South Korea

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S. Korea, US Troops Begin Drills as Nuke Test Looms

Pyongyang believed to be ready to carry out 3rd test

(Newser) - South Korean and US troops began naval drills today in a show of force partly directed at North Korea amid signs that Pyongyang will soon carry out its third atomic test . The US, South Korea, and other countries have urged North Korea to scrap its test plans or face grave...

South Korea Strikes Back, Launches Rocket

Officials say satellite is in orbit, a first for country

(Newser) - In the wake of North Korea's successful rocket launch , South Korea has a success of its own. Officials say that a rocket that blasted off at 4pm local time today from Goheung did indeed put a satellite into orbit, reports the Los Angeles Times . They'll know by tomorrow...

S. Korea's Inaugural Gets Gangnam Style

PSY will perform at inaugural of Park Geun-hye

(Newser) - Maybe he'll want to think twice about lip-syncing , but PSY is giving his native South Korea a little Gangnam style for its upcoming presidential inauguration. It's actually unclear whether his horse-riding romp will make the cut (he has other songs?), but he's confirmed to perform at the...

Now North Korea Threatening to Attack South

Warns of 'physical countermeasures' amid sanctions

(Newser) - Yesterday the US was the target of North Korean warnings ; today, Pyongyang is focused on its southern neighbor, threatening to attack if South Korea backs UN sanctions against it. "If the puppet group of traitors takes a direct part in the UN 'sanctions,' the DPRK will take...

Uh-oh: Maker of N. Korea's Rocket Was ... N. Korea

UN considers tightening sanctions

(Newser) - The rocket that North Korea successfully launched last month was mostly homemade, South Korea says, fueling concerns about Pyongyang's ability to produce weapons despite international sanctions. "North Korea is believed to have made a majority of components itself, although it used commercially available products imported from overseas,"...

Kim Calls for Korean Unity in Rare Public Address

North Korea gets first New Year broadcast from leader since 1994

(Newser) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appears to share his father's fondness for rockets—but not his aversion to public speaking. Kim spoke to North Korea in a televised New Year's Day address, the first such broadcast in 19 years, the BBC reports. Kim Jong Il almost never...

Grinch N. Korea Shakes Fist at South's Christmas Lights

Pyongyang is not happy with Christmas tree-shaped tower on border

(Newser) - Dear Whos in Whoville, South Korea can surely feel your pain: It seems that Seoul opted to let Christians light a Christmas tree-shaped tower on the frontline over the weekend. This egregious affront predictably triggered a not-over-the-top-whatsoever response from Mount Crumpit, er, Pyongyang, which is now accusing its southern neighbor...

South Korea Elects First Female President

Park Geun-hye is the daughter of a former dictator

(Newser) - South Korea has elected its first female president in conservative candidate Park Geun-hye, who narrowly beating out liberal challenger Moon Jae-in with a 50.1% to 48.9% lead with 84% of votes counted, reports the BBC . More than 63% of South Koreans came out to cast their ballots this...

US Citizen Held Prisoner in North Korea: Report

Activist says Kenneth Bae detained while leading tour into the country

(Newser) - North Korea has been holding a 44-year-old American citizen prisoner for about a month, a human rights activist in South Korea alleged today. Kenneth Bae was reportedly detained while leading a tour group into the People's Republic, something he'd done several times before without a problem, activist Do...

Translators: Psy Didn't Really Say 'Kill Those Yankees'

Bad translation fuels controversy

(Newser) - If you've had trouble enjoying " Gangnam Style " ever since hearing that Psy once urged people to kill Americans , well, we've got some good news. It looks like the lyrics to "Dear American"—which was a cover from a band called NEXT—may have been...

PSY Apologizes for Anti-US Rap

Controversy comes before show in front of president

(Newser) - South Korea's PSY has issued an apology for an anti-American rap he delivered at a 2004 concert, reports TMZ . The lyrics spoke of slowly killing US soldiers and their families, and PSY says it was "part of a deeply emotional reaction to the war in Iraq and the...

Uncovered: PSY's Anti-American Past

'Gangnam Style' star once rapped about killing US soldiers

(Newser) - There's no doubt Korean rapper PSY is beloved across America, but the "Gangnam Style" star doesn't necessarily feel the same way about America—or at least, he didn't a few years ago. During a 2002 concert protesting the presence of US troops in Korea, PSY smashed...

South Korea Ditches Whaling Plans

Outcry prompts shift to non-lethal study

(Newser) - South Korea has backed off its plan to resume lethal Japanese-style "scientific" whaling expeditions in its coastal waters, in the face of an international outcry, the Guardian reports. Instead, it will use non-lethal methods to study the massive mammals. The International Whaling Commission banned commercial whaling in 1986, but...

Petraeus Pal to Lose Korean Consul Status

Jill Kelley misused title, Koreans say

(Newser) - South Korea has decided to strip one of the women at the center of the Gen. David Petraeus scandal of her honorary consul title, the AP reports. Tampa socialite Jill Kelley—who invoked her consul status in several 911 calls after the scandal surfaced—misused the title by using it...

Elephant Can 'Speak' Korean

Koshik apparently learned to make human sounds to bond with zookeepers

(Newser) - Who needs Doctor Doolittle when animals are learning to speak human languages? First a Beluga whale learns how to say "out" to a diver, and now an elephant in a South Korean zoo has learned to say five words, reports the BBC . Koshik, a male Asian elephant, can "...

North Korea: We Can Hit US Mainland

Pyongyang rattles sabers after US deal with South

(Newser) - After the US this week gave South Korea permission to extend the range of its missiles, everyone expected North Korea to respond in some fashion. It didn't disappoint: Pyongyang today declared that its missiles could hit not only the "puppet forces" of the South but the US mainland...

US OKs S. Korea Missiles That Could Hit North

Had long feared regional arms race; move a 'proportional response'

(Newser) - The United States has agreed to allow South Korea to possess longer-range missiles that could strike all of North Korea, officials said today, a development expected to draw an angry response from the North. Under a 2001 accord with Washington, South Korea has been barred from developing ballistic missiles with...

North Korea Soldier Kills Officers, Defects

He says he shot two superiors near border

(Newser) - A rarity in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea today: A soldier from the North defected and claims to have killed two commanding officers in order to do so, reports the Voice of America . Soldiers in the South heard about six shots, then allowed the soldier to cross...

Gangnam Style: The Substance Behind the Goofy Dance


 Gangnam Style: 
 The Substance 
 Behind the 
 Goofy Dance 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Gangnam Style: The Substance Behind the Goofy Dance

It's a critique of South Korea's wealthiest residents

(Newser) - You might think PSY's viral horse dance , Gangnam Style, is hysterical, but the AP takes a look at the serious social commentary behind the rapper's theatrics. The video offers up a critique of Seoul's ritzy Gangnam neighborhood, which is filled with new money, plastic surgery clinics, and...

South Korea Fires on North Korean Fishing Boats

Fishing boats had crossed disputed border

(Newser) - South Korea's navy fired warning shots today toward North Korean fishing boats that crossed a disputed maritime boundary, but the shots didn't hit the fishing boats and the vessels retreated, a South Korean official says. No North Korean navy ships were involved in the incident along a tense...

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