday, calling it an "important" test for its spy satellite programme intended to complete by April. The latest launch was reported both by South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff and Japan's coast guard. Reporting by Jack Kim; Editing by Christian SchmollingerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ North Korea fired ballistic missile, South Korea says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, Dec 18 (Reuters) - North Korea fired a ballistic missile towards the sea off the Korean Peninsula's east coast on Sunday, South Korea's military said. Japanese public broadcaster NHK said the North Korean-fired ballistic missile landed outside Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), citing unnamed government officials. The North's missile launch comes just days after the country tested a high-thrust solid-fuel engine that experts said would allow quicker and more mobile launch of ballistic missiles, as it seeks to develop a new strategic weapon and speed up its nuclear and missile programmes. North Korea has conducted an unprecedented number of missile tests this year, including an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, despite international bans and sanctions. Reporting by Heekyong Yang, Jack Kim and Junko Fujita; Editing by Michael PerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ South Korea protests Japan's island claim in national security strategy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, Dec 16 (Reuters) - South Korea issued a strong protest against Japan's territorial claim over disputed islands made in a national security strategy released on Friday while cautiously responding to Tokyo's plans for an unprecedented military buildup. South Korea's foreign ministry on Friday demanded an immediate removal of the territorial claims from Japan's national strategy documents, saying in a statement that the move did nothing to help "building a future-oriented relationship" between the two countries. The foreign ministry later said it summoned a senior diplomat from Japan's embassy in Seoul to lodge the protest. The defence ministry separately said it summoned a Japanese defence official to protest the claim. The islands known as Dokdo in Korea and Takeshima in Japan are controlled by Seoul with a small contingent of coast guards.

[1/5] Striking South Korean unionised tank drivers Lee Geum-sang and Ham Sang-jun pose in front of tank trucks as they participate in a nationwide walkout in front of a major oil storage facility in Seongnam, south of Seoul, South Korea, December 1, 2022. But these drivers, and tens of thousands of others striking across the country, say their calls for stronger minimum pay protections are all that stand between them and poverty. He earns about 3 million won ($2,300) per month, far less than last year because diesel prices have nearly doubled. Ham, the father of two teens, earns about 3 million to 4 million won a month working 12 hours a day, five days a week, often overnight and weekends. That is 2 million won less than last year because of fuel costs.

SEOUL, Nov 29 (Reuters) - South Korea will offer "tailored" incentives to encourage Tesla to set up an electric vehicle gigafactory in the country and will minimise any risks posed by militant unions, President Yoon Suk-yeol told Reuters. Yoon held a video call with Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk last week and Yoon's office cited Musk as saying South Korea is among the top candidate locations for a new Tesla factory. Yoon said South Korea offers highly skilled workers and his government would ensure regulations align with international standards so that foreign firms do not face unexpected financial or regulatory hurdles. Yoon credited his government's tough response to labour union strikes this year for starting the process of establishing a rule of law in industrial relations for both management and labour. About 9,600 truckers have joined the strike organised by the truckers' union, demanding a permanent guarantee of a minimum freight rate to protect against rising and unpredictable fuel costs and overwork.

It was in China's interest to make its "best efforts" to induce North Korea to denuclearise, he said. North Korea's tests overshadowed multiple gatherings this month of international leaders, including the Group of 20 conference in Bali, where Yoon pressed Chinese President Xi Jinping to do more to rein in North Korea's nuclear and missile provocations. China is South Korea's largest trading partner, as well as a close partner of North Korea. South Korea, Japan, and the United States have agreed to share real time information for tracking North Korean ballistic missile tests. Now Japan faced more and more threats from North Korea’s missile programme, including tests that overfly Japanese islands, Yoon said.

[1/4] A passerby looks at a television screen showing a news report about North Korea firing a ballistic missile in Tokyo, Japan November 18, 2022. South Korea's military projected that the missile reached an altitude of 6,100 km and flew 1,000 km at a maximum speed of Mach 22. Friday's launch is the eighth ICBM test this year by North Korea, based on a tally from the U.S. State Department. Concern has also mounted over the possibility of North Korea conducting a nuclear test for the first time since 2017. North Korea on March 24 launched its biggest ICBM ever, which flew 67.5 minutes and reached an altitude of 6,248.5 km (3,905 miles), according to state media.

SEOUL, Nov 17 (Reuters) - South Korean and Saudi Arabian leaders pledged stronger ties on Thursday in the fields of energy, defence industry and building projects, as the oil-rich kingdom signed investment agreements worth $30 billion with South Korean companies. "In particular, he said he would like to drastically strengthen cooperation with South Korea in the areas of defence industry, infrastructure and construction," Yoon's office said. Saudi-based Asharq TV quoted the kingdom's investment minister as saying deals signed on Thursday were worth $30 billion. "The (South Korean) government will actively support the successful implementation of cooperative projects which apply Korea's state-of-the-art architecture ... in NEOM," said South Korea's trade minister, Lee Chang-yang. Shares in Lotte Fine Chemical (004000.KS), which signed an agreement for chemical industry cooperation with the Saudi Ministry of Investment, rose 2.1%.

Hours later, 30-year-old Jung Joo-hee was among 156 people, most of them in their teens and twenties, killed in the South Korean capital while celebrating Halloween free of COVID restrictions for the first time in three years. Mum and dad will come see you," Jung Hae-moon said as the family stood by, together with his daughter's pet poodle. It was impossible, I couldn't believe it," Lim's father said at a funeral home as he and his family observed funeral rites. "She was so creative and pretty," the man said, adding that he had often strolled with his daughter through Itaewon. They wonder why their children were celebrating Halloween in the first place, a totally foreign concept for older Koreans.

[1/3] Police officers stand guard near the scene of a crowd crush that happened during Halloween festivities, in Seoul, South Korea, November 2, 2022. REUTERS/Heo RanSEOUL, Nov 2 (Reuters) - As South Korea mourns the deaths of more than 150 people in a Halloween party crush, many people - even those not directly involved - are dealing with trauma and a search for answers that has at times blamed the victims, a psychiatry expert says. "It spread very quickly through news media and social media, leaving people directly and indirectly affected, and even those who aren't affected may feel distressed and frustrated, pretty much casting a sense of dread over the entire society," he said. The government sent a mobile clinic run by the National Center for Disaster Trauma to Itaewon, offering free counselling. "For example, when we had COVID-19 cases the first time in South Korea, there were a lot of blaming reactions like 'why did you go there?

☆ South Korea vows tough action, moving to quell anger over Halloween crush
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol walks at the scene where many people died and were injured in a stampede during a Halloween festival in Seoul, South Korea, October 30, 2022. The death toll from the crush at a crowded Halloween street party on Saturday climbed to 156 with 151 injured, 29 of whom were in serious condition. The country's chief security officer, Interior Minister Lee Sang-min, had said deploying more police would not have prevented the disaster. President Yoon Suk-yeol has declared a week of national mourning, saying the country had too many safety disasters. On social media, some Koreans said precautions were inadequate for an event that had been expected to draw large crowds.

[1/4] Shoes belonging to victims are arranged at a gym, where recovered belongings of the victims of a crowd crush that happened during Halloween festivities are kept, in Seoul, South Korea, November 1, 2022. REUTERS/Kim Hong-JiSEOUL, Nov 1 (Reuters) - A temporary morgue for some of the people killed in South Korea's Halloween party crush is now a huge lost-and-found, where hundreds of items such as a "Happy Halloween" backpack and a Minnie Mouse hairband await their owners. The Wonhyoro sports centre was quiet on Tuesday, three days after the crush in the popular Itaewon district during Halloween festivities, as a few people sifted through more than 800 recovered lost items. One survivor of the crush walked through the items looking for her bag, her left leg in a cast from her injury that night. read moreThe death toll is 156 with 151 injured, 29 of whom were in serious condition.

SEOUL, Oct 30 (Reuters) - With "Hooker Hill" and snaking alleyways of bars with signs like "BADASS" around the local landmark Hamilton Hotel, Seoul's Itaewon district was a symbol of freewheeling nightlife in the South Korean capital for decades, before tragedy struck. "This happened right at the moment when we were about to rebound after being hammered by the pandemic," said Lee, who has operated Itaewon businesses for three decades. A mysterious killing called the "Itaewon Murder" and other crimes in the late 1990s painted a dark image of the area. The district has been a recurrent theme in popular culture, with a recent hit drama "Itaewon Class" and K-pop song "Itaewon Freedom". They won't," said Park, who has run businesses in the district for nearly 30 years.

[1/4] South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol walks at the scene where many people died and were injured in a stampede during a Halloween festival in Seoul, South Korea, October 30, 2022. REUTERS/ Heo RanSEOUL, Oct 30 (Reuters) - South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol declared a period of national mourning on Sunday after a Halloween crush killed some 151 people in a packed nightlife area in Seoul. It was the first Halloween event in Seoul in three years after the country lifted COVID-19 restrictions and social distancing. Choi, the Yongsan district fire chief, said all the deaths were likely from the crush in the single narrow alley. Reporting by Soo-hyang Choi, Choonsik Yoo Daewoung Kim, Hong-ji Kim, Writing by Jack Kim; Editing by William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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