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South Korea has concluded that a North Korean torpedo sank one of its warships in March, killing 46 sailors, according to government officials and domestic news reports on Tuesday. South Korean officials are preparing to announce the results of their investigation later this week. The much anticipated finding will accuse North Korea of committing one of the worst military provocations on the Korean Peninsula since the end of the Korean War, deepening tensions between the countries. North Korea, denying involvement in the sinking, has vowed to retaliate against any attempt to link it with the March 26 explosion that broke...

Strongly insinuating that North Korea was behind the sinking of a Navy warship, President Lee Myung-bak in early May announced major changes in the way South Korea’s military will defend the country. “It has now become clear that the Cheonan did not sink from a simple accident,” Lee said in an opening address at an unprecedented meeting of military commanders on May 4. “As soon as the incident happened, I realized that it was a grave international issue, that included inter-Korean relations, and made an order to the defense minister to lay bare the cause through international cooperation.” Lee hosted...

Beijing is approaching the sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan with caution to avoid damaging its relations with its fraternal communist neighbor North Korea, U.S. officials say. In this April 24, 2010 file photo, a giant offshore crane salvages the bow section of the South Korean naval ship Cheonan off Baengnyeong Island, South Korea. AP/Yonhap, Choi Jae-Ku Chinese President Hu Jintao offered sympathetic remarks on the sinking of the Cheonan during a meeting with South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak at the opening of the Shanghai World Expo. But Chinese state-run media did not report Hu's comments. According to non-Chinese...

South Korea came closer on Thursday to blaming North Korea for the sinking of a navy ship in March that killed 46 sailors with reports saying it plans economic measures to punish Pyongyang for a suspected torpedo attack.South Korea has not officially accused the North of sinking its navy ship but has made little secret of its belief Pyongyang deliberately torpedoed the 1,200 corvette Cheonan near their disputed border in retaliation for a naval clash last year. "The sinking of the Cheonan showed the cold hard realities of division (on the peninsula) for the world to see," South Korea's pointman...

China's decision to roll out a glitzy welcome mat for the North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il has stunned and shocked South Korea's leaders, ignoring South Korea's anger over the sinking, undoubtedly by the north, of a South Korean navy patrol ship on March 26 with the loss of 46 lives. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak was not given any hint from his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao at a Shanghai summit meeting, hardly a week ago on May 1, that Kim was on his way to Beijing. It was on May 2 that the 68-year-old North Korean leader's clandestine visit initially...

South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak has ordered the military to become stronger to counter North Korea, saying the sinking of the South's warship was likely caused by its "belligerent" communist neighbor. In a show of his determination to overhaul the country's "loosened" defense posture, Lee convened a meeting of top military commanders on May 4. It was the first time in the nation's history that a president had done so. At the meeting, Lee vowed to take "definite, stern" action against those responsible for the sinking. The 1,200-ton Cheonan, a Navy corvette, exploded and sunk on March 26 during a...

Lee Slams N.Korean Extravagance President Lee Myung-bak on Tuesday slammed North Korea's extravagant celebrations of nation founder Kim Il-sung's birthday at a time when the impoverished country seems headed for another famine. "My view is that North Korea needs to get sensible. When their people are suffering, the government spent W6 billion (US$1=W1,118) on fireworks to celebrate the birthday. How much corn could you have bought with that money?" Lee said in a meeting of 800 North American advisors to the National Unification Advisory Council. "The North Korean government also reportedly imported luxury cars from all over the world to...

(Probably Part I of II) From previous posts, such as this one, you can tell I am somewhat sympathetic towards Lee Myung Bak. He seems to be the wrong president at the wrong time, but anyways I just read this article and every single time I read something like this, the political situation in Korea boggles the mind (But on a side note, I'd also argue that South Korea is one of just two East Asian countries with democratic institutions - Taiwan being the other one. And Japan, well, we'll see). That is, how on earth can people care so...

The new president is taking a tough line on North Korea. Will the U.S. support him? Seoul 'I fully support President Obama's call to have a world without nuclear weapons . . . But in the meantime we are faced with North Korea trying to become a nuclear power and this really is a question we must deal with now." South Korean President Lee Myung-bak -- nickname: The Bulldozer -- isn't a man who minces words, as Barack Obama will discover when he hosts a summit with him on Tuesday. Mr. Lee, known for persistently asking "Will it work?" in...

/begin my translation President Lee: "N. Korea to Launch Rocket as Early as Apr. 4" (London Reuters = Yonhap new) (S. Korean) President Lee Myung-bak said on Apr. 3 that N. Korea is almost certain to launch its rocket, and it could come as early as Apr. 4 if weather permits. /end my translation

By the time the final brace was welded to the immense metallic fortress in the centre of Seoul, the country knew that this was no longer just about an unpopular policy to resume imports of American beef. The new presidency of Lee Myung Bak is in meltdown and his closest political allies — including the Prime Minister — resigned yesterday en masse. The sight of a 20ft “Berlin Wall” of shipping containers blotting out all view of the presidential residence revealed a Government rattled to the core. “June the 10th is rat-catching day,” bellowed protest leaders through vast loudspeakers positioned...

North Korea lashes out at South's new president 01 Apr 2008 03:19:30 GMT Source: Reuters (Adds comments on nuclear negotiations) By Jon Herskovitz SEOUL, April 1 (Reuters) - North Korea unleashed a torrent of insults at South Korea's new president on Tuesday in a first mention of Lee Myung-bak since he won a December election with a pledge to get tough on his communist neighbour. In the last week the North has test-fired missiles, expelled South Korean officials working at a joint factory park in the North and threatened to reduce South Korea to ashes in a show of anger...

The President met with Jay Hein, Director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives in the Oval Office and then addressed to a meeting of the National Governors Association in the State Dining Room. The President and the First Lady attended the 2008 Republican Governors Association gala at the National Building Museum where the President gave a speech. Pray for President Bush - Day - 2713 Today the Vice President is in Dallas Texas, tomorrow he will visit Fort Hood where he will deliver remarks at the III Corps flag uncasing ceremony and then address about 10,000 Fort Hood...

SEOUL, Dec 21 (AFP) Dec 21, 2007South Korea's next leader Lee Myung-Bak urged North Korea Friday to scrap all its nuclear weapons for its own good and promised closer international cooperation to achieve the goal."We appreciate that China has the same thought as us that the disarmament of North Korea is for its own benefit," the president-elect told Chinese ambassador Ning Fukui, part of a round of consultations with envoys from regional powers.China since 2003 has hosted the six-party talks on North Korean nuclear disarmament which also groups the two Koreas, the United States, Japan and Russia."We have high expectations...

Seoul poll winner tough on North Lee made his first policy speech the morning after victory The president-elect of South Korea, Lee Myung-bak, says he will press North Korea to abandon nuclear weapons. Such a move was a prerequisite for full economic co-operation between North and South, he said, adding that Pyongyang must improve its human rights record. Speaking at a news conference, he also pledged to boost the economy and court foreign investment. Full results show the conservative Lee won a landslide win in Wednesday's poll, ending a decade of liberal rule. With almost all votes counted, the...

Early results from South Korea’s December 19 presidential election show the conservative front-runner candidate, Lee Myung-bak, winning by a sizeable margin (Korea Times) over his two opponents. Despite allegations that he was involved in a corruption scandal, Lee gained over 50 percent of the total vote. The Financial Times says the landslide represents a clear mandate for policy change in a country that has been dominated by left-wing parties for the past decade. Specifically, South Koreans seem to have turned on the “sunshine” policy of presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun—a policy of engaging North Korea that the Guardian says...

Opposition looks to landslide in S.Korea elections By Jack Kim Mon May 29, 7:14 AM ET South Korea's opposition Grand National Party (GNP) appears headed for a landslide victory in local elections on Wednesday, suggesting an electoral shift to the right ahead of next year's vote for the presidency. The vote for nearly 3,900 posts is unlikely to affect South Korea's economic and national security policies, but it will be watched closely by both neighbors and Washington as a barometer of support for President Roh Moo-hyun and the ruling Uri Party. South Korea and the United States, Seoul's most important...