EU preparing UN draft resolution on NK human rights

The European Union is working on a draft resolution on North Korea's human rights to be submitted to a United Nations committee, its delegation to South Korea said Tuesday, amid growing concerns over China's forced repatriation of North Korean defectors. The draft resolution, usually led by the EU, is submitted to the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly dealing with human rights and social affairs, and finalized after consultations with other UN members. "The EU is again pr

Oct. 24, 2023

4 North Koreans cross maritime border, say want to defect

A group of four unidentified North Koreans crossed the inter-Korean maritime border in the East Sea on Tuesday, government sources confirmed to The Korea Herald. The South Korean military, in cooperation with the Coast Guard, has secured the four North Koreans in the waters off the city of Sokcho, Gangwon Province. The four North Koreans traveled across the border on a boat and were discovered by South Korea's Coast Guard. The four North Koreans were transferred to a Korean vessel, which wa

Oct. 24, 2023

[Graphic News] Over 2,200 aging applicants for reunions of separated families died this year: data

More than 2,200 South Koreans died in the first eight months of this year without having a chance to reunite with their family members in North Korea after being separated by the 1950-53 Korean War, government data showed. A total of 2,226 people passed away in the January-August period among around 133,700 applicants who had registered with the government for family reunion events, according to the data from the Unification Ministry. The number of surviving people came to 40,408 as of end-Augus

Oct. 24, 2023

Unification minister meets US civic group head to discuss NK human rights

South Korean Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho met with the leader of a US-based civic group Monday to discuss ways of boosting cooperation on the improvement of human rights in North Korea, his office said. During the meeting, Kim and Thor Halvorssen Mendoza, chief of the Human Rights Foundation, expressed concerns about China's recent forcible repatriation of North Korean defectors and shared the need for the international community to work more closely to prevent such moves, according to

Oct. 23, 2023

N. Korea blames US for instigating Israel-Hamas conflict

North Korea on Monday accused the United States of being behind the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, saying Washington is "entirely" responsible for the tragedy. Pyongyang raised the accusation following US President Joe Biden's recent trip to Israel where he reiterated his backing of Israel and condemned a deadly explosion at a hospital in Gaza by what he called a terrorist group. "The US is the ringleader in the Middle East situation,&quo

Oct. 23, 2023

US envoy renews grave concerns over China’s repatriation of N. Korean escapees

WASHINGTON -- The new US envoy for North Korean human rights issues reiterated “grave” concerns Friday over China’s reported repatriation of North Korean defectors last week, as she stressed the international principle of non-refoulement should be upheld. Ambassador Julie Turner, who took office a week ago, made the remarks in a forum, referring to reports that Chinese authorities repatriated around 600 North Korean escapees, who were detained in the bordering Chinese provinces

Oct. 21, 2023

North’s Kim reaffirms ties with Russia envoy

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said North Korea and Russia should deliver on their summit agreement in September and usher in a new, future-looking era for the next 100 years, at a meeting with the Russian foreign minister in Pyongyang on Thursday. The two-day trip from Wednesday by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov came as Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin seek to fight off what they see as a US-led isolation. The US warns of paying a price for arms deals it says are being reached between

Oct. 20, 2023

N. Korea warns US strategic assets will be '1st targets of destruction'

North Korea on Friday condemned the arrival of a US B-52 bomber in South Korea, threatening that US strategic assets deployed on the Korean Peninsula will become the "first targets of destruction." Pyongyang's criticism came in response to the landing of the nuclear-capable bomber, a key US strategic asset, at an air base in South Korea on Tuesday in its first known arrival in the South in a show of force against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. "The US would be well awa

Oct. 20, 2023

S. Korea, US defense chiefs discuss deterrence against NK threats in phone talks

South Korea's new defense minister held phone talks with his US counterpart for the first time Friday to discuss the allies' efforts to deter North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, Seoul's defense ministry said. The talks between Defense Minister Shin Won-sik and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin came as the two sides are set to meet in Seoul next month for the annual Security Consultative Meeting. It marked Shin's first phone talks with Austin since he took offic

Oct. 20, 2023

NK leader vows to build 'forward-looking' ties with Russia in talks with FM

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has vowed to build a "forward-looking" and "far-reaching" relationship with Russia during his meeting with its foreign minister, state media said Friday, as the two countries move to strengthen military ties amid speculation over their suspected arms deal. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made a two-day visit to Pyongyang on Wednesday in a follow-up to the Sept. 13 summit between the North Korean leader and Russian President Vladimi

Oct. 20, 2023

Russian Foreign Minister meets N. Korea's Kim, reaffirms solidarity with Pyongyang

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Moscow's foreign ministry said Thursday, as the top diplomat vowed "complete solidarity" with Pyongyang during his trip to the reclusive country, which came a month after a rare summit between their leaders. Lavrov, who arrived at Pyongyang for a two-day visit Wednesday, met with Kim in a meeting that lasted over an hour, Russia's foreign ministry said, without providing further details. Nort

Oct. 19, 2023

S. Korea, US warn against hiring NK IT workers

South Korean and US authorities warned businesses against inadvertently hiring information technology staff from North Korea who mask their true identities to skirt international sanctions and earn cash. The two allies say the IT staff are being employed to bankroll the isolated country’s nuclear and missile programs. The joint advisory on Thursday, which follows previous warnings in May and December last year, includes fresh instructions to prevent North Korean freelancers from obtaining

Oct. 19, 2023

Russian FM arrives in N. Korea: KCNA

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said his visit to Pyongyang will mark an opportunity for "substantial results" for implementing agreements reached between their leaders, North Korea's state media said Thursday. Lavrov arrived at Pyongyang International Airport on Wednesday at the invitation of North Korea's foreign ministry "amid the enthusiasm of friendship growing higher than ever," the North's official Korean Central News Agency said in an English-lan

Oct. 19, 2023

Russian FM arrives in N. Korea for talks with counterpart: reports

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in North Korea on Wednesday for a two-day visit, according to Russian media reports, as the two countries move to strengthen military ties after a recent bilateral summit. According to Sputnik and other Russian media outlets, Lavros arrived in Pyongyang for a two-day visit. He is expected to hold talks with his North Korean counterpart, Choe Son-hui, during the trip. The two sides are expected to discuss issues including bilateral military and econo

Oct. 18, 2023

Envoys on North Korea discuss aggression curbs

The chief nuclear envoys of South Korea, the US and Japan met in Jakarta, Indonesia to discuss curbing North Korea’s growing aggression, in regular two-day talks that started Monday. The in-person talks, held every three months, serve to coordinate policy aimed at leading North Korea to return to stalled denuclearization negotiations, a goal that has largely remained elusive. Kim Gunn, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, met with his US counterpart, Sung

Oct. 16, 2023

[Top Envoy] Russian satellite help not likely priority for North Korea: Chun

Chun Yung-woo, a former South Korean national security adviser and chief negotiator for the six-party talks, downplayed recent speculations regarding Russia's potential deal to provide North Korea with advanced satellite and nuclear missile technologies. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin met last month in Vostochny, Amur region, marking their first summit in four years. Following their talks, there is speculation that North Korea might supply Russia, which

Oct. 16, 2023

N. Korea slams Japan's plan to move up US missile purchase as 'arrogant choice'

North Korea on Monday condemned Japan's move to accelerate its planned acquisition of Tomahawk cruise missiles from the United States as an "arrogant choice," warning that it will heighten regional tensions. Earlier this month, Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara said Tokyo aims to purchase the missiles as early as fiscal 2025, a year earlier than planned, following talks with his US counterpart, Lloyd Austin, in Washington. He later said Japan is also reviewing speeding up th

Oct. 16, 2023

Pyongyang denies allegations of Hamas using North Korean weapons

North Korea on Friday denied the allegations that the Palestinian militant group Hamas used weapons produced by the country for an unprecedented attack on Israel. North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency, primarily targeting international audiences, published an article on the war titled "The current crisis in the Middle East portends a greater strategic setback for the United States." The statement, authored by Ri Kwang-song, a commentator on international affairs, notably a

Oct. 13, 2023

S. Korea confirms China’s forced reparation of numerous N. Koreans

South Korea's Unification Ministry on Friday officially confirmed China has resumed the forced repatriation of North Koreans following the opening of its border last month. The ministry called for an immediate halt to this practice, which breaches international human rights law. "It appears to be the fact that a significant number of North Koreans have been repatriated from three provinces in Northeast China," Koo Byung-sam, the Unification Ministry spokesperson, said during a tel

Oct. 13, 2023

N. Korea threatens to strike US aircraft carrier

North Korea threatened Friday to stage the "most powerful and rapid first strike" against US strategic assets deployed to the Korean Peninsula, in the latest bellicose rhetoric that underscored Pyongyang's concerns about US military capabilities in the region. The nuclear-powered USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier docked at the southeastern port of Busan on Thursday for a five-day visit -- the first since September 2022 -- in a show of force against North Korea. The visit came soon aft

Oct. 13, 2023