Former South Korean President Commits Suicide

Staff / Truthdig May 23, 2009 Roh Moo-hyun, South Korea's ex-president, died Saturday after jumping off a cliff while hiking near his rural home in the country's southeast. Roh had been implicated in a corruption scandal and left a suicide note behind, according to The New York Times. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Up, Up and Away: The West’s Hysterical Reaction to North Korea

Scott Ritter / Truthdig Apr 17, 2009 North Korea has come under strong international criticism and sanctions for its missile launch, but as a signatory to the 1966 Outer Space Treaty, it is legally permitted to pursue space launch activity. Besides, where is the pandemonium when Japan, Pakistan, Israel, India, Russia and the U.S. refine, test and launch their own ballistic missiles? Dig deeper ( 9 Min. Read )

World Reacts to North Korean Launch

Staff / Truthdig Apr 6, 2009 The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting following what North Korea described as a satellite launch but what the US and South Korea said was actually a long-range missile test The U, the European Union, Japan and South Korea have all weighed in with varying degrees of concern, while China and Russia have urged calm and restraint. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

U.S., France Slammed for Murder in Historical Inquiries

Staff / Truthdig Aug 8, 2008 "Democracy Now!" reported Thursday on two separate stories that show being a Western democracy hardly makes you immune to serious allegations of war crimes In one, the radio/TV show reports the conclusion by South Korea's Truth and Reconciliation Commission that the US military indiscriminately killed large groups of South Korean civilians during the Korean War The other reviews the detailed new report by the Rwandan government that says the French military trained the murderous Interahamwe militia, key to the country's 1994 genocide [Transcripts & A/V]. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Food, Not Bombs

Staff / Truthdig Jun 30, 2008 Remember when North Korea loomed menacingly as the next big nuclear threat on the world stage, with cognac-swilling Communist Kim Jong Il starring as the latest dictator du jour? What a difference a few years can make: The North Korean government has now demonstrated its willingness to halt the country's nuclear weapons program and has begun accepting food shipments from the U.S. and increased aid from the World Food Program. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Bush and Karzai Nix Taliban’s Hostages Deal

Staff / Truthdig Aug 7, 2007 Joining forces for a press conference at Camp David on Monday, President Bush and Afghan President Hamid Karzai refused the Taliban's proposal for a prisoner swap. The Taliban says it will free the 21 surviving South Korean Christians kidnapped in Afghanistan on July 19 if captive Taliban members are released. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The Great American Disconnect

Tom Engelhardt / Truthdig Jun 11, 2007 If the Bush administration is only now considering the possibility of a South Korea-style military presence in Iraq, then why has it been building permanent bases since the start of the occupation? Dig deeper ( 14 Min. Read )

Iraq Is the New Korea

Robert Scheer / Truthdig Jun 6, 2007 Somehow, the Bush administration's assertion that U.S. troops may remain in Iraq for decades to come went relatively unnoticed by Democratic hopefuls during the June 4 debate. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Virginia Tech Gunman ID’d

Staff / Truthdig Apr 17, 2007 A day after the deadly shootings at Virginia Tech that killed 33 people, police have released the identity of the gunman. He was 23-year-old senior Cho Seung-Hui, a "loner," according to a campus official, who moved to the U.S. from South Korea 14 years ago. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

CIA: North Korea Blew Nuke Test

Staff / Truthdig Mar 28, 2007 A South Korean newspaper has quoted CIA Director Michael Hayden as saying "the United States does not recognize North Korea as a nuclear weapons state It's because the nuclear test last year was a failure" Hayden reportedly made the comment while speaking with a South Korean defense official The administration has said in the past it was uncertain of the test's success. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )