The first inter-Korean meeting in two years held Tuesday aimed to alleviate tension on the Korean Peninsula. It ended with the release of a three-point joint communique after 12 hours of negotiations, but experts are expressing concerns that goals were only met “halfway.” Ri Son-gwon (center), North Korea`s chief delegate, crosses the military demarcation line in the truce village of Panmunjeom to shake hands with the South Korean delegation on Tuesday. (Yonhap)Although South Korea’s efforts to

North Korea Jan. 10, 2018

The two Koreas agreed to revive the South-North military hotline in the West Sea during their first talks in more than two years, Seoul’s Ministry of Unification said Tuesday.  A South Korean soldier performs test-calls on the inter-Korean military hotline near the West Sea region in July 2017. (Yonhap)A five-member South Korean delegation headed by Minister of Unification Cho Myoung-gyon and the North Korean delegation kicked off meetings at the truce village of Panmunjeom at 10 a.m. Ri Son-gwo

North Korea Jan. 9, 2018

North Korea has expressed willingness to continue talking with the South and promote peace on the Korean Peninsula while offering to dispatch delegations to the upcoming Winter Games, Seoul’s Unification Ministry said. “North Korea has guaranteed peace on the Korean Peninsula, talked about promoting reconciliation among the Korean people, and solving issues surrounding the South and the North through dialogue and negotiations,” Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung said in a briefing. “North K

North Korea Jan. 9, 2018

North Korea’s chief delegate said Tuesday he came to the inter-Korean talks with the idea of offering a “precious result” to South Korea, hinting that Pyongyang will respond positively to Seoul’s invitation to the Winter Games. The cross-border meeting which took place in the border village of Panmunjeom, kicked-off at 10 a.m. sharp with the two chief delegates of Seoul and Pyongyang exchanging warm messages hinting at a thaw in long-stalled ties. “I came to this meeting with a thought to hand a

North Korea Jan. 9, 2018

The first inter-Korean talks in more than two years kicked off at 10 a.m. on Tuesday to discuss the North’s participation in the PyeongChang Olympics and improving bilateral relations. The meeting in the border village of Panmunjeom, started with a brief exchange between delegations from Seoul and Pyongyang.  North Korea`s Ri Son-gown (left) shakes hands with his South Korean counterpart Cho Myoung-gyon during inter-Korean talks on Jan. 9, 2018. (Yonhap)“The North and the South are to attend the

North Korea Jan. 9, 2018

The formal inter-Korean talks, a first in more than two years, will take place Tuesday for discussion on North’s participation in the PyeongChang Olympics and de-freezing bilateral ties. The meeting will kick-off at 10 a.m. in the border village of Panmunjeom, Seoul’s Unification Ministry said. The South Korean delegation arrived at the Peace House inside the truce village at 8:46 a.m. The North Korean delegation crossed the military demarcation line, the de facto border between the Koreas, at 9

North Korea Jan. 9, 2018

South Korea is expected to focus on North Korea’s participation in the PyeongChang Olympics, while seeking to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula during Tuesday’s inter-Korean meeting.Last week, North Korea accepted South Korea’s offer to hold their first high-level talks in more than two years. The meeting will take place at 10 a.m. on Tuesday at the truce village of Panmunjeom near the border after the North Korean delegates cross the military demarcation line around 9:30 a.m., according to

North Korea Jan. 8, 2018

North Korea announced Sunday that Ri Son-gwon, its point man on inter-Korean affairs, will be the head of its delegation for an upcoming high-level meeting with South Korea.“According to its list (of delegates), North Korea’s chief delegate will be Ri Son-gwon, chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country,” Seoul’s Unification Ministry said Sunday, delivering the notification it received after the inter-Korean hotline communications began at 9:30 a.m. The North’s messa

North Korea Jan. 7, 2018

North Korea’s announcement of its willingness to revive an inter-Korean hotline was delivered by a man viewed as one of the regime’s key military negotiators. Ri Son-gwon, chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country of the DPRK, reads a statement on North Korea`s state-run broadcaster Korean Central Television on Wednesday. (Yonhap)On Wednesday, Ri Son-gwon, chairman of North Korea’s Committee for Peaceful Reunification, spoke on behalf of Kim Jong-un, saying North Ko

North Korea Jan. 4, 2018

South Korea’s call to the North went unanswered Tuesday afternoon with Pyongyang not responding to Seoul’s latest efforts to restart an inter-Korean dialogue channel through a hotline in the truce village of Panmunjom.  Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon (Yonhap)“(We) tried to communicate with North Korea at around 4 p.m. through a communication channel in Panmunjom, but North Korea remained unresponsive,” the Unification Ministry said Tuesday. The South Korean government offered high-level ta

North Korea Jan. 2, 2018

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s public activities were about 30 percent less frequent this year compared to 2016, with his visits mostly focusing on military affairs, a year-end analysis of news reports and data showed.  North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (Yonhap)“Analysis showed that this indicates that the regime has been stably controlled and (Kim) has strengthened internal solidarity, reducing the need for public activities,” Lee Eugene, vice spokesperson at Seoul’s Unification Ministry, said

North Korea Dec. 29, 2017

President Moon Jae-in said Thursday that the 2015 South Korea-Japan agreement on Japan’s wartime enslavement of Korean women does not resolve the “comfort women” issue. He also stressed it was a “political agreement” that did not take the opinions of victims and citizens into account and urged the government to swiftly take follow-up measures.  (Yonhap)The accord pushes for both nations to “finally and irreversibly” resolve the comfort women issue, and Tokyo made financial compensation of 1 bill

Foreign Affairs Dec. 28, 2017

The Park Geun-hye administration kept parts of the 2015 Korea-Japan agreement on Japan’s wartime enslavement of Korean women in the dark, a South Korean task force confirmed Wednesday. The administration also pushed the deal despite the pact falling short of fundamentally resolving related issues. A group of activists address the 2015 "comfort women" agreement outside the Central Government Complex in Seoul on Wednesday. (Yonhap)“A victim-centered approach, which has become the norm when it come

Foreign Affairs Dec. 27, 2017

The 2015 deal on Japan’s wartime sexual slavery of Korean women lacked a “victim-oriented approach” and Seoul will further communicate with the victims and civic groups before making a final decision, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said Tuesday.  South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha answers reporters during a press briefing held at the Central Government Complex in Seoul on Tuesday. (Yonhap)“It is fundamentally a human rights issue,” Kang told a group of reporters. “There a

Foreign Affairs Dec. 26, 2017

With about 50 days left to the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, questions remain on whether North Korea will come to the games. The Moon Jae-in administration has been struggling to reopen a solid inter-Korean dialogue channel in a bid to patch up ties that have been strained for nearly a decade.  President Moon Jae-in speaks at a special event in July, marking 200 days until the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. (Yonhap)Viewing the Winter Games as an opportunity to ease ten

North Korea Dec. 25, 2017