North Korean minister reaffirms denuclearization commitment in Beijing talks

BEIJING -- North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho told his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on Friday that Pyongyang’s commitment to denuclearization remains unchanged, according to Wang‘s ministry.The top diplomats of the communist allies met at the Daioyutai state guesthouse in Beijing, less than a week after a summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Ri Yong-ho (Yonhap)Ri was quoted as saying that his country is trying to create peaceful external conditions to

Dec. 7, 2018

Even if Kim Jong-un came to Seoul, most South Korean might not know until last minute: experts

　Since North Korean leader Kim Jong-un pledged to visit Seoul in return for President Moon Jae-in’s September trip to Pyongyang, whether Kim will keep his promise has become a point of much speculation.　Some experts have suggested Kim’s visit could take place as early as next week amid rumors that some tourist destinations in Seoul have turned down reservations for that period. Others say Kim will come to South Korea more than two weeks later, after he marks the seventh anniversary of his father

Dec. 7, 2018

Koreans to visit Pyongyang next week for talks on forestry cooperation

South Korea will send 10 officials and experts to Pyongyang next week for talks on forestry cooperation, the unification ministry said Friday. The team will fly to the North via Beijing on Tuesday for a three-day visit, according to the ministry. Lim Sang-seop, a senior official with the Korea Forestry Service, will lead the delegation, the ministry said. (Yonhap)The planned trip is part of efforts to implement an agreement reached in October to jointly combat pine tree pests and other forestry

Dec. 7, 2018

Koreas to hold chief liaison officers' meeting amid speculation over Kim's trip to Seoul

South and North Korea will hold a meeting of their chief liaison officers on Friday, a unification ministry official said, amid speculation that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un could visit Seoul before year's end. (Yonhap)Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung and his North Korean counterpart, Jon Jong-su, will meet at the joint liaison office in the North's border town of Kaesong, according to the official. Chun and Jon serve as co-heads of the office launched in September to secure a channel

Dec. 7, 2018

Top diplomats of S. Korea, US vow close coordination on NK

The top diplomats of South Korea and the United States met in Washington Thursday and agreed to coordinate closely in their efforts to denuclearize North Korea, both sides said.South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held their first meeting in two months amid an impasse in denuclearization negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang.(Yonhap)The diplomats "reaffirmed the ironclad alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea," State Dep

Dec. 7, 2018

US senators warn against US-NK summit without tangible denuclearization steps

US senators who are influential in shaping Washington’s North Korea policy advise tying the second US-North Korea summit to more tangible steps toward denuclearization from Pyongyang, Voice of America reported Thursday.  (Yonhap)Republican Senator Cory Gardner said President Donald Trump should “walk away” from the summit if there are any signs that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is using it as an excuse to buy time, according to the report.“As I said from the last one, if the complete, verifia

Dec. 6, 2018

S. Korean military says it has long watched N. Korea’s ‘unreported’ missile base

　The South Korean military said Thursday that Seoul and Washington have long monitored a North Korean missile base that a US media outlet described as an unreported facility capable of launching a long-range ballistic missile. 　Citing satellite images and analysis from a private think tank, CNN reported Wednesday that the Yeongjeo-dong missile base and a nearby site -- previously unreported -- remain active and have been continuously upgraded. 　The South Korean government, which dismissed previo

Dec. 6, 2018

Koreas agree to verify removal of 22 guard posts next week

The militaries of the two Koreas agreed to verify each other’s work on the removal of 22 guard posts next week, Seoul’s Defense Ministry said Thursday, in an effort to sustain the momentum of a detente between the two Koreas. 　The Ministry of National Defense will conduct an on-site verification on Dec. 12 to ensure the guard posts were dismantled or destroyed as pledged after the two Koreas pulled back their troops and ammunition from the posts.　While the two Koreas agreed to “completely destro

Dec. 6, 2018

US wants brighter future for NK after its denuclearization: official

WASHINGTON -- The United States is ready to offer a brighter future to North Korea, but only after it completely abandons its nuclear weapons program, a senior US official said Wednesday.The two sides have been trying to negotiate the terms of North Korea's denuclearization since the historic June summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.But talks have stalled over US demands for a full inventory of the North's nuclear arsenal and Pyongyang's demands for recip

Dec. 6, 2018

Korea, US in coordination over groundbreaking ceremony for inter-Korean road, railway connection

South Korea and the United States are closely coordinating on all inter-Korean exchanges, including an agreed-upon plan to hold a ceremony to break ground for a railway and road reconnection project before year's end, a unification ministry official said Thursday."Issues related to inter-Korean exchanges are all being discussed," the official told reporters on condition of anonymity when asked if the allies are discussing the details of a groundbreaking ceremony for the project to re-link roads

Dec. 6, 2018

N. Korea holds state funeral for former anti-Japanese fighter, military official

North Korea has held a state funeral for a former anti-Japanese fighter also long involved in the country's military affairs, Pyongyang's state media reported Thursday.The funeral was held in Pyongyang on Wednesday for Kim Chol-man, who died of an illness at the age of 98 on Monday, according to the Korean Central News Agency and the Rodong Sinmun. (Yonhap)Kim had long been involved in the North's military supplies sector since the era of national founder Kim Il-sung. The former deputy to the Su

Dec. 6, 2018

N. Korea 'significantly' expands key missile base: report

North Korea has "significantly" expanded a key long-range missile base, while denuclearization negotiations with the United States have stalled, CNN reported Wednesday, citing new satellite imagery.It's the latest in a series of reports suggesting that North Korea continues to develop its missile programs short of an agreed plan with the US to dismantle them.(Yonhap)The base is identified in a report by the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey as being located in the mountai

Dec. 6, 2018

[Newsmaker] Koreas in consultations for joint road inspection

The two Koreas are discussing when and how they will conduct a joint survey on cross-border roads, the Ministry of Unification said Wednesday, with inter-Korean railway inspections already underway. (Yonhap)The Koreas plan to inspect the road connecting Goseong in Gangwon Province and Wonsan in the North’s Kangwon Province along the eastern coast of the Korean Peninsula. “Consultations are currently underway, and future schedules will be determined (based on the outcome),” Unification Ministry s

Dec. 5, 2018

NK leader’s Seoul trip dependent on US-NK talks: NIS

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service on Wednesday said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s visit to Seoul is dependent on US-North Korea talks.According to the minor conservative opposition Bareunmirae Party’s Rep. Lee Hag-jae, NIS officials also corroborated Cheong Wa Dae’s claims that the dates of Kim’s possible trip to Seoul are undecided, at a parliamentary intelligence committee briefing. National Intelligence Service Director Suh Hoon (center) attends a session with the National

Dec. 5, 2018

Blue House denies reports on NK leader’s visit

Cheong Wa Dae on Wednesday once again stressed that the dates for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s possible visit to Seoul remain undecided, denying reports of behind-the-scenes negotiations between the two Koreas.“As the president stated, (the dates are) open whether it’s this year or early next year. The important thing is the North’s decision,” President Moon Jae-in’s senior press secretary Yoon Young-chan said.Groups calling for end to North Korean sanctions hold up cutouts of President Moo

Dec. 5, 2018

Entering buffer zone near DMZ to be simplified for civilians

　The South Korean government on Wednesday pledged to simplify the process for civilians to enter the restricted border region, as a part of efforts to lift the ban on developing the military-controlled area amid an inter-Korean detente. 　The Ministry of National Defense and the ruling Democratic Party said they will establish an automated identification system by 2022 for those who want to cross the line that restricts civilians from entering the buffer zone near the heavily fortified Demilitari

Dec. 5, 2018

S. Korea, US still reviewing military exercise plans: Pentagon

WASHINGTON -- South Korea and the United States continue to review plans for next year's combined military exercises to avoid hurting disarmament talks with North Korea, a Pentagon official said Tuesday.The allies have suspended or scaled back some major exercises since US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed in June to work toward "complete" denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. (Yonhap)The move is seen as a concession to the North, which denounces the drills as

Dec. 5, 2018

N. Korean FM arrives in Syria after Vietnam visit

　North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho has arrived in Syria, Pyongyang’s state media reported Tuesday, where the top diplomat is expected to discuss a potential visit to Pyongyang by the Syrian president.　The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that the North Korean delegation, led by Ri, arrived in the capital city of Damascus on Monday.　The report did not provide further details, including the purpose of the visit. North Korea`s Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho (Yonhap)　His visit to Syria

Dec. 4, 2018

Moon says timing of NK leader’s visit undecided

The significance of a possible visit to Seoul by the North Korean leader lies in laying the foundations for the second US-North Korea summit, rather than with its timing, President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday.Speaking after his meeting with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand in Auckland, Moon said the timing of Kim’s visit was secondary to its purpose. President Moon Jae-in and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand shakes hands at the joint press conference in Auckland, New Zealand

Dec. 4, 2018

S. Koreans to return home Wed. following railway inspection of N. Korea's western line

A group of South Korean officials and railway experts will return home this week after completing a joint inspection on the rail line along North Korea's western region, a unification ministry official said Tuesday.A train left for the North on Friday with 28 South Koreans on board to inspect the Gyeongui western railway as part of its 18-day inspection of the rail system in the North.  (Yonhap)The personnel will return home Wednesday after completing a six-day inspection on the western line fro

Dec. 4, 2018