Writing

Korean food made me cry like a baby

SEOUL, South Korea — On a frigid winter evening in Seoul, a college student raced out of a popular bistro and vomited near my feet. The owner, Im Choo-sung, followed him out the door. “Would the kids please throw up in the bathroom?” he announced. “The neighbors get...

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South Korea calls for development of nuclear weapons

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean lawmakers from the Saenuri Party, the country's conservative ruling party, stepped up their battle cry at the National Assembly this week: It's time for South Korea to man up and make its own nuclear weapons, they said. “The only way...

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Kim Jong Un in the shadow of the Dear Leader?

SEOUL, South Korea — He was once thought to be a Swiss-educated cosmopolitan taking the side of reform in North Korea. But some say Tuesday’s nuclear test has squandered hopes that Kim Jong Un will open the militarized nation to the world. That’s because the hermit...

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Cambodia: Sihanouk’s love affair with North Korea

SEOUL, South Korea — Hundreds of thousands of mourners gathered today for the cremation of Cambodia’s colorful king-father, Norodom Sihanouk, at 5 p.m., bidding their final farewells. The flamboyant former prince, a national figurehead who oversaw independence of the...

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What to make of North Korea’s war threats

SEOUL, South Korea — "We should settle accounts with the United States only with the gun barrel, not with words, as it regards jungle law as the rule of its survival.” That was the North Korean National Defense Commission's response on Jan. 24 to ratcheted-up United...

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South Korea goes to space

SEOUL, South Korea — It’s official: the hyper-wired tech center of Asia, South Korea, has joined the global space club, just weeks after its isolated archrival North Korea accomplished the same. Following two botched satellite launch attempts, an air of tension...

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Love across the DMZ: Matchmaking, North Korea-style

SEOUL, South Korea — Four years ago, Kim Eun-seo, 40, fled political persecution and poverty in North Korea’s gritty far-north city, Chongjin. After dwelling secretly in China for a year, she escaped to South Korea and, to her relief, was able to live more freely,...

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South Korea in the red

SEOUL, South Korea — He’s worked all his life to graduate from an elite university this year. But in a tight job market, Kim Jun-sang, 23, is worried about escaping his pileup of debt. Sound familiar? With $20,000 in private loans and a soon-to-be wife, Kim is also...

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Whatever happened to the Korean Wave?

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Beat down by the sweltering Cambodian sun, a group of teenagers took a rest from peddling pirated books and newspapers to tourists. One merchant switched on his mobile phone, playing the usual hit “Gangnam Style.” But the reaction among his...

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Why is Google chief Eric Schmidt visiting North Korea?

SEOUL — So, we now know that Google’s executive chairman Eric Schmidt is heading to North Korea this month. As with virtually anything surrounding North Korea, the journey has triggered speculation and intrigue. Google says the trip is a personal humanitarian mission,...

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