South Korea has proposed to North Korea that the two countries begin a joint railway inspection by the end of this week, the South’s Ministry of Unification said Monday.“(The ministry) has acknowledged that there are ongoing discussions (regarding the joint survey on cross-border railways) this week,” Baik Tae-hyun, a ministry spokesman, told a regular press briefing. A test-operation of a train on a section of a cross-border railway running through the west coast of the Korean Peninsula in 2007

With North Korea expressing its willingness to denuclearize at the landmark summit with the US in June, many thought that it would be a matter of time before the sanctions layered against the regime were lifted. Fast forward almost some five months later, the US-led pressure campaign has only grown stronger, continuing to choke the North economically.  North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (far right) gives field guidance at Taegwan Glass Factory in North Pyongan Province, North Korea, Rodong Sinmun r

South Korea, the US and other concerned parties are discussing temporary sanctions exemptions for a joint railway field survey with North Korea, a Unification Ministry official said Thursday.The two Koreas are “behind schedule” in implementing their plans to modernize and reconnect cross-border railways after the US-led United Nations Command declined South Korea’s proposal to test-run its train across the border in August, citing procedural problems. Dramatic progress on the project, which was

Most of Gyeonggi Province’s planned inter-Korean projects failed to materialize this year and are likely to be pushed back to next year.In late 2017, Gyeonggi allocated 5.5 billion won ($4.9 million) for inter-Korean cooperation projects, but so far only 1.8 billion won has been spent, according to Gyeonggi Province on Wednesday. In keeping with the mood of detente that arrived on the Korean Peninsula after the inter-Korean summit held in April at the truce village of Panmunjom, Gyeonggi Provinc

Expectations are mounting over how China will use its clout to push North Korea back to dialogue with the US, after the leaders of China and South Korea agreed to cooperate to bring about a possible second US-North Korea summit. But experts are skeptical that China will play an active role, considering its ongoing trade war with the US. On the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Papua New Guinea on Saturday, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his Chinese counterpart,

A top North Korean nuclear negotiator’s abrupt cancellation of a trip to South Korea has raised speculations regarding her whereabouts and the reasons behind her absence, amid a perceived stall in nuclear negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang. Kim Song-hye, director of the United Front Department’s tactical office, was initially among the seven-member delegation from North Korea to arrive in South Korea late Wednesday to attend a peace forum in Gyeonggi Province on Friday. But the North

Seven North Korean officials were to arrive in South Korea late Wednesday to attend an international peace forum. The delegation includes Ri Jong-hyok, vice chairman of the Korean Asia-Pacific Peace Committee, Kim Song-hye, director of the United Front Department’s tactical office, and five other North Korean officials, the Ministry of Unification said earlier this week. They plan to stay here from Wednesday to Saturday. Kim Song-hye, director of the North Korean United Front Department`s tactic

With what seems like stalled nuclear negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang and signs of possible discord between Seoul and Washington on North Korea issues, experts forecast a cloudy outlook for inter-Korean cooperation projects. On Monday, the two Koreas held a second meeting of their joint roads research group for the modernization of cross-border roads, but failed to produce noteworthy results, such as dates for joint surveys of their roads.  Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon (Yonh

Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon will embark on a trip to the US on Tuesday, feeding speculation that Seoul plans to make more direct efforts to create a consensus among US lawmakers and the public on inter-Korean relations. Cho will visit Washington, DC, and New York from Tuesday to Saturday to attend the 2018 Korea Global Forum and meet with US government officials and lawmakers, according to the Ministry of Unification. The forum is hosted annually by the Unification Ministry.  Unificatio

A new type of “gold rush” of sorts is unfolding, as the latest detente with North Korea grabs the imagination of enterprising South Koreans eyeing fresh opportunities in the North.The South Korean government, for one, is looking for the right moment to revive old business ties and form new ones with its communist neighbor rich in untapped natural resources.  North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, left, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in eat Okryugwan restaurant‘s signature naengmyon at the truce v

North Korea’s external propaganda media on Friday lambasted the South Korea and US decision to launch a working group to coordinate strategies for Pyongyang’s denuclearization and resume joint marine drills. “The US and South Korea have decided to officially launch a working group in November and plan to discuss relevant details on management and structure of the group,” said Uriminzokkiri, a website run by Pyongyang in Korean. (Yonhap)It also called the formation of the working group an arrogan

A giant portrait of Kim Jong-un has gone on display in public for the first time, in what analysts say could be a sign of a turning point in the current North Korean leader’s status within his country and a message to the international community. The portrait was spotted at events both welcoming and bidding farewell to Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel at Pyongyang International Airport this week. It was hung next to Diaz-Canel’s portrait, painted in a similar style, according to photos released

Emergency fine dust reduction measures will go into effect for Seoul, Incheon and much of Gyeonggi Province on Wednesday, as fine dust in the atmosphere has shot up to unhealthy levels. The measures will kick in at 6 a.m. and last until 9 p.m., according to the Environment Ministry.  (Yonhap)Civil servants are to follow “the alternate driving day system,” meaning civil servants’ cars with license plates that end in odd numbers will be allowed on the streets and even will not. Seoul is set to tem

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met with his Cuban counterpart at his office in Pyongyang and discussed in-depth “ways to vitalize cooperation and exchange in various fields,” along with the situation on the Korean Peninsula, the North’s state-run news agency reported Tuesday. The meeting, which took place at the office building of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea on Monday, came during Miguel Mario Diaz-Canel Bermudez’s state visit to North Korea. The office was the venue fo

Family members of an American university student who died last year after being detained in North Korea plan to attend a hearing next month, the Voice of America reported Sunday. According to Voice of America, the family of Otto Warmbier, who died days after he was returned to the US in a coma in 2017, filed documents to the US District Court in Washington for legal discovery with six witnesses. The documents were submitted upon court order and the Warmbiers’ attorney suggested hearing dates of

The first-ever inter-Korean summit in 2000 changed the course of history for the Korean Peninsula. Efforts to mend ties with North Korea by then-South Korean President Kim Dae-jung were recognized by the world, and earned him the Nobel Peace Prize – and today, his youngest son is seeking to continue his father’s legacy.“My late father in 1998 wanted to create a platform for civilian exchange between the South and the North, at a time when the two governments lacked any form of exchange,” Kim Hon

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un criticized international sanctions against his regime, pledging to prove to “hostile forces” that his country is capable of growing into a powerful nation, the North’s media reported Thursday. “The hostile forces are foolishly keen on vicious sanctions to stand in our way toward promotion of the people’s wellbeing and development and to lead us to change and submission,” the Korean Central News Agency quoted Kim as saying during a trip to the Wonsan-Kalma tourist

The timeline for a chain of inter-Korean projects is being pushed back with meetings and events planned for October failing to take place, amid Washington’s apparent concerns that the Koreas’ ties may be outpacing its denuclearization talks with Pyongyang. In early October, the two Koreas held high-level talks and drew a rough timeline to carry out the key projects mentioned in the agreement reached between their leaders in September. Among them, a joint survey for cross-border railway and sport

The top US nuclear envoy reaffirmed that Washington and Seoul were on the same page on achieving the denuclearization of North Korea, amid concerns about possible discord between the allies over the pace of developments in inter-Korean relations. “We want the same thing for the Korean Peninsula -- peace and stability, primarily denuclearization of North Korea,” Stephen Biegun, US special representative for North Korea, said before entering a meeting with Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon.  Un

US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun will head to South Korea next week to coordinate efforts to bring about the full denuclearization of the communist nation, the US State Department said in a statement. The trip comes amid what experts perceive as a prolonged battle of nerves between Washington and Pyongyang over the timeline on talks related to the North’s denuclearization.  (Yonhap)Biegun will travel to Seoul from Monday and Tuesday to meet with his South Korean counterpa