Korea to work actively to realize 'constructive' talks between US, NK: official

South Korea will work actively to help realize talks between the United States and North Korea while strengthening cooperation with the international community based on the strong alliance with Washington, a top security official said Wednesday.Chung Eui-yong, chief of the presidential National Security Office, made the remark during a report to the parliamentary steering committee, saying the government has been making consistent efforts to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue through dialogu

Feb. 21, 2018

N. Korea's hard currency reserves expected to dry up by October: lawmaker

North Korea's hard currency reserves are expected to dry up around October if international sanctions on the communist nation hold, the chairman of the parliamentary intelligence committee said Wednesday.Rep. Kang Seok-ho of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party said during a party meeting that the North's recent peace overtures toward the South, including its invitation to President Moon Jae-in to visit Pyongyang, are aimed at overcoming such economic hardship. Rep. Kang Seok-ho (second from

Feb. 21, 2018

North Korea called off meeting with Pence

A scheduled meeting with US Vice President Mike Pence and North Korean officials on the sidelines of the PyeongChang Olympics was called off by the North, US officials revealed Wednesday. According to State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert, Pence agreed to meet Kim Yo-jong and other North Korean officials, but the planned “brief meeting” scheduled for Feb. 10 was called off at the last minute by the North. Kim Yo-jong is the younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and met with So

Feb. 21, 2018

[Herald Interview] Will inter-Korean detente continue after Olympics?

    The PyeongChang Winter Olympics have brought about a rare detente between the two Koreas after years of military confrontations over Pyongyang’s nuclear and ballistic missiles programs. The two Koreas created a unified women’s ice hockey team and marched under a unified flag. North Korea even invited President Moon Jae-in for a summit in the North’s capital. 　Yet, with less than a week to go before the Olympics end, there are concerns the Olympic detente will dissipate with the Winter Games

Feb. 20, 2018

NK leader’s sister revealed pregnancy during Seoul trip: reports

Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, revealed to Seoul officials during her trip to South Korea this month that she is pregnant with her second child, local media reported Tuesday.  Kim Yo-jong (left), North Korean leader Kim Jong-un`s sister talks to South Korean President Moon Jae-in (right). (Yonhap)According to reports citing unnamed sources, Kim Yo-jong told South Korean officials that she was with her second child during her Feb. 9-11 visit to the South. Kim, who cam

Feb. 20, 2018

Korea-US joint drill resumption will be decided between late March and April: defense chief

　Seoul and Washington’s decision on the South Korea-US military drills postponed due to the PyeongChang Olympic and Paralympic Games will be announced no later than April, South Korea‘s defense chief said Tuesday. 　During a meeting with the members of the parliamentary defense committee, Defense Minister Song Young-moo said that he and his US counterpart James Mattis would announce the resumption date between March 18 -- when the Paralympic Games end -- and April 1. 　Song added that he and Matti

Feb. 20, 2018

North Korea making progress on new nuclear reactor: report

The future of the security situation on the Korean Peninsula appears uncertain, despite an Olympic detente that has been feeding hopes for improved relations, and even an inter-Korean summit. On Monday, 38 North -- the North Korea analysis website operated by US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University -- reported that North Korea’s latest experimental light water reactor appears to be nearing completion.  Satellite image of the Yongbyon nuclear facility cited by 38 North. yonhapCiting satell

Feb. 20, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] NK athletes, cheerleaders to return home after Olympics closing ceremony

North Korean athletes and cheerleaders will return home after the closing ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, a government official said Tuesday.The North sent 22 athletes and 229 cheerleaders to the Feb. 9-25 PyeongChang Winter Olympics after its leader has extended a rare olive branch following years of frozen communication and heightened tensions."They are expected to go back home after the games' closing ceremony. The two Koreas are discussing details," an official at Seoul's unific

Feb. 20, 2018

NK IOC member says 'possible' to co-host Asian Winter Games with S. Korea

BEIJING -- Chang Ung, the North Korean member of the International Olympic Committee, said Tuesday that it is "possible" for the two Koreas to jointly hold the 2021 Asian Winter Games.Chang also said that if that happens, the Masikryong Ski Resort on the outskirts of the North's eastern city of Wonsan could be used as one of the venues. North Korea`s Masirkyrong Ski Resort (Yonhap)He made the remarks days after Gov. Choi Moon-soon of South Korea's Gangwon Province said Saturday that he is consid

Feb. 20, 2018

Kim Yo-jong revealed pregnancy during Seoul trip: reports

Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, is pregnant with her second child, and revealed this to South Korean officials during her visit to Seoul earlier this month, local media reported Tuesday. According to reports citing unnamed sources, Kim told Seoul’s officials that she was with her second child during her visit to the South between Feb. 9 and 11. Kim, who came as Kim Jong-un’s special envoy, appeared to be experiencing some discomfort during the visit, prompting specula

Feb. 20, 2018

Seoul cautious on engaging NK

South Korea is taking measured steps in engaging North Korea while its allies hint at more openness to possible dialogue with the regime. On Monday, Seoul’s Ministry of Unification revealed that the government has yet to draw up concrete plans regarding North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s summit invitation to President Moon Jae-in. While speculations rose that Moon would send a special envoy to Pyongyang after the invitation was delivered by the North leader’s sister Kim Yo-jong on Feb. 10, Unific

Feb. 19, 2018

Speculation swirls over allies' military drill

　With the South Korean military participating in a multilateral amphibious landing drill in Southeast Asia over the weekend, speculation continues to rise over when South Korea and the US will resume their annual joint drills on the Korean Peninsula. 　The troops from the South Korean Navy and Marine Forces on Saturday joined US Marines and the Thai Royal Navy in eastern Thailand, where the annual Cobra Gold exercise is being held. The exercise kicked off on Feb. 13 and will continue until Friday

Feb. 19, 2018

[Newsmaker] ‘Military talks likely to come before reunion of families separated by Korean War’

Despite an inter-Korean detente that came with North Korea’s participation in the Winter Olympics, uncertainty continues to loom over the reunion of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War. South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon visits a 94-year-old member of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War on Feb. 13, ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. The South Korean members, mostly in their 70s and 80s, have lost contact with their families in the North after the reunion events

Feb. 18, 2018

Ruling party chief urges N. Korea to show will to denuclearize

The chief of South Korea's ruling Democratic Party has said that inter-Korean relations will improve on the premise that North Korea ceases its provocations and shows its will to denuclearize, her office said Sunday.Choo Mi-ae made the remarks at the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Saturday (Germany time), amid growing hopes that Pyongyang's participation in the ongoing PyeongChang Winter Olympics could enhance cross-border ties long strained by its provocations."The premise (for an imp

Feb. 18, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] N. Korean IOC member leaves PyeongChang for health reasons

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province -- Chang Ung, the lone North Korean member of the International Olympics Committee, returned home Sunday a week before the closing of the ongoing Winter Olympics due to health reasons.He left the host city of the 2018 Winter Olympics in the morning and headed for Incheon International Airport, the South's main gateway. He will likely fly to Pyongyang via Beijing.The Winter Games will come to an end on Feb. 25 after a 17-day run. Chang Ung, the lone North Korean memb

Feb. 18, 2018

NK art troupe plays South Korean songs in Pyongyang: NK media

A North Korean art troupe, which held rare concerts in South Korea last week in commemoration of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, performed in Pyongyang this week, North Korean state-run media reported Saturday. (KCNA-Yonhap)"The Samjiyon Orchestra held a concert Friday to mark its successful performance to celebrate the 23rd Winter Olympics at the Mansudae Art Theatre," the North Korean Central TV reported.The report said they sang South Korean songs during the performance before high ranking o

Feb. 17, 2018

Unification minister presses N. Korea to hold reunion of separated families

Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon on Friday called on North Korea to accept South Korea's proposal to arrange a reunion event for families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War."Both the South and the North should feel shameful of the current situation where no reunions of separated families are allowed," the point man on North Korean affairs said at a joint traditional Lunar New Year ceremony held at the Imjingak park near the border with North Korea. Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon visit

Feb. 16, 2018

Sweet Distraction? North Korea's feminine touch at Olympics

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province -- To pour on the charm at the Pyeongchang Olympics, North Korea has turned to ball-gown clad singers, pompom-waving cheerleaders and two of its most influential women. And the media, the South Korean public and the Olympic audience worldwide seem to be thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.But should they be?Despite the focus on campy weirdness and implications of salaciousness, the North's feminine touch in Pyeongchang is a potent -- and deliberately manipulative -- p

Feb. 16, 2018

US says S. Korea followed proper procedure to pay N. Korea's Olympic bills

South Korea followed due process to pay for North Korea's participation in the PyeongChang Olympics despite sanctions against the regime, the US State Department said Thursday. (Yonhap)On Wednesday, South Korea approved 2.86 billion won ($2.64 million) in government funding to support hundreds of North Korean art performers, cheerleaders and taekwondo demonstration team members who took part in the ongoing Winter Games.The issue raised concerns that Pyongyang was trying to undermine internationa

Feb. 16, 2018

Kim Jong-un visits mausoleum of late leader to mark birthday

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, a national mausoleum, as the country marks the birthday of Kim's father and former leader, the North's state-run news agency reported Friday. Kim paid his "high tribute" to Kim Jong-il at the mausoleum at the stroke of midnight to mark the late leader's birth anniversary, called the Day of the Shining Star, according to the Korean Central News Agency."He entered the hall of immortality where Kim Jong-il lies in state ... (an

Feb. 16, 2018