Seoul monitoring N. Korea's move to mark 10th anniv. of Kim's leadership: ministry

South Korea is monitoring the possibility of North Korea holding a major event to celebrate the 10th anniversary of leader Kim Jong-un's rise to power, Seoul's unification ministry said Friday. Kim assumed power in December 2011, following the sudden death of his late father and former leader Kim Jong-il.  "North Korea has not announced a plan for such a commemorative event as of now, but we will continue monitoring related moves as there are some needs for one to strengthen interna

Nov. 12, 2021

Top US diplomat for East Asia discusses supply chain, NK issue in Seoul

The top US diplomat for East Asia held talks with officials in South Korea on Thursday, with the two sides agreeing to bolster ties in dealing with the global supply chain disruption and bring Pyongyang back to the stalled denuclearization talks.  　 Daniel Kritenbrink, the US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, arrived in Seoul on Wednesday following a four-day stop in Tokyo. It marks his first Asia trip since taking office in September. 　 Kritenbrink met wit

Nov. 11, 2021

Foreign ministry discloses documents on college student's 1989 visit to N. Korea

The foreign ministry has disclosed classified documents about a 1989 visit to North Korea by a then South Korean college student, including Pyongyang's demand that Seoul should not punish her for making the unauthorized trip. Lim Su-kyung, a member of a pro-unification group of college students, made the trip to attend a youth event in Pyongyang without the government's permission and returned to Seoul through the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom. She was arrested upon return and sente

Nov. 10, 2021

N. Korean spy indicted over allegedly working to return defectors home

A North Korean spy in South Korea has been indicted for allegedly working to send defectors from her country back home, according to legal sources Wednesday. The 40-something female North Korean security ministry agent, whose name was kept private, was indicted by prosecutors in Suwon, south of Seoul, in May on charges of violating the national security law. The agent, who arrived in the South guised as a defector in December 2018, is suspected of having provided contact information of another

Nov. 10, 2021

What’s behind the emergence of Kim Jong-un-ism?

North Korea is moving to strengthen Kim Jong-un’s monolithic leadership through an ideology known as “Kim Jong-un-ism.”  This new ideology -- named after the North’s leader as he marks 10 years in office -- was neither unprecedented nor unpredictable: Until now, Kim Il-sung-ism and Kim Jong-il-ism formed the ideological cornerstone of the reclusive country. But South Korean and US experts say Kim Jong-un-ism still has far-reaching implications. 　 At a recent parlia

Nov. 9, 2021

North Korea still operating key uranium plant: US think tank

North Korea has continued operation and production at its key uranium plant, a US think tank said Monday, highlighting the reclusive regime’s pursuit of weapon advances amid the stalled denuclearization talks with Washington.  Beyond Parallel, a website specializing in North Korean matters run by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the Pyongsan Uranium Concentrate Plant, located some 45 kilometers north of the inter-Korean border, remains operat

Nov. 9, 2021

Seoul monitoring signs of N. Korea's border reopening amid reports of train operation

South Korea is closely monitoring signs of North Korea's reopening of its border long closed due to the coronavirus, a unification ministry official said Tuesday, amid reports a train in operation was spotted in the region bordering China. Local media broadcast footage of a train crossing the bridge over the Amnok River connecting Sinuiju in North Korea to the Chinese port city of Dandong on Monday, saying it appears to be a test operation ahead of an imminent border reopening. Yet, Seoul's un

Nov. 9, 2021

N. Korea bristles at EU over UN resolution on human rights

North Korea on Tuesday slammed the European Union (EU) for leading a UN resolution condemning its human rights situation, calling the move an act of hostility based on "false and fabricated" documents. The resolution, drafted by the European countries, was submitted to the United Nations' Third Committee for approval late last month. If passed, it will be put to a vote at the UN General Assembly in mid-December. "We have long rejected this slanderous 'resolution' full of false a

Nov. 9, 2021

N. Korea calls for heightened anti-coronavirus measures ahead of winter

North Korea has urged its people to stay on high alert against the possible spread of COVID-19, with the winter season just around the corner, according to its state media Tuesday. Medical institutions beefed up campaigns on check-ups and personal hygiene, and set up measures to "find and treat all patients with respiratory diseases, including the cold, without exception," according to the official Korean Central News Agency. The North's radio broadcaster Korean Central Broadcasting

Nov. 9, 2021

S. Korea to keep monitoring N. Korean military's moves: ministry

The South Korean government reacted cautiously to a report of North Korea's military having staged an "artillery fire competition," saying it will keep a close watch on related situations. "Rather than prejudging North Korea's intentions, the government will closely monitor relevant moves," the unification ministry's spokesperson Lee Jong-joo told reporters when asked about the issue. The previous day, the North's official KCNA news agency reported the training event had be

Nov. 8, 2021

N. Korea's ambassador to China holds talks with Chinese assistant FM

North Korea's top envoy to Beijing met with China's assistant foreign minister last week to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral ties and issues of mutual concern, Pyongyang's foreign ministry said Sunday. During the talks on Friday, Ambassador Ri Ryong-nam and Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Wu Jianghao "exchanged in-depth opinions about issues of mutual interest, and agreed to continue enhancing strategic and tactical cooperation down the road," the ministry said. The meeting wa

Nov. 7, 2021

N. Korea holds artillery fire competition: state media

North Korea has conducted an artillery fire competition to boost the country's defense capabilities as set forth by the "militant policy" of the ruling Workers' Party, state media reported Sunday. The competition was held Saturday to inspect "how the mechanized troops of the KPA have conducted drills in order to increase their mobile artillery combat capabilities," according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). KPA stands for the Korean People's Army. Pak Jong-chon, a

Nov. 7, 2021

US reiterates commitment to NK sanctions amid China and Russia’s push to ease them

The US said it remains committed to imposing UN Security Council resolutions on North Korea aimed at limiting its nuclear and ballistic missile program, amid Beijing and Moscow’s push to ease sanctions on the regime.  “We do remain committed to the sanctions regime,” Ned Price, the spokesperson for the US State Department, said during a daily press briefing on Thursday (US time). “We call on all UN members to fulfill their sanctions obligations under existing UN Sec

Nov. 5, 2021

4 out of 10 North Koreans undernourished: FAO

Around 42 percent of North Koreans have suffered from undernourishment over the past three years, a UN report said Friday, as the impoverished nation grapples with acute food insecurity amid the prolonged pandemic and severe weather conditions, compounded by international sanctions.  As many as 10.9 million people in North Korea, or 42.4 percent of the population, were undernourished from 2018 to 2020, according to the Statistical Yearbook – World Food and Agriculture 2021 released

Nov. 5, 2021

Seoul vows close communications with UNSC following NK sanctions relief proposal

South Korea will continue close communications with key UN Security Council (UNSC) members, the unification ministry said Friday, after China and Russia again proposed easing sanctions against North Korea. Deputy ministry spokesman Cha Duck-chul said South Korea was aware that the two countries have circulated such a draft resolution to UNSC members, and that it will closely monitor related moves at the council. "The government will ... continue close communications with the United States

Nov. 5, 2021

Cheong Wa Dae says nuclear phaseout policy remains in place

Six municipalities, including Seoul, called upon the central government on Thursday to provide support to make up for their losses incurred by the free subway ride policy for the elderly and other people. The Seoul city government said the capital and five other cities -- Busan, Daegu, Incheon, Gwangju and Daejeon -- issued a joint statement calling for state compensation for financial losses caused by the free subway use policy for seniors, the disabled and those who have received national mer

Nov. 4, 2021

Papal visit is up to NK, unification minister says

South Korea’s Unification Minister Lee In-young on Thursday said the envisioned papal visit to North Korea is a real possibilty, and that it hinges on Pyongyang’s determination.  The minister accompanied President Moon Jae-in to his meeting with Pope Francis last week at the Vatican. During their talks, Moon asked the pope to visit the North to help build “momentum for peace” on the Korean Peninsula. In response, the pope, calling the two Koreas “brothers who

Nov. 4, 2021

N. Korea in final preparations to reopen border with China: official

North Korea is in the final stage of preparations to reopen its train routes with China following prolonged border controls to stave off the coronavirus, a unification ministry official said Thursday. The North is expected to first resume cargo transportation via land routes, the official said, though adding it's hard to tell exactly when the operations would begin. "Our assessment is that various preparations for the resumption of goods exchange through train routes are at the final stag

Nov. 4, 2021

N. Korea calls for thorough wintertime anti-virus measures

North Korea called Thursday for thorough preventive measures against COVID-19 for the winter season. The Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the North's Workers' Party, highlighted the importance of remaining vigilant against the pandemic, saying the virus can be transmitted even through falling snow. "In the winter season, it is important to be aware as ever to make thorough anti-virus measures," it said. The newspaper described virus control and prevention steps during the winter as an &qu

Nov. 4, 2021

Pope's N. Korea visit possible in accordance with Pyongyang's determination: Seoul minister

Pope Francis' visit to North Korea is "definitely possible" and is up to Pyongyang's "determination," South Korea's top government official in charge of inter-Korean ties said Thursday, a week after President Moon Jae-in again formally proposed the papal visit at the Vatican. Unification Minister Lee In-young accompanied Moon on his visit to the Vatican last week, during which the president met with Pope Francis and asked him to travel to the reclusive North. Moon believes i

Nov. 4, 2021