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North Korea on Tuesday reported on its missile launch earlier this week, saying the test of a new combat weapon system was significant in demonstrating the advancement of the country's weapons technology. The North's missile bureau "successfully conducted a test of a new weapon" Sunday in the presence of leader Kim Jong-un, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). North Korea did not specify what the weapon system was but stressed the test was "of significant importance for advancing weapons system technology," it said. The announcement came two days after South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the North had fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea from the Wonsan area. Kim described the test as "an unquestionable demonstration of advanced defense technology" and "a clear renewal in the modernization of the armed forces," the KCNA said. Noting that such technology would be significant for the country's war preparedness and future development of its armed forces, Kim said the country's adversaries would better understand what the technological advance

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called on party officials to revamp the party's propaganda and ideological campaign in line with the "expectations of the times," state media reported Tuesday. In his closing address at the party's third workshop for officials in the information sector on Monday, Kim laid out "principled issues" and tasks for modernizing "the contents, forms, methods and means of ideological work," according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). He called for "innovations in information and motivation work and creation of cultures," urging that they align with "the expectations of the times, the revolution and the people." Kim, in particular, called for the use of "modern information and technological means" to "thoroughly block the spread of reactionary ideological culture," a call seen as an effort to more effectively stem the flow of outside ideas and influences. The four-day workshop wrapped up Monday, centered on ideological education built around Kim's "revolutionary ideas" and "the revolutionary relics and the leadership exploits of the party," the KCNA repo

South Korea's liberal President Lee Jae Myung says he’ll underscore the need for a practical, step-by-step denuclearization of North Korea during this week’s U.N. General Assembly, adding that both Seoul and Washington are willing to reengage with Pyongyang. “To change the direction of a moving vehicle, it must be brought to a halt first,” Lee said in written responses to questions by The Associated Press before his departure Monday to New York. “A phased approach of stop, reduction and dismantlement is a practical way of effectively resolving the North Korean nuclear issue.” Lee's push comes as North Korea is ramping up weapons testing activities even after U.S. President Donald Trump scaled back a major military exercise with South Korea in a conciliatory gesture toward leader Kim Jong Un, who viewed it as an invasion rehearsal. Lee advocates phased denuclearization of North Korea North Korea's evolving nuclear program has raised questions about whether its denuclearization can be achieved in a single step and given rise to calls for convincing North Korea to denuclearize i

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun has met with U.S. senators in New York and discussed the Korea-U.S. alliance, Korean Peninsula issues and regional affairs, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. Cho, who is in New York to attend the U.N. General Assembly's high-level week, held a meeting with Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Chris Coons (D-DE) together on Monday (local time), according to the ministry. Cho highlighted that he and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio agreed during last week's bilateral talks in Washington to maintain close communication to ensure the faithful implementation of key summit agreements reached by their leaders and outlined in the joint fact sheet. He called for active support from U.S. Congress to ensure the swift advancement of strategic cooperation in key areas, including shipbuilding and nuclear energy. The joint fact sheet, issued in November following the summit between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump the previous month, calls for Seoul to invest $350 billion in the United States, including $150 billion for shipbuilding cooperation, in exchan

President Lee Jae Myung’s decision to rule out sending troops for combat in the U.S.-Iran war is drawing attention to what Seoul can still do in and around the Strait of Hormuz without joining the fighting. The remaining options range from expanding the role of the Cheonghae Unit, a Korean naval contingent operating in waters around the Gulf of Aden focused primarily on anti-piracy and vessel-protection missions, to maritime surveillance and logistical support, according to analysts. They said whether such options would allow Korea to stay out of the war would depend on where and when the country’s military forces are deployed, what missions they take on and whether they remain under Seoul’s command. “It is important that the Cheonghae Unit remains under independent Korean command and focuses on protecting Korean vessels and nationals, rather than becoming involved in combat operations,” said Cho Yong-geun, a professor of military studies at Kyungnam University. He added that “if it is after the war ends, there would be no problem” with expanding the unit’s operations tow

South Korean companies involved in inter-Korean economic projects on Tuesday called for additional compensation and debt write-offs, saying they want to close their businesses for good. The Association of Inter-Korean Economic Cooperation Organizations demanded the government write off their debts and offer further compensation for investment assets frozen in the North. The demand comes as they no longer see any chance of normalizing inter-Korean ties, let alone resuming economic projects, amid deteriorating ties between Seoul and Pyongyang. "The scars from the shift in inter-Korean relations are still ongoing," Choi Yo-sik, head of the association, said at a meeting with reporters at the government complex in Seoul. "Investment assets left behind in North Korea have sat untouched," he said, "with no access granted," since the government froze all inter-Korean exchanges on May 24, 2010, following the North's sinking of a South Korean warship. Of roughly a thousand South Korean companies once involved in cross-border businesses, 385 remains in operation. Some 50-60 of them have joined the

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun has attended EU-Indo-Pacific and MIKTA foreign ministers' meetings in New York and discussed cooperation among like-minded nations, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. Cho attended a meeting of foreign ministers from the European Union (EU) and four Indo-Pacific countries, including Australia, India and Japan, on Monday (local time) on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly High-Level Week, according to the ministry. Cho, along with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong; Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar; Kazuya Endo, a senior official at Japan's foreign ministry; EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas; and representatives from EU member states, discussed the importance of a rules-based international order and ways to strengthen security cooperation amid heightened global uncertainties. Cho expressed concern over deepening military ties between North Korea and Russia, and stressed the importance of strengthening security cooperation between the EU and the Indo-Pacific region. "Participants shared Cho's assessment and agreed that cooperation among

WASHINGTON/SEOUL —The top diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan reiterated their "resolute" commitment to the "complete" denuclearization of North Korea and called on the recalcitrant regime to resume dialogue in a joint statement issued after their trilateral talks in New York on Monday. South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi met on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly High-Level Week, also stressing the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. "The Secretary and the Foreign Ministers reaffirmed their resolute commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the prohibition on support for revenue generation for the DPRK's nuclear and ballistic missile programs in accordance with the relevant U.N. Security Council (UNSC) resolutions," the three governments said in the statement, referring to North Korea by its official name. "They also reaffirmed that the path to dialogue remains open and called on

The Communist Party’s flagship newspaper has set the tone for the Thursday summit between President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart, calling for the two sides to build on the “constructive strategic stability” agreed upon during Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing. The Chinese government and state media have also spelled out Beijing’s “red lines” days ahead of the high-stakes event in Washington. The leaders would provide “strategic guidance” on how the two powers could develop a stable...

Many people choose to help their children or grandchildren with the cost of living, but this generosity could be included in tax calculations

Emergency services are at the scene on New Welcome Street, in Hulme

Drivers faced lengthy queues after an incident on the M25.