WASHINGTON/SEOUL -- The United States imposed fresh sanctions on North Korea on Thursday, blacklisting the regime's highest office, the State Affairs Commission, money-making firms and other entities and individuals as it further tightens the screws on Pyongyang over its nuclear and missile programs.The sanctions came after a series of successful missile tests by North Korea in recent months that demonstrated steady progress in its pursuit of various types of missiles, including a nuclear-tipped

President Moon Jae-in on Sunday named seven key members of the Cabinet and his secretariat, focusing on the diplomatic sector as part of his plan to tighten ties with partner states. President Moon Jae-in (Yonhap)As deputy prime minister and finance minister to supervise the nation’s economic affairs in general, the president picked Kim Dong-yeon, incumbent chief of Ajou University, according to Cheong Wa Dae. Kim Dong-yeonKang Kyung-hwa, policy aide to United Nations secretary-general, was tapp

The White House on Tuesday congratulated South Korea's new President Moon Jae-in on his election victory and said the US looks forward to working with him to continue to strengthen the alliance between the two countries. White House press secretary Sean Spicer (Yonhap)   "We congratulate President-elect Moon Jae-in and join the people of South Korea in celebrating their peaceful, democratic transition of power," White House press secretary Sean Spicer said in a statement, referring to the proces

US President Donald Trump says North Korea ``disrespected'' China with its most recent ballistic missile test.  South Korea's military said in a statement Friday afternoon that North Korea had fired the missile from an area near the capital of Pyongyang, but provided no other details.  President Donald Trump arrives at The White House in Washington, D.C., on April. 28. (EPA-Yonhap) US and South Korean officials say the launch apparently failed. Trump did not answer reporters' questions about the

The United States called for new sanctions on North Korea Friday and threatened to punish international companies doing banned business with the pariah nation's nuclear and missile programs. Doing nothing could be ``catastrophic,'' top diplomat Rex Tillerson told a special UN Security Council session he chaired. Amid council members' warning about the potential for conflict, Tillerson urged tougher action from China, North Korea's main trading partner. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi countered

A North Korean mid-range ballistic missile apparently failed shortly after launch Saturday, South Korea and the United States said, the second such test-fire flop in recent weeks but a clear message of defiance as a US supercarrier conducts drills in nearby waters.  North Korean ballistic missile tests are proscribed by the United Nations because they're seen as part of the North's push for a nuclear-tipped missile that can strike the US mainland. The latest test came as US officials pivoted fro

South Korea on Wednesday dismissed the controversial remark reportedly made by US President Donald Trump that Korea was "part of China" as untrue and not worthy of response.President Donald Trump talks with Chinese president Xi Jinping, with their wives, before dinner at Mar-a-Lago, Florida, early this month. (AP-Yonhap)"Whether that is true or not, Korea hasn't been a part of China for thousands of years and it is an historical fact that the international community acknowledges and no one can d

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered 25 percent of Pyongyang residents to leave the city immediately, according to a Russian news outlet on Friday.The Pravda report said that in accordance with the order, 600,000 people should be urgently evacuated. Experts note that the evacuation will most likely be conducted due to extremely strained tensions in relations with the US.North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (AP-Yonhap)Reportedly, Pyongyang's bomb shelters will not be able to accommodate the entire

North Korea's vice foreign minister said that the country will conduct another nuclear test at any time upon the leadership's decision, a news report said Friday.In an interview with the Associated Press, Vice Foreign Minister Han Song-ryol said that the situation on the Korean Peninsula was in a "vicious cycle," adding that Pyongyang won't tolerate a U.S. pre-emptive strike."If the U.S. comes with reckless military maneuvers then we will confront it with a pre-emptive strike" Han was quoted as

The United States is prepared to launch a pre-emptive strike on North Korea if it is certain that the communist nation is about to follow through with its sixth nuclear test, NBC News reported Thursday, citing multiple senior intelligence officials.The unidentified officials were quoted as saying that the US has positioned two destroyers capable of shooting Tomahawk cruise missiles in the region, one of them just 300 miles from the North Korean nuclear test site.US heavy bombers are also positio

Chinese President Xi Jinping urged peaceful resolution of tensions on the Korean Peninsula in his call with US President Donal Trump, Beijing's state media reported Wednesday. In his talk with Trump, Xi said China "advocates resolving the issue through peaceful means,"  the Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported.The phone talks came amid mounting military tensions on the peninsula as the US is taking a hardline stance against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.Trump and Xi held summit ta

Political parties and presidential contenders showed mixed reactions after former President Park Geun-hye was arrested Friday in connection with a corruption scandal that led to her removal from office.Park's Liberty Korea Party said in a statement the arrest is "truly regrettable" and voiced hope that such a "painful history" won't repeat itself.Former President Park Geun-hye (C) is taken to a detention center south of Seoul on March 31, 2017, after a court issued a warrant for her arrest over

The US Department of Commerce decided Thursday to impose an 11.7 percent duty on carbon and alloy steel plate imports from South Korea‘s steel giant Posco.The penalty is slightly higher than the department’s preliminary decision made in November to impose a 7.46 percent duty on Posco products, but is still considered a moderate level, compared with duties levied on companies in other countries.(Yonhap)The move affects cut-to-length plate imports.Japanese companies were hit with duties ranging fr

The Kori-4 nuclear reactor in BusanSouth Korea's nuclear operator said Tuesday that it manually shut down a reactor to deal with a coolant problem.The Kori 4 reactor was shut down at 5:11 a.m. after there was a rise in coolant levels in a collection tank, the Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co. said. The reactor is located some 400 kilometers southeast of Seoul in northern Busan.The company said operation of the reactor was gradually reduced in the early morning hours as a precaution after enginee

The Seoul Station Overpass, once a driveway passing through the heart of Seoul, is set to transform into a brand-new citizen’s park.　The Seoul Metropolitan Government said the newly renovated overpass will be open to the public on May 20. The structure comes with the new name “Seoullo 7017,” combining the year 1970 when it was first built and 2017 -- when it was remodeled to be a pedestrian-friendly road.　The overpass had been used as a major driveway connecting Mapo-gu, western Seoul, and Jung-