A group of writers who defected from North Korea gained membership on Friday to PEN International, a London-based worldwide association of writers pursuing freedom of expression, the group said.PEN International approved the establishment of a PEN center for writers who fled North Korea during the 78th PEN International Congress held in the South Korean tourist city of Gyeongju, southeast of Seoul

North Korea's satellite program appears to have made steady progress, though it remains primitive, and the communist country may try for another launch in 2015, according to an analysis by a U.S.-based researcher Friday. North Korea's much-hyped rocket launch ended in failure in April. Pyongyang claims the launch was aimed at putting a satellite into orbit, but Seoul, Washington and other nations

South Korea has been developing an indigenous combat drone with the aim of deploying it by 2015 to raise combat capabilities against North Korea’s artillery and missile provocations, a state-funded aerospace company said Thursday. The Korea Aerospace and Industries Ltd. unveiled the unmanned combat drone dubbed “Devil Killer” in a seminar, which displayed military equipment developed by South Korean defense firms with attendance of 400 military officials, arms sellers and experts.Measuring 1.5 m

The United States should avert looming automatic military spending cuts partly in order to avoid gaps in dealing with contingencies in North Korea, according to a Republican congressman.At issue is an automatic spending cut called sequestration, which takes place if Congress cannot reach a budget agreement."Sequestration would cut the military to its smallest size since before the Second World War

Seven North Korean fishing boats crossed the tense western maritime border with South Korea twice on Wednesday, but moved back into the North’s waters after a South Korean naval boat broadcast warning messages, military officials said. The North Korean fishing boats sailed 1.5 kilometers into the South’s waters around 7:30 a.m., but retreated after South Korean patrol boats broadcast a warning, officials at Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. At the time, a North Korean government boat also brie

PYONGYANG (AP) ― Deep in the North Korean countryside, in remote villages that outsiders seldom reach, farmers are now said to be given nearly one-third of their harvests to sell at market prices. Collective farms are reportedly being reorganized into something closer to family farms. State propagandists are expounding the glories of change under the country’s new young leader.In the rigidly planned economy of this Stalinist state, could this be the first flicker of reform?A string of long-doubt

In case of a contingency in North Korea, China is likely to resort to diplomacy rather than military intervention, which would risk its ties with Seoul and Washington, as well as its economic and strategic interests, a security expert said.Cheong Seong-chang, a research fellow at think tank Sejong Institute, challenged the argument by many that Beijing may send troops to the North should there be the possibility of its ally falling under the influence of the U.S. or others deemed hostile.“The cl

North Korea refused to accept South Korea's flood relief aid Wednesday as the two countries failed to nail down what types of aid items should be given, a Seoul official said.The Seoul official said the North cabled a notification earlier in the day that reads, "We do not need such aid."Earlier on Monday, Pyongyang said through its Red Cross that it was ready to accept flood aid from the South.Seo

A group of six to seven North Korean fishing boats briefly crossed a tense maritime border with South Korea in the Yellow Sea on Wednesday, but retreated after a South Korean patrol boat broadcast a warning message, military officials said.The warning message was broadcast when the fishing boats crossed the Northern Limit Line (NLL) border and strayed into South Korean waters at around 11:10 a.m."

People for Successful Corean Reunification, a non-profit group, said it launched a campaign against North Korea’s rights abuses in Geneva on Monday to coincide with a United Nations Human Rights Council session. North Korean human rights is not on the agenda for the U.N. session that runs through Sept. 28, but past meetings have taken up a resolution condemning the repressive regime’s public executions, prison camps and torture.Based in Seoul and Washington, PSCORE was founded in 2006 by a group

A delegation of Unification Church officials who visited North Korea to accept condolences over the death of church founder Rev. Moon Sun-myung did not discuss inter-Korean ties with the North during their two-day stay in the communist country, a church-affiliated businessman said Saturday.The delegation, including Moon’s seventh and youngest son, Moon Hyung-jin, and Park Sang-kwon, the president of the church-invested Pyeonghwa Motors in North Korea, returned to South Korea through the South’s

PAJU -- A delegation of Unification Church officials who visited North Korea to accept condolences over the death of church founder Rev. Sun Myung Moon did not discuss inter-Korean ties with the North during their two-day stay in the communist country, a church-affiliated businessman said Saturday.The delegation, including Moon's seventh and youngest son, Hyung Jin Moon, and Park Sang-kwon, the pr