Sprite advertisement (YouTube)Although Kim Jong-il is the most influential and even sacred figure in North Korea, he is treated as a hilarious icon outside of the hermit kingdom.A new Sprite advertisement which features a dictator clearly modeled after Kim is popular among Chinese websites.Produced in Israel, the advertisement depicts the dictator dancing wildly after taking a sip of the drink. It

South Korea’s defense minister said Thursday his military was willing to hold low-level military talks with North Korea if the North suggests such a meeting again, but insisted that no progress would be possible unless Pyongyang apologizes for last year’s deadly attacks. “If North Korea proposes a dialogue again, (the South’s military) will accept the proposal,” Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin said

The two Koreas agreed Tuesday to advance their joint study of volcanic threats from Mount Baekdu, providing room for the chance of official dialogue long-stalled amid high tensions.The sides did not agree on a date for the next round of talks, though the North suggested early April and the South said it would review the proposal, according to Yoo In-chang, the chief South Korean delegate.During th

WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― South Korea does not oppose providing humanitarian food aid to North Korea as the communist country suffers from severe food shortages due to a poor harvest last year, a senior South Korean lawmaker said Monday.Speaking to a forum here, Rep. Chung Mong-joon of the ruling Grand National Party said, “Nobody in South Korea opposes humanitarian aid to North Korea by South Ko

In a rare scene of cooperation, the two Koreas began a meeting of geology experts Tuesday to gauge the potential threat of a volcanic eruption at a mountain considered sacred by both sides.The meeting, which took place in this western South Korean border town of Munsan, came amid heightened concerns over natural disasters in the wake of a killer earthquake and ensuing tsunami that have driven neig

Twenty-seven North Koreans were repatriated to their communist nation Sunday. (Yonhap News)South Korea repatriated 27 North Koreans to their communist state Sunday aboard their wooden boat, which had strayed across the western inter-Korean sea border 50 days ago.Seoul did not repatriate the four people who expressed their intent to stay here, citing international humanitarian principles.Two naval

SEOUL, (AFP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il told a visiting businessman he had nightmares of being stoned by angry members of the public in his isolated nation, a Seoul lawmaker said in an interview aired Sunday.North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il (Yonhap News)Kim told the late founder of the Hyundai group, Chung Ju-Yung, of having a dream that he was being stoned "first by Americans, second by Sou

The popularity of South Korean celebrity entertainment programs is spreading to North Korea, according to Daily NK, an online newspaper specializing in news from the communist country.Shows such as “Infinite Challenge” and “1 Night 2 Day,” featuring Kang Ho-dong and Yoo Jae-seok, are being watched by North Koreans on DVD, according to the report. The programs show celebrities collaborate and compe

South Korea's Coast Guard said Thursday that nine North Koreans have arrived in South Korea after crossing the Yellow Sea aboard a boat from China in an apparent bid to seek asylum."The Coast Guard is investigating nine North Koreans who claimed to be refugees. They arrived late Thursday at the port of Gunsan after crossing the Yellow Sea (from China)," an official said. The port lies 274 kilomete