China expresses support for Trump-Kim summit

China on Sunday expressed its support for a planned summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, stressing that direct dialogue between the leaders is the key to solving the nuclear standoff. (AP-Yonhap)China's foreign ministry also welcomed the results of the second summit between Kim and President Moon Jae-in on Saturday, expressing hope that the two Koreas continue their efforts for reconciliation and cooperation."We think a person-to-person encounter and dial

May 27, 2018

N. Korea says it never expects US economic aid

North Korea on Sunday fumed at US reports that the country is seeking economic assistance from the United States in return for denuclearization.The ruling Workers' Party's official newspaper Rodong Sinmun commented that Fox News TV, CBS and CNN were "as impudent as to make rubbish that if the DPRK meets the requirements of the US, it can get 'large-scale non-governmental economic aid.'""This is nonsense of hack media on the payroll of power," according to its commentary carried in an English dis

May 27, 2018

A roller-coaster ride for nuclear diplomacy, Moon's mediator role

The frenetic diplomacy over a historic summit between the United States and North Korea for the past few days shone the spotlight on the middleman role of President Moon Jae-in, who emphasized that only direct dialogue and mutual trust between the leaders of the two countries can solve the nuclear standoff. “Chairman Kim Jong-un once again clearly affirmed that his commitment to complete denuclearization remains firm yesterday,” Moon told a press conference Sunday, one day after he and Kim held

May 27, 2018

Moon reiterates NK leader has ‘firm will’ for denuclearization

President Moon Jae-in on Sunday said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has “firm will” for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. He also said that he hopes to follow up the US-North Korea summit with a Seoul-Pyongyang-Washington summit to discuss declaring the end of the Korean War. The two Koreas are technically still at war, with the 1950-53 Korean War having ended in an armistice. “Following up from the Panmunjeom Declaration, Chairman Kim again stated his will for complete denucleariz

May 27, 2018

Two Koreas discussing possibilities of peace treaty, three-way agreement with US

The two Koreas are discussing issues related to ending hostilities between North Korea and the US, and possible negotiations for a peace treaty, a high-level Cheong Wa Dae official revealed Sunday. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the official told reporters that the two Koreas agree on the importance of such issues in relation to the US-North Korea summit and they are being discussed at the working level. “Working-level discussions on issues such as again promising mutual nonaggression (

May 27, 2018

N. Korea's media extensively report 2nd inter-Korean summit

The surprise summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been extensively reported in the North's media targeting its own people.On Saturday, Moon and Kim met at the truce village of Panmunjom, reaffirming the goal of complete denuclearization and vowing to work together for a successful US-North Korea summit and accelerate inter-Korean exchanges. The summit followed their historic April 27 meeting that produced the Panmunjom Declaration.The Rodong S

May 27, 2018

Pope Francis prays for inter-Korean reconciliation, peninsula stability: Vatican's envoy

Yeongjongdo, INCHEON -- Pope Francis has voiced hopes for continued efforts for inter-Korean reconciliation and peace on the divided Korean Peninsula, the Holy See's top envoy to South Korea said Sunday.Archbishop Alfred Xuereb, 59, made the remarks upon his arrival in Korea for the Vatican's diplomatic mission here. In February, the pontiff named Xuereb the new apostolic nuncio for both South Korea and Mongolia."He told me, 'Please assure the Korean people and also the bishops that he will cont

May 27, 2018

Moon-Kim summit likely to accelerate stalled inter-Korean exchanges

The agreement between the two Koreas' leaders to reinstate high-level talks will accelerate the once-stalled process of implementing their earlier promise to spur cross-border exchanges and cooperation, experts said Sunday.In a secretly held summit on the northern side of the truce village of Panmunjom on Saturday, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed to hold high-level talks between the two countries on June 1.It marked the second summit between the two

May 27, 2018

North Korea committed to US summit, denuclearization

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Sunday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un committed in the rivals' surprise meeting to sitting down with President Donald Trump and to a "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula." The Korean leaders' second summit in a month Saturday saw bear hugs and broad smiles, but their quickly arranged meeting appears to highlight a sense of urgency on both sides of the world's most heavily armed border. At the White House, Trump said negotiations over a

May 27, 2018

N. Korea’s Kim hopes Trump summit will ‘end history of confrontation’: Moon

Kim Jong-un believes a summit with US President Donald Trump will be a landmark opportunity to end decades of confrontation, South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in said Sunday following his surprise meeting with the North Korean leader.“He (Kim) also expressed his intention to put an end to the history of war and confrontation through the success of the North-US summit and to cooperate for peace and prosperity,” Moon told reporters, adding both he and Kim agreed to meet or talk in person “if necess

May 27, 2018

[Newsmaker] Wide US-North Korea gulf over nuclear deal terms

WASHINGTON -- Even if conciliatory rhetoric revives US-North Korea summit plans, President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un must overcome a gaping disconnect over what a deal on the North’s nuclear weapons would look like. Observers of the soap opera-style Trump-Kim summit drama could be forgiven for thinking that a fragile courtship is underway, where the tenor of each side’s statements will determine whether the two can agree to sit down together. At the heart of the North’s negative rhetoric that

May 27, 2018

With US talks in limbo, Korean leaders hold surprise summit

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in met Saturday for the second time in a month, exchanging a huge bear hug and broad smiles in a surprise summit at a border village to discuss Kim's potential meeting with President Donald Trump and ways to follow through on the peace initiatives of the rivals' earlier summit. Following a whirlwind 24 hours that saw Trump cancel the highly anticipated June 12 meeting with Kim before saying it's potentially back on, the Korean l

May 27, 2018

Trump says looking on June 12 meeting with Kim in Singapore

US President Donald Trump said Saturday that he is still considering meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on June 12 as originally planned.Trump had canceled the summit Thursday, citing "tremendous anger and open hostility" in recent North Korean comments. But the North issued a strikingly conciliatory response that it was still ready to talk with the US at any time, and Trump appeared open to having the meeting as planned."We're looking at June 12th in Singapore. That hasn't changed," T

May 27, 2018

PM says leaders of US, N. Korea will soon meet

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon said Saturday US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un  are likely to meet soon. "President Moon Jae-in and State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un met twice and the North Korea-US summit is also likely to take place soon," the prime minister said in meetings with British veterans of the Korean War and South Korean residents here. He held the events in the British capital en route to Ireland, the second leg of his two-nation visit. "After the

May 27, 2018

N. Korea's Kim reaffirms pledge to denuclearize, willingness to meet Trump

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has reaffirmed his willingness to denuclearize and hold a summit with US President Donald Trump, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Sunday."Chairman Kim Jong-un has once again clearly expressed his commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula following his pledge in the Panmunjom Declaration and expressed his willingness to end the history of war and confrontation through the success of the North Korea-US summit," Moon said of his lates

May 27, 2018

[Breaking] Latest inter-Korean summit comes at Kim's suggestion: Moon

Moon Jae-in holds a press conference (Yonhap)-Trump says inter-Korean talks have gone very well-Moon says hopes to hold 3-way meeting after successful Trump-Kim summit to formally end Korean War-Trump says looking on June 12 meeting with Kim in Singapore-Moon says opening of US-N. Korea summit depends on future negotiations- N. Korea remains doubtful of US promise for security guarantee following denuclearization- Moon says opening of US-N. Korea summit depends on future negotiations- Trump says

May 27, 2018

S. Korea's Moon asks Kim to salvage Trump meeting

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has asked North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to salvage his scheduled summit with US President Donald Trump, footage of the latest inter-Korean summit released Sunday showed.The leaders of the divided Koreas held a surprise meeting Saturday at the border village of Panmunjom, also the venue of their historic first summit held less than a month earlier on April 27.At the start of his second summit with Kim, the South Korean president said he hoped the North would m

May 27, 2018

Kim expresses strong will for Trump summit, agrees to hold inter-Korean talks on June 1: KCNA

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has voiced his "fixed will" on talks with US President Donald Trump during his latest summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Pyongyang's state media said Sunday.During their surprise summit on Saturday, the leaders of the two Koreas also agreed to meet frequently in the future and hold high-level talks between the two countries on June 1, the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.The second inter-Korean summit in a month was held in

May 27, 2018

Two Koreas’ leaders hold surprise meeting amid uncertainty over US-NK summit

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Saturday held a surprise meeting aimed at strengthening inter-Korean ties amid uncertainty over the future of a planned summit between the United States and North Korea. In a text message sent to reporters, presidential chief press secretary Yoon Young-chan said the leaders of the two Koreas held a two-hour meeting at Panmungak, a North Korean building inside the border village of Panmunjeom. The meeting came about a month

May 26, 2018

S. Korea's unification minister calls for dialogue to resolve differences

   South Korea's unification minister called for the need to resolve any challenges through dialogue on Saturday, apparently referring to a recent setback in efforts for the North and the United States to hold a summit to discuss denuclearization.    "Any predicament and challenge should be overcome through dialogue with all involved parties respecting each other and putting themselves in the other's position," Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon said during an event for college students in Seo

May 26, 2018