Jan 17, 2020

Pyongyang demands Seoul tear down facilities at North’s resort

North Korea asked the South through the inter-Korean liaison office in December to tear down buildings at the North’s Kumgangsan mountain resort, government sources familiar with the matter said Thursday.  Pyongyang requested Seoul do so by February this year. The northern neighbor had also asked South Korea in November to dismantle facilities at the resort by the month’s end.“I can’t confirm anything at the moment because the matter is under consultation between Seo

Jan 17, 2020

Seoul calls shots in engaging Pyongyang: official

South Korea is a sovereign country that dictates its own North Korean policies, Seoul’s Unification Ministry said Friday, in a reference to remarks by US Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris that Washington should be consulted on potential cross-border tourism to the North. “The United States has made it clear through many channels that it respects the sovereignty of South Korea, and our policies on North Korea fall under that description,” Spokesperson Lee Sang-min said at a

Jan 17, 2020

S. Korea says inter-Korean policy matter of sovereignty

South Korea's policy on North Korea is a matter of sovereignty, the unification ministry said Friday, after US Ambassador Harry Harris called for Seoul to make sure to consult closely with Washington about its engagement plans with the North.On Thursday, Ambassador Harris told foreign media reporters that South Korea should consult with Washington about its plans to engage with North Korea in order to "avoid a misunderstanding later that could trigger sanctions."His remarks came as Sou

Jan 17, 2020

US sends nuke-detecting plane to air base in Japan

The United States has deployed a WC-135W radiation detection plane to one of its air bases in Japan, an aviation tracker said Thursday, a move seen as aimed at beefing up surveillance of North Korea.The WC-135W Constant Phoenix arrived at Kadena Air Base in Japan's Okinawa, Aircraft Spots said in a Twitter post, without elaborating on the exact time of the arrival.Nicknamed the "nuke sniffer," the WC-135W played a key role in detecting radioactive leaks after the Chernobyl nuclear disa

Jan 17, 2020

Biegun reaffirms US commitment to N. Korea talks

WASHINGTON -- US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun has reaffirmed the United States' commitment to denuclearization talks with North Korea and urged China to fully enforce United Nations sanctions against Pyongyang, the State Department said Thursday.Biegun made the remarks during a phone call with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng on Wednesday, the department said in a readout. The deputy secretary also serves as Washington's top envoy to nuclear talks with the North."Deputy

Jan 16, 2020

Seoul seeks to revive tours to NK

Hurdles include US-led sanctions, Pyongyang’s lack of interest in engagement

Jan 16, 2020

Trump likens N. Korea talks to 'beautiful game of chess'

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he views the on-again, off-again nuclear talks with North Korea as a "beautiful game of chess."Trump made the remark during a White House signing ceremony for a phase-one trade deal between the United States and China, giving Beijing credit for "helping us with North Korea.""China is helping us with a lot of the things that they can be helping us with, which you don't see in a deal, but they have been very, very help

Jan 15, 2020

S. Korea, US seek dialogue with NK within sanctions framework: envoy

South Korea’s top nuclear envoy said Wednesday that Seoul and Washington are looking for ways to promote dialogue with Pyongyang under the current sanctions framework.“Promoting dialogue within the sanctions framework is the issue of mutual interest (of South Korea and the US),” Lee Do-hoon, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, told reporters before heading to Washington on Wednesday for talks with US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun.&

Jan 15, 2020

S. Korea looking into 'various formats' to allow individual trips to Mount Kumgang

S. Korea looking into 'various formats' to allow individual trips to Mount KumgangSouth Korea is looking into "various formats" to allow its citizens to visit Mount Kumgang, a day after President Moon Jae-in cited individual trips as a way to expand inter-Korean exchanges, the unification ministry said Wednesday.On Tuesday, Moon said during a press conference for the new year that allowing such trips does not violate global sanctions, saying it could be one of the ways to expand inter-

Jan 15, 2020

Unification minister vows action to improve inter-Korean relations

Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul has pledged to take possible measures to improve relations with North Korea, rather than waiting for progress in negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington, according to civic group officials.The remark, made during a luncheon meeting with representatives of pro-unification civic and religious groups on Tuesday, is in line with President Moon Jae-in's vow to expand inter-Korean cooperation so as to help facilitate stalled nuclear talks between Washington and

Jan 15, 2020

N. Korea holds nationwide party meetings to discuss Kim's New Year's message

North Korea held nationwide regional meetings of the Workers' Party to discuss leader Kim Jong-un's New Year's message urging stepped-up "self-reliance" and a "frontal breakthrough" against challenges facing the communist nation, state media reported Wednesday.Provincial committee meetings were held on Monday and Tuesday across the nation to discuss the results of the plenary session of the WPK's Central Committee in late December, according to the Rodong Sinmun, the official

Jan 14, 2020

NK propaganda outlet urges 'life-or-death battle' against 'murderous' sanctions

A North Korean propaganda outlet called Tuesday for a "life-or-death" battle against what it called "unprecedentedly murderous" sanctions, saying the US campaign to stifle the communist nation has gone beyond its limit.North Korea's media outlets have emphasized the importance of "self-reliance" in various areas apparently to brace for a protracted struggle against pressure led by the United States amid a lack of progress in denuclearization talks. "The frontal

Jan 14, 2020

S. Korean envoy to discuss NK with Biegun in US

South Korea’s top envoy on North Korean nukes will visit Washington this week for talks with his US counterpart, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday, amid a protracted stalemate in denuclearization negotiations with Pyongyang.Lee Do-hoon, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, will visit Washington from Wednesday through Saturday to meet with Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun, who is also the chief US envoy in negotiations with the North, the

Jan 14, 2020

S. Korea delivers $5.7m in humanitarian aid to NK this month: UN

South Korea has donated $5.73 million in humanitarian assistance for North Korea so far this year to help the impoverished country improve its public health situation and restore villages still reeling from the aftermath of typhoons, UN data showed Tuesday.According to the data released by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, South Korea has delivered $4 million to the World Health Organization (WHO) and another $1.7 million to the North's Red Cross Society as of Friday. T