Seoul: Park Hee-sung, a 78-year-old North Korean former agent who has been held in the enemy South for close to half a century, remains staunchly loyal to his homeland, the ruling Kim family and its Juche ideology of economic self-reliance.
A trim, neat man, Park is one of around two dozen North Korean operatives trapped in exile in affluent South Korea. He lives in a charity house in central Seoul with another former agent, 79-year-old Kim Young-sik, and dreams of the day he can return freely to the northern part of a unified Korea.
For Park and Kim, North Korea, which for several weeks has threatened the United States and South Korea with nuclear war, is no menace to world peace, rather a plucky nation that single-handedly stands up to American bullying.
"For an hour, I wish I could live with my loving family in the party's embrace in my peacefully unified nation and die," Park told Reuters, as Kim played "Arirang", a folk song regarded as the unofficial anthem of both Koreas, on a traditional harp....
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07:03 AM, Apr 30, 2013
Pyongyang: The heart of this city, once famous for its Dickensian darkness, now pulsates with neon. Glossy construction downtown has altered the Pyongyang skyline. Inside supermarkets where shopgirls wear French designer labels, people with money can buy Italian wine, Swiss chocolates, kiwifruit imported from New Zealand and fresh-baked croissants. They can get facials, lie in tanning booths, play a round of mini golf or sip cappuccinos and cocktails while listening...
09:03 AM, Apr 29, 2013
Seoul: North Korea has moved two short-range missile launchers to its east coast, apparently indicating it is pushing ahead with preparations for a test launch, a South Korean news agency reported on Sunday. South Korea and its allies have been expecting some sort of North Korean missile launch during weeks of heightened hostility on the Korean peninsula. An unidentified South Korean military source told the South's Yonhap news agency that...
01:40 PM, Apr 21, 2013
Seoul: South Korean rapper Psy released his much-anticipated new single on Thursday hoping to repeat the success of 'Gangnam Style' that made him the biggest star to emerge from the growing K-pop music scene. The video for 'Gangnam Style' has become the most watched item on YouTube with more than 1.5 billion hits and Psy's horse-riding moves sparked an international dance craze. The details of his latest single, 'Gentleman', were...
11:33 AM, Apr 12, 2013
Washington: US President Barack Obama has said it is time for the North Korean leadership to end its "belligerent" approach and observe the basic rules and norms of the international community. Obama made this remarks on Thursday after his meeting with the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, at the Oval Office of the White House. "We both agree that now is the time for North Korea to end the kind...
04:47 AM, Apr 12, 2013
Washington: A Pentagon spy agency concluded with "moderate confidence" that North Korea has the ability to launch nuclear-armed ballistic missiles but the weapons would probably be unreliable, officials said on Thursday. A study dated March by the Defense Intelligence Agency appeared to be the first time the Pentagon spy agency had reached such a conclusion and illustrated the high stakes surrounding the escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula. The assessment's...
03:27 AM, Apr 12, 2013
New Delhi: Japan has deployed missile interceptors in key locations around Tokyo as a precaution against possible North Korean ballistic missile tests. The Patriot missiles were deployed at Japan's defence ministry headquarters and at bases farther away from central Tokyo. North Korea is believed to have moved ballistic missiles to its east coast, possibly in preparation for a test launch. The move has further raised tensions on the Korean Peninsula...
08:26 PM, Apr 09, 2013
As part of its "rebalance" in the Asia Pacific region, the US is all set to deploy additional military resources, including more aircraft careers and fighter jets, a top Pentagon official has said. ...
02:21 PM, Mar 22, 2013
South Korea and the United States began annual military drills on Monday despite North Korean threats to respond by voiding the armistice that ended the Korean War and launching a nuclear attack on the US. ...
12:20 PM, Mar 11, 2013
Psy says his parents consider him to be more popular than United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. ...
09:57 AM, Mar 10, 2013
South Korea's military said on Wednesday it was fully prepared to strike back at the North if its neighbour uses military force, a day after Pyongyang threatened to scrap the armistice agreement ending the 1950-53 Korean War. ...
11:45 AM, Mar 06, 2013
The midfielder had held up a sign referring to a territorial dispute between South Korea and Japan while celebrating a 2-0 win. ...
09:15 PM, Feb 12, 2013
A South Korean national has alleged that she was raped by a hotel manager in Bandhavgarh in Madhya Pradesh. An FIR has been registered in Aurangabad. ...
09:08 AM, Feb 01, 2013
Google Inc.'s map with more details of North Korea has gone live. Google Maps shows details of North Korea, including streets, parks, monuments and train stops in the capital of Pyongyang. ...
01:25 PM, Jan 30, 2013
The 'Gangnam Style' fever definitely hasn't died down yet. After South Korean singer Psy became a roaring global hit, now we have a little Psy performing on the song that has become the biggest YouTube hit ever. The little kid with his swift moves and identical actions like the original Jumping Jack, Psy has caught everybody's attention. Watch it for yourself and judge whom do you like better, the original...
05:48 PM, Dec 10, 2012
Korean pop star Psy is now a global phenomenon with his video 'Gangnam Style' becoming the most-viewed video on YouTube ever. ...
05:41 PM, Dec 01, 2012
Seoul: The Korean Grand Prix racked up substantial operating losses last month, the third year running it has finished in the red, potentially threatening its place on Formula One's calendar. The South Korea race, first run in 2010, returned operating losses of 39.4 billion won, local media reported on Wednesday, quoting race organisers. One of nine Asian races on the 20-stop 2012 Formula One calendar, including the Asia-Pacific Australian Grand...
12:24 PM, Nov 21, 2012
Los Angeles: South Korean rapper Psy has been awarded an early 2012 American Music Awards, six days before the red carpet event here. The 34-year-old star, who shot to fame with his catchy tune 'Gangnam Style', has been awarded the New Media accolade for the most popular video in YouTube history, reported Ace Showbiz. Psy, who shares the same manager as Justin Bieber, Scooter Braun, will be presented with the...
11:44 AM, Nov 15, 2012
