South Korea and the US appeared to differ over whether Seoul is ready to take over wartime operational control from Washington, casting a shadow over President Moon Jae-in’s push to regain military sovereignty by 2022. 　 The defense chiefs of the two allies held the Security Consultative Meeting in Washington on Wednesday (local time), discussing a range of issues, including the handover of wartime control, the stalled talks on defense cost-sharing and the North Korea situation. 　 At th

Defense Oct. 15, 2020

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited a typhoon-hit mining town in the eastern part of the country and pledged to build at least 25,000 new homes over the next five years, state media reported Wednesday. 　 Kim visited the Komdok area in South Hamgyong Province, one of the regions where Typhoon Maysak hit hardest last month, to inspect the recovery efforts underway, according to the Korea Central News Agency. 　 Kim said the damage to the area was more severe than he thought. He also applaud

North Korea Oct. 14, 2020

The trilateral summit planned later this year for South Korea, Japan and China is no longer a sure thing, as Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has reportedly notified Seoul he will not attend unless “proper measures” are taken to settle a feud between Seoul and Tokyo over wartime forced labor. 　 Korea’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that it would continue to work toward the trilateral summit within this year and was consulting with the other two countries. The ministry d

Foreign Affairs Oct. 13, 2020

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un watched tens of thousands of dancers and gymnasts perform at a mass spectacle held to mark the 75th anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party’s founding, state media said Monday. 　 Kim attended the event, called the “Great Guidance,” at the May Day Stadium in Pyongyang on Sunday, according to the Korea Central News Agency. 　 The famed mass games are the North’s major propaganda event, in which tens of thousands of North Koreans take

North Korea Oct. 12, 2020

In a noteworthy moment from North Korea’s massive military parade on Saturday, where the country showcased a new intercontinental ballistic missile, national leader Kim Jong-un got emotional and teared up while recalling the adversity the country’s people had experienced. 　 Kim stood on the podium to address the nation in kicking off the military parade, which marked the 75th anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party, in a speech that emphasized “thanking” the peop

North Korea Oct. 11, 2020

North Korea unveiled a gigantic new missile along with other weapons during a rare predawn military parade Saturday, with national leader Kim Jong-un promising to build up the country’s “war deterrence.” 　 The new weapon, which if it became operational, would be the world’s largest road-mobile, liquid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile, was the highlight of the carefully choreographed military parade held at Kim Il-sung Square in the center of Pyongyang to mark t

North Korea Oct. 11, 2020

South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee has advanced to the final round of two candidates in the race to become the next director general of the World Trade Organization. 　 Yoo and Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala were shortlisted as finalists in the second round of voting held from Sept. 24 to Oct. 4, the WTO and Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday. 　 The two women will now go head-to-head in the third and final round of consultations, scheduled to run from later this month unt

Foreign Affairs Oct. 8, 2020

A former North Korean diplomat, who disappeared in late 2018, came to South Korea in July last year and has lived here ever since, lawmakers revealed Wednesday.  Ruling Democratic Party Rep. Jeon Hae-cheol, who chairs the National Assembly’s intelligence committee, said Jo Song-gil, the North’s former acting Ambassador to Italy, came to South Korea voluntarily in July 2019. 　 “Jo had repeatedly expressed his wish to come to the South,” he told reporters. 　 News o

North Korea Oct. 7, 2020

South Korea and Japan have agreed to exempt South Korean business travelers from a two-week quarantine if they test negative for COVID-19, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.  Taking effect Thursday, the eased entry barriers arrive about seven months after Tokyo slapped strict travel restrictions on Seoul, practically banning entry to people traveling from South Korea, in early March amid the coronavirus outbreak. The restrictions dealt a further blow to bilateral ties that were already fra

Foreign Affairs Oct. 6, 2020

Nearly 3,400 hacking attempts were made targeting the Foreign Ministry and its affiliate organs to steal confidential diplomatic information this year, government data showed Tuesday.  According to data submitted by the ministry to Rep. Lee Tae-kyu of the minor opposition People’s Party for a parliamentary audit, 3,399 hacking attempts against the ministry and its overseas missions had been detected as of Aug. 31.  The largest portion of the IP addresses used for the attacks c

Foreign Affairs Oct. 6, 2020

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for a nationwide “80-day campaign” in a bid to revive the country’s ailing economy and attain its goals before a congress next year, state media reported Tuesday. 　 Kim announced the decision during a politburo meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party held the previous day, according to the North’s official Korea Central News Agency. The key party meeting comes as the communist regime’s economic woes are believed to have be

North Korea Oct. 6, 2020

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha has been hit by controversy over her husband’s recent trip to the US presumably to purchase a yacht, with political parties lambasting the excursion as “inappropriate,” saying it went against her own recommendation that people refrain from overseas travel amid the COVID-19 pandemic.   　 Local broadcaster KBS on Saturday reported that Lee Yill-byung, a professor emeritus of computer science at Yonsei University, was spotted at Incheon Airpo

Foreign Affairs Oct. 5, 2020

As the US presidential election approaches, North Korean watchers are looking out for an “October surprise,” a dramatic turn of events in Washington‘s relations with Pyongyang that will grab global headlines and swing the presidential race in favor of the incumbent President Donald Trump. 　 Some have suggested Trump could opt for another summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in a bid to salvage stalled nuclear talks with the North, which could give him a much-needed fore

North Korea Oct. 3, 2020

US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun on Monday (US time) said “creative ideas” were discussed regarding ways to resume stalled nuclear diplomacy with North Korea during his talks with South Korea’s top nuclear envoy, and called for the communist regime’s engagement. 　 “I very much appreciate the encouragement and creative ideas that we discussed today,” Biegun told reporters after his meeting with Lee Do-hoon, special representative for Korean Peninsu

North Korea Sept. 29, 2020

South Korea’s top nuclear envoy, Lee Do-hoon, arrived in Washington on Sunday for talks with US officials, saying he plans to discuss the recent killing of a South Korean official by North Korea and the proposed declaration of a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War.   　 Lee’s trip to Washington to meet with his US counterpart, Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun, and other officials, came just days after Pyongyang shot dead a South Korean fisheries official who had drifte

North Korea Sept. 28, 2020