[US-NK Summit] Kim Jong-un’s Air China ride is Premier Li Keqiang’s private jet: Apple Daily

The Air China Boeing 747 that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un took to Singapore on Sunday is the private jet of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Hong Kong’s Apple Daily reported Monday.Kim’s usual mode of transport is his own aircraft, the Chammae 1, but he appears to have sought help from China due to safety concerns regarding the condition of his jet. Chammae 1 is a reconstructed Ilyushin Il-62, a Soviet long-range jet airliner. It was discontinued in 1995. Although the long-range jet can fly up to

June 11, 2018

[Photo News] Trump meets Singapore’s PM ahead of US-NK summit

US President Donald Trump met with Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday, ahead of a highly anticipated summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un set for Tuesday. Trump was greeted by Lee at the Istana, the official residence of Singapore’s president. The US leader was accompanied by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, national security adviser John Bolton, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and White House chief of staff John Kelly.The two leaders attended a working

June 11, 2018

[US-NK Summit] Korean TV stations compete for live coverage of Trump-Kim summit

Cable TV broadcasters of South Korea are in fierce competition for the best coverage of the summit between the US and North Korea. On Monday, a day before the historic meeting of the two leaders, KBS, MBC and SBS stations’ crew were seen in Singapore busily preparing at their designated reporting spots. More attention is given to the summit than the regional elections in Korea which takes place on Wednesday, a day after the summit. Members of the press are seen collecting their accreditation at

June 11, 2018

Moon’s matchmaking nears fruition

With the leaders of the US and North Korea set to meet on Tuesday, a significant change in the Korean Peninsula’s security situation may be in store. Throughout the convoluted process that led to the unprecedented summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, President Moon Jae-in of South Korea has played the role of mediator. The monthslong process of arranging the summit was kick-started after Moon sent special envoys to Pyongyang in March. Upon their return, t

June 11, 2018

S. Korea to conduct survey on separated families

South Korea plans to conduct a survey on surviving families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War in preparation for a family reunion event that the two Koreas recently agreed to hold in mid-August, the Unification Ministry said Monday.The ministry said that it will carry out the survey from Monday until Aug. 10, checking about 57,000 registered surviving families to see if they are stay alive and see if they are willing to join such an event if it is held as planned.It will also ask them whether

June 11, 2018

Past negotiations over NK nukes marred by distrust, security dilemma, political hurdles

SINGAPORE -- US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un are steeling themselves for a historic showdown over the communist regime's denuclearization, a goal that has been elusive for more than two decades.Past negotiations, including the six-party aid-for-disarmament talks, have failed to remove the North's nuclear threats due to deep-seated distrust, a security dilemma, domestic political obstacles and geopolitical dynamics.The Trump-Kim summit on Tuesday is expected to be a

June 11, 2018

[US-NK Summit] Expectations running high for successful outcomes

SINGAPORE -- Both North Korea and the United States have expressed expectations for the outcomes of their first summit meeting set to open in Singapore on Tuesday.Watchers said Monday it still remains unclear whether the two countries can reach any historic agreement on denuclearization and security guarantee, but the latest external developments from both sides seem to indicate the talks will proceed successfully. When asked how he feels about the summit after landing in Singapore on Sunday aft

June 11, 2018

[US-NK Summit] North Korean media reports Kim-Trump summit

North Korea’s state news agencies on Monday said its leader Kim Jong-un arrived in Singapore to discuss with US President Donald Trump the issues of denuclearization and establishing new US-North Korea ties, “as required by the changed era.” The Korean Central News Agency and Rodong Sinmun reports came a day after Kim and Trump arrived in Singapore on Sunday to attend the first sit-down between a US President and a North Korean leader set for Tuesday. This photo, taken from the Korean Central Ne

June 11, 2018

[US-NK Summit] Pompeo: US, N. Korean officials hold substantive talks ahead of summit

SINGAPORE -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday that US and North Korean officials held "substantive" talks to hammer out the details of a nuclear agreement ahead of their leaders' meeting the following day.US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un are due to meet in Singapore on Tuesday to discuss dismantling the North's nuclear weapons program in exchange for security guarantees."Substantive and detailed meetings in #Singapore today as Ambassador Kim meets with #

June 11, 2018

[Photo News] Kim Jong-un rides Air China, Mercedes-Benz in Singapore ahead of summit with Trump

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un chose to ride in an Air China plane to Singapore, Sunday, ahead of the historic summit with US President Donald Trump, scheduled for Tuesday.Three aircraft departed from Pyongyang Sunday, diverting attention from the one carrying Kim. Kim’s usual mode of travel, a private jet called Chammae 1, was one of the decoys.The Air China Boeing 747 carrying Kim was the first to arrive at around 2:40 p.m. Singapore time. Singapore is an hour behind Korea. Kim’s sister Kim Y

June 10, 2018

[US-NK Summit] Kim Jong-un: the young leader taking center stage

North Korea has been isolated and ostracized for decades, but leader Kim Jong-un will share center spot on the world stage Tuesday at his Singapore summit with US President Donald Trump.His father and grandfather restricted their overseas trips to the Communist bloc or non-aligned countries -- with his father Kim Jong-il having a notorious fear of flying.But Kim, who is still in his mid-30s, repeatedly showed an ability to stamp an outsized footprint on the global stage without ever leaving home

June 10, 2018

[US-NK Summit] Unorthodox Trump faces toughest test yet in North Korea summit

SINGAPORE -- Embarking on a self-described "mission of peace," President Donald Trump's seat-of-the-pants foreign policy is facing its toughest test yet as he attempts this week to personally broker an end to North Korea's nuclear program in talks with Kim Jong-un. The impulsive American president, who just this weekend sowed chaos within the Western alliance, is set to face his match on the global stage as he prepares to meet Kim in Singapore on Tuesday. In the historic first meeting between th

June 10, 2018

[US-NK Summit] Singapore: multicultural ‘little red dot’ with S. Korea, NK ties

The outcome of the US-North Korea summit on June 12 remains to be seen, but Singaporeans have offered their own cheeky take on the matter with memes that poke fun at the two leaders.US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un hobnob in the rooftop infinity pool of Marina Bay Sands against a backdrop of the Singapore skyline. They pose awkwardly for a picture together near a statue of the Merlion -- a creature with the head of a lion and body of a fish.Such edited images have be

June 10, 2018

[Breaking] N. Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrives in Singapore: report

Singapore -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un flew into Singapore on Sunday, two days ahead of his planned historic summit with U.S. President Donald Trump set to take place in the city-state. An Air China flight believed to have Kim on board made a landing at Changi Airport, according to a report by The Strait Times. A flight route-tracking website also showed the flight that departed Pyongyang at 8:30 a.m. has touched down at the airport.

June 10, 2018

[US-NK Summit] Trump, Kim set for summit on ending nuclear standoff

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump arrived Sunday in Singapore ahead of their first-ever summit on Tuesday. After landing at Singapore’s Changi Airport shortly at around 2:40 p.m., Kim met with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Istana Presidential Palace and expressed gratitude to Lee for hosting event.  In this photo released by the Ministry of Communications and Information of Singapore, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, right, arrives at the Changi In

June 10, 2018

[US-NK Summit] N. Korea sends three jets to Singapore ahead of historic summit: sources

North Korea sent three planes to Singapore on Sunday with one likely carrying its leader who is set to hold the first-ever summit talks with the president of the United States this week, the South's government and a flight route-tracking website said.According to Flightradar24 and official sources here, the Chammae-1 -- an Ilyushin-62M passenger jet -- which is the North Korean leader's private jet, departed Pyongyang Sunan International Airport at 9:30 a.m. and is flying in a southeastward dire

June 10, 2018

[US-NK Summit] Korean War: summit raises hopes for treaty to end frozen conflict

Tuesday's unprecedented US-North Korea summit could finally pave the way for the longest ceasefire in history to be replaced by a peace treaty -- formally ending the 1950-53 Korean War nearly seven decades after the guns fell silent.The North and South remain technically at war, but US President Donald Trump said a permanent accord to end the conflict would be on the table at his historic meeting with the North's leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore. Seoul announced this week it is already in three-w

June 10, 2018

[US-NK Summit] N. Korean leader to meet Singapore's PM ahead of summit talks with Trump

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will meet Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien-loon as part of his visit to the city-state before his historic summit with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, Singapore's foreign ministry has said. The ministry said Lee is scheduled to hold talks with Kim later Sunday and meet Trump the following day, without disclosing the venues of the meetings. It is likely that Lee will host Kim at the Istana, considering many heads of states were invited to the presidential

June 10, 2018

[Newsmaker] Singapore expels KBS reporters

Two reporters from South Korean state-run broadcaster KBS returned to Korea on Saturday night, after being accused of criminal trespassing into the residence of the North Korean ambassador in Singapore. According to the Singapore Police Force, “Two South Korean men, aged 42 and 45, who were representing the Korean Broadcasting System News were arrested in relation to the case,” which occurred at about 3:50 p.m. on Thursday. Apart from the two arrested and expelled, a 31-year-old South Korean man

June 10, 2018