Korea’s | Common News Update

Apr72021 by adminNo Comments

South Korea’s opposition party sweeps to victory in key mayoral races

World

SEOUL, April 7 (UPI) -- South Korea's ruling Democratic Party was severely beaten at the polls as its mayoral candidates in the two largest cities, Seoul and Busan, lost by-elections widely seen as a bellwether for next year's presidential race. The Democratic Party's candidate in the capital city of Seoul, Park Young-sun, was defeated by her People Power Party opponent Oh Se-hoon on Wednesday by a margin of 57.5% to 39%, according to final results released by the National Election Commission. Advertisement Oh was mayor of Seoul from 2006 until 2011, when he resigned over a failed effort to restrict the city's free school lunch program. In Busan, a city of 3.5 million people, the PPP candidate Park Heong-joon beat the Democratic Party's Kim Young-choon 63% to 34%. For voters, the mayoral...

Mar42021 by adminNo Comments

Report: Signs of activity at North Korea’s Yongbyon nuclear facility

World

Seoul, March 4 (UPI) -- Commercial satellite imagery shows that a coal-fired steam plant is in operation at North Korea's Yongbyon nuclear facility in possible preparation to extract plutonium for weapons, according to an analysis by U.S. website 38 North. In a report published Wednesday, satellite images from Feb. 25 and March 2 revealed smoke coming from a steam plant that provides heat to Yongbyon's radiochemical laboratory. Advertisement "Smoke was observed emanating from the plant's smokestack at various times from late-February and early March, suggesting that preparations for spent fuel reprocessing could be underway to extract plutonium needed for North Korea's nuclear weapons," the 38 North report said. "However," the report added, "this could also mean simply the facility is bei...

Feb222021 by adminNo Comments

Report: North Korea’s trade with China declined 80% in 2020

Business

Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Two-way trade between North Korea and its biggest partner, China, fell 80.7% in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to estimates from Seoul's Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency. North Korea imported about $ 491.06 million of goods from China last year, while exporting only $ 48 million of commodities and products to its neighbor, the Seoul agency's Shenyang branch said, Seoul Pyongyang News reported Monday. Two-way trade was about $ 539.06 million, reflecting a steep decline from the previous year, the report said. Advertisement Trade activity dropped significantly in February 2020, with two-way trade falling to $ 10.71 million in the immediate aftermath of the coronavirus epidemic that began in Wuhan, China. North Korea shut its 880-mile border with China ...

Jan202021 by adminNo Comments

South Korea’s Moon Jae-in names new foreign minister ahead of Biden inauguration

World

SEOUL, Jan. 20 (UPI) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in shuffled his cabinet on Wednesday, announcing three new nominations including Chung Eui-yong, a veteran of North Korean negotiations, as foreign minister ahead of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration. Chung served as chief of the presidential National Security Office under Moon until July of last year and played a key role in brokering the historic summits between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Advertisement It was Chung who made the first official announcement that Trump would meet with Kim in a hastily called evening press conference in front of the White House in March 2018. During a meeting with Trump earlier that day, Chung expressed Kim's commitment to denuclearization and desire fo...

May262020 by adminNo Comments

UN probe: Both Koreas violate armistice in gunfire exchange

World

A U.N. investigation into a recent exchange of gunfire between the two Koreas says both countries violated an armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean WarByThe Associated PressMay 26, 2020, 10:12 AM2 min read2 min readShare to FacebookShare to TwitterEmail this articleSEOUL, South Korea -- A U.N. investigation into a recent exchange of gunfire between the two Koreas has determined that both countries violated the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War, the American-led U.N. Command said Tuesday. The May 3 gunfire exchange was the first shooting inside the Korean Demilitarized Zone in about 2½ years. There were no known casualties on either side. The DMZ, which was established as a buffer at the end of the Korean War, is a de facto border separating North and South Korea. It is officia...