Aid groups hopeful US will ease N.Korea restrictions

Aid groups voiced optimism Thursday that the United States would ease restrictions on operations inside North Korea amid warming relations between Washington and the impoverished country.Stephen Biegun, the US special representative on North Korea, met Wednesday in Washington with representatives of aid organizations, which have faced lengthy delays or prohibitions on providing assistance inside the totalitarian state. (AP)The UN Security Council has imposed strict sanctions on North Korea over

Jan. 11, 2019

Kim's China visit to be positive factor for 2nd US-NK summit: Seoul

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's recent visit to China will have positive effects on prospects for a successful second summit between Washington and Pyongyang, South Korea's National Security Council said Thursday. (Yonhap)This week, Kim made a surprise visit to China and held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. During the meeting, Kim vowed efforts to draw positive results from a possible second summit with US President Donald Trump, and Xi expressed his support, according to Chinese medi

Jan. 10, 2019

Kim reaffirms commitment to denuclearization in meeting with Xi

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reaffirmed his determination for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and vowed to make efforts to yield positive results in the second summit with the United States, a Chinese news outlet reported Thursday.According to Xinhua News Agency, Kim expressed his desire to pursue denuclearization and to resolve the Korean Peninsula issue through dialogue and consultations, during the summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.　 Chinese leader Xi Jinping and his wife P

Jan. 10, 2019

Moon calls on NK to take bolder denuclearization steps

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s trip to China hints that the second US-North Korea summit is imminent and that Kim’s visit to Seoul is likely to follow in its wake. Speaking at a New Year’s press conference, Moon ruled out the possibility of North Korea’s denuclearization and a potential peace treaty being linked to the US military presence in South Korea, Japan and the Pacific. South Korean President Moon Jae-in (Yonhap)“To put it simply, Chairman K

Jan. 10, 2019

Moon voices need for 'bolder' denuclearization steps to end sanctions

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday stressed the need for North Korea to take more concrete and faster denuclearization steps while also highlighting the importance of corresponding measures by the international community to further accelerate the denuclearization process."I believe North Korea needs to take practical denuclearization steps more boldly if it wishes to resolve the issue of international sanctions because the issue of international sanctions depends on the speed of Nort

Jan. 10, 2019

S. Korean ambassador expects Trump, Kim to meet again

South Korea's top envoy to the United States said Wednesday that he expects US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to meet again, although it's unclear when.Ambassador Cho Yoon-je said both leaders have shown a commitment to having a second summit, including in Kim's New Year's address. (Yonhap)"The train is already on the move and no one wants to jump off the train," Cho said at a discussion hosted by the Hudson Institute, alluding to the brisk diplomatic engagement with

Jan. 10, 2019

[Breaking] Kim reaffirms commitment to denuclearization in summit with Xi

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has reaffirmed his commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and vowed efforts to produce good results from his second summit with US President Donald Trump, Chinese media reports said Thursday. Kim made the promise during his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Tuesday, according to Xinhua News Agency.Chinese leader Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan pose for photos with NK leader Kim Jong-un and his wife Ri Sol-ju in Beijing

Jan. 10, 2019

Kaesong industrial park business owners push to visit NK for seventh time

South Korean business owners that have operated at the Kaesong industrial park in North Korea requested approval to visit the inter-Korean complex on Wednesday, their seventh attempt since it was shuttered in 2016.Before submitting applications for the visit to the Unification Ministry, the emergency committee of business owners explained that they need to inspect their business assets in the park and urged the government to come up with support measures.  Members of a committee of business owne

Jan. 9, 2019

North Korean leader visits econ-tech zone in Beijing before heading home

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un wrapped up his four-day visit to China on Wednesday after holding talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and touring an economic zone, while the US maintains its silence over the two leaders’ meeting. Kim’s train departed from a train station in Beijing at around 2 p.m. after Kim and Xi had lunch together, according to Yonhap News Agency. In this June 19, 2018, file photo provided by China's Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping(left) and North Korean

Jan. 9, 2019

S. Korea to consider various elements before permitting businesspeople's trip to Kaesong park: official

The government will consider various factors before making a decision to permit a visit by businesspeople to the now-shuttered inter-Korean industrial complex, a unification ministry official said Wednesday.A group of people who once operated plants at the industrial park in the North's border town of Kaesong earlier appealed for the government's approval for a trip to the complex next week. (Yonhap)They have pushed unsuccessfully to visit there six times to check their facilities left behind wh

Jan. 9, 2019

NK leader visits industrial facilities in China

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited industrial facilities in Beijing on Wednesday, a day after he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a show of close ties ahead of a possible second summit with US President Donald Trump.Kim visited a pharmaceutical factory located in the economic-technological development zone in the Chinese capital. (Yonhap)Sources said that he spent around 20-30 minutes touring the plant operated by Tong Ren Tang, a drug-making conglomerate known for its long history

Jan. 9, 2019

US, N. Korea in back-channel talks over 2nd summit: ambassador

The United States and North Korea continue to have "back-channel" talks to arrange a second summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Seoul's top envoy in Washington said Tuesday.Trump and Kim have both said they want to meet again to follow up on their historic first summit last June, which produced an agreement to work toward the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in exchange for security guarantees from the US. (Yonhap)This week Trump said th

Jan. 9, 2019

Kim’s fourth visit to China hints US-North Korea summit imminent: expert

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s latest trip to China, the fourth of its kind, is likely a move designed for Kim to reach an accord with Pyongyang’s closest ally before holding the second US-North Korea summit.As North Korea has largely been relying on its bigger neighbor for economic and diplomatic support, experts say Monday’s trip is also viewed as a strategy for Pyongyang to raise its negotiating power in talks with the United States. While the North Korean leader’s itinerary usually comes

Jan. 8, 2019

Vietnam says it wants to host US-NK summit

Vietnam has delivered to both South and North Korea its wish to host the envisioned summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.Hanoi has told North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho during his official visit in late November that it wishes to host the summit. (Yonhap)Singapore enjoyed great publicity and financial gains as the host of the historic summit between Trump and Kim in June last year.Trump has repeatedly said he will meet with Kim again in the near fu

Jan. 8, 2019

NK leader tries to maximize leverage in nuclear talks through China visit: experts

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's surprise visit to China appears to be aimed at maximizing his negotiating leverage ahead of a second summit meeting with US President Donald Trump, experts said Tuesday.A special train carrying Kim arrived in Beijing on Tuesday.North Korean state media reported earlier in the day that Kim and his wife, Ri Sol-ju, left for China on Monday for a four-day trip at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.  (Yonhap)It is Kim's fourth trip to the neighboring all

Jan. 8, 2019

Cheong Wa Dae says N. Korea-China summit may promote peace

South Korea's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae welcomed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's ongoing trip to Beijing on Tuesday, saying the North Korea-China summit may help efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and establish lasting peace."We hope the exchange between China and North Korea will contribute to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and establishment of lasting peace," Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom told a daily press briefing. (Yonhap)The remarks follow

Jan. 8, 2019

North Korean leader in China to meet with Xi

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday afternoon, according to media outlets of the two countries, apparently to discuss a second summit with US President Donald Trump concerning denuclearization. Kim arrived by train at the Beijing station at 10:55 a.m. Tuesday, which happens to be his birthday, at the invitation of the Chinese leader, North Korea’s state-run Rodong Sinmun and China’s Xinhua News Agency reported.  In this June 19, 2018, file phot

Jan. 8, 2019

S. Korea hails N. Korean leader's China visit

South Korea expressed hope Tuesday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's ongoing trip to China will be helpful to the denuclearization and peace process."The government expects that high-level exchanges between the North and China, including a meeting between Chairman Kim Jong-un and President Xi Jinping, will be able to contribute to the complete denuclearization and establishment of permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula," a foreign ministry official said, adding it's the government's formal

Jan. 8, 2019

[Breaking] N. Korean leader on trip to China ahead of possible summit with Trump

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is on a trip to China for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, state media reported Tuesday, raising speculation that his second summit with US President Donald Trump might be forthcoming.Kim and his wife, Ri Sol-ju, left for China on Monday afternoon for a four-day visit at the invitation of the Chinese president, Pyongyang's Korean Central News Agency said. China's Xinhua news agency also confirmed his visit.(Yonhap)Kim was accompanied by party, government a

Jan. 8, 2019

US in discussion with North Korea for second summit venue: Trump

US President Donald Trump confirmed Sunday talks for the location of a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un are underway, after the two said last week they are ready to meet to further discuss Pyongyang’s denuclearization. “We’re negotiating a location. It will be announced probably in the not-too-distant future,” Trump told reporters before boarding a helicopter for a presidential retreat to Camp David, Maryland.  US President Donald Trump speaks on the South Lawn of the White Hou

Jan. 7, 2019