A diplomatic row between North Korea and Malaysia is deepening as Pyongyang blamed the Southeast Asian country for its probe into the death of the half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, experts said Thursday.In its first official response, North Korea said that Malaysia colluded with South Korea in its investigation into the killing of Kim Jong-nam, claiming that Seoul is masterminding an anti-North Korea conspiracy.Pyongyang and Kuala Lumpur have maintained diplomatic ties for more th

The recent murder of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half brother will likely bolster the ongoing move in the United States to add the North to the list of states sponsoring terrorism if Pyongyang is proved to have been involved in the death, a senior foreign ministry official in Seoul said Thursday.Kim Jong-nam, the eldest son of late former leader Kim Jong-il, died on Feb. 13 at an airport in Kuala Lumpur after apparently being poisoned by two Asian women. He was waiting for a flight to Maca

A series of UN Security Council sanctions appear to have failed to stop North Korea's weapons exports, a US media outlet said Thursday.In an email interview with Voice of America, Peter Wezeman, a researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, said the studies found that the North Korean regime continues to violate the UN sanctions and export small-size weapons and traditional weapons technologies to six or seven countries. (Yonhap)Iran and Syria have been mentioned as regul

Malaysia will send its police officers to Macao Thursday to collect DNA samples of the son of Kim Jong-nam, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half brother who was assassinated in Kuala Lumpur last week, media reports said.Chinese-language newspapers in Malaysia, China Press and Sin Chew Daily reported that the Malaysian police will send three officers to Macao on Thursday morning to gather DNA samples from 22-year-old Kim Han-sol.(Yonhap)The Malaysian officers will collaborate with Interpol in M

South Korea will deliver 48 of its K9 self-propelled howitzers to Finland, the country's defense procurement agency said Tuesday.The Finnish government has recently approved the purchase of the 155mm howitzer systems from South Korea citing price competitiveness and overall capabilities, a spokesman for the Defense Acquisition Program Administration said. The contract is estimated to be worth 178 billion won ($155 million). This photo taken on Jan. 2, 2017, shows the K9 self-propelled howitzers

Chinese authorities have delayed the customs clearance of textbooks to be used at South Korean schools in China, pushing back the schools' classes for the new academic semester, sources with knowledge of the matter said Tuesday.South Korean residents expressed concerns that the postponement of the customs clearance is due to a row between Seoul and Beijing over the planned deployment of a ground-based, anti-ballistic missile system in South Korea by the US military. (Yonhap)China has opposed the

US President Donald Trump named Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster to be his new national security adviser Monday, a week after sacking Mike Flynn accused of having inappropriate contact with Russia's ambassador."Gen. H.R. McMaster will become the national security adviser. He's a man of tremendous talent and tremendous experience. I watched and read a lot over the last two days. He is highly respected by everyone in the military, and we're very honored to have him," Trump said at his Florida resort.Tr

US President Donald Trump said Thursday he will take care of the problem of North Korea, calling the communist nation one of "really really important subjects."Trump made the remark during a news conference announcing his new pick for labor secretary, arguing that his administration "inherited a mess" at home and abroad, including North Korea, and complaining about leaks of sensitive government information to the press. US President Donald Trump (Yonhap)"As you know, our administration inherited

Australia's top diplomat will visit South Korea later this week to discuss regional security issues and bilateral economic cooperation, its embassy said Thursday.Foreign Minister Julie Bishop will stay in the country for two days until Saturday, according to the Australian Embassy in Seoul.Julie Bishop (Yonhap)Bishop will visit the UN Memorial Cemetery in Busan to pay tribute to Australian veterans of the Korean War. She will also tour the Demilitarized Zone that divides the two Koreas.Her visit

Malaysian police on Thursday arrested another female suspect in connection with the latest killing of the half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, a Malaysian news report said. Police detained a second woman who was allegedly involved in the death of Kim Jong-nam following the previous day's arrest of the first suspect, according to Bernama, Malaysia's national news agency.  (Yonhap)Japan's Kyodo News said that the woman apprehended carried a South Korean passport.Kim Jong-nam -- the eld

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Wednesday called emphatically for NATO members to meet their defense spending obligations, warning that the US could "moderate its commitment to this alliance" unless they do so."No longer can the American taxpayer carry a disproportionate share of the defense of western values. Americans cannot care more for your children's future security than you do," Mattis said in a speech to NATO defense ministers at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, according to text of

South Korea's police said Tuesday they will send more officers to the Philippines to cope with increasing crimes against Korean nationals in the Southeast Asian country.Deputy Commissioner General Kim Guy-chan visited Manila for talks with Philippine police chief Ronald Dela Rosa to discuss a recent murder case involving a South Korean businessman.This photo provided by the National Police Agency shows Deputy Commissioner General Kim Guy-chan (L) talking with Philippine police officers at the So

Japan renewed its claim to South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo in a revised guideline for school textbooks unveiled on Tuesday. The textbook guideline, posted on Tokyo's e-government website for public view before the official announcement, will apply to elementary school textbooks from 2020 and to middle school books from 2021.Dokdo (Yonhap)Currently, Japan is teaching its elementary and middle school students in social studies textbooks that Dokdo, called Takeshima in Japan, is its terri

The United States' recent withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement is expected to weaken its economic and strategic status in the Asia-Pacific region, a state-run think tank in Seoul said Monday.Last month, US President Donald Trump issued an executive order to pull out from the TPP, which was signed by his predecessor Barack Obama after seven years of negotiations with 11 countries.It has yet to be ratified due to US withdrawal.(Yonhap)"President Trump's decision to wi