BTS member Suga begins alternative military service in South Korea

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Suga, a member of K-pop supergroup BTS, began fulfilling his mandatory military duty Friday as a social service agent, an alternative form of military service in the country. Suga, 30, became the group’s third member to start carrying out their military...

South Korean lawmakers vote to lift hunger striking opposition leader's immunity to arrest

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — In a surprise outcome, South Korea’s opposition-controlled parliament voted Thursday to pass a motion submitted by the government that allows the potential arrest of the country’s leading opposition figure, Lee Jae-myung, who faces a widening investigation over...

South Korean leader warns Russia against weapons collaboration with the North

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — South Korea's president sounded a warning to fellow world leaders Wednesday about the recent communication and possible cooperation between North Korea and Russia, saying any action by a permanent U.N. Security Council member to circumvent international norms would be...

Five Americans detained in Iran walk free, released in deal for frozen Iranian assets

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Five Americans detained for years in Iran walked off a plane and into freedom Monday, most arm-in-arm, as part of a politically risky deal that saw President Joe Biden agree to the release of nearly $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets owed by a third country, South Korea. ...

'Stop it!' UN's nuclear chief pushes Iran to end block on international inspectors

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. nuclear chief said Monday he asked to meet Iran’s president on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly to try to reverse Tehran's uncalled for” ban on “a very sizable chunk” of the agency’s inspectors. Rafael Grossi stressed that the...

Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman says $6 billion once frozen in South Korea now in Qatar, key element of US prisoner swap

South Korea's Yoon warns against Russia-North Korea military cooperation and plans to discuss at UN

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s president said the international community “will unite more tightly” to cope with deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, as he plans to raise the issue with world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly this week. ...

North Korea's Kim Jong Un inspects Russian bombers and a warship on a visit to Russia's Far East

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected Russia’s nuclear-capable bombers, hypersonic missiles and an advanced warship from its Pacific fleet on Saturday as he continued a trip in Russia’s Far East that has sparked Western concerns about an arms alliance that could...

Thousands of South Korean teachers are rallying for new laws to protect them from abusive parents

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Thousands of South Korean school teachers and staff rallied in Seoul on Saturday for more legal protection from bullying by parents, a rising problem in a country known for its brutally competitive school environments. The weekend demonstrations in the...

6 'Soldiers of Christ' members are in custody after a woman's body was found in a car trunk

DULUTH, Ga. (AP) — Five adults and a 15-year-old self-described as “Soldiers of Christ” religious group members were in custody Thursday on murder charges after a woman’s body was found in the trunk of a car parked outside a popular spa in Atlanta's suburbs. Investigators...