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  • 15
    Apr
    2013
    10:36am, EDT

    Flowers trump angry rhetoric as North Koreans celebrate former leader's birth

    Alexander F. Yuan / AP

    A man, center, supervises a dancing group during a mass folk dance in front of the Pyongyang Indoor Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea, on April 15, 2013. Oblivious to international tensions over a possible North Korean missile launch, Pyongyang residents spilled into the streets Monday to celebrate a major national holiday, the birthday of their first leader, Kim Il Sung.

    David Guttenfelder / AP

    A child covers the eyes of her father as she sits on his shoulders watching mass folk dancing in front of Pyongyang Indoor Stadium on April 15, 2013.

    Alexander F. Yuan / AP

    Singers gesture on the stage while a photo of the late leaders Kim Il Sung, right, and his son Kim Jong Il is projected in the background during a performance held on the eve of the birthday of the former at a theater in Pyongyang on April 14, 2013.

    Kyodo via AP

    North Korean soldiers offer flowers for late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il at Mansu Hill in Pyongyang on April 15, 2013.

    Oblivious to international tensions over a possible North Korean missile launch, Pyongyang residents spilled into the streets Monday to celebrate the birthday of their first leader, Kim Il Sung, The Associated Press reported.

    Girls in red and pink jackets skipped along streets festooned with celebratory banners and flags and parents pushed strollers with babies bundled up against the spring chill as residents of the isolated, impoverished nation began observing a three-day holiday.

    Many Pyongyang watchers had expected a big military parade to showcase the country's armed forces, but the "Day of the Sun" was marked instead with a festival of flowers named after Kim. In contrast to weeks of tirades against its enemies, North Korean state media made hardly a mention of conflict, Reuters reported.

    KCNA - Yonhap via EPA

    North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, center, visiting a mausoleum for his deceased father and grandfather at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang on April 15, 2013.

    On Monday, Secretary of State John Kerry called on China to do more to help resolve the North Korean missile crisis, saying the country provided the Pyongyang regime with a “lifeline.”

    In Seoul, the capital of neighboring South Korea, protesters burned effigies of Kim Jong Il and his son, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, while soldiers conducted a security drill at a subway station. 

    Jeon Heon-Kyun / EPA

    Effigies of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (L), and his father Kim Jong Il (R), which were later burnt, are seen during a rally in Seoul, South Korea, on April 15, 2013.

    Ahn Young-Joon / AP

    A South Korean soldier aims his machine gun as a passenger passes through a ticket barrier during an anti-terrorism drill at a subway station in Seoul on April 15, 2013.

    Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters

    A man takes a photo with his iPad as South Korean soldiers take their positions during an anti-terror and security drill at a subway station in Seoul on April 15, 2013.

    On Sunday, soldiers lined the streets of Pyongyang as runners took part in a marathon to mark the 1912 birth of Kim Il Sung. 600 athletes from countries including Ukraine, Italy, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia took part in the race, according to state news agency KCNA.

    David Guttenfelder / AP

    Marathon runners pass by a long row of North Korean soldiers as they cross a bridge in Pyongyang on April 14, 2013. North Korea hosted the 26th Mangyongdae Prize Marathon to mark the upcoming birthday of Kim Il Sung.

    Alexander F. Yuan / AP

    North Korean military officers watch a marathon runner at Kim Il Sung Stadium in Pyongyang on April 14, 2013.

    Wrapping up his six-nation tour, Secretary of State John Kerry told NBC's Andrea Mitchell he's open to direct talks between the U.S. and North Korea, if Pyongyang stops testing nuclear weapons and issuing threats.

    Slideshow: North Korea's young leader, Kim Jong Un

    The youngest son of Kim Jong Il succeeded his late father in 2011, becoming the third member of his family to rule the unpredictable and reclusive communist state.

    Launch slideshow

    Slideshow: Glimpses into the hermit kingdom of North Korea

    David Guttenfelder / AP

    As chief Asia photographer for the Associated Press, David Guttenfelder has had unprecedented access to communist North Korea. Here's a rare look at daily life in the secretive country.

    Launch slideshow

    Follow @NBCNewsPictures

     

    11 comments

    As the old saying goes...ignorance is bliss.

    Show more
    Explore related topics: north-korea, south-korea, world-news, seoul, featured, pyongyang, kim-il-sung, kim-jong-un
  • 8
    Mar
    2013
    1:44pm, EST

    Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters

    Outside Seoul’s performing arts center, cleaning appears artful

    Workers clean the stairs at the Sejong Centre for the Performing Arts in central Seoul on March 8.

    Comment

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  • 30
    Oct
    2012
    11:00pm, EDT

    Fire guts restaurant building in South Korea

    Yonhap / EPA

    Smoke billowing from an area of restaurants fills the sky over Seoul's Jongno Ward on 31 October 2012, after the site was engulfed in flames.

    Follow @NBCNewsPictures

    Sign up for the NBCNews.com Photos Newsletter

    Comment

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    Explore related topics: asia, fire, south-korea, world-news, seoul
  • 7
    Oct
    2012
    11:06am, EDT

    A 'baby box' and a home for unwanted infants in South Korea

    Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters

    A baby abandoned in a "baby box" at Joosarang church waits for a medical examination at a children's hospital in Seoul, South Korea, on Sept. 19. Pastor Lee Jong-rak of the church, who runs a "baby box" where mothers can leave unwanted infants, has seen a sharp increase in the number of newborns being left there because, the pastor says, of a new law aimed protecting the rights of children. South Korea is trying to shed a reputation of being a source of babies for adoption by people abroad. It is encouraging domestic adoption and tightening up the process of a child's transfer from birth mother to adoptive parents.

    Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters

    A policeman talks on a phone as preacher Jeong Young-ran looks on after a mother abandoned her baby at a "baby box" at Joosarang church in Seoul on Sept. 18.

    Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters

    A police officer collects DNA samples from two abandoned babies after the babies were left at a "baby box" at Joosarang church in Seoul on Sept 20.

    Reuters -- South Korean pastor who runs a "baby box" where mothers can leave unwanted infants has seen a sharp increase in the number of newborns being left there because, the pastor says, of a new law aimed at protecting the rights of children.

    South Korea is trying to shed a reputation of being a source of babies for adoption by people abroad. It is encouraging domestic adoption and tightening up the process of a child's transfer from birth mother to adoptive parents.

    The law that took effect in August is aimed at ensuring adoption is more transparent and makes it mandatory for parents to register newborns if they want to give them up.

    Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters

    South Korean pastor Lee Jong-rak adjusts the blanket around an abandoned two-week-old baby boy in a "baby box" at Joosarang church in Seoul on Sept. 18.

    Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters

    Ward officials, who did not want to be identified, hold abandoned babies as they head to a child advocacy center after the babies had undergone checkups at a children's hospital in Seoul on Sept. 19.

    But the regulation aimed at seeing more thorough records are kept, though well intentioned, has sparked a surge of undocumented babies being abandoned, said Pastor Lee Jong-rak.

    "If you look at the letters that mothers leave with their babies, they say they have nowhere to go, and it's because of the new law," Lee told Reuters.

    Lee, who opened his "baby box" for unwanted infants three years ago, said he had seen the number being left there shoot up from an average of five a month to 10 in August and 14 in September.

    Despite the new law, Lee said he never forced mothers to provide information about the babies they leave in the box, built into the wall of his church in Nangok, a tough working-class neighborhood in the capital, Seoul.

    Read the full story.

    Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters

    Pastor Lee Jong-rak plays with Lee On-u, 6, a disabled child who was abandoned, at the Joosarang church in Seoul on Sept. 20.

    Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters

    South Korean pastor Lee Jong-rak carries a baby, abandoned a day earlier at a "baby box" at his Joosarang church, to hand it over to ward officials as portraits of other abandoned children raised and adopted by him are seen on a wall of the church in Seoul on Sept. 20.

    Follow @NBCNewsPictures

    Sign up for the NBCNews.com Photos Newsletter

    12 comments

    Does anyone know where to send donations to this church, to help with these babies?

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  • 5
    Oct
    2012
    3:30pm, EDT

    Lee Jin-man / AP

    South Korean performers dangle for Hi Seoul Festival

    South Korean performers suspend in midair during a performance, called "Aphrodite" by Spanish theater company La Fura Dels Baus, in Seoul, South Korea, Oct. 5, 2012. The performance is part of the Hi Seoul Festival running from Oct. 1 through Oct. 7.

    Comment

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  • 23
    May
    2012
    11:12pm, EDT

    Shaven-headed youngsters attend Little Buddha Camp in South Korea

    Lee Jin-man / AP

    Shaven-headed young boys wearing 3-D glasses watch a movie at SK Telecom T.um Museum in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, May 24. They are among nine children who entered the temple to have an experience of monks' life for three weeks, called Little Buddha Camp, to celebrate upcoming Buddha's birthday on May 28.

     More monk photos in PhotoBlog

    Follow @msnbc_pictures

    1 comment

    Nice to be young ....

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    Explore related topics: south-korea, buddhist, world-news, buddha, monk, seoul
  • 27
    Mar
    2012
    7:12am, EDT

    Cold or hot mic? Obama covers up the microphone

    Susan Walsh / AP

    President Barack Obama covers the microphone as he arrives at the plenary session of the Nuclear Security Summit at the Coex Center in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, March 27, 2012. At left is Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

    Apparently President Barack Obama is able to joke about the open mic gaffe he made yesterday after he was overheard discussing missile defense with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

    Slideshow: As it happens: Obama's fourth year in office

    Cliff Owen / AP

    The president's fourth year at the White House in pictures — follow along as it happens.

    Launch slideshow

    Watch the video.

     

     

    Follow @msnbc_pictures

    56 comments

    Can you believe this clown he is by far the BIGGEST loser President this country has ever had even worse than Nixon. Obama is a criminal and should be put in prison. When are all of you going to wake up and see that he is taking all of us straight to HELL!!!

    Show more
    Explore related topics: nuclear, politics, barack-obama, world-news, seoul, nuclear-summit
  • 26
    Mar
    2012
    8:09am, EDT

    Obama and Medvedev talk nukes in Seoul

    Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP

    U.S. President Barack Obama, left, and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev stand together at the end of a bilateral meeting at the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, March 26, 2012.

    Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP

    U.S. President Barack Obama, left, chats with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev during a bilateral meeting at the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, March, 26, 2012.

    The leaders of the two super-powers and former Cold war foes met in South Korea to discuss the state of nuclear arms with other world leaders.

    At the very beginning of the photo opportunity after the the bilateral meeting between them, the two leaders, seemingly unaware of a live microphone, had this hushed exchange about missile defense:

    Obama: On all these issues, but particularly missile defense, this, this can be solved but it's important for him to give me space.

    Medvedev: Yeah, I understand. I understand your message about space. Space for you...

    Obama: This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility

    Medvedev: I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladmir.

    White House spokesman Ben Rhodes responded to reporters' inquiries about the conversation saying:

    Ben Rhodes: "The United States is committed to implementing our missile defense system, which we've repeatedly said is not aimed at Russia. However, given the longstanding difference between the US and Russia on this issue, it will take time and technical work before we can try to reach an agreement. Since 2012 is an election year in both countries, with an election and leadership transition in Russia and an election in the United States, it is clearly not a year in which we are going to achieve a breakthrough. Therefore, President Obama and President Medvedev agreed that it was best to instruct our technical experts to do the work of better understanding our respective positions, providing space for continued discussions on missile defense cooperation going forward."

    Story: Obama says the U.S has a 'moral obligation' to lead efforts to reduce nuclear stockpiles

    Story: Obama vows to pursue further nuclear cuts with Russia

    Follow @msnbc_pictures

    22 comments

    This is true Mr. President. You will have much more flexibility. This is why I love you because you have managed to develop strong relationships with leaders around the world. Most of the world wants you re-elected so we can get something done.

    Show more
    Explore related topics: white-house, politics, south-korea, barack-obama, world-news, seoul, dmitry-medvedev, nuclear-summit, nuclean
  • 27
    Feb
    2012
    7:43am, EST

    Seoul security practice reminiscent of the movie 'The Matrix'

    Yonhap via EPA

    Security guards take part in an event at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, South Korea, Feb. 27 to demonstrate their skills on how to deal with terrorism and other emergencies as part of their preparations for the upcoming Nuclear Security Summit. Top leaders from more than 50 nations and international organizations are expected to attend the summit, set for March 26 - 27 in Seoul.

    Kim Jae-Hwan / AFP - Getty Images

    A South Korean presidential body guard shoots a net at a "terrorist" during an anti-terror drill at the president's residence on Feb. 27, showcasing security preparations for an upcoming nuclear summit in Seoul.

    Kim Jae-Hwan / AFP - Getty Images

    A female presidential body guard shows her martial art skills during an anti-terror drill at the president's residence on Feb. 27, showcasing security preparations for an upcoming nuclear summit in Seoul. South Korea vowed tight security to guard world leaders against attacks by protesters and terrorists.

    By Phaedra Singelis, NBC News

    AFP reports: SEOUL — Deploying a mixture of high-tech weaponry and high-kicking martial arts, an elite South Korean security force demonstrated Monday how it will protect dozens of world leaders at an upcoming Seoul summit.

    The Presidential Security Service, whose normal job is to guard Seoul's leader, will also oversee the safety of about 40 heads of state or government during the March 26-27 Nuclear Security Summit.

    At the presidential residence known as the Blue House, some 70 officers staged a demonstration involving martial arts, sub-machineguns, ropes, vehicles and even a net.  Full story on the South Korea security unit's show.

    1 comment

    Looks like the fellow in the yellow vest (1st picture) is having something adjusted..

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  • 27
    Jul
    2011
    6:53am, EDT

    Rising death toll in South Korean landslides, flooding

    The AP reports from Seoul:

    A blast of heavy rain sent landslides barreling through South Korea's capital and a northern town Wednesday, killing at least 32 people, including 10 college students doing volunteer work.

    The students died as mud and debris engulfed them as they slept in a resort cabin in Chuncheon, about 68 miles (110 kilometers) northeast of the capital Seoul, said Byun In-soo of the town's fire station. A married couple and a convenience store owner also died.

    About 500 officials and residents worked to rescue people trapped in the mud and wreckage. Twenty-four people were injured and several buildings destroyed, officials said. Witnesses interviewed on television likened the sound of the landslide to a massive explosion or a screaming freight train and described the screaming they heard as buildings were carried away by rivers of mud.

    Yonhap via Reuters

    People try to climb on top of a car on a flooded road during heavy rainfall in Seoul, South Korea, on July 27. Wild weather has battered the peninsula since late Tuesday, causing widespread flooding.

    Yonhap via Reuters

    Cars are trapped on a flooded road during heavy rainfall in Seoul on July 27.

    Jang Seung-Yoon / AFP - Getty Images

    A rescue worker checks a block of flats after a landslide hit the apartment building in southern Seoul on July 27. Torrential rain pounding South Korea triggered landslides that killed 18 people and flooded hundreds of homes, rescuers said.

    Jang Seung-Yoon / AFP - Getty Images

    A man walks over mud after a landslide hit a street in southern Seoul on July 27.

    Related content on PhotoBlog:

    • Deadly landslide hits South Korea mountain resort
    • Heavy downpours wreak havoc with morning commute in Seoul

    Heavy rains triggered landslides and widespread flooding in Seoul and a mountain resort town. TODAY.com's Dara Brown reports.

    3 comments

    I spent 18 months in Dongducheon, Camp Casey, 2nd Infantry Division, 122nd Signal Battalion in 1982-83. I remember spending all of July on flood alert during the monsoon. Babbling brooks turned into raging torrents of water that would sweep people, livestock, animals, cars, hooches, anything in it' …

    Show more
    Explore related topics: weather, flooding, asia, landslide, south-korea, world-news, seoul, natural-disasters, mud-slide
  • 28
    Jun
    2011
    8:34am, EDT

    One big tuna at Seoul restaurant promo event

    Kim Ju-Seong / Yonhap via Reuters

    Sushi chefs pose for photographs as they try to lift a 772 pound, 9 foot long bluefin tuna during an event promoting a restaurant in Seoul on June 28.

    You can check out more animals in our weekly roundup of animal images here.

    2 comments

    sad. they seem too happy with the fact that there won't be any tuna around anymore.

    Show more
    Explore related topics: food, tuna, seoul, animal-tracks
  • 15
    Jun
    2011
    11:13am, EDT

    Bank employees in Seoul, South Korea stage a well organized protest

    Ahn Young-Joon / AP

    Korea Exchange Bank (KEB) employees shout slogans during a protest to oppose the sale of a controlling stake in their bank to Hana Financial Group in front of the headquarters of the KEB in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, June 15, 2011. U.S. private equity group Lone Star Funds agreed in last November to sell its 51.02 percent stake in Korea Exchange Bank to South Korea's Hana Financial Group for 4.69 trillion won, or US$4.2 billion at current exchange rates. The letters on the headbands read "Defend Korea Exchange Bank."

    Jo Yong-Hak / Reuters

    Unionised workers from Korea Exchange Bank (KEB) hold a rally opposing Hana Financial Group's KEB acquisition plan and financial regulators' allowance of the plan, in front of the bank's headquarters in Seoul, June 15, 2011.

    By Phaedra Singelis, NBC News

     Most protests look more chaotic than this one that took place in South Korea today.

    Comment

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