Two Koreas agree to establish extensive ‘no-fly zone’ in DMZ

The militaries of the two Koreas on Wednesday agreed to turn a large swath of the border area into a buffer zone, pledging to prevent any form of cross-border hostilities amid continued inter-Korean detente. 　In a document signed by the two Koreas’ defense chiefs, the two sides said they would establish a “no-fly zone” inside the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone. They also agreed to suspend military drills near the DMZ and the disputed waters in the West Sea. The measure will take effect on

Sept. 19, 2018

North Korean leader reaffirms resolve to denuclearize, vows to visit Seoul

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Wednesday reaffirmed his country’s resolve to denuclearize while vowing to visit Seoul this year. If the trip takes place, Kim will be the first North Korean leader to visit the South Korean capital.“(The leaders of South and North Korea) have pledged to make the Joseon (Korean) Peninsula a land of peace with no threat of nuclear weapons. ... I also promised to (South Korean) President Moon Jae-in that I will visit Seoul in the near future,” said Kim in a joint

Sept. 19, 2018

President Moon continues his ‘local restaurant diplomacy’ in Pyongyang

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has a history of eating at local restaurants on his overseas visits. Visiting Vietnam in March, he enjoyed pho at a noodle house. In Beijing last year, he had breakfast local style: Chinese-style deep-fried doughnuts and soymilk at a local eatery.Moon continues his so-called “local restaurant diplomacy”-- an effort to connect with the people -- in Pyongyang. South Korean President Moon Jae-in (left) and his wife Kim Jung-sook (right) have pho at a local Vietnam

Sept. 19, 2018

Trump says N. Korean leader agrees to nuclear inspections

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has agreed to allow nuclear inspectors in and permanently shut down nuclear and missile testing sites.Trump made the remarks in a tweet after Kim held his third summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Pyongyang where the reclusive ruler reaffirmed his commitment to the denuclearization of the peninsula.  (AP)"Kim Jong Un has agreed to allow Nuclear inspections, subject to final negotiations, and to permanentl

Sept. 19, 2018

Kim vows to visit Seoul, dismantle nuke, missile sites

South Korean President Moon Jae-in (left) and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un hold up the signed agreement of the Pyongyang Declaration after holding the second round of the inter-Korean summit on Wednesday. (Joint Press Corp.)North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Wednesday pledged to visit Seoul and reaffirmed commitment to giving up his country’s nuclear program, vowing to take additional steps for denuclearization, with conditions. The Pyongyang Joint Declaration of September 2018 signed by the

Sept. 19, 2018

N. Korea to close long-range rocket test facilities

SEOUL/PYONGYANG -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed Wednesday to permanently dismantle major missile engine test facilities and a launch pad near its border with China.It represents one of the most concrete agreements in the two-day inter-Korean summit talks in Pyongyang.Kim, however, left additional denuclearization-related measures tied to Washington's next steps. (Yonhap)Kim and Moon agreed to turn the Korean Peninsula into a peaceful land free of nuclear weapons and threats.They took n

Sept. 19, 2018

[Newsmaker] Moon, Kim to visit sacred Mount Paektu

The leaders of the two Koreas will visit North Korea’s sacred Paektusan early Thursday, before wrapping up their third summit, according to Cheong Wa Dae. “President Moon accepted Chairman Kim Jong-un’s request to visit Paektusan (with him),” Kim Eui-kyeom, a spokesman for the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, said at the main press center in Pyongyang. According to the spokesman, they will take a flight from Sunan International Airport to Samjiyon Airport near the mountain and ride a bus to a

Sept. 19, 2018

Two Koreas agree on measures to reduce tensions, prevent accidental clashes

SEOUL/PYONGYANG -- The two Koreas agreed Wednesday to set maritime, air and ground buffer zones in front-line areas to reduce military tensions, prevent accidental clashes and build trust.They also agreed to halt military drills near the military demarcation line, withdraw some border guard posts, disarm the Joint Security Area in the Demilitarized Zone and jointly excavate war remains in the buffer zone.These measures are included in the agreement that Defense Minister Song Young-moo and his No

Sept. 19, 2018

[Breaking] Moon, Kim sign summit agreement in Pyongyang

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Wednesday signed an agreement concerning the outcome of their third summit, the results of talks held Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning.The signing took place in the Paekhwawon State Guesthouse, where Wednesday’s 70-minute talks took place. (Yonhap)The details of the agreement have not yet been released, as the two leaders are slated to hold a press conference in the coming minutes.Defense ministers from both Koreas

Sept. 19, 2018

Ruling party chief proposes inter-Korean parliamentary meeting

SEOUL/PYONGYANG -- South Korea's ruling party chief on Wednesday proposed holding an inter-Korean parliamentary meeting this year during a meeting in Pyongyang with the North's legislative leader.Lee Hae-chan, the chairman of the ruling Democratic Party, made the offer to Kim Yong-nam, the president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, who is the North's ceremonial head of state.The chiefs of Seoul's three liberal parties -- Lee, Chung Dong-young of the Party for Democracy and Peac

Sept. 19, 2018

Moon to attend N. Korea's propaganda mass games

South Korean President Moon Jae-in will attend a controversial mass gymnastics performance in Pyongyang late Wednesday on the second day of his trip, a presidential official said.North Korea unveiled the propaganda performance titled the "Glorious Country" on Sept. 9 to commemorate its 70th founding anniversary. Known as an upgraded version of the Arirang mass games, last held in 2013, the show involves tens of thousands of performers staging a spectacular display of acrobatics, gymnastics, danc

Sept. 19, 2018

Two Koreas hold second round of talks, to announce results this morning

The leaders of South and North Korea began their second round of talks Wednesday around 10 a.m. at the Paekhwawon guest house, and they intend to announce the results before their scheduled luncheon, according to Cheong Wa Dae.It is “hard to say” that the two leaders reached any concrete agreements on the main agenda items during their first round of talks, held Tuesday, said Yoon Young-chan, the president’s senior press secretary. (Joint Press Corp.)The South Korean side had identified the main

Sept. 19, 2018

Korean leaders meet in Pyongyang for potentially tough talks

PYONGYANG, North Korea — South Korean President Moon Jae-in began his third summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Tuesday with possibly his hardest mission to date — brokering some kind of compromise to keep North Korea’s talks with Washington from imploding and pushing ahead with his own plans to expand economic cooperation and bring a stable peace to the Korean Peninsula.Kim gave the South Korean president an exceedingly warm welcome, meeting him and his wife at Pyongyang’s airport —

Sept. 19, 2018

Moon, Kim to jointly announce outcome of summit in Pyongyang: Seoul

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un are scheduled to jointly announce the outcome of their summit in Pyongyang, a Seoul official said Wednesday."It is still difficult to predict how an agreement will be reached between the two leaders," said Yoon Young-chan, the senior secretary to President Moon for public relations.(Joint Press Corp.)"The announcement of the outcome too is scheduled though we do not know the exact time," the official added in a daily press br

Sept. 19, 2018

US senator voices concern Moon may undermine NK sanctions

WASHINGTON -- A ranking US senator voiced concern Tuesday that South Korea will undermine sanctions pressure on North Korea by holding another summit with the regime's leader.Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and a hawk on North Korea, was speaking about the third meeting between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un under way in Pyongyang. (AP)"I'm concerned South Korea's visit is going to undermine efforts by @SecPompeo

Sept. 19, 2018

Leaders of two Koreas hold second meeting over nukes, ties

SEOUL/PYONGYANG -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met Wednesday for a second and possibly final round of talks in their historic summit aimed at breaking an impasse in denuclearization talks between the North and the United States.The talks were held at the North's state guesthouse, Paekhwawon, where Moon on Tuesday spent the first night of his three-day trip.Unlike Tuesday's first round of talks, the latest meeting apparently involved only the two leaders

Sept. 19, 2018

N. Korea says leaders 'highly appreciate' current state of inter-Korean relations

North Korea's state media reported Wednesday on the third inter-Korean summit under way in Pyongyang, saying that the leaders of the two Koreas "highly appreciated" the current state of cross-border relations during their talks.South Korean President Moon Jae-in visited Pyongyang on Tuesday for a three-day stay for his third summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. They held talks for about two hours, which will be followed by another round Wednesday. (Yonhap)"At the talks, there was an in-d

Sept. 19, 2018

US hopes for ‘meaningful, verifiable’ steps toward NK denuclearization

The United States said Tuesday that it hopes to see “meaningful” and “verifiable” steps toward the dismantlement of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program through this week’s meeting between the two Korean leaders.US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the ongoing summit in Pyongyang between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is an “historic opportunity” for Kim to follow through on the denuclearization commitments he made previously.It was the fir

Sept. 19, 2018

NK’s nominal head of state says summit will lead to peace, prosperity, reunification

North Korea’s nominal head of state said Tuesday the inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang will pave the way for “peace and prosperity,” expressing hopes the meeting will lead to the eventual reunification of the separated two Koreas.During his meeting with South Korean delegates at Mansudae Assembly Hall, Kim Yong-nam, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People‘s Assembly, said his country holds “high hopes” for the success of the third meeting between President Moon Jae-in and North Korea’s l

Sept. 18, 2018

First dog will miss Moon Jae-in and Kim Jung-sook for 3 days

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook were seen off by their first dog Maru, Tuesday morning, as they departed the presidential residence of Cheong Wa Dae for a three-day summit in Pyongyang with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. (Joint Press Corps.)Moon and Kim patted Maru who threw forlorn stares, not comprehending the historic task that rests on the shoulders of the presidential couple. Maru is a Korean breed Poongsan Dog that the couple have kept since their pre-pres

Sept. 18, 2018