Google most used Internet search engine in NK: report

Google is the most used Internet search engine in North Korea, with usage of software systems designed to search for information on the World Wide Web being very much limited in the country, Radio Free Asia reported Tuesday.Citing statistics from the Irish web analytics company StatCounter, the US-funded broadcaster said the US search engine topped the list of search engines used in the North from March last year to March this year with an overwhelming 92.44 percent utilization. This undated pho

April 3, 2018

N. Korea's top envoy to attend conference of Non-Aligned Movement in Baku

MOSCOW -- North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho will take part in the ministerial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement to be held this week in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, diplomatic sources said Tuesday.The two-day meeting, which will open on Thursday, will prepare for next year's NAM summit, which Azerbaijan will host. It comes after a meeting of senior officials with the decades-old group of 120 countries from Tuesday through Wednesday. North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho (Yonhap)A

April 3, 2018

Two Koreas' art troupes to perform together in Pyongyang

PYONGYANG/SEOUL -- South Korean musicians will hold their second and last performance in Pyongyang on Tuesday, this time jointly with North Korean artists, amid thawing tension on the Korean Peninsula.The 160-member troupe will start the two-hour-long concert titled "Spring Comes" at 3:30 p.m. (South Korean time), about an hour earlier than originally planned, at the 12,000-seat Ryugyong Jong Ju Yong Gymnasium.The group, including celebrated Korean pop singers, arrived in Pyongyang on Saturday.

April 3, 2018

S. Korea seeks denuclearization declaration from summit with NK: official

South Korea is seeking a denuclearization declaration from the upcoming summit with North Korea, a presidential official said Tuesday.The official said it's a "matter of course" to seek such a declaration because denuclearization is one of the three key agenda items for the April 27 summit, along with bringing permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula and improving inter-Korean relations.The official spoke in response to a newspaper report that the South is seeking to produce a declaration of Kore

April 3, 2018

Kim Jong-un steps up diplomatic offensive

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appears to be expanding his diplomatic horizons in an apparent attempt to increase his bargaining power ahead of summits with the leaders of South Korea and the US. 　On Sunday, Kim made an unexpected appearance with his wife Ri Sol-ju at a performance by a South Korean art troupe in Pyongyang, becoming the first North Korean leader to watch a show by South Korean musicians.  　 Kim was expected to watch Tuesday’s joint performance, but he chose to watch Sunday’s sh

April 2, 2018

Sports ministers of Koreas agree to push for joint march at Asian Games

PYONGYANG -- Sports minister of the two Koreas on Monday agreed to push for a joint march by their athletes at this year's Asian Games.During their meeting at the Mansudae Assembly Hall in Pyongyang, South Korean Sports Minister Do Jong-whan and his North Korean counterpart, Kim Il-guk, discussed ways to expand inter-Korean sports exchanges. They also agreed to engage in more specific talks on a range of issues, including marching under one flag at the Aug. 18-Sept. 2 Asian Games in Jakarta and

April 2, 2018

S. Korea to broadcast art troupe's Pyongyang performance on Thursday

PYONGYANG/SEOUL -- South Korea will air its art troupe's performance in Pyongyang on Thursday afternoon, the culture ministry said.The 160-member group, including top singers, staged South Korea's first performance in more than a decade in the North on Sunday. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his wife Ri Sol-ju attended the show.They will hold a joint concert with the North's artists on Tuesday. (Yonhap)"The government originally planned to televise Tuesday's performance but is discussing way

April 2, 2018

[Newsmaker] NK leader says K-pop performance created mood of peace on peninsula

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un expressed hope that South Korean musicians’ performance in Pyongyang could serve as a “meaningful occasion” to show the unity of the divided Koreas, the North’s state-run news agency said Monday. Under the theme “Spring Comes,” K-pop heavyweights including Cho Yong-pil, Lee Sun-hee, girl group Red Velvet and Seohyun of Girls’ Generation performed a concert at the 1,500-seat East Pyongyang Grand Theater in Pyongyang for two hours, starting at 6:30 p.m. (South Korea

April 2, 2018

NK official apologizes for limiting S. Korean media's concert coverage

A top North Korean official has made a rare apology to South Korean reporters for restricting their coverage of a concert by South Korean musicians in Pyongyang, according to a pool report Monday.Kim Yong-chol, a ranking Workers' Party official in charge of affairs with South Korea, visited South Korean reporters at a Pyongyang hotel and asked for their understanding for being denied access to a theater where the performance was held."We're obliged to help reporters from the South side engage in

April 2, 2018

Senator says Bolton wary of North Korea stall tactics

WASHINGTON -- Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said he‘s glad John Bolton will serve as President Donald Trump’s national security adviser going into talks with North Korea because of his "very healthy skepticism." A US-North Korean summit is slated for May. Hopes have been raised that Kim Jong-un may be willing to discuss his nuclear weapons program and other measures to reduce the threat of war, possibly in exchange for security guarantees and an easing of the international san

April 2, 2018

[Trending] #Pyongyang #Red Velvet #Art troupe

An art troupe from South Korea successfully finished a musical performance in front of about 1,500 North Korean spectators including their leader Kim Jong-un on Sunday, and the Internet exploded with the news.(Related article: S. Korean musicians rock on in front of Kim Jong-un)As of 7 p.m. on Sunday, 10 minutes after the performance started, “Pyongyang Performance Live Streaming” shot to the most-searched keywords on Naver, followed by “Pyongyang Performance.”(Twitter)The number of tweets inclu

April 2, 2018

NK leader says S. Korean musicians' gigs could show unity of Koreas

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has expressed hope that South Korean musicians' performances in Pyongyang could serve as an occasion to show the unity of the two Koreas, state media reported Monday.Kim made the remark as he watched a concert held by the South Korean art group on Sunday that involved 11 teams, including pop legend Cho Yong-pil and girl group Red Velvet. The art group will hold a joint performance Tuesday with North Korean musicians.Kim said he was "deeply" moved to see North Kore

April 2, 2018

S. Korean musicians rock on in front of Kim Jong-un

Standing in front of 1,500 spectators -- including the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his wife -- in the East Pyongyang Grand Theater, the visiting South Korean art troupe delivered a message of peace and hope for unification through musical performance.The Pyongyang concert was originally slated for 5:30 p.m., South Korean time, but was delayed for 80 minutes due to Kim’s sudden decision to attend the concert himself with his wife Ri Sol-ju. With it, he became the first North Korean leader

April 2, 2018

N. Korean leader Kim Jong-un and wife attend performance by S. Korean art troupe

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his wife attended a historic performance in Pyongyang by a South Korean art troupe on Sunday, the South Korean culture ministry said.Kim Jong-un greets South Korean officials during the concert by a South Korean art troupe in Pyongyang on Sunday. (Yonhap-Joint Press Corps)The couple was present for the concert by the 160-member South Korean art troupe at East Pyongyang Grand Theatre, a pool report said. The group included 11 Korean pop musicians such as Cho Yo

April 1, 2018

Pope Francis expresses hope over inter-Korean dialogue

Pope Francis on Sunday expressed hope over prospects for peace on the Korean Peninsula, as Seoul and Pyongyang recently launched efforts for a possible reconciliation.“We implore fruits of dialogue for the Korean peninsula, that the discussions underway may advance harmony and peace within the region,” the pope said during Easter speech.“May those who are directly responsible act with wisdom and discernment to promote the good of the Korean people and to build relationships of trust within the i

April 1, 2018

South Korean musicians hold concert in Pyongyang

South Korean musicians held a concert and taekwondo athletes gave performances in Pyongyang Sunday as part of cross-border exchanges ahead of a historic inter-Korean summit slated for next month. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his wife attended the concert in Pyongyang by the South's 120-member  art troupe, the South Korean culture ministry said. The North Korean leader said that the two Koreas should hold cultural events more often and suggested another event in Seoul this autumn, accordin

April 1, 2018

S. Korean singers' concert in Pyongyang delayed by two hours

A rare concert by South Korean singers in Pyongyang has been delayed two hours Sunday at North Korea's request, according to a pool report.It was scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. (Seoul time) at the East Pyongyang Grand Theatre, but the North requested a two-hour postponement for the "convenience of more audience," it said.Eleven K-pop singers and performance teams plan to take the stage in the two-hour event titled "Spring Comes." They include Cho Yong-pil, Lee Sun-hee and girl group Red Velvet.

April 1, 2018

S. Korea backs new UN sanctions against N. Korea

The South Korean government threw its weight behind the UN Security Council's additional pressure on North Korea despite a mood of inter-Korean reconciliation.Last week, the council blacklisted 21 firms and 27 vessels suspected of helping North Korea smuggle oil and coal at sea. One individual was sanctioned as well. (Yonhap)It's aimed at curbing the ship-to-ship transfer and the transport of banned materials, a foreign ministry official said.The move represents "the international community's re

April 1, 2018

S. Korea to propose more inter-Korean cultural, sports ties: minister

Leading South Korea's delegation for a concert in Pyongyang, the country's Culture Minister Do Jong-hwan expressed hope for the resumption of suspended inter-Korean projects, such as the publication of a unified Korean dictionary and the excavation of historic relics in Kaesong, according to a pool report released Sunday.He stressed the importance of cultural and sports exchanges between the two Koreas, citing the momentum from the PyeongChang Winter Olympics that helped warm their long-frosty r

April 1, 2018

Main part of S. Korean art troupe arrives in N. Korea

The majority of the South Korean art troupe and taekwondo athletes scheduled to give performances in Pyongyang ahead of a historic inter-Korean summit arrived in North Korea on Saturday.The 120-member group led by Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Do Jong-whan left Seoul's Gimpo International Airport at 10:30 a.m. aboard a chartered civilian flight and arrived at Pyongyang's Sunan airport around 11:30 a.m. via a direct air route between Seoul and Pyongyang over the Yellow Sea. Cho Yong-pil (Y

March 31, 2018