WASHINGTON (AP) ― Google chief Eric Schmidt’s plan to visit North Korea has put the Obama administration in the awkward position of opposing a champion of Internet freedom engaging with one of the most intensely censored countries.But the Obama administration is wary for a reason: It fears Schmidt’s trip could give a boost to North Korea’s young leader, Kim Jong-un, just when Washington is trying to pressure him.North Korea in December launched a long-range rocket in violation of U.N. Security C

North Korea is stepping up its peace offensive following its leader’s New Year speech that called for an end to confrontational relations with Seoul.The communist country’s official media have churned out reports and editorials in the past week stressing the goal of national reunification and calling for inter-Korean reconciliation. The overture appears to target an expansion in industrial cooperation and resumption of food handouts and economic assistance from Seoul that are essential to prop u

Seoul officials are cautiously optimistic after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signaled his willingness to prioritize economic revival and defuse tension with the South. Kim on Tuesday made the first verbal New Year’s address by a North Korean leader in 19 years.With economic recovery being the biggest task at hand, the Swiss-educated leader may try to mend ties with the incoming Park Geun-hye government for industrial cooperation and food handouts, analysts said.Seoul’s Unification Minister Yu

The shadow of his grandfather loomed large when North Korean leader Kim Jong-un gave a much-trumpeted New Year’s speech on Tuesday, calling for economic growth and the defusing of tensions with the South. It was the first verbal New Year’s address made by a North Korean leader in 19 years. Kim made his maiden live speech on April 15 when Pyongyang held a massive celebration for the 100th anniversary of the birth of national founder and his grandfather Kim Il-sung. The late Kim delivered his own

From the intensifying threat from North Korea to a festering feud with Japan, President-elect Park Geun-hye faces a string of foreign policy challenges which will put her much-touted doctrine of “trustpolitik” to an early test.The conservative politician will take office on Feb. 25 for a five-year term, inheriting a bleak diplomatic and security landscape bequeathed by incumbent Lee Myung-bak.Inter-Korean relations spiraled downward over the past five years due to Pyongyang’s arms buildup and Se

The ambitious project to pipe Russian natural gas to South Korea across the North has been dormant for more than a year amid inter-Korean tension.A glimmer of hope is rising for one of the largest gas deal in Asia as President-elect Park Geun-hye pledged to move ahead as part of her efforts to promote peace and stabilize domestic energy supplies.But experts question the project’s outlook due to lingering tension, economic uncertainty, political risks of depending on the unpredictable North for t

In the wake of North Korea’s rocket launch, U.S. Congress has passed a defense law modified for next year calling for tougher measures such as the possible construction of a new missile defense base and defense capability assessments. The National Defense Authorization Act contains a raft of policy and funding packages including budgets for military activities, related construction and research and development programs. Its 2013 version worth $633.3 billion requires the federal government to loo

President-elect Park Geun-hye has turned down a visit by incoming Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s special envoy, heralding a rough ride in the relations between the next governments of the two nations. Shinzo Abe of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party planned to send his congratulatory letter last weekend via former Finance Minister Fukushiro Nukaga and three other senior members of the Japan-South Korea parliamentarians’ association. But Park’s side “respectfully” declined the meeting due to

Following is the first in a series of articles on President-elect Park Geun-hye’s key advisers and close associates. ― Ed.Armed with expertise and experience, a far-flung yet focused cadre of counselors is girded up to help president-elect Park Geun-hye sail through daunting foreign policy challenges and the fast-evolving security landscape over the next five years.Fresh off a grueling election victory, she now will face the tricky tasks of tackling frigid ties with North Korea, a balancing posi