Sweden, Switzerland express willingness to send nuke inspection team to NK

Sweden and Switzerland have expressed their willingness to, upon request, send a team to inspect North Korea's possible dismantlement of nuclear and missile programs, a US broadcaster reported Saturday.After holding a summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Wednesday agreed to permanently dismantle the country's only missile engine test facility and launch pads in Dongchang-ri in the presence of international experts. (Pyeongyang Press Corps)Kim also of

Sept. 22, 2018

Pompeo hopes for 2nd US-NK summit 'before too long'

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo voiced hope Friday for a second summit between the US and North Korea "before too long," but added there was still work to do.Both sides have floated the possibility of a second meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to move forward negotiations to dismantle the regime's nuclear weapons program.Following an impasse over what denuclearization entails, the talks appeared to be back on track this week, helped largely by a thir

Sept. 22, 2018

N. Korea's deputy PM admits economy in trouble: S. Korean official

North Korea's deputy prime minister has admitted economic difficulties and called for South Korea's assistance, a South Korean presidential official said Friday, in a rare appeal by the North to try to boost its economy.Ri Ryong-nam (Yonhap)Ri Ryong-nam made the comments in a meeting with top South Korean business executives earlier this week, Kim Hyun-chul, a special economic adviser to South Korean President Moon Jae-in, told reporters of the meeting.The executives, including Samsung Electroni

Sept. 21, 2018

3 endearing moments of South Korean presidential couple on Paektusan

The candid interactions between South Korea’s presidential couple of Moon Jae-in and Kim Jung-sook are endearing in every way, and what their impact would be on their North Korean counterparts Kim Jong-un and Ri Sol-ju one could only surmise. Moon and his wife don’t put on a stuffy show for the camera. Their open dialogue invites the general public to see them more as the friendly neighborhood couple than distant rulers of the nation. Here are three moments that drew attention:"Here, let me tidy

Sept. 21, 2018

Will Kim Jong-un go up Jeju Island’s Hallasan?

South Korean President Moon Jae-in had his wish granted Thursday, when he went up Paektusan in North Korea. The question now is whether North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will go up the South’s tallest mountain during his expected trip to Seoul this year. Paektusan is the highest mountain in the North, at about 2,750 meters above sea level, while Hallasan is around 1,950 meters. Abundant folklore and legends involving mythical creatures revolve around both mountains Moon is an avid hiker, whose mou

Sept. 21, 2018

Kim Jong-un says ‘I can’t quite make the shape’ while trying ‘finger heart’

The South Korean fad of making “finger hearts” has crossed the border to the North, with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un himself trying the gesture while posing for photos on top of Paektusan. The gesture entails crisscrossing the thumb and index finger into a heart shape. According to South Korean presidential office Cheong Wa Dae’s spokesperson Kim Eui-kyeom, Kim Jong-un tried the gesture while posing for photographs with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Paektusan, in front of the crater

Sept. 21, 2018

N. Korea had proposed Moon extend stay for another day: official

North Korea had suggested President Moon Jae-in extend his stay in the country for another day, but the South had to turn down the proposal due to its own circumstances, the presidential spokesman said Friday.Presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom also cited a North Korean official as saying that they made preparations for the possibility of Moon staying in the country for another day after visiting Mount Paekdu on Thursday. President Moon Jae-in and north Korea`s Vice Chairman of the State Affair

Sept. 21, 2018

N. Korea's ambassador to UN begins official work

NEW YORK -- North Korea's new top envoy in the United Nations began his official service Thursday at a time when Pyongyang and Washington are gearing up to resume denuclearization talks.Amb. Kim Song presented his credentials to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the headquarters of the international body here."I convey warm greetings from State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un, our supreme leader," Kim said at the meeting. "I'm pleased to present the credentials signed by Foreign M

Sept. 21, 2018

US dismisses N. Korea's conditional offer to dismantle nuclear site

WASHINGTON -- The United States on Thursday dismissed North Korea's conditional offer to dismantle a key nuclear site, saying denuclearization must come before concessions.North Korean leader Kim Jong-un expressed a willingness in this week's joint summit agreement with South Korean President Moon Jae-in to permanently shut down the nuclear facilities in Yongbyon if the US took "corresponding measures."Asked if the US was prepared to comply, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the U

Sept. 21, 2018

Pompeo: US making progress it needs with North Korea

WASHINGTON -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States is making the progress it needs with regard to North Korea's denuclearization, rejecting criticism that negotiations are failing.North Korean leader Kim Jong-un committed to work toward "complete denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula when he met with US President Donald Trump at a historic summit in Singapore in June.Trump, in return, promised to provide security guarantees to the regime. (AP)"We have made steady albeit s

Sept. 21, 2018

Trump announces names of identified Korean War remains

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump on Thursday announced the names of two American soldiers whose remains were identified following their return from North Korea in July.In a tweet, Trump said the soldiers who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War were Army Master Sgt. Charles H. McDaniel, 32, of Vernon, Indiana, and Army Pfc. William H. Jones, 19, of Nash County, North Carolina.North Korea returned 55 boxes of presumed American soldiers' remains as part of an agreement reached by Trump and Nort

Sept. 21, 2018

S. Korean businesses expect Kaesong complex to reopen this year

The chief of South Korean businesses that have operations in the Kaesong Industrial Complex in North Korea said Thursday that he expects the now-closed industrial zone to reopen this year.  Kaesong, North Korea (Yonhap)Shin Han-yong, the head of a private task force representing South Korean companies that have production facilities in Kaesong, expressed hopes that the complex will resume operations soon "given the atmosphere of the third summit" between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and No

Sept. 20, 2018

Moon calls for swift resumption of NK-US denuclearization talks

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for the US to swiftly resume talks with North Korea on denuclearizing the communist country, while also saying that a declaration of the end of the Korean War should happen as soon as possible.Briefing South Korean citizens on the outcome of the inter-Korean summit, the main business of which took place Tuesday and Wednesday, Moon said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had expressed his desire to complete the denuclearization process as soon as

Sept. 20, 2018

Standing on Paektusan, Moon expresses hope for tourism to iconic mountain

As the leaders of the two Koreas stood together atop Paektusan for the first time, South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday expressed hopes for expanded tourism to the Korean Peninsula’s highest mountain.As of now, the mountain is only accessible to South Koreans from the Chinese side -- leaving parts of it inaccessible to them. “Now that we’ve taken the first step, if we repeat these steps and more people come (to Paektusan), I believe there will be a time when citizens of South Korea can

Sept. 20, 2018

What to expect after third inter-Korean summit

The third inter-Korean summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has prompted a flurry of speculation over how things will unfold between the two Koreas and with the US. To what extent the summit will revive stalled denuclearization talks between the US and North Korea is the question on the minds of many. Moon will travel to the US on Sunday to brief President Donald Trump on his discussions with Kim. Kim pledged to dismantle missile facilities in the presence of

Sept. 20, 2018

Strong inter-Korean bond boosts Seoul’s role in denuclearization talks

The third summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un broke new ground in inter-Korean ties, experts said, giving South Korea an opportunity to move beyond its role as a “mediator” in the US-North Korea nuclear talks. The South’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday said the Seoul government would now be able to take on a more “active role” based on the “meaningful” results of the inter-Korean summit. “(The summit agreement) has provided a foundation for both Ko

Sept. 20, 2018

[Newsmaker] Kim Jong-un’s visit to Seoul: What it means for two Koreas and beyond

With North Korean leader Kim Jong-un pledging to visit Seoul within the year, there is a mix of hope and caution in the air over the first-ever trip to the South by the top leader from the North. At a joint conference with President Moon Jae-in in Pyongyang on Wednesday, Kim said he had promised Moon that he would visit Seoul “in the near future.” Moon said he expected Kim to come to South Korea’s capital before the end of the year.The announcement came as surprise to South Koreans, 　who have ne

Sept. 20, 2018

NK attracts more tourists from Singapore

SINGAPORE -- The historic summit in June between the leaders of North Korea and its wartime enemy US on this Southeast Asian island state has triggered people’s interest in the reclusive East Asian country. Singapore is seeing a surge in tourists bound for Pyongyang as fall is a popular season for travelling in the country, and the huge art and dance performance known as the “Mass Games” is taking place throughout in Pyongyang in September.Over 200 tourists, mostly Singaporeans, are expected to

Sept. 20, 2018

Summit puts NK denuclearization back on track, eases cross-border tensions

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday wrapped up his three-day visit to North Korea, marked by two meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and signs that Pyongyang and Washington would soon return to the table for denuclearization talks.　After signing the Pyongyang Declaration on Wednesday, Kim said he and Moon had “pledged to make the Joseon (Korean) Peninsula a land of peace without nuclear weapons or nuclear threats,” vowing to take additional steps toward denuclearization. He

Sept. 20, 2018

[Breaking] N. Korea's Kim sends expensive yet touchy gift to Moon

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has sent a vast amount of expensive pine mushrooms to South Korea as a gift for President Moon Jae-in, Moon's top press secretary said Thursday.The special gift arrived in South Korea earlier in the day, well before Moon returned from the North after his three-day trip there, according to Yoon Young-chan. Pine mushrooms from Kim Jong-un (Pyongyang Press Corps.)"While the president and his wife continued to stay in the North, Chairman Kim Jong-un's gift arrived her

Sept. 20, 2018