Overshadowed by the two establishment camps -- conservatives and moderate liberals -- progressive leftists have rarely been a major player in Korea’s history of presidential elections, with their approval ratings hovering around 5 percent. 　For the progressive left’s flag-bearer Rep. Sim Sang-jeung, however, the upcoming May 9 election is about more than just victory or a turnover of power. Despite a relatively low chance of winning, Sim is committed to freshening the political climate by embo

North Korea might have dispatched a fresh batch of devices needed to initiate a nuclear test and analyze data from the explosion, a US think tank said Wednesday, fueling speculation that the communist regime has inched closer to conducting another nuclear test. Analysis of commercial satellite imagery at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site by 38 North, a blog run by the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University, showed three to four vehicles or trailers at the entrance to the North Portal, whe

North Korea conducted another missile engine test Friday, a news report said Tuesday, in an apparent move to expedite its preparations to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile. Citing two unnamed US defense officials, CNN reported the latest experiment was the third such test in recent weeks using similar technology. But the officials added it was unclear whether the engine would require any adjustments to be used in an ICBM.A photo of North Korea's new rocket engine test (For Use Only in

North Korea appears to have completed preparation for another nuclear test and is ready to carry it out, South Korea’s military said Friday, as the United Nations adopted a statement condemning Pyongyang’s latest military provocations. 　“Our assessment is that North Korea is ready to conduct a nuclear test if they get the go ahead from Kim Jong-un,” said an official from Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff in a meeting with reporters. “We believe they have been preparing for a long period of time.” Fo

With the sunken Sewol ferry beginning to emerge from the water in a massive salvage operation that started Wednesday, focus has shifted to how to deal with missing bodies without hurting efforts to determine the cause of sinking.The government has asserted that cutting the ship into pieces is the best way to find the missing bodies, but the victims’ families and maritime experts have suggested the measure should be taken with caution, as it would be mechanically difficult and time consuming.Fami

North Korea on Wednesday fired a missile from its east coast in another show of force against South Korea-US military drills and diplomatic meetings, but it appears to have exploded midair, the South Korean and US militaries said. The missile, which has not yet been identified, lifted off from the North’s eastern coastal city of Wonsan where it test-fired an intermediate-range Musudan missile last year, Seoul’s Defense Ministry said, adding it is currently carrying out a more detailed analysis.A

When former President Park Geun-hye appeared at the prosecutors’ office Tuesday to be questioned over the corruption scandal that brought her down, a crowd of reporters gathered outside the building to see what Park’s first comments would be.But her much-anticipated entrance did not live up to the hype. Confronted with a barrage of questions targeting the president’s overdue appearance, Park delivered only a two-sentence remark without any elaboration, “I am sorry to the people. I will respond f

South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Hong Joon-pyo on Sunday stepped up harsh rhetoric to cast himself as the strongest candidate that the conservative camp can possibly field to fend off the liberal camp in the upcoming presidential election. In a televised debate between the presidential hopefuls of his Liberty Korea Party, the firebrand politician voiced confidence in competing against Moon Jae-in, the front-runner in the race from the liberal Democratic Party of Korea.  Hong Joon-pyo (Yonhap)“I ca

South Korea should temporarily suspend the deployment of a controversial US missile defense system here until the US convinces China to forgo economic retaliation against South Korea, a South Korean security expert said Thursday. “I don’t understand why South Korea solely takes the hit from the Chinese economic retaliation,” said Hong Hyun-ik, a senior researcher at Sejong Institute in Seoul, at a seminar on diplomacy, security and unification organized by the Seoul-based think tank.“The US shou

The US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson arrived at a port in Busan on Wednesday to take part in the annual military drills by Seoul and Washington in a naval show of force against North Korea’s missile and nuclear threats. The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier made a port call at a naval base in South Korea’s Fleet Command, along with the Carrier Air Wing 2 and USS Wayne E. Meyer destroyer, which constitute Carrier Strike Group 1. The group left San Diego on Jan. 5 and arrived in the

The US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson is to arrive at South Korea on Wednesday to participate in the allies’ annual military exercise as an extended deterrence measure against North Korea’s missile and nuclear threats, the US military said Tuesday. USS Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group, including its flagship Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, Carrier Air Wing 2 and USS Wayne E. Meyer destroyer, will make a port call at a naval base in Busan, according to US Naval Forces Korea. USS

South Korea and the US launched their annual Key Resolve military exercise Monday, which involves scenarios for the employment of US anti-missile assets and special warfare forces tasked with removing North Korea’s leadership in a contingency. For the first time, the allies are expected to apply an operational guideline to use the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery during the initial phase of the computer-based drill to intercept incoming ballistic missiles from the North. Fighter jets,

Park Geun-hye’s lawyer on Friday condemned the Constitutional Court’s decision to expel her as “biased,” accusing the judges of having made the conclusion without examining sufficient evidence.“President Park’s personality was murdered by the court’s biased decision,” Seo Seog-goo told reporters after the ruling. He said the entire trial was “unfair,” taking issue with the court’s denial of the application by Park’s lawyers for “massive evidence.” “Today’s unanimous decision tells me that they m

Despite China’s protests and economic retaliation, South Korea should press ahead with the deployment of an advanced US missile defense system to complete it before the next presidential election, according to one conservative presidential candidate. Rep. Yoo Seong-min of the conservative opposition Bareun Party said an early introduction is the best possible way to mitigate economic setbacks the deployment would unavoidably invite from opposing neighbors. Hesitation would only allow more time a

In a surprise move, South Korea and the United States began deploying the highly controversial anti-missile system here, just hours after North Korea test-fired ballistic missiles that it said were aimed at US bases in Japan. The allies confirmed Tuesday that two launchers of the US’ Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system arrived in South Korea’s Osan Air Base late Monday via the C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft. They are the first batch of the missile defense system designed to enhan

North Korea launched four ballistic missiles into the Eastern Sea on Monday, Seoul’s military said, in an apparent show of force against ongoing annual South Korea-US military exercises. The missiles lifted off at 7:34 a.m. from the North’s Dongchang-ri launch site and flew at least 1,000 kilometers, according to Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Japanese government said three of the projectiles fell in the country’s exclusive economic zone, as close as 300 kilometers to its northwestern shore.

With China escalating economic retaliation on South Korea over a US-led missile defense system, Seoul’s foreign minister said on Sunday such Chinese moves may be in violation of the international trade laws and a bilateral trade pact. Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se said that the measures taken by Beijing -- such as a ban on Chinese tourist groups from visiting South Korea – could constitute a violation of the World Trade Organization laws as well as the Korea-China Free Trade Agreement, which too

 Over the course of his US presidential campaign, Donald Trump spared no criticism against the country’s free trade pact with South Korea. Calling it a “disaster” and a “job killer,” the populist politician threatened to pull out of the treaty once he took office. 　But the US president was not the first to express such a negative view about the deal. Ever since negotiations kicked off in 2007, Trump-like rhetoric had resonated with South Koreans, particularly among liberal politicians and labor

The security chiefs of South Korea and the US on Wednesday vowed to accelerate bilateral efforts to station an advanced US missile defense system here, as the allies kicked off a joint annual military exercise designed to defend against North Korea’s nuclear and missile provocations. During their first phone call, National Security Office chief Kim Kwan-jin and US National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster reaffirmed the need to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system here “without a

South Korea’s military and Lotte Group on Tuesday officially signed a contract to exchange the land needed to station a US missile defense system here, boosting efforts to accelerate the deployment despite mounting pushback from China. 　In a written statement, the Ministry of Defense said the military had concluded the land-swap deal with Lotte Group, who handed over its golf course in the southeastern rural country of Seongju to host the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system and received a