Report: North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has 6 special luxury trains
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Il — known for shunning air travel — has six luxurious special trains equipped with conference rooms, bedrooms and high-tech communication facilities, a South Korean newspaper reported Monday. There are also 19 stations across North Korea exclusively for Kim's trains, which have a total of some 90 carriages, the mass-circulation Chosun Ilbo newspaper said, citing an analysis by South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities....

Korean Navies exchange fire
Korean Navies exchange fire

NYT > World: Navies of 2 Koreas Exchange Fire
This is a syndicated post. Original article from NYT > World , available at NYT > World . Fighting erupted when a North Korean Navy boat ventured across the so-called Northern Limit Line, according to a report.

North Korea And South Korea Navy Boats Exchange Fire
SEOUL, South Korea — The two Koreas briefly exchanged naval fire Tuesday along their disputed western sea border, with a North Korean ship suffering heavy damage before retreating, South Korean Military officials said. There were no South Korean casualties, the country's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, and it was not immediately clear if there were any casualties on the North Korean side. Each side blamed the other for violating the sea border. "It's a regrettable incident,"...

Korean Navies exchange fire
Korean Navies exchange fire

U.S. to Send Envoy to North Korea For Nuclear Talks
A White House official said today that the Obama Administration will accept North Korea's invitation for a senior U.S. official to visit Pyongyang for talks to bring the Nuclear-armed regime back to disarmament negotiations. The decision by the Administration to send Stephen Bosworth to engage in direct talks is an effort to revive the six-party discussions to persuade North Korea to dismantle its Nuclear Weapons program in exchange for economic aid and improved ties. North Korea, said in a...

Iran, North Korea nuclear disputes top agenda as Clinton leaves Sunday on trip to Europe, Asia
WASHINGTON — Nuclear impasses with Iran and North Korea are the dominant issues for Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on her trip to Europe and Asia, which begins with a stopover in Germany to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall's fall. Developments in both stalemates are expected in the coming days with international patience running out over Iran's refusal to come clean about its suspected nuclear program and North Korea's refusal to return to stalled disarmament...

Iran, North Korea nuclear disputes top Hillary Rodham Clinton's agenda on trip to Europe, Asia
WASHINGTON — Nuclear impasses with Iran and North Korea are the dominant issues for Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on her trip to Europe and Asia, which begins with a stopover in Germany to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall's fall. Developments in both stalemates are expected in the coming days with international patience running out over Iran's refusal to come clean about its suspected nuclear program and North Korea's refusal to return to stalled disarmament...

US to send envoy to NKorea for nuclear talks: PHOTO
Washington: The Obama Administration has decided, after months of deliberation, to accept an offer by North Korea to send a special envoy to Pyongyang for direct talks on nuclear issues, two Administration officials said Monday.   President Barack Obama will send envoy Stephen Bosworth, although no date for his trip has been set, the officials said. The officials discussed the matter on condition of anonymity because the decision has not been publicly announced.   It would be the...

Blind North Korean Kids Will Get Their Braille Books!
I just heard from the team at Koryo Tours and wanted to share with you the results of their recent fundraiser . I know this is a bit unorthodox, but it's not often Luxist (or anyone else) has the opportunity to cover North Korean humanitarian charity efforts. Originally, Koryo Tours sought EUR4,400 -- EUR2,400 for 300 Braille dictionaries and EUR2,000 to install playground equipment in an orphanage in Wonsan, North Korea . Hannah Barraclough, from Koryo Tours, writes, "We are very pleased to...

U.S. envoy vows to help resolve North's abductions
WASHINGTON (Kyodo) The nominee for U.S. special envoy for North Korea Human Rights issues pledged Thursday to "actively" assist Japan's efforts to resolve the issue of Pyongyang's kidnappings of Japanese decades ago.

North Korea adds to atomic stockpile
SEOUL – North Korea said Tuesday it had completed reprocessing spent fuel rods at its Yongbyon nuclear plant and turned it into arms-grade Plutonium, giving the mercurial state more material to produce atomic arms. The announcement comes after the reclusive North, hit with fresh U.N. sanctions to punish it for a nuclear test in May, has warmed up to the outside world in recent months and indicated it could return to stalled international nuclear talks. "We have finished reprocessing 8,000 spent...

NKorea claims to expand arsenal of atomic bombs
North Korea claimed Tuesday that it has successfully weaponized more Plutonium for atomic bombs, a day after warning Washington to agree quickly to direct talks or face the prospect of a growing North Korean nuclear arsenal. The announcement underlined Pyongyang 's impatience over securing one-on-one talks with Washington, as well as the difficulties in dealing with a regime that resorts to threats and provocations to get what it wants. Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency said North...

NKorea claims to expand arsenal of atomic bombs
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)

South, North Korean naval ships clash
SEOUL, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- South and North Korean naval ships clashed Tuesday morning off their west coast, a South Korean defense official said. "We're still trying to find out if there were any casualties," the official said, Yonhap news agency reported. No other details were immediately available. Relations between the two countries had been improving lately despite North Korea's provocative actions, including its second nuclear test in May.

Obama delays start of Asia trip to attend memorial
Washington (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will delay the start of his visit to Asia this week to attend a memorial service for Soldiers killed in a mass Shooting at a U.S. Military base, an administration official said on Sunday. Obama was due to have left the United States on Wednesday, but will now depart on Thursday, the official said. Obama's first stop in his 10-day Asia trip is Japan, before heading to Singapore, China and South Korea. Thirteen people were killed in a Shooting Spree...

SCENARIOS-Next steps in North Korea nuclear crisis
(For related stories, click on [ID:nNORKOR]) SEOUL, Nov 4 (Reuters) - North Korea has increased pressure on regional powers trying to persuade it to abandon Nuclear arms in exchange for massive aid by saying on Tuesday it had produced more Plutonium to make atomic Weapons. [ID:nSP492091] Here are a few scenarios of what may happen next in the sputtering Nuclear discussions among the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States:

Japan raps N. Korea's latest nuclear move
Tokyo is not pleased North Korea has finished reprocessing about 8,000 spent Nuclear Fuel rods at its Yongbyon Nuclear complex, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano said Wednesday.

North Korea: the defectors' tale
For years, Guang-il Jung was haunted by a nightmare in which he was leaving a Prison camp. Prisoners stretched out their emaciated arms to him, begging him not to leave them to die.

Understanding North Korea
It started in 2004. Ahn, then an activist working for Food First, an Oakland nonprofit that looks at the root causes of hunger around the world, was invited to give a speech about North Korea at the Human Rights Commission in South Korea. In her talk, she criticized the American passage of the North Korean Human Rights Act, arguing that increased sanctions against the communist country were choking its people and exacerbating their Human-rights crisis. Ahn advocated peace and engagement. She...

North Korea ups the ante in nuke talks
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea claimed yesterday it has successfully weaponized more Plutonium for atomic bombs, a day after warning the United States to agree quickly to direct talks or face the

N. Korea in position to build another nuke bomb
Washington, Nov.4 (ANI): North Korea's official news agency Yonhap has reported that the country has finished reprocessing 8,000 spent Nuclear Fuel rods, which are likely to provide enough Plutonium for at least one Nuclear weapon. North Korea has already carried out two Nuclear tests, one in 2006, and one in May of this year. Prior to Tuesday's announcement, Pyongyang had a stockpile of 30 to 50 kilograms of Plutonium, according to the US Congressional Research Service. That is enough for five...

N. Korea adds to its atomic bomb arsenal
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea claimed Tuesday that it has successfully weaponized more Plutonium for atomic bombs, a day after warning Washington to agree quickly to direct talks or face the prospect of a growing North Korean nuclear arsenal. The announcement underlined Pyongyang's impatience over securing one-on-one talks with Washington, as well as the difficulties in dealing with a regime that resorts to threats and provocations to get what it wants. Pyongyang's official Korean Central...