The United Nations Command declined the two Koreas’ request to test-run a train on a cross-border railway last week, sources said Thursday, fueling speculation that the US might be reluctant to support inter-Korean projects amid stalled denuclearization talks with North Korea. A test operation of a train connecting the South’s capital of Seoul to the North’s Shinuiju, which lies on the border with China, was initially planned for Aug. 22-27 as part of the Koreas’ joint field survey on modernizin

North Korea’s state media on Wednesday called for South Korea to faithfully implement the Panmunjom Declaration, while lambasting the US’ decision to maintain its pressure campaign against the communist nation, amid perceived stalled nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang. “In order to lend support for the current move toward reconciliation, unity and reunification, (we) should continue to push ahead with implementation of the historic Panmunjom Declaration,” North Korea’s daily Rodong S

Next year’s allocation to the inter-Korean cooperation fund spiked 14.3 percent on-year to 1.1 trillion won ($994 million) in the government budget announced Tuesday, with the sharp increase reflecting Seoul’s hopes of expanding and making headway in cross-border projects. Unification-related budget stood at 1.3 trillion won.　The larger allocation aims to facilitate the implementation of the Panmunjom Declaration reached between the leaders of the two Koreas in April. The agreement states that t

Regarding the possibility of holding another round of reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War in October, South Korea’s Ministry of Unification said it would have to observe negotiations between the two Koreas. “(We) will have to further watch the circumstances surrounding (the arrangement of) the reunion event, such as inter-Korean negotiations. We have continued to raise the urgency and the need to resolve the issue of separated families on various occasions,” Baik Tae-hyun, m

Eighty-nine elderly South Koreans met their North Korean family members for what is likely to be the last time on Wednesday, in a reminder of the war that continues to plague the Korean Peninsula. A group reunion session began around 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Kumgangsan Resort on the east coast of North Korea, wrapping up the first round of a reunion event for families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War. South Korean Kim Byung-oh and his North Korean sister Kim Soon-ok wipe their tears at their

South and North Koreans participating in a reunion event for families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War held their first private meetings Tuesday, following group sessions a day before. Eighty-nine elderly South Koreans and 185 North Koreans, who were chosen as participants of the first round of a weeklong reunion event held at Kumgangsan Resort on the east coast of North Korea, embraced and held each other for the first time Monday since the war that divided the Korean Peninsula. (Yonhap)The

KUMGANGSAN, North Korea -- A group of 89 elderly South Koreans met with family members they were separated from by the 1950-53 Korean War in North Korea on Monday, officially kicking off a weeklong reunion event. They reunited with about 180 North Korean family members at Kumgangsan Resort on the eastern coast of North Korea at 3 p.m., a South Korean pool report said. They are expected to participate in a string of face-to-face meetings and meals through Wednesday. The first session lasted about

The first batch of South Koreans selected to attend the reunion event in North Korea for families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War gathered in a northeastern coastal town on Sunday to prepare for the event. A group of 89 elderly South Koreans who were chosen to reunite with their North Korean families from Monday to Wednesday arrived at the Hanwha Resort in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, 158 kilometers from Seoul early in the morning, the South’s Ministry of Unification said. They will be briefed

While South Korea’s tropical nights are likely to subside, scorching heat can be expected to continue through the weekend, the country’s weather authorities said. Daytime highs will range between 26 and 34 degrees Celsius on Saturday, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. In Seoul, the forecast high is 33 C. On Sunday, temperatures will range between 27 and 34 C.  (Yonhap)But the tropical heat that made people toss and turn for 26 consecutive nights are over thanks to a blast of

Decades later, South Koreans still remember shedding silent tears as they watched a South Korean table tennis player stroke her North Korean teammate’s face before pulling her into a gentle hug -- right before the disbandment of the first inter-Korean sports team in history. Hyun Jung-hwa, who led the team to victory at the 1991 World Championships in Chiba, Japan, alongside North Korean table tennis champion Li Pun-hui, smiled as she recalled the joy that quickly ruptured when both of them real

Of South Koreans who believe North Korea to be the most trustworthy country among five neighboring countries, those in their 40s showed the most favorable attitude toward the communist neighbor, according to a recent survey.In a survey of 1,000 people nationwide conducted Friday to Sunday by The Korea Herald in collaboration with research firm JoWon Communication Innovation, 8.5 percent of respondents chose North Korea as a neighbor in which South Korea could have faith. Among them, those in the

South and North Korea agreed to hold a third summit between their leaders in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang in September, according to a joint press statement released Monday. The announcement came as the result of high-level talks held the same day, which aimed to hammer out details, plan for a new summit and discuss progress on the implementation of the Panmunjom Declaration drawn up at the landmark meeting between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un i

South and North Korea kicked off high-level talks Monday to discuss holding a third summit between their leaders.The meeting started at around 10 a.m. on the North Korean side of the border village of Panmunjom, said the South’s Ministry of Unification, which oversees inter-Korean affairs. Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon is leading South Korea’s four-member delegation, which includes Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung, Nam Gwan-pyo, a senior director from the presidential National Secu

A South Korean citizen who was repatriated from North Korea last week was arrested on Sunday morning for attempting to illegally enter the communist country, local reports said.According to the reports, a 34-year-old man surnamed Suh drove an SUV through the checkpoint on the South Korean side of the Unification Bridge in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, which leads to the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, without undergoing proper inspection. Suh was caught by South Korean troops at the joi

A day ahead of scheduled high-level talks, North Korea ramped up its calls for South Korea to implement the agreement reached between their leaders in April, and lambasted Seoul for its slowness to do so. Uriminzokkiri, a North Korean propaganda website, cited Seoul’s “blind obedience” to the US-led sanctions as a major reason behind lackluster progress on implementation of the Panmunjom Declaration, adopted at a landmark summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader

The two Koreas will hold a high-level meeting Monday to review progress on implementation of the Panmunjom Declaration and discuss preparations for a possible summit, South Korea’s Ministry of Unification said Thursday. It will be held on the northern side of the truce village of Panmunjom and the Seoul government plans to reassemble a delegation headed by Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon for the occasion, according to the ministry. (Reuters)The high-level meeting, which will be the fourth o

The two Koreas held a meeting to discuss cooperation in modernizing and reconnecting railways across the peninsula, South Korea’s Ministry of Unification said Thursday, amid the US’ increasing efforts to maintain its maximum pressure campaign. The meeting was held at the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine office at the South Korean side of the border in Paju. The South sent a six-member delegation led by Hwang Sung-gyu, a senior official at the railway bureau of the Korean Ministry of Land, Inf

A group of South Korean officials visited North Korea on Wednesday to jointly inspect forests for control of pests and diseases, the South’s Ministry of Unification said Wednesday. A delegation of 12 officials, including those from the Korean Forest Service and Unification Ministry, as well as analysts from the state-run National Institute of Forest Science, crossed the military demarcation line at 8:40 a.m. and headed to North Korea’s eastern slopes of Kumgangsan, ministry spokesperson Baik Tae

South Korea’s long-stalled plan to provide state-backed humanitarian assistance to North Korea is expected to gain traction, boosted by the United Nations Security Council’s adoption of new guidelines, experts said Tuesday. Earlier in the day, the UNSC was reported to have adopted US-proposed guidelines aimed to ease the provision of humanitarian aid to North Korea, amid growing concerns that layers of crippling sanctions against the reclusive nation had been cutting off humanitarian aid in an e

North Korea on Tuesday returned a South Korean citizen who illegally crossed the border on July 22 to enter the communist country, South Korea’s Ministry of Unification said Tuesday. North Korea repatriated a 34-year-old South Korean citizen surnamed Seo through the truce village of Panmunjom at around 11 a.m., the ministry said. The North sent a notice to the South on Monday, alerting it of its plan to return Seo. (Yonhap)Seo’s intention in entering North Korea without notifying the Seoul gover