Obama lands in Tokyo for the first US state visit in 18 years

SEOUL, South Korea — Japan is without a doubt America’s most stable and prosperous ally in East Asia. Yet today, President Barack Obama became the first American president since Bill Clinton in April 1996 to visit the country as a state guest. Analysts say his visit...

Is North Korea readying nuclear test No. 4?

SEOUL, South Korea — Get ready. North Korea’s fourth nuclear test may be upon us. There’s been an uptick in activity at the underground test site at Punggye-ri, in the garrison kingdom’s desolate and remote northeast, Yonhap reports. The movements could signify...

South Koreans blame themselves for ferry tragedy

SEOUL, South Korea ― Wednesday’s ferry sinking off Korea’s west coast is being called one of the country’s worst peacetime disasters in modern times. Although 14 are confirmed dead, close to 300 are still missing in the frigid waters. Hopes are dwindling of...

Japan’s biggest pop star right now is a fetishized hologram

SEOUL, South Korea — Even by the standards of pop stars, Hatsune Miku is eccentric and protean, her mystique elusive. Her eyes are too round and blue to be real. She can be buxom or boyish, and almost painfully sultry — all in a droid-ish, understated way. She dons a...