Defector suggests NK pushing for constitutional amendment for leader Kim

A high-profile North Korean defector suggested Monday that North Korea may be pushing for an amendment to its Constitution in a way that will stipulate that its leader Kim Jong-un is the official head of state.Thae Yong-ho, a former deputy North Korean ambassador to Britain, raised the theory on his blog in light of the result of Pyongyang's latest rubber-stamp parliamentary elections that ended with Kim holding no post at all.  Thae Yong-ho (Yonhap)North Korea held nationwide polls on March 10

March 18, 2019

Minister: US seeks 'big picture' master plan to handle NK's nuclear, missile programs

South Korea's top diplomat said Monday the United States wants a deal with North Korea on a "big picture" roadmap to get rid of its nuclear and missile programs.On the other hand, in the Hanoi talks held in late February, Pyongyang limited its immediate denuclearization steps to the Yongbyon nuclear complex, according to Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha.She was talking about why the two sides failed to reach an agreement in their second summit."Both the US and South Korea think that a comprehensi

March 18, 2019

Sanctions hinder humanitarian efforts in North Korea

Humanitarian activities for millions of hungry and sick people in North Korea are at risk of being scaled back due to economic sanctions and donor fatigue amid nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang that struggle to make tangible progress.One of the world’s poorest countries, with over 43 percent of the population undernourished, the North’s food production touched its lowest point in 10 years last year. A North Korean paediatrician counsels mothers in Jongju City Hospital about care for

March 18, 2019

Trump hopes to resolve NK issue through negotiation: Bolton

US national security adviser John Bolton said on Sunday that US President Donald Trump hoped to resolve the North Korean situation through negotiations, but warned Pyongyang against resuming weapons development. Speaking in an interview with a New York-based station on Sunday (US time), Bolton said Trump was committed to dialogue.  John Bolton. Yonhap“President Trump wants to see this threat resolved through negotiations,” Bolton said. “He’s made a number of proposals to Kim Jong-un, it hasn’t w

March 18, 2019

NK newspaper calls for provincial counties to develop economies on their own

North Korea's main newspaper called on provincial counties Monday to play greater roles in boosting regional economies as international sanctions on the communist nation showed no signs of easing amid a deadlock in nuclear talks with the United States.The Rodong Sinmun newspaper said in a commentary that if counties make the best use of their potentials, they would be able to resolve the problems they face in their economic development efforts on their own and contribute to development of the na

March 18, 2019

US and N. Korea will not return to past days of conflict and confrontation: Seoul official

The United States and North Korea have made too much progress over the past year in their nuclear talks to return to where they were before negotiations started, a high-ranking official of the presidential office said Sunday.His outlook comes amid growing uncertainty after North Korea threatened to quit nuclear talks with Washington following the breakdown of the summit between their leaders last month in Hanoi."North Korea and the US never want to go back to the days of conflict and confrontati

March 17, 2019

N. Korea, Russia agree to bolster 'high-level contact,' cooperation in various areas

North Korea and Russia have agreed to strengthen "high-level contact" and intensify cooperation on the economy and in humanitarian and various other fields, Pyongyang's state news agency reported Sunday.The agreement was reached during a meeting in Moscow on Thursday between North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Im Chon-il and his Russian counterpart, Igor Morgulov, according to the Korean Central News Agency. (Yonhap)"Both sides agreed to boost high-level contact and exchange in the political fiel

March 17, 2019

Former German FM says to visit N. Korea

Former German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel has announced on Twitter that he will visit North Korea this month amid a standoff over North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.Gabriel posted in the early hours of Friday morning that he would like to get an impression of North Korea, although he did not provide any specific time frame for his visit. (AP)The announcement came as North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui said Pyongyang is rethinking whether it will continue nuclear talks wit

March 17, 2019

Sanctions on NK causing ‘unintended consequences’ on humanitarian projects: UN report

A recent United Nations report on sanctions on North Korea details not only how the restrictions are implemented and evaded, but also highlights “unintended consequences” they are having on humanitarian programs in the impoverished nation.The annual report, by a panel of experts, also recommended that the UN Security Council committee overseeing sanctions on North Korea review sanctions exemption requests for humanitarian efforts in a “time-bound” manner and the UN carry out an assessment of the

March 17, 2019

No significant activity at N. Korea's nuclear complex, test site: 38 North

Little to no activity is spotted at North Korea's main nuclear facility in Yongbyon and its nuclear testing site in Punggye-ri, a US monitor said Friday.The 5-megawatt reactor and the experimental light water reactor at Yongbyon showed no clear signs of operations, 38 North said on its website, comparing commercial satellite imagery from Feb. 21, March 7 and March 12.The monitor observed dredging operations at the complex, along with what appeared to be a white tanker trailer, a vehicle and a "c

March 16, 2019

N. Korea reconsiders denuclearization talks with US: news reports

North Korea is considering ending talks with the US, a senior North Korean diplomat said Friday. In a press conference for foreign media in Pyongyang, the North’s Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui said Pyongyang had no intention of giving into US demands. (Yonhap)“We have no intention of compromising in any form to the demands of the US,” Choe was quoted as saying in foreign media reports. She also said the US had “lost a golden opportunity” at the US-North Korea summit in Hanoi on Feb. 27 and

March 15, 2019

S. Korea, US resolve sanctions waiver issue for video reunion of separated families: source

South Korea and the United States made progress in their consultations Friday on a temporary sanctions waiver for planned video reunions of separated Korean families, which would allow Seoul to bring related equipment into the communist neighbor, a diplomatic source has said.The two sides held their first "working group" session on pending issues related to North Korea since the unsuccessful Hanoi summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. (Yonhap)In the meeting h

March 15, 2019

North Korea returns US court document on damages for Warmbiers: report

A written judgment from a US court ordering North Korea to pay compensation to the family of Otto Warmbier came back a second time from the North’s Foreign Ministry, a US media outlet said Thursday. A Washington court posted a scanned copy of the written judgment on its online records system and explained that the document it sent to North Korea had been returned due to a “delivery failure,” according to Voice of America. The US District Court for the District of Columbia handed down a verdict i

March 14, 2019

NK Embassy in Spain attackers linked to CIA: report

Spanish police and intelligence have linked an attack on the North Korean Embassy in Madrid on Feb. 22 to the US Central Intelligence Agency, Spain’s daily El Pais reported Wednesday.At least two of the 10 assailants who broke into the embassy, tied up staff and stole computers and cellphones have been identified to have connections to the CIA, according to the newspaper. (AP)The CIA has denied any involvement, but Spanish government sources said their response was “unconvincing,” El Pais said,

March 14, 2019

N. Korean media call for phased denuclearization, urge fight against sanctions scheme

A North Korean media outlet urged the United States on Thursday to accept Pyongyang's offer to dismantle its Yongbyon nuclear facilities in exchange for partial sanctions relief, insisting it is the best-possible proposal at this point.The North put forward the proposal at last month's second summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump, but the US turned it down, saying Pyongyang demanded the lifting of all key sanctions while offering to denuclearize Yongbyon on

March 14, 2019

Japan not drafting UN resolution on N. Korean human rights abuse

The Japanese government announced Wednesday it won't submit a North Korean human rights resolution to a UN panel this month as part of efforts for a quick resolution to the abduction issue.It marks a break from more than a decade of Japan's practice of playing a leading role, along with the European Union, in the adoption of such resolutions against Pyongyang by the 47-member UN Human Rights Council.Tokyo cited a review of all related circumstances, including the results of the Hanoi summit betw

March 13, 2019

S. Korea puts off decision on biz people's request to visit shuttered factory park in N. Korea

The unification ministry on Wednesday put off a decision on whether to allow businesspeople to visit a shuttered inter-Korean industrial complex in North Korea, after the United States reacted negatively to the possibility of resuming such economic projects with Pyongyang.Last week, 179 people asked for government permission for their visit the factory park in the North's border town of Kaesong to check the equipment and facilities they left behind when the complex was closed in 2016 amid nuclea

March 13, 2019

Pompeo calls on N. Korea to act on denuclearization pledge

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on North Korea Tuesday to act on its pledge to dismantle its nuclear weapons program.In an interview in Houston, Texas, where he will attend an energy conference, Pompeo said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had told him face to face "no less than half a dozen times" that he would denuclearize."Now we need to figure out how to do it, how to achieve it," he told KRIV Fox 26 Houston Morning News. (Yonhap)"Our goal is to keep America safe, to keep South Korea

March 13, 2019

Seoul’s mediator role in US-NK relations at critical juncture

President Moon Jae-in once again hopes to bridge the gap between North Korea and the US, but experts say the goal may be too high and room to maneuver too small. Seoul has had a significant role in facilitating the unprecedented level of US-North Korea dialogue seen over the past year. It was Moon’s special envoys to Pyongyang who delivered North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s message to US President Donald Trump in March last year, which was instrumental in initiating subsequent developments betwe

March 12, 2019

NK media stress commitment to ‘complete denuclearization’

North Korean media stated their commitment to “complete denuclearization” nearly two weeks after the US-North Korea summit in Hanoi faltered.A propaganda website called Uriminzokkiri said in an article on Tuesday that it is Pyongyang’s firm stance to establish new relations with Washington, build a lasting and solid “peace regime” on the Korean Peninsula, and move toward complete denuclearization. It did not mention that the summit fell apart without a deal.(Yonhap)It also said the North’s leade

March 12, 2019