As the icy wind blows in winter, there is nothing like street snacks to shake off the cold. From roasted sweet potatoes and bungeobbang to egg buns and fish cakes, these snacks can be spotted at street vendors in winter.While waiting for a bus, take a moment to grab a fish cake and sip hot broth to warm your body.  (Photo by Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald) (Photo by Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald) (Photo by Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)Roasted chestnuts and sweet potatoes are all-time winter f

Food Jan. 24, 2019

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha’s planned meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the sidelines of the upcoming World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, will not materialize as US President Donald Trump on Thursday called off his delegation to the forum, citing the partial government shutdown.“Out of consideration for the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay and to ensure his team can assist as needed, President Trump has canceled his delegation’s trip to the World Econo

Foreign Affairs Jan. 18, 2019

North Korea poses an “extraordinary threat” to the United States and its allies, and the US should remain “vigilant,” a US Pentagon report said on Thursday (US time).The US Department of Defense unveiled its new defense strategy in the 2019 Missile Defense Review, highlighting the need to add new technologies to the space-based missile defense system in order to protect the country from external threats. (Screen captured of the Missile Defense Review)The report is the first Missile Defense Revie

Defense Jan. 18, 2019

While the ongoing clash between Seoul and Tokyo over a recent radar incident at sea shows no signs of abating, it has also triggered controversy on YouTube, with the defense ministries of the two countries explaining their positions on the online platform. Japan was the first to take the issue to YouTube, uploading a 13-minute video of the incident to its YouTube channel on Dec. 28 with subtitles in Japanese and English to reinforce its accusations against South Korea. The video was shot from th

Defense Jan. 17, 2019

The end does not seem near for the ongoing radar row between Seoul and Tokyo, as the two governments continue to clash after a recent general-level meeting. The radar row erupted last month when Japan claimed that South Korea’s naval warship had locked its weapons-targeting radar onto its warplane. Korea has rejected the allegation and maintains it was on a humanitarian rescue mission of a North Korean fishing boat adrift in the overlapping exclusive economic zones of South Korea and Japan. The

Defense Jan. 17, 2019

Some 100 members of the Navy’s Sea Salvage and Rescue Unit have been jumping into freezing sea waters since Monday, as the unit began its annual winter training at the southern port city of Jinhae, South Gyeongsang Province. 　This year’s program is focused on adapting to the cold sea water and overcoming challenges they may face in the sea, according to the Navy. (Yonhap)During the five-day training, the SSU conducts various exercises, including scuba training in which divers explore the bottom

Defense Jan. 17, 2019

The Global Green Growth Institute signed a memorandum of understanding with the Korea Forest Service on Wednesday as it seeks to open projects related to reforestation and energy in North Korea. The international organization based in Seoul said it has made contact with the North Korean government to discuss collaborative projects on reforestation and renewable energy there. It is currently arranging the schedule for an actual meeting. GGGI director Frank Rijsberman (left) and KFS Deputy Ministe

Social Affairs Jan. 16, 2019

The ongoing radar spat between South Korea and Japan is deepening, with the two sides clashing over the matter of sharing the frequency of the radar signal that Tokyo claims to have detected. Japan insists that a South Korean Navy destroyer locked its weapons-targeting radar onto a Japanese warplane during a recent search and rescue operation, but South Korea denies the allegation.The Ministry of National Defense said Wednesday that it had asked Tokyo to reveal the frequency of the radar that it

Defense Jan. 16, 2019

The Defense Ministry does not directly refer to North Korea as an enemy and takes a less hostile tone toward the communist state in its 23rd white paper published Tuesday. The ministry’s latest biennial white paper -- the first to be published since the Moon Jae-in administration came to power in 2017 -- addresses security threats, military policies and the regional security environment.  (Yonhap)Perhaps most notably, the Defense Ministry eliminated the phrase specifically describing North Korea

Defense Jan. 15, 2019

The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs said Monday that it would begin a set of commemoration projects to mark the 100th anniversary of the country’s Provisional Government established in 1919. Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs said it planned to start 26 commemoration businesses in celebration of the historical March 1 Independence Movement and the centennial anniversary of the Provisional Government of Republic of Korea. The provisional government was was set up in 1919 by indep

Social Affairs Jan. 14, 2019

US President Donald Trump suggested holding the anticipated second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Vietnam in mid-February, a Japanese newspaper reported Sunday. Yomiuri Shimbun reported that North Korea appears to review the US proposal but has not yet give a response, citing officials familiar with the matter. The report comes amid rising speculation that the two leaders are soon to hold the second summit to resume the stalled talks on denuclearization, following their first mee

North Korea Jan. 13, 2019

The operating room is filled with tension. Surrounded by assistants and nurses, the surgeon holds a scalpel and cuts open the patient under the bright light of the surgical lamp above. While all doctors strive to save lives, surgeons are sometimes called the “doctors of doctors,” as they stand in the front line of the fight against death. Often, they are the subject of admiration. But the reality of the job, with its poor working conditions and unclear future, has long made the surgery departmen

Social Affairs Jan. 13, 2019

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reaffirmed his determination for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and vowed to make efforts to yield positive results in the second summit with the United States, a Chinese news outlet reported Thursday.According to Xinhua News Agency, Kim expressed his desire to pursue denuclearization and to resolve the Korean Peninsula issue through dialogue and consultations, during the summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.　 Chinese leader Xi Jinping and his wife P

North Korea Jan. 10, 2019

South Korean business owners that have operated at the Kaesong industrial park in North Korea requested approval to visit the inter-Korean complex on Wednesday, their seventh attempt since it was shuttered in 2016.Before submitting applications for the visit to the Unification Ministry, the emergency committee of business owners explained that they need to inspect their business assets in the park and urged the government to come up with support measures.  Members of a committee of business owne

North Korea Jan. 9, 2019

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s latest trip to China, the fourth of its kind, is likely a move designed for Kim to reach an accord with Pyongyang’s closest ally before holding the second US-North Korea summit.As North Korea has largely been relying on its bigger neighbor for economic and diplomatic support, experts say Monday’s trip is also viewed as a strategy for Pyongyang to raise its negotiating power in talks with the United States. While the North Korean leader’s itinerary usually comes

North Korea Jan. 8, 2019