Trump says reports on NK leader Kim's health 'incorrect'

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- US President Donald Trump on Thursday rejected reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was ailing, criticizing his frequent nemesis CNN for running the story. "I think the report was incorrect, let me just put it that way," Trump told reporters. "I'm hearing they used old documents." Trump declined to say if he had direct knowledge from North Korea that Kim was fine. He instead attacked cable news network CNN, with which the US leader has an acri

April 24, 2020

Seoul moves forward with inter-Korean railway project

The South Korean government is pushing to restart a long-stalled project to reconnect railways between the two Koreas, despite uncertainties surrounding inter-Korean relations. 　 Seoul’s Unification Ministry on Thursday said it has designated the construction of a railway along the east coast as an inter-Korean cooperative business, providing legal grounds for it to be exempted from a preliminary feasibility study in order to shorten the construction period. 　 The decision was made dur

April 23, 2020

US contingency plans for Kim’s death involve China: report

The US government has extensive contingency plans in place in case North Korean leader Kim Jong-un dies or is unable to rule due to failing health, Fox News reported Wednesday, adding that the plans involve China to address the potential for a mass-scale humanitarian crisis.　 Any mass exodus of North Korean refugees would need China’s support, according to unnamed sources in the US government the new channel cited. The report came amid lingering speculation concerning Kim’s well-be

April 23, 2020

Business as usual in NK amid rumors on leader's health: official

North Korea appears to be conducting business as usual without any abnormal signs, a unification ministry official said Thursday, amid persisting speculation over leader Kim Jong-un's health condition. Speculation about Kim's health problems spiked after CNN reported earlier this week that the US has intelligence that Kim is in "grave danger" after a surgery. South Korean officials have rejected the speculation, saying no unusual signs have been detected that suggest something may be

April 23, 2020

S. Korea OKs aid group's plan to send protective clothing to N. Korea

South Korea has approved an aid organization's plan to send protective clothing to North Korea to help it fight the new coronavirus, a unification ministry official said Thursday. The approval was granted Tuesday, allowing the organization to send 20,000 items of protective clothing worth around 200 million won ($162,000), the official told reporters, without providing other details, such as the group's identity. The move came about three weeks after the ministry gave the green light to an un

April 23, 2020

NK leader sends reply message to Syrian leader amid rumors of health problem

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Wednesday sent a reply to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad who congratulated him on the anniversary of his late grandfather's birth last week, the North's state media reported. The report by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) came amid media reports that Kim has a health problem, including one by CNN that said the United States is looking into intelligence that Kim is in "grave danger" after surgery. "Kim Jong-un, in his message, e

April 23, 2020

Top US military official assumes NK leader still in control of armed forces

WASHINGTON -- A top US military official said Wednesday he assumes North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is still in full control of his country's armed forces despite reports he may be seriously ill. Joint Chiefs of Staff Vice Chairman Gen. John Hyten said he has no information to add to the reports about Kim's health. "I can tell you that in the intel, I don't have anything to confirm or deny anything along those lines," he said during a Pentagon press briefing. "So I assume that K

April 23, 2020

Pompeo: US is watching closely what's happening in N. Korea

WAHSINGTON -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday that the United States is watching closely what's happening inside North Korea amid reports that its leader Kim Jong-un is seriously ill, but gave no other details. "As the president said last evening ... we're watching closely what's taking place there, but I don't have anything to add," he said during a press briefing. President Donald Trump told reporters Tuesday that the US doesn't know about Kim's health condition.

April 23, 2020

N. Korea opens new health website

North Korea has launched a website that offers information on public health and the coronavirus amid stringent efforts to prevent a virus outbreak on its soil. The site, www.moph.gov.kp, run by the North's health ministry, provides information on the country's health policies and sanitation, and promotes various achievements in science and technology. Although the first post on the website was published in April 2019, the number of posts has increased sharply this year, raising speculation th

April 22, 2020

North Korea’s Kim dynasty has a long history of health scares

Two constant threads that have run through the history of North Korea: Rule by the Kim dynasty, and speculation about the health of its secretive leaders. The latest incident took place this week when US officials said Monday they were unsure of Kim Jong-un’s health after they were told he was in critical condition after undergoing cardiovascular surgery. South Korea’s presidential office subsequently said Kim was conducting normal activities in a rural part of the country. Tru

April 22, 2020

Conflicting reports on Kim’s health reveal intelligence access to NK

Conflicting reports about North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s health highlight the intelligence challenges faced in dealing with the security-obsessed nation, observers said Wednesday.    　 Admitting the lack of intelligence access, US President Donald Trump said he did not know the status of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s health, in response to reports that Kim was gravely ill.    　 “These are reports that came out, and we don’t know, we don&rsquo

April 22, 2020

Trump says, 'We don't know' about NK leader's health

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he doesn't know about the health condition of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un amid reports he may be seriously ill. "These are reports that came out, and we don't know. We don't know," Trump said at a White House coronavirus press briefing. "I can only say this: I wish him well. Because if he is in the kind of condition that the reports say, that the news is saying, that's a very serious condition, as you know, but I wish him well." T

April 22, 2020

Seoul says no signs Kim Jong-un gravely ill

South Korea on Tuesday played down reports of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un falling seriously ill after surgery, saying nothing in particular signaled Kim's failing health or indicated an emergency in the reclusive country. "So far we haven't come across any unusual signs in North Korea," said Kang Min-seok, spokesperson for Cheong Wa Dae, in a message to reporters sent hours after CNN said Kim was in critical condition following surgery, citing an unidentified US official with dir

April 21, 2020

S. Korea says no unusual activity in NK signaling problem with Kim Jong-un's health

Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday that South Korea has not spotted any "unusual" signs in North Korea that may suggest a serious problem in leader Kim Jong-un's health. Its statement came in response to multiple media reports that Kim has been hospitalized after a surgery. CNN said that the United States is monitoring "intelligence" that he is in "grave danger." It quoted an unnamed US official. With regard to the news, "We have nothing to confirm and there has bee

April 21, 2020

[Breaking] Seoul official plays down report on NK leader Kim's failing health

A South Korean official on Tuesday played down a CNN report that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was in critical condition after surgery. Citing a US official with direct knowledge of the matter, the US news channel said Kim appeared to be in "grave danger" after surgery. An earlier report by a South Korean online media outlet specializing in North Korea news said that Kim had undergone heart surgery and was in recovery. Kim was not present at the celebration of the birthday of his

April 21, 2020

South Korea looking into reports about Kim Jong-un's health

The South Korean government on Tuesday was looking into US media reports saying North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was in fragile condition after surgery. Officials from South Korea's Unification Ministry and National Intelligence Service said they couldn't immediately confirm the report. CNN cited an anonymous US official who said Kim was in "grave danger" after an unspecified surgery. The Unification Ministry, which deals with inter-Korean affairs, said it couldn't confirm another r

April 21, 2020

No unusual signs about NK leader's health: government source

South Korea has seen no unusual signs with regard to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's heath, a government source said Tuesday, after CNN reported that Kim is "in grave danger after a surgery." CNN cited an unidentified "US official with direct knowledge," but offered no further details. A South Korean government source said there have been no relevant signs detected with regard to Kim's health conditions, emphasizing that Kim continued to be shown in public until recent d

April 21, 2020

[Breaking] NK leader Kim reportedly in critical condition after surgery: CNN

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is in critical condition after surgery, CNN said Tuesday, citing a US official with direct knowledge of the matter. Earlier on Monday, a South Korean online media outlet specializing in North Korea news reported Kim underwent a cardiovascular procedure and was in recovery.  Kim was not present at the celebration of the birthday of his grandfather Kim Il-sung on April 15, fueling speculation about his health. It was the first time he had been absent from th

April 21, 2020

NK paper urges high-level alertness to prevent virus-caused devastation

North Korea's official newspaper Tuesday urged its people to stay on high alert against the coronavirus, warning that the devastation caused by the pandemic in other countries could take place anytime in the communist nation. North Korea claims to be free from the coronavirus, but Pyongyang has ramped up calls for its people not to let their guard down in warding off the COVID-19 pandemic as it is bracing for a long fight against the infectious disease that has been sweeping around the world.

April 21, 2020

N. Korea reopens some schools, universities amid coronavirus outbreak

Some university and high school students in North Korea are back at school after extended semester breaks that came due to the coronavirus outbreak, a propaganda outlet said Monday.    As the school vacations ended, classes reopened gradually, with students in their final years of university or high school first being allowed to attend lectures, according to an article carried by Naenara, a state media outlet.    The online outlet ran photos of students wearing masks and

April 20, 2020