NK leader opts for far more economy, diplomacy events than military this year

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made far more public appearances in relation to the country's economic and diplomatic affairs this year than ones related to the military, an analysis of North Korean news reports showed Sunday.According Yonhap News Agency's analysis of North Korean news reports about Kim, the leader made 123 public outings such as on-site inspections and summit talks during the year dating from Jan. 1 to Friday.This photo issued by the North Korean Central News Agency on Nov. 1,

Dec. 16, 2018

Koreas to meet IOC in Feb. on joint Olympic bid

South Korea and North Korea announced Friday they will meet with the International Olympic Committee early next year to discuss their joint Olympic bid.The two sides reached that agreement during the latest round of their sports talks at the joint liaison office in the North Korean border city of Kaesong. South Korean Vice Sports Minister Roh Tae-kang and North Korean Vice Sports Minister Won Kil-u led the delegations. North Korean Vice Sports Minister Won Kil-u (L) and his South Korean counterp

Dec. 14, 2018

Koreas discuss cooperation to fight tree diseases, modernize tree nurseries

South and North Korea discussed cooperation in combating forest diseases and modernizing tree nurseries in the North when a group of South Korean officials visited Pyongyang earlier this week, the unification ministry said Friday.The meeting was held between Lim Sang-seop, a senior official of the Korea Forestry Service, and his North Korean counterpart, Jang Yong-chol, according to the ministry. Lim headed a 10-member South Korean delegation to the North for a three-day trip from Tuesday. (Yonh

Dec. 14, 2018

S. Korea in consultations with US, UN for sanctions waiver before groundbreaking ceremony

South Korea is in close consultations with the United States and the United Nations to get sanctions exemptions ahead of a planned groundbreaking ceremony in North Korea for a joint project on connecting roads and railways over their border, the unification ministry said Friday.On Thursday, the two Koreas agreed to hold an event in Panmun Station, just north of the inter-Korean border on Dec. 26 to break ground for the railway and road connecting work. (Yonhap)It is a major project that their le

Dec. 14, 2018

Vietnam interested in hosting second US-NK summit

Vietnam has expressed interest in hosting the second US-North Korea summit, while high-level officials of the two countries were confirmed to have visited Vietnam recently, according to news reports.High-ranking Vietnamese officials delivered such intent to the South Korean government, CNN reported, citing a South Korean government source.(Yonhap)Mark Lambert, the acting US deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, recently visited Vietnam, Yonhap News Agency report

Dec. 14, 2018

S. Korea holds NSC meeting to discuss creating int'l air route between Koreas

South Korea held a National Security Council (NSC) meeting Thursday to discuss ways to create an international air route linking the two Koreas, the presidential office said.    During the meeting of the council's standing committee presided over by Presidential National Security Advisor Chung Eui-yong, members shared the opinion that the new air route would increase practical benefits for not only the two Koreas but all airlines that will use it, Cheong Wa Dae said in a release. Presidential Na

Dec. 13, 2018

NK urges US to come to senses, stop sticking to sanctions

North Korea's official news agency on Thursday strongly blamed the United States for the impasse in their nuclear talks, saying Pyongyang is waiting for Washington to come to its senses and take corresponding steps for its denuclearization measures, instead of sticking to sanctions.    "Prospects of relations between the DPRK and the US depend on when the US will wake up from its foolish thought," the Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) said in a commentary. "The exit will be for the US to build up

Dec. 13, 2018

Koreas to hold railway, road groundbreaking ceremony on Dec. 26

The two Koreas agreed on Thursday to hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the modernization and reconnection of cross-border railways and roads this month, in accordance with the agreement reached between the two leaders in September. “As a result of an inter-Korean meeting (held Thursday), a consensus that the groundbreaking ceremony should be held on Dec. 26 at Panmun Station in North Korea’s border town of Kaesong was reached,” a statement released by the South’s Ministry of Unification said. I

Dec. 13, 2018

‘Two Koreas should sign peace treaty when NK achieves 50 percent of denuclearization’

Controversy has erupted over a Seoul-based research institute’s report on the draft version of a hypothetical peace treaty with North Korea, with conservatives saying it is too early to discuss the matter amid growing frustration over stalled denuclearization talks. 　　During a seminar Thursday, a Korea Institute for National Unification researcher asserted that the current armistice agreement should be replaced when North Korea achieves 50 percent denuclearization. 　　Kim Sang-ki, director of the

Dec. 13, 2018

N. Korean leader unlikely to visit Russia this year: Seoul's ambassador

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is unlikely to visit Russia this year, Seoul's top envoy in Moscow said Thursday amid speculation about whether or when Kim will travel there for talks with President Vladimir Putin.Ambassador Woo Yoon-keun said that uncertainties hang over the prospects of the Kim-Putin summit, as the North Korean leader faces a litany of foreign policy tasks, including his possible visit to Seoul and envisioned summit with US President Donald Trump. This photo, taken on Nov. 5,

Dec. 13, 2018

Koreas to discuss groundbreaking ceremony for rail, road

South and North Korea held working-level talks on Thursday to set up a groundbreaking ceremony for their project to modernize North Korean railways and roads and connect them to the South.President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed at their third summit in Pyongyang in September to hold a ceremony before the end of theyear to break ground for the project to reconnect two sets of cross-border railways and roads. (Yonhap)Thursday's meeting took place at the two Koreas' liaison

Dec. 13, 2018

Koreas hold working-level talks on health care

The two Koreas held working-level talks to share the latest data on influenza, paving the way for cooperation in the health and medical sector, the Seoul government said Wednesday.Kwon Jun-wook, a senior official of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, met his North Korean counterpart, Kim Yun-chol, at the joint liaison office in the North's border town of Kaesong as the first step for a pilot program for health care exchanges.The meeting is the follow-up to an agreement between the Koreas last m

Dec. 12, 2018

Blue House doubtful about NK leader visiting Seoul this year

A visit by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to Seoul within the year looks unlikely, but later dates including January remain possible, a high-level official with South Korea’s presidential office said Wednesday.  A large painting installed near Cheong Wa Dae shows President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un shaking hands. YonhapThe comment follows local news reports that the presidential office has effectively ruled out the possibility of North Korean leader Kim visiting Seoul with

Dec. 12, 2018

N. Korea made informal apology to Vietnam for Kim Jong-nam assassination: source

North Korea is said to have offered an informal apology to Vietnam for involving a Vietnamese national in the assassination of Kim Jong-nam, the half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. (Yonhap)“I heard that North Korea informally expressed regret to Vietnam about involving a Vietnamese woman in the assassination of Kim Jong-nam,” a source with knowledge of the situation in Vietnam told reporters Tuesday.The apology, albeit informal, could indicate the involvement of the Kim Jong-un regi

Dec. 12, 2018

N. Korea founder's second wife dies: source

The second wife of North Korea's founder Kim Il-sung has died, a source said Wednesday. The source confirmed Kim Song-ae's death, but when and how she died were not immediately known.The unification ministry also said there have been "related signs," when asked about a media report on Kim's death. (Yonhap)"We will share more information when it is confirmed in detail," Baik Tae-hyun, a ministry spokesperson, told reporters during a regular briefing.Born in 1924, Kim married the North Korean foun

Dec. 12, 2018

US archbishop to visit Seoul next week to discuss inter-Korean peace

A US archbishop will travel to South Korea next week in a bid to assist their Korean Catholic counterparts' efforts to build peace with North Korea, the local church said Wednesday.The solidarity visit by Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, chairman of the Committee on International Justice and Peace of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, is scheduled from Dec. 18-21, according to the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea. (Yonhap)On the second day of the visit, the archbishop will atte

Dec. 12, 2018

NK leader unlikely to visit Seoul this year: presidential office

The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae thinks it would be difficult for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to visit Seoul this year, a presidential official said Wednesday.There was speculation that the North's leader might make his first trip to Seoul before the end of this year, with Cheong Wa Dae saying that it plans to prepare for a potential visit, though nothing has been decided. (Yonhap)"We judge that it would be difficult for Chairman Kim to visit Seoul this year," a presidential official sa

Dec. 12, 2018

Koreas to hold talks for health-related info exchange

South Korea and North Korea are scheduled to meet to exchange information on contagious diseases in a pilot program, Seoul's health ministry said Wednesday.Kwon Jun-wook, a senior official of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, is to meet with his North Korean counterpart, Kim Yun-chol, later in the day, with other ranking officials also attending the talks at the joint liaison office in the North's border town of Kaesong.  (Yonhap)The meeting is the follow-up to an agreement between the Koreas

Dec. 12, 2018

Koreas verify DMZ guard post pullout

South and North Korea carried out a one-day process Wednesday to verify their recent work to withdraw some guard posts in the Demilitarized Zone, in another show of their will for cross-border reconciliation.Seoul and Pyongyang initially agreed to demolish 11 GPs each in the DMZ but decided later to keep one apiece, albeit unarmed, in light of their historical value. The pullout is part of a broader accord aimed at reducing military tensions, preventing accidental clashes and building trust. (Yo

Dec. 12, 2018

US redesignates N. Korea as violator of religious freedom

The United States has redesignated North Korea as a violator of religious freedom for the 18th consecutive year, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday.North Korea is among 10 Countries of Particular Concern for engaging in or tolerating "systematic, ongoing, (and) egregious violations of religious freedom," Pompeo said in a statement. (Yonhap)The designations were made Nov. 28 in accordance with the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, and subject the nations to further action b

Dec. 12, 2018