The opening of a South-North joint liaison office may be facing obstacles, with the latest reports of North Korea’s sanctions violations apparently heightening the US’ sensitivity toward the issue. Seoul has been asking for US cooperation in granting an exemption for the establishment of the liaison office in the border town of Kaesong, which was a clause in the agreement reached between the leaders of the two Koreas in April, as part of efforts to foster cross-border communication and cooperati

North Korea Aug. 6, 2018

Growing reports of North Korea’s sanctions violations are fueling concerns that there may be a further delay in ongoing negotiations on denuclearization between Washington and Pyongyang. Media reports released late Saturday, citing a confidential UN report, said that North Korea has in fact not halted its nuclear and missile programs and actively continued illicit ship-to-ship transfers of petroleum products and coal in 2018. It also states that the North has been cooperating militarily with Syr

North Korea Aug. 5, 2018

With a recent detente between South and North Korea fueling hopes for reunification, the South’s legal community believes that drawing up a strong legal framework for inter-Korean economic projects will lay the groundwork for the constitutional law of a reunified peninsula. Studies seeking a legal system that could support peaceful reunification are being done in the South, in the hopes of designing a legal framework that could bridge the political and economic gaps between the two Koreas.  A gr

North Korea Aug. 2, 2018

With Seoul approving Hyundai Group’s visit to North Korea scheduled for Friday, all eyes are on whether the visit will contribute to the revival of inter-Korean economic cooperation amid the US’ determination to keep sanctions intact until the North’s complete denuclearization.A group of 15 officials from Hyundai, including Chairman Hyun Jeong-eun and Lee Young-ha, CEO of the group’s inter-Korean business arm Hyundai Asan, has been permitted by the Unification Ministry to visit Kumgangsan, locat

North Korea Aug. 2, 2018

South Korea’s Ministry of Unification on Monday reaffirmed its position that the 12 North Korean restaurant workers who came to the South in 2016 defected of their own volition. The statement came a day after the National Human Rights Commission, the country’s human rights watchdog, said it plans to launch an investigation into claims that the 12 women were abducted by the South’s National Intelligence Service, without knowledge of their destination. “Our stance on the matter remains unchanged,”

North Korea July 30, 2018

North Korea remained mum on Sunday on its return of the remains of American soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War, but it is in fact sending a silent message to the US to swiftly declare mark an official end of war, experts say. In a move that is seen as the first tangible result from the Singapore summit in June, North Korea repatriated 55 sets of remains of US soldiers Friday, which prompted a note of thanks from US President Donald Trump to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un via Twitter.

North Korea July 29, 2018

North Korea’s ambassador to the United Nations was recently dismissed from his post, sources within the UN said Thursday, which may indicate that Pyongyang is seeking to further cement a fresh diplomatic stance amid ongoing denuclearization talks. Ja Song-nam, a 64-year-old diplomat who had served as the North’s permanent representative to the UN since 2014, embarked on a trip to Pyongyang via Beijing on Thursday, the sources said. The background and motive behind the North’s decision are yet un

North Korea July 26, 2018

The two Koreas exchanged the results of their search for families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War ahead of a reunion event in August, the Ministry of Unification said Wednesday. Documents compiled following the weekslong search were exchanged by Red Cross officials from the respective sides at the border village of Panmunjom around 11 a.m., officials said.  Korean Red Cross employees holding documents of results of their search for families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War on Wednesday. (

North Korea July 25, 2018

Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday said it believes North Korea’s reported decision to dismantle a key nuclear test site will have a “good effect” on denuclearization, seeing it as a step forward amid the perceived lack of progress in US-North Korea talks. Pyongyang began dismantling key facilities at its Sohae satellite launching station, including a rocket engine test stand and a rail-mounted processing building, where space launch vehicles were assembled before being transferred to the launch pad, acco

North Korea July 24, 2018

United States Ambassador Harry Harris stressed the allies’s synchronization in dealings with North Korea‘s nuclear issues in a meeting with Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon on Monday.“I think it is important that we work together in synchronization,” Harris, who made a courtesy call on Cho after taking office on July 7, said ahead of the meeting with Cho.  South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon (left) and US Ambassador to Seoul Harry Harris (right). (Yonhap)“The Korea-US alliance

North Korea July 23, 2018

Families of the victims of the 1987 terror attack orchestrated by North Korea filed a lawsuit against Kim Hyon-hui, who was convicted of the attack, on Monday for libel and obstruction of business, nearly three decades after the incident took place. The bombing of Korean Air Flight 858 shocked the nation, as the flight exploded mid-air over Myanmar on its way from Baghdad, Iraq, to Seoul, killing all 115 passengers and crew aboard, who were mostly South Koreans. (Yonhap)The Chun Doo-hwan adminis

North Korea July 23, 2018

DAEJEON -- A unified Korean mixed doubles ping-pong team advanced to the finals Friday, propelled by thunderous cheers and applause from South Korean spectators. At the semifinals that kicked off around noon, the impeccable teamwork of Jang Woo-jin of South Korea and Cha Hyo-sim of North Korea caught Taiwan’s Chen Chien-An and Cheng I-Ching off guard with a score of 3-2 (6-11, 11-5, 16-14, 11-6, 11-4) at the International Table Tennis Federation World Tour Platinum Korea Open in Daejeon, 160 kil

North Korea July 20, 2018

North Korea’s media on Friday called on South Korea to swiftly repatriate a group of restaurant workers and warned that a delay in the process could negatively impact inter-Korean ties, along with the upcoming reunion of families separated by the Korea War.North Korea has been ramping up its demand that Seoul return 12 North Korean women who came to South Korea in April 2016 after the restaurant manager who came with the women told a local broadcaster in May that the South’s intelligence agency

North Korea July 20, 2018

Local media on Thursday said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un summoned his ambassadors and heads of overseas missions back to Pyongyang, amid a shift in the atmosphere surrounding Kim’s diplomacy. Earlier in the day, the South’s media outlets reported that the heads of the North’s embassies and other missions were called in for what is “presumed to be an ambassadorial meeting,” citing unnamed sources.  North Korean leader Kim Jong-un prepares to take a photo with officials, when he recalled

North Korea July 19, 2018

South Korea will tap into a state fund to help cover the costs to reunite families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War, scheduled for next month, the Ministry of Unification said Wednesday.  Following a series of panel meetings held from July 11-16, the Seoul government decided to offer about 3.2 billion won ($2.83 million) to cover costs for the Aug. 20-26 reunions, according to the ministry. Event preparations will receive support of about 2 billion won, while 1 billion won will go to repairin

North Korea July 18, 2018