Moon urges efforts to move N. Korea denuclearization forward

SINGAPORE -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Friday called for sincere efforts on all sides to move the North Korean denuclearization process forward, insisting that its leader Kim Jong-un is determined to turn his country into a normal state."I have met Chairman Kim Jong-un twice so far. Chairman Kim had a great desire to break away from ideological confrontations and develop North Korea into a normal country," Moon said in a special lecture hosted by the Institute of South East Asian Stu

July 13, 2018

NK tells South not to hesitate about cross-border cooperation

North Korea's media urged South Korea to more actively engage in cross-border cooperation Friday, making a veiled criticism that Seoul is hesitating under the influence from other countries.Uriminzokkiri, the North's external propaganda website, said any delay in cooperation would be an "irresponsible attitude" running counter to expectations for reconciliation and prosperity. Cross-border cooperation is something that the two Koreas should determine on their own, with no need to be influenced b

July 13, 2018

N. Korean defector allowed into US in June: report

One North Korean defector was admitted to the United States as a refugee last month, broadcaster Voice of America reported Friday, citing data from the US Department of State.The North Korean, identified only as a women in her 40s, settled down in Utah in June, according to the report. (Reuters)With the latest addition, a total of three North Korean defectors have arrived in the US since October last year. In January, two female defectors in their teens became the first North Koreans allowed US

July 13, 2018

Full text of NK leader's letter to Trump

WASHINGTON -- The following is the full text of a letter sent by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to US President Donald Trump on July 6, 2018. Trump revealed the note in a Twitter message on Thursday. (Yonhap)(Yonhap)  This combination of pictures created July 12 shows the letter dated July 6, 2018 from North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un to US President Donald Trump (in Korean at left and English translation at right). (Yonhap)  ----------------  H.E. Donald J. TrumpPresidentUnited States of Ameri

July 13, 2018

Trump tweets letter from NK leader

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump on Thursday revealed a letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un that expressed hope for further progress in bilateral ties.In a Twitter message, Trump wrote, "A very nice note from Chairman Kim of North Korea. Great progress being made!"Attached were two images of the letter -- one in Korean and the other an English translation. Dated July 6, the note was likely the one given to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during his visit to Pyongyang last week.(

July 13, 2018

US, NK to discuss return of American troops’ remains Sunday

The US and North Korea have agreed to discuss the repatriation of American troops’ remains from the 1950-53 Korean War on Sunday.The US State Department had announced after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to Pyongyang Friday and Saturday that the two sides were to meet at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjeom on Thursday. The North said it would discuss the issue with the US, but never mentioned a specific date. On Thursday, US Defense Department and United Nations Command offi

July 13, 2018

S. Korean pro-unification civic group to visit N. Korea

South Korea said Thursday it will allow the country’s major pro-unification civic group, chaired by a son of late President Kim Dae-jung, to visit North Korea next week to discuss with its North Korean counterpart cross-border cooperation and exchange. Five members of the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation including Kim Hong-gul, head of the group, will visit Pyongyang from Monday to Thursday, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Unification.  Kim Hong-gul, head of

July 12, 2018

US troops in S. Korea will stay even after denuclearization: Moon

The United States will continue to maintain its troops in South Korea despite the recent suspension of their joint military drills with South Korean forces, South Korean president Moon Jae-in said."South Korea and the US maintain a firm stance about the role and importance of US Forces Korea for peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia," the South Korean president said in an interview with Singapore's Straits Times, published Thursday.(Yonhap)The written interview was given

July 12, 2018

Chairman of Presidential Committee on Northern Economic Cooperation to visit NK

Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Northern Economic Cooperation will visit North Korea’s port city of Rason and attend a seminar hosted by Russia, Seoul’s Ministry of Unification said Wednesday. The Unification Ministry greenlighted an 11-member delegation, including the committee’s Chairman Song Young-gil, to visit North Korea on Friday and Saturday. Song Young-gil, Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Northern Economic Cooperation (left) shakes hands with Russian President Vladimi

July 11, 2018

[Herald Interview] ‘For NK refugees, learning English is about finding their voice’

For North Korean refugees who made the perilous journey to South Korea to escape the repressive regime, learning English is not only about surviving in the hyper-competitive South Korean society.  　It is also about pursuing their new freedom, finding their identities and regaining their voice, said Casey Lartigue, co-founder of Teach North Korean Refugees, a Seoul-based nonprofit group. 　“They were at first either so shy or afraid to speak in English,” said Lartigue during an interview with The

July 11, 2018

Top US senator says Kim took Trump to the cleaners

WASHINGTON -- The top Democrat in the US Senate claimed Tuesday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un took US President Donald Trump "to the cleaners" at their meeting in Singapore last month.The remark from Sen. Chuck Schumer, the minority leader, came as he expressed his reservations about an upcoming one-on-one meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Yonhap)"When the president met with President Xi, when the president met with Kim Jong-un, they took him to the cleaners, it

July 11, 2018

Pompeo: US committed to peaceful solution in Korea

WASHINGTON -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has stressed the United States' commitment to resolving the threat of North Korea's nuclear weapons program in a peaceful manner.Pompeo spoke to the issue in a meeting with American troops in Afghanistan Monday, the State Department said in a statement. The top US diplomat made an unannounced visit to the country during a multi-nation tour that took him to Pyongyang last weekend."The Secretary also answered questions from the troops on both interna

July 11, 2018

Trump has 'little gift' for N.Korean leader

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he has a "little gift" for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, but wouldn't reveal what it is.Speaking with reporters before departing on a trip to Europe, Trump was asked to confirm a South Korean news report that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo took with him to Pyongyang a CD of Elton John's song "Rocket Man" to give to Kim last week."Rocket Man" is a nickname Trump used to mock Kim last year when the two traded insults over North Korea's testing of n

July 11, 2018

NK films to be publicly screened in S. Korea for first time

Nine North Korean films will be publicly shown at a South Korean film festival later this week amid the thaw in inter-Korean relations, the event's organizer said Tuesday. "The Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) mapped out a plan to hold a special screening of North Korean films in consideration of the mounting peace mood on the Korean Peninsula, and recently obtained a government permit to show them publicly," the BIFAN secretariat said.  (Yonhap)In South Korea, the screening

July 10, 2018

[Newsmaker] Some North Korean restaurant workers ‘victims’ of defection scam: UN official

The UN special rapporteur on human rights in North Korea on Tuesday called on the South Korean government to conduct a thorough and independent investigation into the defection of North Korean restaurant workers in 2016, saying some of the workers were “victims” of a scam. 　The government should hold accountable those responsible for what he said could constitute a “crime” and allow the workers to decide whether to remain in South Korea or return to North Korea, Tomas Ojea Quintana said at a pre

July 10, 2018

N. Korea castigates Japan for hostility, demands payment for colonial-era crimes

North Korea's media castigated Japan for inciting "hostility" toward its regime Tuesday, calling on Tokyo to "liquidate" its colonial-era crimes if it really wants peace and stability in the region. In a commentary, the Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, claimed that Japan is making a "pretext" to achieve its push to become a military power through such hostile policy despite a growing sense of peace surrounding the Korean Peninsula.  (Yonhap)"A dramatic event is

July 10, 2018

Trump voices confidence Kim will honor denuclearization deal

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump on Monday voiced confidence that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will dismantle the regime's nuclear weapons program as promised.Trump wrote the message on Twitter after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Pyongyang over the weekend to flesh out details of the two leaders' denuclearization deal. US President Donald Trump (Reuters)"I have confidence that Kim Jong Un will honor the contract we signed &, even more importantly, our handshake," Trump twee

July 10, 2018

Pentagon: US ready if N. Korea returns American soldiers' remains

WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon said Monday that the United States remains ready should North Korea decide to return the remains of American soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War.Col. Rob Manning, a Pentagon spokesman, was commenting on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's promise to repatriate the remains as part of last month's summit agreement with US President Donald Trump.Manning said he could not provide a timeline, but that the Pentagon is supporting the State Department-led effort to bring b

July 10, 2018

NK leader Kim inspects construction sites, farm

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has inspected construction sites in the country's northern county of Samjiyon, the North's state-run media reported Tuesday.Kim gave a "field guidance" at the sites, including a township construction project under way in Samjiyon County in Ryanggang Province bordering China, according to the Korean Central News Agency."He said that the construction of Samjiyon County should be conducted, divided into the areas of education, dwelling houses, modern streets, industr

July 10, 2018

[Newsmaker] JTBC's possible Pyongyang bureau to face obstacles

With representatives of South Korean broadcaster JTBC beginning their trip to North Korea on Monday to discuss possible establishment of a Pyongyang bureau, speculations are rampant on how both sides will reach a consensus, with the existing gap on the role of the media. Last week, the South’s Ministry of Unification approved JTBC’s application to send an eight-person team to North Korea from Monday to Thursday to discuss cooperation on the media sector and the possible launch of a Pyongyang bur

July 9, 2018