Working-level officials from South Korea and the US agreed on Thursday that a sanctions exemption was needed to enable the two Koreas to carry out joint projects and said they would ask the United Nations Security Council to waive related restrictions. According to the Foreign Ministry, the two countries reached consensus during a videoconference that it was necessary to bring electronic devices into North Korea for two inter-Korean projects -- surveys to prepare for the reconnection of cross-bo

North Korea Jan. 17, 2019

North Korea’s chief negotiator in US-North Korea talks, Kim Yong-chol, is expected to deliver a letter to US President Donald Trump during his visit to Washington this weekend, according to media reports Thursday. Kim, vice chairman of the ruling Workers’ Party Central Committee, is expected to arrive in the US capital on Thursday. He will meet Trump at the White House, following a meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday. North Korean senior official Kim Yong-chol (Yonhap)The se

North Korea Jan. 17, 2019

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa reaffirmed Wednesday that the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is a shared goal of South Korea and the US, stressing close cooperation between the two countries. “Denuclearization talks will begin in earnest based on strategies that have been mediated between South Korea and the US. … I expect there will be great progress in denuclearization, inter-Korean relations and lasting peace settlement if a second North Korea-US summit and North Korean lea

Foreign Affairs Jan. 16, 2019

North Korea cannot afford to be slapped with additional international sanctions over the development of nuclear weapons, experts here said Tuesday, following a media report that the country might have produced material for more atomic bombs in 2018. Citing satellite-imagery analysis and leaked US intelligence, Bloomberg on Monday reported that Pyongyang has been strengthening its nuclear arsenal by churning out rockets and warheads as well as adding several intercontinental ballistic missiles an

North Korea Jan. 15, 2019

The US is fine-tuning the details of a second summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un amid media reports naming Vietnam as a possible site for talks. Asked when the two leaders will hold their summit, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on TV that the administration is “working out the details,” without further elaboration. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (Yonhap)His remark is being taken as a positive sign for an imminent summit, as Trump said negotiati

North Korea Jan. 14, 2019

Negotiations to resume two inter-Korean economic cooperation projects are possible but there need to be ways to prevent the flow of “bulk cash” into North Korea, a high-ranking Foreign Ministry official said Thursday on condition of anonymity. In his New Year speech Tuesday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said he is willing to reopen the South-North joint industrial park in the North’s border town of Kaesong and resume the suspended tourism program to Mount Kumgang without any preconditions.“(I

North Korea Jan. 11, 2019

South Korea will continue to push for signing with North Korea a declaration to formally end the Korean War this year amid concerns over slow progress, a government official said on condition of anonymity Thursday. The government’s willingness to sign the declaration remains unchanged although the timeline has been delayed from what it had expected – by the end of last year, the official said. “We still believe that the agreement should be pushed ahead.” (Yonhap)This echoes President Moon Jae-in

North Korea Jan. 11, 2019

Vietnam and Singapore are likely to be shortlisted to host a second summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and the US President Donald Trump, Foreign Affairs Ministry officials said on condition of anonymity Thursday. “(The venues you should pay attention to) are those mentioned by media including Vietnam, Singapore and Hawaii,” one ministry official said. “But Hawaii is said to be an unrealistic location as it doesn’t have a North Korean embassy there,” another official added. (AP)The s

North Korea Jan. 11, 2019

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un wrapped up his four-day visit to China on Wednesday after holding talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and touring an economic zone, while the US maintains its silence over the two leaders’ meeting. Kim’s train departed from a train station in Beijing at around 2 p.m. after Kim and Xi had lunch together, according to Yonhap News Agency. In this June 19, 2018, file photo provided by China's Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping(left) and North Korean

North Korea Jan. 9, 2019

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday afternoon, according to media outlets of the two countries, apparently to discuss a second summit with US President Donald Trump concerning denuclearization. Kim arrived by train at the Beijing station at 10:55 a.m. Tuesday, which happens to be his birthday, at the invitation of the Chinese leader, North Korea’s state-run Rodong Sinmun and China’s Xinhua News Agency reported.  In this June 19, 2018, file phot

North Korea Jan. 8, 2019

US President Donald Trump confirmed Sunday talks for the location of a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un are underway, after the two said last week they are ready to meet to further discuss Pyongyang’s denuclearization. “We’re negotiating a location. It will be announced probably in the not-too-distant future,” Trump told reporters before boarding a helicopter for a presidential retreat to Camp David, Maryland.  US President Donald Trump speaks on the South Lawn of the White Hou

North Korea Jan. 7, 2019

President Moon Jae-in will hold a New Year’s meeting with reporters on Thursday to explain his administration’s key policy objectives, marking his third televised press conference since he took office in 2017, Cheong Wa Dae said Sunday. The event will kick off at 10 a.m. with the president’s 20-minute keynote speech, followed by a question-and-answer session with reporters, which is expected to run for 80 minutes.  President Moon Jae-in (center)  (Yonhap)This is Moon’s third press conference wit

Politics Jan. 6, 2019