South Korea

North Korea Fires Three Short-Range Missiles, Says The South

Sat, 18 May 2013 11:33:00 +0000

After a relatively calm few weeks, North Korea fired three short-range missiles Saturday, a South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman said.

NPR's Louisa Lim reports that North Korea fired the missiles in defiance of international sanctions.

Obama Says U.S. And South Korea Stand Firm Against Pyongyang

Scott Neuman — Tue, 07 May 2013 19:35:00 +0000

President Obama says the United States and South Korea are determined to stand firm against North Korean threats and that the days of Pyongyang manufacturing a crisis to get international concessions "are over."

In a joint news conference with South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Tuesday, Obama said the two leaders "very much share the view that we are going to maintain a strong deterrent" against North Korea.

"We're not going to reward provocative behavior, but we remain open to the prospect of North Korea taking a peaceful path," he said.

"So far, at least, we haven't seen actions o

N. Korean Refugees Tell Tales of Ordinary, Desperate Lives

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 14:20:40 +0000

Sokeel Park sees the effects of North Korea's repressive government every day. He lives in South Korea, but works for an NGO named Liberty in North Korea. His job is to debrief those who've managed to leave the North and help them start new lives in the South.

Park says that with so much focus on the country's nuclear weapons and leadership, it's easy to forget about the 24 million people going about their everyday lives.

Koreans In U.S. Have Mixed Reaction To North's Threats

Doualy Xaykaothao — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 11:09:00 +0000

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Here in the U.S., the largest Korean population is in California. It's actually the largest concentration outside of northeast Asia. People in that community have been especially alarmed by North Korea's recent threats. But as Doualy Xaykaothao reports from Los Angeles, many Koreans living there think the North's provocations are mostly bluster.

(SOUNDBITE OF CHATTER)

DOUALY XAYKAOTHAO, BYLINE: Backstage at Royce Hall Auditorium, members of the UCLA Korean-American Student Association are busy constructing stage props for their annual cultural night.

U.S. Citizen Faces Trial In North Korea

Lauren Hodges — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 16:55:00 +0000

North Korea has accused an American tourist of committing crimes against the state and trying to bring down the country's regime, according to the North's official news agency.

The KCNA said Saturday that 44-year-old Kenneth Bae, imprisoned since November, confessed to the crimes and would be facing judgement in a North Korean court.