South Koreans enter North to reunite with kin split by war

Dozens of elderly South Koreans crossed the heavily fortified border into North Korea on Monday for heart-wrenching meetings with relatives most haven't seen since they were separated by the turmoil of the Korean War. The weeklong event at North Korea's Diamond Mountain resort comes as the rival Koreas boost reconciliation efforts amid a diplomatic push to resolve a standoff over North Korea's drive for a nuclear weapons program that can reliably target the continental United States. The tempora

Aug. 20, 2018

Tears, hugs, joy as family reunions begin

KUMGANGSAN, North Korea -- A group of 89 elderly South Koreans met with family members they were separated from by the 1950-53 Korean War in North Korea on Monday, officially kicking off a weeklong reunion event. They reunited with about 180 North Korean family members at Kumgangsan Resort on the eastern coast of North Korea at 3 p.m., a South Korean pool report said. They are expected to participate in a string of face-to-face meetings and meals through Wednesday. The first session lasted about

Aug. 20, 2018

Seoul rejects claim inter-Korean liaison office violates sanctions

The planned establishment of an inter-Korean liaison office in the North Korean border city of Kaesong does not constitute a violation of sanctions on the communist nation, South Korea's presidential spokesman said Monday.President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed at their April 27 summit to establish a liaison office to facilitate cross-border exchanges. The two Koreas have since held talks to work out details.But a news report on Monday cited an unidentified senior US off

Aug. 20, 2018

[Photo News] 89 elderly South Koreans await reunion with North Korean families

The first group of elderly South Koreans selected to reunite with their relatives in North Korea this week -- the first such group in almost three years -- gathered in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, Sunday, to prepare for their journey across the DMZ.The 89 South Koreans will meet family members they had been separated from by the Korean War from Monday to Wednesday.According to South Korea’s Ministry of Unification, they will be briefed on reunion procedures and protocols Sunday before heading to th

Aug. 19, 2018

N. Korea accepts on-site inspection of missile launch site: report

North Korea has agreed to an on-site inspection of its missile launch site by international officials to ensure the safety of international flights, a report said Sunday.According to the report by Japan's Kyodo News, the communist state has agreed to allow a group of inspectors from the UN International Civil Aviation Organization to access its missile launch sites.The report suggested the planned visit is aimed at verifying the measures taken so far by the North to keep unannounced missile laun

Aug. 19, 2018

Talks of Xi’s visit to Pyongyang raise new speculations

Reports regarding Chinese President Xi Jinping’s plans visit to Pyongyang is raising new possibilities in developments surrounding North Korea. On Saturday, the Straits Times reported that Xi is set to visit Pyongyang for the Sept. 9 celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the North Korean government. Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. (Yonhap)The report remains unconfirmed, but they have raised speculations about possible changes the developments regarding No

Aug. 19, 2018

Elderly S. Koreans prepare for family reunions in NK

The first batch of South Koreans selected to attend the reunion event in North Korea for families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War gathered in a northeastern coastal town on Sunday to prepare for the event. A group of 89 elderly South Koreans who were chosen to reunite with their North Korean families from Monday to Wednesday arrived at the Hanwha Resort in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, 158 kilometers from Seoul early in the morning, the South’s Ministry of Unification said. They will be briefed

Aug. 19, 2018

North Korean leader denounces international sanctions again

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un lambasted international sanctions on his country for the second time in a week during his visit to construction sites in a northern town, the North's state media reported Sunday.Accompanied by his wife Ri Sol-ju and ranking officials, Kim inspected a large-scale redevelopment project in Samjiyon County, which is known as the birthplace of his father and former ruler Kim Jong-il, the Korean Central News Agency said. "The hostile forces' persistent sanctions and obs

Aug. 19, 2018

For many separated Korean families, reunion event comes too late

For Chung Hak-soon, it feels just like yesterday when she recalls the days she was together with her brother before they were separated by the 1950-53 Korean War.It must have been a lifetime dream for the 81-year-old woman to meet her brother in North Korea again. But it is too late to realize it as the sibling she loved already passed away years ago. One consolation is that she is to meet the family of her late brother for the first time in the upcoming family reunion event to be held this week

Aug. 19, 2018

Some activity seen at NK shipyard capable of building ballistic missile subs: 38 North

A North Korean shipyard capable of building ballistic missile submarines appears to be somewhat active, but it's unclear whether a new submarine is being built, according to a US website monitoring the regime.38 North, a project of the Stimson Center think tank, said it has observed in recent commercial satellite imagery "a low level of activity" at the Sinpo South Shipyard, the most probable place North Korea would build its first operational ballistic missile submarine."Movement of parts and e

Aug. 18, 2018

US, NK to have frequent talks until denuclearization goal reached: State Dept.

The United States and North Korea will have frequent discussions until the goal of Pyongyang's denuclearization is reached, the State Department said Friday, declining to provide details on a reported meeting last weekend.US Ambassador to Seoul Harry Harris is reported to have met with North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom Sunday to deliver a message from Washington. (Yonhap)The two sides have been in negotiations to implement an agreemen

Aug. 18, 2018

Kim Jong-un denounces international sanctions

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un conducted inspections of a massive tourism construction site on the country’s east coast, describing it as the epitome of standing up to international sanctions, the North’s state media said Friday.According to the Korean Central News Agency, Kim provided field guidance to the Wonsan-Kalma coastal tourist area and reiterated his pledge to complete the tourism project by Oct 10, 2019. He was accompanied by his wife Ri Sol-ju.While praising the project for completin

Aug. 17, 2018

North Korea's No. 2 man visiting Cuba: report

Choe Ryong-hae, known as North Korea's second most powerful man, is visiting Cuba to discuss ways to improve the countries' bilateral relationship, a wire report said Friday.According to Cuba's official news agency Prensa Latina, Choe, vice chairman of the Central Committee of the North's Workers'Party, arrived in Havana, the capital of Cuba, on Thursday, leading a North Korean delegation. A photo captured from the Prensa Latina News Agency on Aug. 17, 2018, shows North Korea`s Choe Ryong-hae (L

Aug. 17, 2018

N. Korea says US ‘responsible’ for declaring end to war

North Korea on Friday stepped up demands for the US to declare a formal end to the Korean War amid expectations of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s imminent visit to Pyongyang. Kim Jong-un (Yonhap)North Korea’s state-run Rodong Sinmun said in an article that the US has “responsibility and duty” to declare an end to the 1950-53 Korean War in response to the North’s “good-will gestures” and “generosity.”“The US should show mutual trust through phased and simultaneous action by adopting the decl

Aug. 17, 2018

Former N. Korean defense chief dies at 82

Former North Korean defense chief Kim Yong-chun died Thursday, Pyongyang's state media reported. He was 83.Kim, marshal of the Korean People's Army, died of acute myocardial infarction, the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Friday. This file photo shows former North Korean defense chief Kim Yong-chun. (Yonhap)North Korean leader Kim Jong-un leads the state funeral committee, with the bier of the deceased currently at the April 25 House of Culture in Pyongyang and his hearse set to l

Aug. 17, 2018

Farms predict positive results from economic cooperation with North

More than half of South Korean farmers believe their country's agricultural industry will improve if economic cooperation with North Korea becomes active, a recent survey said Friday.The Korea Rural Economic Institute polled 1,379 farmers on their views of cross-border economic tie-ups and found 66.3 percent anticipate South Korea's agricultural sector to get better from the cooperation. Another 23.6 percent said the effect of the tie-ups will be average, while 10.1 percent answered the conditio

Aug. 17, 2018

Pompeo hopes for 'big step' on N. Korea 'before too long'

WASHINGTON -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday held out hope for a "big step" in negotiations with North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons program.Pompeo made the remark at a Cabinet meeting led by US.President Donald Trump as rumors swirl of another impending visit by the top American diplomat to Pyongyang. (Yonhap)"So we're now many months with no additional missile tests. Many months with no additional nuclear testing from the North Koreans," Pompeo said when asked by Trump

Aug. 17, 2018

[Herald Interview] Playing ping-pong across the border

Decades later, South Koreans still remember shedding silent tears as they watched a South Korean table tennis player stroke her North Korean teammate’s face before pulling her into a gentle hug -- right before the disbandment of the first inter-Korean sports team in history. Hyun Jung-hwa, who led the team to victory at the 1991 World Championships in Chiba, Japan, alongside North Korean table tennis champion Li Pun-hui, smiled as she recalled the joy that quickly ruptured when both of them real

Aug. 16, 2018

US, N. Korea should break impasse with liaison offices: ex-US envoy

WASHINGTON -- The United States and North Korea should break their impasse in nuclear negotiations by establishing liaison offices in each other's capital and broadening the scope for diplomacy, a former US envoy on Pyongyang said Wednesday.The pitch by Joseph Yun, who retired as US special representative for North Korea policy earlier this year, comes as Washington and Pyongyang have been deadlocked over the implementation of the Singapore summit agreement reached by US.President Donald Trump a

Aug. 16, 2018

US sanctions China, Russia firms for helping NK illicit shipments

WASHINGTON -- The United States on Wednesday sanctioned Chinese and Russian firms for their alleged role in helping illicit trade with North Korea in violation of international sanctions.The Department of the Treasury announced the designations of a Chinese business, its Singapore-based affiliate, a Russian firm and its director general, whose dealings in the US and with American citizens must be blocked.The new sanctions demonstrate the US commitment to keep pressure on North Korea until it aba

Aug. 16, 2018