Pentagon identifies two sets of North Korea remains: Mattis

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Scientists have identified two of the sets of remains of US troops killed in the Korean War that were recently returned by North Korea, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Tuesday.“There’s been already some closure for a couple of families that have waited many, many years for this,” Mattis told Pentagon reporters.Praising the “good work” of forensic scientists, the Pentagon chief said they had been able to quickly identify the two remains thanks to a variety of information, in

Sept. 12, 2018

Xi's special envoy returns home after visiting N. Korea for anniversary

Chinese President Xi Jinping's special envoy has returned home after visiting North Korea to attend events marking its 70th founding anniversary, the North's state media reported Wednesday.Li Zhanshu, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China, led a delegation to the North in time for the founding anniversary that fell on Sunday.Li and his delegation "left here on Tuesday after visiting the DPRK to attend the celebrations of its 70th birthday at t

Sept. 12, 2018

Obama mulled preemptive attack on N. Korea: book

Former US President Barack Obama mulled a preemptive attack on North Korea after its fifth nuclear test in 2016, according to a book released Tuesday.Obama was deeply disturbed to learn that North Korea had conducted its biggest-yet nuclear detonation on Sept. 9, 2016, with the North claiming the new nuclear bomb could be mounted on a ballistic missile, journalist Bob Woodward wrote in "Fear: Trump in the White House." (Yonhap)"Even with his intense desire to avoid a war, Obama decided the time

Sept. 12, 2018

NK showed willingness to denuclearize through military parade: think tank

North Korea’s recent decision to tone down its military parade for the 70th anniversary of its founding on Sunday was an indirect expression of its willingness to denuclearize, according to experts at a think tank under South Korea’s intelligence agency.“The regime’s decision to exclude military commanders at the balcony seat (alongside leader Kim Jong-un) and reduce the size of the Korean People’s Army Strategic Force in the parade was (North Korea’s intention) to provide US President Donald Tr

Sept. 11, 2018

Talks underway for second US-NK summit

With South Korean President Moon Jae-in planning to visit North Korea for his third meeting with the country’s leader Kim Jong-un, the prospect of another summit between North Korea and the US has emerged.White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Monday that talks are underway with North Korea over setting up a second summit meeting between President Donald Trump and Kim. In a “warm, very positive letter” sent to Trump in recent days, Kim requested a follow-up to the Singapore summ

Sept. 11, 2018

No recent progress in dismantling of N. Korean missile launch site: VOA

Dismantling of North Korea's missile launch site on its northwestern coast appears to have been halted since the middle of August, an American broadcaster reported Tuesday.Voice of America said that North Korea began dismantling key facilities at its missile launch site in Tongchang-ri, North Pyongan Province, in mid-July, but the process seems to have been suspended since about a month ago.Citing data from Planet Labs that offers the Earth's satellite photos every day, the VOA said that there h

Sept. 11, 2018

N. Korean leader hosts exclusive performance, banquet for Chinese official

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un hosted an art performance and banquet exclusively for Chinese President Xi Jinping's special envoy in Pyongyang, the North's media said Tuesday, in an extraordinary move that signals the two countries' friendly relationship.The Korean Central News Agency said that Kim arranged the event Monday for Li Zhanshu, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China, and his delegation at the Mansudae Art Theater. (Yonhap)Kim and h

Sept. 11, 2018

Koreas prepare to open joint liaison office Friday

South and North Korea are working to open a joint liaison office on Friday, a unification ministry official said Tuesday."Preparations are under way without a hitch with a plan to open it later this week," the official said on condition of anonymity. The two Koreas recently agreed to open the liaison office in the North's border town of Kaesong before their leaders' summit in Pyongyang from Sept. 18-20. It has been reported that the office will likely open its doors on Friday. (Yonhap)The minist

Sept. 11, 2018

Trump received letter from Kim calling for 2nd summit: White House

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump has received a letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un calling for a second meeting between the two, and planning is already under way, the White House said Monday.Trump said last week that he is expecting a letter from Kim amid stalled negotiations to dismantle the regime's nuclear weapons program.The letter was "very warm" and "very positive," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a press briefing.She said the US is "open" to a second sum

Sept. 11, 2018

NK leader offered denuclearization in 2 years: Bolton

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un offered to dismantle his nuclear weapons program within two years when he met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in last spring, a top US administration official said Monday.According to US National Security Adviser John Bolton, Kim made the proposal during his first meeting with the South Korean leader in April. He then backed down and accepted Moon's counterproposal to denuclearize within a year."He said we can do it in two years," Bolton said in a speech to t

Sept. 11, 2018

NK calls for powerful economy on founding anniversary

In line with the 70th anniversary of its founding, Sunday, the North Korean regime highlighted the need to achieve economic prosperity in the spirit of “self-reliance,” the country’s state media reported Monday. The North’s media reports covering the anniversary came a day later, citing the “low-key,” “ICBM-free” military parade that took place Sunday. In past years, Korean Central Television had aired most of the parades live. According to the Korean Central News Agency, the regime called for i

Sept. 10, 2018

[Herald Interview] Leaders of Singaporean women’s group visit Pyongyang

SINGAPORE -- Hundreds of foreign guests were in Pyongyang over the weekend to attend celebrations commemorating the 70th anniversary of North Korea’s founding on Sept. 9.Among them were leaders of the Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations.“Eight board members of the SCWO including myself are going,” June Goh, president of the SCWO, told The Korea Herald in an interview Thursday, hours before boarding her flight to Beijing en route to Pyongyang.“According to the itinerary, there will be a we

Sept. 10, 2018

S. Korean spy agency chief briefs Abe on N. Korea trip

TOKYO -- The head of South Korea's state intelligence agency on Monday briefed Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the results of a South Korean presidential delegation's trip to Pyongyang last week.Suh Hoon, director of the National Intelligence Agency and a member of the delegation, arrived in Tokyo on Sunday.At the outset of the meeting, Abe expressed his gratitude for a quick briefing on the issue. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (R) meets with Suh Hoon, head of South Korea`s National I

Sept. 10, 2018

Cheong Wa Dae failed to work actively to prevent imports of NK coal: lawmaker

An opposition lawmaker claimed Monday that the office of President Moon Jae-in failed to work actively to prevent imports of North Korean coal, saying it was nearly two weeks after the office learned of the suspected shipments that it held its first meeting on the matter.Three South Korean firms were found to have imported North Korean coal on seven occasions between April and October last year in violation of the UN Security Council sanctions on Pyongyang. They were accused of forging customs d

Sept. 10, 2018

N. Korea's media report on military parade, mass games

North Korea's media reported Monday on a military parade staged in Pyongyang, a day after the event took place to celebrate the country's 70th founding anniversary. "A military parade and a public procession of Pyongyang citizens for celebrating the 70th birthday of the DPRK took place with splendor in Kim Il Sung Square Sunday," the Korean Central News Agency said in English.(Yonhap)DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea."The Supreme Leader reviewed

Sept. 10, 2018

Chinese official in Pyongyang conveys Xi's letter to N. Korean leader: report

BEIJING -- A high-ranking Chinese official who is currently in Pyongyang, North Korea, to attend a national ceremony conveyed Chinese President Xi Jinping's personal letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Sunday, a Chinese news report said.Li Zhanshu, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China, gave the letter to Kim in a meeting with him on Sunday on the occasion of his attendance at the North Korean military parade to celebrate the 70th ann

Sept. 10, 2018

[Photo News] North Korea celebrates 70th anniversary

North Korea on Sunday staged a military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the country’s foundation.The parade was attended by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s special envoy Li Zhanshu. It reportedly started around 10 a.m. and finished before noon. North Korean soldiers march with a float showing late North Korean leader Kim Il Sung during a parade for the 70th anniversary of North Korea`s founding day in Pyongyang, North Korea, Sunday, Sept. 9, 2018. North

Sept. 9, 2018

S. Korea sends envoys to China, Japan to explain Pyongyang visit

South Korea is working to bolster cooperation in regional security with China and Japan, briefing them on the outcome of its envoys recent trip to Pyongyang, as it hopes to see the early resumption of denuclearization talks between the US and North Korea. Chung Eui-yong, President Moon Jae-in’s top security adviser, returned from his one-day trip to China on Saturday, after briefing Yang Jiechi, a ranking member of China’s Communist Party in charge of foreign affairs, on the outcome of his recen

Sept. 9, 2018

S. Korea's spy agency chief visits Japan to offer briefing on trip to N. Korea

The chief of South Korea's state intelligence agency left for Tokyo on Sunday to brief Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the outcome of last week's trip to North Korea by South Korea's presidential delegation.Suh Hoon, director of the National Intelligence Service, was among the five-member delegation led by President Moon Jae-in's chief security adviser Chung Eui-yong. The one-day trip on Wednesday included talks with the North's leader Kim Jong-un. (Yonhap)The trip came amid a deadlock in

Sept. 9, 2018

No ICBM, Kim speech at North Korea military parade

North Korea on Sunday celebrated the 70th anniversary of its founding with a massive military parade in Pyongyang, but the event was largely understated with the absence of intercontinental ballistic missiles and a speech by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. 　The military parade held in Pyongyang involved tanks, artilleries and goose-stepping troops walking past Kim and his foreign delegates, but ICBMs were not displayed during the two-hour event that ended in the morning. 　Kim observed the event

Sept. 9, 2018