Kaesong businesses hope for resumption of complex

Among those who witnessed the historic opening of the South-North joint liaison office in Kaesong firsthand last week were two business leaders who had once operated factories in the border town. While hoping for the resumption of business in the jointly operated industrial complex, they could only look at the remnants of their once-prosperous investment from afar. Two representatives of the business community who formerly operated factories in Kaesong -- Chung Ki-sub, honorary chairman of the C

Sept. 16, 2018

N. Korea raps Japan for remarks on end-of-war declaration

North Korea's state-controlled media criticized Japan's top diplomat Sunday for his negative view on declaring an end to the Korean War anytime soon.The criticism is seen to reflect Pyongyang's yearning for security assurances associated with such a declaration.The two Koreas plan to hold another round of summit talks next week in the North's capital. And the end-of-war declaration will apparently be among the key agenda items, along with Pyongyang's denuclearization. (Yonhap)Japanese Foreign Mi

Sept. 16, 2018

S. Korean officials visit N. Korea for summit preparations

A group of more than 90 South Koreans began a trip Sunday to North Korea to make preparations, largely logistical, for the upcoming inter-Korean summit.President Moon Jae-in is scheduled to travel to Pyongyang from Tuesday till Thursday for what would be his third meeting with the North's leader Kim Jong-un. (Yonhap)The advance team of 93 government officials, technology-related staff and reporters, crossed the border on 19 buses.It's led by Suh Ho, presidential secretary for unification policy.

Sept. 16, 2018

US nuke envoy visits Seoul ahead of inter-Korean summit

A US top nuclear envoy visited South Korea on Saturday, days before the leaders of the two Koreas are set to hold a summit meeting next week.Stephen Biegun arrived in Seoul, following his trips to Beijing and Tokyo where he met with his counterparts. He is to meet key officials in South Korea during his two-day stay here.This marks his second trip to Seoul in less than a week. South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha (right) shakes hands with US special representative for North Korea Stephen

Sept. 15, 2018

N. Korea resumes flights to China’s Dalian amid improving bilateral ties

North Korea has resumed flights between Pyongyang and the Chinese city of Dalian after a yearslong hiatus amid signs of improving ties between the allies. According to local tourism agencies, a passenger plane of Air Koryo, the North’s flag carrier, landed in the airport in Dalian on Thursday and returned to Pyongyang with nearly 70 people on board. This marked the first North Korean airplane that had flown between the two cities since November 2006. There will be such flights every Thursday and

Sept. 15, 2018

Inter-Korean liaison office head says ‘heavy responsibility’

South Korea’s Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung, the first co-head of the inter-Korean liaison office, vowed to contribute to advancing inter-Korean relations through round-the-clock communication with North Korea.  Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung (Yonhap)The inter-Korean liaison office was officially launched in North Korea’s border town of Kaesong on Friday. It is expected to foster direct communication and exchanges between the two Koreas. “In addition to supporting the inter-Ko

Sept. 14, 2018

Moon to fly directly to Pyongyang for inter-Korean summit, key events to be aired live

President Moon Jae-in will fly across the inter-Korean border into North Korea for a three-day inter-Korean summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un next week, the presidential office said Friday. An advance team will be sent to Pyongyang via a land route on Sunday to prepare for the summit which will be held Tuesday to Thursday. The key events at the summit, from the moment the two leaders meet, will be aired live, according to Cheong Wa Dae. (Yonhap)The announcement comes after officials fr

Sept. 14, 2018

Two Koreas open joint liaison office in North

South and North Korea on Friday opened a joint liaison office in North Korea’s border city of Kaesong ahead of the inter-Korean summit next week as they seek to improve cross-border exchanges and communication. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon and his North Korean counterpart Ri Son-gwon stressed that the direct inter-Korean communication channel could help bring peace and prosperity to the Korean Peninsula. 　“A new chapter in history begins here today, upho

Sept. 14, 2018

Two Koreas to hold working-level talks to prepare summit

Officials from South and North Korea were set to meet in the border village of Panmunjom on Friday to discuss details of an upcoming meeting between their leaders.The working-level dialogue comes four days before South Korean President Moon Jae-in will embark on a trip to Pyongyang for his third bilateral summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.The third Moon-Kim summit is slated to be held Tuesday through Thursday. The two leaders held their first-ever summit in Panmunjom on April 27, then

Sept. 14, 2018

US needs to tackle NK human rights, denuclearization together: Victor Cha

WASHINGTON -- A former US nuclear negotiator called on the Donald Trump administration Thursday to include the issue of North Korea's human rights in negotiations over the regime's nuclear weapons program.The call by Victor Cha, former deputy head of the US delegation to six-party denuclearization talks with North Korea, comes amid a perceived impasse in negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang to dismantle the regime's nuclear weapons program. (Yonhap)In prepared remarks for a congressiona

Sept. 14, 2018

US announces fresh sanctions over NK nuclear program

WASHINGTON -- WASHINGTON -- The United States on Thursday sanctioned two companies in China and Russia for allegedly facilitating North Korea's nuclear weapons program.The Department of the Treasury also sanctioned a North Korean individual in the latest set of sanctions aimed at denuclearizing the regime.Thursday's action particularly targets the revenue earned for the Pyongyang government by North Korean IT workers overseas.The Treasury said it is sanctioning China Silver Star, which is "nomin

Sept. 14, 2018

UNC approves S. Koreans' border crossing for communication infra construction

The United Nations Command (UNC) on Thursday approved authorized South Korean vehicles and personnel to cross the Military Demarcation Line to support construction of communication infrastructure that will be used by the two Koreas.The UNC said authorized South Koreans can cross the Military Demarcation Line in the eastern transportation corridor and that they will be allowed to transport "more material than what is needed" to repair communication lines.(Yonhap)"UNC has and continues to actively

Sept. 13, 2018

New NK envoy to UN to take post soon

A new North Korean ambassador to the United Nations is likely to take his post before the UN General Assembly next week, with the US recently having issued a visa to the representative, local media reports said Wednesday. In July, reports said that a North Korean Foreign Ministry official named Kim Song would replace Ja Song-nam as the North’s permanent representative to the UN, after UN sources claimed that Ja embarked on a trip to Pyongyang upon being dismissed from his post.  Kim Song (left)

Sept. 13, 2018

Seoul invites Kaesong businesses to opening of inter-Korean liaison office

South Korean businessmen who had run companies in a now-shuttered industrial park in the North’s Kaesong were among those invited to the opening ceremony for an inter-Korean liaison office there, the Unification Ministry said Thursday. The ministry, however, dismissed speculation that their participation might be related to efforts to resume the operation of the factory complex.The government earlier unveiled a list of people who will join the opening ceremony to be held in the North’s border to

Sept. 13, 2018

Inter-Korean summit on steady course despite delayed preparation meeting

Preparations are being made for the upcoming inter-Korean summit despite a delay in a proposed working-level meeting between the two sides, officials in Seoul said Thursday.South Korean President Moon Jae-in is set to visit Pyongyang from Tuesday through next Thursday for what would be his third bilateral meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.The leaders earlier met on April 27 and May 26 in the border village of Panmunjom that sits directly on the inter-Korean border. (Yonhap)The two Kor

Sept. 13, 2018

US looking at N. Korea among other nations for possible election meddling

WASHINGTON -- The United States is monitoring North Korea, among other nations, for possible interference in the US midterm elections in November, senior administration officials said Wednesday.US President Donald Trump signed an executive order the same day to allow sanctions on foreign governments or their agents for interference in US elections.The action is mainly aimed at addressing concerns following Russia's alleged meddling in the 2016 US presidential race. (AP)"We have seen signs of not

Sept. 13, 2018

Two Koreas to officially launch joint liaison office Friday

A joint liaison office with North Korea will be launched Friday, with the South’s vice unification minister as co-chief of the office, the South’s Ministry of Unification confirmed Wednesday.The South-North liaison office will be launched in the North’s border town of Kaesong at 10:30 a.m. Friday, with an opening ceremony that will be attended by about 100 people from the two Koreas, the ministry said in a press release. South Korea’s Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon and Ri Son-gwon chairman

Sept. 12, 2018

[Newsmaker] Controversy escalates over budget plan for inter-Korean project

Controversy continues to mount over the government’s proposed budget for the implementation of April’s inter-Korean summit agreement, with opposition lawmakers accusing the government of scaling down figures to avoid public criticism. 　Submitted to the National Assembly on Wednesday, the budget proposal estimates about 470 billion won ($417 million) would be needed next year to implement the Panmunjom Declaration agreed upon by President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.　But the m

Sept. 12, 2018

Former NK restaurant employees granted passports after human rights controversy

The Former North Korean restaurant workers who defected to South Korea from China about two years ago have all been issued passports here, a local lawyers' group said Wednesday.Twelve female workers of the Ryukyung Restaurant, a North Korean establishment in Ningbo, China, and their male manager, Heo Kang-il, arrived in South Korea in April 2016. (Yonhap)Heo and one of the women were granted passports thereafter, but the 11 others remained without.An official of the Lawyers for a Democratic Soci

Sept. 12, 2018

Trump attacked Moon over trade, security: book

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump took out his anger on South Korean President Moon Jae-in as he pummeled the trade and security relationship between the allies, according to a book released Tuesday.Trump and Moon spoke by phone on Jan. 19, one day before the US president marked his first year in office.In that conversation, Trump told his South Korean counterpart that he wanted to send a letter terminating the South Korea-US free trade agreement, and demanded payment for the deployment of

Sept. 12, 2018