South Korea

Journalists watch a big screen showing live footage of the third game of the Google DeepMind Challenge Match between Lee Sedol, one of the greatest modern players of the ancient board game Go, and the Google-developed supercomputer AlphaGo at a hotel in S

Going, Going, Gone: Master Go Player Loses Best-Of-5 Match With A.I.

11:34am March 12, 2016

by Camila Domonoske

Lee Sedol has lost three games in a row to Google's AlphaGo program, which means the program has officially defeated the human. Lee said the pressure was intense, and he felt "powerless."

Champion professional Go player Lee Sedol (right) makes a move in his match against Google's artificial intelligence program, AlphaGo, at the Google DeepMind Challenge Match in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday.

A.I. Program From Google Beats Human World Champ In Game Of Go

1:31pm March 09, 2016

by Bill Chappell

"They were neck-and-neck for its entirety, in a game filled with complex fighting," according to a recap. The five-game match will continue through the weekend.

South Korean Go champion Lee Sedol (right) poses with Google DeepMind head Demis Hassabis. On Wednesday, Sedol will begin a five-match series against a computer.

How Google's Neural Network Hopes To Beat A 'Go' World Champion

5:39pm March 08, 2016

by Geoff Brumfiel

On Wednesday in South Korea, a Google AI program will take on a top-level player in the ancient game of Go. Here's what you need to know.

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A U.S. soldier stands on an armored vehicle during an annual exercise Monday in Yeoncheon, South Korea, near the border with North Korea. Pyongyang threatened a

World News

North Korea Threatens Preemptive Strike As U.S., South Korea Hold Military Exercise

11:40am March 07, 2016

by Bill Chappell

This year's war games between the U.S. and South Korea are the largest ever. In response, North Korea's Kim Jong Un threatened to unleash a "preemptive nuclear strike of justice."

The six projectiles were reportedly fired from an area near the North Korean port of Wonsan on Thursday morning.

World News

North Korea Fires Projectiles Into The Sea After U.N. Imposes New Sanctions

11:49am March 03, 2016

by Bill Chappell

South Korea says it is analyzing the military action to determine whether the six projectiles were rockets or missiles.

A member of the main opposition party in South Korea speaks past midnight and into Tuesday morning, marking the seventh day of a filibuster against a new surveillance bill.

World News

Watch Live: South Korean Lawmakers' Filibuster Is Now In Its Seventh Day

2:10pm February 29, 2016

by Bill Chappell

Opposition legislators have now spoken for some 150 hours straight, holding up a bill that would give new surveillance powers to South Korea's spy agency.

An American soldier (right) from the First Armored "Ironhorse" Brigade of the 1st Calvary Division is among those who began arriving in South Korea in mid-January. They are replacing U.S. troops that cycle out in February. He's speaking with a South Korea

Welcome To Korea: 4,000 U.S. Troops Arrive At A Tense Time

6:54pm February 26, 2016

by Elise Hu

In the weeks between North Korea's nuclear test and rocket launch, 4,000 new American troops have arrived in South Korea. They're still adjusting to challenges, both big and small.

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Holograms of human figures are displayed during a

World News

'Ghost Protest' In Seoul Uses Holograms, Not People

5:18pm February 24, 2016

by Haeryun Kang

The protest, organized by Amnesty International, featured virtual demonstrators. But concerns about freedom of speech and assembly in South Korea are real.

World News

Breaking The North Korean Information Blockade

10:05am February 21, 2016

by NPR Staff

North Koreans know little about the outside world. Activists are smuggling in flash drives — loaded with documentaries, TV shows and Wikipedia — to help change that.

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Vehicles that left the Kaesong joint industrial complex in North Korea arrive in Paju, South Korea, Thursday.

World News

North Korea Expels South Koreans From Joint Park, Cuts 2 Hotline Ties

3:12pm February 11, 2016

by Bill Chappell

North Korea is freezing all assets related to the Kaesong Industrial Complex and cutting two communications hotlines between the neighboring countries.