Returning home one spring five years ago from a secret visit to Beijing in his armored, fully wired train car, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il got an unnerving, firsthand demonstration of the potential downside of technology. A huge explosion ripped through the Ryongchon border station, and some officials initially thought it was an assassination attempt triggered by a cell phone. As it turned out, the fireball was more likely the result of two trains’ colliding nearby, possibly as a result of miscommunication about changed schedules stemming from Kim’s clandestine travels
Tag Archives: south-korea
Iran’s soccer team wears symbolic green bands
Members of Iran’s national soccer team wore green arm and wrist bands Wednesday during their World Cup qualifying match against South Korea.
Obama to meet South Korean president
North Korea and its nuclear ambitions are expected to be a key part of discussions as U.S. President Barack Obama hosts the president of South Korea on Tuesday. Obama is to meet with President Lee Myung-bak in a closed-door session at the White House on Tuesday morning and then share a working lunch
U.S. officials headed to Asia for ‘intensive’ talks on North Korea
A high-level U.S. delegation is going to Asia for "intensive consultations" on what North Korea’s increasingly alarming behavior means for U.S. security alliances in the region, senior administration officials tell CNN.
South Korean, U.S. forces raise surveillance alert level
South Korean and U.S.
South Korea mourns passing of former leader
South Korea prepared to bury former president Roh Moo-Hyun Thursday, almost a week after he took his own life. Roh, who served between 2003 and 2008, committed suicide on Saturday by leaping from a hill behind his house, government officials said.
Going abroad? Don’t be afraid to pack the cell phone
It’s summer time. And you know what that means: Harrowing international travel with your cell phone.
N. Korea: No longer bound by 1953 truce
North Korea threatened military action Wednesday after South Korea joined a U.S.-led effort to limit the trafficking of weapons of mass destruction, the official Korean Central News Agency said.
The cultural contributors to suicide in Asia
More than nuclear bomb tests, the suicide of former South Korean president Roh Moo-Hyun has stunned the South Korean public. While the news has shocked the nation, perhaps the level of surprise at the method wasn’t as great.
Park Ji-Sung – A national icon
As a symbol of national pride and success, South Korea and Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-Sung, carries more weight on his shoulders than the need to perform. Park, once rejected from his country’s own K-League, is now considered the ambassador of Korean football