Swinging between armed clash and dialogue, Washington is sending out mixed messages toward North Korea as tension flares following Pyongyang’s intercontinental ballistic missile test and ahead of a major South Korea-US annual military drill. US President Donald Trump has raised the possibility of war with North Korea during a conversation with Sen. Lindsey Graham, the politician said Tuesday, floating the idea of a military strike on the communist country as a policy option. “If there’s going to

The two Koreas are poised to engage in a diplomatic race at a security forum in Manila this week, with the US and Japan hardening their lines over the North’s intercontinental ballistic missile test and China and Russia seeking to downplay its impact. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum, slated for Monday in the Philippine capital, will bring together the US, China, Russia, Japan and other major powers in addition to the 10-nation Southeast Asian coalition. The region’s lar

The US and China are engaging in an escalating tug of war in the wake of North Korea’s recent intercontinental ballistic missile test, shifting the blame for a flare-up of tensions and threatening to derail efforts to craft a fresh set of international sanctions. US President Donald Trump on Monday hinted at taking more crippling punitive steps against Pyongyang, saying at a cabinet meeting that the situation “will be handled.” He did not elaborate, but has been toughening his line against North

Seoul’s Foreign Ministry on Monday launched a public-private task force to review a 2015 settlement on Japan’s sexual enslavement of Korean women during World War II, pledging a “victim-oriented” approach and fair reports free from political influence. The panel, chaired by former journalist Oh Tai-kyu and consisting of eight other public officials and private experts, held its first meeting after being appointed by Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha earlier in the day.  Oh Tai-kyu (center, front),

President Moon Jae-in’s approach toward North Korea with sanctions and dialogue appears to be hanging by a thread, with Pyongyang’s latest test of an intercontinental ballistic missile depleting his policy options and prompting Washington to harden its line against the unruly regime. Friday’s late-night liftoff could upset the regional security landscape, as the projectile is forecast to be capable of flying some 10,000 kilometers, placing within its strike range not just Alaska, but most of the

The US Senate on Thursday passed a fresh batch of crippling sanctions over North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, amid rising bipartisan support for further economic squeeze of Pyongyang in the wake of its recent test of an intercontinental ballistic missile. The bill was passed in a 98-2 vote, as part of a sweeping package that also includes sanctions against Russia and Iran, two days after the House approved it 419-3. The White House has given mixed signals over whether President Donald T

The UN has downgraded its assessment on Japan’s efforts to resolve the issue of wartime sex slavery, citing its failure to provide recognition of responsibility, a public apology and full reparations, documents showed Wednesday. The UN Human Rights Committee released a report monitoring Tokyo’s implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights for its regular session, scheduled for July 3-28 in Geneva, Switzerland. The panel, which consists of 18 independent internationa

Amid soaring international criticism over its nuclear and missile development, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho plans to attend a regional security forum in Manila early next month, diplomatic sources said Wednesday. Top diplomats from around the Asia Pacific will gather at the ASEAN Regional Forum, the region’s largest security conference to be hosted Aug. 7 by the 10-nation Southeast Asian bloc. The one-day gathering, which will come amid a series of other ASEAN-led meetings, is virtua

Prosecutor General nominee Moon Moo-il pledged Monday to ensure political neutrality and rebuild public trust that has been marred by what critics say are lopsided investigations into high-profile cases involving leading politicians and major corporations.  Prosecutor General nominee Moon Moo-il (Yonhap)At his parliamentary confirmation hearing, ruling and opposition lawmakers wrestled over Cheong Wa Dae’s recent disclosure of massive sheaves of documents left behind by the Park Geun-hye adminis

China has recently been repatriating more North Koreans seeking to resettle in the South, giving birth to a new breed of separated families and depriving them of family rights, a UN rights envoy told The Korea Herald. Tomas Ojea Quintana, the UN special rapporteur on North Korean human rights, said Beijing has been intensifying its crackdown on North Korean escapees, detaining and deporting many of them. The practice is not only fueling the risks of punishment after repatriation, but also genera

With unabated controversy over the defection of 12 North Korean restaurant workers, a UN rights envoy on Friday said the two Koreas should not “politicize” the issue and focus on fulfilling the needs of the women and their families. Tomas Ojea Quintana, the UN special rapporteur on North Korean human rights, said he has confirmed the 12 women were living freely here, though there were “inconsistencies” in accounts on their escape. Pyongyang claims that they were abducted by South Korean operativ

South Korea on Friday urged North Korea to accept its offer of military talks and move to defuse tension as its initial plan for dialogue fell apart in the face of Pyongyang’s aloofness. Seoul’s Ministry of National Defense has suggested the sides’ militaries hold talks Friday at the truce village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone for a halt in “all acts of hostility” starting Thursday, the 64th anniversary of the armistice agreement. But Pyongyang continued to remain silent, much to the di

As North Korea keeps its silence, South Korea’s proposal of military and humanitarian talks appears to be hanging in the balance on Thursday, deepening frustration among the Moon Jae-in administration officials. On Monday, Seoul suggested the two Koreas’ militaries hold talks on Friday at the truce village of Panmunjeom to discuss a halt in “all acts of hostility,” and their Red Cross officials meet and arrange a fresh round of reunions of separated families. Four days on, however, cross-border

More than 310,000 contract-based workers in the public sector are set to become permanent staff, the government said Thursday, setting in motion President Moon Jae-in’s key election pledge to stabilize employment. The plan was approved at a Cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon. The scheme is designed to ease the criteria for full-time contracts to those who are expected to work for two years or longer, for at least nine months each year. Previously, it was eligible for peo

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has recently instructed diplomats to ramp up pressure on the US to foil its denuclearization demand and bring it to the negotiating table for a peace treaty, a news report said Wednesday. The young ruler sent an “urgent directive” to the country’s overseas diplomatic missions while the Group of 20 conference was taking place in Germany on July 7-8, Japan’s Asahi Shimbun reported, citing unnamed sources familiar with North Korea affairs. It called for an initiation

South Korea on Monday proposed military talks with the North in its first formal overture under President Moon Jae-in, who has called for a halt in hostilities and revival of cross-border communication. Seoul also offered a separate meeting between the two sides’ Red Cross officials to arrange a fresh round of reunions for families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War on the Chuseok holiday on Oct. 4, which is also the 10th anniversary of an inter-Korean peace declaration.  A separated family reu

The US Congress is pushing for a bill intended to block companies with North Korea ties from using the American financial system amid growing calls for secondary sanctions against entities in China and elsewhere that may assist with Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs. The bipartisan bill was introduced Thursday by Republican Senator Cory Gardner, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia. He has been urging the UN Security Council to impose a “complete economic emba

Defense Minister Song Young-moo took office Friday, vowing to rebuild the military and boost the country’s capabilities to better counter North Korea’s evolving threats through sweeping reform across barracks and industry. 　The 68-year-old was formally appointed by President Moon Jae-in a day earlier, following a month-long tug of war with opposition parties which had fiercely demurred at the nomination chiefly over his high-paying post-retirement stints at a law firm and defense contractor. Moo

The Foreign Ministry said Wednesday it has launched a probe into an allegation that a diplomat raped a young female contract worker while working with her at its embassy in Ethiopia. The woman was assaulted Saturday after becoming intoxicated during dinner with the diplomat and driven to his home in Addis Ababa, officials said. (Yonhap)Based on preliminary fact-finding questioning, a ministry official said the diplomat invited her to the dinner to “express gratitude” for her help at work and the

EXO (Yonhap)Ahead of its long-awaited comeback, EXO may have found some fans from perhaps the most unexpected place in the world: North Korea. Twitter Korea has unveiled a trend map that highlights all the areas around the globe where EXO fans are located. Of the some 11 million tweets posted between 8 a.m. on Sunday and 7:45 a.m. on Monday, 15 were found to have come from the isolated country.The cities the tweets were traced to include not only major cities like Pyongyang and Hamhung, South Ha