NK paper lauds Kim on his leadership anniversary

North Korea's official paper lauded leader Kim Jong-un on Monday on the occasion of the anniversary of his fourth year as chairman of the State Affairs Commission, the communist state's highest decision-making body, in an apparent effort to bolster internal unity. Monday marks the fourth anniversary of Kim being designated as the commission's chairman, but the North appears to have skipped any celebratory events amid coronavirus concerns. This year's anniversary also does not fall on a five-ye

June 29, 2020

Govt. holds hearing on defector groups over anti-NK leafleting

The unification ministry held a hearing on Monday to give two North Korean defector groups a final chance to explain themselves before going ahead with a decision to revoke their operation permits for sending propaganda leaflets into the North. The hearing came weeks after the ministry decided to file a criminal complaint with police against Fighters for a Free North Korea and Kuensaem and revoke their business permits for their sending of leaflets into the North. "We held a hearing toda

June 29, 2020

Defectors’ cash aid to family cut off amid tightened security

North Korea has recently stepped up monitoring of its citizens whose family members have defected to the South, a local news outlet reported Sunday. Defectors here have been sending cash to and corresponding with their family left behind in the North via Chinese brokers, but that has stopped after Pyongyang delegated the job of monitoring defector families to a central party organ in charge of state security, from provincial branches, the report said. The latest inter-Korean crisis over the

June 28, 2020

[Video] Korean War veterans wish for the end of war and lasting peace

Korean War veterans, bereaved families and future generations wished for the end of war and lasting peace on the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the 1950-1953 Korean War. South Korea’s northeastern Gangwon Province held a commemorative ceremony at Baekma Goji Memorial Tower in the border county of Cheorwon on Thursday. Under the theme “Beyond Memory, Together with Hope,” 400 people, including the members of the Korean War Veterans Association and officials from the Ga

June 26, 2020

90% of S. Koreans say NK won’t give up nukes: poll

Nine out of 10 South Koreans think North Korea will not give up its nuclear weapons, but nearly half think the South should still seek dialogue with the North, according to a recent poll. In an annual face-to-face survey of 1,003 adults conducted from May 20 through June 10 by the Korea Institute for National Unification, 89.5 percent said Pyongyang will not denuclearize, the highest since 2016. Only 15.6 percent said they think dialogue and compromise are possible with the North’s Kim

June 26, 2020

Pro-N. Korea paper slams Bolton, Abe for hindering inter-Korean reconciliation

A pro-North Korea newspaper in Japan on Friday slammed former US National Security Adviser John Bolton for breaking up talks between Pyongyang and Washington and hampering inter-Korean reconciliation. The criticism came in response to Bolton's memoir, "The Room Where It Happened," in which he shares details of President Donald Trump's foreign policy decisions and his account of nuclear talks between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, including how negotiations fell apart in t

June 26, 2020

In war memorial speech, Moon considered 'comprehensive' security, not just N. Korea threat: Cheong Wa Dae

Pledging a tough response to "provocations from any direction" in his Korean War anniversary speech this week, South Korean President Moon Jae-in was talking about "comprehensive security," not just North Korea, his office said Friday. The previous night, Moon attended the Seoul Air Base ceremony to mark the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the war and stressed, "Our military has strength to ward off any threat." He added, "It has a thorough readiness pos

June 26, 2020

Police raid offices of defector groups over anti-NK leaflets

The police on Friday raided the two defector-run organizations at the center of anti-Pyongyang leaflet campaigns here on allegations that they violated laws governing inter-Korean exchanges. 　 Investigators from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency were dispatched to the offices of Fighters for a Free North Korea, led by North Korean defector Park Sang-hak, and Keunsaem, led by Park’s younger brother Park Jung-oh. Both offices are in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul. 　 FFNK is accused of flyi

June 26, 2020

NK propaganda outlet resumes anti-Seoul criticism over 'subservient' attitude to US

A North Korean propaganda outlet on Friday accused South Korea of being subservient to the United States in inter-Korean policy, resuming anti-Seoul criticism that state media abruptly halted earlier this week after weeks of bellicose rhetoric and threats. Tongil Voice, a propaganda radio station, criticized South Korea for depending on the "working group" meetings it has held with the US to coordinate North Korea policy, saying that Seoul continues to make a "foolish attempt to

June 26, 2020

N. Korea skips anti-US rallies on Korean War anniversary

North Korea appears to have skipped an annual mass rally against the United States on the 70th anniversary of the Korean War this week amid a stalemate in nuclear negotiations and coronavirus concerns. In the past, North Korea usually held mass anti-US rallies at Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang on the June 25 anniversary of the 1950-53 Korean War, but it skipped the event in 2018 and 2019 after landmark summits between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapor

June 26, 2020

Police search property of ex-NK defector at center of anti-Pyongyang leafleting

Police on Friday searched the house and office of a former North Korean defector who has been at the center of the anti-Pyongyang leafleting campaign in South Korea, denounced vehemently by North Korea. The national security probe team of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency dispatched officials to search the home and office in Seoul of Park Sang-hak, who heads Fighters for a Free North Korea, an activist group that has been leading the campaign to send anti-North Korean propaganda leaflets a

June 26, 2020

Moon urges N. Korea to formally end Korean War, warns of firm response to threats

South Korean President Moon Jae-in called on North Korea Thursday to join a bold move to formally end the Korean War in peace overtures, coupled with a clear warning message, commemorating the conflict that started seven decades ago, with the fragile Korea peace process at stake. "We cannot commemorate the Korean War in a genuine manner yet. That is because the War has yet to come to an end," he said during a speech at the war anniversary event held at Seoul Air Base, a military comp

June 25, 2020

NSC discusses N. Korea situations, vows efforts to stop tensions

South Korea's top national security officials agreed Thursday, during their weekly meeting, to continue efforts to prevent inter-Korean tensions from escalating, Cheong Wa Dae said. In the session of the National Security Council standing committee, members discussed the situations related to North Korea. President Moon Jae-in and his security aides have been trying to figure out the background of the unpredictable communist neighbor's recent moves toward the South. Earlier this month, it de

June 25, 2020

Seoul mayor proposes virus prevention talks with N. Korea

The mayor of South Korea's capital on Thursday suggested holding a dialogue with North Korea on disease control and prevention amid the ongoing new coronavirus pandemic that has infected more than 9 million worldwide. "Seoul has so far shared its disease containment expertise and medical supplies not just with our sister cities but also with other cities around the world. Then, there is no reason why we cannot share them with our brother country, North Korea," Seoul Mayor Park Won-so

June 25, 2020

N. Korea's decision to suspend military action plans against S. Korea 'positive' sign: official

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's recent decision to suspend military action plans against South Korea is a "positive sign," a unification ministry official said Thursday, hoping that it could serve as a starting point for easing tensions and improving cross-border relations. Kim held a preliminary meeting of the ruling party's Central Military Commission on Tuesday and decided to call off military action plans that North Korea had taken against South Korea in anger over the sending

June 25, 2020

NK stresses ideological education of youth

North Korea on Thursday stressed the need for ideological education and patriotism of the youth instead of blasting the US, like it often did before, on the 70th anniversary of the Korean War. The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the North’s Workers’ Party, warned against the younger generation being influenced by Western culture or ideology. “Our awareness of social class is not innate or inherited … we should do our best to educate our youth on ideology and

June 25, 2020

[Korean War Anniversary] The path two Koreas have taken since war

Thursday marks the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War. Now, military tension is still palpable on the Korean Peninsula, seven decades on.  Last week, Pyongyang demolished a liaison office that stood as a symbol of improved inter-Korean ties, worrying many here that several years of progress toward detente could so quickly be undone.  While a big question mark hangs over the direction the two Koreas are heading now, one thing history shows is that relations between th

June 25, 2020

US says N. Korea has failed to take action for past support of terrorism

WASHINGTON -- The US State Department accused North Korea on Wednesday of failing to take action for its past support of international terrorism. In its annual Country Reports on Terrorism, the department said the US redesignated North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism in November 2017 after determining that the North Korean government "repeatedly" provided support for acts of international terrorism. In particular, it cited North Korea's implication in "assassination on fo

June 25, 2020

US remains focused on denuclearizing N. Korea: Pentagon official

WASHINGTON -- The United States remains focused on denuclearizing North Korea amid Pyongyang's increased provocations against Seoul, a senior Pentagon official said Wednesday. David Helvey, acting assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, said the North's recent actions underscored the importance of maintaining a strong readiness posture between Washington and Seoul, with Pyongyang threatening to take military action before suspending such plans on Wednesday. "Kor

June 25, 2020

S. Korean, US defense chiefs urge N. Korea to abide by peace agreements

Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper on Thursday urged North Korea to abide by landmark 2018 agreements the communist nation signed for peace on the Korean Peninsula. In a joint statement marking the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War, Jeong and Esper also said they will continue to back diplomacy for the complete denuclearization of North Korea and reaffirmed their commitment to maintain a firm combined defense posture. "Both

June 25, 2020