Koreas to hold summit from Sept. 18 to 20

The third inter-Korean summit will take place in Pyongyang from Sept. 18 to 20, Seoul’s National Security Office chief Chung Eui-yong said Thursday. Chung, who returned from Pyongyang late Wednesday as President Moon Jae-in’s chief special envoy, said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had reiterated his commitment to denuclearization. “South and North agreed to hold the inter-Korean summit from Sept. 18 to 20 in Pyongyang, and to hold working-level talks at Panmunjom next week,” Chung said. The wo

Sept. 6, 2018

N. Korean leader renews commitment to denuclearization

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has renewed his commitment to making the Korean Peninsula free of nuclear weapons and threats in his meeting Wednesday with a South Korean delegation that visited Pyongyang to arrange a third inter-Korean summit for this year, according to the North's state-run media.Kim also discussed "candidly" with the delegation issues related to improving relations between the two Koreas and ensuring lasting peace and stability on the peninsula, the Korean Central News Agency

Sept. 6, 2018

Ex-US envoy calls for humanitarian aid to N. Korea

WASHINGTON -- A former US envoy for North Korean human rights issues said Wednesday that humanitarian aid to the impoverished country should continue despite the threat of its nuclear weapons program.Robert King, who served as the State Department envoy from 2009 to 2017, issued the appeal in a commentary for the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, where he is currently a senior adviser."For much of the past year, international attention on North Korea has focused on its a

Sept. 6, 2018

Black Venus -- the South Korean spy who met Kim Jong Il

SEOUL (AFP) -- Before meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, Southern spy “Black Venus” was told to stay up late, shower, and dress neatly. He also hid a micro recorder in his penis.　Few spies have ever got as close to the leader of an enemy state -- let alone one as reclusive as the isolated North -- as Black Venus, real name Park Chae-seo.　In the 1990s he posed as a disgruntled former South Korean military officer turned businessman looking to film commercials for Southern companies in sceni

Sept. 5, 2018

N. Korean leader Kim meets S. Korean president's special delegation

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met with a special delegation of South Korean President Moon Jae-in Wednesday, possibly reaffirming his commitment to establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula and denuclearizing his country."The special delegation met with Chairman Kim Jong-un to deliver the personal letter (from Moon) and exchange their opinions," Seoul's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said in a brief statement.The statement came hours after Chung Eui-yong, top security adviser to Moon and h

Sept. 5, 2018

Businessmen arrested for paying N. Korea in return for facial recognition program

Two South Korean businessmen have been arrested and indicted on charges of paying North Korea hundreds of millions of won in exchange for a computer software program and handing over military secrets to the communist nation, officials said Wednesday.　The owner of a technology firm and a senior executive at the firm were accused of holding an unauthorized meeting with North Koreans in 2007 and receiving a facial recognition program. They allegedly gave the North about 500 million won (US$444,422)

Sept. 5, 2018

US reinforces team handling NK

The US State Department appears to have boosted a lineup of senior officials handling North Korea affairs amid stalled denuclearization talks, which experts say is a sign of Washington’s willingness to resolve the nuclear standoff. 　The US has filled the posts needed to conduct negotiations with North Korea -- US ambassador to South Korea and US special representative for North Korea -- and reportedly created the role of deputy assistant secretary for North Korea. 　　 (Yonhap)Marc Knapper, who un

Sept. 5, 2018

NK Foreign Ministry calls on US to declare end to Korean War

North Korea’s Foreign Ministry called for an official end to the 1950-53 Korean War on Tuesday, urging the US to take action a day ahead of a scheduled visit to the North by South Korean envoys.In an essay posted on the ministry’s official website, the North highlighted what it called its regime’s efforts throughout history to build a “lasting and stable peace regime” on the Korean Peninsula, while accusing the US of turning a “blind eye” every time.  US Vice President Mike Pence and Navy Rear A

Sept. 5, 2018

[Newsmaker] NK efforts to stage ‘grand celebration’ undaunted

With Chinese leader Xi Jinping skipping North Korea’s 70th anniversary celebrations, attention is now on what to expect at the reclusive country’s major national event. According to Chinese and North Korean state-run media, Li Zhanshu, a member of China’s seven-person Communist Party leadership, will travel to Pyongyang as Xi’s envoy Saturday, a day before North Korea commemorates the 70th anniversary of the state’s founding on Sunday. Xi had been expected to attend the celebrations, in what wou

Sept. 5, 2018

Korea expects 'good news' on liaison office from presidential delegation's trip to North

South Korea's unification ministry said Wednesday it expects "good news" from a presidential delegation's trip to North Korea with regard to the delayed launch of a joint liaison office.The delegation led by Chung Eui-yong, head of the presidential National Security Office, arrived in Pyongyang for a one-day trip to arrange a proposed summit between the leaders of the two Koreas this month. It is also expected to seek a conclusion on when the joint liaison office will be launched.  (Yonhap)"With

Sept. 5, 2018

Pyongyang blasts Seoul for defense budget hike ahead of envoy's visit

North Korea's propaganda media on Wednesday slammed South Korea for its defense budget increase plan and renewal of a military information sharing agreement with Japan, as the South's presidential envoy arrived in Pyongyang in the morning.Meari, the North's external propaganda website, said the South Korean government's plan to increase its defense budget by 8.2 percent next year is a grave challenge to the Panmunjom Declaration calling for phased disarmament on the Korean Peninsula.The Panmunjo

Sept. 5, 2018

Envoys meet Kim Jong-un to discuss denuclearization, summit

President Moon Jae-in’s special envoys met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and discussed outstanding issues, Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday. “The special envoys met with Kim Jong-un, and delivered (Moon’s) personal letter, and exchanged views,” Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom said. The delegation arrived in Seoul at 9:40 p.m., after a dinner meeting hosted by the North.  South Korea`s National Security Office chief and chief envoy to North Korea Chung Eui-yong hands President Moon Jae-i

Sept. 5, 2018

Moon, Trump reaffirm joint efforts to establish peace, denuclearize N. Korea

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump on Tuesday reaffirmed their joint efforts to establish peace and denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.The pledge for joint efforts came in a telephone conversation."The two leaders exchanged their honest views on the development of South-North Korean relations and conditions surrounding the Korean Peninsula, including the denuclearization negotiations between North Korea and the United States following the North Korea-US summit on Jun

Sept. 5, 2018

Russia's top parliamentary official to visit N. Korea for foundation anniversary

The head of Russia's upper house of parliament will visit North Korea for the upcoming anniversary of the foundation of the communist state, the North's state-run media said Wednesday."Valentina Matviyenko, chairwoman of the Russian Federation Council, will soon pay an official visit to the DPRK at the invitation of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK, and take part in the events marking its 70th birthday," the Korean Central News Agency said. (AP)DPRK is the initials of the North's offici

Sept. 5, 2018

Moon's special envoy embarks on trip to N. Korea

South Korean President Moon Jae-in's special envoy headed to North Korea on Wednesday for talks on a proposed summit between Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, as well as ways to move forward stalled talks on ridding the North of its nuclear weapons.Chung Eui-yong, head of the presidential National Security Office, left Seoul's Seongnam Airport, along with four other delegates including National Intelligence Service Director Suh Hoon and Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung.(Yonhap)The

Sept. 5, 2018

Moon briefs Trump on delegation to Pyongyang

President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump held a phone conversation on Tuesday, discussing North Korean nuclear issues, and Moon’s special envoys to Pyongyang. President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump. Yonhap“President Moon explained in details about the special envoys to discuss plans for the inter-Korean summit and ways to establish lasting peace on the peninsula through complete denuclearization,” Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom said. Moon’s envoys, headed by Nation

Sept. 4, 2018

Envoys to discuss inter-Korean summit, denuclearization

 President Moon Jae-in’s special envoys to North Korea will discuss the planned inter-Korean summit and seek ways to move denuclearization talks forward, the chief envoy said Tuesday. National Security Office chief Chung Eui-yong, who heads the five-man delegation set to leave Wednesday, said that the delegation would discuss the issues with high-level North Korean officials in Pyongyang. Chung is to be accompanied by National Intelligence Service Director Suh Hoon, NIS deputy chief Kim Sang-gyu

Sept. 4, 2018

Moon's special envoy says he will discuss denuclearization with N. Korea

The special envoy of South Korean President Moon Jae-in to North Korea plans to discuss ways to completely denuclearize the Korean Peninsula when he visits the communist state this week, the envoy said Tuesday."The special delegation also plans to hold discussions on ways to completely denuclearize (the peninsula) and establish lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula," Chung Eui-yong told a press briefing, one day before he was set to embark on a one-day trip to Pyongyang. (Yonhap)Chung, head of t

Sept. 4, 2018

N. Korean leader absent from public view for 15 days

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has not been seen in public for half a month following his intensive inspections of economic sites this summer, North Korea watchers in Seoul said Tuesday.According to Pyongyang's media, Kim had visited 30 economic sites between late June and late August, prodding government and party officials to help speed up a state drive for economic development. (Yonhap)But the North's media have stopped reporting on Kim's public activity for 15 days after coverage of his on-

Sept. 4, 2018

[Feature] North Korea has little to celebrate come Sept. 9

On its Sept. 9 Founding Day two years ago, North Korea conducted its fifth nuclear test, sending shock waves across the world with a defiant message to those who opposed the regime’s nuclear ambition.This year, the North has entered into dialogue with the US on denuclearization. Many expect the rogue nation to convey a fresh message reflecting the shift, but experts say that the regime lacks noteworthy achievements to do so. In his New Year’s address, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un highlighted

Sept. 4, 2018