Revival of six-party talks on North Korea unlikely: experts

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s call for multilateral dialogue to provide an international security guarantee for North Korea has raised the possibility of resuming six-party talks, but experts said this is highly unlikely.The talks involving the two Koreas, the US, China, Russia and Japan began in 2003 in an effort to persuade the North to give up its nuclear ambitions. But the talks collapsed in 2008 mainly because the North denied access to its nuclear facilities. Russia's President Vladim

April 29, 2019

'Robotic' NK weather broadcast shifts to more casual, modern style

North Korea appears to have deviated from its signature stiff recitation of its daily weather broadcast and decided to add some "human touch" to it, as the state television network has revealed some noticeable changes in the style of delivering news.The North's Korean Central Television has begun to air a somewhat different version of its regular weather forecast since last Saturday.  (Yonhap)While it's the same anchorwoman reading the weather news, she's not nearly the same in terms of her gest

April 29, 2019

N. Korean media airs documentary film on Kim-Putin summit

North Korea's state TV has aired a documentary film featuring leader Kim Jong-un's recent trip to Russia for a summit with President Vladimir Putin, highlighting their strong relations amid stalled denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington.The 50-minute-long documentary, aired on the Korean Central TV Broadcasting Station on Sunday night, came a day after Kim returned to North Korea from a trip to Russia's Far East city of Vladivostok last week. He and Putin held their first-ever s

April 29, 2019

Iranian FM to visit North Korea: report

The Iranian foreign minister will visit North Korea soon, Iran's state-run IRNA news agency said Sunday, in the latest sign of growing ties amid US pressure.Mohammad Javad Zarif made the announcement in an interview posted on IRNA's website, though no specific time frame has been given. Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif poses for a portrait following an interview with Reuters in New York, New York, US, Wednesday. (Reuters)The planned visit comes as the United States has pressed North

April 28, 2019

[News Focus] NK-Russia summit casts doubt on ‘top-down’ approach denuclearization talks

The first anniversary of President Moon Jae-in’s initial meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has come and gone, as Seoul faces increasingly complex conditions in dealing with the North. Inter-Korean relations have seen little improvement in recent months, and US-North Korea denuclearization talks have stalled since the failure of the Hanoi summit in February.At the Hanoi event -- Kim’s second meeting with US President Donald Trump -- no agreement was reached, and the two sides have sinc

April 28, 2019

NK media renew calls for self-reliance amid stalled nuke talks with US

North Korea's media outlets on Sunday redoubled calls for "self-reliance" as its nuclear negotiations with the United States remain in limbo, with little progress in its efforts to ease international sanctions.In recent weeks, Pyongyang has been hammering away at the self-reliance campaign, apparently to strengthen national unity amid Washington's hard-line stance in the nuclear negotiations and a lack of substantive headway in key inter-Korean cooperation projects.(Yonhap)In an editorial, the R

April 28, 2019

S. Korea marks first anniv. of Panmunjom summit, without NK presence

South Korea held an event Saturday to mark the first anniversary of last April's inter-Korean summit, in a modest and quiet tone with no participation from North Korea amid the stalled denuclearization talks.Televised live, the ceremony began at 7 p.m, at the southern side of the truce village of Panmunjom, under the theme of "A Long Way, But One That We Must Take," to commemorate the April 27 summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, when they met for the first t

April 28, 2019

N. Korean leader returns home after summit with Putin: KCNA

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un returned home from a trip to Russia after his first summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the North's state media reported Saturday.Kim's special train returned to the North earlier in the day, greeted by people in the country's northeastern province of North Hamgyong, according to the Korean Central News Agency. It did not specify exactly when and where the train arrived."After getting off the train amid the enthusiastic cheering of the masses, Supreme Le

April 28, 2019

North Korean leader returns home after summit with Putin: KCNA

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un returned home from a trip to Russia after his first summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the North's state media reported Saturday.   Kim's special train returned to the North earlier in the day, greeted by people in the country's northeastern province of North Hamgyong, according to the Korean Central News Agency. It did not specify exactly when and where the train arrived.  "After getting off the train amid the enthusiastic cheering of the masses, Supre

April 27, 2019

North Korea urges South Korea to fend off US pressure, warns of renewed tensions

North Korea on Saturday pressed South Korea to ignore pressure from the United States and move ahead with inter-Korean cooperation.   The special message by the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland came as the two Koreas commemorate the first anniversary of the historic Panmunjom summit amid doubts about the denuclearization process.  The US is plainly putting pressure on South Korea, demanding that inter-Korean ties do not outpace Washington's relations with North Korea, t

April 27, 2019

Trump says he appreciates Russia, China for help on North Korea

US President Donald Trump said Friday that he appreciates the help of Russia and China in negotiating the dismantlement of North Korea's nuclear weapons program.   Trump told reporters at the White House that "a lot of progress" is being made with North Korea and that he thinks there is "a lot of excitement" for reaching a deal with the regime.   North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin held their first summit in Russia's Vladivostok on Thursday, some two months after

April 27, 2019

North Korea's Kim says US acting in 'bad faith'

 VLADIVOSTOK, Russia (AFP) - Kim Jong-un has accused the US of acting in "bad faith" in talks on its nuclear arsenal, his state media said Friday, as the North Korean leader left Russia following his first summit with President Vladimir Putin. Kim's armoured train departed the Far Eastern port city of Vladivostok a day after talks that saw Putin back the North's need for "security guarantees" in its standoff with the United States. The official Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim told P

April 26, 2019

NK leader leaves Russia

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un left the Russian city of Vladivostok on Friday, having held his first summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin the previous day. Kim’s train pulled out of Vladivostok at about 2 p.m. (Korean time) following a farewell ceremony. The train’s destination is unknown, but the North Korean leader is expected to head back to Pyongyang. Kim Jong-un (Yonhap)Kim was initially expected to leave the Russian city late at night after touring various military and public faci

April 26, 2019

Moon vows efforts for resuming tourism to N. Korea

President Moon Jae-in said Friday his administration will continue a push to restart a major inter-Korean tour program, as he visited an eastern province bordering North Korea."(The government) will continue to make efforts for the early resumption of the Mount Kumgang tour," he said at the DMZ Museum in Goseong, receiving a briefing on Gangwon Province's campaign for peace-based regional economic growth.  (Yonhap)The joint venture of the two Koreas was launched in 1998 as a symbol of their budd

April 26, 2019

Kim says Korean peace depends on US' attitude

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said peace and security on the Korean Peninsula will entirely depend on Washington's future attitude during his first summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, state media said Friday.In the summit held in Russia's Far East city of Vladivostok on Thursday, Kim blamed Washington's "unilateral" attitude for the breakdown of his February meeting with US President Donald Trump and the current stalemate in denuclearization negotiations, according to the Korean Cent

April 26, 2019

Putin calls for six-way talks for North Korea’s denuclearization

Russian President Vladimir Putin called Thursday for the resumption of six-way talks on North Korea’s denuclearization to move stalled negotiations forward. “If South Korea and the US can offer sufficient measures for (North Korea’s security) guarantee, the six-party talks may not be operated. But the guarantee mechanism from the South and the US does not seem to be sufficient,” he said.He was speaking at a press conference after a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for the first time a

April 25, 2019

Moon says N. Korea-Russia summit to help promote regional peace

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Thursday that the summit between North Korea and Russia is expected to be helpful to a regional peace process.Meeting here with a top aide to President Vladimir Putin, Moon also appreciated Putin's efforts for a political and diplomatic resolution to the Korean Peninsula issue, according to his office, Cheong Wa Dae. President Moon Jae-in (R) shakes hands with Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, at Cheong Wa Dae

April 25, 2019

Putin calls for multilateral security guarantee for N. Korea

VLADIVOSTOK -- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday stressed the need for an "international" security guarantee for North Korea as part of efforts to denuclearize and bring lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.Putin also said that multilateral talks on the North's denuclearization, including long-stalled six-party dialogue, will need to resume at a stage that calls for the development of the multilateral guarantee for the North. (Yonhap)He made the remarks after his first summit with No

April 25, 2019

Inviting NK leader to Korea-ASEAN summit remains open

Inviting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to the South Korea-ASEAN summit remains an open question, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Thursday. Speaking at a meeting with senior leaders of the Asia News Network -- a coalition of 24 news organizations from across Asia -- in Seoul, Moon said the matter is outside of South Korea’s control, and that all the Association of Southeast Asian Nations members would need to agree. President Moon Jae-in addresses members of Asia News Network at a meeti

April 25, 2019

Putin, Kim seek to deepen ties

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held his first talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, reaching out to the country’s traditional ally as nuclear negotiations with the US remain in a stalemate. At 1 p.m., Kim and Putin started a one-on-one session, which was followed by a three-hour extended session with policy staff at Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok, Russia’s Pacific port city.  Russian Presi

April 25, 2019