Denuclearizing North Korea is ‘lengthy process’: Pompeo

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday said negotiating with North Korea over its nuclear program is a “lengthy process,” amid concerns in Washington over stalled denuclearization talks with Pyongyang. In an interview with a Kansas-based radio network, Pompeo said improving inter-Korean relations should move “in parallel” with progress on denuclearization, and establishing a working group with South Korea aims to serve that purpose. Talks between Washington and Pyongyang have stalled since

Nov. 26, 2018

Seoul needs to reassure NK denuclearization is right way to go

South Korea should show North Korea possible economic incentives it could get in exchange for giving up its nuclear program so as to reassure Pyongyang that denuclearization is the right way to go, the unification minister said Monday."It is necessary for us to show that we are actually moving in that direction so as to reassure that denuclearization is the right way to go," Cho Myoung-gyon told a local meeting in Seoul, referring to a possibility of economic development that would follow the No

Nov. 26, 2018

IAEA gearing up for verification work on NK nukes: official

The International Atomic Energy Agency has continued preparations for an "essential role" in the denuclearization process on the Korean Peninsula, encouraged by a round of recent talks involving Pyongyang, a senior agency official said Monday."Regarding the DPRK nuclear issue ... we have intensified our effort since last year to announce the agency's readiness to play an essential role in verifying the DPRK nuclear program if the political agreement is reached among countries concerned," Massimo

Nov. 26, 2018

Joint survey of Han River's waterway to be completed next month

The two Koreas have completed nearly 80 percent of their inspection of the Han River's waterway and are set to complete the process by Dec. 11, a state-run research institute said Monday.A 20-member team has conducted the hydrographic survey of the mouth of the Han River since Nov. 5 and has completed 77 percent of the 660 kilometer route, the Korea Hydrographic and Oceanographic Agency said. (Yonhap)They have measured the waterway every 500 meters and discovered 16 reefs that haven't been regis

Nov. 26, 2018

Koreas in talks to launch joint railway inspection this week

South and North Korea are in talks to launch a joint railway inspection this week as part of efforts to modernize and eventually connect railway systems of the two Koreas over their border, the unification ministry said Monday."The government has a stance to seek inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation within the framework of global sanctions," Baik Tae-hyun, a ministry spokesman, told a regular press briefing. (Yonhap)"And relevant preparations are underway in order to make a (railway) joint sur

Nov. 26, 2018

Pyongyang slams Seoul over UN human rights resolution

A North Korean propaganda website lambasted South Korea on Sunday for the latter's participation in adopting a new UN human rights resolution against its regime, saying that it runs counter to the improvement of inter-Korean relations.On November 15, a United Nations committee adopted a resolution calling for accountability for gross human rights violations in North Korea. (Yonhap)The UN Third Committee, which oversees humanitarian issues, passed the document by consensus without a vote. It is e

Nov. 25, 2018

NK’s economy likely to decline futher in 2019, but variables exist

With North Korea expressing its willingness to denuclearize at the landmark summit with the US in June, many thought that it would be a matter of time before the sanctions layered against the regime were lifted. Fast forward almost some five months later, the US-led pressure campaign has only grown stronger, continuing to choke the North economically.  North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (far right) gives field guidance at Taegwan Glass Factory in North Pyongan Province, North Korea, Rodong Sinmun r

Nov. 25, 2018

US boosts momentum for nuclear talks through sanctions exemption

The US decision to grant an exemption to UN sanctions for a joint study on modernizing and reconnecting inter-Korean railways hinted at what the future holds for North Korea should it take steps to denuclearize, experts said Sunday.　South Korea received a sanctions exemption from the United Nations Security Council, allowing the South to bring fuel and other equipment into the North for a joint survey of inter-Korean railroads, according to the Foreign Ministry. 　South Korea also secured support

Nov. 25, 2018

US sought secret high-level talks with Koreas in 1979: documents

The United States pushed for high-level talks with South and North Korea on reducing military tensions in the late 1970s, declassified diplomatic documents showed Sunday.The Jimmy Carter administration picked Jakarta as the venue for the planned trilateral meeting of senior officials. It's "particularly convenient to all three parties, since each has official representation in the capital which can serve to support delegations for tripartite talks," according to a diplomatic cable. A copy of a d

Nov. 25, 2018

N. Korean soprano plans to visit Jeju for joint concert with S. Korean violinist: source

A North Korean soprano plans to visit the southern resort island of Jeju next month for a joint concert with a South Korean violinist as part of a project to promote reconciliation between the two sides, a source familiar with the matter said Sunday.The North's singer, Kim Song-mi, agreed to hold the concert with South Korean violinist Won Hyung-joon, chief artistic director of Seoul-based Lindenbaum Music, at the Jeju Arts Center on Dec. 30, according to the source. Won Hyung-joon (Yonhap)The a

Nov. 25, 2018

S. Korean fishing boat apprehended unlawfully by NK military in early Nov.: Coast Guard

The Coast Guard said Friday that a South Korean fishing boat was apprehended earlier this month by the North Korean military in South Korean waters in the East Sea.According to the East Regional Headquarters of the Korea Coast Guard, the boat was in an area where fishing is restricted when its crew was approached by seven North Korean guards in a rubber dinghy around 5:45 p.m. on Nov. 3. The fishing boat had embarked from Hupo Port in Uljin, North Gyeongsang Province, to haul up the fishing net

Nov. 23, 2018

Minister says inter-Korean railway study can start as early as this month

South Korea's unification minister said Friday that Seoul and Pyongyang may be able to start their field study on railways as early as this month to modernize and eventually connect them across their border.During a parliamentary session, Cho Myoung-gyon voiced optimism for Seoul's efforts to get UN sanctions exemptions for the railway study that has been put on hold since the UN Command blocked a passage of materials needed for it in the North in August, citing procedural problems."Now, what is

Nov. 23, 2018

N. Korean, Russian diplomats agree on need for 'phased, synchronized approach' to nuclear issue

A senior North Korean diplomat handling denuclearization negotiations with the United States met with Russia's ambassador to Pyongyang, and the two sides agreed on the need to solve "existing problems on the basis of a phased, synchronized approach," the Russian mission said Friday.During the meeting held on Thursday, the North's Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui and Russian Ambassador Alexander Matsegora "exchanged opinions on the situation on the Korean peninsula in the light of the DPRK-USA

Nov. 23, 2018

IAEA calls on North Korea to re-admit nuclear inspectors

VIENNA (AP) — The head of the UN’s atomic watchdog on Thursday called on North Korea to allow inspectors back into the country to monitor its nuclear program.Speaking at a board meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Director General Yukiya Amano noted that Pyongyang had in September talked about denuclearization measures including the “permanent dismantlement of the nuclear facilities in Yongbyon” — a reactor where it produces plutonium.Amano said there has been activity observed at

Nov. 23, 2018

Koreas agree to actively cooperate over modernizing direct phone lines

South and North Korea agreed Friday to actively cooperate in modernizing underground cables set up across the border village of Panmunjom for direct communication lines, Seoul's unification ministry said.They held working-level talks at the joint liaison office in the North's border city of Kaesong, focusing on replacing the current copper phone cables with fiber-optic ones. (Yonhap)"The two sides decided to continue consultations over related concrete issues," the ministry said in a statement.C

Nov. 23, 2018

N. Korea blasts US again for sticking to sanctions

North Korea accused the United States on Friday of an "inhumane act" of imposing sanctions even on school supplies and toys for children in the communist nation, the latest in a series of criticism seen as a call for easing such restrictions amid stalled denuclearization talks.Uriminjokkiri, the North's external propaganda website, said that the US has completely blocked the North's trade and economic exchanges with the rest of the world with reckless sanctions, and even committed such an "inhum

Nov. 23, 2018

Inter-Korean rail survey expected soon, top nuclear envoy says

South Korea's top nuclear envoy struck an upbeat note Thursday on the planned field survey of inter-Korean railways as he returned from a trip to the United States.Lee Do-hoon, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, also voiced optimism about the possibility of high-level talks between Pyongyang and Washington.South Korea's top nuclear envoy, Lee Do-hoon (Yonhap)He led the inaugural "working group" talks with Stephen Biegun, the US point man on Pyongyang, in Wash

Nov. 22, 2018

Inter-Korean summit expected in near future: spy agency

South Korea's spy agency said Thursday an inter-Korean summit will be held "in the near future," adding Seoul is pushing to organize the meeting south of the border.The National Intelligence Service (NIS) made the comment during a general meeting of the National Assembly's Intelligence Committee. The meeting was held behind closed doors, and Liberty Korea Party Rep. Lee Eun-jae, who serves on the committee, briefed reporters afterward. Suh Hoon, director of the National Intelligence Service, pre

Nov. 22, 2018

Sweden raises alarm over sanctions’ impact on NK human rights

Sweden’s UN envoy on Wednesday raised concerns that human rights conditions in North Korea are worsening due to sanctions on the country, calling for exemptions for selected items. Although humanitarian aid for North Korean citizens are exempt from current sanctions, banking and customs restrictions hamper aid efforts, Sweden’s UN envoy Olof Skoog told reporters following a briefing by the sanctions committee and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Permanent Representativ

Nov. 22, 2018

Kim Jong Who? South Korea revamps the way students study North Korea

A year of warming relations between North and South Korea has raised the prospects of closer ties, if not some form of unification for the still-warring neighbors far in the future. But it might not be obvious in a typical South Korean classroom.“I really don’t know anything,” 17-year-old student Roh Ha-na said. “It’s like only twice a year that the school teaches about unification and national security, and about North Korean life... but I just let most of it go in one ear and out the other.”Th

Nov. 22, 2018