North and South Korea
US steps up provocations against North Korea
By Peter Symonds, May 3, 2005
The Bush administration has put North Korea back on the agenda with a series of provocative statements over the last fortnight designed to heighten tensions in North East Asia.
North Korea pulls out of nuclear talks
By Peter Symonds, February 14, 2005
North Korea effectively scuttled attempts to restart six-party talks on its nuclear programs with a statement last Thursday declaring that it had “manufactured nukes for self-defence” and ...
South Korean government cracks down on public sector strike
By Carol Divjak, November 24, 2004
The South Korean government of President Roh Moo-hyun last week meted out savage repression against striking workers opposed to planned changes to the country’s labour laws in line with the dema...
South Korea admits to carrying out secret nuclear experiments
By Peter Symonds, September 6, 2004
South Korea’s confession last week that its nuclear scientists secretly conducted experiments into uranium enrichment in 2000 has served to highlight the rank hypocrisy surrounding the Bush admi...
South Korean government uses police measures against striking workers
By Terry Cook, August 3, 2004
Under pressure from international and domestic investors, it has not taken long for the government of South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, whose impeachment was overturned by the Constitutional Court ...
US backflip over North Korean nuclear programs
By Peter Symonds, June 28, 2004
The latest round of six-nation talks on North Korea’s nuclear programs in Beijing last week produced what amounts to a diplomatic about-face by the Bush administration. After adamantly declaring...
Beheading of Kim Sun-il fuels South Korean protests over troop deployment
By John Chan, June 26, 2004
The brutal beheading of 33-year-old South Korean translator, Kim Sun-il, in Iraq on Wednesday has polarised public opinion and deepened the crisis surrounding the administration of President Roh Moo-h...
South Korean court overturns presidential impeachment
By Peter Symonds, May 18, 2004
South Korea’s Constitutional Court last Friday overturned the impeachment of President Roh Moo Hyun by the country’s National Assembly in March. While the court decision was widely expecte...
South Korean voters reject right-wing establishment parties
By Peter Symonds, April 17, 2004
South Korea’s general election on Thursday produced a major political upheaval. Voters gave a parliamentary majority to the Uri Party, which was formed less than six months ago, and delivered a ...
President impeached as South Korean democracy unravels
By James Conachy, March 26, 2004
South Korea has been plunged into a constitutional crisis by the March 12 impeachment of President Roh Moo-hyun. Not prepared to wait for another election, Roh’s opposition in the Grand National...
Standoff continues over North Korea’s nuclear programs
By James Conachy, February 2, 2004
Despite various diplomatic efforts to restart six nation talks over North Korea’s alleged nuclear weapons programs, no concrete date has been set. The Bush administration continues to reject a N...
Washington scuttles six-nation talks over North Korean nuclear crisis
By Peter Symonds, December 27, 2003
Attempts to negotiate an end to the ongoing confrontation over North Korea’s nuclear programs have effectively been scuttled by US Vice President Richard Cheney in a move that threatens to signi...
