Writing

Will a Korean conflict go nuclear?

SEOUL, South Korea — Well, we don’t really know the answer. Last time there was a Korean War from 1950 to 1953, some historians say it nearly did go nuclear — although there’s disagreement over the extent President Harry Truman was willing to consider the Bomb based...

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Kim Jong Un, the Nigerian

SEOUL, South Korea — Today is April 10, the date of the fake apocalyptic ultimatum that North Korea gave to foreign embassies in Pyongyang and expatriates in South Korea. The regime essentially advised them to pack up and leave, or else they can't be protected...

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Obituary: Korea’s unification movement (1998-2013)

SEOUL, South Korea — Now that North Korea has recalled its workers from the Kaesong Industrial Zone — an area north of the DMZ where hundreds of South Korean managers oversee 51,000 North Korean laborers — it's farewell to hope for a peaceful unification, at least for...

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US military servicemen off the hook in South Korea

DONGDUCHEON, South Korea — Amid the cacophony of North Korean war threats, the streets are uneventful outside Camp Casey, an often-buzzing American military base about 20 miles south of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) near the North Korean border. On weekends, the...

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All quiet on the northern front

I'm now in Yangju, a mostly rural town about a 30 minute's drive south of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) near the North Korea border. On most days when visiting this region, the occasional army truck will pass by, or I'll hear the sound of choppers flying near the...

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Honoring the Great Leader with a ballistic missile?

South Korean media are reporting that Korean and US intelligence satellites have spotted North Korea moving what appears to be medium-range ballistic missiles to its east coast. Meanwhile, the regime said on Thursday that it has the "final approval" to launch...

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North Korea halts access to industrial complex (again)

SEOUL, South Korea – More bluster today: the wire services are reporting that North Korea, for now, isn't allowing South Korean businesspeople to enter the Kaesong industrial zone. That's the special administrative area north of the border where several hundred South...

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North Korea severs military hotline to South

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea has severed its last remaining military hotline to South Korea, citing the escalating tensions on the peninsula as its reason and causing yet more international worry over the possibility of a violent confrontation between the two...

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