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Reporter : Kang Hyun-kyung
Sun, October 1, 2023 | 21:44
[INTERVIEW] US urges China to play role to stop human rights abuses in North Korea
The United States will continue its diplomatic efforts to build pressure on China to scrap its forced repatriation of North Korean refugees as the brutal policy has resulted in unspeakable human rights violations of those returned to the North, according to a U.S. nuclear envoy.
Politics | 2023-04-15 07:50
[INTERVIEW] 'When in South Korea, do as Southerners do'
Kim Hong-kyun seems to be the man who can literally “make a living by selling sand to desert people.” Koreans use the phrase “doing sand business in the desert” to refer to people with exceptional business and survival skills. In the desert, sand is everywhere, so common that few people believe one can make ends meet there by selling sand. As always, however, people with extr...
Politics | 2023-04-14 08:00
Baseball helps North Korean defectors' children heal from trauma
“Catching a ball is like eating food. You need to get something in your mouth and then chew it until you swallow. Likewise, you need to know how to catch a ball in your glove first before you throw it.” Park Yoon-soo, the head coach of the baseball team, the Challengers, uses the food analogy as he teaches Choi Ha-eun, a 12th grader at Yeomyung School in Seoul, about ball cat...
Politics | 2023-04-10 08:01
How Daegu's largest market became 'go-to spot' for conservative politicians
It all started in October 1997 when then ruling party's presidential candidate Lee Hoi-chang visited Seomun Market, the largest open-air market located in the southeastern city of Daegu, for a campaign rally. Back then, his political career was at risk, triggered first by his nose-diving support ratings following accusations that his two sons were draft dodgers and then by lo...
Politics | 2023-04-06 08:10
[INTERVIEW] North Korean defectors bear brunt of remittance scams
“Finally, we are here.” That is what many North Korean defectors say when they arrive in Incheon International Airport after hiding in China for several years. Tasting freedom, they heave a sigh of relief because they no longer have to live in fear of getting caught by the Chinese security authorities and being sent back to the North..
Politics | 2023-03-31 07:59
Clock ticks for China's massive repatriation of N. Korean defectors
Many North Korean defectors are believed to be detained in China, according to activists familiar with the situation. The number of North Korean detainees varies, depending on experts, but estimated figures range from 600 to 2,000. Once North Korea reopens its border with China - sealed in January 2020 to keep out COVID carriers - Beijing is widely expected to repatriate the ...
Politics | 2023-03-28 15:55
[INTERVIEW] Expert pitches Laotian rural reform to solve NK's chronic food shortages
SUWON CITY, Gyeonggi Province - Cho Chung-hui, the director of an in-house research institute of the development NGO Good Farmers, visited Laos recently to check with local partners on an egg farm project aimed at generating side income for local farmers. It was an eye-opening trip, he said. In Laos, he added he was inspired to think what North Korea's future could be like.
Politics | 2023-03-23 07:56
[INTERVIEW] North Korean-born chef delights Southerners' taste buds, breaks down cultural barriers
Lee Myung-ae, a veteran chef and the owner of a catering company called Jinmiga Foods, said there is a single, universal factor that influences people's choices when it comes to eating: food served should be good enough to delight their taste buds. Once this condition is met, she added it doesn't matter to customers where the chef comes from. She learned these lessons from he...
Politics | 2023-03-20 08:10
More North Korean defectors pursue entrepreneurship for better life
Startups have become a buzzword among North Korean defectors living in South Korea as they mull various options to start their own business in order to escape what they perceive as discrimination at South Korean companies against people from the North. A 2022 survey conducted by Korea Hana Foundation, which was set up to help defectors settle here, found that 17.9 percent of ...
Politics | 2023-03-15 08:15
South African photographer pays tribute to Korean bus drivers
Bus driver Lee Soon-il was taking a break at the bus terminal in Iksan, North Jeolla Province, on June 6, 2021, when Nathi Sihlophe from South Africa approached him for a chat. Due to the language barrier, Lee, 62, said he found it difficult to make himself understood at the beginning of his conversation with the South African.
Society | 2023-03-10 08:11
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