N. Korean defector group sends anti-Pyongyang leaflets across border

A group of North Korean defectors said it sent anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets across the border on Sunday.The group, Fighters for a Free North Korea, flew 20 balloons carrying 500,000 leaflets from Yeoncheon, north of Seoul, at around 2 a.m., it said. (Yonhap)The balloons carried leaflets slamming the Kim Jong-un regime, as well as $1 bills and booklets. Park Sang-hak, head of the organization, said earlier this month that it plans to send the leaflets because the North’s leader “did not kee

April 14, 2019

Trump says 3rd summit with NK leader would be good

US President Donald Trump said Saturday that a third summit with Kim Jong-un would be "good," after the North Korean leader expressed openness to another meeting.Trump's tweet came in response to Kim's speech to the North's parliament on Friday, during which he said he would be willing to hold a third summit if the US comes with the "right attitude" and "right method." (AFP-Yonhap)The North Korean leader also said his relationship with Trump remains excellent and that he will wait until the end

April 14, 2019

Kim's willingness for dialogue brightens prospect of summit diplomacy

Weeks after North Korea's cryptic threat to explore a "new path" that stoked fears of a return to its provocative tack, leader Kim Jong-un made clear his desire to stick to nuclear negotiations with the United States, at least until the end of this year.During a key parliamentary gathering on Friday, Kim voiced his willingness to hold a third summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, calling for a "fair" and "mutually acceptable" agreement, according to the North's official Korean Central News Ag

April 13, 2019

NK leader expresses willingness to hold 3rd summit with Trump

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has expressed a willingness to hold a third summit with US President Donald Trump, urging Washington to come up with a "fair" and "mutually acceptable" deal, state media reported Saturday.Kim also said his relations with Trump remain excellent and that he will wait until the end of the year for the US to make a courageous decision as he delivered a speech on the second day of a session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly on Friday, according to the Korean Centra

April 13, 2019

Xi congratulates NK leader on re-election as State Affairs Commission chief

Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulations message to Kim Jong-un on his re-election as North Korea's leader, Beijing's state media said Friday.Kim was re-elected as chairman of the State Affairs Commission, Pyongyang's highest administrative apparatus, during the first session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly, the rubber-stamp parliament, on Thursday, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency.  (Yonhap)China's Xinhua News Agency reported that in his message, Xi

April 12, 2019

NK leader re-elected as chairman of State Affairs Commission

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been re-elected as chairman of the State Affairs Commission, the communist state's highest seat of power, in a key parliamentary meeting, state media reported Friday.The North's Premier Pak Pong-ju has also been replaced with Kim Jae-ryong, a senior member of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, during the first session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly on Thursday, the Korean Central News Agency said."The election of the Supreme Leader as chairman of the S

April 12, 2019

Moon, Trump reaffirm commitment to dialogue with N. Korean leader

WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- The leaders of South Korea and the United States agreed Thursday to continue their dialogue with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, highlighting the importance of the so-called top-down approach in ridding North Korea of its nuclear weapons."The two leaders shared a view that the top-down approach is critical to the Korean Peninsula peace process," Chung Eui-yong, the top security adviser to South Korean President Moon Jae-in, said of Moon's summit with US President Donald T

April 12, 2019

Moon, Trump highlight need for continued talks with N. Korea

WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- The leaders of South Korea and the United States agreed on the need to maintain their dialogue with North Korea to rid the North of its nuclear weapons in a meeting held Thursday to discuss ways to restart the North Korean denuclearization talks.South Korean President Moon Jae-in called for a third meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, stressing the importance of maintaining the momentum for dialogue. President Moon Jae-in and US Pr

April 12, 2019

Moon emphasizes need to continue US-N. Korea dialogue

WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in emphasized the importance of maintaining dialogue between the United States and North Korea to peacefully resolve the North Korean nuclear issue in a series of meetings with key US officials on Thursday."President Moon stressed that the countries need to maintain the momentum for US-North Korea dialogue and secure an early harvest through their top-down approach and that such progress will in fact be possible," Moon's presidential office

April 12, 2019

Pyongyang further pushes all-out economic development

North Korea convened the first session of its 14th Supreme People’s Assembly on Thursday to address its policy priorities and unveil key figures in the second phase of Kim Jong-un’s rule. Prior to this, the country held two party-level sessions this week that reaffirmed the regime’s commitment to ramping up its struggling economy and its people’s standard of living through self-reliance.  North Korean officials participate in a plenary session of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party held

April 11, 2019

NK leader calls repeatedly for 'self-reliance,' vows never to give in to sanctions

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called repeatedly for self-reliant economic development during a key meeting of the Workers' Party, as he vowed never to give in to sanctions amid stalled nuclear negotiations with the United States, state media said Thursday.Kim made the remark during a plenary session of the Central Committee of the ruling party Wednesday, a day before the North is to convene the first session of its 14th Supreme People's Assembly, according to the Korean Central News Agency."Wi

April 11, 2019

Pompeo leaves 'a little room' in sanctions regime against NK

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo testifies before a Senate committee hearing on Wednesday.US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday that he would like to leave "a little room" in the sanctions regime against North Korea in case of "substantial progress" in its denuclearization.Pompeo's remark appeared to signal some flexibility in Washington's position in negotiations with Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons program.A second summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader

April 11, 2019

US reiterates maximum pressure as Moon heads to summit

President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday set out for Washington to meet with US President Donald Trump, as the South Korean leader seeks to revitalize US-North Korea dialogue. On Thursday, Moon is to hold consecutive meetings with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, national security adviser John Bolton and Vice President Mike Pence. The meetings will be followed by a one-on-one and expanded summit with Trump over a course of two hours, according to Cheong Wa Dae. Seoul says the summit was arranged bas

April 10, 2019

North Korea convenes series of party meetings to bolster internal solidarity

North Korea held a plenary session of the ruling party’s central committee on Wednesday to discuss the country’s “new orientation,” following a smaller politburo meeting that stressed the country’s economic development and self-reliance. More than 230 party officials gathered for Wednesday’s meeting “in order to discuss and decide the new orientation and ways of struggle in line with the need of the prevailing revolutionary situation,” the Korean Central News Agency said.North Korean leader Kim

April 10, 2019

Pompeo acknowledges NK leader is 'tyrant'

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo agreed Tuesday with the characterization of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as a "tyrant."Pompeo was asked at a Senate hearing whether he would use the same word he has used for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro for Kim."Sure. I'm sure I've said that," the top US diplomat said before a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee while discussing the State Department budget request for 2020. (Yonhap)Pompeo's remarks come as the Trump administration has appeared to take

April 10, 2019

NK leader talks about 'tense situation,' 'self-reliance' at politburo meeting

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called the current situation "tense" and urged politburo officials to follow through on the party's strategic line of economic development with a spirit of "self-reliance," state media reported Wednesday.The remark, made at an enlarged meeting Tuesday of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party, suggests the North is unlikely to announce any major policy shift at this week's parliamentary meeting despite the no-deal breakdown of Kim's su

April 10, 2019

Japan to extend N. Korea sanctions for 2 years

 TOKYO, Japan -- The Japanese government said Tuesday that it will extend a set of bilateral sanctions on North Korea for two years amid no substantive progress in denuclearization and  efforts to resolve the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by the communist nation decades ago.    "Looking at various situations, (we) assessed what would be most effective," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a regular press briefing. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga (Yonhap)    Tokyo has imp

April 9, 2019

Moon to head to US to revive denuclearization talks

President Moon Jae-in will leave for Washington on Wednesday to meet with US President Donald Trump, as the allies seek ways to cooperate on North Korea issues, Seoul’s presidential office said Tuesday. “The summit is being held based on the shared perception that cooperation between the two countries is important in reviving the momentum for dialogue in the wake of the Hanoi summit,” Kim Hyun-chong, second deputy director of the National Security Office, said.  Kim Hyun-chong, second deputy dir

April 9, 2019

N. Korea appears to be replacing top envoy in Vietnam

North Korea appears to be replacing its top envoy in Vietnam over a month after the breakdown of February‘s summit between leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump in Hanoi.Kim Myong-gil, the country’s ambassador to Vietnam, made a farewell visit to Vietnamese Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh on Friday, according to the Korean Central News Agency.(Yonhap)In her meeting with the outgoing ambassador, the vice president emphasized 70 years of friendly and cooperative relations between Vie

April 8, 2019

Some 1,000 foreigners join marathon in Pyongyang

Some 1,000 foreigners participated in an international marathon in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, on Sunday amid eased tensions on the peninsula, the country's official news outlet and foreign media reported.According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), foreign runners joined the Mangyongdae Prize International Marathon to celebrate the birthday of Kim Il-sung, the late grandfather of the country's current leader Kim Jong-un, which falls on April 15.Foreign runners have been allowe

April 7, 2019