Topic: Lee Myung-bak
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Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 02/24
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Photos of the Day: Photos of the Day 01/10
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In Pictures: South Korea show of force
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Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 11/29
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North Korean attack on South Korea: 8 provocations of the past decade
North Korea shelled South Korea Tuesday, killing two South Korean marines and injuring at least two other marines and four civilians. History shows the North is often an instigator.
All Content
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In South Korea, Kim Jong-un's New Year speech generates surprise - and doubt
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for economic reform and expressed a wish to improve relations with South Korea, departing from the usual North Korea rhetoric.
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South Korea's president-elect promises aid to North
South Korea's incoming president, Park Geun-hye, says she will reach out to the North and offer humanitarian aid. Some analysts doubt her sincerity and expect her to take a more moderate approach.
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South Korea's president-elect promises 'new era of change'
Park Geun-hye's calls for inter-Korean dialogue are mixed with a firm stance against compromise.
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South Korea's new female president could renew talks with North Korea
In a televised speech by South Korea's first female president, Park Geun-hye, she mentioned North Korea's recent rocket launch, and emphasized the importance of engagement and aid with the neighboring nation.
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South Korea elects its first woman president, Park Geun-hye
Conservative candidate Park Geun-hye has made history by winning South Korea's presidential election, becoming the country's first female president-elect after defeating her liberal rival.
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Dictator's daughter leading polls ahead of South Korean election
Conservative candidate Park Geun-hye holds the slight edge ahead of an election Wednesday that could affect relations with North Korea.
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The Monitor's View: Putin's drive for Russian identity
In a big speech Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin said Russians lack 'spiritual braces.' He joins other world leaders who recently made similar warnings about their people. Should governments, especially those with weak democratic credentials, be promoting moral values?
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North Korea rocket preparations: Could it be a bluff?
There are questions about whether North Korean scientists have corrected whatever caused the embarrassing crackup of its last rocket shortly after liftoff in April, and whether Pyongyang is willing to risk another failure — along with UN condemnation and more sanctions.
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Drive for education drives South Korean families into the red
Students took the all-important college entrance exam this week. Many households in South Korea are deeply in debt, and analysts point to high family spending on private education as a key culprit.
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South Korea blocks activists from air dropping leaflets over North (+video)
South Korean police unexpectedly blocked activists from sending pro-democracy leaflets across the border by balloon, after North Korea threatened a 'merciless' retaliation.
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North Korea threatens US after it helps South Korea
The question now is whether the furor over missiles actually marks another step on the way to a much more serious confrontation, or is simply another exercise in a long-running game of dare.
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US agrees to longer-range missiles for South Korea
The US and South Korea reached an agreement that will more than double the range of South Korea's ballistic missiles. The move is expected to startle up the North Korean government.
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Why China, Japan, and S. Korea aren't backing down on island disputes (+video)
Fired up by increasingly nationalist politics at home, China, Japan, and S. Korea are reluctant to be seen as backing down on the issue of sovereignty.
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Island dispute, 'comfort woman' statue put edge on Japan-South Korea ties
Claims and counterclaims over rocky islets are testing steadily improving ties between Japan and South Korea – and the presence of a controversial statue across from Japan's embassy in Seoul adds a sharp reminder of historical resentments.
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South Korean conservative politician could become first female president
Park Geun-hye won her New Frontier Party's presidential primary easily. Polls show Park is ahead of any of the declared liberal opponents by double digits for December's election.
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Dip diplomacy: Japanese activists swim to disputed islands, raise flag
Days earlier, Chinese activists swam to the disputed but uninhabited islands, known in Japan as the Senkaku Islands and in China as the Diaoyu Islands.
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Japan sends jailed Chinese activists home to diffuse diplomatic row
One group of Chinese protesters, arrested earlier this week by Japanese authorities for landing on an island at the heart of a diplomatic dispute, arrived home to a hero's welcome.
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Why Japan is angry over South Korea's visit to an island
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak's surprise visit to a small rocky island marks an abrupt escalation in a territory dispute with Japan.
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Focus
In North Korea's industrial center, factories and wood-fueled trucksHamhung, North Korea's largest industrial center, was opened to foreigners just two years ago. There's no hiding the poverty in the region.
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Focus
Inside North Korea, more cellphones and traffic lights, but real change lagsA visitor to North Korea finds more signs of modernization in Pyongyang as Kim Jong-un consolidates power. But it's hard to tell if reform is afoot in a country that remains deeply impoverished and isolated.
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In surprise move, South Korea postpones military intelligence pact with Japan
South Korea and Japan were supposed to sign a military intelligence pact today – but a political firestorm erupted in South Korea, where resentment of Japan’s colonization remains.
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Opinion: West must try a 'third way' to change North Korea
South Korea’s carrots and America's sticks have both failed to tame North Korea. There is another way. With a new regime and small, but positive changes stirring in North Korea, the international community should seize the chance and begin cultural exchanges with the North.
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South Korea to North Korea: Learn from Myanmar
South Korea's President Lee made a historic visit to Myanmar this week to boost long-frozen relations – and send a message to North Korea about the benefits of coming in from the cold.
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Why is North Korea threatening to conduct a nuclear test? (+video)
First, to make up for the embarrassment of the failed missile; second, the regime's past nuclear tests didn't go very well.
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Terrorism & Security
North Korea declares food-for-nukes deal overCiting the United States' postponement of delivery of food aid, North Korea says that it is no longer obligated to hold off on nuclear development.
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