North Korea boat collides with Japan sea patrol; 60 crew rescued

TOKYO (AFP) -- Around 60 members of a North Korean fishing boat were rescued Monday after it sank following a collision with a Japanese patrol vessel, local media said.The North Korean ship -- believed to illegally fishing in Japanese waters -- capsized after the collision, the coast guard said.Satoshi Kuwahara, a Japanese fisheries agency official, told reporters the patrol boat Okuni had earlier warned the North Korean vessel to leave the area.All of the estimated 60 crew members aboard the No

Oct. 8, 2019

N. Korea's deployment of new SLBM would take years: Seoul's defense agency chief

North Korea would need several more years to operationally deploy a recently tested new submarine-launched ballistic missile, the chief of South Korea's defense development agency said Monday.Last week, North Korea claimed to have successfully conducted a test-firing of what it claimed was its "new-type SLBM Pukguksong-3" missile from waters off its eastern coast town of Wonsan, according to the North's Korean Central News Agency.  "It was the first time that the new version

Oct. 7, 2019

North Korea says future of nuclear talks depends on US

North Korea said Monday that it is up to the US to decide whether to hold follow-up nuclear talks with the regime, warning unpreparedness could lead to “terrible consequences” after claiming their working-level meeting in Sweden had broken down. Resorting to harsh language, North Korea’s top nuclear envoy Kim Myong-gil expressed his frustration at not making progress during his meeting with the US delegation -- headed by US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun

Oct. 7, 2019

[Newsmaker] Entire North Korean crew of fishing boat that collided with

All of the roughly 60 North Korean crew on board a fishing boat that sank after colliding with a Japanese patrol ship in the East Sea early Monday were rescued, Japanese media said. The collision took place at around 9 a.m. in waters some 350 kilometers northwest of the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, NHK and Kyodo News reported. As the fishing boat began to sink, the North Korean crew jumped into the water before Japanese patrol and maritime safety authorities arrived alongside the vesse

Oct. 7, 2019

N. Korea rules out talks with US until withdrawal of anti-North Korea policy

 North Korea said Sunday it does not have any willingness to talk with the United States again until Washington takes "practical measures for complete and irreversible withdrawal of hostile policy against" Pyongyang after their working-level talks broke down in Stockholm. In a statement carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency, the North's foreign ministry blamed Washington for "abusing" the US-North Korea talks for their own domestic politics and added

Oct. 6, 2019

US, North Korea face uphill battle in nuke talks

The US and North Korea struggled to make headway in their working-level nuclear talks over the weekend, with Pyongyang blaming Washington for lacking a new proposal. Delegations from the US and North Korea held a meeting that lasted over eight hours in Stockholm on Saturday, to revive nuclear diplomacy that has stalled since US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ended their second summit without a deal in Hanoi, Vietnam, in February. Shortly after the meeting, North

Oct. 6, 2019

US-NK nuclear talks end in conflicting assessments

WASHINGTON/SEOUL (Yonhap) -- The United States and North Korea ended working-level denuclearization negotiations in Sweden on Saturday, with the North declaring a breakdown of talks and the US characterizing the discussions as "good."Negotiators from the two sides met in Stockholm to resume denuclearization talks that had stalled since the collapse of February's second summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.Kim Myong-gil, the North's chief negotiat

Oct. 6, 2019

US, NK resume nuclear talks in Sweden after months-long hiatus

The United States and North Korea resumed working-level nuclear talks in Sweden on Saturday after a monthslong hiatus, amid cautious optimism and lingering skepticism over the prospects of a compromise.The talks marked their first formal negotiation since February's summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Hanoi collapsed due to gaps over the scope of Pyongyang's denuclearization and Washington's compensation.US Special Representative for North Korea Stephe

Oct. 5, 2019

U.S., N. Korea to resume working-level nuclear talks in Sweden

Korea were set to resume working-level nuclear talks in Sweden on Saturday, after their preliminary meeting the previous day.  The talks will mark their first formal negotiation since February's summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Hanoi ended without a deal due to differences over the scope of Pyongyang's denuclearization and Washington's compensation.  The countries' deputy delegation chiefs -- Mark Lambert of the U.S. and Kwon J

Oct. 5, 2019

S. Korea paying close attention to US-NK nuke talks: ambassador

WASHINGTON -- South Korea is paying close attention to the outcome of this weekend's denuclearization negotiations between the United States and North Korea, while maintaining communication with Washington, Seoul's top envoy here said Friday.Ambassador Cho Yoon-je made the remark at an annual parliamentary audit of the South Korean Embassy in Washington, noting that the U.S. and North Korea are scheduled to resume working-level denuclearization talks in Sweden Saturday."(We are) paying clos

Oct. 5, 2019

UN Security Council to meet Tuesday on North Korea launches

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The UN Security Council will hold closed consultations Tuesday on North Korea's recent ballistic missile launches, diplomats said Thursday.Britain, France and Germany called for a council meeting following the recent series of missile launches, which are a violation of UN sanctions.The council session will take place following Saturday's meeting of US and North Korean officials in Stockholm. It will be the first US-North Korean meeting since talks broke down in February at

Oct. 4, 2019

US says NK test was of short to medium range ballistic missile, fired from sea-based platform

The US Joint Chiefs of Staff said Thursday that North Korea's latest test was of a short to medium range ballistic missile, which was fired from a sea-based platform.JCS spokesman Air Force Col. Patrick Ryder told reporters there was no indication the missile on Wednesday was launched from a submarine, but declined to provide other details.The comments come after North Korea said it successfully tested a new submarine-launched ballistic missile off its east coast, "usher(ing) in a new phase

Oct. 4, 2019

N. Korea's chief envoy arrives in Sweden for nuke talks with US

North Korea's chief nuclear negotiator arrived in Stockholm Thursday to resume working-level denuclearization negotiations with the United States this weekend.Kim Myong-gil and his delegation arrived at Stockholm Arlanda Airport around 5:40 p.m. on a flight from Beijing. They left the airport shortly after through the VIP hall instead of the main arrivals gate.The US chief negotiator, Stephen Biegun, is also expected to head to the Swedish capital soon. North Korea said earlier that the two side

Oct. 4, 2019

Trump: US will talk to N. Korea soon

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States will be talking to North Korea soon, indicating denuclearization negotiations will go ahead as planned despite the regime's test-firing of a submarine-launched ballistic missile earlier this week.Trump's remarks come as negotiators from the two countries are expected to meet in Sweden this weekend to resume working-level talks on denuclearizing the regime."We'll see," Trump told reporters at the White House when asked if No

Oct. 4, 2019

North Korea’s nuclear negotiators head to Sweden after successful SLBM launch

North Korea said Thursday its testing of a new submarine-launched ballistic missile was successful -- touting it as a significant milestone in strengthening its self-defense -- even as its nuclear negotiating team headed to Sweden for working-level talks with the US. Its state news agency KCNA said that the Pukguksong-3 missile was test-fired at a high angle in the waters off Wonsan, a military base used for previous missile launches, and was designed to contain external threats. “The succ

Oct. 3, 2019

NK top nuke envoy arrives in Beijing possibly on way to talks with US

North Korea's chief nuclear negotiator arrived in Beijing on Thursday for a possible trip to Sweden for the envisioned denuclearization talks with the United States. The four-member North Korean delegation led by Kim Myong-gil was spotted at Beijing International Capital Airport upon arrival from Pyongyang on an Air Koryo flight.The officials are forecast to leave for the Swedish capital of Stockholm later in the day, as they were confirmed to have reserved Air China tickets bound for the city.

Oct. 3, 2019

US mulls giving North Korea 36-month reprieve on sanctions

The United States plans to offer a 36-month suspension of some sanctions on North Korea in exchange for shutting down the Yongbyon nuclear facility, according to a report by US online media Vox on Wednesday.The proposal is reportedly being considered for discussions between both countries when they meet for working-level talks this weekend.Vox also reported that US President Donald Trump promised North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during their meeting at Panmunjom in June that he would sign a decla

Oct. 3, 2019

N. Korea gives no advance notice of SLBM test to intl. agency

North Korea failed to give prior notice to the international maritime body ahead of testing a mid-range submarine-launched ballistic missile this week, the Voice of America reported Thursday.On Wednesday, North Korea fired what it claimed as the "new-type SLBM Pukguksong-3" SLBM in waters off its eastern coast town of Wonsan, according to the North's Korean Central News Agency. The missile flew around 450 kilometers at a maximum altitude of about 910 km, according to Seoul's Joint Chie

Oct. 3, 2019

N. Korea says it successfully test-fired new-type SLBM

North Korea said Thursday that it has successfully test-fired a new-type submarine-launched ballistic missile, boasting that the success "ushered in a new phase" in its self-defense capabilities just two days before resuming nuclear talks with the United States.The North's Academy of Defence Science succeeded in test-firing the "new-type SLBM Pukguksong-3" in the waters off Wonsan Bay of the East Sea on Wednesday morning, the Korean Central News Agency said, adding that the m

Oct. 3, 2019

North Korean projectile could be submarine-launched ballistic missile

An unidentified projectile fired into the East Sea by North Korea on Wednesday appears to be a submarine-launched ballistic missile, South Korean authorities said, raising the possibility that Pyongyang’s missile capabilities may be improving. Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected Pyongyang’s firing of an unidentified ballistic missile in the waters off the northern part of Wonsan, North Korea’s Kangwon Province, toward the East Sea at 7:11 a.m.While further anal

Oct. 2, 2019