The Yongbyon Scientific Research Center has been at the center of nuclear talks between the US and North Korea for more than two decades. Built in the 1960s under the leadership of North Korea’s founding leader Kim Il-sung, the Yongbyon complex has expanded in scale by adding a 5-megawatt-electric reactor, 100-megawatt-thermal experimental light water reactor, uranium enrichment buildings as well as spent fuel reprocessing facilities and research buildings. (Yonhap)Just as Siegfried Hecker, a le

South and North Korea have exchanged reports related to a rail project that aims to link the peninsula, South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Wednesday.Officials from the two countries met Monday at the inter-Korean liaison office in the border city of Kaesong to exchange the reports. Seoul shared the outcome of a joint field study that they had conducted in December on the northern section of the Seoul-Sinuiju western railways and the railway running along the eastern region of the Korean Pen

Permanent dismantlement of a high-profile North Korean nuclear facility could be a sufficient outcome from the second US-North Korea summit to reward the communist state with partial sanctions relief for inter-Korean economic projects, said Moon Chung-in, a special adviser to President Moon Jae-in. Speaking at a roundtable at the Korea Economic Institute of America in Washington on Tuesday, Moon Chung-in said permanent dismantlement of the Yongbyon nuclear research complex would be “a first step

 North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has expressed interest to Vietnamese authorities in visiting a Samsung Electronics factory ahead of a planned summit with US President Donald Trump, according to people who were briefed on his plans.Kim’s delegation has informed Vietnam’s government that he’s interested in visiting a Samsung factory in Bac Ninh province, about an hour’s drive from his hotel in downtown Hanoi, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans are private. Any decis

It took 66 hours, from Saturday afternoon to Tuesday morning, for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to travel via train all the way across China to Vietnam. He made the journey in order to sit with US President Donald Trump once again to discuss the North’s denuclearization measures and corresponding steps that the US will take in return. Every move that Kim makes is being closely watched by the international media, not only because the upcoming summit is a high-profile event, but because Kim rare

Cheollima Civil Defense, a group that claimed to have rescued a nephew of the North Korean leader, said Monday it would make a major announcement this week, possibly related to defectors who fled from the communist state. “We have received requests for assistance from comrades in a Western country. The situation was very risky but we managed it,” the humanitarian group said in a short note posted on its website. It did not elaborate on what the “major announcement” would be, but speculations wer

A North Korean propaganda outlet urged South Korea on Tuesday to separate inter-Korean relations from denuclearization issues, a day ahead of the second meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump.Voicing dissatisfaction over slow progress in building ties between South and North Korea, Meari blamed Seoul for dealing with inter-Korean relations within the framework of sanctions by linking ties to Pyongyang’s denuclearization. In this April 27, 2018 file photo, N

The US and North Korea could reach an agreement to declare an end to seven decades of war on the Korean Peninsula during the upcoming summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, South Korea’s presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Monday. “I believe the possibility is open. There is no way of knowing what kind of a declaration it might be, but I believe the US and North Korea may reach an agreement on the declaration of the war’s end at any degree,” Cheong Wa Da

North Korea’s commitment to denuclearization and permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula remains unchanged, a propaganda outlet for the North said Monday, days ahead of a second summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump.“As the June 12 joint declaration declared, it is our republic’s unchanged stance to build new relations between the two countries, establish lasting and solid peace on the Korean Peninsula and move toward complete denuclearization,” Pyongyang’s

Dozens of ambassadors stationed in South Korea gathered on Feb. 20 to watch the Oscar-nominated movie “Capernaum” in an event hosted by the Lebanese Embassy here. Envoys from 31 countries and their partners were invited to the screening of the Lebanese film, directed and co-written by Nadine Labaki, which depicts the lives of street children in the slums of Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon.  Since its release here on Jan. 24, the film has attracted over 120,000 viewers in Korea. “This is defi

The Indonesian Embassy in Seoul invited key tourism officials Friday to show appreciation for their donations toward relief efforts in Indonesia following a devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit the country last year.“I sincerely appreciate the movement and heart of the Korean tourism industry, including the Korea Travel Business Association, the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Korea Tourism Organization,” Indonesian Ambassador to Korea Umar Hadi said. He said that he hopes Korean to

North Korean defectors living in South Korea hope that the second summit between Washington and Pyongyang this week will bring about a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula, but doubts remain regarding Kim Jong-un’s commitment to departing from the Kim family playbook. “Denuclearization is not just about giving up nuclear weapons, he (Kim Jong-un) has to put down all the power he has. We know as soon as the nuclear arsenal is gone, the dictatorial regime will face an imminent collapse,” Kim Hyeong-soo,

Dismantling the Yongbyon Nuclear Complex could be a meaningful step in North Korea’s denuclearization, as it is key to the country’s nuclear weapons program, a South Korean think tank said Thursday. “While the Yongbyong nuclear facility has emerged as a primary target for the first phase of the denuclearization process, there are opinions that denigrate or belittle the value of the possible dismantlement,” said Hong Min, director of the North Korean research division of the Korea Institute for N

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he had no strict timeline for North Korea’s ultimate denuclearization as negotiators from the two countries head to Vietnam for last-minute talks ahead of a second summit next week. “I’m in no rush. There’s no testing. As long as there is no testing, I’m in no rush,” Trump told reporters at the White House after a phone conversation with South Korean President Moon Jae-in. In this June 12, 2018, file photo, US President Donald Trump, right, meets wi

The US Commerce chief has submitted a report to US President Donald Trump on the topic of imported cars, news reports said Monday, as South Korea renews efforts to win exemption for its cars from possible tariffs.The Commerce Department did not make public any details on its recommendations to Trump.Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross presented his recommendations to Trump, Bloomberg news reported, citing the department's statement. Reuters news agency carried a similar story, while the French news a

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Korea from Thursday to Friday to meet with President Moon Jae-in in an effort to strengthen relations between the two countries. Modi’s state visit takes place less than a year after President Moon Jae-in held a bilateral summit with the prime minister in India in July last year. Korean first lady Kim Jung-sook had participated in the Deepotsav event in India’s city of Ayodhya in November last year.  Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking dur

The ASEAN-Korea Center held its annual council meeting and a reception in celebration of the 10th anniversary of its establishment Monday in Seoul, with high-ranking officials and ambassadors representing the 10 ASEAN member states and Korea in attendance. During the dinner reception, attended by some 150 distinguished guests from the diplomatic, academic and business communities, Secretary-General Lee Hyuk stressed the center’s role in enhancing the relationship between Korea and ASEAN countrie

Analysts here have downplayed the possibility that the US might only seek to avoid a nuclear attack from North Korea directed at the country during their upcoming summit, following US President Donald Trump’s remarks that he is not in a rush to denuclearize North Korea.While taking credit for averting a war with Pyongyang, Trump said he expects the second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, slated for Feb. 27-28 in Vietnam, to as successful as the first, where the two leaders had pledge

Diplomacy experts are expressing skepticism about the upcoming summit between the leaders of the US and North Korea, casting doubt on whether it will bring concrete progress toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. At a recent meeting, some questioned whether the North would offer “measurable specifics” and warned that the US might take “an imprudent step” due to inadequate preparation. “Fundamentally, we’re not prepared,” said Kurt Campbell, chairman of the Asia Group, at the inaugural

A group of al-Qaida -linked Uzbeks operating in Syria had been attempting to move to South Korea, according to a United Nations report. Members of Katibat Imam al Bukhari and Katibat al Tawhid wal Jihad, each of which consists of 200 to 300 militants, have made requests to enter the country via Turkey, according to the report on the Islamic State group and al-Qaida released by the UN Security Council early this month.  (AFP/Yonhap)The report said that the militants chose Korea due to the relativ