Ruling party chief urges Kim Jong-un to commit for successful US-North summit

South Korea’s ruling party chief on Tuesday urged North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to commit to accomplishing the upcoming US-North Korean talks, as it is his “responsibility and duty” demanded by the times. In a meeting with foreign reporters, Chair Rep. Choo Mi-ae of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea also stressed it was crucial that the two Koreas and the US declare an end to the Korean War, so that they can carry on discussions on peace treaty.  Ruling Democratic Party of Korea's Chairwoma

May 30, 2018

'North Korea seeks sanctions relief this year': experts

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s timeline for denuclearization would involve getting at least partial sanctions relief this year in return for taking steps to abandon its nuclear weapons, experts say. In a commentary carried by the North’s state-run Rodong Sinmun on Monday, North Korea said it is following its own timeline to join the international community in constructing a peaceful, nuclear-free world.North Korea’s mention of its “own timeline” came as officials from North Korea and the US w

May 29, 2018

Pyongyang demands halt to S. Korea-US military drill

North Korea’s state-run newspaper Tuesday urged the United States to suspend its combined military exercise with South Korea, raising speculation over whether the issue would be raised as an official agenda item for the scheduled US-North Korea summit. 　In an article titled “Behave along the mood for a dialogue,” Rodong Shinmun said that if the US wants a summit with North Korea, Washington should reconsider holding the upcoming Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise, which is scheduled for this August

May 29, 2018

Hopes rise for inter-Korean event for June 15 declaration

Expectations for the revival of the inter-Korean celebration of the June 15 South-North Joint Declaration is rising, with the two Koreas set to hold the stalled high-level talks. The June 15 Declaration was announced after the first-ever inter-Korean summit held in 2000. The declaration marked an unprecedented thaw on the peninsula after the 1950-53 Korean War, and was celebrated annually through jointly organized events until 2008.  (Yonhap)Despite having been discontinued for nearly a decade,

May 29, 2018

S. Korea informs NK of its delegation list for high-level talks

South Korea on Tuesday sent to North Korea the list of its delegates for this week's high-level talks, Seoul's unification ministry said.Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon will lead the five-member delegation for the talks to be held Friday. The group also includes Vice Transport Minister Kim Jeong-ryeol and Vice Culture Minster Roh Tae-kang. (Yonhap)During Saturday's inter-Korean summit, President Moon Jae-in and his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong-un agreed to hold the talks, which Pyongya

May 29, 2018

Top NK official heads to US as summit negotiations continue

North Korean spymaster Kim Yong-chol was confirmed to be headed for the US, adding another dimension to ongoing summit negotiations between the two countries. Kim, vice chairman of the North’s ruling party, arrived in Beijing on Tuesday, and his name was confirmed to be on the manifest of a New York-bound flight scheduled for Wednesday. US President Donald Trump later confirmed in a Twitter post that Kim was on his way to New York to discuss the summit, describing Kim's trip as "solid response t

May 29, 2018

Irish PM expresses support for Korea's efforts for denuclearization, peace

DUBLIN -- Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar expressed support on Monday for Seoul's efforts to rid the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons and make lasting peace with North Korea when he met with South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon, Lee's office said.Lee arrived in Dublin on Sunday for a three-day visit as part of a two-nation European trip that also took him to Austria. Lee is the first South Korean prime minister to visit Ireland in 28 years.The visit also included a meeting with Irish Pre

May 29, 2018

US, NK officials to meet in Singapore for summit preparations

SINGAPORE/SEOUL -- US and North Korean officials are set to meet in Singapore on Tuesday to discuss security and protocol issues concerning a possible summit between their leaders, a diplomatic source here said.White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations Joe Hagin leads the US delegation, while Kim Chang-son, a senior official at the State Affairs Commission, represents the North. They arrived in the city state on Monday. The high-stakes summit between US President Donald Trump and North Ko

May 29, 2018

US, N. Korean officials to resume summit prep talks after break: source

WASHINGTON -- US and North Korean officials will meet again on the inter-Korean border after a one-day break Monday, a diplomatic source said, as they continue preparations for a potential summit between their leaders.The two sides met Sunday (Korea time) on the northern side of the border, with the US delegation led by Amb. Sung Kim and the North Korean delegation led by Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui.These teams are reportedly responsible for agreeing on the substance of any summit between

May 29, 2018

Cross-border projects back on track

The two Koreas agreed to hold high-level talks this week, signaling a revival of cross-border projects. The first round of high-level talks to implement agreements reached at the inter-Korean summit on April 27 will take place Friday, according to Seoul. The announcement came as a result of a surprise meeting between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Saturday, when they reaffirmed the swift implementation of the agreements. (Yonhap)The ministerial level me

May 28, 2018

N. Korea to stick to own timetable for denuclearization

North Korea said Monday it will move in accordance with its own timetable to help achieve a nuclear-free world, attaching great importance to the recent destruction of its nuclear weapons test site.The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, said the demolition of the nuclear test ground in Punggye-ri last Thursday was a part of its "active and bold" decision to join the aspiration and efforts of the international community for a total stop to nuclear tests."

May 28, 2018

Moon instructs preparations for 'frequent' summit talks with N. Korea

President Moon Jae-in ordered his aides Monday to make necessary arrangements for his unexpected meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in the future, saying he plans to meet the North Korean leader whenever necessary.The call came two days after the leaders of the divided Koreas held an unannounced meeting on the North Korean side of Panmunjom, a border village that sits directly on the Military Demarcation Line that divides the two Koreas.The latest meeting marked the second Moon-Kim me

May 28, 2018

Regime guarantee central to US-NK working-level talks

Declaring an end to the Korean War is central to ongoing negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington, a top South Korean official said Monday as North Korea and the US scramble to arrange the US-North Korea summit. “Ultimately, denuclearization and guaranteeing the North Korean regime can be considered the axis of the agenda (for the US-North Korea summit),” a high-level Cheong Wa Dae official said on the condition of anonymity. “The South-North-US trilateral declaration of the end of war that

May 28, 2018

N. Korean delegation in Beijing en route to Singapore to prepare summit: sources

BEIJING/SINGAPORE -- A senior North Korean official arrived in Beijing on Monday, apparently on his way to Singapore for a summit preparatory meeting with the United States, diplomatic sources here said.Kim Chang-son, de facto chief of staff to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, is leading the country's delegation to discuss the logistics and security issues for his upcoming summit with US President Donald Trump, which is expected to be held in the city-state on June 12, according to the sources.T

May 28, 2018

Korean PM describes Trump as 'tough dealer'

LONDON -- South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon has called US President Donald Trump "a tough dealer" seasoned through a number of deal-making experiences, referring to a recent roller coaster of developments surrounding an upcoming summit with North Korea."President Trump has a sixth sense. He must have gone through a number of things from deal-making experiences. The closest thing to describe him would be a tough dealer," Lee said Sunday during a meeting in London with reporters traveling to

May 28, 2018

Amb. Sung Kim back in N. Korea for summit preparatory talks

A decade after crossing the inter-Korean land border with box-loaded documents on North Korea's nuclear program, Amb. Sung Kim is back in talks with North Korea.The State Department's top Korea expert is meeting with North Korean officials to prepare for an unprecedented summit between Pyongyang and Washington expected to take place in Singapore on June 12, according to the US government.His team, also involving Allison Hooker, a White House official on Korea, and Randall Schriver, assistant sec

May 28, 2018

US delegation in talks with NK officials on inter-Korean border: State Department

WASHINGTON -- US officials have crossed the border into North Korea to continue preparations for a potential meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the State Department said Sunday.The two sides are holding talks in the truce village of Panmunjom, which sits on the inter-Korean border, the department's spokeswoman, Heather Nauert, said in a statement."A US delegation is in ongoing talks with North Korean officials at Panmunjom. We continue to prepare for a

May 28, 2018

US officials cross into N. Korea for summit

A group of US officials crossed the inter-Korean border to North Korea on Sunday for talks to prepare for a summit between US President Donald Trump and the North's leader Kim Jong-un, a report said.Sung Kim, a former US ambassador to South Korea and ex-nuclear negotiator, led the US team for working-level talks with North Korea, The Washington Post reported.The former ambassador crossed the border to meet with Choe Son-hui, North Korea's vice foreign minister, who prompted Trump on Thursday to

May 28, 2018

Trump says truly believes in N. Korea's potential

US President Donald Trump said Sunday that he believes North Korea will be a great economic nation one day, setting a positive tone ahead of his potential meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.Trump also confirmed that US officials are in North Korea to continue preparations for the summit, which, if held, would take place in Singapore June 12."Our United States team has arrived in North Korea to make arrangements for the Summit between Kim Jong-un and myself," he tweeted. US President Do

May 28, 2018

[Newsmaker] N. Korea won't give up nuclear weapons: Victor Cha

A former US nuclear negotiator on Sunday cast doubt on the prospects of North Korea's denuclearization, saying the communist regime is unlikely to give up its nukes in a potential summit with the United States.Victor Cha, former Asia director on the White House National Security Council, tamped down expectations that a June 12 meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un could lead to a breakthrough in the nuclear conundrum.Victor Cha (Left) (Yonhap)"In terms of

May 28, 2018