With North Korea pledging to close down its nuclear test site as a part of its own denuclearization efforts, the focus is on how the shutdown process will unfold. During his summit with South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in last month, The North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said he would invite experts and journalists from South Korea and the US to watch the dismantling of the Punggye-ri facility in North Hamgyong Province. But the condition of the site makes the shutdown a complicated task, analysts

With US President Donald Trump announcing his country’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, debates have emerged over how the move would impact future negotiations with the nuclear-armed North Korea. 　Denouncing the nuclear pact with Iran as a “horrible, one-sided” deal, Trump stressed that the withdrawal would send a strong signal to North Korea, which, unlike Iran, boasts full-fledged nuclear capabilities with dozens of nuclear warheads for intercontinental ballistic missiles. 　But Seoul-ba

With the United States and North Korea continuing to keep mum over the date and location of their summit, speculations are rampant over what may be causing the delay in the announcement.　South Korea’s presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday that it had expected the summit announcement to be made earlier this week. It came days after US President Donald Trump said he had determined the location and date of the summit and would broadcast the news “soon.” 　 However, the prolonged silence has

Just about a month after the armistice agreement was signed in July 1953, the US-led United Nations Command declared the Northern Limit Line on the West Sea to prevent accidental skirmishes between the two Koreas. 　However, North Korea has refused to endorse what South Korea and the UN Command have claimed as a de facto maritime border, resulting in a series of cross-border clashes such as naval battles near the border island of Yeonpyeongdo in 1999 and 2002.　Buoyed by the mood of a detente foll

 　With the two Koreas seeking to ease cross-border tensions following the inter-Korean summit last week, the South Korean Army’s mandatory military service is expected to be cut from 21 to 18 months before 2022 when President Moon Jae-in’s five-year term ends. 　According to the Ministry of National Defense, the military will submit such plans to Moon this month. On the campaign trail, Moon pledged to cut the period of military service and the number of troops. 　If the measures take effect, the A

 Cheong Wa Dae on Wednesday dismissed the idea of pulling US troops out of South Korea following a peace treaty with North Korea, reiterating the need for a continued US military presence on the Korean Peninsula.　According to Cheong Wa Dae, President Moon Jae-in said the issue of US forces stationed in South Korea should only be determined through consultations with Washington, and was not dependent on whether there would be a peace treaty with North Korea. 　“US troops in South Korea are a matte

With the two Koreas seeking to ease cross-border tensions following an inter-Korean summit, the South Korean military took the first step Monday by announcing a plan to remove propaganda loudspeakers along the border with North Korea. 　　Starting Tuesday, the propaganda loudspeakers are to be pulled back from the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone, where the two Koreas had blasted propaganda massages across the border via dozens of massive loudspeakers until they were suspended days before Frid

South Korea’s presidential office Cheong Wa Dae Sunday released some behind-the-scenes photos taken during the banquet at the Peace House in the truce village of Panmunjeom after the inter-Korean summit on Friday.Kim Yo-jong, the younger sister of North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un, fills the glass of South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in during the banquet at the Peace House in the truce village of Panmunjeom. Cheong Wa Dae.North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un fills the glasses of South Korea’s Defense

　With the two Koreas’ leaders pledging to restore now-defunct railways and roads during the summit, hopes are high that the initiative will prompt cross-border cooperation in the economy and logistics. 　President Moon Jae-in and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un agreed to adopt “practical measures” to connect and modernize the Gyeongui Line and East Coast Line. The former is between Seoul and Sinuiju, while the latter had connected the South’s coastal city of Busan and Wonsan of the North. 　The a

Following the historic inter-Korean summit on Friday, expectations are high that the two Koreas’ militaries will speed up their efforts to return the heavily fortified demilitarized zone to its original state. 　President Moon Jae-in and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un agreed to “demilitarize” the DMZ by suspending propaganda broadcasts on loudspeakers and the sending of propaganda leaflets toward each other’s territories.　Under the armistice agreement, the two Koreas are prohibited from militar

"A new history begins now. At the starting point of history and the era of peace." (Cheong Wa Dae)(Cheong Wa Dae)(KTV)By Yeo Jun-suk (jasonyeo@heraldcorp.com)

　North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will inspect the South Korean military honor guard before holding a summit with President Moon Jae-in on Friday, marking the first North Korea leader to be greeted by the South Korean military. 　According to Cheong Wa Dae and the Defense Ministry, the military honor guard will hold a welcoming ceremony for Moon and Kim at the South Korean territory inside the truce village of Panmunjeom. 　Escorted by ceremonial guards in traditional costume, the two Korea’s leade

South Korea-US joint military exercises are to be suspended when the two Koreas’ leaders hold a historic summit on Friday, in a move aimed at setting a peaceful tone for what could be a major breakthrough to easing cross-border tensions. 　According to the allies’ militaries, the first part of the annual Key Resolve exercise wrapped up Thursday and the second phase will kick off Monday. A session to review the performance of the computer-simulated games is scheduled for Saturday. 　The allies’ mil

 With the historic inter-Korean summit just around the corner, speculation is rampant over what the two leaders will discuss amid hopes that their meeting will pave the way for peace on the Korean Peninsula.   According to Cheong Wa Dae, the main agenda will be narrowed down to: denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, establishment of the peace regime and improvement of inter-Korean relations. But exactly what will be discussed, and more importantly, what will be announced at the end of the da

With South Korea suspending the operations of loudspeakers blasting propaganda across the border with North Korea, expectations are high the measure will translate into broader steps for easing cross-border military tensions.　On Monday, the Ministry of National Defense announced the loudspeakers broadcasting propaganda along the border was shut down at midnight Sunday to create a peaceful mood for the inter-Korean summit set for Friday at the truce village of Panmunjeom.  　The conciliatory gestu

 When North Korea’s late leader Kim Jong-il met with his South Korean counterparts during the previous two summits in 2000 and 2007, the events were shrouded in secrecy as they took place at the reclusive state’s capital, Pyongyang. The upcoming third inter-Korean summit, however, could be quite different. Not only is the summit to be held on South Korean territory at the truce village of Panmunjeom, the event will be broadcast live and relayed to the public online. Following a series of prepara

Diplomats and scholars gather Tuesday to discuss the prospects of the inter-Korean summit at the Kuwait Embassy in Seoul. Phoot: Corea Image Communication InstituteHosted by Corea Image Communication Institute, the talk was attended by Kuwaiti Ambassador Bader Mohammad al-Awadi, Singaporean Ambassador Yip Wei Kiat and Latvian Ambassador Peteris Vaivars, among others. Cha Du Hyeogn, a visiting research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, delivered the lecture. Phoot: Corea Image Comm

With the upcoming inter-Korean summit raising expectations for a diplomatic breakthrough on the Korean Peninsula, security scholars and diplomats here gathered Thursday to discuss the summit’s implications and prospects for the security climate at the Herald Security Forum 2018 organized by The Korea Herald.Under the title of “Korean Peninsula at crossroads,” the panelists shared their views on how the summit would change the inter-Korean relations and whether it would lead to denuclearization o

In July 1953, near the end of the Korean War, the United States, North Korea and China sat down to hammer out an agreement that would bring a halt to the three years of violent conflict on the Korean Peninsula. Through the armistice agreement, the participants agreed to ensure cessation of hostilities and all acts of armed force until a peaceful settlement was achieved. South Korea was not a direct signatory to the agreement as President Rhee Syngman refused to sign it. Boosted by the prospects

With the United States and its allies conducting airstrikes on Syria over its alleged use of chemical weapons on civilians, speculation has emerged over how the surprise attack may impact the outcome of the historic summit between North Korea and the US. 　Some suggest that the attack on Syria could give more leverage to US President Donald Trump by sending a strong message to Pyongyang, while others predict that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may use it as an excuse to justify the country’s pos