South Korea government
FILE - North Korea's Hwang Chung Gum and South Korea's Won Yun-jong carry the unification flag during the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea on Feb. 9, 2018. North Korea basked in the global limelight during the last Winter Games in South Korea, with hundreds of athletes, cheerleaders and officials pushing hard to woo their South Korean and U.S. rivals in a now-stalled bid for diplomacy. Four years later, as the 2022 Winter Olympics come to its main ally and neighbor China, North Korea isn't sending any athletes and officials because of coronavirus fears. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
'Someone else's festival': No North Korea at ally's Olympics

By Hyung-Jin Kim And Kim Tong-Hyung Feb. 04, 2022 11:29 PM EST

FILE - In this Feb. 10, 2018, file photo, Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, and North Korea's nominal head of state Kim Yong Nam, wait for the start of the preliminary round of the women's hockey game between Switzerland and the combined Koreas at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea. Kim Yo Jong, the younger sister of Kim Jong Un, made the first-ever visit to the South by a member of the ruling Kim dynasty since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana, File)
Even in absence, North Korea's presence felt at Tokyo Games

By Foster Klug Jul. 28, 2021 04:27 AM EDT

FILE - In this July 17, 2021, file photo, banners with the words "I still have the support of 50 million Korean people," are removed from balconies at the the Olympic athletes' village in Tokyo. South Korea removed the banners that the IOC ruled to be provocative, Seoul said it received an IOC promise that the displaying of the “rising sun” flag would also be banned at stadiums and other Olympic venues. (Jin Sung-chul/Yonhap via AP, File)
EXPLAINER: Why Japan 'rising sun' flag provokes Olympic ire

By Hyung-Jin Kim And Mari Yamaguchi Jul. 22, 2021 08:42 PM EDT

A protester stands to oppose South Korean President Moon Jae-in's possible visit to Japan in front of a building which houses Japanese embassy in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, July 19, 2021. Moon has decided not to visit Japan for the Tokyo Summer Olympics, citing a failure to set up a summit with Japan's prime minister that would produce meaningful results in improving relations. The signs on a banner at left read "Expel Hirohisa Soma, deputy chief of mission at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, from South Korea." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
With no summit, South Korean president to skip Olympics

By Kim Tong-Hyung Jul. 19, 2021 05:41 AM EDT

Banners with the words "I still have the support of 50 million Korean people," are removed from balconies at the the Olympic athletes' village in Tokyo Saturday, July 17, 2021. South Korea's Olympic Committee said Saturday it has removed banners at the Olympic athletes' village in Tokyo that called up a 16th-century war between Korea and Japan after the International Olympic Committee ruled it was provocative. (Jin Sung-chul/Yonhap via AP)
SKorea removes banners at Olympic village after IOC ruling

By Kim Tong-Hyung Jul. 17, 2021 02:36 AM EDT

FILE - In this Feb. 10, 2018, file photo, Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, waits for the start of the preliminary round of the women's hockey game between Switzerland and the combined Koreas at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea. The powerful sister dismissed prospects for early resumption of diplomacy with the United States, saying the U.S. expectations for talks would “plunge them into a greater disappointment.” Kim made the comments Tuesday, June 22, 2021 after U.S. National Security adviser Jake Sullivan described as “interesting signals” Kim Jong Un’s recent statement that North Korea will be ready for both dialogue and confrontation, but more for confrontation. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana, File)
Kim sister derides US official, dismisses chances for talks

By Hyung-Jin Kim And Kim Tong-Hyung Jun. 22, 2021 04:59 AM EDT

South Korea's Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Noh Kyu-duk, right, meets with Director-General of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan Takehiro Funakoshi during their bilateral meeting at a hotel in Seoul, Monday, June 21, 2021. (Jung Yeon-Je/Pool Photo via AP)
US envoy hopes N. Korea responds positively on offered talks

By Kim Tong-Hyung Jun. 20, 2021 11:43 PM EDT

People queue at an NHS Vaccination Clinic at Tottenham Hotspur's stadium in north London, Sunday, June 20, 2021. The NHS is braced for high demand as anyone in England over the age of 18 can now book a Covid-19 vaccination jab. (Yui Mok/PA via AP)
The Latest: Blood shortage forces New England surgery delay

By The Associated Press Jun. 20, 2021 05:32 AM EDT

SKorea, Spain seek closer economic ties with state visit

Jun. 15, 2021 11:35 AM EDT
MADRID (AP) — South Korean President Moon Jae-in arrived in Madrid Tuesday, in the first state visit to Spain by a foreign leader since the pandemic began, as...

In this photo provided by the North Korean government, Kim Jong Un attends a meeting in Pyongyang, North Korea, Friday, June 4, 2021. Kim has presided over a meeting of his ruling party in his first public appearance in about a month, and called for a larger political conference to discuss efforts to salvage a decaying economy. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
NKorean leader calls for meeting to review battered economy

By Kim Tong-Hyung Jun. 04, 2021 08:38 PM EDT

FILE - In this March 4, 2021, file photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivers a speech during a workshop of chief secretaries of city and county committees of the ruling Workers' Party in Pyongyang, North Korea. State media say Kim vowed to launch an “uncompromising struggle” against anti-socialist elements and build a perfect self-supporting economy. Kim's comments released Thursday, May 27, 2021 come as he seeks greater internal strength to overcome pandemic-related difficulties and U.S.-led sanctions. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP, File)
Kim vows to build N. Korea socialism amid US nuclear impasse

By Hyung-Jin Kim May. 27, 2021 05:00 AM EDT

President Joe Biden attends a meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, in the State Dinning Room of the White House, Friday, May 21, 2021, in Washington. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is at left. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Biden, South Korea's Moon 'deeply concerned' about NKorea

By Aamer Madhani, Darlene Superville, And Zeke Miller May. 21, 2021 01:34 AM EDT

People pass by advertisements of Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S21 Series smartphones at its shop in Seoul, South Korea Wednesday, April 28, 2021. Samsung Electronics said Thursday its operating profit for the last quarter jumped 46% from a year earlier driven by increased sales of smartphones and televisions as its business continues to flourish amid the pandemic. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Samsung reports profit jump on smartphone, TV sales

By Kim Tong-Hyung Apr. 28, 2021 10:19 PM EDT

A Samsung Group flag and South Korean national flag flutter at the company's office in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, April 28, 2021. Samsung's founding family will donate tens of thousands of rare artworks, including Picassos and Dalis, and give hundreds of millions of dollars to medical research to help them pay a massive inheritance tax following last year's death of chairman Lee Kun-Hee. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Facing $11B tax bill, Samsung heirs donate massive art trove

By Kim Tong-Hyung Apr. 28, 2021 12:53 AM EDT

Residents socially distance on a soccer field as they stand with bags of food donated by the local NGO "G10 Favelas," amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the Capao Redondo area of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Monday, April 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
The Latest: S Korea to send medical items to help India

By The Associated Press Apr. 27, 2021 02:48 AM EDT

People wait to receive the Pfizer vaccine for the coronavirus at a vaccination center in Subang Jaya, Malaysia, Tuesday, April 27, 2021. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Asia Today: India records 320K cases as foreign help arrives

Apr. 27, 2021 01:17 AM EDT

In this photo provided by U.S. Embassy Seoul, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, left, and South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong, right, pose for photograph at the Foreign Minister's residence in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, April 17, 2021. (U.S. Embassy Seoul via AP)
After China, US envoy Kerry in S. Korea for climate talks

By Kim Tong-Hyung Apr. 17, 2021 11:22 AM EDT

South Korean President Moon Jae-in speaks during a meeting of his senior secretaries at the presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, April 12, 2021. Moon on Monday welcomed a decision by two South Korean electric vehicle battery makers to settle a long-running intellectual property dispute that had threatened thousands of American jobs and President Joe Biden's environmental policies. (Choe Jae-koo/Yonhap via AP)
Biden to host South Korea's president in late May

Apr. 15, 2021 01:29 PM EDT

FILE - In this Feb. 9, 2018, file photo, Kim Yo Jong, right, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's sister, and Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea, center, observe with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, second from left, and first lady Kim Jung-sook during the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Friday, Feb. 9, 2018. North Korea has decided not to participate in this year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo as it continues a self-imposed lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic. A website run by the North's Sports Ministry said the decision was made during a national Olympic Committee meeting on March 25, 2021 where members prioritized protecting athletes from the “world public health crisis caused by COVID-19.” (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
North Korea says it won't participate in Tokyo Olympics

By Kim Tong-Hyung Apr. 05, 2021 09:29 PM EDT

A child plays music for money backdropped by the Yeni Cami (New Mosque) in Istanbul, Saturday, April 3, 2021. The streets of Istanbul, reflect a weekend curfew resumed as the number of COVID-19 cases hit record levels, and with renewed restrictions announced for the Islamic month of Ramadan which begins on April 13. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
The Latest: Lockdown extended for metro Manila, surroundings

By The Associated Press Apr. 04, 2021 07:29 AM EDT