N. Korean vice foreign minister heads to Russia

North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui on Saturday headed to Russia in an apparent bid to reaffirm ties between Pyongyang and Moscow and win support amid ongoing efforts to hold talks with Washington.Choe took an Aeroflot flight from Beijing to Moscow, after completing her two-day trip in China. (Yonhap)She briefly told reporters that the purpose of the visit is to hold trilateral dialogue with China and Russia.Pundits said the visit is apparently aimed at reaffirming ties with allies,

Oct. 6, 2018

Korean delegation to return home after celebrating summit anniversary

A group of South Korean government officials, politicians and civic and religious leaders will return home later on Saturday after participating in an event to celebrate the anniversary of the 2007 inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang a day earlier.A delegation of 160 people, led by Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon and ruling Democratic Party leader Lee Hae-chan, earlier embarked on a three-day trip to North Korea via the western direct air route across the border. The purpose of the visit was t

Oct. 6, 2018

S. Korea, France hold high-level talks on cooperation on denuclearization

South Korea and France have held a high-level meeting on bilateral cooperation on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the foreign ministry here said Friday.The third high-level consultation on handling North Korean nuclear programs, held in Paris on Wednesday, was headed by Lee Do-hoon, the foreign ministry's representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, and the French foreign ministry's Political Director, Nicolas de Riviere. Lee Do-hoon (Yonhap)Lee briefed the Frenc

Oct. 5, 2018

N. Korean, Chinese vice foreign ministers hold talks in China

Vice foreign ministers from North Korea and China held a meeting on Friday on issues regarding the Korean Peninsula, the Chinese foreign ministry said.North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister, Choe Son-hui, exchanged observations on Korean Peninsula matters with her Chinese counterpart, Kong Xuanyou, the Chinese ministry said on its website, also unveiling a photo of the bilateral meeting. The ministry did not provide further details. North Korea`s Vice Foreign Minister, Choe Son-hui (Yonhap)The Nort

Oct. 5, 2018

Koreas hold high-level talks to discuss implementation of summit agreement

South and North Korea held high-level talks on Friday to discuss follow-up measures on the summit agreement reached by their leaders last month. Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon met with his North Korean counterpart, Ri Son-gwon, in Pyongyang on the sidelines of a joint event to celebrate the 11th anniversary of the 2007 inter-Korean summit. The meeting was said to be aimed at discussing implementation of the agreement that South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-

Oct. 5, 2018

Pyongyang, Moscow planning trip to Russia for Kim Jong-un

Pyongyang and Moscow are working to arrange an official visit to Russia for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, a top Russian politician revealed Friday.  Valentina Matviyenko, chairwoman of Russia’s Federation Council,shakes hands with Seoul’s National Security Office chief Chung Eui-yong at the presidential office in Seoul on Friday. Yonhap“(I) attended North Korea’s 70th foundation anniversary event on orders from President Putin,” Valentina Matviyenko, chairwoman of Russia’s Federation Council,

Oct. 5, 2018

US imposes NK-related sanctions on Turkish firm, individuals

The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on a Turkish company and several individuals for their alleged violation of sanctions against North Korea.The US Department of the Treasury said it is targeting SIA Falcon International Group for attempting to trade in weapons and luxury goods with North Korea in breach of United Nations sanctions against Pyongyang.The UN sanctions are designed to deprive the regime of resources to fund its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs."The intern

Oct. 5, 2018

NK disposes of land mine found during JSA disarming work: defense ministry

North Korea on Thursday disposed of a land mine in the Demilitarized Zone for the first time since it started demining work earlier this week to disarm the Joint Security Area in the buffer zone, Seoul‘s Defense Ministry said on Thursday.North Korea found the land mine on Wednesday during the removal work, which is part of the recent inter-Korean agreement that fleshed out the military part of the April summit accord to transform the DMZ into a “peace zone” and halt all hostile acts against each

Oct. 4, 2018

S. Korean delegation visit Pyongyang for 11th anniversary of 2007 summit

A group of South Korean government officials, politicians and civic and religious leaders headed to North Korea on Thursday to participate in an event marking the 11th anniversary of the 2007 inter-Korean summit between President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.A delegation of 160 people led by Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon and ruling Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Hae-chan arrived in Pyongyang at 9:58 a.m. via the western air route for a three-day trip to Pyongyang

Oct. 4, 2018

[Newsmaker] N. Korea said to have stolen a fortune in online bank heists

WASHINGTON (AP) -- North Korea‘s nuclear and missile tests have stopped, but its hacking operations to gather intelligence and raise funds for the sanction-strapped government in Pyongyang may be gathering steam.US security firm FireEye raised the alarm Wednesday over a North Korean group that it says has stolen hundreds of millions of dollars by infiltrating the computer systems of banks around the world since 2014 through highly sophisticated and destructive attacks that have spanned at least

Oct. 4, 2018

N. Korea calls US sanctions 'source of mistrust'

North Korea's official newspaper on Thursday denounced the United States for clinging to its sanctions on Pyongyang, saying they are a source of growing mistrust and could possibly undercut any progress in denuclearization talks.The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the North's ruling party, made the accusation ahead of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's travel to Pyongyang set for Sunday to keep denuclearization talks going and discuss a second summit between President Donald Trump and

Oct. 4, 2018

Korean delegation embarks on Pyongyang trip for summit anniversary

A group of South Korean government officials, politicians and civic and religious leaders left for North Korea on Thursday to take part in an event to jointly celebrate the anniversary of the 2007 inter-Korean summit.A delegation of 160 people led by Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon and ruling Democratic Party leader Lee Hae-chan embarked on a three-day trip to Pyongyang via the western direct air route across the border.On Friday, they will take part in the first-ever joint event to celebra

Oct. 4, 2018

Pompeo refuses to set timeline for NK denuclearization

WASHINGTON -- The United States would like to see a quick dismantlement of North Korea's nuclear weapons program but won't commit to a specific timeline, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday.Pompeo will travel to Pyongyang Sunday to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un over a possible second summit with US President Donald Trump and efforts to denuclearize the regime.He said he is "very happy" to be going back to make progress on a denuclearization agreement reached by the two l

Oct. 4, 2018

Koreas to discuss implementation of summit agreement: minister

South and North Korea are expected to discuss ways to implement the agreement reached at the latest meeting between their leaders, including a trip by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to the South, Seoul's point man on North Korea said Wednesday."I plan to discuss ways to implement the Pyongyang Joint Declaration with North Korean authorities when I visit Pyongyang tomorrow," Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon said in an annual meeting of overseas Koreans in Seoul. Unification Minister Cho Myou

Oct. 3, 2018

Photo exhibition to showcase Pyongyang architecture

Seoul City is set to display pictures of North Korean architecture starting from Thursday.According to the city government, photographs of buildings in the North’s capital city of Pyongyang will be presented at the lobby of City Hall from Thursday. The exhibition is open to the public and will run through Oct. 19. (Yonhap)The exhibition will feature more than 40 pictures taken by the Guardian’s architecture and design critic Oliver Wainwright, including high-rise apartments at Kwangbok Street bu

Oct. 3, 2018

China’s refined oil exports to NK surpassed 2,000 tons in August: VOA

China sold about 2,700 tons of refined oil to North Korea in August, triple the amount it exported to the neighboring country in July, Voice of America said Wednesday, citing the UN Security Council’s North Korea sanctions committee. The report highlighted the abrupt surge in oil shipments, saying that the volume is believed to be the largest amount tracked since October 2017, when the committee started recording such trade.According to VOA, the total volume of refined oil exported to North Kore

Oct. 3, 2018

Pompeo to travel to N. Korea Oct. 7, meet Kim

WASHINGTON -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will travel to North Korea next week to meet with its leader, Kim Jong-un, the State Department said Tuesday.Pompeo will visit Pyongyang Sunday as the US pushes to dismantle the regime's nuclear weapons program and set up a second summit between President Donald Trump and Kim.At their first summit in Singapore in June, Kim agreed to work toward "complete" denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in exchange for security guarantees from the US.(Reut

Oct. 3, 2018

NK media don't mention foreign minister's contacts with US, Japan in New York

North Korea's official newspaper on Tuesday carried a report on its foreign minister's activities on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York last week but didn't mention his meetings with his American and Japanese counterparts.    The Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the North's ruling Workers' Party of Korea, reported that Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho met with his counterparts from various countries and ranking UN officials during the trip to New York. North Korean Foreign Mi

Oct. 2, 2018

End-of-war declaration can’t be bargaining chip for denuclearization: KCNA

For North Korea an end-of-war declaration “can never be a bargaining chip” to get the country to denuclearize, and it will not hope for such a declaration if the US does not want it, according to the country’s state media on Tuesday. Experts interpreted the statement as Pyongyang’s call on Washington to stop using such a declaration as a bargaining chip for its complete and verifiable denuclearization, and instead take corresponding steps to the “goodwill measures” the communist nation has taken

Oct. 2, 2018

Koreas to jointly mark 2007 summit anniversary for first time

A group of South Korean government officials, politicians, civic and religious leaders will visit Pyongyang this week to jointly mark the 11th anniversary of the 2007 inter-Korean summit for the first time, the unification ministry said Tuesday.The delegation of about 150 people led by Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon and ruling Democratic Party leader Lee Hae-chan will leave for North Korea Thursday using the western direct air route and stay for three days, according to the ministry. They

Oct. 2, 2018