North Korea marks war anniversary, preps for big spectacle

North Korea marked the anniversary of the end of World War II and its liberation from Japanese colonial rule with a series of ceremonies ahead of what is expected to be a much bigger event next month -- the 70th anniversary of its national foundation day. The celebrations Wednesday were decidedly low-key. A group of war veterans from the former Soviet Union participated, and thousands of people cheered their soccer team to victory over a South Korean squad in the opening match of an under-15 you

Aug. 15, 2018

S. Korea gears up for family reunions

A South Korean advance team left for North Korea on Wednesday to check on preparations for next week’s reunion event of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War. 　The 18-member team, led by Lee Jong-chol, a Red Cross official, departed for Kumgangsan on the North’s east coast, where the first reunion event in nearly three years will be held from Aug. 20-26, according to the Unification Ministry. 　The team will inspect facilities, including accommodations and a banquet hall, and consult with

Aug. 15, 2018

Hopes high for possible Pompeo visit to Pyongyang

 With speculation rising over US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s trip to North Korea, expectation has been heightened that the visit would provide a breakthrough for stalled denuclearization talks. Officials and analysts here have suggested that Pompeo would make his fourth visit to Pyongyang as early as this month. The speculation has been fueled by reports that US and North Korean delegates met at the border village of Panmunjom last weekend. The development came amid reports North Korea migh

Aug. 15, 2018

S. Koreans in 40s find N. Korea most trustworthy: survey

Of South Koreans who believe North Korea to be the most trustworthy country among five neighboring countries, those in their 40s showed the most favorable attitude toward the communist neighbor, according to a recent survey.In a survey of 1,000 people nationwide conducted Friday to Sunday by The Korea Herald in collaboration with research firm JoWon Communication Innovation, 8.5 percent of respondents chose North Korea as a neighbor in which South Korea could have faith. Among them, those in the

Aug. 15, 2018

US seeks N. Korea's security assurance in joint recovery of war dead remains

WASHINGTON -- The United States will seek North Korea's commitment to the security of American personnel in future joint operations to recover the remains of US soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War, a senior Pentagon official said Tuesday.Last month North Korea returned 55 boxes of the remains of presumed American troops following an agreement between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump at their historic summit in June. (Yonhap)The leaders also agreed to resume ope

Aug. 15, 2018

South Koreans doubtful about denuclearization, see relations with US as vital

The majority of South Koreans consider complete denuclearization of North Korea an unlikely outcome, despite largely agreeing with the Moon Jae-in administration’s engagement policy. In a survey of 1,000 people nationwide conducted between Aug. 10 and 12 by The Korea Herald in collaboration with the research firm JoWon Communication Innovation, 73 percent of the respondents said that North Korea is unlikely to completely denuclearize. President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sha

Aug. 15, 2018

Pompeo says progress can be made on N. Korea

WASHINGTON -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday he believes progress is possible toward the dismantlement of North Korea's nuclear weapons program amid reports he is preparing for another trip to Pyongyang.Pompeo wrote the message on Twitter after speaking by phone with South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha.(Yonhap)"I spoke with Foreign Minister Kang about the Inter-Korean talks held on Monday," he wrote. "The US and the ROK remain in close cooperation to ensure the final, fu

Aug. 15, 2018

Speculation abounds about dates of 3rd Moon-Kim summit

As the two Koreas remain silent on the dates of the summit that is set to take place sometime in September, there is growing speculation that new developments may be unfolding in US-North Korea relations. On Monday, the two sides announced that President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would hold their third summit in Pyongyang following a ministerial meeting. However, Seoul and Pyongyang left the dates undeclared, revealing only that the meeting would take place in September and

Aug. 14, 2018

Two Koreas need to learn from China’s ‘one country, two systems’

 　The Korea Herald is publishing a series of articles featuring inter-Korean relations to mark the paper’s 65th anniversary that falls on Aug. 15. Following is the last installment. -- Ed 　SEJONG -- With the two Koreas working to reduce cross-border tensions and enhance ties through socio-economic exchanges, the prospect of reunification is being debated anew in the South.　During the Cold War, the reunification narrative was mostly about achieving a crushing victory over North Korea. The concept

Aug. 14, 2018

S. Korea's advance team to leave for N. Korea to check preparations for family reunions

South Korea will send an advance team to North Korea this week to inspect preparations for an upcoming reunion event for families separated by the Korea War, a unification ministry official said Tuesday.The team comprised of government officials and civilians, including those from Hyundai Asan, which is involved in inter-Korean business, will leave for Mount Kumgang on the North's east coast on Wednesday and stay there until later this month to examine ongoing preparations for the reunion event.

Aug. 14, 2018

NK says no progress in denuclearization without end-of-war declaration

North Korea has repeated its call for the declaration of the end of the Korean War through its external propaganda media this week, saying mutual trust is necessary to make progress in its denuclearization, as well as in its relations with the United States.The North's weekly propaganda publication Tongil Shinbo said that further progress in its denuclearization cannot be expected if the US fails to take phased and simultaneous actions, like an end-of-war declaration, to build mutual trust. (Yon

Aug. 14, 2018

S. Korea submits letter on banned NK coal shipments to UNSC: source

NEW YORK -- South Korea has submitted to the UN Security Council a letter detailing the results of its recent probe into illegal shipments of North Korean coal, a diplomatic source said Monday.Last Friday, Seoul's customs office said that three South Korean firms brought in 35,038 tons of North Korean coal and pig iron, worth a combined 6.6 billion won ($5.81 million), on seven occasions between April and October last year, in breach of a UN sanctions resolution. (Yonhap)The three entities were

Aug. 14, 2018

N. Korea's media report on agreement to hold inter-Korean summit

North Korea's state media reported Tuesday on high-level talks held with South Korea a day earlier in which the two Koreas agreed to hold a summit in Pyongyang next month. The meeting was held on the northern side of the truce village of Panmunjom that separates the two Koreas. South Korea's delegation was led by the Cho Myoung-gyon and his North Korean counterpart was Ri Son-gwon, chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country. (Yonhap)"At the talks both sides reviewed

Aug. 14, 2018

Trump signs defense bill restricting drawdown of troops in Korea

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump on Monday signed a defense authorization bill that restricts any drawdown of American troops in South Korea.The John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act, which approves $716 billion for defense in fiscal year 2019, recently passed both chambers of Congress and was sent to Trump to sign into law.(Yonhap)At a ceremony at the US Army's Fort Drum base in New York, Trump touted the bill as "the most significant investment" in the country's military in

Aug. 14, 2018

Police review arrest warrant for man over 2nd NK entry attempt

Police are reviewing whether to seek an arrest warrant against a South Korean man caught attempting to cross the inter-Korean border to defect to the North. According to the Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency, they are investigating a 34-year-old man surnamed Suh, who was arrested early on Sunday after he was found attempting to cross the border near the Unification Bridge, located in Paju, Gyeonggi Province.  Unification Bridge in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea (Yonhap)It is his seco

Aug. 13, 2018

Next Moon-Kim summit likely in mid or late September: Cheong Wa Dae

The proposed summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will likely be held in mid or late September, an official from Seoul's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Monday, hours after high-level officials from the two Koreas agreed to hold the inter-Korean summit next month."To add a little, I believe (holding the summit) in early September might be a little difficult when considering realistic conditions," Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom told r

Aug. 13, 2018

South Korea bans ships that transported NK coal

The South Korean government banned the port entry of four South Korean ships confirmed to have imported North Korean coal to the country from Saturday, the Foreign Ministry said Sunday.“The government kept four ships -- the Sky Angel, the Rich Glory, the Shining Rich and the Jin Long, which are used to transport products banned under the UN Security Council Resolution 2371 -- from entering local ports starting Aug. 11,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a text message. The resolution, whic

Aug. 13, 2018

Moon to head to Pyongyang for September summit

South and North Korea agreed to hold a third summit between their leaders in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang in September, according to a joint press statement released Monday. The announcement came as the result of high-level talks held the same day, which aimed to hammer out details, plan for a new summit and discuss progress on the implementation of the Panmunjom Declaration drawn up at the landmark meeting between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un i

Aug. 13, 2018

Two Koreas start high-level talks to discuss leaders’ summit

South and North Korea kicked off high-level talks Monday to discuss holding a third summit between their leaders.The meeting started at around 10 a.m. on the North Korean side of the border village of Panmunjom, said the South’s Ministry of Unification, which oversees inter-Korean affairs. Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon is leading South Korea’s four-member delegation, which includes Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung, Nam Gwan-pyo, a senior director from the presidential National Secu

Aug. 13, 2018

N. Korean leader inspects fishing, livestock farms

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has inspected fishing and livestock farms in the country's northwestern region, the North's state media reported Monday. Kim made "field guidance" trips to the Station for Stocking Lake Yonphung with Fishes and the Ungok Area General Stock Farm, according to the Korean Central News Agency. No dates for the inspections were disclosed. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his wife Ri Sol-ju inspect a factory manufacturing jeotgal, or salt-fermented seafood, in Hwangh

Aug. 13, 2018