North Korea slammed rival South Korea on Tuesday for blocking access to North Korean Web sites.

South Korea's Agriculture Ministry confirmed Saturday that a new outbreak of bird flu there is the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of the virus.

A top U.S. negotiator is still optimistic Washington and South Korea can work out a trade liberalization deal in the coming weeks, despite a series of daunting negotiating challenges. But as a politically crucial U.S. deadline approaches, Wendy Cutler warns there are still sticking points, ranging from U.S. automobiles to beef. VOA's Kurt Achin reports from Seoul.

With only days to go before the start of crucial free trade discussions with the United States, South Korea says it will not talk about several issues of key concern to Washington. Seoul says U.S. negotiators have not made satisfactory progress on addressing South Korean concerns. As VOA's Kurt Achin reports from Seoul, the move may make already shaky prospects for a trade liberalization deal even more challenging.

Burma's military led-government has refused to issue a visa to Nobel Peace laureate and former South Korean president Kim Dae-jung.

South Korean officials say they are involved in sensitive talks with the Chinese government about a South Korean man staying in China who says he was abducted to North Korea 31 years ago. As VOA's Kurt Achin reports from Seoul, the case draws renewed attention to North Korea's history of kidnapping other countries' citizens.

South Korea has almost finished selecting the country's first astronaut, whose work is to make scientific strides aboard the International Space Station. The country's leadership is also presenting the planned mission as a rallying call for national pride. VOA's Kurt Achin reports from Seoul.

While negotiators from China, Russia, Japan, South Korea and the United States were struggling to produce progress in North Korean nuclear talks, South Korean President Roh was assigning blame for the talks' delays.

A former collaborator of disgraced South Korean stem-cell researcher Hwang Woo-suk says he and his team have produced three cloned copies of a female Afghan hound dog breed.

South Korea's defense minister has instructed military chiefs to raise their ability to respond to possible provocative acts by North Korea, as critical talks on the North Korea's nuclear weapons get set to resume. South Korea says it is crucial for next week's talks to produce first steps toward eliminating Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal. VOA's Kurt Achin reports from Seoul.