WASHINGTON -- The United States continues to remain concerned that North Korea may conduct a nuclear test in the near future, a state department spokesperson said Monday. Ned Price, however, said the US also remains prepared for such a contingency. "So we remain concerned that the DPRK could seek a seventh nuclear test in the coming days," the department press secretary said when asked about US measures to deal with recent North Korean provocations. "It's a concern we have wa

WASHINGTON -- The United States does not and will not link its humanitarian assistance for North Korea to progress in denuclearization talks with the impoverished country, a senior US diplomat said Monday, urging Pyongyang to engage in dialogue and also accept US or international assistance for dealing with COVID-19. Daniel Kritenbrink, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, also reiterated that the US remains open to dialogue. "We are also gravely concerned by the

The number of South Koreans living in the capital Seoul is declining sharply, and will continue to drop in the coming decades, according to government data Monday. Seoul’s total population of native South Koreans reached 9.49 million as of May according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, showing an alarming decline. Seoul has been widely known as a city of 10 million residents. The population of Seoul -- both natives and foreigners included -- first surpassed the 10 million ba

Former USTR negotiator says countries should reduce dependence on China amid concerns on economic coercion

South Korea’s daily COVID-19 cases fell to the 5,000s for the first time since Jan. 19, when the country reported 5,804 infections. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the country added 5,022 COVID-19 infections during the 24 hours of Sunday. The total caseload reached 18,168,708. The decrease came largely as the number of tests conducted typically dips on the weekend then later rebounds. The extended holiday, which includes Memorial Day on Monday, also contrib

Fighting over who to blame does not take party any further

On early Sunday, the otherwise quiet village of Pyeongsan in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province was disrupted by sounds blaring from a minivan covered with insults about former President Moon Jae-in. “My protest is for Moon to receive legal punishment for the crimes he committed, and be expelled from Yangsan,” said Choi Young-il, a Seoul resident and member of the group calling itself the Freedom-Justice-Truth-Revolution Party. A month had passed after Moon had stepped down as pre

Lunar orbiter programmed to send BTS' "Dynamite" music video to Earth to test internet connection in space

Latest missile threat could be a prelude to nuclear missile test, some claim

President Yoon Suk-yeol vowed Monday to respond firmly and sternly to any North Korean provocation as South Korea and the United States fired missiles in response to the North's missile launches the previous day. Yoon made the remark during a Memorial Day ceremony held at Seoul National Cemetery, a day after North Korea fired eight short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea in its third show of force since Yook took office last month. "Even at this moment, North Korea's nucl

Ruling People Power Party Chairman Lee Jun-seok, who is visiting Ukraine, has traveled to Kyiv and discussed ways to cooperate on rebuilding the city, a Facebook post by the Kyiv governor showed Monday. "Today, the parliamentary delegation of the Republic of Korea headed by Lee Jun-seok, the leader of the ruling People Power Party, paid an official visit to the Kyiv region," Kyiv Gov. Oleksiy Kuleba said in the post, uploading photos of the visit made Sunday. The governor said the dele

South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell sharply to around 5,000 on Monday due to fewer tests over the weekend, with health authorities working to return to pre-pandemic normalcy. The country added 5,022 COVID-19 infections, including 17 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,168,708, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily caseload fell from 9,835 a day earlier, marking the lowest number in 139 days since 4,068 cases were reported Jan. 18. Few

North Korea's official news agency and other state media outlets remained silent Monday about a barrage of missile tests that the country carried out a day earlier in its third show of force since South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol took office last month. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Pyongyang's official mouthpiece, usually begins its morning news cycle with reports on major events that happened the previous day, such as leader Kim Jong-un's activities or major weapons

North Korea reported 66,680 more suspected COVID-19 cases Monday. More than 66,680 people showed symptoms of fever over a 24-hour period until 6 p.m. the previous day, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, citing data from the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters. The total number of fever cases in the country with a population of 25 million since late April came to more than 4.13 million as of 6 p.m. Sunday, of which more than 4.01 million have recovered and 127,620 a

North Korea reported 73,780 more suspected COVID-19 cases Sunday, bringing the total number of fever cases to over 4 million. More than 73,780 people showed symptoms of a fever over a 24-hour period until 6 p.m. the previous day, the official Korean Central News Agency said, citing data from the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters. It marked the sixth consecutive day that the daily count stayed below 100,000. The KCNA gave no information on whether additional deaths have been con