Koreas, US talks won't include denuclearization: Finnish FM

HELSINKI (AP) -- Finland's foreign minister says denuclearization is not on the agenda as North Korean envoys meet with their South Korean colleagues and former US diplomats in the Nordic country.Foreign Minister Timo Soini said Tuesday in an interview with Finnish broadcaster MTV3 that nuclear weapons are not expected to be discussed at the tripartite talks.Senior North Korean diplomat Choe Kang-Il, who handles North American affairs in Pyongyang, arrived in Helsinki on Sunday for talks with So

March 20, 2018

S. Korea to send heavyweights of K-pop to North Korea

South Korea on Tuesday agreed to send a 160-member art troupe including pop singers Lee Sun-hee, Cho Yong-pil and girl group Red Velvet to Pyongyang for two concerts planned for early April, according to Seoul’s Ministry of Unification.　The announcement is a result of working-level talks held between the two Koreas earlier in the day to hammer out details of the Pyongyang performances. 　The art troupe will hold two performances between March 31 and April 3 at the Ryugyong Chung Ju-yung Gymnasium

March 20, 2018

S. Korea, US agree success of dialogue with NK critical to peace: official

South Korea and the United States have agreed to work together closely for the success of their upcoming dialogue with North Korea that could determine the fate of the countries and the world, Seoul's top security adviser said Tuesday."We have agreed the US-North Korea summit must succeed not only for peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula but those of the entire world," Chung Eui-yong, head of the National Security Office, said of his meeting with his US counterpart, H.R. McMaster."And we

March 20, 2018

Koreas kick off talks on S. Korean art troupe's performance in Pyongyang

South and North Korea kicked off working-level talks Tuesday to discuss a South Korean art troupe's planned performance in Pyongyang in early April.Officials from both sides started the meeting at around 10 a.m. at the Tongilgak administrative building on the northern side of the Demilitarized Zone that bisects the two Koreas, according to Seoul's unification ministry.South Korea agreed to send an art troupe and a taekwondo demonstration team to Pyongyang when South Korean special envoys met wit

March 20, 2018

Foreign ministers of S. Korea, EU vow cooperation for peaceful denuclearization of NK

The top diplomats of South Korea and the member countries of the European Union have reaffirmed that they will work closely together to achieve a peaceful and negotiated solution of North Korean nuclear issues, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha attended the EU Foreign Affairs Council's meeting on Monday in Brussels, Belgium to give a briefing on the recent diplomatic developments on the Korean Peninsula and discuss cooperation between the two sides."The EU's polic

March 20, 2018

Trump-Kim summit outcome hinges on S. Korea: ex-US diplomat

WASHINGTON -- South Korea will have a large role in determining the success of a planned summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, a former senior US diplomat said Monday.Kurt Campbell, who served as the top US diplomat for East Asia during the Barack Obama administration, said the recent flurry of diplomacy with North Korea could set the stage for South Korea's rise.Trump and Kim are expected to meet before the end of May to discuss the North's denuclearizati

March 20, 2018

Concrete action from Pyongyang needed to avoid failure of summit

Seoul must obtain concrete action from Pyongyang to avoid failure of the upcoming inter-Korean summit and to play a noteworthy part in resolving tensions on the Korean Peninsula, experts say.  From left: South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (Yonhap)“The United States has doubts on North Korea’s abrupt change in attitude towards denuclearization, so in order for the inter-Korean summit to be widely considered a success, South Korea must draw a clear response from

March 19, 2018

New Northern Policy seeks to contribute to peace on Korean Peninsula

South Korea's push to expand economic cooperation with Russia, China and their neighboring countries is expected to promote peace and cooperation on the Korean Peninsula if it draws in North Korea's participation in joint projects, the chief of a presidential committee said Monday. South Korea has been exploring ways to step up economic cooperation with Russia and other Northeastern Asian nations in various areas under President Moon Jae-in's so-called New Northern Policy, launching the Presiden

March 19, 2018

Senior N. Korean diplomat set for meeting with ex-South Korean, US officials in Helsinki

HELSINKI -- A senior North Korean diplomat handling affairs with the United States will hold a three-way, semiofficial meeting with former government officials and academics from South Korea and the US this week in Helsinki, Finland, according to sources.The meeting involving the North Korean foreign ministry's Deputy Director-General for North American Affairs Choe Kang-il is set to start off with a dinner hosted by the Finnish government on Monday and run from Tuesday to Wednesday, according t

March 19, 2018

NK leader gave 'his word' on denuclearization: Kang

WASHINGTON -- South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha expressed confidence in North Korea's commitment to abandon its nuclear weapons program, saying the regime's leader gave "his word."This month North Korean leader Kim Jong-un conveyed in a verbal message to US President Donald Trump that he is committed to denuclearization and would stop all nuclear and missile tests. He also invited Trump to a summit, and the US president accepted the offer."He has given his word," Kang told US broadcas

March 19, 2018

S. Korean, US and Japanese security chiefs vow to avoid past mistakes

Seoul’s National Security Office chief Chung Eui-yong met with his US and Japanese counterparts and agreed on close collaboration on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, Cheong Wa Dae revealed Monday. According to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom, Chung met with US National Security Advisor H. R. McMaster and Japan’s Shotaro Yachi in San Francisco in a trilateral meeting held in San Francisco on Saturday and Sunday. The three nations’ top national security officers discussed the upcomi

March 19, 2018

Koreas to meet on Tuesday over S. Korean art performance in Pyongyang

The two Koreas will meet on Tuesday to discuss a performance in Pyongyang by a South Korean art troupe, officials here said. Yun Sang (Yonhap)The unification ministry said Sunday that South Korea's delegation will be led by Yun Sang, a popular singer and composer who has been tapped as the music director for Seoul's art troupe.He will be joined by officials from Cheong Wa Dae and the unification ministry. The meeting, the first between the Koreas since they agreed to a summit earlier this month,

March 18, 2018

Speculations over multiple summit meetings rise ahead of inter-Korean talks

Speculations are rising over possible summit meetings between President Moon Jae-in, and the leaders of China, the US and Japan in the run-up to the inter-Korean summit, and Pyongyang-Washington summit. Moon’s meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is scheduled for some time at the end of April, which is set to be followed by a historic meeting between Kim and US President Donald Trump. President Moon Jae-in speaks to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday. YonhapWhile Seoul has no d

March 18, 2018

NK diplomat heads to Finland for semiofficial talks with Washington, Seoul

BEIJING -- A senior North Korean diplomat handling affairs with the United States headed to Finland on Sunday for semiofficial talks with the US and South Korea.Choe Kang-il, deputy director-general for North American affairs at the foreign ministry, was seen at Beijing Capital International Airport before boarding a flight to Finland.According to diplomatic sources in Seoul, Choe will take part in the "1.5-track" meeting in Finland this week with former US diplomats, including former US Ambassa

March 18, 2018

N. Korean, Swedish foreign ministers conclude rare talks

The foreign ministers of North Korea and Sweden have ended their three-day talks, which were widely expected to deal with the planned summit between US President Donald Trump and the North's leader Kim Jong-un, as well as American citizens detained in the North. North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho arrived in Stockholm on Thursday for talks with his Swedish counterpart, Margot Elisabeth Wallstrom. Ri's trip was originally scheduled for two days but was extended until Saturday. "The talks foc

March 18, 2018

Moon, Trump seek close cooperation ahead of talks with NK

President Moon Jae-in held a telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump, hours after his conversation with the Japanese leader, as Seoul scrambles to prepare for the upcoming inter-Korean summit. According to Seoul’s presidential office, Moon and Trump spoke over the telephone for about 35 minutes from around 10 p.m., discussing issues surrounding North Korea, and Seoul-Washington relations.President Moon Jae-in (left) and US President Donald Trump. Yonhap“Denuclearization of the Kore

March 17, 2018

S. Korea pushes for March high-level meeting with North ahead of inter-Korean summit

The South Korean government said Friday it plans to hold a senior-level official meeting with North Korea this month in a bid to pave the way for the third inter-Korean summit to be held at the southern side of a cross-border village in April. The Presidential Preparation Committee for the Inter-Korean Talks said the summit would focus on removing nuclear weapons from North Korea, easing military tensions between the two Koreas and establishing permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula. “We affirm

March 16, 2018

S. Korea, US dismiss reports of postponing talks with NK

South Korea and the United States stressed that the summit between Pyongyang and Washington will proceed as planned, downplaying speculation that the meeting will be postponed following a major shake-up in the Trump administration. Seoul’s presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Friday that there has been no request from the US to postpone the summit scheduled to take place by May -- a decision made by Trump after meeting with South Korean envoys who delivered North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s in

March 16, 2018

Moon says S. Korea's destiny can change dramatically through inter-Korean, US-NK summits

President Moon Jae-in said Friday that South Korea will see its "destiny change dramatically" and leap forward if it takes advantage of the planned inter-Korean and US-North Korea summits to bring peace to the divided peninsula.Moon made the remark during a ceremony to announce a future vision for the southeastern port of Busan, saying the two summits -- one between him and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and the other between Kim and US President Donald Trump expected to take place in May -- wo

March 16, 2018

Minister stresses int'l cooperation for NK denuclearization

South Korea's unification minister on Friday stressed the importance of international cooperation in seeking North Korea's denuclearization and improving inter-Korean ties.Cho Myoung-gyon made the remark at a meeting with Michael Reiterer, the European Union's top envoy to South Korea, ahead of an inter-Korean summit slated for late April and a proposed summit between the United States and North Korea, to be held by May."Now is a beginning of (such talks). International cooperation is very impor

March 16, 2018