South Korea

President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are expected to continue to square off in 2018.

President Trump's Biggest Foreign Policy Headache For 2018

2:09pm December 29, 2017

by Elise Hu

After trading bellicose barbs with North Korea throughout 2017, the U.S. heads into 2018 with an increasingly capable foe and no clear diplomatic exit ramps to temper the tensions.

U.S. reconnaissance images show a North Korean ship, the Rye Song Gang 1, conducting a ship-to-ship transfer, possibly of oil, in an effort to evade sanctions on Oct. 19. South Korea has seized a ship it suspects of participating in such transfers.

World News

South Korea Seizes Ship Suspected Of At-Sea Oil Transfer To Benefit North Korea

11:23am December 29, 2017

by Bill Chappell

One suspected transfer was seen in U.S. reconnaissance photos; South Korean media say ships have sold oil to North Korean vessels about 30 times since October.

Firefighters make their way into a building on Dec. 21, 2017 in Jecheon, South Korea. The death toll jumped to 29 as rescue workers searched a scorched, smoke-filled commercial building in the southern city of Jecheon after a fire engulfed the building, f

World News

Fire In South Korean Commercial Building Kills At Least 29

10:38am December 21, 2017

by Bill Chappell

"The fire engulfed an eight-story building and trapped dozens inside," NPR's Elise Hu reports from Seoul. "At least 15 of the dead were trapped in a second floor sauna."

Bobsled pilot and two-time Olympic medal recipient, Elana Meyers Taylor, and US National team member Lolo Jones, left, push off the start during a training run in Lake Placid.

A Kind Of Chaos: The Science And Sport Of Bobsledding

5:01am December 14, 2017

by Melissa Block

U.S. Olympic bobsledders explain their craft as they prepare for Pyeongchang in 2018. Success depends on immense precision. One false step or a miscalculated lean can spell disaster.

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A U.S. Air Force B-1B "Lancer" bomber flying with F-35B fighter jets and South Korean Air Force F-15K fighter jets during a training at the Pilsung Firing Range in South Korea in September.

U.S., South Korea Begin Massive Military Exercises

6:26am December 04, 2017

by Scott Neuman

The annual Vigilant Ace exercise is taking place amid increased tensions with North Korea over its nuclear program and the recent test of an improved, longer-range ICBM.

Newly released closed-circuit television footage shows a North Korean soldier sprinting south across the border last week while his fellow soldiers fire on him.

World News

Video Shows North Korean Soldier's Dramatic Sprint Across Border

6:48pm November 22, 2017

by Laurel Wamsley

Newly-released CCTV footage shows a jeep speeding through the countryside near the DMZ. Inside is a North Korean soldier making a desperate escape.

A "comfort woman" statue is placed on a bus seat to mark the 5th International Memorial Day for Comfort Women in Seoul in August.

'Comfort Woman' Memorial Statues, A Thorn In Japan's Side, Now Sit On Korean Buses

8:21pm November 13, 2017

by Elise Hu

Statues symbolizing the World War II sex slaves abused by Japanese soldiers have appeared this year on Korean city buses — including on a bus line whose doors open right in front of Japan's embassy.

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Last summer, South Koreans left messages of their sexual harassment and assaults on Post-it notes at an exit of Gangnam subway station.

World News

South Korea's Sex Ed Guidelines Suggest Victims Are To Blame for Date Rape

5:50pm November 11, 2017

by Elise Hu

When South Korea issued its sex education guidelines for public schools in 2015, there was an outcry and there were calls for them to be withdrawn. Two years later, the guidelines remain in place.

People attend the 72nd U.S. Women's Open Golf Championship at Trump National Golf Course in Bedminster, N.J., in July. President Trump mentioned the golf course during a speech before South Korea's National Assembly.

As The World Watches Trump In Korea, His New Jersey Golf Course Gets A Plug

12:42pm November 08, 2017

by Emily Sullivan

During a speech before South Korea's National Assembly, President Trump took the opportunity to praise his golf course in Bedminster. Ethics experts say Trump shouldn't tout his private businesses.

President Donald Trump smiles with South Korean President Moon Jae-in during a joint news conference at the presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, on Tuesday.

In Visit To South Korea, Trump Continues Theme Of Security And Trade

2:39am November 07, 2017

by Scott Neuman

The president says the U.S. is prepared to use "all available tools short of military action" to bring North Korea to the table, but that it would use the "full range" of military options if needed.