Possible papal visit to North Korea revisited President Moon Jae-in meets Pope Francis during his official visit to the Vatican, Oct. 18, 2018. Korea Times file By Kang Seung-wooOn the occasion of President Moon Jae-in's scheduled meeting with Pope Francis later this week, a possible papal visit to North Korea is once again emerging.Experts believe that the papal visit still stands a chance, given that Pope Francis has made many appeals for inter-Korean rapprochement. If realized, it could play a role in establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula.According to Cheong Wa Dae, Moon is scheduled to meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican, Friday, before attending the G20 Summit, and he is likely to discuss the possibility of a papal visit to Pyongyang. “The pope has repeatedly expressed his willingness to visit North Korea, so they may discuss the issue as well,” a senior official of the presidential office said. A papal trip to the reclusive state gained traction in 2018 amid a peace mood created by three inter-Korean summits and historic meetings between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and then U.S. President Donald TruOct 25, 2021By Kang Seung-woo
North Korean leader's weight loss leads to diverse speculation This 2020 Oct. file photo shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, left, appearing on North Korea's Korean Central News Agency. The Sept. 9 image of him, right, captured from Korean Central Television shows he has lost much weight. YonhapBy Yoon Ja-youngNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who seems to have succeeded in a rigorous diet plan, is facing diverse speculation due to his change in appearance. Following speculation of him being sick, now there are rumors that he was murdered, which South Korea's spy agency rebut.Media outlets here have cited a recent report by Globe, a U.S.-based tabloid magazine, about a coup in North Korea. Globe reported on the front page of its Oct. 23 (local time) edition that Kim's “ruthless kid sister” Yo-jong staged a secret coup between May and June and “murdered him before he could execute her.” Citing U.S. intelligence sources, it reported that Kim Jong-un, who hadn't been seen in public since June, was only seen at a Sept. 9 event marking the 73rd anniversary of the country's founding. The person appearing for the event was a &Oct 25, 2021By Yoon Ja-young
North Korean media decries proposed South Korea-US defense dialogue Camp Humphreys, a U.S. Forces Korea base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province / YonhapA North Korean media outlet on Sunday slammed the United States for its recent proposal to create a new working-level defense dialogue with South Korea, accusing Washington of seeking to raise military pressure on Pyongyang.The U.S. floated the idea of instituting the unofficial dialogue platform during the allies' regular defense talks in Seoul last month, sources have said, as Washington is pushing to rally its democratic allies to counter China's growing assertiveness.Meari, a North Korean propaganda website, claimed that the proposed dialogue is yet another attempt by the U.S. to add pressure on the North and reinforce its regional policy initiative."The United States can be seen as seeking to usefully capitalize on the (proposed) defense working group to tighten its grab on South Korea's defense sector, pressure North Korea militarily and by extension, strengthen the realization of its Indo-Pacific strategy," the website said in an article.It also rebuked the South for considering the proposed launOct 24, 2021
China's Xi vows to bolster ties with North Korea in letter to Kim Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un take a walk at the Kumsusan State Guesthouse in Pyongyang, in this June 2019 file photo. Yonhap Chinese President Xi Jinping has reaffirmed efforts to strengthen bilateral relations with North Korea, Pyongyang's state media reported Saturday. Xi made the remarks in a reply to Kim's earlier letter to mark the 72nd Chinese National Day, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).In the reply, Xi said he has highly taken note of relations between North Korea and China, and expressed his willingness to raise bilateral ties to a "new level." North Korea and China were emphasizing their close relations amid stalemated nuclear talks between Pyongyang and Washington, and an escalating Sino-U.S. rivalry.Previously, Kim vowed to raise the Pyongyang-Beijing "friendship to a new strategic point as required by the times and as desired by the peoples of the two countries." China fought alongside the Oct 23, 2021
North Korea denounces US for meddling in Taiwan issue, accuses of hostile intent A North Korean flag flies on a mast at the Permanent Mission of North Korea in Geneva, in this Oct. 2014 file photo. Reuters-Yonhap North Korea blasted the United States, Saturday, for causing military tension with China by meddling in affairs involving Taiwan.Vice Foreign Minister Pak Myong-ho also accused Washington of trying to topple both Beijing and Pyongyang."This year alone, the U.S. dispatched all kinds of battleships into the Taiwan Straits on the plea [sic] of freedom of navigation whenever [the] occasion called. Some time ago, it even mobilized a battleship of its ally only to escalate tension in the Taiwan Straits," Pak said in a statement carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA)."This is an actual proof that the U.S. is using Taiwan as a tool to put pressure on China and an outpost to overpower China in an emergency though it outwardly maintains One China policy," the KCNA added.The statement came after U.S. President Joe Biden Oct 23, 2021
UN investigator: North Korea has never been more isolated Workers disinfect a department store in Pyongyang, North Korea, Oct. 20. AFP-Yonhap North Korea has never been more isolated from the international community as a result of its drastic steps to prevent COVID-19, and the ruptured global ties are having ``a dramatic impact on the human rights of the people inside the country,'' the U.N.'s independent investigator on the reclusive northeast Asian nation said Friday.Tomas Ojea Quintana told the General Assembly's human rights committee and an earlier news conference that North Koreans are facing food shortages and collapses in their livelihoods, and the most vulnerable children and elderly people are at risk of starvation. He said he was also ``really, really concerned'' about the extent of hunger in political prison camps.The Democratic People's Republic of Korea ― the North's official name ― closed its borders to prevent the pandemic, which Ojea Quintana said would have ``a devastating impact'' on the people's right tOct 23, 2021
Issue of Seoul pursuing nuclear armament re-ignited gettyimagesbankExperts see possessing nuclear weapons 'impossible'By Kang Seung-wooThe years-long subject of South Korea possessing its own nuclear weapons is being rekindled in response to North Korea's rapid expansion of its nuclear program. The South Korean and U.S. governments have made clear their objections to the idea, but given Pyongyang's meaningful progress in the development of nuclear weapons, it is likely to remain a debatable topic in the foreseeable future.In the past, there have often been calls here for South Korea to acquire its own nuclear arsenal, but to no avail due to a possible violation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) that would be followed by sanctions and the disapproval of Washington that is wary of the spread of nuclear weapons. Joseph DeTrani, a former special envoy for negotiations with North Korea, was the latest to revisit the dormant issue. “North Korea has conducted six nuclear tests and continues to reprocess spent fuel rods for plutonium for nuclear weapons. They are assessed to have between 40 and 60 nuclear weapons,” DeTrani saiOct 23, 2021By Kang Seung-woo
Nuri rocket launch could prompt North Korea to test ICBM South Korea's first locally-developed space launch vehicle, known as Nuri, lifts off from the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, Thursday, YonhapBy Kwon Mee-yooSouth Korea's launch of its first-ever, locally developed space launch vehicle, Thursday, was a partial success. While South Korea vows to succeed in a second launch scheduled for next May, there are increasing concerns that the move might prompt North Korea to develop and test-fire more advanced inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), while claiming it was pursuing a “balance of power on the Korean Peninsula.”Space launch vehicles and intercontinental ballistic missiles share most of the same technology, but the difference is whether they are carrying a satellite or a warhead.While developing ICBMs which could reach the continental U.S., North Korea test-fired missiles in the past under the pretext of attempting to place satellites in orbit, including its Kwangmyongsong-3, and Kwangmyongsong-4 rockets. But the international community did not accept the claim and North Korea was banned from Oct 22, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo
North Korean delegation to attend UN climate conference in Glasgow gettyimagesbankA North Korean delegation is expected to attend a U.N. climate conference slated to kick off in Britain later this month, a Seoul official said Friday.Officials at the North Korean Embassy in London will participate in the 2021 U.N. Climate Change Conference, known as COP26, which will run from Oct. 31 to Nov. 12 in Glasgow. "As far as I know, the North Korean mission in Britain is sending a delegation," a foreign ministry official said. According to a recent U.S. intelligence report, North Korea was listed as one of 11 countries most vulnerable to climate change due to its inability to adapt to such changes.The North's planned participation is one of a series of diplomatic activities Pyongyang has recently resumed after they were hampered due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the outbreak of the coronavirus in China, North Korea has imposed highly restrictive virus control measures, leading many countries operating missions in the North to pull out their diplomats. (Yonhap)Oct 22, 2021
North Korea among most vulnerable countries to climate change: report A North Korean flag flies on a mast at the Permanent Mission of North Korea in Geneva, Oct. 2, 2014. Reuters-YonhapClimate change may lead to increased risks for the United States on the Korean Peninsula as North Korea stands unable to cope with growing physical effects of the environmental challenge, a U.S. intelligence report said Thursday.The report, National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on climate change, published by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, lists North Korea as one of 11 countries that are most vulnerable to climate change."Scientific forecasts indicate that intensifying physical effects of climate change out to 2040 and beyond will be most acutely felt in developing countries, which we assess are also the least able to adapt to such changes," said the NIE report."These physical effects will increase the potential for instability and possibly internal conflict in these countries, in some cases creating additional demands on U.S. diplomatic, economic, humanitarian, and military resources," it added.The report said the 11 countries of concern, includingOct 22, 2021
