N. Korea installs observatory near nuclear test site: 38 North

Satellite imagery shows that North Korea is preparing to build a stand for visitors to observe the dismantling of its nuclear test site, a US website monitoring the reclusive regime said Sunday.According to 38 North, the imagery from May 15 indicates that steps are being taken to close down the Punggye-ri test site.North Korea said last month that it would close its nuclear test site and halt nuclear weapons and ballistic missile tests ahead of a planned meeting between its leader Kim Jong-un an

May 20, 2018

N. Korea calls dismantling of nuclear site 'significant measure': report

North Korea on Sunday stressed the importance of its dismantling the Punggye-ri nuclear test site this week and called it a "significant measure" amid reports the North has disregarded South Korea's roster of journalists planning to cover the dismantlement.The decommissioning of the site is "a very meaningful and significant measure" undertaken voluntarily by the North to achieve the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula based on the spirit of an agreement reached at a historic inter-Korean s

May 20, 2018

N. Korea demands return of defectors from S. Korea

North Korea on Saturday called for the release of North Korean defectors that it claims have been lured and kidnapped by South Korea, offering a possible reason for its recent suspension of dialogue with Seoul.In a report by the country's official Korean Central News Agency, an unidentified spokesman for North Korea's Red Cross Society insisted that it has been proven that the North Koreans were "forcibly abducted," citing a recent report by a South Korean broadcaster that suggested the former e

May 20, 2018

Two N. Koreans defect to South across western sea border

Two North Koreans crossed the tense western sea border into South Korea on a small boat earlier Saturday, officials have said, the latest in a string of defections by North Koreans in recent years.Previously, the government said the pair was comprised of one soldier and one civilian, but corrected the statement in the afternoon, saying that both were civilian men in their 40s. There had been misunderstanding of one defector's identity, the government said. A South Korean Navy vessel spotted a sm

May 19, 2018

[Newsmaker] Seoul to ‘wait and see’ as NK threatens to freeze talks

Seoul’s presidential office said on Friday it will “wait and see” as North Korea threatened to not hold talks with South Korea unless it stops the ongoing joint military drills with the US.Citing the Max Thunder exercise between South Korean and US air forces as the reason, Pyongyang called off high-level talks with Seoul on Wednesday, and threatened to cancel the summit talks with Washington scheduled to be held next month in Singapore. On Thursday, Ri Son-gwon, chairman of the North’s Committe

May 18, 2018

NK holds party's military commission meeting to decide on 'organizational' matters

North Korea said Friday the ruling party's powerful military commission has held a meeting to determine personnel reshuffle and organizational matters to beef up national defense both militarily and politically.North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presided over the first enlarged meeting of the seventh central military commission of the Workers' Party of Korea, according to the Korean Central News Agency."The meeting decided on a series of organizational measures to further strengthen the revolutiona

May 18, 2018

N. Korea threatens to freeze dialogue with S. Korea over military drills with US

North Korea threatened again Thursday to not hold talks with South Korea unless Seoul stops an ongoing military exercise with the US, casting a pall over inter-Korean ties after last month's historic summit.The warning came hours after North Korea called off high-level talks with South Korea indefinitely in protest of the joint air drill between South Korea and the United States.North Korea has frequently denounced the military drills as a rehearsal for invasion. In this photo taken on March 29,

May 18, 2018

Trump rules out Libya model for N. Korea's denuclearization

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump said Thursday he is not considering a so-called Libya model for dismantling North Korea's nuclear weapons program and would offer strong security guarantees in return for denuclearization.Trump made the remarks as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has threatened to pull out of their June 12 summit in protest of US demands for "unilateral" denuclearization and ongoing military exercises between South Korea and the US.The Libyan model, advocated by Trump's nat

May 18, 2018

N. Korea offers to join global efforts for nuke test ban

A senior North Korean diplomat has said his country's recent move to stop nuclear tests is an "important process" for global disarmament and it will join international efforts for a "total" halt of nuclear tests.Han Tae-song, North Korea's ambassador to Switzerland, made the remarks at a United Nations disarmament conference in Geneva on Tuesday. His comments were carried by the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Friday."The discontinuation of nuclear tests is an important process for

May 18, 2018

NK upbeat about economic changes after Kim-Trump summit: NGO

North Koreans are upbeat about the economic changes the summit between their leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump might bring, according to a member of a nonprofit group who was in Pyongyang just last week.Singapore-based Choson Exchange, which has trained some 20,000 North Koreans in business since 2007, held its latest workshop in Pyongyang last week, focusing on entrepreneurship and startup skills. A record number of North Koreans -- almost 130 -- signed up for the workshop. North

May 17, 2018

Questions surround inter-Korean talks, projects

North Korea’s sudden postponement of talks with South Korea is raising concerns over planned inter-Korean projects and questions over whether Pyongyang will agree to another meeting. The two Koreas initially agreed to hold a ministerial-level early Wednesday, but Pyongyang indefinitely postponed the talks, taking issue with the ongoing South Korea-US military exercise. Families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War say goodbye to each other after a reunion held in 2015. (Joint Press Corps)The matt

May 17, 2018

Seoul to mediate in US-NK communications

Seoul will communicate with North Korea and the US to act as a mediator in preparations for the US-North Korea summit, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday. According to the presidential office, the decision was reached at the National Security Council meeting convened early Thursday, presided over by National Security Office chief Chung Eui-yong. “The council members reiterated that the Panmunjeom Declaration must be executed without faltering,” Cheong Wa Dae said in a statement.  Cheong Wa Dae spokesma

May 17, 2018

[Newsmaker] Moon’s security adviser continues marching to a different beat

President Moon Jae-in’s special national security and foreign affairs adviser Moon Chung-in continues to voice views that fall short of being in tune with the government. Speaking at a forum Wednesday, special adviser Moon claimed that Seoul’s Defense Minister Song Young-moo had spoken with US Forces Korea commander Gen. Vincent Brooks to keep B-52 bombers out of the Max Thunder exercise.  Moon Chung-in speaks at a lecture in Washington DC on May 4. YonhapMax Thunder is the joint South Korea-US

May 17, 2018

What is ‘Trump model’ for denuclearization of NK?

With North Korea rejecting Libya’s denuclearization as a model for its own denuclearization, the US presented an alternative named after its President Donald Trump amid concerns over North Korea’s threat to walk away from their planned summit.　White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Wednesday mentioned a “Trump model” while responding to remarks by North Korea’s Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-Gwan, who expressed “repugnance” for being compared to Libya as an example for giving up nuclear weapo

May 17, 2018

Trump on N. Korea summit: We'll see what happens

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he will see "what happens" as to the fate of his planned meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.North Korea has threatened to call off the historic summit over ongoing military exercises between the US and South Korea, and protested US demands for a "unilateral" dismantlement of its nuclear weapons program."No decision. We haven't been notified at all. We'll have to see," Trump said at the start of a meeting with Uzbek President S

May 17, 2018

Xi emphasizes friendship 'sealed in blood' with NK

Chinese President Xi Jinping has met with visiting North Korean ruling party officials and emphasized the importance of advancing a friendship "sealed in blood" between the two countries, the North's state-run media reported Thursday.The group led by Pak Thae-song, a member of the Political Bureau and vice chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers'Party of Korea, arrived in Beijing on Monday. He is accompanied by senior party officials representing major provinces and cities. "Welcoming t

May 17, 2018

White House says 'still hopeful' Kim-Trump summit will happen

The White House is "still hopeful" the summit between North Korea's Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump will proceed despite Pyongyang's threat to cancel it, spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Wednesday."We're still hopeful that the meeting will take place and we'll continue down that path," Sanders told Fox News. "At the same time ... we've been prepared that these might be tough negotiations." (AFP) White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders arrives for a Senate Republican policy lunch at the US

May 16, 2018

China says it hopes Kim-Trump summit will go ahead

China called  Wednesday for North Korea and the United States to go ahead with their historic summit as planned after Pyongyang threatened to pull out of the scheduled meeting between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un.The North also cancelled high-level talks due Wednesday with Seoul because of US-South Korean military air exercises, denouncing the drills as a "rude and wicked provocation"."The situation on the peninsula has eased up, which is worth cherishing," Chinese foreign ministry spo

May 16, 2018

N. Korea postpones talks with S. Korea, threatens to nix summit with US

North Korea on Wednesday abruptly postponed scheduled high level inter-Korean talks and threatened to pull-out of the summit with the US, taking issue with the ongoing South Korea-US joint military drill and “unfair” demands on denuclearization. US President Donald Trump (left) and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (right). YonhapAccording to Seoul’s Ministry of Unification, the North’s chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country Ri Son-gwon delivered a message shortly

May 16, 2018

Pyongyang pushes back ahead of summit with US

North Korea’s abrupt postponement of high-level talks with South Korea and its threats to call off the upcoming summit with the US are tactics to strengthen its position in negotiations with Washington, experts say.  With the US appearing to be raising the bar for North Korea’s denuclearization, North Korea might be expressing its discomfort and sending a message that it will not be swayed by Washington and Seoul ahead of the North Korea-US summit on June 12 in Singapore. North Korean Vice Forei

May 16, 2018