S. Korea denies report N. Korea informed it of decision to lift asset freeze in Kaesong complex

South Korea denied a media report Thursday that North Korea has provided notification of its decision to lift the freeze on South Korean business assets in a suspended industrial complex in the North's border town of Kaesong. A local newspaper earlier reported that the North informed South Korea of the decision, saying it could signal the resumption of the Kaesong Industrial Complex, which has been mothballed since 2016.  (AP)"The media report that the North informed us of its decision to remove

Oct. 25, 2018

Two Koreas, UNC wrap up JSA disarmament

The two Koreas and the US-led U.N Command on Thursday wrapped up the process of disarming the Joint Security Area in the Demilitarized Zone, Seoul's defense ministry said.As of 1 p.m., they completed the work of withdrawing military posts, armed troops and firearms from the JSA in the buffer zone separating the two Koreas, in line with last month's inter-Korean agreement aimed at reducing tensions, preventing accidental clashes and building mutual trust.On Friday and Saturday, the three sides wi

Oct. 25, 2018

NK newspaper highlights friendly relations with China on war participation anniversary

The Rodong Sinmun newspaper highlighted North Korea's time-honored friendly relations with China on Thursday as the two countries marked the anniversary of China's participation in the 1950-53 Korean War.The official newspaper, an organ of the North's ruling Workers' Party, also said in an editorial that the country still cherishes and thanks China for the sacrifice it made decades ago and remains confident that their bilateral ties will get stronger."On Oct. 25, 1950, our republic was in the mi

Oct. 25, 2018

US position on NK sanctions unchanged as Koreas push railway project: State Dept

WASHINGTON -- The United States has not changed its position that sanctions on North Korea must remain in full force despite the two Koreas' push to reconnect railways and roads across their border, a US government spokesperson said Wednesday.South Korea and North Korea plan to hold a groundbreaking ceremony between late November and early December to reconnect and modernize railways and roads along their eastern and western coasts. (AP)The move comes amid rapid rapprochement between the Koreas,

Oct. 25, 2018

North Korea is not state that can sign treaty with S. Korea: Cheong Wa Dae

Controversy continues to escalate over President Moon Jae-in’s decision to approve a landmark rapprochement agreement with North Korea, with Moon’s office saying that inter-Korean deals are not subject to parliamentary approval under the Constitution. 　Following a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, President Moon ratified the agreements he made with North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, during his visit to Pyongyang last month. They include plans to implement a series of arms-control measures and inter-Korea

Oct. 24, 2018

Kaesong businessmen to visit now-shuttered factory park in NK

The Seoul government is working to earn visitation rights for South Korean businessmen who operated factories at the now-shuttered industrial park in North Korea, an official at the Ministry of Unification said Wednesday, and the trip could come as early as next week.The government is negotiating with the North on the businessmen’s visit to the border town of Kaesong to inspect their properties, Unification Ministry spokesman Baik Tae-hyun told a press briefing.  Kaesong Industrial Complex (Yonh

Oct. 24, 2018

US to decide on Punggye-ri inspection, war-ending declaration in talks with NK: official

WASHINGTON -- The United States will decide whether to inspect the demolition of a North Korean nuclear test site and declare an end to the Korean War in the course of negotiations with the North, a senior South Korean official said Tuesday.North Korean leader Kim Jong-un told US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo earlier this month that he will allow inspectors to visit the test site in Punggye-ri to confirm that it was "irreversibly" dismantled in May.The North has also sought to declare an end to

Oct. 24, 2018

S. Korea seeks high-profile joint military committee with N. Korea

South Korea's defense ministry plans to propose to North Korea that vice minister-level officials head a joint military committee to be formed to carry out a set of tension reduction measures agreed to at last month's summit, officials said Wednesday.The South will put forward details of its offer, including the level of the co-chair of the envisioned panel, when their Army generals meet each other at Panmunjom on Friday."(We) will discuss the formation and operation of the joint military commit

Oct. 24, 2018

S. Korea, US nuclear envoys meet over N. Korea

WASHINGTON -- The top nuclear envoys of South Korea and the United States met in Washington to continue coordination on North Korea's denuclearization, the South Korean side said Tuesday.Lee Do-hoon, Seoul's representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, held talks with US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun Monday. (Yonhap)The two mainly talked about a potential second summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, ongoing negoti

Oct. 24, 2018

UN expert says no change in N. Korea's human rights situation

WASHINGTON -- North Korea's human rights situation has not changed despite its recent diplomatic engagements with South Korea and the United States, a United Nations expert said Tuesday.Speaking to reporters in New York, Tomas Ojea Quintana, the UN special rapporteur on North Korea's human rights, said the issue should not be sidelined in nuclear negotiations between the North, and South Korea and the US. (Yonhap)"North Korea has argued that human rights have been used for political purposes," h

Oct. 24, 2018

Hundreds of Chinese group tourists return to Korean duty-free stores

Hundreds of Chinese group tourists visited major duty-free shops in Seoul on Tuesday on a scale unseen since Beijing's censure of South Korea last year over the deployment of a US anti-missile system on its soil.   Some 820 employees from Chinese cosmetics firm Anya visited a Shilla Duty Free store in Seoul. The Chinese tourists, who arrived in South Korea on Saturday for a five-day trip, also visited Shinsegae Duty Free and SM Duty Free on the same day.   "It is the first time since March of la

Oct. 23, 2018

Transit fees for trans-Korea gas pipeline estimated at over W200b: KOGAS

South Korea may have to pay around 200 billion won ($175.9 million) annually for transit fees to North Korea if it imports Russian natural gas via a trans-Korea pipeline, an estimate by the state-run gas firm showed Tuesday.   The Korea Gas Corp. calculated the transit fees at the request of Rep. Kwak Dae-hoon of the Liberty Korea Party, as the long-sought-after project has reappeared amid a mood of rapprochement on the Korean Peninsula.   KOGAS and Russian gas giant Gazprom have resumed joint s

Oct. 23, 2018

NK among 11 nations that severely violate freedom of religion: EU group

A group of European Parliament members identified North Korea as one of 11 countries where severe violations of freedom of religion or belief occur, in a recently released annual report.The 11 countries named by the European Parliament Intergroup on Freedom of Religion or Belief and Religious Tolerance also include China, Iran, Egypt, Afghanistan and Pakistan. “Article 68 of the North Korean constitution enshrines a ‘right of religion,’ but in practice the government systematically suppresses th

Oct. 23, 2018

NK media report on forestry cooperation talks, but omit results

North Korea’s state media on Tuesday reported on the inter-Korean talks on forestry cooperation, held a day earlier, without mentioning the outcome. The divided Koreas held the meeting on Monday at the recently launched joint liaison office in the North’s border town Kaesong. They agreed to work together to combat pine-tree pests between now and March, with the South providing the necessary chemicals, and to modernize a number of North Korean tree nurseries within this year.“Inter-Korean talks f

Oct. 23, 2018

Changes afoot at JSA

When the Joint Security Area was established in 1953 after the Korean War ended with an armistice agreement, the 800-meter-wide area was the only place where the two Koreas’ soldiers could move freely across the border. The soldiers were allowed to cross the Military Demarcation Line and enter areas under the other side’s control. Private conversations and bartering were frequent until strictly forbidden after the horrendous ax murders of two US soldiers by North Korea in 1976. Boosted by the in

Oct. 23, 2018

S. Korea to extend period for NK defectors to apply for settlement

South Korea will extend the period in which North Korean defectors can apply for settlement here from the current one year to three years as part of efforts to provide them with more support, the unification ministry said Tuesday.Under the current law, defectors could face restrictions in receiving state support, including help related to housing, if they fail to express their intent to settle in South Korea within one year of arrival.The ministry added that it will also provide residence-relate

Oct. 23, 2018

Unification minister to meet NK defectors amid controversy

Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon will meet North Korean defectors this week apparently to assuage their concerns caused by his controversial decision to exclude a defector-turned-journalist from covering recent inter-Korean talks, a ministry official said.His meeting with North Korean defectors from four unidentified organizations will be held Wednesday, according to the official.The meeting will not be open to the public and what will be discussed will not be disclosed either. (Yonhap)"It i

Oct. 23, 2018

President Moon ratifies Pyongyang Declaration, inter-Korean military agreement

President Moon Jae-in ratified the Pyongyang Declaration and the inter-Korean military agreement for the implementation of the Panmunjom Declaration on Tuesday after the Cabinet approved the two agreements earlier in the day.　　The summit agreement will be published in the government gazette for public notice soon, a Cheong Wa Dae official said, while the military agreement will be exchanged with the North before the public notification is made.　Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Kim Eui-kyeom said the e

Oct. 23, 2018

Pope expresses strong willingness to visit N. Korea: S. Korean bishop

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis has given the impression that he has a strong willingness to visit North Korea, a senior South Korean bishop said Monday.Lazarus You Heung-sik, who heads the Daejeon diocese, spoke in an interview with Yonhap News Agency at Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican, three days after the pope indicated during a meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in that he may visit the North.  (Yonhap)In his meeting with the pope, Moon relayed a verbal invitation from North Korean le

Oct. 23, 2018

N. Korea wants to delay working-level talks for inter-Korean parliamentary meeting

North Korea wants to delay working-level talks to prepare for an inter-Korean parliamentary meeting, given its hectic diplomatic schedule, a Seoul official said Tuesday.The South earlier proposed holding a meeting at an early date to prepare for the first-ever inter-Korean parliamentary meeting this year. (Yonhap)"North Korea said that it agreed to Seoul's offer for working-level talks, but hoped to have time to push for them, given various factors," the official said, asking not to be named.Nor

Oct. 23, 2018