President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump are set to meet for the fifth time on Wednesday, discussing North Korea and Trump’s scheduled meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. In the meeting, scheduled to be held in Washington DC in the early hours of Wednesday (Korea time), the two leaders will focus on the US-North Korea summit, and recent changes in Pyongyang’s tone. President Moon Jae-in and First Lady Kim Jung-sook arrives in the US on Tuesday. YonhapPyongyang has reverted t

President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump are to meet Tuesday, as Seoul seeks to play the mediator between Pyongyang and Washington. The meeting comes amid Pyongyang threats to call off the summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, scheduled to be held in Singapore on June 12. President Moon Jae-in speaks with US President Donald Trump on Friday. YonhapMoon and Trump are expected to focus on the recent changes in Pyongyang’s tone and denuclearization plans for North Kor

Seoul will communicate with North Korea and the US to act as a mediator in preparations for the US-North Korea summit, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday. According to the presidential office, the decision was reached at the National Security Council meeting convened early Thursday, presided over by National Security Office chief Chung Eui-yong. “The council members reiterated that the Panmunjeom Declaration must be executed without faltering,” Cheong Wa Dae said in a statement.  Cheong Wa Dae spokesma

President Moon Jae-in’s special national security and foreign affairs adviser Moon Chung-in continues to voice views that fall short of being in tune with the government. Speaking at a forum Wednesday, special adviser Moon claimed that Seoul’s Defense Minister Song Young-moo had spoken with US Forces Korea commander Gen. Vincent Brooks to keep B-52 bombers out of the Max Thunder exercise.  Moon Chung-in speaks at a lecture in Washington DC on May 4. YonhapMax Thunder is the joint South Korea-US

US private sector investment in North Korea following complete denuclearization would be a welcome development, a top Cheong Wa Dae official said Monday.Speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity, a Cheong Wa Dae official said that measures to allow US private sector investment in the North would be the “sooner the better,” in relation to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s television interview. On Sunday, Pompeo hinted that Washington would allow private sector investment in the North afte

Rival parties’ wrangling over the local elections and North Korean denuclearization continued Sunday, with the ruling Democratic Party accusing the opposition leader of damaging national interests. “(Liberty Korea Party) Chairman Hong is misleading (the public) as if the Moon Jae-in administration pleaded (with the US) to hold the US-North Korea summit on June 12, a day before the local elections,” said Rep. Back Hye-ryun of the Democratic Party.  Liberty Korea Party Chairman Hong Joon-pyo deliv

North Korea’s decision to close down its Punggye-ri nuclear weapons testing site is being met with mixed reactions from the South Korean political arena. On Saturday, North Korea announced that the site would be shut down between May 23 and 25, and media outlets from South Korea, China, Russia, the UK and the US would be invited to witness the event. Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom holds a briefing on North Korea’s decision to disable its Punggye-ri nuclear facility, in Seoul on Sunday. Yo

Cheong Wa Dae on Thursday marked the first year of President Moon Jae-in’s term without fanfare, with the president conducting affairs as usual and a small concert being held at the presidential office.According to Cheong Wa Dae officials, the president conducted his duties as usual, dealing with outstanding issues, including those concerning the upcoming US-North Korea summit.  YonhapThe date and location of the meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump -- cr

North Korea’s release of US citizens will have “positive effect” on the upcoming US-North Korea summit, US President Donald Trump said Wednesday. Trump, however, revealed no information on the time and location of the meeting, again saying that the information will be revealed “soon,” according to Cheong Wa Dae.  President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump. YonhapAccording to Seoul’s presidential office, the comments came in the comments came in a late night telephone conversation with P

Seoul’s presidential office on Wednesday welcomed the release of US citizens held captive by North Korea, saying it is a positive development ahead of the US-North Korea summit. On Wednesday three US citizens were released and handed to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who arrived in Pyongyang earlier in the day to discuss issues concerning the summit. The hostages released are Kim Hak-song, Kim Sang-duk, and Kim Dong-chul. Kim Hak-song and Kim Sang-duk had been held since last year, while Kim

South Korea, China and Japan on Wednesday issued a joint statement supporting the Panmunjeom Declaration, at their first trilateral summit held in more than two years. At the summit, held in Tokyo, the three countries also called for cooperation in the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, closer ties and resumption of regular trilateral meetings. “We share the view that complete denuclearization and establishment of lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula is very important to peace and prospe

President Moon Jae-in is set to hold trilateral and bilateral meetings with leaders of China and Japan on Wednesday, as Seoul pushes for a special declaration supporting the Panmunjeom Declaration.The meeting, which will be held in Tokyo with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, comes as Seoul scrambles to win the support of neighboring nations to lay the foundations for the upcoming US-North Korea summit. US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-u

Another secret visit to China by ranking North Korean figures may have taken place, local and foreign media reported Tuesday. South Korean and foreign media outlets reported that a high-level North Korean official appeared to be in Dalian, Liaoning province, citing unnamed sources. In this file photo provided Wednesday, March 28, by China`s Xinhua News Agency, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands in Beijing. (Yonhap-AP-Xinhua)South Korea’s Yonhap Ne

President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump will hold a summit meeting in Washington D.C. on May 22.According to Cheong Wa Dae and White House the two leaders will discuss issues surrounding North Korea including Trump’s planned meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. "President Trum and President Moon will continue their close coordination on developments regarding the Korean Peninsula following the April 27 inter-Korean summit," the White House said in a statement."The two leader

“May is green, we are growing. Today is the Children’s Day, It is our world” -- so goes a song celebrating the occasion. Children’s Day was first introduced here in 1923 by independence and children’s rights activist Bang Jeong-hwan, and has been celebrated on May 5 since 1945.The day was given legal status with the legislation of the Child Welfare Act in 1961, and designated a public holiday in 1975. The act, which also designates May 1 to 7 as “Children’s Week,” states that Children’s Day is d

Moon Chung-in, a special national security and foreign affairs adviser to President Moon Jae-in, is once again making headlines. And again for all the wrong reasons. The latest controversy began with his contribution to the foreign policy magazine Foreign Affairs. In the article published online on April 30, Moon Chung-in outlined the Panmunjeom Declaration, which includes ending the Korean War and signing a peace treaty.  Moon Chung-in, at a forum on April 26 at the inter-Korean summit media ce

President Moon Jae-in is seeking the UN’s support for the Panmunjeom Declaration and its participation in verifying the closure of North Korea’s nuclear facilities, as he tries to lay the groundwork for a US-North Korea summit. According to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom, Moon made the requests during a telephone conversation with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday. President Moon Jae-in and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Cheong Wa Dae“(Moon said that) the UN welcomi

Speculations are rising that US President Donald Trump will meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on the inter-Korean border, following news reports and an ambiguous Tweet from the US leader. “Numerous countries are being considered for the MEETING, but would Peace House/Freedom House, on the Border of North & South Korea, be a more Representative, Important and Lasting site than a third party country? Just asking!” Trump wrote on this Twitter account.North Koraen leader Kim Jong-un and US Presid

President Moon Jae-in’s meeting with US President Donald Trump may be brought forward due to apparent changes in the plans for US-North Korea summit, a South Korean official said Monday. Although Cheong Wa Dae has not released the official date of the Moon-Trump meeting, it had been speculated that it would take place mid-May. “If South Korea-US summit is held in mid-May, it may be too close together (with US-North Korea summit),” a high-level Cheong Wa Dae official said. He added that with the

President Moon Jae-in is stepping up efforts for US and Japan collaborations on North Korean issues, in the follow up to his summit meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. According to Cheong Wa Dae, Moon spoke with US President Donald Trump late Saturday, and with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday.  President Moon Jae-in (left), US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Cheong Wa DaeIn the Moon-Trump conversation, which lasted from 9:15 p.m. to 10:30 p.m