North Korea’s nominal head of state said Tuesday the inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang will pave the way for “peace and prosperity,” expressing hopes the meeting will lead to the eventual reunification of the separated two Koreas.During his meeting with South Korean delegates at Mansudae Assembly Hall, Kim Yong-nam, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People‘s Assembly, said his country holds “high hopes” for the success of the third meeting between President Moon Jae-in and North Korea’s l

North Korea Sept. 18, 2018

President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday his trip to North Korea will have “significant meaning” as long as it leads to the resumption of stalled denuclearization talks between North Korea and the US. Moon, who flew to Pyongyang for his third meeting with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un, said his goal was not to sign a new agreement with Kim, but to establish “permanent peace” on the Korean Peninsula. “We are witnessing a transition from everyday fear of war to institutionalization of peace,” Moon wa

North Korea Sept. 18, 2018

　With President Moon Jae-in heading to Pyongyang on Tuesday for his third meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, there is a sense of expectation -- and caution -- over whether Moon can pull off his role as a mediator in stalled denuclearization talks between the US and North Korea. 　In his first meeting with Kim in April, Moon helped to ease escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula. In his second meeting the following month, Moon met Kim to sustain momentum for North Korea’s first-ever

North Korea Sept. 17, 2018

With the leaders of the two Koreas seeking to take significant measures to ease military tensions during their summit next week, the two sides’ militaries held extensive discussions to facilitate the upcoming meeting.During the 17-hour talks that started Thursday morning at the truce village of Panmunjom, the two sides sought to pave the way for a third meeting between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang. While no specific agreements have been announced, the go

Defense Sept. 14, 2018

The two Koreas discussed detailed measures to cease cross-border hostilities and establish a joint fishing zone during military talks on Thursday to pave the way for next week’s inter-Korean summit. 　The working-level meeting kicked off at 10 a.m. at the North Korean building Tongilgak inside the cross-border village of Panmunjom. The South Korean military said the meeting was requested by North Korea through a letter.　Army Col. Cho Young-keun, who deals with North Korea policy at the Ministry o

Defense Sept. 13, 2018

Controversy continues to mount over the government’s proposed budget for the implementation of April’s inter-Korean summit agreement, with opposition lawmakers accusing the government of scaling down figures to avoid public criticism. 　Submitted to the National Assembly on Wednesday, the budget proposal estimates about 470 billion won ($417 million) would be needed next year to implement the Panmunjom Declaration agreed upon by President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.　But the m

North Korea Sept. 12, 2018

With South Korean President Moon Jae-in planning to visit North Korea for his third meeting with the country’s leader Kim Jong-un, the prospect of another summit between North Korea and the US has emerged.White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Monday that talks are underway with North Korea over setting up a second summit meeting between President Donald Trump and Kim. In a “warm, very positive letter” sent to Trump in recent days, Kim requested a follow-up to the Singapore summ

North Korea Sept. 11, 2018

　The escalating political tit-for-tat over the need for parliamentary approval of the April inter-Korean summit agreement has come to a halt, with the rival parties agreeing Monday to shelve the discussion until after the inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang next week. 　The ruling Democratic Party of Korea and opposition parties agreed Monday to suspend the debate over whether lawmakers should endorse the Panmunjom Declaration until after the inter-Korean summit from Sept. 18-20.　Seeking to make a b

Politics Sept. 10, 2018

North Korea on Sunday celebrated the 70th anniversary of its founding with a massive military parade in Pyongyang, but the event was largely understated with the absence of intercontinental ballistic missiles and a speech by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. 　The military parade held in Pyongyang involved tanks, artilleries and goose-stepping troops walking past Kim and his foreign delegates, but ICBMs were not displayed during the two-hour event that ended in the morning. 　Kim observed the event

North Korea Sept. 9, 2018

A South Korean Special Forces unit dispatched to the United Arab Emirates has become a “trip wire” in the ongoing Yemeni civil war, an opposition lawmaker said, calling for the unit’s immediate withdrawal from the region. In an interview with Yonhap News Agency on Thursday, Rep. Kim Jong-dae of the minor Justice Party said that the 150-member Akh Unit could automatically be drawn into the UAE’s fight against rebel forces in Yemen.The UAE has joined Saudi Arabia-led military campaigns against Hou

Defense Sept. 6, 2018

  North Korea’s state-run media on Thursday released footage of its leader Kim Jong-un’s meeting with South Korean envoys, offering a glimpse of the event to the reclusive regime’s residents. As part of the first segment of its regular afternoon broadcast, Korean Central Television aired an 8-minute clip of Kim greeting National Security Office chief Chung Eui-young and other delegate members. The broadcast began with the arrival of a South Korean plane carrying the five-member delegation at an

North Korea Sept. 6, 2018

Despite the two Koreas’ efforts to declare an official end to the Korean War within the year, it is unlikely to be achieved without significant measure for denuclearization by North Korea, analysts said. A day after a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the South’s National Security Office chief Chung Eui-yong said Thursday that both parties had reiterated their pledge to adopt the end-of the-war declaration as a trust-building measure to ease decades-old animosity. Kim reassured the S

North Korea Sept. 6, 2018

Two Egyptian asylum seekers on a hunger strike to demand refugee status were sent to a hospital Wednesday after losing consciousness. According to the civic activist group Friends of Asia, Anas El Aasal and Mona Mohammed were receiving medical treatment after being transported to a local hospital. Anas had been on a hunger strike for 19 days and Mona for six days. The two asylum seekers were on a hunger strike in the scorching heat in front of a police station in Hyoja-dong, near the Blue House.

Social Affairs Sept. 5, 2018

With Chinese leader Xi Jinping skipping North Korea’s 70th anniversary celebrations, attention is now on what to expect at the reclusive country’s major national event. According to Chinese and North Korean state-run media, Li Zhanshu, a member of China’s seven-person Communist Party leadership, will travel to Pyongyang as Xi’s envoy Saturday, a day before North Korea commemorates the 70th anniversary of the state’s founding on Sunday. Xi had been expected to attend the celebrations, in what wou

North Korea Sept. 5, 2018