Controversy continued to escalate Wednesday over US President Donald Trump’s remark on halting joint military drills with South Korea, fueling concern about his security commitment to long-standing allies in the region.It is still unclear what Trump meant and intended by stopping “war games” -- whether the announcement aims to suspend semiannual large-scale exercises or whether it is just another gambit to put pressure on South Korea to pay more for stationing US troops. Whatever purpose he may

Defense June 13, 2018

South Korea’s presidential office Wednesday hinted at the possibility of suspending the country‘s joint military drills with the United States, raising the prospect of halting the upcoming Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise scheduled for August.　Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday while it needs more time to figure out the meaning and intention of Trump’s remark, the government can consider “various options” to build trust with North Korea to foster the denuclearization process.　“When there is serious tal

North Korea June 13, 2018

Despite a joint agreement and lofty words, the first-ever summit between the US and North Korea appears to have made little progress in achieving the much-anticipated goal of denuclearizing North Korea, analysts said. Following their summit on the resort island of Sentosa in Singapore, US President Donald Trump and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un signed an agreement that “reaffirmed firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”But the agreement is a repea

North Korea June 12, 2018

　US President Donald Trump said Tuesday denuclearization of North Korea will start “very quickly” after signing an agreement with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un at a historic summit in Singapore.　“We‘re starting that process,“ Trump said in response to a question about denuclearization of North Korea after meeting with Kim at the resort island of Sentosa in Singapore. The process would start ”very quickly,” he added. 　The remark came after the first-ever US-North Korea summit aimed at resolvin

North Korea June 12, 2018

North Korea on Tuesday informed South Korea of its delegation for upcoming inter-Korean military talks scheduled for Thursday, amid heightened expectations for the easing of cross-border tensions following a series of cross-border summits. 　Led by Army Lt. Gen Ahn Ik-san, a total of five delegates will attend the general-level military talks scheduled to take place at Panmungak, a North Korean building inside the truce village of Panmunjeom, South Korea’s Defense Ministry said,　The announcement

Defense June 12, 2018

United States President Donald Trump and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un are scheduled to kick off their historic summit Tuesday in Singapore. With the eyes of the world upon them, here is a breakdown of how the day will unfold. The first-ever meeting between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader is to kick off at 9 a.m. Tuesday at Capella Hotel on the resort island of Sentosa in Singapore. Trump announced plans to leave early for the summit site. Starting off with a handshake, the o

North Korea June 12, 2018

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Monday it would be a “great gift” for US President Donald Trump’s birthday if his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is successful, Cheong Wa Dae said. During a phone call with Trump, Moon credited Trump for his “bold decision” and “courageous leadership” to hold the historic summit with North Korea scheduled for Tuesday in Singapore. The two leaders also discussed the declaration of an official end to the Korean War during the 40-minute call, Che

North Korea June 11, 2018

With US President Donald Trump and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un arriving at Singapore on Sunday, the countdown to the historic summit began even as negotiations continued over how to make the historic summit a success. 　From the truce village of Panmunjeom and Singapore, top nuclear envoys from North Korea and the US have engaged in a series of discussions aimed at resolving their nuclear standoff and decades-old animosity. 　While the details of the talks were not released to the public, the

North Korea June 11, 2018

 　With North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump in Singapore for a summit on Tuesday, there is hope and caution over whether the historic meeting will lead to resolving the nuclear standoff and decadesold animosity. 　Expectations are higher than ever that the summit -- scheduled to take place on the city state’s resort island of Sentosa -- will pave the way for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and the surrounding region. 　Yet, Pyongyang and Washington remain at o

North Korea June 11, 2018

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump arrived Sunday in Singapore ahead of their first-ever summit on Tuesday. After landing at Singapore’s Changi Airport shortly at around 2:40 p.m., Kim met with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Istana Presidential Palace and expressed gratitude to Lee for hosting event.  In this photo released by the Ministry of Communications and Information of Singapore, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, right, arrives at the Changi In

North Korea June 10, 2018

　Previous attempts to denuclearize North Korea have ended with failure. From the Agreed Framework in 1994 and Leap Day deal of 2012, the past negotiations were bedeviled by mistrust and eventually allowed Pyongyang to declare itself a full-fledged nuclear power. 　Such skepticism is still rampant over the first-ever US-North Korea summit to be held in Singapore on Tuesday. Despite the historic significance, doubts persist over whether North Korea would give away the nuclear weapons that it sees a

North Korea June 6, 2018

Since the end of the Korean War in 1953, the US has stationed large-scale troops in South Korea. Though the level of troops has fluctuated over time, the US forces in South Korea have played a crucial role in deterring provocations from North Korea.　Now, the future of the USFK is being questioned amid speculation that the issue could be raised during the US-North Korea summit on June 12, prompting debate over what role the troops would play in the event of a diplomatic breakthrough between Washi

Defense June 4, 2018

 　With US President Donald Trump floating the idea of declaring an end to the Korean War following his summit with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un, a Seoul-based security expert said the deal could be reached as soon as the day after their meeting on June 12. 　Cho Seong-ryoul, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Strategy and a member of advisory group for President Moon Jae-in, said Moon could travel to Singapore in time for the Trump-Kim summit and join the two leaders i

North Korea June 3, 2018

Despite high hopes that a planned US-North Korea summit will resolve decades-old animosities and a nuclear standoff, Pyongyang remains the “most imminent” threat to Washington, the outgoing head of US Pacific Command said. 　During his change of command ceremony Wednesday, Adm. Harry Harris, who is expected to become the next US ambassador to South Korea, also noted that China’s pursuit of hegemony in Asia would pose the “biggest long-term challenge” to the US and its allies in the region. 　“Nort

Defense May 31, 2018

North Korea’s state-run newspaper Tuesday urged the United States to suspend its combined military exercise with South Korea, raising speculation over whether the issue would be raised as an official agenda item for the scheduled US-North Korea summit. 　In an article titled “Behave along the mood for a dialogue,” Rodong Shinmun said that if the US wants a summit with North Korea, Washington should reconsider holding the upcoming Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise, which is scheduled for this August

North Korea May 29, 2018