No sign of additional dismantling at NK missile engine test site: 38 North

WASHINGTON -- North Korea appears to have stopped dismantling a missile engine testing site, a US website monitoring the regime said Wednesday amid a perceived impasse in negotiations to denuclearize the North.38 North, a project of the Stimson Center think tank, said commercial satellite imagery from Thursday showed "no significant dismantlement activity" at the Sohae Satellite Launching Station since Aug. 3.In a previous article on Aug. 3 satellite imagery of the site, the website had said wor

Aug. 23, 2018

Trump says wants to lift NK sanctions, but only after denuclearization

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump has said that he wants to lift sanctions on North Korea, but only after the regime gets rid of its nuclear weapons.Trump was speaking to his supporters at a rally in Charleston, West Virginia, late Tuesday, hours after the Treasury announced new sanctions targeting North Korea's illicit trade.(Yonhap)It was the third time this month that Washington has slapped sanctions against Pyongyang, demonstrating the US commitment to increase pressure on the regime u

Aug. 23, 2018

Hard truths from one Korean family reunion

What South Korean Park Ki-dong wanted most of all to learn from his Northern siblings was: when did his parents die and where were they buried?He finally found out this week after decades of ignorance -- but was disappointed by what he heard when he met his brother and sister for the first time in nearly 70 years at a reunion this week.Lines on a map condemned them to a lifetime apart. (Yonhap)When the peninsula was originally divided by the US and Soviet Union along the 38th parallel in the aft

Aug. 22, 2018

[Photo News] Families bid tearful farewell after promising to see each other soon

Unlike the first two days, on Wednesday -- the last day of the inter-Korean reunion event -- was filled with tears of sadness rather than joy. Hundreds of South and North Korean families were seen exchanging last-minute hugs and caressing each other’s hands. During the lunch break, families took digital snaps of each other in a bid to remember and cherish the event. Some reportedly promised to see each other soon in the “near future,” exchanging phone numbers and addresses. Eighty-nine elderly S

Aug. 22, 2018

Separated families hold each other one last time

Eighty-nine elderly South Koreans met their North Korean family members for what is likely to be the last time on Wednesday, in a reminder of the war that continues to plague the Korean Peninsula. A group reunion session began around 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Kumgangsan Resort on the east coast of North Korea, wrapping up the first round of a reunion event for families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War. South Korean Kim Byung-oh and his North Korean sister Kim Soon-ok wipe their tears at their

Aug. 22, 2018

NK likely to hold large military parade for Sept. anniversary: 38 North

WASHINGTON -- North Korea appears likely to mark its founding anniversary next month with a military parade that is larger in scale than the one held in February, a US website monitoring the regime said Tuesday.Pyongyang is preparing to celebrate the 70th anniversary of its founding on Sept. 9, and commercial satellite imagery from Aug. 12 shows "a high level of activity" at the Mirim Parade Training Ground, according to 38 North, a project of the Stimson Center think tank.  In this April 15, 20

Aug. 22, 2018

US sanctions Russian firms, vessels over NK activity

WASHINGTON -- The United States on Tuesday sanctioned two Russian shipping companies and six Russian vessels for allegedly helping North Korea's illicit activities in violation of international sanctions.The Department of the Treasury announced that the sanctions target persons involved in the banned ship-to-ship transfer of refined petroleum products to North Korea-flagged vessels.The designated entities will now have any property or interests in the US frozen, including dealings with US citize

Aug. 22, 2018

Kaesong office plan sparks worries over sanction violation

With the two Koreas seeking to establish an inter-Korean liaison office at the Kaesong industrial park in North Korea, the construction project appears to demonstrate underlying differences between Seoul and Washington over their dealings with North Korea. 　South Korea has said that the construction project does not clash with a series of sanctions imposed on North Korea. The Moon Jae-in administration asserted that the measure could foster cross-border exchanges and build mutual trust for the d

Aug. 21, 2018

[Photo News] Families eat together for first time in history of family reunions

As the second day of family reunions began, five buses filled with North Koreans arrived in front of Oekumgang Hotel, where their relatives from South Korea are staying, at 9:55 a.m. Tuesday.Dressed in colorful “hanbok,” or Korean traditional dress, many North Korean women had to be helped by volunteers so as not to trip on the long hemlines.North Koreans were also seen carrying presents to give to their long-lost relatives, ranging from the North’s well-known “Kaesong Koryo insam,” or ginseng,

Aug. 21, 2018

Red Cross chief seeks to visit N. Korea next month to discuss humanitarian issues

MOUNT KUMGANG -- The head of South Korea's Red Cross said Tuesday that he seeks to visit North Korea next month to discuss inter-Korean cooperation on humanitarian issues.In a meeting with pool reporters covering the reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War underway at Mount Kumgang, a scenic resort on the North's east coast, Park Kyung-seo, the head of the Korean Red Cross, said that talks are underway on a September trip to Pyongyang. (Yonhap)"We are coordinating a trip to Pyon

Aug. 21, 2018

Reunions of war-split Korean kin are emotional

For the first time in three years, elderly North and South Korean relatives separated during the chaos of the 1950-53 Korean War are meeting at the North’s scenic Diamond Mountain, where they’ll embrace their loved ones after decades apart. Here are several things to know about the reunions, which will only last a few days and will likely be the last time these people see each other:  South Korean Lee Keum-seom, 92, left, hugs her North Korean son Ri Sang Chol, 71, during the Separated Family Re

Aug. 21, 2018

Ranking Chinese official in N. Korea to discuss Xi's visit: source

BEIJING -- A ranking official at China's foreign ministry recently visited Pyongyang, a source in Beijing said Tuesday, stoking further speculation about Chinese President Xi Jinping's imminent visit to North Korea.Recent media reports said that Xi plans to visit North Korea around Sept. 9 to attend a ceremony marking the communist ally's 70th founding anniversary.According to the source, the Chinese official with a rank of deputy assistant minister recently contacted North Korean officials in P

Aug. 21, 2018

US, NK coordinating schedule for denuclearization negotiations: Seoul foreign ministry

The United States and North Korea are coordinating a schedule for the top American diplomat's visit to Pyongyang and follow-up denuclearization negotiations, Seoul's foreign ministry said Tuesday.In its parliamentary briefing, the ministry also reiterated Seoul's goal to achieve the declaration of a formal end to the1950-53 Korean War this year, despite Washington's reported reluctance about the early declaration before Pyongyang takes tangible steps toward denuclearization.(Yonhap)"During the f

Aug. 21, 2018

War-separated families hold private meetings on 2nd day

South and North Koreans participating in a reunion event for families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War held their first private meetings Tuesday, following group sessions a day before. Eighty-nine elderly South Koreans and 185 North Koreans, who were chosen as participants of the first round of a weeklong reunion event held at Kumgangsan Resort on the east coast of North Korea, embraced and held each other for the first time Monday since the war that divided the Korean Peninsula. (Yonhap)The

Aug. 21, 2018

S. Korea to seek consultations with N. Korea to regularize family reunions

South Korea will continue its efforts to hold reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War on a regular basis in a bid to better address humanitarian issues arising from decades of division, the unification ministry said Tuesday.In its policy briefing to lawmakers, the ministry said that it will hold consultations with North Korea to regularize family reunion events, locate long-lost families and allow people to visit their hometowns on the other side.Currently, 89 elderly South Kore

Aug. 21, 2018

Inter-Korean ties, denuclearization must progress together: State Department

WASHINGTON -- The United States said Monday in response to the two Koreas' preparations to open a joint liaison office that inter-Korean ties must advance together with Pyongyang's denuclearization.The office is expected to be installed in the North Korean border city of Kaesong to facilitate cross-border exchanges following a historic summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in April.A Korean news report cited a US official as raising concerns that S

Aug. 21, 2018

N. Korean leader Kim chafes at officials for failing public health sector

 North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has strongly criticized his country's public health sector for failing to live up to expectations, calling for stepped-up efforts to modernize itself going forward, the North's state media said Tuesday.Kim made the criticism during his "field guidance" at the Myohyangsan Medical Appliances Factory, located in the country's northwestern province, according to the Korean Central News Agency.The exact date for his trip was not disclosed. (Yonhap)"He said he cannot b

Aug. 21, 2018

Trump says 'most likely' to meet Kim Jong-un again: report

US President Donald Trump said Monday that it's "most likely" he will meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un again following their historic summit in June, according to a news report.Trump was responding to a question during an interview with Reuters about whether the two are planning another meeting."It's most likely we will, but I just don't want to comment," he was quoted as saying, offering no details on the timing or venue.At their June meeting in Singapore, Kim committed to work toward the "

Aug. 21, 2018

[Photo News] War-separated families meet in rare, emotional reunion

South Koreans left for North Korea Monday to take part in reunions with their North Korean family members from a hotel in Sokcho, in South Korea’s Gangwon Province. Around 89 South Korean survivors, mostly in their 70s and older, got the chance to meet around 180 of their long-lost relatives living in the North at Mount Kumgang.  A man selected as a participant for a reunion shows pictures of his deceased mother and little brothers living in North Korea, at a hotel used as a waiting place in Sok

Aug. 20, 2018

N. Korea reacts positively to proposal to co-host 2021 Asian Winter Games: governor

CHUNCHEON -- The governor of South Korea's northeast border province said Monday he proposed during his recent visit to Pyongyang that the two Koreas co-host the 2021 Asian Winter Games.Choi Moon-soon, governor of Gangwon Province, who visited North Korea Aug. 10-19 to participate in an international under-15 football tournament in Pyongyang, said that the North positively responded to his co-hosting proposal for the largest Asian winter sports festival."Co-hosting the Asian Winter Games is a ma

Aug. 20, 2018