[FULL TRANSCRIPT] Moon holds rare inflight news briefing

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday held a rare inflight news briefing on his way back home after wrapping up a packed five-day trip to New York and Hawaii. In his fifth and final keynote speech as president at the UN General Assembly, he reiterated his push for the declaration of a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War that ended in an armistice, not in a peace treaty. “I think there is a lack of understanding about an end-of-war declaration. It’s not a peace treaty but the st

Sept. 24, 2021

Kim Yo-jong calls Moon's war-end declaration offer 'admirable idea,' demands end to hostile policy

The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said Friday that President Moon Jae-in's proposal to declare a formal end to the Korean War is an "admirable idea" and Pyongyang is willing to discuss improving inter-Korean relations if Seoul ceases to be hostile toward it. Kim Yo-jong stressed, however, that the right conditions should be created first before an end-of-war declaration is adopted, such as the removal of what she called "inveterate hostile policy and unequal double st

Sept. 24, 2021

N. Korea slams Suga for hostile policy, warns next leader against following in his footsteps

North Korea on Friday accused Japan's outgoing Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga of pursuing a "hostile policy" toward the North, warning the country's next leader against following in his footsteps. In a post written by an individual researcher on Japan on its website, the North's foreign ministry said that Suga, along with his predecessor Shinzo Abe, should be entirely blamed for causing the relations between Pyongyang and Tokyo to fall to the "worst status ever." "Suga

Sept. 24, 2021

N. Korea rejects Moon's proposal of end-of-war declaration as 'premature'

North Korea on Friday rejected President Moon Jae-in's proposal to declare a formal end to the 1950-53 war as "something premature," arguing that such a declaration would be meaningless as long as the US "hostile policy" remains unchanged. Vice Foreign Minister Ri Thae-song made the rejection in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency, saying that an end-of-war declaration has "no legal binding force" and will "become a mere scrap of paper in a m

Sept. 24, 2021

Top Seoul, Washington, Tokyo envoys affirm cooperation on NK’s denuclearization

South Korea, the US and Japan will further bolster cooperation to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear arsenals, the three countries’ foreign ministers concluded at a meeting on Wednesday. 　 South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong held talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on Wednesday (US time) in New York, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. 　 During their session, the three discussed the recent situation o

Sept. 23, 2021

Cheong Wa Dae still pins hopes on Beijing Olympics for inter-Korean summit

An inter-Korean summit on the sidelines of the Beijing Winter Olympics in February is still a possibility, President Moon Jae-in’s senior secretary for communications, Park Soo-hyun, said Thursday. “We are making efforts for peace and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula, with all possibilities remaining on the table,” Park said during a radio interview with MBC when asked about the possibility of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attending the Beijing Games. South Korea

Sept. 23, 2021

At UN, Moon reiterates push for declaration ending Korean War

President Moon Jae-in reiterated calls for a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, amid fresh tension on the Korean Peninsula following recent ballistic missile tests by both Koreas. 　 “I once again urge the community of nations to mobilize its strengths for the end-of-war declaration on the Korean Peninsula,” Moon said as he addressed the annual gathering of world leaders in New York. “I propose that three parties of the two

Sept. 22, 2021

Ruling party leader says Biden vague on NK

Rep. Song Young-gil, leader of the ruling Democratic Party, blamed a flare-up in inter-Korean tensions on the uncertainty of US policy on North Korea, in comments delivered Sunday US time. Song, who is visiting the US to discuss North Korea’s denuclearization with key White House officials and members of Congress, was referring to Pyongyang’s recent missile tests. The North revealed a new railway-borne missile system and launched ballistic missiles from a train in violation of UN re

Sept. 20, 2021

N. Korea downplays S. Korea’s SLBM test

North Korea said Monday that the submarine-launched ballistic missile South Korea test-fired last week was primitive and not a threat. Pyongyang is seen as trying to discredit Seoul’s missile capabilities because South Korea is the first non-nuclear state to have tested an SLBM. Previously, SLBMs had been developed by only six countries: China, France, India, Russia, the UK and the US. “South Korea’s SLBM will not be effective in war. No strategic or tactical value there,&rdq

Sept. 20, 2021

NK says ballistic missiles tested from new rail-borne system

North Korea said Thursday that its ballistic missile test the previous day was carried out by its new railway-borne missile system, stoking concerns over stalled talks on inter-Korean peace. “For the first time, we tested the viability of our railway-borne missile system to check on the combat readiness and strike capability,” the official Korean Central News Agency said. According to the KCNA, the missiles hit targets 800 kilometers away in the East Sea after being fired from a tra

Sept. 16, 2021

N. Korea confirms missile launches from train

North Korea said Thursday that a railway-borne missile regiment held a firing drill a day earlier, confirming the launches, apparently from a train, of two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea. "The railway-borne missile regiment took part in the drill with a mission to strike the target area 800 kilometers away from its location after moving to the central mountainous area at dawn on September 15," the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The KCNA said the Nort

Sept. 16, 2021

US condemns N. Korean missile launch, stands ready to engage in dialogue: Price

The United States condemns North Korea's ballistic missiles but continues to stand ready to engage with the North in dialogue, a State Department spokesman said Wednesday. North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Wednesday (Seoul time). Ned Price noted the missile launches violated a "multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions." "We do condemn the DPRK's missile launches. These missile launches are in violation of multiple U.N. Security Council

Sept. 16, 2021

NK leader's sister warns of 'complete destruction' of inter-Korean ties

The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Wednesday accused South Korean President Moon Jae-in of being "foolish" and warned of "complete destruction" of inter-Korean relations for branding Pyongyang's weapons tests a "provocation."    The statement from Kim Yo-jong came shortly after Moon said that South Korea's upgrading of its missile capabilities can help deter North Korean provocation following the successful underwater test-launch of an indi

Sept. 15, 2021

US condemns N. Korean missile launch, urges Pyongyang to return to dialogue

The US State Department on Wednesday condemned North Korea's ballistic missile launches, calling the act a violation of UN Security Council resolutions that poses a threat to its neighbors and the international community.    A department official, however, said the US remains committed to dialogue with the North.    "The United States condemns the DPRK's missile launch," the department spokesperson told Yonhap News Agency while speaking on condition of anonymity.

Sept. 15, 2021

S. Korean top nuclear envoy discusses NK missile launches with US, Japanese counterparts

South Korea's top nuclear negotiator, Noh Kyu-duk, held separate phone talks Wednesday with his counterparts of the United States and Japan to discuss North Korea's latest missile launches, the foreign ministry said.    In the phone talks, Noh and U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Sung Kim exchanged assessments on the North's firing of two short-range ballistic missiles, which took place earlier in the day, and discussed joint responses in the future, the ministry said. &

Sept. 15, 2021

S. Korea's NSC expresses 'deep concern' about N. Korea's missile launches

South Korea's top national security officials expressed "deep concern" Wednesday about a series of missile launches by North Korea.    They pointed out that the North's provocations came at a time when stabilizing the security conditions is very important, as they held an emergency session of the National Security Council (NSC), according to Cheong Wa Dae.    The NSC's standing committee meeting was chaired by Suh Hoon, director of national security at Cheong W

Sept. 15, 2021

NK seeks upper hand with missiles during Chinese FM’s visit: analysts

North Korea could be trying to gain the upper hand in its relations with the US and China amid their intensifying rivalry, analysts say in reference to the ballistic missile tests that took place in the North on the same day that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with South Korean leaders in Seoul.  South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said Pyongyang launched two ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Wednesday afternoon, just days after testing a new long-range cruise missile.

Sept. 15, 2021

North Korea ups tension with ballistic missile launches

North Korea on Wednesday fired a pair of ballistic missiles into the East Sea, following a cruise missile test that took place less than a week ago. According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, two short-range ballistic missiles were fired from the central county of Yangdok at 12:34 p.m. and 12:39 p.m. and flew around 800 kilometers at a maximum altitude of around 60 kilometers. “South Korea and US intelligence authorities are analyzing details for additional information,&rd

Sept. 15, 2021

North fires ballistic missiles into East Sea

North Korea has launched unidentified projectiles into the East Sea, South Korea‘s Joint Chiefs of Staff said Wednesday. The JCS said that the North fired two ballistic missiles into the East Sea from an inland location Wednesday afternoon.  Seoul's military said that the type of missiles fired has not been identified, and that South Korea and the US intelligence agencies are analysing the launch. The JCS also said that the military has been put on raised alert, and maintaining read

Sept. 15, 2021

US expert suggests elimination of NK chemical weapons as confidence-building step for nuke disarmament

The elimination of North Korea's chemical weapons could serve as a confidence-building step to convince the communist nation to eventually give up its nuclear power, an American expert said Wednesday. Siegfried Hecker, a Stanford University professor known for his direct experience with Pyongyang's nuclear program, made the remarks during a Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) workshop, stressing that the North will be more likely to agree to remove its chemical weapons before agreeing

Sept. 15, 2021