S. Korea to push for fourth Moon-Kim summit to set stage for denuclearization

South Korea will begin to push for a meeting between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un following the end of the Lunar New Year’s Day to help implement the North’s denuclearization pledge that will likely be refined in an upcoming US-North Korea summit, observers here noted Monday.The Moon-Kim summit, if held, will mark the fourth of its kind since the two leaders first met in April 2018 at the border village of Panmunjom inside the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone. Th

Feb. 4, 2019

US envoy meets top security adviser

The US envoy for North Korea visited Cheong Wa Dae on Monday for a meeting with the top security adviser to discuss details of an upcoming second summit between Washington and Pyongyang, South Korea's presidential office said.Special Representative Stephen Biegun spoke with National Security Adviser Chung Eui-yong for 50 minutes starting at 4 p.m., according to presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom.The meeting comes ahead of Biegun's working-level talks with his North Korean counterpart Kim Hyok-

Feb. 4, 2019

US nuke envoy set to visit S. Korea for talks with NK over summit

The US envoy for North Korea is set to visit South Korea on Sunday for working-level talks to prepare for a second summit between the US and the North's leaders slated for late this month, sources said.Special Representative Stephen Biegun will make a three-day visit to Seoul for talks with his North Korean counterpart Kim Hyok-chol, a former ambassador to Spain, to discuss agenda items for a summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, they added.They may have a

Feb. 3, 2019

U.S., N. Korea talks on second summit likely to be held in Panmunjom: sources

The United States and North Korea will likely hold their working-level talks on a proposed meeting of their leaders at a joint border village of the two Koreas, informed sources said Saturday.They said the talks may begin as early as Monday."The date and venue of the North Korea-U.S. dialogue have yet to be announced, but Panmunjom seems like the most likely venue for now," a diplomatic source here said. Panmunjeom is seen in the April 26, 2018 file photo. (Yonhap)The working-level dialogue will

Feb. 2, 2019

Next month critical in NK denuclearization: official

The month of February will be critical to the denuclearization of North Korea, a high-level South Korean official familiar with the matter said Thursday. Speaking on the condition of anonymity the official said North Korea’s attitude toward related issues appears to have changed from the past and that concerned parties must strive to keep momentum alive.  US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters at the White House on Thursday. He said that major progress has been made with North Korea. Yonh

Feb. 1, 2019

US envoy to meet N. Koreans over denuclearization

The US envoy for North Korea will meet with his counterpart from the regime next week to discuss the next steps in dismantling the country's nuclear weapons program, the State Department said Thursday.Special Representative Stephen Biegun is to arrive in Seoul on Sunday (local time) for working-level talks with his new North Korean counterpart, Kim Hyok-chol, a former ambassador to Spain. (AFP)The two sides will discuss "next steps to advance our objective of the final fully verified denucleariz

Feb. 1, 2019

US envoy calls for full declaration of N. Korea's nuclear weapons program

The US envoy for North Korea called on the regime Thursday to provide a full declaration of its nuclear and missile programs as a second bilateral summit appeared only weeks away.Special Representative Stephen Biegun, who is in charge of day-to-day negotiations with the North, said the declaration will be required to acknowledge complete denuclearization of the regime.(AP)"Before the process of denuclearization can be final, we must have a complete understanding of the full extent of the North K

Feb. 1, 2019

Trump: Date, venue of 2nd NK summit to be announced next week

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that a date and venue for his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will be announced next week.Speaking at the White House, he reaffirmed the plan to hold the meeting in late February and appeared to confirm reports the venue will be Vietnam.(AP)"We'll be announcing it early next week," Trump said. "We're going to a certain location. I think most of you know where the location is. I don't think it's any great secret, but we'll be announcing t

Feb. 1, 2019

Pompeo says 2nd US-NK summit to be held in Asia

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday that the second summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will be held in Asia next month.In an interview with Fox News, the top US diplomat reaffirmed the plan to have the summit at the end of February and added, "We'll do it someplace in Asia." (Yonhap)While media reports have speculated that Vietnam will host the meeting, it's the first time that a US official has revealed a location."I am dispatching a team,"

Jan. 31, 2019

N. Korea renews demand for sanctions relief before 2nd summit with US

North Korea's main newspaper on Wednesday called for sanctions relief ahead of a second summit between leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump, saying that bilateral relations cannot improve without trust-building efforts."Improvement in relations and sanctions cannot go side by side," the Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the North's ruling party, said in a commentary. "If the basis of improvement in relations is respect and trust, then it can be said that the basis of sanctions is hostility

Jan. 30, 2019

N. Korea unlikely to give up nuclear arsenal: US intel chief

North Korea is unlikely to give up its nuclear weapons program, the US intelligence chief said Tuesday, calling into question the efficacy of ongoing diplomacy to denuclearize the regime.Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats made the remark at a Senate panel hearing, with only weeks to go before a planned second summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Dan Coats (Yonhap)"We currently assess that North Korea will seek to retain its WMD capabilities and i

Jan. 30, 2019

NK to favorably consider participating in gymnastics event in S. Korea: official

North Korea will favorably consider participating in an international gymnastics event in South Korea this year, Seoul's gymnastics federation said Tuesday, after discussing its plans with the sport's international governing body.    According to the Korea Gymnastics Association (KGA), North Korea told International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) President Morinari Watanabe, who visited Pyongyang with a delegation last week, that it will review proposals for competing in the Korea Cup international

Jan. 29, 2019

US, N. Korea expected to start drafting summit agreement: NIS chief

The United States and North Korea will likely start preparing a joint statement of their leaders to be issued at their second bilateral summit scheduled for next month, the head of Seoul's state spy agency said Tuesday.Suh Hoon, director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), said he expected the two sides to begin discussing major topics for the proposed summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un."I believe they will begin coordinating topics for the summi

Jan. 29, 2019

NK sends back US court verdict ordering payment for student's death: report

North Korea has sent back a US court verdict ordering the communist nation to pay $500 million in damages to the parents of an American student for his death shortly after his return from the country in a coma, a news report said Tuesday. The US District Court for DC made the ruling last month, saying Pyongyang was responsible for the death of Otto Warmbier, a University of Virginia student who died in 2017 just six days after his return from the North.In this May 3, 2018, file photo, Fred Warmb

Jan. 29, 2019

Trump-Kim deal should include complete denuclearization of North Korea as final goal: expert

　Any agreement that U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un make at their second summit must state that “complete denuclearization” of the communist nation is the two sides’ ultimate goal, an expert said Monday.　Hong Hyun-ik, a researcher at Sejong Institute, made the case in a report amid concerns in South Korea that the United States might settle for a deal falling short of complete denuclearization as long as threats to the U.S. are removed, for instance by dismantling

Jan. 28, 2019

Choson Exchange to host DPRK Economic Forum in Pyongyang

Choson Exchange, a Singapore-registered NGO with a mandate to support North Korea’s future business leaders, will host its inaugural DPRK Economic Forum in April. The forum will take place in Pyongyang from April 20 to 27. Participants will get a chance to connect with North Koreans as part of the forum’s interactive business training sessions, which will run for three days. Discussion sessions will tackle North Korean business and economic policy innovation.  Participants to Choson Exchange’s e

Jan. 28, 2019

Xi watches performance of N. Korean art troupe

Chinese President Xi Jinping attended a rare concert by a North Korean state art troupe and met with the delegation's chief, Chinese state media reported Monday, as the two countries boast close ties ahead of a second summit between the United States and North Korea. Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, met with Ri Su-yong, vice chairman of the North Korean ruling party's Central Committee, on Sunday and watched the performance by the North Korean artists, according to China's Xinhua News Agency. (Yonh

Jan. 28, 2019

UNSC grants sanctions exemption for inter-Korean excavation of DMZ war remains: source

The UN Security Council has granted a sanctions exemption for an inter-Korean project to excavate Korean War remains in the Demilitarized Zone, a diplomatic source said Monday.The UNSC made the decision last week as Seoul sought the exemption to ensure that the delivery of equipment into the communist state for the project will not be impeded by anti-Pyongyang sanctions. (Yonhap)The Koreas plan to carry out the project in Arrowhead Ridge, a notorious battle site of the 1950-53 Cold War conflict,

Jan. 28, 2019

N. Korean art troupe stages 2nd performance in Beijing

BEIJING (Yonhap) -- A North Korean art troupe staged a performance in China for a second day on Sunday in a demonstration of close ties between the two countries ahead of a second summit between the North and the United States, diplomatic sources said. North Korean art troupe stages a performance in Beijing. YonhapA delegation of senior officials and a 280-strong art troupe, led by Ri Su-yong, vice chairman of the ruling party's Central Committee, arrived in Beijing on Thursday for the show.Nort

Jan. 27, 2019

Former NK ambassador likely to divide roles in US negotiations with Choe: experts

With a series of talks between the United States and North Korea being held in apparent preparation for their second summit, the appearance of a new figure in the North’s envoy team has triggered speculations on his role and the North’s direction in negotiations. Kim Hyok-chol, a former North Korean Ambassador to Spain had accompanied the North’s ruling Workers’ Party’s Central Committee Vice Chairman Kim Yong-chol on his visit to Washington, appearing with the vice chairman in a meeting with US

Jan. 27, 2019