Kim Jong-un says N. Korea to take part in 2020, 2022 Olympics: IOC chief

Kim Jong-un is committed to sending North Korean teams to the next two Olympics, the IOC chief Thomas Bach said Saturday after a rare meeting with the leader of the nuclear-armed regime in Pyongyang.Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee, also said the IOC will make a proposal for a "potential joint march" and other shared activities between the North and South Korean teams at the Tokyo games.Last month's Winter Olympics in South Korea saw competitors from the two countries m

March 31, 2018

US says Security Council approves new sanctions on NK

The United States said Friday it has secured the support of the UN Security Council for a new package of sanctions designations that target smuggling at sea by North Korea.Ambassador Nikki Haley said the North Korea Sanctions Committee, which comprises all members of the UN's most senior decision-making body, unanimously approved designations of 21 shipping companies, one individual and 27 ships. She said it was the largest-ever set of UN designations against the North. United States Ambassador

March 31, 2018

UN blacklists dozens of ships, businesses over N. Korea smuggling

The UN Security Council on Friday blacklisted 27 ships, 21 companies and a businessman for helping North Korea circumvent sanctions, as the United States keeps up pressure on Pyongyang despite its recent overtures toward talks, diplomats said.Acting on a request from the United States, it was the largest-ever package of sanctions designations on North Korea approved by a council committee, diplomats said. (AP)The move is part of a global crackdown on the smuggling of North Korean commodities in

March 31, 2018

Koreas considering holding next summit preparatory talks on April 18

Officials of South and North Korea are considering holding another round of high-level talks on April 18 to work out details of a summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.In the first high-level preparatory talks earlier this week, the two sides fleshed out an earlier agreement to hold a summit in late April and set April 27 as its date. The meeting, set to take place on the South's side of the border village of Panmunjeom, would be the third inter-Korean summit.

March 31, 2018

Main part of S. Korean art troupe to leave for N. Korea

The majority of the South Korean art troupe and taekwondo performers scheduled to give performances in Pyongyang ahead of a historic inter-Korean summit will head to North Korea on Saturday.The 120-member group led by Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Do Jong-whan will depart Seoul's Gimpo International Airport at 10:30 a.m. aboard a chartered civilian flight. They will travel via a direct air route between Seoul and Pyongyang over the Yellow Sea.Four members of K-pop girl group Red Velvet --

March 31, 2018

S. Korea, China vow to bolster bilateral ties

　South Korea and China on Friday agreed to bolster bilateral economic and environmental ties amid lingering concerns the latest China-North Korea summit could complicate the upcoming inter-Korean and US-North Korea summits. 　During his meeting with President Moon Jae-in, Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi pledged to work with South Korea in addressing health threats posed by fine dust after a rare acknowledgement that the issue is attributed to air pollution from China. 　The Chinese official al

March 30, 2018

Cold War document reveals NK’s proposal of neutral state on peninsula

　North Korea had floated the idea to the United States of building a neutral state on the Korean Peninsula when the communist state witnessed the late 1980s detente that led to the collapse of the Cold War, according to South Korea‘s diplomatic document revealed Friday. 　Released to the public by the Foreign Ministry, the document said North Korea asked former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev to deliver such proposals to then-US President Ronald Reagan during their summit in 1987.  　Titl

March 30, 2018

China voices support for summits with NK, expects important achievement

China is supporting South Korea and the United States in their efforts to hold summits with North Korea, a senior Chinese official said Friday, hoping that an "important achievement" will be made in the process.In a meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi also said he hopes that the two countries will continue close communication so as to consolidate the current peace mood on the Korean Peninsula."We are supporting (the planned) inter-Korean

March 30, 2018

NK media's failure to report summit date, venue not meaningful: ministry

South Korea's unification ministry said Friday it does not attach any meaning to North Korean state media reports that did not mention the date and venue for an inter-Korean summit in April.The Korean Central News Agency reported Thursday that the two Koreas agreed to hold a summit of their leaders after holding high-level talks, but it did not mention that the meeting will be held at the truce village of Panmunjom on April 27.Previously, North Korea's state media reported details of the two int

March 30, 2018

Ex-UN chief urges inter-Korean summit to focus on denuclearization

Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Friday that South Korean President Moon Jae-in should be firm and clear in demanding North Korea's denuclearization when he meets the communist neighbor's leader Kim Jong-un in late April.Ban emphasized the significance of what would be the third inter-Korean summit slated for April 27. The two previous ones were held in Pyongyang in 2000 and 2007. This time, Moon and Kim agreed to sit down together at the border village of Panmunjom. The two sides ha

March 30, 2018

Trump warns he may freeze S. Korea trade deal for NK talks

RICHFIELD -- President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to hold up the trade agreement his administration finalized this week with South Korea in an effort to gain more leverage in potential talks with North Korea.Speaking on infrastructure in Ohio, Trump highlighted the recently completed renegotiation of the Korea-US free trade agreement. But he warned: "I may hold it up until after a deal is made with North Korea." The announcement comes as the two Koreas have announced plans to hold bilat

March 30, 2018

US 'pleased' after Koreas set date for summit

WASHINGTON -- The United States said Thursday it was "pleased" after South and North Korea announced a date for their summit in late April.South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will meet on the southern side of the border village of Panmunjom on April 27, both sides said after high-level talks earlier in the day.The meeting is expected to address North Korea's nuclear weapons program and inter-Korean ties."The fact that South Korea is having talks with North Kore

March 30, 2018

NK-China meeting could complicate NK-US talks

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week could spell complications for the upcoming US-North Korea summit, experts say. In his meeting with Xi, Kim reaffirmed his commitment to denuclearization, but also hinted that unconditional denuclearization -- demanded by Seoul and Washington -- would be unlikely, ahead of his summit with US President Donald Trump by the end of May. Kim pledged that he was “committed to denuclearization” on the Korean Peninsula,

March 29, 2018

Xi's envoy briefs Seoul on NK-China summit

South Korea’s National Security Office chief Chung Eui-yong met Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi in Seoul on Thursday. Yang arrived Thursday and was scheduled to meet President Moon Jae-in on Friday. Chung and Yang, accompanied by high-ranking diplomatic and trade officials from the two sides, met at a hotel in central Seoul to discuss a range of bilateral issues and those concerning North Korea. National Security Office chief Chung Eui-yong (left) and Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi pose

March 29, 2018

[Breaking] Inter-Korean summit to be held April 27: Unification Ministry

South and North Korea agreed Thursday to hold an inter-Korean summit on April 27 at the truce village of Panmunjeom, a joint statement released by Seoul’s Ministry of Unification said. “The South and North will hold the 2018 inter-Korean summit at the Peace House at the southern side of Panmunjeom on April 27, according to the will of the leaders of both sides,” the statement read. South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon (right) and North`s Ri Son-gwon enter the conference room on Thur

March 29, 2018

Technical crew of S. Korean art troupe leaves for NK

The technical crew for the South Korean art troupe set to perform in North Korea departed for Pyongyang Thursday morning, tasked with preparing the stages ahead of the performances. (Yonhap)The technicians are part of a 190-member South Korean art troupe and taekwondo demonstration team, which includes K-pop artists ranging from veteran singers Cho Yong-pil and Lee Sun-hee to idols Red Velvet and Seohyun. The art troupe‘s trip to the North is part of the agreement by the two Koreas to have South

March 29, 2018

Cheong Wa Dae hails NK-China summit as 'meaningful' development

South Korea on Thursday welcomed the recent summit between the leaders of China and North Korea, calling it a significant development that will help denuclearize the North and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula."We welcome the summit between Kim Jong-un, chairman of North Korea's state affairs commission, and Chinese President Xi Jinping," Kim Eui-kyeom, a spokesman for the South Korean presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, said in a statement.The remarks came one day after China and North Kor

March 29, 2018

Advance team of S. Korean art troupe leaves for NK

An advance team of a South Korean art troupe headed to North Korea on Thursday for their performances in Pyongyang ahead of the historic inter-Korean summit scheduled for late April.A 160-member South Korean art troupe, including celebrated K-pop singers Cho Yong-pil, Red Velvet and Seohyun, is scheduled to visit North Korea from Saturday to Tuesday for two performances -- on Sunday and Tuesday. They will be accompanied by some 30 taekwondo players, reporters and government officials.Some 70 tec

March 29, 2018

US 'cautiously optimistic' after Xi-Kim summit

WASHINGTON -- The White House expressed cautious optimism Wednesday after a meeting between the North Korean and Chinese leaders, saying "things are moving in the right direction."North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Beijing this week ahead of Kim's planned summits with South Korean and US leaders this spring.US President Donald Trump tweeted earlier in the day he "received message" from Xi Tuesday night that the meeting "went very well" and that Kim "looks for

March 29, 2018

Koreas kick off high-level talks to prepare for summit

PANMUNJOM -- South and North Korea kicked off their high-level talks Thursday to set the date and agenda for an inter-Korean summit slated for late April.Top officials from both sides met at the Tongilgak building on the northern side of the border truce village Panmunjom, according to pool reports.The meeting comes as South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un plan to hold a summit in April at Panmunjom after more than a year of tensions sparked by the North's nuclea

March 29, 2018