North Korea Qualifies for 2010 World Cup

Staff / Truthdig Jun 19, 2009 After an uninspiring scoreless draw with fellow autocratic state Saudi Arabia, it seems that North Korea's football (soccer) team has managed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The qualification raises the possibility of a cup confrontation with South Korea -- or even the U.S. -- next summer. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

S. Korea Expected to Seek Official U.S. Nuclear Protection

Staff / Truthdig Jun 15, 2009 Shortly after the U.N. Security Council imposed new sanctions against North Korea for carrying out a nuclear test, the communist country has reacted by warning of possible nuclear war. As a result, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, who is to meet with President Obama on Tuesday, is expected to seek a written commitment of nuclear protection from the U.S. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

King Kim Names His Heir

Staff / Truthdig Jun 3, 2009 South Korean media outlets are reporting that North Korea's Kim Jong-il (above) has chosen his youngest son, Kim Jong-un, as his successor. Little is known about Kim the younger, except that he was born in either 1983 or 1984 and is considered the most capable of the Kim brood. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

U.S. Says North Korea Will ‘Pay a Price’

Staff / Truthdig May 26, 2009 The UN Security Council condemned North Korea for carrying out an underground nuclear test on Monday Pyongyang responded by test-launching two short-range missiles, after which the US ambassador to the U, Susan Rice, said the actions were "clearly provocative" and that North Korea will "pay a price" for them. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

North Korea Tests Its Nuclear Might

Staff / Truthdig May 25, 2009 North Korea carried out its second nuclear test on Monday and said it was “on a new higher level in terms of its explosive power and technology," according to the official Korean Central News Agency. The test sparked international condemnation and protests in South Korea, while the U.N. Security Council called an emergency session to discuss the incident. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

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 )