South Korean President Lee

— Evidence overwhelmingly proves North Korea fired a torpedo that sank a South Korean warship in March, killing 46 sailors, investigators said Thursday. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak vowed "stern action" for the provocation and called an emergency security meeting for Friday. The long-awaited investigation results from a multinational team said a torpedo caused a massive underwater explosion that tore the Cheonan apart on March 26. Fifty-eight sailors were rescued from the frigid Yellow Sea waters near the two nations' maritime border, but 46 perished, South Korea's worst military disaster since the 1950-53 Korean War. Recovered fragments from the sea floor indicate the torpedo came from communist North Korea, investigators said.

By his own admission, Park Jung-geun has long been an Internet wiseguy, a young photographer and blogger with a cyber chip on his shoulder whose favorite target for satire is the North Korean government. For months, his Twitter profile picture showed him with a near-empty bottle of whiskey in his hand, standing in front of a red-starred North Korean flag. Using the handle @seouldecadence, the 23-year-old re-tweeted posts fromPyongyang's Twitter account he deemed particularly ridiculous.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak on Sunday termed Japan's recent apology for its 35-year colonial rule of the Korean peninsula "one step forward," but he said more must be done to foster better relations between the two nations. In a nationally televised speech to mark the anniversary of liberation from Japanese rule, Kim focused on the future instead of the pain suffered at the hands of foreigners. Many older South Koreans remember such indignities as being forced to adopt Japanese surnames, fight as Japan's soldiers and work as prostitutes, or "comfort women," for the military.

North Korean negotiators walked out Wednesday on the second day of talks with their South Korean counterparts, renewing doubts that the two sides can ease deep tensions that linger following two deadly attacks attributed to the North last year. The preliminary talks between two military colonels at the border village of Panmunjom ? the first between the two sides in four months ? had been intended to set a date for higher-level military talks. But the discussions collapsed Wednesday afternoon, leaving Seoul officials chagrined.

By his own admission, Park Jung-geun has long been an Internet wiseguy, a young photographer and blogger with a cyber chip on his shoulder whose favorite target for satire is the North Korean government. For months, his Twitter profile picture showed him with a near-empty bottle of whiskey in his hand, standing in front of a red-starred North Korean flag. Using the handle @seouldecadence, the 23-year-old re-tweeted posts fromPyongyang's Twitter account he deemed particularly ridiculous.

The way U.S. officials see it, there's little mystery behind the most notorious shipwreck in recent Korean history. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton calls the evidence "overwhelming" that the Cheonan, a South Korean warship that sank in March, was hit by a North Korean torpedo. Vice President Joe Biden has cited the South Korean-led panel investigating the sinking as a model of transparency. But challenges to the official version of events are coming from an unlikely place: within South Korea.

There were protests greeting President Obama's arrival in Seoul last night. Who was protesting, and why? As opposed to the violent protests when George W. Bush visited Seoul in 2008, the rallies were staged quietly yesterday. Left-wing groups protested the re-dispatch of South Korean troops to Afghanistan. Meanwhile, right-wing organizations and North Korean human rights activists called for Obama to take swift action against the totalitarian regime in North Korea. The U.S. and South Korea concluded a free-trade agreement in 2007, but it has yet to be ratified by Congress.

Reclusive North Korea on Wednesday took the unusual step of acknowledging that it had suffered an outbreak of H1N1 flu, with foreign aid officials saying the virus has killed dozens of people. The Public Health Ministry confirmed an outbreak in the city of Sinuiju, on the border with China, and in Pyongyang, the capital, according to the official Korean Central News Agency. But so far, North Korea has acknowledged only nine deaths. "The relevant [agency] is further perfecting the quarantine system against the spread of this flu virus while properly carrying on the prevention and medical treatment," the agency said.

A defiant North Korea said late Tuesday that it would sever all ties with South Korea, cut off communications and expel workers from a jointly run industrial park in a bellicose response to the South's efforts to seek redress for the sinking of one of its ships. Although South Korea has said it will not retaliate with force, instead seeking sanctions before the U.N. Security Council, Pyongyang earlier in the day accused Seoul of making a "deliberate provocation aimed to spark off another military conflict."

Reclusive North Korea today took the unusual step of acknowledging that it has suffered an outbreak of swine flu, with officials saying the virus has killed dozens of citizens. The Public Health Ministry confirmed one outbreak in the city of Sinuiju on the Chinese border and a second in the capital city of Pyongyang, according to the official Korean Central News Agency. "The relevant [agency] is further perfecting the quarantine system against the spread of this flu virus while properly carrying on the prevention and medical treatment," the agency said.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak on Sunday termed Japan's recent apology for its 35-year colonial rule of the Korean peninsula "one step forward," but he said more must be done to foster better relations between the two nations. In a nationally televised speech to mark the anniversary of liberation from Japanese rule, Kim focused on the future instead of the pain suffered at the hands of foreigners. Many older South Koreans remember such indignities as being forced to adopt Japanese surnames, fight as Japan's soldiers and work as prostitutes, or "comfort women," for the military.

They smiled for photos and announced agreement on everything from nuclear containment to development efforts in Africa on Saturday, but world leaders gathered in Toronto have a tougher challenge as they get down to brass tacks on the best way to keep the global economic recovery from stalling. Going into Sunday's meetings with the Group of 20 industrialized and emerging nations, the Obama administration was pressing leaders to stay the course they set more than a year ago to promote growth through government investment in the economy.

China's premier tried to soothe an angry South Korean leadership Friday with condolences for the deaths of 46 sailors and promises to investigate North Korea's culpability in the sinking of a South Korean warship, but stopped short of making any commitments. Making a three-day visit to South Korea, Premier Wen Jiabao had to navigate between tensions with one of his country's major trading partners and allegiance to the communist ally China rescued during the 1950-1953 Korean War. An investigation commissioned by the South Korean government concluded that the Cheonan, a warship that was on patrol in the Yellow Sea when it broke apart March 26, had been hit by a North Korean torpedo.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday pledged U.S. support for South Korea as it tries to punish North Korea for a torpedo attack that killed 46 sailors and sank inter-Korean relations to Cold War levels. "This was an unacceptable provocation by North Korea and the international community has a responsibility and a duty to respond," Clinton said during a brief visit to Seoul on her way back from China. The United States, she said, "has been reviewing additional options and authorities to hold North Korea and its leaders accountable."

A defiant North Korea said late Tuesday that it would sever all ties with South Korea, cut off communications and expel workers from a jointly run industrial park in a bellicose response to the South's efforts to seek redress for the sinking of one of its ships. Although South Korea has said it will not retaliate with force, instead seeking sanctions before the U.N. Security Council, Pyongyang earlier in the day accused Seoul of making a "deliberate provocation aimed to spark off another military conflict."

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton opened a U.S. campaign Friday for international measures to punish North Korea for the sinking of a South Korean warship, but it was unclear how receptive Pyongyang's benefactors in China — or even its rival South Korea — would be. Clinton began an Asian tour making it clear that the Obama administration wants the United Nations to take action against North Korea for sinking the patrol boat...

China's premier tried to soothe an angry South Korean leadership Friday with condolences for the deaths of 46 sailors and promises to investigate North Korea's culpability in the sinking of a South Korean warship, but stopped short of making any commitments. Making a three-day visit to South Korea, Premier Wen Jiabao had to navigate between tensions with one of his country's major trading partners and allegiance to the communist ally China rescued during the 1950-1953 Korean War. An investigation commissioned by the South Korean government concluded that the Cheonan, a warship that was on patrol in the Yellow Sea when it broke apart March 26, had been hit by a North Korean torpedo.

In an emotional speech televised live to a grieving nation, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak on Monday vowed to pursue those responsible for last month's deadly sinking of a naval warship. Without mentioning North Korea, the conservative leader said he would "resolutely and unwaveringly cope with the results" of the investigation into one of South Korea's worst naval disasters. Pledging to make South Korea's military stronger to prevent a similar episode, Lee broke into tears as he read the names of 46 crewmen who are presumed to have died when the Cheonan sank after a mysterious nighttime explosion.

Obama administration officials Thursday condemned North Korea for a torpedo attack they believe sank a South Korean naval patrol ship in March, and began a diplomatic effort through the United Nations to crack down on Pyongyang. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is expected to signal strong U.S. support for a new round of U.N. Security Council sanctions against North Korea when she visits Seoul on Monday, officials said. She also will urge support of the proposed sanctions while in China, which has more leverage over North Korea than any other country, officials said.