N. Korean official calls on US to meet year-end deadline before 'window closes'

A North Korean foreign ministry official has urged the United States to make a "forward-looking" decision within this year, saying the "window for opportunity is closing every day."The remarks by Jo Chol-su, director-general of the North American department at the North's foreign ministry, at the 2019 Moscow Nonproliferation Conference on Friday are the latest in a series of attempts by Pyongyang to pressure Washington to come up with new proposals in their denuclearization t

Nov. 9, 2019

Trump invited to same Russia event as NK leader

US President Donald Trump said Friday he has been invited to attend World War II anniversary celebrations in Russia in May, prompting speculation of a possible meeting there with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.Trump said in response to a reporter's question that he was invited to attend the May celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of Russia's victory in the war. Russian government officials said earlier that Kim had also been invited, but that he had not sent a response yet."I wa

Nov. 9, 2019

S. Korea to send fishing boat back to N. Korea after expulsion of 2 crew members

South Korea handed over a fishing boat to North Korea on Friday, a day after it deported two North Koreans accused of killing 16 fellow crew members of the vessel to the communist state, the unification ministry said.On Thursday, the two in their 20s were sent back to the North through the truce village of Panmunjom, five days after they were captured near the eastern sea border on Saturday.The two later confessed that they and another crew member killed the captain of the fishing boat out of an

Nov. 8, 2019

US, N. Korea envoys meet briefly at nonproliferation conference in Moscow

The US special envoy for North Korea and a North Korean foreign ministry official handling American affairs spoke briefly to each other during a reception for participants in a nuclear nonprolifereation conference in Moscow, a participant said.Special Envoy Mark Lambert had a five-minute talk with Jo Chol-su, director-general of the North American department at the North's foreign ministry, in the reception Thursday for the 2019 Moscow Nonproliferation Conference, according to the participant. L

Nov. 8, 2019

Two North Koreans deported as probe finds mass murder charge

Two North Koreans who entered South Korean waters on a fishing boat were repatriated, as they allegedly killed 16 fellow crew members on their boat, the Unification Ministry said Thursday. The government returned the fishermen, who were in their 20s, through the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom after they confessed to mutiny during an investigation conducted by South Korean authorities.  The two men were caught south of the Northern Limit Line, a de facto maritime border off South K

Nov. 7, 2019

[Newsmaker] S. Korea deports 2 N. Koreans accused of killing 16 fellow crew members

South Korea deported two North Koreans back to the communist nation after learning that they killed 16 fellow crew members on their fishing boat and fled to the South, the unification ministry said Thursday.The two in their 20s were sent back to the North at around 3:10 p.m. through the truce village of Panmunjom, five days after they were captured near the Northern Limit Line sea border in the East Sea on Saturday, according to the ministry.It marks the South's first deportation of North Korean

Nov. 7, 2019

North Korea slams planned US military drills with South

North Korea on Wednesday slammed Washington for plans to conduct a joint military exercise with Seoul next month, as negotiations over Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal remain deadlocked.The allies cancelled the combined air exercise known as Vigilant Ace along with several other joint drills last year amid a rapid diplomatic thaw with the North, which considers them a rehearsal for invasion.But Pentagon spokesman David Eastburn said this week that the US had "no plans to skip upcoming combined e

Nov. 7, 2019

South Korea suggests sending delegation to inspect Kumgangsan complex

The South Korean government has proposed sending a delegation to inspect the facilities it funded at North Korea’s Kumgangsan, in its second attempt to engage the regime in dialogue after demolition plans were announced. The Unification Ministry said Wednesday it sent a letter to North Korea on Tuesday, notifying that it will send a delegation comprising government officials and businesspeople for the inspection of South Korean facilities that had been used for now-suspended tours to the m

Nov. 6, 2019

N. Korea blames sanctions for its failure to pay UN contributions

North Korea has claimed that international sanctions are preventing it from paying its due contributions to the UN, urging the United States to lift the restrictions, a recent UN report showed. During a meeting of the Committee on Relations with the Host Country in February, the North Korean representative said his country is willing to pay its contributions "in full and on time," but can't do so as the banking channel was closed due to the international sanctions.  In 2017, the U

Nov. 6, 2019

S. Korea again offers talks with N. Korea to discuss Mount Kumgang issue

South Korea has proposed sending a delegation to inspect its long-abandoned facilities at North Korea's Mount Kumgang, the unification ministry said Wednesday, after Pyongyang rejected Seoul's offer to hold face-to-face talks on the fate of the suspended joint tour program.In the proposal sent Tuesday, the ministry said the delegation will be comprised of government officials and business people. The move appears aimed at seeking face-to-face contacts with the North to discuss the fate of the to

Nov. 6, 2019

Trump cited shared goal of denuclearizing Korea in letter to Moon

BANGKOK -- US President Donald Trump has reaffirmed a commitment to his "shared goal" with South Korean President Moon Jae-in of denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula, Moon's office said Tuesday.Trump delivered the message in his personal letter to Moon extending his condolences over the death of his mother last week, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Ko Min-jung.It was conveyed by the US National Security Adviser, Robert O'Brien, during his meeting with Moon in Bang

Nov. 5, 2019

India contributes $1m for WFP's humanitarian activities in N. Korea

India has contributed $1 million to the World Food Programme for its humanitarian activities in North Korea, the UN agency's monthly report showed Tuesday, as the impoverished North struggles to cope with chronic food shortages. "WFP has intensified the South-South and Triangular cooperation as an avenue to enhance support to the DPRK and has received a contribution from the Government of India of $1 million for its in-country operations," the report said. DPRK stands for the North's o

Nov. 5, 2019

N. Korea denounces US over terrorism report, says channel of dialogue 'narrowing'

North Korea bristled Tuesday at the United States keeping the communist regime on its list of state sponsors of terrorism, warning that the window for dialogue between the two countries is narrowing due to such "hostile policy." A spokesperson for the North's foreign ministry made the remarks in an interview with the Korean Central News Agency, adding it "condemns and fully rejects (the recent US terrorism report) as a grave politically-motivated provocation" against the Nort

Nov. 5, 2019

NK, US may hold nuclear working-level talks no later than early Dec.: Seoul

North Korea and the United States may hold working-level nuclear talks in November or no later than early December, Seoul's spy agency was quoted as saying Monday.The National Intelligence Service told a closed-door parliamentary audit session that it is closely watching the possibility of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un making a visit to China within this year, according to lawmakers on the intelligence panel."The NIS forecast North Korea and the US to hold their working-level talks no lat

Nov. 4, 2019

[News Focus] Stalled Kumgangsan tours raise thorny questions for South Korea

Once regarded as a symbol of inter-Korean cooperation, tours to Kumgangsan in North Korea are on the brink of losing their South Korean touch, as the North seeks to transform the scenic mountain into an international tourism attraction for global visitors. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un last month ordered the demolition of South Korea-funded facilities at the resort complex by the mountain north of the inter-Korean border. Alarmed by the announcement, the South Korean government proposed workin

Nov. 4, 2019

NK official heads to Moscow for nuclear nonproliferation conference

A North Korean diplomat departed for Moscow on Monday to attend a nuclear nonproliferation conference amid speculation that he could possibly meet with US officials also attending the forum.Jo Chol-su, director-general of the North American department at the North's foreign ministry, left Pyongyang to participate in the 2019 Moscow Nonproliferation Conference set for Nov. 7-9, the Russian Embassy in North Korea said in a Facebook post.Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexander Matsegora saw off

Nov. 4, 2019

N. Korea likely seeking technical advance to fire ICBMs from mobile launchers: Seoul ministry

North Korea is believed to have striven to master capabilities to launch intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) from transporter erector launcher (TEL) vehicles, and South Korea is fully prepared for all such possibilities, the defense ministry said Monday. The comments came after Chung Eui-yong, chief of Cheong Wa Dae's National Security Office, came under fire from conservative critics for saying it is "technically difficult" for North Korea to fire ICBMs from mobile launchers.As

Nov. 4, 2019

N. Korea boasts of Mt. Kumgang's beauty after Kim's message on removal of S. Korean facilities

North Korea boasted of the beauty of the scenic spots on Mount Kumgang on the east coast in a rare posting on its tourism website on Sunday, days after leader Kim Jong-un ordered the removal of all South Korean facilities established there for the joint tour program. The posting by an apparent state-controlled travel agency highlighted the importance of preservation of the ecological environment in the scenic spots when it comes to protecting and maintaining the sites. "Mount Kumgang, which

Nov. 3, 2019

S. Korea's top nuclear envoy to visit Moscow next week

South Korea's top nuclear envoy is likely to visit Moscow next week to meet with his Russian counterpart and discuss North Korea's denuclearization and other peninsula issues, sources said Friday.Lee Do-hoon, representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, will meet with Igor Morgulov next Friday, according to the sources, amid a stalemate in the nuclear negotiations between the US and North Korea since working-level talks in Stockholm last month.Lee is also expected to participa

Nov. 1, 2019

US House passes bill to step up efforts at enforcing sanctions

The US House of Representatives has passed a bill to offer up to $25 million in reward for reporting violations of its sanctions, including those imposed against North Korea, according to the Voice of America on Friday. The bill amends existing laws to expand the State Department’s reward program, which is limited to reporting on terror-related activities, to information on breach of sanctions by the US and the UN.  South Carolina Republican Joe Wilson and Florida Democrat Ted Deutch

Nov. 1, 2019