Urging the United Nations to take appropriate action, North Korea stepped up its demand for the repatriation of North Korean restaurant workers who defected to South Korea in 2016 despite an ongoing inter-Korean detente. North Korea’s permanent mission to the UN Office and other international organizations in Geneva demanded South Korea send back the North Korean defectors to “show the will to improve the inter-Korean relations” through a press release, according to the North’s state-run Korean

North Korea June 3, 2018

Experts cautiously raised the possibility Thursday that South Korea, North Korea and the US could declare an end to the Korean War in Singapore following a Pyongyang-Washington summit later this month, amid preparations in full swing for the historic summit.If the summit -- which US President Donald Trump earlier canceled only to say a day later that it could still take place -- is held as planned in Singapore, the possibility of a three-way summit involving the Koreas and the US there would be

Foreign Affairs May 31, 2018

The presidential office is pushing to hold a summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong in July, it said Wednesday.South Korean President Moon Jae-in (Yonhap)“Cheong Wa Dae has sent an official to Singapore on a survey mission to prepare for the South Korea-Singapore summit slated to be held in July,” the presidential office said in a released statement.The statement came after a news media outlet earlier reported that the presidential offic

Foreign Affairs May 30, 2018

Working-level talks between officials from North Korea and the US ended Wednesday at the border village of Panmunjeom, amid a flurry of diplomatic efforts to prepare for a potential North Korea-US summit next month.　A team of US diplomats was seen going through security checks at the military guard point leading to Panmunjeom around 9 a.m. to hold preparatory discussions with North Korean officials for the June 12 summit in Singapore. They were seen coming back to Seoul in the afternoon.Led by S

North Korea May 30, 2018

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s timeline for denuclearization would involve getting at least partial sanctions relief this year in return for taking steps to abandon its nuclear weapons, experts say. In a commentary carried by the North’s state-run Rodong Sinmun on Monday, North Korea said it is following its own timeline to join the international community in constructing a peaceful, nuclear-free world.North Korea’s mention of its “own timeline” came as officials from North Korea and the US w

North Korea May 29, 2018

After North Korea blew up tunnels, observation buildings and living quarters at its nuclear test site Punggye-ri in front of international journalists last week, more details of the trip were revealed by South Korean pool reporters Monday. Eight pool reporters from South Korea were allowed into the North at the last minute, joining some 20 reporters from the US, China, Russia and the UK to witness the destruction of the Punggye-ri site in the country’s mountainous northeast. (Joint Press Corps)T

Foreign Affairs May 28, 2018

The US-North Korea summit may be back on track following North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s affirmation of his commitment to “complete denuclearization” and US President Donald Trump commenting negotiations over the summit are “going very well.”  　Kim has a firm commitment to “a complete denuclearization” and willingness to “end the history of war and confrontation” South Korean President Moon Jae-in said during a press briefing Sunday after he held talks with Kim on the border village of Panmunj

Foreign Affairs May 27, 2018

South Korean pool reporters, who were initially invited but excluded from the flight to the North from Beijing a day earlier, left for North Korea on a state-owned plane on Wednesday to witness the dismantling of the North’s Punggye-ri nuclear site. The plane carrying a total of eight reporters took off from Seongnam Airport at 12:30 p.m. The plane is expected to arrive in the North’s eastern city of Wonsan, where a press center is located, at around 2 p.m.“As we are reporting on denuclearizatio

North Korea May 23, 2018

Eight South Korean reporters on Wednesday took a train to Punggye-ri, North Korea, to watch the dismantling of the major nuclear test site, after the regime accepted them into the country at the last minute. North Korean guides on a bus carrying South Korean reporters at the Kalma Airport, Wonsan, Wednesday. (Joint Press Corps)The special train departed from Wonsan for Punggye-ri at around 7 p.m., carrying reporters from South Korea, the US, China, Russia and the UK. The closing of the nuclear s

North Korea May 23, 2018

South Korean journalists on Tuesday were excluded from the flight to North Korea as the regime took some 20 journalists from four countries to witness the dismantling of the Punggye-ri nuclear facility. 　 North Korea did not issue visas to South Korean journalists initially invited to cover the closing of the Punggye-ri nuclear site, which it said would happen between Wednesday and Friday, without elaborating on reasons. Fore

North Korea May 22, 2018

North Korea’s dismantling of its major nuclear test site will likely go ahead as planned this week, but it was unclear as of Monday evening whether South Korean reporters would be able to cover the event.North Korea declined to accept a list of South Korean journalists assigned to cover the dismantling of the Punggyeri nuclear site, which the North said will happen sometime from Wednesday to Friday, the Unification Ministry said in a regular briefing on Monday. The Unification Ministry attempted

North Korea May 21, 2018

US President Donald Trump stressed Thursday (US time) that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s regime will not be affected if a denuclearization deal is reached between the two countries in an apparent effort to appease Pyongyang.　Trump also said that the “Libyan model” -- which Pyongyang has strongly opposed -- isn’t a model he is considering for North Korea’s denuclearization, but warned that Kim could face the same fate as Libya’s former leader if the North doesn’t strike a deal on its nuclear

Foreign Affairs May 18, 2018

For countries faced with a population decline, taking in migrants is not only necessary, but also desirable, provided that creative immigration policies are implemented, says the UN migration agency’s chief. William Lacy Swing, director general of the International Organization for Migration, warned against widespread anti-immigration and anti-refugee sentiment around the world, saying it is based on “false stereotypes and unfounded fear.” “People say … we don’t want any migrants, build a wall a

Foreign Affairs May 17, 2018

North Korea’s abrupt postponement of high-level talks with South Korea and its threats to call off the upcoming summit with the US are tactics to strengthen its position in negotiations with Washington, experts say.  With the US appearing to be raising the bar for North Korea’s denuclearization, North Korea might be expressing its discomfort and sending a message that it will not be swayed by Washington and Seoul ahead of the North Korea-US summit on June 12 in Singapore. North Korean Vice Forei

North Korea May 16, 2018

The head of the UN‘s World Food Program said Tuesday there is a “sense of optimism” among North Koreans and their leadership ahead of a historic summit between North Korea and the US, following his four-day visit to the country. David Beasley, the executive director of the World Food Program, noted the isolated country’s “genuine desire to be more open” as its leader Kim Jong-un appears to be seeking to break out of diplomatic isolation.“In my opinion, there was a tremendous sense of optimism by

North Korea May 15, 2018