South Korea

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A pink phone. A New York mission. Swedish diplomats. A North-South Korean hotline.

The United States and reclusive North Korea have no diplomatic ties — but they still have ways to contact each other. An American official said Wednesday that the U.S. government had reached out to the North as it tries to discuss a U.S. soldier who dashed into North Korea during a tour of a border area this week. The North has not yet responded, according to the U.S.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea hasn’t responded to U.S. attempts to discuss the American soldier who bolted across the heavily armed border, officials in Washington said, underscoring that the serviceman’s prospects for a quick release are unclear at a time of high tensions and inactive communication channels.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A pink phone. A New York mission. Swedish diplomats. A North-South Korean hotline.

The United States and reclusive North Korea have no diplomatic ties — but they still have ways to contact each other. An American official said Wednesday that the U.S. government had reached out to the North as it tries to discuss a U.S. soldier who dashed into North Korea during a tour of a border area this week. The North has not yet responded, according to the U.S.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea Wednesday in what appeared to be a statement of defiance as the United States deployed a nuclear-armed submarine to South Korea for the first time in decades.

The launches came as the U.S. and the U.S.-led United Nations Command worked to resolve the highly unusual situation involving a U.S. soldier who crossed into North Korea while on a tour of a border village Tuesday afternoon.

SEOUL, Jul 18 (NNN-YONHAP) – The death toll from heavy rain in recent days in South Korea rose to 40, while nine others remained missing, relevant authorities said.

A total of 40 people had been found dead, in south-eastern North Gyeongsang province and central Chungcheong province, according to the central disaster and safety countermeasure headquarters.

Heavy rain warnings were issued for the provinces, some areas of which recorded an accumulated precipitation of more than 500 mm since last Thursday.

SEOUL, July 18 (Reuters) - A U.S. national has crossed the inter-Korean border into North Korea without authorization while on a tour and is likely to be in the North's custody, the United Nations Command that oversees the demilitarised zone area at the border said on Tuesday.

The person was taking part in a tour to the Joint Security Area on the demilitarised zone (DMZ) border separating the two Koreas since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War where soldiers from both sides stand guard.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A bilateral consulting group of South Korean and U.S. officials met Tuesday in Seoul to discuss strengthening their nations’ deterrence capabilities against North Korea’s evolving nuclear threats.

The Nuclear Consultative Group was established as part of agreements Presidents Joe Biden and Yoon Suk Yeol made when they met in April.

Extreme rainfall accompanied by deadly flooding hit the United States and several other countries over the weekend and last week.

There were several dozen fatalities in central and southern regions of South Korea, including the Chongju region where an underpass flooded and drowned motorists who became trapped in their submerged vehicles.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Heavy downpours lashed South Korea for a ninth day on Monday as rescue workers struggled to search for survivors in landslides, buckled homes and swamped vehicles in the most destructive storm to hit the country this year.

At least 40 people have died, 34 others are injured and more than 10,000 people have had to evacuate from their homes since July 9, when heavy rain started pounding the country. The severest damage has been concentrated in South Korea’s central and southern regions.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Days of heavy rain in South Korea have left at least 26 people dead and 10 others missing in landslides, floods and other incidents, the government said Saturday.

The 26 fatalities were reported on Friday and Saturday, all in the central and southeastern regions, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said in a report.