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Freed U.S. journalists suspect they were ‘lured into a trap’

The two U.S. journalists released from North Korea last month after five months in captivity said "the psychological wounds of imprisonment are slow to heal." In a column posted on the Los Angeles Times Web site Tuesday night, Laura Ling and Euna Lee also said they were seized by North Korean soldiers on Chinese soil. They raised suspicions about their guide and wondered if they had been “lured into a trap.” “We didn’t spend more than a minute on North Korean soil before turning back, but it is a minute we deeply regret,” they said

UAE seizes N. Korean arms bound for Iran, diplomats say

The United Arab Emirates has seized a ship believed to be carrying North Korean weapons to Iran in what is believed to be first case of disguised cargo confiscated under tightened U.N. sanctions against Pyongyang, diplomats said Friday.

Two Koreas to discuss reunions for split families

North and South Korea will hold three days of talks on reunions for families torn apart by the Korean War and divisions between the two countries, South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Tuesday.

N. Korean delegation arrives to honor Kim

A North Korean delegation arrived in Seoul, South Korea, on Friday to mourn former South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung, best remembered for trying to foster better relations between the two neighbors, the South’s media reported. “Mourning the passing of the late president Kim Dae-jung …” said the great white wreath adorned with a black ribbon delivered on behalf of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. The six-members of the delegation bowed their heads in front of the altar set up in honor of the late president.

North Korean envoys, Richardson to meet

Two top North Korean diplomats were traveling to Santa Fe, New Mexico, to hold talks with Gov. Bill Richardson, the governor’s spokesman said.

UK embassies: We can’t help you buy shoes

And now a public service announcement from the British foreign office: “The government views Hyundai Group’s joint statement with North Korea in a positive way, but it is at the nongovernmental level,” Unification Ministry spokesman Chun Hae-sung said. “For this agreement to be realized, the governments of South and North Korea need to reach a concrete agreement through dialogue.” A Hyundai subsidiary handles all tourism and business projects between the Koreas

Koreas must hold talks before border reopens, Seoul says

South Korea responded positively, but cautiously, to a joint agreement announced Monday between North Korea and the South’s Hyundai Group to resume cross-border tourism, ease border controls and facilitate cross-border family reunions. “The government views Hyundai Group’s joint statement with North Korea in a positive way, but it is at the nongovernmental level,” Unification Ministry spokesman Chun Hae-sung said

Report: Kim Jong Il meets Hyundai official

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il met with Hyundai’s chairwoman, who had come from South Korea seeking the release of an employee detained since March, South Korean media reported. Yonhap, South Korea’s official news agency, said Hyundai Group Chairwoman Hyun Jeong-eun traveled to North Korea on August 10 for what was planned as a three-day mission. Yu Seong-jin — the employee detained since March — was freed and returned home Thursday, Yonhap added.

India intercepts North Korean ship

Indian investigators are investigating a North Korean vessel they say had ignored warnings and sailed close to an unusual location off its remote island chain in the Bay of Bengal.

Sister: Journalists crossed into N. Korea

Two U.S. journalists pardoned and freed by North Korea did cross illegally into that country, the sister of one of the women said. “She did say that they touched North Korean territory very, very briefly,” Lisa Ling, sister of Laura Ling, told CNN on Thursday