South Korea on Tuesday condemned Japan’s repeated claim to the Dokdo islets in a foreign policy document presented to its cabinet, rekindling territorial and historical tensions between the two countries.　The Japanese government described the islets as “indigenous Japanese territory” in this year’s foreign policy document, known as the Diplomatic Bluebook, reported to its cabinet earlier in the day. 　Seoul’s Foreign Ministry urged Tokyo to immediately retract its claim over the ownership of Dokd

Foreign Affairs May 15, 2018

A complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of North Korea is impossible, unless the regime collapses or changes, a former senior North Korean diplomat said Monday. Given the North’s political system that idolizes its leader, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will never give up the country’s nuclear arsenal, and the only option for the rest of the world is to accept North Korea disguising itself as nuclear-free nation, said Thae Yong-ho, North Korea’s former deputy ambassador to the U

Foreign Affairs May 14, 2018

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s mention of “prosperity” for North Korea if it ends its nuclear weapons programs may hint at economic rewards for the cash-strapped regime.  　Pompeo said Friday that his talks with Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang had been “warm,” “constructive” and “good,” and he made clear that if North Korea dismantles its nuclear weapons in a permanent and verifiable way, the US would be willing to help boost the North’s economy.　“If North Korea takes bold action to quickly denucle

Foreign Affairs May 13, 2018

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha is set to hold talks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday in Washington, D.C., ahead of the historic summit between North Korea and the US, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday. South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, left, and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (AP)During the meeting, the countries’ top diplomats will exchange views on the outcome of the April 27 inter-Korean summit, ways to enhance policy coordination on achieving den

Foreign Affairs May 10, 2018

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s visit to China for the second time in less than two months signals Pyongyang’s desire for Beijing’s involvement in the denuclearization process ahead of his summit with US President Donald Trump, experts say. 　The Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed Tuesday that Kim met Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday and Tuesday in the northeastern Chinese city of Dailan, where he reiterated his commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. 　The summit might

Foreign Affairs May 9, 2018

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed to closely work together to declare an end to the Korean War and sign a peace treaty with North Korea in a phone call, Cheong Wa Dae said Friday. Seoul’s presidential office said the two leaders discussed the outcome of the inter-Korean summit held on April 27 in a phone conversation which lasted from 5 p.m. to 5:35 p.m., a week after Moon held a historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the truce village of

North Korea May 4, 2018

South Korea called on activists Friday to immediately stop their campaign to send anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets across the border, vowing to take stern actions against it.North Korean defector-activists' move to fly such leaflets is an "outright violation" of the spirit of a joint declaration adopted at last week's inter-Korean summit, according to Seoul's unification ministry. (Yonhap)"It is desirable that civic groups immediately suspend the campaign, to bring peace to the Korean Peninsul

North Korea May 4, 2018

South Korea’s presidential office on Friday rejected reports that the US may scale down its military presence in South Korea, amid controversy over a possible withdrawal of US troops. 　The New York Times reported Thursday that US President Donald Trump told the Pentagon to “prepare options for drawing down American troops in South Korea” just weeks before his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. US Armed Forces Korea (Yonhap)According to Cheong Wa Dae, however, Seoul’s National Security

Foreign Affairs May 4, 2018

To better understand the joint Panmunjeom Declaration signed at a historic inter-Korean summit last week, it is helpful to look into the declaration of the 2007 summit, which many say bears a striking resemblance to the latest joint statement. 　Experts are divided over whether the declaration signed on April 27 at the two Koreas’ third summit showed any progress in tackling the standoff over North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. 　But many seem to agree that the Panmunjeom Declaration inherits o

North Korea May 3, 2018

The presidential office on Wednesday signaled its intention to declare an end to the Korean War with North Korea and the US, and involve China when signing a peace treaty, making clearer its roadmap to building a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. “Realistically, we have a North Korean nuclear issue and it is difficult to replace an armistice with a peace treaty right away, so there could be a declaration of end to the Korean War as a middle step,” an official from the presidential office tol

Foreign Affairs May 2, 2018

South Korean President Moon Jae-in is set to engage in a flurry of diplomacy this month as he tries to maintain the momentum of the inter-Korean summit until the US-North Korea talks which are expected to take place in May. Moon Jae-in (Yonhap)The first order of business is the trilateral talks among South Korea, China and Japan, scheduled to be held in Tokyo on May 9, where Moon will brief Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on the outcome of the inter-Korean summi

Foreign Affairs May 1, 2018

With the historic inter-Korean summit still dominating the news, behind-the-scenes stories are being revealed by those who accompanied President Moon Jae-in to the meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Here are some notable moments from the 12-hour inter-Korean summit.Moon Jae-in and Kim Jung-un in private conversation A fascinating scene was of the two leaders walking on a foot bridge in Panmunjeom, sitting on benches and talking privately for about 30 minutes. The leaders sometimes lau

North Korea April 30, 2018

After South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un confirmed their commitment to the “complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” the ball is now in the court of US President Donald Trump, who is planning to meet Kim in the coming weeks.  　In what is seen as another bold step by the North Korean leader, Kim pledged to shut down the North’s nuclear site in Punggye-ri in May and “transparently” demonstrate the process to the international community during the summ

Foreign Affairs April 29, 2018

As South Korea and North Korea confirmed their commitment to “complete denuclearization” of the Korean Peninsula during a historic inter-Korean summit Friday, experts were divided over whether the declaration was a breakthrough for North Korea’s nuclear standoff. South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un confirmed “the common goal of realizing, through complete denuclearization, a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula” in a joint statement.(Yonhap)Some experts called the dec

North Korea April 27, 2018

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un looked confident and relaxed enough to make jokes as he emerged from a veil of secrecy Friday at Panmunjeom for a historic inter-Korean summit, part of his charm offensive to present himself as a leader of a normal country.  　In a black Mao-style suit, the reclusive state‘s leader came out of Panmungak, the liaison office building on the North Korean side of the truce village of Panmunjeom, along with his key aides and security guards.　Kim walked toward the Milita

North Korea April 27, 2018