US remains committed to engaging with North Korea: State Department U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price / AP-YonhapThe United States remains committed to engaging with North Korea, a State Department spokesman said Tuesday, despite a negative statement from the sister of the North Korean leader that the U.S. may be in for a great disappointment.Ned Price also reiterated U.S. hopes that North Korea would respond positively."We remain prepared to engage in principled negotiations with the DPRK to deal with the challenge of its nuclear program," the spokesman said in a telephonic press briefing, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.The remarks come after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister, Yo-jong, said the U.S. hopes for dialogue with the North will lead to a "greater disappointment.""When it comes to the comments you mentioned emanating from North Korea, we have seen them. We are aware of them," Price said when asked about the statement from Kim Yo-jong. "They have not changed our view on diplomacy."The Joe Biden administration had sought to engage with North Korea in February, then againJun 23, 2021
North Korea rejects US attempts to resume talks President Moon Jae-in offers a seat to U.S. special envoy for North Korea Sung Kim before their meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, Tuesday. Kim also had talks with National Security Adviser Suh Hoon and Unification Minister Lee In-young earlier in the day over the two nations' coordination on North Korea issues. Korea Times photo by Wang Tae-seokS. Korea, US likely to abolish 'working group' forumBy Nam Hyun-wooNorth Korea shot down the hopes of the United States and South Korea for dialogue on inter-Korean cooperation and denuclearization, with Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, saying Washington had the “wrong” expectations for talks. “It seems that the U.S. may interpret the situation in such a way as to seek comfort for itself,” Kim said in a statement carried by Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency, Tuesday. “The expectations, which they chose to harbor the wrong way, will plunge them into greater disappointment.”The statement came after U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in an interview that the NorthJun 22, 2021By Nam Hyun-woo
North Korean leader's sister says US has 'wrong' expectation Kim Yo-jong / YonhapThe sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said Tuesday that the United States has "wrong" expectations after U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan called Kim's comments about dialogue with the U.S. an "interesting signal."Kim Yo-jong made the remark in a statement a day after U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Sung Kim said the U.S. has offered to meet with the North "anywhere, anytime without preconditions.""The expectation, which they chose to harbor the wrong way, would plunge them into a greater disappointment," she said. "It seems that the U.S. may interpret the situation in such a way as to seek a comfort for itself."Last week, leader Kim Jong-un concluded a plenary meeting of the Workers' Party and called for his country to be prepared for both dialogue and confrontation.In an interview with ABC News on Sunday, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan called Kim's comments an "interesting signal." (Yonhap)Jun 22, 2021
North Korean leader urges support for women in letter to major union of housewives Members of the Socialist Women's Union of Korea (SWUK), a North Korean organization consisting of housewives, show their Workers' Party membership cards at the SWUK congress meeting held in Pyongyang in this photo released by North's Korean Central News Agency, June 22. YonhapNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un urged support for women in a message to the country's major organization consisting of housewives, state media said Tuesday.The Socialist Women's Union of Korea (SWUK) held its seventh congress meeting from Sunday to Monday and read out Kim's letter praising the union as the "great pride" of the ruling Workers' Party, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.Kim called on the party to show support and love for women, saying that respecting women is a "great virtue of the communists and an important sign that shows how civilized a society is."He also called for efforts to boost employment for members of the women's union within working age and urged the union to prompt all members to devote themselves to implementing the decisions made at the party congress of the rulingJun 22, 2021
Biden extends sanctions on North Korea amid US outreach U.S. President Joe Biden / Reuters-YonhapU.S. President Joe Biden said Monday he decided to extend U.S. sanctions on North Korea for another year, a move that follows the latest U.S. outreach to the reclusive nation for dialogue at any time and place.In a letter to the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Biden said the North's fissile material as well as its pursuit of nuclear and missile programs "continue to constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States.""For this reason, I have determined that it is necessary to continue the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13466 with respect to North Korea," he said in the letter, released by the White House.The executive order declaring a national emergency with respect to North Korea first went into effect on June 26, 2008, under the George W. Bush administration.U.S. sanctions under the 2008 executive order have since been extended annually, while the scope of sanctions has been expanded through five executive orders in 2010, 2011, 2015, 2016 anJun 22, 2021
'US ready to sit down with North Korea anytime' Noh Kyu-duk, center, South Korea's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, poses with Sung Kim, left, the U.S. special envoy for North Korea, and Takehiro Funakoshi, the head of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, prior to their talks in Seoul, Monday. YonhapWashington offers conciliatory gesture again but with no enticementBy Kang Seung-wooThe United States once again extended an olive branch to North Korea, Monday, saying that it was ready to hold a meeting with the reclusive regime “anywhere, anytime” amid deadlocked nuclear talks between the two countries. However, Washington did not offer anything to entice Pyongyang back to negotiations. “Our policy calls for a calibrated, practical approach that is open to and will explore diplomacy with the DPRK,” said Sung Kim, the U.S. special representative for North Korea, ahead of a three-way meeting with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts, Noh Kyu-duk, and Takehiro Funakoshi, in Seoul. The DPRK refers to the Democratic People's Republic of KorJun 21, 2021By Kang Seung-woo
South Korean Olympic chief clinging to hope for North Korean participation in Tokyo 2020 Lee Kee-heung, head of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, speaks during a recent interview at his office in Seoul. YonhapSouth Korea's top Olympic official is holding on to hope that North Korea will change its mind and participate in the Tokyo Summer Games after all ― however slim those chances may be.Lee Kee-heung, head of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) and a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), said in a recent interview that North Korea's status for Tokyo 2020 will remain up in the air until July 5. That's the deadline for countries to submit their Olympic entries."My understanding is that the IOC and our government have been persuading North Korea to take part in the Tokyo Olympics," Lee said last Wednesday. "Since July 5 is the entry deadline, we must wait until that point to see exactly where things stand."North Korea announced in April that it would not send its athletes to Tokyo for the July 23-Aug. 8 Olympics, citing COVID-19 infection concerns. Earlier this month, the IOC said it would reallocate quota places that had been originallyJun 21, 2021
What enticements will Sung Kim offer to North Korea? Sung Kim, the U.S. special representative for North Korea, arrives at Incheon International Airport, Saturday. YonhapBy Kang Seung-wooThe visit of Sung Kim, the U.S. special representative for North Korea, to Seoul is raising questions over whether Washington will offer enticements to Pyongyang in a bid to normalize stalled nuclear negotiations.Since February 2019, when the U.S.-North Korea summit ended without reaching a deal on denuclearization, the totalitarian state has continued to refuse engaging both the U.S. and South Korea, thereby hampering inter-Korean relations.Kim, who was appointed to the post last month, arrived here, Saturday, on a five-day trip, during which he is scheduled to sit down with his South Korean counterpart, Noh Kyu-duk, and hold three-way talks that will also include Japan's nuclear envoy, Takehiro Funakoshi, Monday.The planned talks come days after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said his country should be ready for dialogue and more importantly, confrontation with the U.S., stressing the stable control of the Korean Peninsula situation in his first mesJun 20, 2021By Kang Seung-woo
North Korean leader watches musical performance after key party meeting North Korea leader Kim Jong-un / YonhapNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un watched a musical performance, state media reported Sunday, after last week's four-day ruling party session highlighted a vow to "break through head-on" a series of challenges facing his country.Kim and members of the Workers' Party's central leadership attended the performance by the Band of the State Affairs Commission, the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported without specifying when the event took place.From Tuesday through Friday, the North held the third plenary session of the eighth Central Committee of the Workers' Party to discuss economic challenges, including food shortages and anti-pandemic efforts.Kim also discussed how to deal with the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden, saying his country should be ready for both dialogue and confrontation, and more importantly, confrontation amid the "fast-changing" situation on the Korean Peninsula.Wrapping up the meeting Friday, Kim said that his party will "break through head-on the difficulties lying in the way of the revolution" aJun 20, 2021
North Korean leader vows to overcome difficulties North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks during a Workers' Party meeting in Pyongyang, June 18, in this photo provided by the North Korean government. AP-YonhapNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed to break through the difficulties facing his country as he concluded a key Workers' Party meeting after discussing ways to deal with food shortages and relations with the United States, state media reported Saturday.Throughout the four-day plenary meeting of the party's Central Committee, the third of its kind this year, Kim discussed how to cope with economic challenges, including food shortages and anti-pandemic efforts. He also discussed ways to deal with the U.S. administration of President Joe Biden, saying the North should be ready for both dialogue and confrontation, and more importantly, confrontation amid the "fast-changing" situation on the Korean Peninsula.As he wrapped up the meeting Friday, Kim "solemnly swore on behalf of the WPK Central Committee that the Party will surely break through head-on the difficulties lying in the way of the revolution," and remain loyal to the revolJun 19, 2021
