North Korea steps up criticism of Japan

North Korea on Monday ratcheted up its criticism of Japan for advocating "maximum pressure" on the communist country ahead of a planned summit between its leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump.Its external propaganda outlet, Meari, accused Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono of continuously making hostile remarks despite burgeoning diplomatic efforts to resolve its nuclear standoff."We cannot but laugh at the Japanese reactionaries' reckless act of anachronism in their attempt to find

May 7, 2018

Korea's nuke envoy plans to visit US this week: source

South Korea's top nuclear envoy plans to visit the United States this week to talk about inter-Korean summit agreements and other related issues, a source here said Monday.According to the source, Lee Do-hoon, representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs at Seoul's foreign ministry, is planning to meet with Susan Thornton, acting US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, in Washington and is currently arranging details of his visit. Lee's visit comes a

May 7, 2018

Top US lawmaker voices doubt about NK denuclearization

WASHINGTON -- A top Republican congressman on Sunday voiced skepticism that North Korea will abandon its nuclear weapons program despite its stated willingness to do so.Speaking on Fox News, Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said the North Koreans have a history of manipulating world opinion."It may also be that they have conducted enough nuclear tests, enough missile tests, that they're pretty confident with their capabilities," he said, commenting on N

May 7, 2018

N. Korea says US pressure would not be conducive to solving nuclear issue

North Korea on Sunday called on the United States to stop pursuing pressure and military threats against the communist state, saying such moves would not be of any help to resolving the country's nuclear and missile programs."It would not be conducive to addressing the issue if the US miscalculates the peace-loving intention of the DPRK as a sign of 'weakness' and continues to pursue its pressure and military threats against the latter," an unnamed spokesman for the North Korean foreign ministry

May 6, 2018

Mao's grandson, rumored to be dead in NK accident, makes public appearance

Mao Xinyu, the only grandson of Mao Zedong, made a public appearance last week, silencing a rumor that he was among 32 Chinese tourists killed in a traffic accident in North Korea last month.A Hong Kong newspaper on Sunday published a photo of Major General Mao visiting China State Shipbuilding Corp. on Friday. He and other officials looked around the company research institute and laboratories.  Mao Xinyu, the only grandson of Mao Zedong, photographed in 2013 (Yonhap)The accident occurred on Ap

May 6, 2018

S. Korea, US to work closely for successful Trump-Kim talks

Seoul's top national security advisor said Saturday the leaders of South Korea and the United States will have close consultations in upcoming bilateral talks for a successful Washington-Pyongyang summit.Chung Eui-yong, chief of the presidential National Security Office, made the remarks upon arriving at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, after his visit to Washington to meet his US counterpart, John Bolton."We had in-depth discussions on ways to make the summit between the US and Nor

May 6, 2018

N. Korea turns clock forward 30 minutes

North Korea on Saturday moved its clock forward 30 minutes, aligning its time zone with South Korea, the North's state media said.The change came a week after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un told South Korean President Moon Jae-in that he wanted to unify the time zones to promote inter-Korean reconciliation and unity.The decision took effect at 11:30 p.m. Friday, former Pyongyang time."Pyongyang time was reset and applied from May 5, according to a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme People's

May 5, 2018

Leaders of S. Korea, China vow close coordination in pushing for formal end to Korean War

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed to closely work together to declare an end to the Korean War and sign a peace treaty with North Korea in a phone call, Cheong Wa Dae said Friday. Seoul’s presidential office said the two leaders discussed the outcome of the inter-Korean summit held on April 27 in a phone conversation which lasted from 5 p.m. to 5:35 p.m., a week after Moon held a historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the truce village of

May 4, 2018

S. Korea urges activists to immediately stop anti-N.K. leaflet campaign

South Korea called on activists Friday to immediately stop their campaign to send anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets across the border, vowing to take stern actions against it.North Korean defector-activists' move to fly such leaflets is an "outright violation" of the spirit of a joint declaration adopted at last week's inter-Korean summit, according to Seoul's unification ministry. (Yonhap)"It is desirable that civic groups immediately suspend the campaign, to bring peace to the Korean Peninsul

May 4, 2018

[Herald Interview] ‘North Korean human rights is key to resolving inter-Korean conflict’

The historic meeting between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has raised hopes for a lasting resolution to the inter-Korean standoff. But American human rights activist Suzanne Scholte urged for caution, saying that the nuclear issue and human rights should not be separated. She added that the South Korean government seems to care the least about the abuse of human rights in North Korea -- when it should care the most. “I feel like it is the exact same play

May 4, 2018

Canada's Trudeau pledges support for inter-Korean reconciliation

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada promised Friday to actively support Seoul's ongoing efforts to establish peace and denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, while offering condolences over the deaths of two South Koreans in a recent van attack in his country.In a telephone conversation with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Trudeau said the attacker will be tried on charges of murder, according to Moon's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae.He said his country will do its utmost to serve justice

May 4, 2018

N. Korea-China trade rises slightly in March

Trade between North Korea and China increased a bit in March from a month ago, marking a turnaround from a downward trend amid international sanctions on the North's weapons program, a US broadcaster reported Friday, citing South Korean data. According to the figures from the Seoul-based Korea International Trade Association, the North shipped $11.80 million worth of goods to China in March, up about $3 million from a month before, Voice of America said.  (Yonhap)The North's imports from China a

May 4, 2018

Trump orders Pentagon to consider reducing US forces in South Korea: NYT

WASHINGTON/SEOUL -- US President Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to review downsizing American troops stationed in South Korea, a US news report said Friday.The president told the Department of Defense to "prepare options for drawing down American troops in South Korea" in the run-up to his landmark summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in the following weeks, The New York Times reported. The news outlet cited several people briefed on the order.The downsizing is not designed as a "b

May 4, 2018

White House declines to confirm release of American detainees in N. Korea

WASHINGTON -- The White House on Thursday declined to confirm reports that three American detainees in North Korea have been released or will be during the day.The detainee issue is widely expected to be resolved ahead of a planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un."We can't confirm the validity of any of the reports currently out about their release," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said during a regular news briefing. "We certainly would se

May 4, 2018

NK leader meets China's foreign minister over ties, inter-Korean issues

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has held "wide-ranging and in-depth" talks with China's foreign minister over the two nations' ties and the situation on the Korean Peninsula, state media in the North said Friday.Kim's meeting with Wang Yi on Wednesday followed the historic summit held by President Moon Jae-in and Kim last week, at which they reaffirmed the goal of "complete" denuclearization of the peninsula. Kim is also set to meet with US President Donald Trump as early as May.Kim and Wang exc

May 4, 2018

Moon’s top security adviser in US to discuss US-NK summit

President Moon Jae-in’s top security adviser is visiting Washington to discuss matters related to the upcoming summit between the US and North Korea, Cheong Wa Dae confirmed Friday.Chung Eui-yong, chief of the presidential National Security Office, traveled to Washington on Thursday at the request of the White House National Security Council, according to an official at the presidential office.“Chung went to the US at the request of the NSC for closed-door talks about the summit between the US a

May 4, 2018

Chinese foreign minister meets N.K.'s leader: report

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Reuters reported Thursday, citing a statement by Beijing's foreign ministry, as the two countries seek to mend their ties.   The report noted the Chinese top diplomat's meeting with the North's leader during his stay in Pyongyang without disclosing details.   Wang earlier met with North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho on Wednesday to discuss ways to improve the two countries' ties and the situation on the Korean Peninsula,

May 3, 2018

Koreas team up at table tennis worlds

South Korea and North Korea have formed a joint team at the ongoing table tennis world championships, the sport's Seoul officials said Thursday.The Korea Table Tennis Association said the two Koreas agreed to join forces during the World Team Table Tennis Championships in Halmstad, Sweden. They were supposed to face each other in the quarterfinals later Thursday but have instead advanced to the semifinals without playing.  This is the first joint Korean table tennis team since the 1991 World Tab

May 3, 2018

Panmunjeom Declaration resembles 2007 inter-Korean declaration, made progress on denuclearization issue

To better understand the joint Panmunjeom Declaration signed at a historic inter-Korean summit last week, it is helpful to look into the declaration of the 2007 summit, which many say bears a striking resemblance to the latest joint statement. 　Experts are divided over whether the declaration signed on April 27 at the two Koreas’ third summit showed any progress in tackling the standoff over North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. 　But many seem to agree that the Panmunjeom Declaration inherits o

May 3, 2018

NK leader could warm to swift denuclearization to complete economic plan: ex-minister

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un could agree to a swift denuclearization timeline with the United States to deliver on his ongoing five-year economic development plan, a former unification minister said Thursday.Lee Jong-seok, who led Seoul's unification ministry in 2006, was referring to the communist state's policy project to build an "economically strong country" by 2020 when US President Donald Trump faces an election showdown for a second term.Trump and Kim are expected to hold an unpreceden

May 3, 2018