BEIJING, June 14 (Korea Bizwire) – China welcomed former basketball star Dennis Rodman’s visit to North Korea Wednesday, saying it supports efforts to build ties between Washington and Pyongyang. Lu Kang, spokesman of China’s foreign ministry, made the remark in response to a question about whether Beijing views this week’s trip by Rodman and the [...]
BEIJING, June 8 (Korea Bizwire) – China urged North Korea not to escalate tensions after the country launched what are believed to be several cruise missiles. “Under the current environment, the countries concerned should not provoke each other or take any action that could escalate regional tensions,” China’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in [...]
SEOUL, June 8 (Korea Bizwire) – North Korea launched a salvo of anti-ship cruise missiles from its east coast Thursday, South Korea’s military said, adding they flew some 200 kilometers before dropping in the East Sea. “North Korea fired several unidentified projectiles, assumed to be short-range surface-to-ship cruise missiles, this morning in the direction of [...]
SEOUL, June 8 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea’s defense ministry said Thursday it has requested a record budget of 43.7 trillion won (US$38.7 billion) for next year, citing growing threats from North Korea and the need for reforming the South’s military under President Moon Jae-in’s campaign pledge. It represents an 8.4 percent increase from 2017. [...]
SEOUL, June 7 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea’s presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday the ongoing deployment of the U.S. missile defense system THAAD here should be suspended at least for now, also confirming the U.S. defense system should be subject to a full-blown environmental impact assessment. “We are not saying the two launchers [...]
SEOUL, June 5 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea’s government said Monday it has approved an additional four requests for contacts with North Koreans as it has decided to flexibly resume civilian inter-Korean exchanges. The Ministry of Unification said that it gave the green light to the requests by nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and a global body [...]
SEOUL, June 2 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea’s government on Friday approved an additional eight requests by local aid providers and religious groups to have contact with North Koreans over inter-Korean exchanges. The Ministry of Unification said that it gave the green light to plans by two humanitarian aid providers and six religious groups to [...]
SEOUL, June 1 (Korea Bizwire) – North Korea is again bolstering its anti-smoking efforts, advertising new smoking cessation aids on state television. On May 30, the Korean Central News Agency introduced a nicotine patch – “a cutting-edge technology quit-smoking aid” – that helps smokers stop their habit. “This highly effective nicotine patch is newly introduced [...]
SEOUL, May 31 (Korea Bizwire) – President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday vowed to build a stronger maritime nation by bolstering its economic and military powers at sea. As part of the efforts, he promised to establish a public corporation to provide financial assistance to the nation’s ailing shipping and shipbuilding industries, and revive their global [...]
SEOUL, May 30 (Korea Bizwire) – North Korea announced Tuesday it succeeded in the latest launch of a ballistic missile, which it said features a new high-precision guidance system and a quick launch process. The North’s leader Kim Jong-un observed the test-firing of a “precision-guided ballistic rocket capable of making ultra-precision strike,” the Korean Central [...]