News
- 26 Top Officials from 21 Countries to Visit S. Korea during Olympics
- The presidential office says 26 top-level officials from 21 countries will visit South Korea during the PyeongChang Olympics. The deputy head of the presidential National Security Office, Nam Gwan-pyo, said in a news briefing Monday that top officials from 16 countries will attend the opening ceremony of the Games. President Moon Jae-in will hold summits or have lunch or dinner meetings with officials from 14 countries during the Olympics.
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2018-01-29
News
- IOC Confirms 169 Russian Athletes Invited to Winter Olympics
- The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has confirmed that 169 Russian athletes have been cleared to compete at the upcoming PyeongChang Winter Olympics. The IOC announced on Saturday in a statement, that following a detailed and comprehensive invitation process, the IOC confirmed the invitations to 169 athletes who can compete as “Olympic Athlete from Russia (OAR)." The IOC’s statement confirmed an announcement by the Russian Olympic Committee on Thursday. Korean-born short track star Victor An was not included in the IOC's confirmed list of Russian athletes. An sent a letter to the IOC to inquire about the reasons why he was not included, but his participation in the Olympics is unlikely as the final entry for each country is finalized on Monday.
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2018-01-28
News
- Two Koreas Hold Mutual Visits for Winter Olympics
- Preparations are well under way for North Korea's participation in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, with advance teams from the two Koreas making mutual visits to inspect related sites. A cultural team from North Korea led by Hyon Song-wol, head of the Samjiyon Orchestra, was the first to visit the South last Sunday. Their two-day trip was originally scheduled to start on Saturday, but Pyongyang abruptly notified Seoul Friday night that it was "suspending" the visit. The North did then come on Sunday, although the reason for the delay is unknown. On the first day, North Korean officials toured sites in the city of Gangneung. At Gangneung Art Center, they spent two and a half hours thoroughly checking concert facilities. On the second day, they moved up to Seoul and visited three performance halls including an hour-long stay at the National Theater where officials checked on lighting, the sound system and stage setting. After returning home, North Korea notified Seoul of its plan to perform at the Gangneung Art Center and the National Theater in Seoul around the time of the Olympics. On Tuesday, an advance team from South Korea crossed the border to the North. Over three days, the 12 member team led by a senior Unification Ministry official toured a North Korean ski resort and performance sites at Mount Geumgang. It marks the first time since February 2016 that a South Korean government official has visited the North. The Masikryong Ski Resort is where South and North Korean skiers will hold their joint training sessions. At Geumgang, South Korean officials examined possible venues for a joint inter-Korean performance scheduled at the scenic mountain. Meanwhile, another inspection team from the North arrived in the South on Thursday, the same day South Korean officials returned from the North. The North's female ice hockey team also came Thursday as the two Koreas have agreed to field a joint team. On arrival, the eight member North Korean delegation led by senior sports official Yun Yong-bok headed straight to Gangwon Province and looked around where the North's cheering squad will be staying during the Olympic period. In Gangneung, they toured various stadiums where sporting events will take place. On the second day, they traveled to PyeongChang and also visited Olympic facilities. The delegation then inspected sites in Seoul on the final day of their trip. Meanwhile the North's ice hockey team, which includes the coach, 12 athletes and two officials, headed directly to the National Training Center in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province where they joined training with South Korean athletes. The joint inter-Korean team have been allowed to have an expanded 35 members and three North Korean players will be included in every match. With the mutual visits progressing smoothly, the goal to make the PyeongChang Games a ‘peace Olympics’ appears to be nearly accomplished.
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2018-01-28
Hot Issues of the Week
- S. Korea, US Reaffirm Cooperation for N. Korea's Denuclearization
- Top defense officials of South Korea and the United States have agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation on denuclearizing North Korea. South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo and U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis reached the agreement during a meeting Friday at U.S. Pacific Command headquarters in Honolulu, Hawaii. Song and Mattis said any attempt to drive a wedge between the two nations would fail and reaffirmed their cooperation to pressure North Korea until it comes to the negotiating table for a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula. Their agreement was an apparent response to a possible North Korean attempt to use the ongoing inter-Korean talks ahead of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics to divide the two allies. The South Korean Defense Ministry said in a statement that Song and Mattis reconfirmed their shared goal of complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the peninsula and pledged to work together with the international community to ensure the resumed inter-Korean talks will help realize the goal. During a photo session, Mattis said Olympics talks between South and North Korea should not distract from the internationally agreed goal of getting the North to denuclearize.
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2018-01-27
News
- Mattis Says Korea Talks Can't Distract from Denuclearization
- U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Friday that Olympics talks between South and North Korea should not distract from the internationally agreed goal of getting the North to denuclearize. . According to the Associated Press, Mattis spoke during a photo session with South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo at U.S. Pacific Command headquarters in Hawaii. The secretary welcomed the inter-Korean talks but said the "international pressure campaign must continue." He said that "diplomacy should impose reason on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's reckless rhetoric and dangerous provocations." Minister Song said the talks with the North are about ultimately drawing the regime into dialogue with the United States. Mattis also praised South Korea's efforts to enforce UN sanctions against the North. He thanked the Seoul government for impounding two ships that were recently found violating UN resolutions against ship-to-ship transfers of certain kinds of cargo.
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2018-01-27
News
- Minister: North's Military Parade Does Not Target Olympics
- Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon says North Korea’s upcoming military parade was not suddenly scheduled with the PyeongChang Olympics in mind, but to satisfy an internal demand within the North. In a phone interview with local Yonhap news agency on Saturday, the minister also said the military parade is irrelevant to the Winter Games and the overlapping date is just a coincidence. South Korean and U.S. intelligence agencies have detected signs that North Korea is preparing a massive military parade for February eighth to mark the 70th founding anniversary of its military. This day is one day before the opening of the PyeongChang Olympics. Minister Cho said that North Korea tends to prepare more aggressively for anniversaries with numbers that end in a five or zero. He said it's reasonable to view the military parade as a separate event even though it may take place during the Olympics, and advised not to connect the two and ascribe meaning. The minister added that Seoul has not had a chance to discuss the military parade with Pyongyang.
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2018-01-27
News
- US to Send Largest Ever Delegation to PyeongChang
- The United States will send its largest ever Winter Olympics delegation to the PyeongChang Games next month. The U.S. Olympic Committee on Friday announced its 242-member athlete delegation to PyeongChang, saying it will be the largest team for any country in the history of the Winter Olympics. Team USA will compete in 97 sporting events out of the total 102. The announcement marked a stark contrast from controversial public comments from officials last month, expressing hesitance to take part in the games over security concerns. The official U.S. broadcaster for the Olympics NBC noted that the U.S. sent 230 athletes to the 2014 Sochi Winter Games in Russia and 222 of them competed. NBC predicted that Canada will be sending the second largest team to PyeongChang at around 220 to 230 athletes. Team USA includes star athletes such as alpine skier Lindsey Vonn and figure skater Nathan Chen.
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2018-01-27
News
- USFK Commander Promises Efforts for Successful PyeongChang Olympics
- The most senior U.S. military official in South Korea says the U.S. troops stationed in the country will try to provide necessary assistance for the successful hosting of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. U.S. Forces Korea(USFK) Commander Vincent Brooks made the remark during a luncheon meeting at the National Assembly on Friday arranged by National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun. Brooks said South Korea has been bearing considerable and satisfactory outcomes of its preparations for its first Winter Olympic Games, adding that he was able to see the true potential of South Korea in the process. Parliamentary speaker Chung said he is thanking the USFK in advance for its support to assure the safety of the international sporting event. He also expressed gratitude to the U.S. for reaffirming and safeguarding its alliance with South Korea. Defense Minister Song Young-moo also attended the luncheon, along with Representatives Kim Hack-yong of the major opposition Liberty Korea Party and Rhee Cheol-hee of the ruling Democratic Party.
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2018-01-26
News
- The Gangneung Checklist
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For those attending the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, Gangneung is the closest city for general sightseeing, overnight stays and nightlife. It’s known as the economic center of Gangwon-do and according to online sources, it has a population of approximately 213,658 people.
One of the most popular things to do in Gangneung, especially during the summer, is visit the beach. Located only 15-20 minutes away from Gangneung Station, Gyeongpo Beach is the most famous beach in the area. Even during the winter, there are many visitors who come to escape from the city and admire the blue of the ocean.
Gangneung, like much of the Gangwon-do area, is famous for its food. One of the most famous Gangneung foods is soondubu (soft tofu) and for this, you should visit the Chodang Dubu Village. The village is a collection of restaurants famous for this particular type of bean curd. Some experts say that the saltiness of the East Ocean water is key to the regional specialty’s taste.
Another place to check out, in terms of food, is the Gangneung Jungang Market. The market dates back to 1980 and has two different parts: the first floor is for groceries and pre-cooked foods while the underground level is for fish. There are scores of stalls that sell marinated fried chicken, which is a specialty in nearby Sokcho.
For those of you who are staying in Gangneung longer, you might also want to check out Myeongju-dong. Currently known as the trendy neighborhood of Gangneung, the locality is filled with cute, artsy cafes and restaurants.
Music lovers and science nerds should make sure to check out the Charmsori Gramophone and Edison Science Museum. The museum houses 4,500 phonographs and other accessories collected by Son Seong-mok. It’s the largest collection of phonographs in the world and an interesting place to visit, especially if you are traveling with children.
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2018-01-26
audioOn My Way to PyeongChang!
- N. Korean Team Inspecting Facilities in Pyeongchang
- An advance team from North Korea visited Pyeongchang on the second day of their trip to the South to help arrange the North Korean delegation’s arrival for the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games. The eight-member advance team, led by North Korea's sports ministry official Yoon Yong-bok, visited the International Broadcast Center in PyeongChang on Thursday and an adjacent Holiday Inn Resort. The resort is one of the potential accommodations for the members of the North Korean National Olympic Committee during the games. In the afternoon, they looked around other facilities in the city, including the Olympic Stadium, Alpensia Cross-Country Center and Yongpyeong Ski Resort. North Korean skiers are scheduled to compete in alpine skiing and cross-country skiing. Later in the day, they will head to Sokcho to look around the Gangwon Career Education Institute, which could be used as the venue for North Korea’s taekwondo demonstration. On Saturday, the final day of their trip, the North's officials will head to Seoul to look at a hotel where the North Korean taekwondo athletes may stay before visiting a performance hall at MBC's headquarters in Sangam-dong in western Seoul. The Unification Ministry said it is also a potential venue where the North's taekwondo demonstrators could perform. Later on Saturday, they will return to the North through a land route via the western Gyeongui train railway.
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2018-01-26
News
