a second ago N. Korean leader urges bolstering war deterrence, citing US nuclear threats

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has once again called for enhancing the country's war deterrence, including the readiness of its nuclear capabilities, in response to what he described as growing nuclear threats from the United States, state media said Wednesday. Kim made the remarks during his inspection of "strategic missile bases," the Korean Central News Agency said in an English-language dispatch. The report did not specify the location or the date of the inspection. "As

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8 hours ago [Herald Interview] Rising stars of Korean classical music unite in recital

On Wednesday evening, rising Korean cellist Han Jae-min, who is Lotte Concert Hall's in-house artist this year, will take the stage with promising Korean pianist Park Jae-hong, and renowned Hungarian violinist Kristof Barati. The three will perform at the Han Jae-min Trio Recital at Lotte Concert Hall, featuring Rachmaninoff’s Piano Trio No. 1 “Elegy,” along with Dvorak’s Piano Trio No. 4 “Dumky,” and Tchaikovsky’s Piano Trio in A minor “In Me

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10 hours ago UNDP chief calls for stronger ties with Korea in fight against global challenges

The world we once knew, shaped by decades of work toward multiculturalism, international governance and legal systems, is drifting apart. Conflicts, crises and rising hostilities are making international cooperation and development efforts increasingly difficult. Yet in this time of challenges, South Korea has been a valued partner and contributor to the United Nations Development Programme, stepping up to play a bigger role in several areas, chief Achim Steiner said in a recent interview with

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11 hours ago Complaint filed against writer who called Han Kang's historic Nobel win 'shameful and sad'

A South Korean civic group on Monday said it has filed a complaint against a local writer alleging she has defamed Han Kang, the first Korean and first Asian woman to win the Nobel Prize in literature. The group, Citizens' Solidarity for the Eradication of Deeply-rooted Corruption, accused Kim Gyu-na of a "politically-motivated and personal attack against an individual that not only exceeds the limits of freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution, but also goes beyond bound

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14 hours ago [Oddities] What's in a name? How Koreans faked their way to Kim, Lee and Park

If you meet a South Korean, there's a 45 percent chance that their surname is either Kim, Lee or Park. And there’s an even higher probability -- some say nearly 90 percent -- that their surname originates from a bogus family tree. According to the latest census data from Statistics Korea, these three surnames account for nearly half the population, which is over 20 million people. Expand that to the top 10 surnames, and you're looking at 64 percent of the population. This remarka

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