Yohei Matsumoto (C), parliamentary vice minister in Japan’s Cabinet Office, arrives at a ceremony to mark “Takeshima Day” in Matsue, Shimane prefecture, February 22, 2015. Tokyo has called for Seoul to return a group of disputed islands in the Sea of Japan that have been controlled by South Korea, amid a territorial row between the two countries. Japan’s Shimane prefectural government designated... 

South Korean leader Lee Myung-Bak has urged the country’s officials to ‘stand well prepared’ for a third nuclear test by North Korea, according to Yonhap news agency. The test is believed to take place before Lunar New Year starts on February 10. The calls followed the South Korean President’s meeting with his top security advisers, who reportedly passed him information, which could indicate... 

North Korea has allegedly been placed under martial law and its ruler Kim Jong-un has ordered the army to “prepare for war”, a South Korean daily claims. ­The North Korean leader issued a series of orders to his top defense and security officials on Saturday to conclude preparations for a new nuclear test, the Seoul based Korea JoongAng Daily alleges citing an unnamed source. The source reportedly... 

South Korea has elected its first female president in a clear victory for conservative Park Geun-Hye, the daughter of the country’s former dictator. ­With more than 70 percent of votes counted so far, the 60-year old Park took almost 52 percent, over 48 percent for her left-wing rival, human rights lawyer Moon Jae-in. Though an official announcement has not been made yet, incumbent president... 

North Korean poster North Korea said it will reduce South Korea’s government to ashes in a matter of minutes, should a military escalation of the decades-old conflict occur. ­The statement by the North’s military, carried by the state media, did not elaborate as to how exactly such an attack would be carried out. It mentions “special actions” that would “reduce all the rat-like groups and... 

South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak has called for new strategies to help secure a stable supply of food amid growing concerns about a global food crisis. South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak called Monday for new strategies to help secure a stable supply of food amid growing concerns about a global food crisis. “The likelihood of a global food crisis is rising due to climate change. We need... 

Tough day for Obama: Trade deal unfinished, backlash on money policy, president tested anew. Humbled by elections at home, President Barack Obama on Thursday endured a sobering test of his power abroad as well, unable to close a trade deal with South Korea and thrown on the defensive about America’s approach to global economic worries. From halfway around the world, he admonished both friends... 

North Korean president Kim Jong-il The threat posed by North Korea’s nuclear programme has reached an “extremely dangerous level”, an adviser to South Korea’s president has said. It was not clear whether the comments by Kim Tae-hyo, President Lee Myung-bak’s deputy national security adviser, followed new intelligence. A recent report by the Washington-based Institute for... 

South Korean activists protest Israeli President Shimon Peres’s visit to Seoul, June 10, 2010. Israeli President Shimon Peres has received a chilly welcome in South Korea from dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters denouncing the visit by the “killer.” The activists gathered outside the Israeli embassy in Seoul on Thursday to protest Israel’s fatal attack on a Gaza aid convoy... 

France backs South Korea's quest for intervention from the UN Security Council France has joined the chorus of voices calling for North Korea to be punished for firing a torpedo that sunk a South Korean naval ship. The UN Security Council has indicated that it is likely to intervene. France has joined the chorus of voices calling for North Korea to be punished for a surprise torpedo attack on...