South Korea, China and Japan on Wednesday issued a joint statement supporting the Panmunjeom Declaration, at their first trilateral summit held in more than two years. At the summit, held in Tokyo, the three countries also called for cooperation in the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, closer ties and resumption of regular trilateral meetings. “We share the view that complete denuclearization and establishment of lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula is very important to peace and prospe

North Korea May 9, 2018

President Moon Jae-in is set to hold trilateral and bilateral meetings with leaders of China and Japan on Wednesday, as Seoul pushes for a special declaration supporting the Panmunjeom Declaration.The meeting, which will be held in Tokyo with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, comes as Seoul scrambles to win the support of neighboring nations to lay the foundations for the upcoming US-North Korea summit. US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-u

North Korea May 8, 2018

Another secret visit to China by ranking North Korean figures may have taken place, local and foreign media reported Tuesday. South Korean and foreign media outlets reported that a high-level North Korean official appeared to be in Dalian, Liaoning province, citing unnamed sources. In this file photo provided Wednesday, March 28, by China`s Xinhua News Agency, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands in Beijing. (Yonhap-AP-Xinhua)South Korea’s Yonhap Ne

North Korea May 8, 2018

President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump will hold a summit meeting in Washington D.C. on May 22.According to Cheong Wa Dae and White House the two leaders will discuss issues surrounding North Korea including Trump’s planned meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. "President Trum and President Moon will continue their close coordination on developments regarding the Korean Peninsula following the April 27 inter-Korean summit," the White House said in a statement."The two leader

Foreign Affairs May 5, 2018

“May is green, we are growing. Today is the Children’s Day, It is our world” -- so goes a song celebrating the occasion. Children’s Day was first introduced here in 1923 by independence and children’s rights activist Bang Jeong-hwan, and has been celebrated on May 5 since 1945.The day was given legal status with the legislation of the Child Welfare Act in 1961, and designated a public holiday in 1975. The act, which also designates May 1 to 7 as “Children’s Week,” states that Children’s Day is d

Social Affairs May 4, 2018

Moon Chung-in, a special national security and foreign affairs adviser to President Moon Jae-in, is once again making headlines. And again for all the wrong reasons. The latest controversy began with his contribution to the foreign policy magazine Foreign Affairs. In the article published online on April 30, Moon Chung-in outlined the Panmunjeom Declaration, which includes ending the Korean War and signing a peace treaty.  Moon Chung-in, at a forum on April 26 at the inter-Korean summit media ce

Politics May 2, 2018

President Moon Jae-in is seeking the UN’s support for the Panmunjeom Declaration and its participation in verifying the closure of North Korea’s nuclear facilities, as he tries to lay the groundwork for a US-North Korea summit. According to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom, Moon made the requests during a telephone conversation with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday. President Moon Jae-in and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Cheong Wa Dae“(Moon said that) the UN welcomi

North Korea May 1, 2018

Speculations are rising that US President Donald Trump will meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on the inter-Korean border, following news reports and an ambiguous Tweet from the US leader. “Numerous countries are being considered for the MEETING, but would Peace House/Freedom House, on the Border of North & South Korea, be a more Representative, Important and Lasting site than a third party country? Just asking!” Trump wrote on this Twitter account.North Koraen leader Kim Jong-un and US Presid

North Korea May 1, 2018

President Moon Jae-in’s meeting with US President Donald Trump may be brought forward due to apparent changes in the plans for US-North Korea summit, a South Korean official said Monday. Although Cheong Wa Dae has not released the official date of the Moon-Trump meeting, it had been speculated that it would take place mid-May. “If South Korea-US summit is held in mid-May, it may be too close together (with US-North Korea summit),” a high-level Cheong Wa Dae official said. He added that with the

North Korea April 30, 2018

President Moon Jae-in is stepping up efforts for US and Japan collaborations on North Korean issues, in the follow up to his summit meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. According to Cheong Wa Dae, Moon spoke with US President Donald Trump late Saturday, and with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday.  President Moon Jae-in (left), US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Cheong Wa DaeIn the Moon-Trump conversation, which lasted from 9:15 p.m. to 10:30 p.m

North Korea April 29, 2018

The South Korean and US defense and foreign affairs chiefs reaffirmed the need for close cooperation between the two countries in resolving North Korean nuclear issues. According to Seoul’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held their first telephone conversation on Saturday.In the conversation, Kang briefed Pompeo on the results of the inter-Korean summit, and discussed plans for a South Korea-US summit meeting in the near future.

North Korea April 29, 2018

North Korea will shut down its nuclear weapons testing facility in May, and allow inspection by South Korean and US experts and media, Cheong Wa Dae revealed Sunday. “(North Korean leader Kim Jong-un) said during the summit talks with President Moon Jae-in that the shutdown of the facility in the north of the country will be carried out in May,” Cheong Wa Dae senior public relations secretary Yoon Young-chan said. Senior presidential public relations secretary Yoon Young-chan speaks at a press b

North Korea April 29, 2018

President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump held a telephone conversation on Saturday, Cheong Wa Dae said. Seoul’s presidential office did not elaborate on the conversation, which lasted from 9:15 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. (Korea time).A file photograph from Feb. 15 shows President Moon Jae-in having a telephone conversation. Cheong Wa DaeTrump, however, hinted that the conversation was about North Korea. Shortly after the telephone conversation, Trump commented that related developments were “

North Korea April 29, 2018

Regional powers welcomed Friday’s Panmunjeom Declaration, but advised caution. US President Donald Trump reacted quickly to the developments with tweets. 　“After a furious year of missile launches and Nuclear testing, a historic meeting between North and South Korea is now taking place. Good things are happening, but only time will tell!” Trump wrote on Twitter, just over an hour after the declaration was announced on Friday.  US President Donald Trump (Yonhap)　The US leader, who had given “his

International April 28, 2018

Friday’s Panmunjeom Declaration is being met by strikingly different assessments from the country’s political parties. 　The ruling Democratic Party, as expected, is praising the agreement signed by President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, hailing it as a “historical feat.”　“(The declaration) will be recorded as a historical feat that was a turning point not only in inter-Korean relations but for the political situation on the Korean Peninsula,” a Democratic Party spokesperson s

Politics April 28, 2018