SEOUL, South Korea -- In an exchange of threats, President Donald Trump warned Pyongyang of ``fire and fury like the world has never seen‘’ and the North‘s military claimed Wednesday it was examining plans for attacking Guam. The high-level tit-for-tat follows reports that North Korea has mastered a crucial technology needed to strike the United States with a nuclear missile.　 Despite regular North Korean threats against Guam, a US territory in the Pacific about 2,100 miles (3,400 kilometers) fr

LONDON (AP) _ Worries over a potential confrontation between the United States and North Korea weighed heavily on global stock markets on Wednesday but helped boost the price of assets, such as gold and the Swiss franc, that are considered safe havens in times of geopolitical peril.　 KEEPING SCORE: In Europe, France‘s CAC 40 fell 1.6 percent to 5,135 while Germany’s DAX was down 1.3 percent at 12,133. The FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was 0.7 percent lower at 7,489. Wall Street was po

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un claps from a balcony during a parade for the 'Day of the Sun' festival on Kim Il-Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea, 15 April 2017. (EPA-Yonhap)A nuclear war between North Korea and the United States is not imminent, analysts said, but the inflammatory rhetoric on both sides is increasing the risk. They called on all parties to de-escalate.　 North Korea‘s army said in a statement distributed by state media Wednesday that it was examining a plan to use ballistic

SEOUL, South Korea -- Despite North Korea‘s threat to attack Guam, it appears extremely unlikely that its leadership would risk its own destruction with a pre-emptive attack on the American territory. Still, analysts believe North Korea does have several missiles in its arsenal capable of reaching the Pacific island, which Pyongyang has regularly threatened because of its U.S. military bases.　 What’s much less certain, however, is whether the North‘s missiles can inflict serious damage once they

HAGATNA, Guam (AP) _ Residents of the tiny Pacific island of Guam say they‘re afraid of being caught in the middle of escalating tensions between the U.S. and North Korea after Pyongyang announced it was examining plans for attacking the strategically important U.S. territory.　 Though local officials downplayed any threat,europeople who live and work on the island, which serves as a launching pad for the U.S. military, said Wednesday they could no longer shrug off the idea of being a potential t

ISLAMABAD (AP) _ Pakistan‘s deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif began two days of rallies Wednesday aimed at demonstrating his political strength, making stops from the capital Islamabad to his hometown of Lahore, ignoring security threats and drawing thousands of supporters.Sharif planned to spend at least two nights along Grand Trunk Road, the main road from Islamabad to Lahore, during his first public appearances since July 28, when the country’s Supreme Court disqualified him from serving fo

North Korea said Wednesday that it has released an imprisoned Canadian pastor for humanitarian reasons amid escalating tensions on the Korean peninsular stemming from the North‘s continued provocations.The Korea Central News Agency, the communist state’s official media outlet, reported that Lim Hyeon-su, a Canadian civilian, was released on sick bail in line with the decision of the Central Court of the North. (Yonhap)Lim, a Korean-Canadian pastor, has been held in captivity in the North since h

The United Kingdom government launched the first phase of its multimillion-dollar investment in battery technology, paving the way for the country’s lead in designing, developing and manufacturing of electric vehicle batteries, according to the British Embassy in Seoul. The $320 million investment, known as the Faraday Challenge, comes as the UK tries to secure a strategic position in the global renewable energy market and fight against global warming. “The launch of the Faraday Challenge is a p

In an effort to streamline the consular process in Korea, the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul has instituted an immigration attache tasked with providing up-to-date services for its 40,000 nationals here. At the inauguration ceremony at the diplomatic mission in Seoul on July 31, newly appointed Indonesian Ambassador Umar Hadi highlighted the importance of protecting citizens and offering efficient assistance using an accurate database. “It was necessary to establish an appropriate system of service

The Bolivian Embassy marked the 192nd anniversary of the country’s independence last week, also highlighting trade and investment opportunities in the quickly growing Latin American economy.Bolivia gained liberty from Spain on Aug. 6, 1825, ending colonial rule that had begun in the 16th century. Relentless guerilla fighting from 1809 -- led by Venezuelan general and politician Simon Bolivar and his compatriot Antonio Jose de Sucre, a freedom fighter and later the country’s second president -- l

The Moroccan Embassy marked the 18th anniversary of the accession to the throne of King Mohammed VI last week.The event also celebrated thriving ties between Morocco and Korea, now 55 years in the making diplomatically and expanding into all-inclusive realms.“The Throne Day is a symbol of love, loyalty, sacrifice, faithfulness and strong ties between the king and his people, based on a firm pledge of allegiance and obligations,” said Moroccan Ambassador to Korea Chafik Rachadi in a speech at a r

As Seoul shores up its diplomacy with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Philippines is fully committed to the Korean peninsula’s denuclearization efforts as the chair of ASEAN this year, said the country’s top envoy here, also highlighting flourishing defense and law enforcement cooperation between the two countries.During the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Manila on Saturday, the top diplomats of the 10-member bloc expressed their “grave concerns” over the escalating tension

High schooler Jini Kim’s mother couldn’t escape a heavy-hearted and guilt-ridden feeling for her daughter.A third-year student, Jini studies from dawn to dusk, day in and day out, to secure competitive scores in school and in the nationwide university entrance examination held in November. “I feel so sorry for her,” the mother told The Korea Herald in Daechi-dong in southern Seoul, a mecca of private educational academies, known as hagwon here. “Forget about play!” she lamented. “Jini has barely

South Korean singer Seven, better known by his stage name “Se7en,” will begin a tour of Japan after a 7-month hiatus. Se7en will perform in Osaka on Sept. 15 and Tokyo on Sept. 17 and 18. The singer, whose real name is Choi Dong-wook, held concerts in Nagoya on Jan. 27, Osaka on Jan. 28 and Tokyo on Jan. 31. He met some 10,000 fans at the tour’s after-party on Feb. 2. His tour celebrated the release of his new album “Dangerman” in last December, which reached the 10th spot on the Japan Oricon da

WASHINGTON (AP) _ The Trump administration on Friday officially told the United Nations that the U.S. intends to pull out of the 2015 Paris climate pact. 　 But the State Department‘s announcement doesn’t formally start the process of the U.S. getting out of the voluntary agreement. That‘s still to come. 　 Still, the department described its communication as a ``strong message’‘ to the world, following President Donald Trump’s decision in June to leave the accord. 　 ``The State Department is tell

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- A proposed new UN sanctions resolution would significantly increase economic pressure on North Korea to return to negotiations on its nuclear and missile programs by banning mineral and seafood exports worth over $1 billion -- a third of its total exports last year, a Security Council diplomat said Friday.　 The draft resolution, obtained by The Associated Press, would also ban countries from giving any additional permits to North Korean laborers _ another source of money f

WASHINGTON (AP) _ A drop in the unemployment rate to a 16-year low raises a tantalizing question about the job market: How much better can it get?　 Earlier this year, economists worried that the low unemployment rate meant businesses would struggle to find workers and that would drag down the pace of hiring. Those fears were heightened by a tiny job gain in March and modest hiring in May.　 Yet Friday‘s jobs report suggests such concerns are premature. Employers added 209,000 jobs, after a solid

South Korea’s jobless rate is likely to remain unchanged at 3.8 percent in July, a leading provider of economic analysis said Saturday, citing government stimulus measures.“The labor market is on the mend at the hand of strengthening domestic demand as generous government stimulus measures begin to reduce the chronically high youth unemployment and improve welfare payments,” Moody’s Analytics said in an economic preview.It said consumer and business sentiments have alread

The UN Security Council will soon vote on a resolution imposing tougher sanctions on North Korea for its recent intercontinental ballistic missile tests, diplomats said Saturday.The US-drafted resolution aims to cut North Korea‘s export revenue by one-third to $1 billion a year, according to news reports.  “We tabled a UN Security Council Resolution and hope for adoption as soon as possible,” a US official told Yonhap on the condition of anonymity.After lengthy negotiations, the US reached a dea

MEXICO CITY (AP) _ The absence of editor Javier Valdez Cardenas is deeply felt at the weekly newspaper he co-founded, but his presence is everywhere.　 A large photo of Valdez displaying his middle finger, with the word ``Justice,‘’ hangs on the facade of the Riodoce newspaper building in the Sinaloa state capital of Culiacan. Two reporters in their 30s, Aaron Ibarra and Miriam Ramirez, wear T-shirts that display his smiling, bespectacled face or his trademark Panama hat. The masthead of the pape