[Photo News] Kim grants Moon’s wish to climb Paektusan

On the final day of President Moon Jae-in’s visit to Pyongyang, he and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made a surprise trip to Paektusan on Thursday. Moon had originally planned to return to the South following a farewell breakfast at the Paekhwawon State Guesthouse around 9 a.m. Accompanied by first ladies Kim Jung-sook and Ri Sol-ju, the leaders of the two Koreas took the hourlong car ride up to the sacred mountain’s peak, Changgun-bong, in separate vehicles. The four then took a cable car dow

Sept. 20, 2018

Korea soon to begin work to open permanent family meeting

South Korea will soon begin work necessary to open a permanent meeting facility in the North for regular reunions of separated families, a government official said Thursday.The leaders of the two Koreas agreed Wednesday to open a permanent meeting facility at Mount Kumgang on the North's east coast "at an early date." "Discussions on details will be held soon," the official said on condition of anonymity. "I understand that repairs will be necessary for a building that will be used for the meeti

Sept. 20, 2018

[KH Explains] What is the story behind Mansudae Art Studio in Pyongyang?

South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s visit to Pyongyang’s Mansudae Art Studio has been creating a buzz at home and overseas -- even after a UN official said the visit did not violate UN sanctions that ban international transactions with the North Korean art establishment.　So what do we know about the studio and why has it been banned by the UN?　The Mansudae Art Studio was founded in 1959. It is believed be one of the largest art production studios in the world, with some 4,000 workers. Among its

Sept. 20, 2018

6 in 10 S. Koreans support cooperation with NK before denuclearization: poll

Six in 10 South Korean adults consent to expanding inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation prior to the denuclearization of North Korea, a poll showed Thursday.The survey was conducted on 501 adults nationwide by Seoul-based pollster Realmeter soon after President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un announced their summit agreement in Pyongyang on Wednesday. (Yonhap)According to the poll, which has a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points and a 95 percent confidence level, 58.6 perc

Sept. 20, 2018

Leaders of two Koreas stand atop ‘sacred’ Paektusan

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong-un strolled around the crater lake of Paektusan, the highest mountain on the Korean Peninsula, on Thursday, accompanied by their spouses. Moon and South Korean first lady Kim Jung-sook left the Paekhwawon State Guesthouse in Pyongyang, where they had stayed during the three-day visit, at around 6:39 a.m. and boarded a presidential plane at Sunan International Airport. Upon their arrival at the Samjiyeon Airport near the

Sept. 20, 2018

Moon's visit to NK art studio not a violation of sanctions resolution: report

An official at the UN Security Council Sanctions Committee on North Korea said that South Korean President Moon Jae-in's visit to North Korea's Mansudae Art Studio was not in violation of the UN sanctions resolution, according to a report Thursday.Moon on Wednesday toured the Pyongyang art studio, whose overseas assets are frozen under UN Sanctions Resolution 2371 adopted in August last year.Radio Free Asia reported Thursday that the committee official said it cannot be seen as an act of violati

Sept. 20, 2018

[Newsmaker] Koreas’ summit rekindles talk of 2nd Trump-Kim meeting

WASHINGTON -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's renewed commitment to denuclearize, expressed at this week's meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, fanned expectations Wednesday of a second summit between the reclusive leader and US President Donald Trump.The White House said early last week that Trump had received a letter from Kim, in which the North Korean leader requested a second meeting between the two. Planning for that meeting was already under way, according to the White House

Sept. 20, 2018

Moon to return home after joint excursion with N. Korean leader

South Korean President Moon Jae-in was set to return home Thursday, ending his historic trip to North Korea aimed at brokering a resumption of denuclearization talks between the North and the United States.Moon's trip home will follow a joint excursion with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to the North's Mount Paekdu, the tallest mountain in Korea that sits on the border with China.The one-day trip follows the leaders' two-day talks in Pyongyang that sought to break the impasse in the US-North Ko

Sept. 20, 2018

N. Korea's media extensively report on summit agreements

North Korea's media extensively reported Thursday on a joint declaration signed by the leaders of the Koreas following their third summit talks in Pyongyang. South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed the joint declaration Wednesday, pledging to make the Korean Peninsula a land of peace free of nuclear weapons and nuclear threats. They also vowed to cooperate in easing military tensions and boost cross-border exchanges and cooperation.  (Pyongyang Press Corps.)

Sept. 20, 2018

Pompeo: US prepared to engage in talks with N. Korea

WASHINGTON -- The United States is prepared to "immediately" engage in talks with North Korea, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday, signaling a breakthrough in stalled negotiations to dismantle the regime's nuclear weapons program.North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reaffirmed his commitment to a nuclear weapons-free Korean Peninsula during his third summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in earlier in the day.Kim also said following the two-day meeting in Pyongyang that he was rea

Sept. 20, 2018

[Breaking] Moon, Kim head to Mount Paekdu in friendship event

SEOUL/PYONGYANG -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un embarked on a rare trip Thursday to Mount Paekdu in an event designed to enhance their personal ties and also highlight the success of their summit in Pyongyang.The leaders left Pyongyang's Sunan International Airport shortly after 7 a.m., each using his own presidential jet.Moon arrived in Pyongyang on Tuesday, using his Air Force One.For his trip to Mount Paekdu, however, he was forced to use the smaller

Sept. 20, 2018

Moon Jae-in attends mass games in Pyongyang

South Korean President Moon Jae-in called for a big step toward unification by ending mutual hostilities and opening of a new future together in his address at the “mass games” performance in Pyongyang late Wednesday alongside North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.　“Chairman Kim Jong-un and I will hold hands of 80 million people of North Korea and South Korea, and build a new country. Let’s move toward a new future together,” Moon said after watching the performance on the second day of his trip to Py

Sept. 19, 2018

IOC welcomes Koreas’ intention to co-host 2032 Olympics

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Wednesday welcomed the Koreas’ plan to co-host the 2032 Summer Games, saying it hoped to see concrete progress following their political talks.Following their summit in Pyongyang earlier in the day, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un announced the two sides will work together to bring the 35th Summer Olympics to the Korean Peninsula.No Olympic Games, summer or winter, have been shared by two countries. International

Sept. 19, 2018

N. Korea’s long-range missile test site faces verifiable shutdown

North Korea’s key long-range missile test site faces a permanent shutdown as this week‘s cross-border summit declaration entails a plan for the closure, subject to verification by outside experts.The Dongchang-ri site on the North’s west coast, also known as the Sohae Launching Station, is seen as a key facility for the communist state to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) capable of striking the continental United States. Given that Pyongyang‘s push for the ICBM development has

Sept. 19, 2018

A look into North Korea’s Yongbyon nuclear complex

North Korea’s Yongbyon Nuclear Complex has again come under media spotlight, as the North’s leader Kim Jong-un promised Wednesday to conditionally shut down its facilities during his summit talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Pyongyang.According to the inter-Korean summit agreement signed by Moon and Kim, North Korea is willing to permanently dismantle the Yongbyon nuclear facilities in exchange for reciprocal measures by the United States.The Yongbyon complex reportedly has more th

Sept. 19, 2018

Two Koreas vow to resume Kumgangsan tours, work on family reunion site

The leaders of the two Koreas on Wednesday vowed to revive the now-suspended tours to North Korea’s eastern slopes of Kumgangsan and bolster humanitarian cooperation with the establishment of a permanent meeting area for families separated by 1950-53 Korean War. “The South and North have decided to negotiate normalizing the Kaesong industrial complex and tour programs to Kumgansan and the issue of forming a special joint economic zone near the West Sea and a joint tourism zone near the East Sea,

Sept. 19, 2018

Koreas unveil blueprint for ambitious economic cooperation projects

South and North Korea on Wednesday unveiled a potential blueprint for forging joint special economic zones on the divided Korean Peninsula as their leaders move to clear the biggest hurdle to expanding economic cooperation.The cross-border projects have gone nowhere in recent years due largely to tightened international sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs.On Wednesday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un announced his willingness to take additional steps towards eventual d

Sept. 19, 2018

Koreas poised for more history as they agree to push to co-host 2032 Olympics

In the midst of an already monumental year for their sports cooperation, South Korea and North Korea on Wednesday agreed to work together for another potentially historic project -- co-hosting the 2032 Summer Olympics.Following their summit talks in Pyongyang, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un announced in their joint accord that the two sides will cooperate with one another to bring the 35th Summer Games to the Korean Peninsula.The leaders said cooperation i

Sept. 19, 2018

[FULL] President Moon Jae-in's speech at joint press conference

 Fellow Koreans in the North, the South and abroad,A Korean Peninsula free of war has begun to take shape. The South and North agreed today to eliminate all risks that could lead to war from all parts of the Korean Peninsula.A joint inter-Korean military committee will be formed to enable constant consultations on implementing military-related agreements. Even though the sounds of artillery fire of the Korean War were silenced by the 1953 Armistice Agreement, war has continued to haunt our lives

Sept. 19, 2018

[Graphic News] Inter-Korean summits

Sept. 19, 2018