[2018 Inter-Korean summit] On the table at Peace House: Nukes, peace, better relations

 With the historic inter-Korean summit just around the corner, speculation is rampant over what the two leaders will discuss amid hopes that their meeting will pave the way for peace on the Korean Peninsula.   According to Cheong Wa Dae, the main agenda will be narrowed down to: denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, establishment of the peace regime and improvement of inter-Korean relations. But exactly what will be discussed, and more importantly, what will be announced at the end of the da

April 25, 2018

Moon may suggest jointly operated communications office to NK leader: report

President Moon Jae-in may suggest establishing a joint inter-Korean communications office during Friday’s meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, local media reported Wednesday.According to reports citing unnamed Cheong Wa Dae officials, Moon could make the suggestion, and if accepted, the office is likely to be set up at Panmunjeom, where Friday’s summit will take place. The Peace House on the South Korean side of Panmunjeom, a possible site of an inter-Korean communications office. Yonha

April 25, 2018

Amid thawing ties, local governments push for reconciliatory projects with North

A rapid thawing in inter-Korean relations brought about by the two Korea's agreement to hold a summit between their leaders is prompting South Korean regional governments to move ahead with a slew of projects to promote exchanges with North Korea.Last year, the North continued to take provocative actions with its nuclear and missile development programs, heightening tensions on the Korean Peninsula amid international warnings and UN.sanctions. But inter-Korean relations have rapidly improved fol

April 25, 2018

Moon-Trump summit likely for mid-May

A South Korea-US summit meeting is being arranged for some time in May, before a planned meeting between the leaders of the US and North Korea, Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday. Revealing that National Security Office chief Chung Eui-yong met with White House national security adviser John Bolton on Tuesday in the US, Cheong Wa Dae’s chief press secretary Yoon Young-chan said that a Seoul-Washington summit was a key agenda item in Chung’s meeting.  President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump

April 25, 2018

[Newsmaker] A unified Korea? Leaders bring contrasting visions to summit

Unification is an idea that moves most Koreans, North and South, on an emotional level.For some, especially young people in the South, it may not be a burning issue. Details like the costs, the risks and what specifically both sides stand to gain are rarely given much thought by anyone who isn’t an academic, politician or activist.]But when North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in meet on Friday, the prospect of unification, even if only in the abstract, will loom l

April 25, 2018

Wolfowitz voices skepticism over NK's seriousness about denuclearization

Paul Wolfowitz, former United States deputy secretary of defense, expressed skepticism on Wednesday over North Korea's seriousness about its denuclearization, citing the track record of the North making agreements only to break them later.Wolfowitz, known for his hawkish views on the North while serving as the deputy secretary from 2001-2005, added that it would be necessary to intensify sanctions if the planned South Korea and the US summits with North Korea do not produce satisfactory results.

April 25, 2018

Inter-Korean summit likely to confirm N. Korean commitment to denuclearization: FM

The inter-Korean summit meeting set for this week will likely be a chance to confirm North Korea's commitment to denuclearization between the top leaders of the two Koreas, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said Wednesday."The South-North summit talks are expected to be a venue where (the leaders) discuss the issue of denuclearization frankly and verify North Korea's commitment to denuclearization," Kang said during an event hosted by the Korea Peace Foundation.The summit between President Moon Ja

April 25, 2018

Inter-Korean summit seen as tone-setter for Trump-Kim meeting

WASHINGTON -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in could hold the key to setting the tone for upcoming talks between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.When he meets with Kim on Friday, Moon will be expected to sound out the regime's willingness to dismantle its nuclear weapons program for peace on the peninsula and beyond.Based on what the North Korean leader says, Trump is expected to make his final preparations for a high-stakes showdown with the reclusive regime."The

April 25, 2018

Trump praises N.Korea's Kim as 'very open,' 'honorable'

US President Donald Trump praised Kim Jong-un as "very open" and "very honorable" on Tuesday, adding the North Korean leader wants to meet "as soon as possible.""We are having very good discussions," Trump said, ahead of a summit with the mercurial Kim expected sometime before the end of June."He really has been very open, I think -- very honorable." A photo released by the North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the state news agency of North Korea, shows a meeting of the Political Bureau of t

April 25, 2018

Trump to N.Korea's Kim: 'Get rid of nukes'

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday called on North Korea to abandon its nuclear program, ahead of an expected summit with the North's leader Kim Jong-un.Earlier, the US leader -- who spent the day in talks with French President Emmanuel Macron -- had described Kim as "very open" and "very honorable" -- his most positive comments yet about a man he once publicly belittled.But when pressed about what he hoped to gain from Pyongyang, the 71-year-old Republican president was blunt.US President Don

April 25, 2018

Two Koreas decide not to hold additional high-level talks on summit preparation

The two Koreas decided Tuesday not to hold additional bilateral high-level talks to prepare for the historic cross-border summit slated for later this week, a Seoul official said.The official said that, should there be a need for additional consultations to prepare for the April 27 summit, the two sides could hold discussions when Pyongyang's advance team comes for a rehearsal at the summit venue in the border truce village of Panmunjom on Wednesday. A North Korean village seen from Paju, Gyeong

April 24, 2018

S. Korea's foreign ministry condemns deadly attack in Kabul

South Korea's foreign ministry on Tuesday strongly condemned the recent suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan's capital of Kabul that killed dozens of people.The blast occurred at a voter registration center on Sunday (local time), reportedly leaving nearly 60 people dead and many others wounded. The Islamic State militant group has claimed responsibility for it. Family members and relatives attend the funeral of the victim of the deadly attack at a public cemetery near Kabul, Afghanistan on April

April 24, 2018

Abe hints at possibility of Tokyo-Pyongyang talks

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday hinted that his country could engage North Korea in dialogue should the inter-Korean and US-North Korea summits be successful. The comments came in Abe’s telephone conversation with President Moon Jae-in, Cheong Wa Dae said. “Success of the inter-Korean summit will only lead to the success of the US-North Korea summit that will follow but contribute to the normalization of relations between Japan and North Korea, and provide the opportunity to fundam

April 24, 2018

Peace with North Korea requires US agreement: Moon

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday said that a peace treaty with North Korea will require the support of the US, and that he will work closely with Washington and Tokyo to bring about such an outcome. President Moon Jae-in (left) and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. YonhapDuring a 40-minute conversation with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that began at 4 p.m., Moon said a peace treaty between the two Koreas would require the agreement of the US, and that he would cooperate with the US as we

April 24, 2018

[Graphic News] Gap in electricity output capacity growing for two Koreas

　The gap in electricity supply capacity between South Korea and North Korea reached a record high, with the South capable of generating 14 times more in 2016, data from Statistics Korea and local power operators showed　South Korea‘s electricity output reached 105,866 megawatts in 2016 if all of its power plants operated at full capacity. By comparison, North Korea’s output was estimated at 7,661 MW. The difference is the largest since South Korea began to release related data in 1965.　Past recor

April 24, 2018

[2018 Inter-Korean summit] Inside Panmunjeom: where inter-Korean summit will be held

On April 27, Panmunjeom on the inter-Korean border will be the stage for the meeting between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the first inter-Korean summit in 11 years. Situated in the heavily fortified 250-kilometer-long Demilitarized Zone that divides the two Koreas, the Joint Security Area of Panmunjeom is where the Korean War armistice was signed in 1953 and numerous cross-border talks have since been held. The Peace House, a three-story building where

April 24, 2018

S. Korea's nuke envoy says next few months 'critical' for denuclearization of NK

South Korea's top nuclear envoy said Tuesday that the next few months will be "critical" in laying the groundwork for the denuclearization of North Korea and reaffirmed Seoul's commitment to close consultation with Washington both before and after the upcoming inter-Korean summit.Lee Do-hoon, representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, made the remarks at the start of the meeting in his office in Seoul with Susan Thornton, acting US assistant secretary of state for East Asian

April 24, 2018

N. Korea's nuclear test site 'fully operational': 38 North

WASHINGTON -- North Korea's nuclear test site is still "fully operational" contrary to reports that it is near collapse, a US website monitoring the reclusive regime said Monday.The reports suggested North Korea's announcement Saturday of its decision to close the test site was due to it being unusable.But according to 38 North, the site in northeastern Punggye-ri could be reactivated when necessary.(Yonhap)"North Korea's Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site, where North Korea has conducted six acknowle

April 24, 2018

NK leader mourns Chinese tourists killed in bus accident

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has visited the Chinese Embassy in Pyongyang to express his "deep" condolences over the death of scores of Chinese tourists in a traffic accident in the North, state media said Tuesday.Kim's rare visit there came amid a thaw in the relations between the communist allies that was highlighted by his surprise trip to China last month ahead of summits with South Korea and the United States.The North's leader visited the Chinese Embassy at 6:30 a.m. on Monday, the Kore

April 24, 2018

N. Korea halting loudspeaker broadcasts toward S. Korea: gov't source

North Korea's military has been switching off its loudspeaker broadcasts directed at South Korea in the border area in response to a similar decision by the South ahead of an inter-Korean summit this week, a government source said Monday."The North Korean military had about 40 loudspeakers for anti-Seoul propaganda in the vicinity of the military demarcation line (MDL), and has turned off a considerable number of them as of Monday afternoon," the source said. (Yonhap)Another source also said it

April 23, 2018