For North Korea an end-of-war declaration “can never be a bargaining chip” to get the country to denuclearize, and it will not hope for such a declaration if the US does not want it, according to the country’s state media on Tuesday. Experts interpreted the statement as Pyongyang’s call on Washington to stop using such a declaration as a bargaining chip for its complete and verifiable denuclearization, and instead take corresponding steps to the “goodwill measures” the communist nation has taken

In line with the 70th Armed Forces Day, President Moon Jae-in highlighted strong national defense and the alliance with the US on Monday, as the allies cooperate toward denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula. “Now we have launched our ambitious journey toward lasting peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula. The path we are walking on is a path that no one has walked before, and so it is hard to predict what difficulties lie ahead. And therefore, strong defense is more important than ever,” the

The third summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un broke new ground in inter-Korean ties, experts said, giving South Korea an opportunity to move beyond its role as a “mediator” in the US-North Korea nuclear talks. The South’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday said the Seoul government would now be able to take on a more “active role” based on the “meaningful” results of the inter-Korean summit. “(The summit agreement) has provided a foundation for both Ko

The leaders of the two Koreas on Wednesday vowed to revive the now-suspended tours to North Korea’s eastern slopes of Kumgangsan and bolster humanitarian cooperation with the establishment of a permanent meeting area for families separated by 1950-53 Korean War. “The South and North have decided to negotiate normalizing the Kaesong industrial complex and tour programs to Kumgansan and the issue of forming a special joint economic zone near the West Sea and a joint tourism zone near the East Sea,

The leaders of the two Koreas will visit North Korea’s sacred Paektusan early Thursday, before wrapping up their third summit, according to Cheong Wa Dae. “President Moon accepted Chairman Kim Jong-un’s request to visit Paektusan (with him),” Kim Eui-kyeom, a spokesman for the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, said at the main press center in Pyongyang. According to the spokesman, they will take a flight from Sunan International Airport to Samjiyon Airport near the mountain and ride a bus to a

One of the major differences that distinguishes South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s latest trip to Pyongyang from previous inter-Korean summits is the live broadcast of the event. The summit scheduled from Tuesday to Thursday is the first time the communist nation has agreed to broadcast segments of an inter-Korean summit held in its capital city live. South Korean President Moon Jae-in (left) and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un participate in an open-car parade in Pyongyang. (Joint Press Corps

The first ladies of the two Koreas carried out their own form of diplomacy, bonding over their shared interest in music and visiting a children’s hospital on the sidelines of the third summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang.South Korea’s first lady Kim Jung-sook visited the six-story Okryu Children’s Hospital, the only children’s hospital in Pyongyang, at around 2 p.m. and met with four North Korean children and their guardians. She was

Among those who witnessed the historic opening of the South-North joint liaison office in Kaesong firsthand last week were two business leaders who had once operated factories in the border town. While hoping for the resumption of business in the jointly operated industrial complex, they could only look at the remnants of their once-prosperous investment from afar. Two representatives of the business community who formerly operated factories in Kaesong -- Chung Ki-sub, honorary chairman of the C

A new North Korean ambassador to the United Nations is likely to take his post before the UN General Assembly next week, with the US recently having issued a visa to the representative, local media reports said Wednesday. In July, reports said that a North Korean Foreign Ministry official named Kim Song would replace Ja Song-nam as the North’s permanent representative to the UN, after UN sources claimed that Ja embarked on a trip to Pyongyang upon being dismissed from his post.  Kim Song (left)

A joint liaison office with North Korea will be launched Friday, with the South’s vice unification minister as co-chief of the office, the South’s Ministry of Unification confirmed Wednesday.The South-North liaison office will be launched in the North’s border town of Kaesong at 10:30 a.m. Friday, with an opening ceremony that will be attended by about 100 people from the two Koreas, the ministry said in a press release. South Korea’s Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon and Ri Son-gwon chairman

North Korea’s recent decision to tone down its military parade for the 70th anniversary of its founding on Sunday was an indirect expression of its willingness to denuclearize, according to experts at a think tank under South Korea’s intelligence agency.“The regime’s decision to exclude military commanders at the balcony seat (alongside leader Kim Jong-un) and reduce the size of the Korean People’s Army Strategic Force in the parade was (North Korea’s intention) to provide US President Donald Tr

In line with the 70th anniversary of its founding, Sunday, the North Korean regime highlighted the need to achieve economic prosperity in the spirit of “self-reliance,” the country’s state media reported Monday. The North’s media reports covering the anniversary came a day later, citing the “low-key,” “ICBM-free” military parade that took place Sunday. In past years, Korean Central Television had aired most of the parades live. According to the Korean Central News Agency, the regime called for i

South Korea is working to bolster cooperation in regional security with China and Japan, briefing them on the outcome of its envoys recent trip to Pyongyang, as it hopes to see the early resumption of denuclearization talks between the US and North Korea. Chung Eui-yong, President Moon Jae-in’s top security adviser, returned from his one-day trip to China on Saturday, after briefing Yang Jiechi, a ranking member of China’s Communist Party in charge of foreign affairs, on the outcome of his recen

North Korea’s Foreign Ministry vowed to make further efforts to normalize ties with members of the international community on Thursday, as the rogue nation’s diplomatic isolation continues. “The DPRK will continue to actively develop the relations of friendship and cooperation with many countries in the world in accordance with the ideals of foreign policy of independence, peace and friendship,” a statement posted in English on the official website of the North’s Foreign Ministry said. DPRK is s

Despite North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s renewed vows to denuclearize, experts say the latest meeting between Kim and South Korea’s special envoys failed to provide a breakthrough in the current stalemate in the nuclear negotiations. According to Chung Eui-yong, who led a five-member delegation to Pyongyang on Wednesday, Kim reaffirmed his commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula while expressing his willingness to maintain cooperation with South Korea and the US. “Chairm

North Korea’s Foreign Ministry called for an official end to the 1950-53 Korean War on Tuesday, urging the US to take action a day ahead of a scheduled visit to the North by South Korean envoys.In an essay posted on the ministry’s official website, the North highlighted what it called its regime’s efforts throughout history to build a “lasting and stable peace regime” on the Korean Peninsula, while accusing the US of turning a “blind eye” every time.  US Vice President Mike Pence and Navy Rear A

On its Sept. 9 Founding Day two years ago, North Korea conducted its fifth nuclear test, sending shock waves across the world with a defiant message to those who opposed the regime’s nuclear ambition.This year, the North has entered into dialogue with the US on denuclearization. Many expect the rogue nation to convey a fresh message reflecting the shift, but experts say that the regime lacks noteworthy achievements to do so. In his New Year’s address, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un highlighted

President Moon Jae-in will dispatch a special envoy to North Korea on Sept. 5 to discuss the itinerary for a planned inter-Korean summit and other imminent issues concerning the peninsula. According to Cheong Wa Dae, North Korea on Friday sent a telegram to the South, accepting the Seoul government’s offer earlier in the day to send a special envoy. Moon has yet to name his special envoy. (AFP)The two Koreas agreed to hold a summit in Pyongyang in September, during a high-level meeting earlier t

North Korea’s media accused the US of plotting “hostile military acts” against the country Friday, while criticizing Washington’s insistence that Pyongyang take “denuclearization steps first” without making minimal efforts to build good faith between the two nations.“The US is taking grave and hostile actions behind the curtain of the dialogue taking place,” said Uriminzokkiri, the North’s external propaganda website. US President Donald Trump (Yonhap)It cited a recent dispatch of US special uni

South Korea’s Ministry of Unification confirmed Friday that its vice minister met with US Forces commander and head of the UN Command Vincent Brooks a day before the UNC rejected Seoul’s plans to test-run a cross-border railway. “On Aug. 22, Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung met with Gen. Vincent Brooks to explain and ask for cooperation on various matters concerning inter-Korean ties such as the reunions of families separated by the Korean War while exchanging opinions on joint survey of