Trump says new sanctions on N. Korea weren't necessary

US President Donald Trump said Friday that he decided to stop additional sanctions on North Korea because he didn't think they were necessary at this time.Speaking in a press conference in Florida, Trump seemed to clear up confusion about which measures he was referring to when he announced last week that he had ordered the withdrawal of additional sanctions.Initially, it was thought that he was reversing the Treasury Department's sanctions on two Chinese shipping companies accused of helping th

March 30, 2019

S. Korea to push for NK leader's visit to Seoul for fourth summit with Moon

South Korea will try to realize a visit to Seoul by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for a summit with President Moon Jae-in this year so as to improve cross-border relations and help move the stalled denuclearization process forward, the unification ministry said Friday.The ministry said that it will also try to regularize such inter-Korean summits so as to maintain close communication between the two Koreas in effectively dealing with any cross-border issues. (Yonhap)Those plans are part of the

March 29, 2019

North Korea woos Vietnam tourists after Hanoi summit

HANOI -- North Korean tourism officials on Thursday urged Vietnamese travellers to seize a "golden" opportunity to visit the country following a summit between Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump in Hanoi last month. With an economy crippled by international sanctions, isolated North Korea is keen to boost its nascent tourism sector by attracting more foreign visitors, the bulk of whom currently come from China. A North Korean tourism official said it is prime time for Vietnamese visitors

March 28, 2019

South Korean nuclear envoy to propose ‘phased denuke approach’ to US counterpart

South Korea affirmed its stance on a comprehensive agreement and step-by-step implementation approach for North Korea’s denuclearization process, ahead of ministerial level talks with the US. Before departing for Washington on Thursday, Lee Do-hoon, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said he would discuss ways to rekindle the bilateral dialogue between the US and North Korea with US Special Representative for North Korea Ste

March 28, 2019

[Newsmaker] Human rights advocate among NK embassy attack suspects

One of the suspects behind an attack on the North Korean Embassy in Spain has been revealed to be well-known human rights activist Adrian Hong Chang, according to a news outlet that specializes in North Korea issues. Hong, a Mexican passport holder who lives in the US, is believed to be the leader of a 10-member group that broke into the embassy in Madrid on Feb. 22 and tried to persuade a North Korean commercial attache to defect. The group left him tied up in the basement when he refused and t

March 27, 2019

NK official heads for Laos amid speculation about contact with US

A senior North Korean official left Beijing for Laos on Wednesday amid speculation about the possibility of secret contact with the United States.           Ri Su-yong, who is in charge of international affairs at the North's ruling Workers' Party, arrived in Beijing Tuesday morning for a layover on his way to Laos. Later that day, Pyongyang's state media, Korean Central News Agency, reported Ri's trip to the Southeast Asian country in a one-paragraph dispatch, without elaborating on its purpose

March 27, 2019

Anti-Pyongyang group claims responsibility for raid on NK Embassy in Spain

A mysterious anti-North Korea group has claimed it carried out last month's raid on North Korea's Embassy in Spain and shared some information with the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States.On Feb. 22, a group of unidentified intruders broke into the North Korean Embassy in the Spanish capital, tied embassy staff up, searched the compound and ran away with computers and documents about four hours later, according to news reports. (Yonhap)Spain has issued two international arrest w

March 27, 2019

NK leader guides military meeting in first public activity after elections

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has attended a conference of low-ranking military officers, the North's news agency said Wednesday, in his first public appearance since the elections of the country's rubber-stamp parliament about two weeks ago.Kim guided the fifth meeting of company leaders and political instructors of the Korean People's Army that took place in Pyongyang on Monday and Tuesday, the Korean Central News Agency said. (Yonhap)Attending the meeting was Kim's first public activity rep

March 27, 2019

North Korea-backed hackers intensify information warfare, financial theft

Cyber spies suspected of working for the North Korean regime have broadened attacks against official and corporate targets in South Korea, at a time of raised attention on nuclear negotiations and as its economy suffers from international sanctions. Early morning on Jan. 7, a group of reporters covering South Korea’s ministry in charge of relations with North Korea received a suspicious email carrying malicious code.The malicious email was disguised as an invitation to a press conference to prev

March 26, 2019

Apparent senior N. Korean official visits Beijing

A top North Korean official, believed to be Ri Su-yong, arrived in Beijing on Tuesday, apparently making a stopover on his way to Southeast Asia.Upon reaching a VIP section of the Beijing international airport, the official was greeted by Pyongyang's ambassador here, Ji Jae-ryong, and Chinese communist party officials. He was whisked away in a car, which later arrived at North Korea's embassy. (Yonhap)Diplomatic sources said the figure seems to be Ri, a vice chairman of the ruling Workers' Party

March 26, 2019

Inter-Korean liaison office in operation for 2nd day following NK's return

South and North Korean officials held a regular meeting at their joint liaison office in the North's border town of Kaesong on Tuesday, the unification ministry said, one day after Pyongyang partially returned its staff after an abrupt pullout last week.A total of 63 South Koreans, including nine people who crossed the border into the North earlier in the day, were to stay at the liaison office Tuesday, a ministry official said.  (Yonhap)"Representative liaison officials (from South and North Ko

March 26, 2019

NK leader's close aide heads home after trip to Russia

A close aide to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has headed back to Pyongyang after a trip to Russia amid speculation that Kim could visit Moscow soon for his first summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a source said.Kim Chang-son, known as leader Kim's de facto chief of staff, arrived in Moscow on March 19, by way of Beijing, for a five-day stay in Russia. He stayed there before traveling to Vladivostok in the country's far east on Sunday."The delegation, led by Kim Chang-son, headed to

March 26, 2019

NK sends condolence message to China over chemical factory explosion

North Korea’s No. 2 leader and its premier sent a joint message to Chinese leaders to offer condolences over a deadly explosion at a Chinese chemical factory, Pyongyang’s official news agency said Monday. Kim Yong-nam, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly, and Premier Pak Pong-ju sent the message, dated March 22, to Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Li Zhanshu, chairman of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, over the factory explosion in China’s eastern Jiangsu

March 25, 2019

North Korean officials return to inter-Korean liaison office

North Korean officials have returned to the inter-Korean liaison office, according to a Unification Ministry official on Monday, and things appear to be back to business as usual just days after Pyongyang’s abrupt announcement of the withdrawal of all its staff.“The North Koreans said that they came down (to the liaison office) for the shift as usual,” the official said. (Yonhap)He added that the North expressed unchanged commitment to run the office in accordance with the agreement signed by th

March 25, 2019

North Korea may have had core deciphering computers stolen, says former NK diplomat

North Korean decryption computers may have been stolen from its embassy in Spain in last month’s raid by as-yet unidentified assailants, a high-profile North Korean defector claimed Sunday. Thae Yong-ho, a former deputy North Korean ambassador to UK said on his blog that the group of men who allegedly infiltrated the North Korean Embassy in Madrid may have stolen computers used to communicate with Pyongyang, which would be a harsh blow to the communist regime. “The world is reporting on the atta

March 25, 2019

UN grants sanctions exemption for humanitarian aid to N. Korea

The UN Security Council has granted a sanctions exemption to allow a humanitarian project meant to improve children's health and nutrition in North Korea to move forward, according to the UN website.The exemption, granted on March 14, paves the way for an aid organization, Mennonite Central Committee, to bring items, such as hygiene kits and surgical tools, into North Korea.(Yonhap)The approval raised the total number of humanitarian exemptions related to North Korea currently in effect to 21. T

March 25, 2019

Dozens of S. Korean officials head to joint liaison office after N. Korea's abrupt pullout

Dozens of South Korean officials headed to an inter-Korean liaison office in North Korea on Monday, the unification ministry said, despite Pyongyang's abrupt pullout of its staff from the office last week.Around 40 South Korean officials crossed the western land border on their way to the liaison office in the North's border town of Kaesong, according to the ministry. Together with about two dozen people already there, about 60-70 South Korean officials are expected to staff the office this week

March 25, 2019

S. Korean liaison officials will be at work as usual in N.Korea: ministry

Dozens of South Korean officials will head to the joint inter-Korean liaison office in North Korea for work this week despite Pyongyang's abrupt pullout of its staff there, a related ministry said Sunday.The Ministry of Unification said it has completed consultations with the North's relevant authorities on the entry of the South Korean officials into the compound as usual on Monday."They will leave for work normally tomorrow," a ministry official told reporters.The ministry, which handles daily

March 24, 2019

Speculation grows over NK’s next move

North Korea may be trying a new tack in diplomatic relations, raising questions for the future of inter-Korean relations and denuclearization. On Friday, North Korean officials at the inter-Korean liaison office in Kaesong withdrew from the facility, stating only that they were following orders from higher up. The North also stated that it will not concern itself with South Korean officials remaining at the facility, and that practical matters will be dealt with at a later date. The move came am

March 24, 2019

N. Korean media keeps silence on pullout from liaison office for 3rd day

North Korean media continued to criticize Seoul's low-key stance toward practical cooperation with Pyongyang on Sunday while keeping mum for the third day on its abrupt withdrawal of staff from a liaison office with the South.North Korea pulled out of the inter-Korean liaison office in its border city of Kaesong on Friday without offering any detailed reasons, weeks after a second summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ended without an agreement. (Yonhap)Pyo

March 24, 2019