WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is unlikely to bow to pressure to surrender his nuclear capability because he believes it is vital for "regime survival," the U.S. commander in South Korea said on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is unlikely to bow to pressure to surrender his nuclear capability because he believes it is vital for "regime survival," the U.S. commander in South Korea said on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea may be considering additional attacks and provocations, a top U.S. general told Congress on Wednesday, adding Washington needed to be prepared to respond appropriately if necessary.

Former US president Jimmy Carter plans to visit North Korea on a private mission apparently intended to ease acute tensions, South Korean and US officials said Thursday.

SEOUL (Reuters) - China does not back efforts by Washington and Seoul to punish North Korea at the United Nations for its uranium enrichment programme and wants six-party talks to deal with the issue, a top South Korean envoy said on Saturday.

Chinese pianist Lang Lang has denied any political motives behind his performance at a White House dinner for President Hu Jintao after web users in China hailed his choice of an "anti-US" song.

Chinese pianist Lang Lang has denied any political motives behind his performance at a White House dinner for President Hu Jintao after web users in China hailed his choice of an "anti-US" song.

Chinese web users are acclaiming pianist Lang Lang's choice of tune for a White House state dinner given in honour of President Hu Jintao -- a patriotic theme song from an anti-US war film.

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea sent Monday an official notice to the South calling for dialogue but the South said it was nothing new and the North had to take responsibility for two attacks last year before talks could be held.

On Jan. 4, 1951, during the Korean War, North Korean and Chinese forces recaptured Seoul. Today is Tuesday, Jan. 4, the fourth day of 2011. There are 361 days left in the year.

On Jan. 4, 1951, during the Korean War, North Korean and Chinese forces recaptured Seoul. Today is Tuesday, Jan. 4, the fourth day of 2011. There are 361 days left in the year.

NKorea ushers in 2011 with calls for better ties with South, stronger military. North Korea, which has conducted two nuclear tests in the past, on Saturday welcomed the new year with calls for a Korean peninsula free of nuclear weapons, better ties with rival South Korea and a promise to boost its military strength.

SKorea begins routine naval drills near eastern sea border amid tension with NKorea. South Korea has begun annual naval exercises off its east coast as tensions with North Korea remain high.

US military chief accuses China of not doing enough to defuse Korean crisis. Turning up the pressure on China over the military crisis on the Korean peninsula, the U.S. military chief said Thursday that Beijing has failed to live up to its role as a global power by not doing enough to defuse tensions.

The International Criminal Court chief prosecutor on Monday launched an inquiry into whether North Korea should face war crimes charges over attacks on the rival South.

North Korea on Sunday denounced a planned naval firing drill by South Korea, the latest in a flurry of exercises by Seoul after Pyongyang's deadly attack on a South Korean island last month.

South Korea will swiftly and strongly respond with force until North Korea surrenders if the communist state launches another assault, the South's new defence minister said.

The United States and South Korea have agreed to "coordinate" any response to North Korea after Pyongyang's deadly artillery attack on a South Korean island provoked global condemnation.

SKorea says it returns fire and scrambles jets after NKorea fires artillery onto island. North Korea shot dozens of rounds of artillery onto a populated South Korean island near their disputed western border Tuesday, military officials said, setting buildings on fire and prompting South Korea to return fire and scramble fighter jets.

Obama, speaking ahead of the G20 summit here, also warned the Stalinist state that it would deepen its isolation by refusing to halt its nuclear programme and said Washington would never waver in its defence of South Korea.