Blue House confirms US-NK contact, says back-channel talks ‘going well’

Seoul’s presidential office on Monday confirmed that the US and North Korea are in direct contact, saying that progress is being made on the planned summit between the two countries. “(Cheong Wa Dae) is not aware about the degree to which information is being shared, but as far as we are aware, US-North Korea contact is going well,” a high level Cheong Wa Dae official said on condition of anonymity. US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. YonhapThe comment confirms US medi

April 9, 2018

China bans exports of 32 'dual-use' items to NK

China has banned exports of 32 items to North Korea that could be converted for use in developing weapons of mass destruction, Beijing's commerce ministry said Monday.The "dual-use" items are mostly equipment, software and technologies. They include particle accelerators and centrifuges, the ministry said in a statement posted on its website.The export ban is in line with Resolution 2375 adopted by the UN Security Council in September in the wake of the North's sixth nuclear test. (Yonhap)The mo

April 9, 2018

US confirms NK willingness to discuss denuclearization

WASHINGTON -- The United States has confirmed that North Korea is willing to talk about abandoning its nuclear weapons program during a bilateral summit next month, the White House said Sunday.The two sides have also been holding secret talks in preparation for the historic meeting, according to a National Security Council spokesperson who spoke to Yonhap on condition of anonymity.US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un are expected to meet before the end of May to talk abo

April 9, 2018

Spymasters prepare for US-NK summit

 　The United States and North Korea have kicked off their working-level discussions for their first summit amid speculation that the two countries’ spy chiefs are leading diplomatic efforts to resolve the decadesold nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula. 　Citing several officials from the Trump administration, CNN reported Saturday that the United States and North Korea have been holding secret, direct talks using intelligence backchannels between the two countries’ top intelligence agencies. 　L

April 8, 2018

Koreas discuss communication issues ahead of summit

North and South Korea on Saturday held talks over establishing a telephone hotline between their leaders and other communication issues ahead of a rare summit between the rivals later this month.The closed-door talks between working-level officials at a border village were part of preparatory discussions to set up the April 27 summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. The meeting, only the third summit between the Koreas since the end of the 1950-53 K

April 8, 2018

NK leader’s wife likely to join Kim Jong-un on cross-border trip

With the historic inter-Korean summit scheduled for April 27, experts say Ri Sol-ju, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s wife, is likely to accompany her husband on the cross-border trip. 　Ri has maintained a largely veiled existence since the North‘s state media identified her as the wife of Kim Jong-un in 2012.  North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his wife Ri Sol-ju wave from a car as they bid farewell to Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan in Beijing. (AP-Yonhap)That is, unt

April 8, 2018

China applies its own maximum pressure policy on Pyongyang

TOKYO -- As the US-North Korea summit looms, President Donald Trump‘s maximum pressure policy on North Korea may be working -- thanks to China.Beijing appears to have gone well beyond UN sanctions on its unruly neighbor, reducing its total imports from North Korea in the first two months this year by 78.5 and 86.1 percent in value -- a decline that began in late 2017, according to the latest trade data from China. Its exports to the North also dropped by 33 percent to 34 percent both months. The

April 8, 2018

DMZ bike tour to be held this month

UIJEONGBU, Gyeonggi Province -- A bike tour within the civilian control line of the Demilitarized Zone bisecting the two Koreas will take place late this month, the event's organizer said Sunday. "The DMZ Bike Tour will be held near the Imjingak park in Paju, north of Seoul, on April 29," the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization said.  (Photo courtesy of Gyeonggi Provincial Government)The tour will cover a 17.2-kilometer section linking a military patrol walk along the Imjin River with Tongil Bridge an

April 8, 2018

N. Korean Red Cross officials have new 'flexible' attitude: official

North Korean Red Cross officials who recently met South Koreans in a regional forum were flexible and actively engaged in talks, an official who served Seoul's Red Cross chief said Sunday.Park Kyung-seo, the president of the Red Cross in South Korea, last month attended the 2018 East Asian Red Cross leadership meeting in Hong Kong and met with Paek Yong-ho, the vice president of North Korea's Red Cross. An official who was with Park told Yonhap News Agency that there were no signs of strain betw

April 8, 2018

Koreas discuss establishing hotline between leaders

The two Koreas held talks on Saturday to discuss establishing a direct telephone link between their leaders and other communication issues ahead of a historic summit between them later this month.The meeting at the North Korean side of the border village of Panmunjom was attended by three working-level officials from the South and their three to four counterparts from the North, according to Seoul officials.Intensively discussed during the talks that lasted for about three hours were such issues

April 8, 2018

EU adds 21 entities to N. Korea sanctions list: report

The European Union has added one person and 21 entities to its list of those subject to restrictive measures against North Korea in line with the latest sanctions imposed by the United Nations, a US radio station reported Saturday. (Yonhap)The decision was made Friday (local time) to implement the United Nations' latest expansion of sanctions against North Korea covering 27 vessels, one individual and 21 shipping companies, Radio Free Asia reported, citing an EU spokesman. Detailed information o

April 7, 2018

S. Korean officials visit venue of inter-Korean summit for possible renovation

A group of top South Korean officials made a rare trip Friday to the joint security area inside the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone, the venue of recent inter-Korean dialogue and an upcoming summit between the leaders of the two Koreas.The one-day trip came as South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un are set to hold their first meeting on the South Korean side of the JSA on April 27.It will mark the third inter-Korean summit and the first time for a North Korea

April 6, 2018

Will six-party talks to discuss N.K. denuclearization be resumed?

With preparations under way for South Korea and the United States to hold their respective summits with North Korea, experts are now paying attention to whether the long-suspended six-party talks could be used as an effective format to ensure the denuclearization of the reclusive state.Possibility is also being raised that the North might prefer such a multilateral negotiation platform as it appears to be striving to enlist support from China and Russia ahead of its leader Kim Jong-un's planned

April 6, 2018

Seoul vows efforts to free detainees in N.K. amid improving inter-Korean ties

South Korea said Friday it will make efforts to win the release of South Korean detainees in North Korea in the process of making an improvement in inter-Korean ties.Currently, six South Koreans, including three pastors, are being detained in North Korea on charges of committing what the North called anti-North Korea crimes."The government will make active efforts to resolve such humanitarian issues in the process of an advancement in South-North Korean relations, including on the occasion of in

April 6, 2018

Britain approves new sanctions on N. Korean ships, firms: report

Britain has approved a new set of sanctions on North Korea that target ships and companies involved in alleged smuggling activities by the North, Radio Free Asia reported Friday.The US-funded broadcaster said the British government Thursday added 15 ships, 21 companies and one individual to a list of designations subject to the UN sanctions on Pyongyang. The UN Security Council (Yonhap)The UN Security Council's North Korea sanctions committee on March 30 unanimously adopted sanctions designation

April 6, 2018

N. Korean diplomat says atmosphere of reconciliation emerging, hopes for breakthrough

North Korea's top diplomat has said an atmosphere is emerging on the Korean Peninsula for inter-Korean reconciliation and trust-building and that a "breakthrough" for reunification could be made if the two Koreas closely cooperate, media reports showed Friday.North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho made the remarks during a ministerial-level meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Thursday (local time)."An atmosphere is emerging on the Korean Peninsula between North an

April 6, 2018

Koreas to discuss establishing first hotline between leaders

The two Koreas are set to hold talks this week to install what will be the first direct hotline between their leaders, who are set to hold their first meeting in person later in the month, officials from the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Friday.The inter-Korean dialogue will be held Saturday at the joint security area (JSA) inside the Demilitarized Zone that divides the two Koreas, involving working-level officials from both sides.Its sole purpose will be to establish a direct hotline b

April 6, 2018

Eight years since Cheonan sinking, S. Korea still mired in controversy

In March 2010, the South Korean Navy ship Cheonan sank in the West Sea just south of the de facto maritime border with North Korea near Baengnyeong Island. Of the 104 South Korean sailors on board, 46 were killed or remain missing. 　A multinational investigation team led by the South Korean military later concluded that the warship was sunk by a North Korean torpedo fired from a midget submarine. North Korea denied its involvement while controversy over the cause of the sinking roiled South Kore

April 5, 2018

Two Koreas talk protocols, security for April summit

The two Koreas held working-level talks at the truce village of Panmunjeom on Thursday to discuss security measures, protocols and media coverage for their upcoming summit. The meeting kicked off around 10 a.m. (Seoul time) and lasted for four hours on the southern side of the joint security area, also known as Panmunjeom, according to the South Korean presidential office Cheong Wa Dae. South Korean soldiers stand on guard as they face the North Korea side at the border village of Panmunjeom in

April 5, 2018

NK highlights founder's friendship, exchanges with Chinese leaders

An influential North Korean newspaper on Thursday introduced an anecdotal event involving its state founder Kim Il-sung and former Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai and their friendship, as the country is highlighting the records of blood ties between the past leaders of the neighboring countries following its leader Kim Jong-un's surprise visit to China last month.In a commentary, the Rodong Sinmun said, "The revolutionary friendship between Kim Il-sung and Zhou portrayed a chapter of sublime duty per

April 5, 2018