US President Donald Trump plans to hold a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un because the North has failed to follow through on its promise to denuclearize, US national security adviser John Bolton said Tuesday (US time), amid North Korea’s continued silence. His remarks came after Trump reaffirmed his wish to hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim in January or February. Trump said he could grant Kim his wishes if he delivers on denuclearization, according to South Korean Pre

Foreign Affairs Dec. 5, 2018

As US President Donald Trump eyes a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for a breakthrough in stalled denuclearization talks early next year, Washington faces its own dilemma stemming from a lack of bargaining chips. 　Time may also not be on Trump’s side, with reported cases of sanctions being eased, intelligence reports pointing to North Korea’s continued work on nuclear and missile programs, and a fast-approaching 2020 presidential election.　North Korea has called on the US to t

Foreign Affairs Dec. 4, 2018

The momentum for a second US-North Korea summit early next year and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s visit to Seoul has been kept alive through a flurry of diplomacy on the sidelines of the G-20 summit. 　But North Korea has chosen to stay mum, which analysts say indicates a deepening dilemma for the young leader under pressure to prove he was right about offering to give up his country’s nuclear weapons program. 　The US and South Korea’s often repeated statement that sanctions against North Kor

North Korea Dec. 3, 2018

A South Korean train crossed into North Korea for the first time in a decade on Friday, as the two countries began an 18-day joint study on cross-border railways, the first step toward modernizing and connecting the Koreas’ railroads. A six-car South Korean train departed Seoul Station at around 9:05 a.m. for North Korea’s Panmun Station near the inter-Korean border to carry out the survey, which had been delayed due to US concerns over possible sanctions violations. (Yonhap)The train, which car

North Korea Nov. 30, 2018

A senior US diplomat said Wednesday that the US and the international community are not prepared for the significant lifting of sanctions for an inter-Korean railway connection until North Korea’s “final, fully verified denuclearization.” Marc Knapper, acting deputy assistant secretary at the US State Department, made the remarks during a forum on regional peace and cooperation in Seoul, as the Koreas eye a reconnection of inter-Korean railways. The US wants North Koreans to have a bright future

Foreign Affairs Nov. 28, 2018

A new deal on victims of Japan’s wartime use of forced labor, or a joint fund involving the Japanese government and firms, could be solutions to resolving the intensifying diplomatic row between Seoul and Tokyo, the victims’ lawyer said in an interview with The Korea Herald. Relations between the neighbors have again hit a new low after South Korea’s top court ruled last month that Japan’s Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp. must compensate four South Koreans, who were forced to work at its stee

Social Affairs Nov. 27, 2018

The US decision to grant an exemption to UN sanctions for a joint study on modernizing and reconnecting inter-Korean railways hinted at what the future holds for North Korea should it take steps to denuclearize, experts said Sunday.　South Korea received a sanctions exemption from the United Nations Security Council, allowing the South to bring fuel and other equipment into the North for a joint survey of inter-Korean railroads, according to the Foreign Ministry. 　South Korea also secured support

North Korea Nov. 25, 2018

The issue of Japan’s military sexual enslavement of South Korean women cannot be resolved through diplomatic negotiations, a government official said Thursday, amid worsening bilateral ties over Seoul’s decision to disband a Japanese-funded foundation to support the victims. “The issue of comfort women is not a matter that can be resolved in the short term through diplomatic consultations. Rather, it is a matter that should be resolved based on truth and principle,” said an official from the For

Foreign Affairs Nov. 22, 2018

As South Korea’s capital, home to some 10 million people, is blanketed in a heavy fine dust that clogs throats, a newly opened botanical garden in western Seoul has become a haven for those seeking to breathe clean air. Seoul Botanic Park, which is twice the size of Yeouido Park and located at the center of Magok high-tech industrial zone, has opened for a test run after a five-year construction before its official launch next spring. The indoor botanic garden showcases gardens from 12 tropical

Travel Nov. 22, 2018

A Russian-flagged vessel slapped with US sanctions against North Korea has yet to leave a South Korean port, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.  (Yonhap)The ministry’s response came following a Radio Free Asia report that the Russian ship Sevastopol had re-entered the port of Busan, based on its location shown by vessel tracking service Marine Traffic. “The ship did not re-enter the South Korean port. It has yet to leave the port for its own reasons,” a ministry official said. The South Ko

Foreign Affairs Nov. 21, 2018

The US expressed “strong support” for the two Koreas’ plan to conduct a joint study to connect railways across their border, a top South Korean official said Wednesday, after the first meeting of a South Korea-US working group on North Korea issues. 　The US, however, reaffirmed its position that inter-Korean relations and the denuclearization of North Korea should progress in tandem, which analysts say shows Washington’s concerns over a potential difference with its ally. (Yonhap)　“The US expres

Foreign Affairs Nov. 21, 2018

The inaugural meeting of a South Korea-US working group aimed at better coordinating their North Korea policy was set to be held in Washington on Tuesday afternoon (EST), according to Seoul’s Foreign Ministry. 　Lee Do-hoon, South Korea’s special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, was expected to discuss the prospect of a high-level meeting between North Korea and the US, and sanctions exemptions for an inter-Korean railway project, during the meeting with his US coun

Foreign Affairs Nov. 20, 2018

South Korea’s top nuclear envoy on Monday headed to the US, where he is expected to launch a working group with his US counterpart aimed at better coordinating their North Korea policy, amid ongoing efforts to rid the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons. 　Lee Do-hoon, Seoul’s special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, is to discuss the two countries’ shared strategy to deal with North Korea with Stephen Biegun, the US special representative for North Korea, during hi

Foreign Affairs Nov. 19, 2018

A North Korean senior official rallied support for the Koreas’ efforts to advance peace and condemned Japan over its wartime atrocities during an international forum in South Korea on Friday.  (Yonhap)Ri Jong-hyok, vice chairman of the Korean Asia-Pacific Peace Committee, said that the three inter-Korean summits and North Korea-US summit this year form a “declaration” heralding an era of peace. “After it committed atrocities such as mass abductions, forcible mobilization and massacre, Japan stic

Foreign Affairs Nov. 16, 2018

A United Nations committee on Thursday adopted a resolution condemning North Korea’s “longstanding and ongoing systematic, widespread and gross violations of human rights” amid ongoing diplomatic efforts to achieve denuclearization of North Korea. The General Assembly’s human rights committee approved the resolution by consensus without a vote. It is expected to pass the assembly in December for the 14th consecutive year. 　The resolution is largely similar to the previous resolutions on North Ko

North Korea Nov. 16, 2018