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

Trump says maximum pressure on NK will remain 'at all cost'

U.S. President Donald Trump reaffirmed on Wednesday that he will maintain maximum pressure against North Korea "at all cost" despite recent developments that raise expectations for a breakthrough in the issue of the North's nuclear program. U.S. President Donald Trump (Yonhap)Trump said through social media, however, that he is looking forward to the upcoming summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, adding that there is a good chance for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula."Received

March 28, 2018

NK notifies S. Korea of names of delegates for high-level talks

North Korea notified South Korea of the names of the officials it will send to a high-level inter-Korean meeting intended to discuss the details of a summit the two Koreas are preparing to hold in April, the unification ministry here said Wednesday. The North's delegation will be led by Ri Son-gwon, the head of North Korea's state agency in charge of affairs with the South.According to the ministry, he will be accompanied by two other officials — Jon Jong-su and Kim Myong-il.They will meet with

March 28, 2018

NK media yet to mention inter-Korean, Trump-Kim summits

Unlike Chinese reports of a recent summit between the leaders of North Korea and China, the North’s state media have yet to mention the upcoming inter-Korean summit in April and planned US-North Korea talks for May.  North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping (Yonhap)Confirming North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s recent trip to Beijing, China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency reported Wednesday that Kim discussed and mentioned the upcoming landmark summits with his counte

March 28, 2018

Kim urges 'goodwill' on denuclearization

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called for Seoul and its allies to take measures corresponding to steps taken by Pyongyang. In his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday, Kim reiterated that denuclearization of the peninsula is the “will of the ancestors,” but called on Seoul and Washington to take progressive steps. The surprise meeting between Kim and Xi was held in Beijing, marking Kim’s first trip outside North Korea since taking power in 2011. His visit was confirmed by Chi

March 28, 2018

With talks with Xi, NK leader ups ante for showdown with Trump

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's surprise visit to Beijing is viewed as part of efforts to collect more bargaining chips ahead of his showdown with US President Donald Trump.Kim kicked off his full-fledged summit diplomacy with the talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday, as he's bracing for a high-risk, high-return game in May with Trump, a former businessman who styles himself as a master of negotiation.It came as hawkish officials are gaining clout in Washington D.C., as shown in

March 28, 2018

Analysis: Kim's trip shows China's value in Korean diplomacy

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s surprise visit to Beijing makes clear what has been easily forgotten amid the whirlwind of diplomatic developments in past months: China still plays a major role in efforts to end North Korea’s nuclear program.Just how much is still open to debate, but the visit shows Kim Jong Un hasn’t forgotten his only major ally despite recent antipathy between the countries and bombshell announcements that the young North Korean leader will hold summits with his foes in Was

March 28, 2018

NK leader Kim Jong-un expresses willingness to denuclearize: Xinhua

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reaffirmed his willingness to abandon nuclear weapons and hold a summit with the United States during his first meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Beijing’s state news agency Xinhua said Wednesday. “It is our consistent stand to be committed to denuclearization on the peninsula, in accordance with the will of late President Kim Il-sung and late General Secretary Kim Jong-il,” Kim said, referring to his father and grandfather.“The issue of denuclearization of

March 28, 2018

Kim says China visit is 'solemn duty', invites Xi: KCNA

North Korea's Kim Jong Un told Chinese President Xi Jinping that it was his "solemn duty" to make Beijing his first overseas destination and invited him to visit Pyongyang, the North's official news agency reported Wednesday.The relationship between the North and its key protector has soured in recent years, with China increasingly exasperated by its neighbour's nuclear antics and recently showing a new willingness to enforce United Nations sanctions imposed on it over its weapons and missiles p

March 28, 2018

China briefed US on Kim's visit to Beijing: White House

WASHINGTON -- China has briefed the United States on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's visit to Beijing, the White House said Tuesday.The statement from White House press secretary Sarah Sanders came shortly after North Korea announced its leader's trip and his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.  Chinese President Xi Jinping, second from right, and his wife Peng Liyuan, right, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, second from left, and his wife Ri Sol-ju , left, pose for a photo at the Gr

March 28, 2018

[Breaking] North Korean leader meets Xi Jinping

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met Chinese President Xi Jinping during an official trip to Beijing, North Korean and Chinese media revealed Wednesday. According to Chinese media, Kim was invited to Beijing and met Xi during a trip lasting from Sunday to Wednesday. North Korea had earlier revealed that Kim made the trip accompanied by his wife Ri Sol-ju. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, left, shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping on March 28. (Yonhap)Kim was also accompanied by Choe Ryo

March 28, 2018

For North Korean leaders, a train unlike any other

When North Korea's leaders need to travel, they've got a train that's unlike any other.  The arrival of the deep green train with yellow piping used exclusively by the ruling Kim family generated much speculation before the official confirmation Wednesday that it had carried leader Kim Jong Un on his first trip outside of North Korea since taking power upon the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, in December 2011. Here's a look at what's known about the North Korean ruling family's personal versio

March 27, 2018

Denuclearization talks with NK won't follow template of Iran or Libya

　Since the end of the Cold War in the 1990s, the United States has struck various types of nuclear deals with countries seeking to develop their own nuclear weapons. 　The most well-known examples are negotiations with Iran and Libya. The former is the latest country with which the US signed a nuclear-freeze deal -- though it is being criticized as a “failure” by President Trump -- while the latter is touted as a shining example for denuclearization by hard-liners in the Trump administration 　Wit

March 27, 2018

Seoul: Kim Jong-un's visit to China not verified

Cheong Wa Dae and government agencies on Tuesday said they were unable to confirm reports of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un‘s visit to China. Bloomberg on Tuesday reported Kim’s secret trip, citing three unnamed sources, while saying that the purpose and itinerary of his visit are not yet known.Japanese media also reported that a green train that is said to resemble one that North Korea‘s leaders had used on foreign trips has arrived in China.Despite the reports, the Seoul government has yet to

March 27, 2018

Kim Jong-un is said to make surprise China visit: Bloomberg

Kim Jong-un made a surprise visit to Beijing on his first known trip outside North Korea since taking power in 2011, three people with knowledge of the visit said.Further details of his trip, including how long Kim would stay and who he would meet, were not immediately available. The people asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the information.Speculation about a possible visit by a high-ranking North Korean official circulated around the Chinese capital Monday, after Japan’s

March 27, 2018

[Breaking] US 'can't confirm' Kim's visit to China

   WASHINGTON -- The White House said Monday it can't confirm reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is currently visiting Beijing.   Japan's Kyodo news agency reported earlier that a high-ranking North Korean official appeared to have taken a train across the border, although it was unclear whether it was Kim.   Bloomberg later cited three unnamed people as saying the visitor was indeed the North Korean leader.A North Korean train is spotted in the city of Beijing amid rumors that a high-

March 27, 2018

Ranking N. Korean official apparently visiting China: report

A high-ranking North Korean official appears to be visiting China, but it has yet to be confirmed whether the figure is North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, a Japanese report said Monday. North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho gets on a car on his arrival at the Beijing International airport in Beijing, Thursday, March 15, 2018. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson confirmed during a routine briefing that he was on his way to Sweden. (AP-Yonhap)An unidentified official is visiting China with an

March 26, 2018

EU reaffirms support for peaceful resolution of N. Korea nuke issue

The European Union reaffirmed its active support for South Korea's efforts to peacefully resolve the North Korea nuclear issue, a foreign ministry official said Monday.Helga Schmid, secretary general of the EU's European External Action Service, met with South Korea's top nuclear envoy, Lee Do-hoon, in Seoul earlier in the day, according to the official. South Korea's Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha addresses a press conference alongside High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affa

March 26, 2018

Seoul to seek both security guarantee for N.K., denuclearization: spy agency

South Korea plans to simultaneously seek to provide a security guarantee for North Korea and make the North give up nuclear weapons when the two Koreas hold a summit, Seoul's spy agency said Monday.The National Intelligence Service briefed lawmakers on the issue as South and North Korea are to hold high-level talks Thursday to prepare for a summit slated for late April. The National Intelligence Service (Yonhap)"We are not to hold talks on the premise of the security guarantee for the North's re

March 26, 2018

[Newsmaker] Unification Ministry neither confirms nor denies Psy’s NK performance

The Ministry of Unification on Monday declined to comment on reports of Korea’s global phenom Psy being a last-minute addition to the South Korean art troupe performing in Pyongyang, saying relevant details to the performances would be revealed Tuesday. “We have checked (relevant reports regarding Psy’s possible addition to the art troupe), but we do not have details regarding the matter at the moment,” said Unification Ministry spokesman Baik Tae-hyun at a regular press briefing. “There will be

March 26, 2018