Unification ministry to host DMZ peace forum

South Korea's unification ministry said Wednesday it will host a forum this week on the peaceful use of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas. The event will take place at a hotel in the northeastern county of Yanggu on Thursday, with World Food Programme Executive Director David Beasley set to deliver a keynote speech by video, according to the ministry. The DMZ, which is about 250 kilometers long and 4 km wide, is one of the world's most heavily fortified borders, with the r

Oct. 27, 2021

N. Korea calls for implementing five-year economic plan at Cabinet meeting

North Korea has held a Cabinet meeting and urged officials to put utmost efforts to accomplish the country's five-year economic development plan, state media reported Wednesday. The enlarged plenary meeting of the Cabinet took place via video links the previous day, chaired by Premier Kim Tok-hun, with Vice Premier Pak Jong-gun making a report on the country's economic performance, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). During the meeting, Pak analyzed deficiencie

Oct. 27, 2021

N. Korea reports no coronavirus case: WHO

North Korea has conducted coronavirus tests on around 42,000 people but found no infections, a World Health Organization (WHO) report showed Tuesday. A total of 678 North Koreans underwent testing for the virus from Oct. 8-14, but all were found negative, according to the WHO's COVID-19 weekly situation report Of the newly tested North Koreans, 113 people had flu-like illness or acute respiratory infections, while the rest were healthcare workers, it said. The latest testing brings the total

Oct. 26, 2021

Kim says NK-China ties are 'sealed in blood,' will strengthen for generations

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has said the North's close ties with China are "sealed in blood" and will further strengthen for generations as he marked the anniversary of China's participation in the 1950-53 Korean War, state media reported Tuesday. Kim sent a remembrance wreath to a cemetery of fallen Chinese soldiers in Hoechang, South Pyongan Province, on Monday on the occasion of the 71st anniversary of China's dispatching of troops to the three-year war, according to the Korea

Oct. 26, 2021

End-of-war declaration would show absence of hostile policy: Seoul envoy

A declaration to formally end the Korean War is the most symbolic move that Seoul could take to show Pyongyang that neither Washington nor Seoul have a “hostile policy” toward the regime and revive the stalled denuclearization talks, South Korea‘s chief nuclear envoy said Monday. 　   　 Noh Kyu-duk, the special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, made the remark at a forum organized by the Institute for National Security Strategy, a think tank a

Oct. 25, 2021

Former US ambassador Gregg calls for 'dynamic' steps toward N. Korea diplomacy

Donald Gregg, a former US ambassador to South Korea, stressed that the United States should take a more proactive approach to resume talks with North Korea and break the impasse in the Korean peace process. Gregg, who served in the South Korean embassy from 1989 to 1993 and is known for expertise on regional security issues, said the Joe Biden administration is in a more advantageous position than the Kim Jong-un regime and that's why Washington should first reach out to Pyongyang. "I hop

Oct. 25, 2021

N. Korea touts 'invincible' ties with China on Korean War anniversary

North Korea and China will continue their "invincible" friendly relations for a "common cause," the North's official newspaper said Monday, marking the 71st anniversary of China's participation in the Korean War. Rodong Sinmun, an official newspaper of the North's Workers' Party of Korea, vowed for the continuation of the ties between the two socialist countries forged during the three-year war. "The invincible friendship (between the North and China) established by bl

Oct. 25, 2021

Media reports of N. Korean leader's sister staging coup not true at all: spy agency

South Korea's spy agency said Sunday media reports of North Korean leader's sister succeeding coup against her brother are not true at all. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) dismissed reports that claimed Kim Yo-jong ousted North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after a coup. A separate government official also said such reports are not true. Citing a report from US-based tabloid "Globe," some news outlets here said Kim Yo-jong staged a coup between May 6 and June 5, and removed Kim

Oct. 24, 2021

N. Korean media decries proposed S. Korea-US defense dialogue

A North Korean media outlet on Sunday slammed the United States for its recent proposal to create a new working-level defense dialogue with South Korea, accusing Washington of seeking to raise military pressure on Pyongyang. The US floated the idea of instituting the unofficial dialogue platform during the allies' regular defense talks in Seoul last month, sources have said, as Washington is pushing to rally its democratic allies to counter China's growing assertiveness. Meari, a North Korean

Oct. 24, 2021

N. Korea denounces US for meddling in Taiwan issue, accuses of hostile intent

North Korea on Saturday blasted the United States for causing military tension with China by meddling in Taiwan affairs. Pak Myong-ho, the North’s vice foreign minister, also accused the US of trying to topple both Beijing and Pyongyang. “This year alone, the US dispatched all kinds of battleships into the Taiwan Straits on the plea of ‘freedom of navigation’ whenever occasion called. Some time ago, it even mobilized a battleship of its ally only to escalate tension in

Oct. 23, 2021

China's Xi vows to bolster ties with N. Korea in letter to Kim

Chinese President Xi Jinping has reaffirmed efforts to strengthen bilateral relations with North Korea, Pyongyang’s state media reported Saturday. Xi made the remarks in a reply to Kim‘s earlier letter to mark the 72nd Chinese National Day, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). In the reply, Xi said he has highly taken note of relations between North Korea and China, and expressed his willingness to raise bilateral ties to a “new level.” North Korea and

Oct. 23, 2021

NSC calls for efforts for stability after N. Korea's SLBM test

Ensuring stability on the Korean Peninsula is the most important goal in handling issues surrounding North Korea, the presidential National Security Council (NSC) said Friday, after the North's test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile. National security adviser Suh Hoon made the remarks while presiding over a regular NSC meeting, days after North Korea test-fired a new type of submarine-launched ballistic missile, marking the North's latest weapons test in recent weeks. In a statement, t

Oct. 22, 2021

US envoy on N. Korea to visit Seoul to discuss ways to resume dialogue

The top US envoy for North Korea will visit Seoul this weekend, with his arrival delayed a day for an unspecified reason, an informed source said Friday. Sung Kim, special representative for North Korea, was initially scheduled to begin a three-day trip here Friday for consultations with his South Korean counterpart, Noh Kyu-duk. But his itinerary has changed, and he plans to fly to Seoul on Saturday, according to the source, who requested anonymity and did not elaborate on the reason. Kim and

Oct. 22, 2021

N. Korean delegation to attend UN climate conference in Glasgow

A North Korean delegation is expected to attend a UN  climate conference slated to kick off in Britain later this month, a Seoul official said Friday. Officials at the North Korean Embassy in London will participate in the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference, known as COP26, which will run from Oct. 31 to Nov. 12 in Glasgow. "As far as I know, the North Korean mission in Britain is sending a delegation," a foreign ministry official said. According to a recent US intelligence repo

Oct. 22, 2021

N. Korea's nuclear activity spawning, a big challenge for safeguard efforts: IAEA chief

North Korea's nuclear activities has expanded over the years and continue to move ahead, creating a big challenge for verification and safeguard efforts, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog said Thursday. Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), also highlighted the need for a diplomatic process to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. "What is relevant is to see that compared with 2009, this program has spawned in activity wise, geographically into t

Oct. 22, 2021

NK: SLBM test not aimed at US

North Korea on Thursday defended its latest test-firing of a submarine-launched ballistic missile as necessary for its own defense and said the weapon does not target the US. 　 A spokesperson for the North’s Foreign Ministry said it is “truly concerned” that the US is showing “abnormal reactions” to the country’s exercise of its right to self-defense and criticized the US for taking “provocative moves” by calling for an emergency UN Security Coun

Oct. 21, 2021

N. Korea says its recent SLBM test-launch not targeting US

North Korea said Thursday its recent test-firing of a new submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) was not targeted toward the United States, adding there is no need for Washington to "worry or agonize" over it. A spokesperson for the North's foreign ministry expressed concerns over "nonsensical" reactions from the US and the UN Security Council over its "rightful exercise of right to defense" in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency (KC

Oct. 21, 2021

NK confirms test of submarine-launched ballistic missile

North Korea on Wednesday confirmed it had test-fired a new submarine-launched ballistic missile the previous day, the first such weapons test in two years and evidence of the regime’s ever-expanding weapons program. 　 On Tuesday, South Korea’s military said the North had fired what appeared to have been a short-range SLBM from the port of Sinpo in the east of the country, home to the regime’s main shipyard that builds submarines. 　 The North’s state-run Korea Central N

Oct. 20, 2021

N. Korea confirms test-launch of new SLBM in state media report

North Korea announced Wednesday that it has successfully conducted a test-firing of a new-type of submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) a day earlier. On Tuesday, South Korea's military said the North fired a short-range missile believed to be an SLBM from the vicinity of Sinpo, where its main submarine shipyard is located. It marked the North's eighth known major missile test this year. The Academy of National Defense Science conducted the test-launch from "8.24 Yongung" where

Oct. 20, 2021

N. Korea tests missile amid South’s efforts to resume talks

North Korea test-fired what appeared to be a submarine-launched ballistic missile into the East Sea, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday, as South Korea, the US and Japan step up efforts to bring Pyongyang back to nuclear talks. “We’re closely monitoring the situation and maintaining our readiness,” the JCS said, adding that South Korean and US intelligence were analyzing the launch, which took place at Sinpo, a port city along the east coast where North Korea runs a major

Oct. 19, 2021