US envoy en route to Vietnam ahead of N. Korea summit

The US special envoy for North Korea is traveling to Hanoi on Tuesday to prepare for next week's summit between the two countries' leaders, the State Department said.Special Representative Stephen Biegun is en route to the Vietnamese capital, the host of the second meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un planned for Feb. 27 and 28, the department's deputy spokesperson, Robert Palladino, said. (Yonhap)"He'll be continuing the United States' preparations for t

Feb. 20, 2019

Moon offers to ease US burden in talks with NK

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday highlighted possible role Seoul could play in giving North Korea corresponding measures in negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington. In a telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump, the two leaders discussed the upcoming US-North Korea summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, and ways for the allies to cooperate on the issue. President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump. Cheong Wa Dae“President Moon Jae-in conveyed (the idea of) using South Korea’s role i

Feb. 19, 2019

Koreas slow in enforcing military accord amid focus on Hanoi summit

South and North Korea appear to have struggled to move forward their 2018 military accord aimed at reducing tensions and building trust amid a lack of progress in denuclearization and a focus on a second summit between Washington and Pyongyang, observers said Tuesday.Since the beginning of this year, the two Koreas have held few talks over the implementation of the accord, in stark contrast to fast progress in the first three months after their defense chiefs signed it in September.Pyongyang has

Feb. 19, 2019

N. Korea, US look set for Hanoi talks on summit agenda

North Korea's envoy for the United States arrived in Beijing on Tuesday apparently on his way to Hanoi for talks on the agenda of an upcoming summit between leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump.Kim Hyok-chol, special representative for US affairs of the State Affairs Commission, is expected to visit the Vietnamese capital to meet with his American counterpart, Stephen Biegun, to nail down the details of what will be discussed in the second meeting between Trump and Kim in Hanoi on Fe

Feb. 19, 2019

US, N. Korea seriously mull exchange of liaison officers: CNN

The United States and North Korea are seriously considering an exchange of liaison officers, CNN reported Monday, as the leaders of the two nations prepare for a second summit next week in Vietnam.The first step forward in establishing new US-North Korea ties could be the exchange of officers, the US broadcaster said, citing two high-level diplomatic sources.Establishing new bilateral relations was one of the commitments made by US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at th

Feb. 18, 2019

Moon says Mount Kumgang tours will be first economic project with N. Korea

The suspended tourism program to North Korea's Mount Kumgang will likely be the first to be resumed in a post-sanctions era, President Moon Jae-in said Monday, while also asking the country's Buddhist leaders to consider resuming an exchange program with their North Korean peers.In a meeting with the country's top religious leaders, the president said the resumption of a temple stay program at a North Korean Buddhist temple in Mount Kumgang may help restart the people's exchange with the North.

Feb. 18, 2019

NK facing 'historic turning point' in reference to Trump summit: Rodong Sinmun

North Korea is facing a "historic turning point," the country's main newspaper said Monday, in an apparent reference to next week's summit between leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump.The Rodong Sinmun made the comment as it called for greater economic development efforts."Our country is facing a historic turning point," the Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the North's ruling party, said in a commentary. "It is time for us to tighten our shoe strings and run fast, looking for a higher tar

Feb. 18, 2019

US expert calls for different yardstick to measure success of Trump-Kim summit

An American expert called for a different yardstick to measure the success of next week's summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, insisting that the US policy objective is not denuclearization but peace on the Korean Peninsula.The argument from Daniel DePetris, a fellow at the Defense Priorities think tank, appears in part to be aimed at shielding Trump from possible criticism he could face if the Feb. 27-28 summit in Vietnam's Hanoi doesn't yield concrete r

Feb. 18, 2019

N. Korea says Pyongyang-Washington ties primed for breakthrough

A North Korean propaganda website claimed Sunday that Pyongyang-Washington ties could experience "a major breakthrough," with the second summit between the two countries fast approaching.(Yonhap)Meari touched upon progress that the two Koreas have made over the past year or so and added, "There's no reason North Korea-US relations can't have a major breakthrough, as we have seen in inter-Korean relations."The site also said North Korea has not built or tested nuclear weapons of late, nor does it

Feb. 17, 2019

Experts rule out possibility of key agenda shift in US-NK summit

Analysts here have downplayed the possibility that the US might only seek to avoid a nuclear attack from North Korea directed at the country during their upcoming summit, following US President Donald Trump’s remarks that he is not in a rush to denuclearize North Korea.While taking credit for averting a war with Pyongyang, Trump said he expects the second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, slated for Feb. 27-28 in Vietnam, to as successful as the first, where the two leaders had pledge

Feb. 17, 2019

NK official checks areas surrounding Samsung smartphone factory in Vietnam

A senior North Korean official is believed to have looked around areas near a smartphone factory in Vietnam owned by South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics Co., sources said Sunday.The move is prompting speculation that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may seek to visit the Samsung factory when he travels to Vietnam for his second summit with US President Donald Trump. Kim Chang-son (Yonhap)Kim Chang-son, known as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's de facto chief of staff, and other officials

Feb. 17, 2019

NK official arrives in Hanoi ahead of 2nd Trump-Kim summit

A close aide to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived in Hanoi on Saturday, a source said, ahead of the planned second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim.According to the source, a delegation of North Korean officials led by Kim Chang-son, chief secretary of the North Korean Secretariat of the State Affairs Commission, arrived at Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport at around 10:45 a.m. via a China Southern Airlines plane from Guangzhou.Kim Chang-son, chief secretary of the No

Feb. 16, 2019

North Koreans pay tribute to Kim's father in freezing cold

The Day of the Shining Star dawned bitterly cold in Pyongyang. But thousands of North Koreans lined up in temperatures of minus 8 degrees Celsius on Saturday to pay their respects to late leader Kim Jong Il on his birthday.Kim, the son of the isolated North's founder Kim Il Sung and the father and predecessor of current leader Kim Jong Un, was born on February 16.According to Pyongyang's orthodoxy, he came into the world in 1942, in a snow-covered hut at a secret camp on the slopes of Mount Paek

Feb. 16, 2019

What North Korea could learn from Vietnam

Vietnam is more than a convenient neutral site for the second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, which is slated for later this month. The Southeast Asian nation is being held up as a model for what Kim’s isolated country could become if he adopts sweeping market reforms. It’s an especially apt comparison, one which Kim himself reportedly noted last year -- but not necessarily for the reasons you might think.The choice facing Kim at the Hanoi summit

Feb. 16, 2019

Close aide of N. Korean leader arrives in Beijing ahead of 2nd Trump-Kim summit

A close aide to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived in Beijing and may be en route to Hanoi, a source in Beijing said Friday, ahead of the planned second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim. A delegation of 12 North Korean officials, led by Kim Chang-son, who is known as the North Korean leader's de facto chief of staff, arrived at Beijing Capital International Airport at around 6:20 p.m. via an Air China plane from Pyongyang. The North Korean officials were on the list of pas

Feb. 15, 2019

North Korea capable of tracking, targeting satellites: US report

North Korea possesses the capabilities to track and target satellites, posing a challenge to other militaries, the US Department of Defense said in a recent report.According to the report published Monday by the US Defense Intelligence Agency, “Challenges to Security in Space,” North Korea is among countries that pose a challenge to militaries using space-enabled services.  (Yonhap)“Iran and North Korea maintain independent space launch capabilities, which can serve as avenues for testing ballis

Feb. 15, 2019

Experts urge thorough preparations ahead of US-N. Korea summit

Diplomacy experts are expressing skepticism about the upcoming summit between the leaders of the US and North Korea, casting doubt on whether it will bring concrete progress toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. At a recent meeting, some questioned whether the North would offer “measurable specifics” and warned that the US might take “an imprudent step” due to inadequate preparation. “Fundamentally, we’re not prepared,” said Kurt Campbell, chairman of the Asia Group, at the inaugural

Feb. 15, 2019

Pompeo says he expects Trump, Kim to discuss end-of-war declaration

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday that he expects President Donald Trump to discuss the possibility of formally ending the 1950-53 Korean War at his next summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.Trump and Kim are scheduled to meet in Hanoi, Vietnam, Feb. 27-28 to discuss the dismantling of North Korea's nuclear weapons program in exchange for US security guarantees. (AP/Yonhap)An end-of-war declaration is a key concession North Korea has demanded in return for the denuclearizati

Feb. 15, 2019

Doubt lingers in US over NK process

US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s views on North Korea’s true intentions have raised questions about the denuclearization process, with less than two weeks until the second US-North Korea summit. In a meeting with South Korean lawmakers, including National Assembly Speaker Rep. Moon Hee-sang and floor leaders of ruling and opposition parties on Tuesday, Pelosi reportedly directly refuted North Korea and the Trump administration’s claims on denuclearization. US President Donald T

Feb. 14, 2019

Vietnamese foreign minister ends Pyongyang trip for summit preparations

Vietnam's top diplomat wrapped up his visit to North Korea on Thursday apparently meant to discuss issues related to leader Kim Jong-un's upcoming trip to the Southeast Asian nation.Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, who doubles as Vietnam's deputy prime minister, arrived at a Beijing international airport on an Air Koryo flight from Pyongyang. (Yonhap)He's apparently in transit back to Vietnam following a three-day trip to the North's capital, where he reportedly had meetings with Foreign Ministe

Feb. 14, 2019