Topic: Park Geun-hye

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North Korea fires three short-range missiles. Why? (+video)

The firing of three short-range missiles Saturday by North Korea could be to improve their accuracy. Or it could be atmospherics as a period of tentative diplomacy begins.
Japanese politicians scramble to distance themselves from 'comfort women' comments

The influential mayor of Osaka outraged China and South Korea by saying World War II sex slaves were necessary, prompting fresh doubts about Japan's willingness to acknowledge wartime aggression.
Opinion As North Korea heats up, South Korea and Japan should warm ties

Cooperation on missile defense between South Korea and Japan would help blunt threats from North Korea. But Japanese officials' recent insensitivity to Imperial Japan's painful role in World War II, including forcing South Koreans to become 'comfort women,' works against cooperation.
Terrorism & Security North Korea explains why it sentenced American Kenneth Bae to hard labor

Mr. Bae was detained and sentenced to 15 years in prison. North Korea today spelled out its charges, which include plotting to overthrow the government.
No backtracking on World War II apologies, Japan PM says

Shinzo Abe ruled out speculation that his government might water down Japan's official apologies for aggression and the use of sex slaves during World War II. What's behind the shift in tone?
US, South Korea put up a tough front, but it doesn't close door to North (+video)

South Korean President Park, in the US to meet with Obama, has made it clear that she sees her toughness as part of a “trust politik” that would allow for renewed dialogue with the North.
Opinion Obama and South Korea's President Park must agree on North Korea policy

As President Obama meets today with South Korea's President Park Geun-hye, how closely they agree on policy toward North Korea and whether they establish a good working relationship will be key to dealing with an increasingly dangerous new leadership in Pyongyang.
Did detained American's Christianity scare North Korean regime?

North Korea's sentencing of a detained American to 15 years hard labor could be an attention-getting ploy. But Kenneth Bae is a devout Christian, and 'the regime is scared to death of Christianity.'
Global News Blog As South Korea and US end military drills, how will North Korea react?

Many Korea watchers speculated that once joint military drills ended, so would increased tensions with North Korea. But at least one analyst says this might be the moment the North lashes out again.
Is Japan's Shinzo Abe finally acting on his true nationalist colors?

Japan's prime minister appears to be stepping up his campaign to reinterpret Japan's wartime history, aggravating China and South Korea at a time when the region should be uniting to deal with North Korea.
Global News Blog Bill Gates sets South Korea abuzz with 'rude' one-handed shake

Bill Gates triggered a media uproar with a 'disrespectful' one-handed shake upon meeting the new South Korean president. What should Bill Gates have done?
Terrorism & Security North Korea prepared to restart talks, raising hope for eased tensions

Some say that while Pyongyang's preconditions are unrealistic, its statement provides a noteworthy change in recent tone.
New N. Korea threats against South, U.S.

N. Korea issued new threats after protesters in Seoul burned effigies of the North's leaders. N. Korea threatened retaliatory measures against S. Korea and "unspecified military countermeasures" unless the U.S. stops conducting military drills nearby.
Kim Jong-un's goal? Status as the unequivocal god-king of the North.

Kim Jong-un is showing he is firmly in charge of North Korea, capable of challenging the mighty United States and a worthy successor to the Kim dynasty. That might be a good thing.
North Korea threat: How one island is taking Kim Jong-un more seriously

Island residents of Baengnyeong are at the center of the North-South conflict, and are taking North Korea's threats of a missile test seriously, but calmly.
Dempsey: Pentagon prepared for potential North Korean action

Though he doesn't foresee North Korea taking serious military action, Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the Pentagon has bolstered its missile defenses to be prepared.
Stay or go? Embassies in North Korea weigh warning.

North Korea is warning that it can no longer guarantee diplomats' safety in Pyongyang as international tensions mount.
Terrorism & Security As prospect of North Korea missile launch rises, some question US response to threats (+video)

The US is responding to North Korea's bombast as if Pyongyang is capable of making good on its recent threats. Tensions have risen against the backdrop of annual US-South Korean military drills.
Global News Blog Is North Korea on a 'collision' course with vow to restart nuclear reactor?

Kim Jong-un announced that North Korea will restart its nuclear facility, making the country's nuclear program a source of deep concern for the international community.
The Monitor's View Amid another North Korea storm, look who's calm

South Koreans, unlike many around the world, don't react with fear to North Korea's verbal and nuclear threats. Why this wise reaction?
US pushes back against North Korean war rhetoric

North Korea warned Seoul on Saturday that the Korean Peninsula had entered 'a state of war.' US officials note that North Korea has a long history of bellicose rhetoric and threats, but they're taking additional defensive measures just in case.
Briefing North Korean war talk: hot air or serious threat?

Pyongyang has cut the last military hotline to the South and says it's ready to target US bases in Hawaii, Guam, and South Korea. So why is there no sign the North is really girding for war?
North Korean bombast and war games? Seoul residents take it in stride

South Koreans appeared more focused on protesting the new president and chatting about K-Pop than the prospect of imminent attack from North Korea.
Terrorism & Security North Korea leaves phone to South Korea off the hook (+video)

This follows threats from Pyongyang last week both to end the armistice and to 'exercise the right to a preemptive nuclear attack.'
Global News Blog Did Kim Jong-un and his wife have a baby?

Speculation over the possibility of North Korea's first couple having a child hit a high point in January, when South Korean media closely analyzed photos of Ri.