Blinken urges North Korea to engage, saying US seeks practical progress United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, second left, wearing a face mask to curb the spread of coronavirus, speaks to South Korea's Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong, third right, during bilateral talks on the sidelines of a G7 foreign ministers' meeting, at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London, May 3. AP-YonhapU.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged North Korea on Monday to return to the negotiating table, saying his country seeks to make practical progress toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through diplomacy.The call comes after North Korea threatened the U.S. will face "worse and worse crisis.""I hope that North Korea will take the opportunity to engage diplomatically and to see if there are ways to move forward toward the objective of complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," the top U.S. diplomat said in a joint press conference with his British counterpart, Dominic Raab.Blinken is on a trip to London, where he is attending the Group of Seven (G7) Foreign and Development Ministers' Meeting.On Sunday (Seoul time), North Korea said the U.S. willMay 4, 2021
North Korea will not participate in World Cup qualifiers in South Korea next month South Korean soldiers patrol along the barbed-wire fence in Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, May 2. North Korea has expressed its intention not to participate in Asian qualifiers for the 2022 Qatar World Cup, set to take place in South Korea next month, a football governing body in South Korea said Monday. AP-YonhapNorth Korea has expressed its intention not to participate in Asian qualifiers for the 2022 Qatar World Cup, set to take place in South Korea in June, a football governing body here said Monday.According to the Korea Football Association (KFA), its North Korean counterpart, known as the DPR Korea Football Association (PRKFA), sent an official document to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) last Friday to declare its intent to stay away from the second round of World Cup qualifiers to be hosted by South Korea in June.The PRKFA reportedly cited fears of coronavirus infection among the reasons for its decision not to travel to South Korea next month.The two Koreas belong to Group H in the second round of Asian qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup, along wiMay 3, 2021
North Korea feared to stage provocation around Seoul-Washington summit What is assumed to be a new intercontinental ballistic missile is displayed during a ceremony to mark the 75th anniversary of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party of Korea in this capture image of Korea Central Television broadcasting, Oct. 10, 2020. YonhapBy Nam Hyun-wooNorth Korea spouted bellicose rhetoric against both Seoul and Washington, Sunday, following President Joe Biden's address to both houses of Congress, and his administration's completion of a policy review on the North, breaking its weeks-long wait-and-see stance. Experts said Pyongyang may attempt to rattle its neighbors and the U.S. with a number of low-profile provocations before the May 21 summit between Biden and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. These could involve the closure of North Korea's own organization on inter-Korean relations or the launch of short-range missiles.North Korea released three statements targeting Washington and Seoul ― two from its foreign ministry and one from Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of the North's leader Kim Jong-un. Kwon Jong-gun, director general of the Department of U.S. AfMay 2, 2021By Nam Hyun-woo
North Korean leader's sister warns Seoul of consequence for failing to stop anti-Pyongyang leaflets Kim Yo-jong, a sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un / YonhapThe sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un slammed South Korea for failing to stop anti-Pyongyang leaflets flown by a defector group last week, calling it an "intolerable provocation" and warning of "corresponding action."Kim Yo-jong made the remarks in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency, saying that the South Korean government "again did not stop the reckless acts" and expressed "displeasure" over the matter."'Defectors from the North' in South Korea recently scattered leaflets against the DPRK again, an intolerable provocation against it," Kim said in the statement. "However, the South Korean authorities again did not stop the reckless acts of the 'defectors from the North,' winking at them."DPRK is the acronym of the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "Displeasure cannot be hidden over such sordid acts... We regard the maneuvers committed by the human wastes in the South as a serious provocation against our state and will look into corresponding action," sMay 2, 2021
North Korea says Biden 'made big blunder,' warns of 'worse crisis beyond control' A new type of a tactical guided missile was launched from the North Korean town of Hamju, South Hamgyong Province, in this March 26 file photo released by the Korean Central News Agency. North Korea said Sunday that U.S. President Joe Biden made a "big blunder" after he called Pyongyang's nuclear program a serious threat, warning the U.S. will face a "worse and worse crisis beyond control." YonhapNorth Korea said Sunday that U.S. President Joe Biden made a "big blunder" after he called Pyongyang's nuclear program a serious threat, warning the U.S. will face a "worse and worse crisis beyond control." Kwon Jong-gun, director general of the Department of U.S. Affairs of the Foreign Ministry, made the remarks after Biden pledged in his first congressional address last week to work with allies to address "serious threats" from the North and Iran through diplomacy and stern deterrence."It is certain that the U.S. chief executive made a big blunder in the light of the present-day viewpoint," Kwon said. "Now that what the keynote of the U.S. new DPRK policy has become clear, we will be compeMay 2, 2021
North Korea's largest youth group drops late founder's name from title after 25 years Members of the Kimilsungist-Kimjongilist Youth League clap as a flag bearing the group's new name, “the Socialist Patriotic Youth League,” is introduced during the group's 10th congress in Pyongyang, according to the Korean Central News Agency on Friday. YonhapNorth Korea dropped the name of late national founder Kim Il-sung from the title of its largest youth organization and put the word "socialist" back into the title, according to state media Friday, a move aimed at tightening ideological discipline of younger generations.The Kimilsungist-Kimjongilist Youth League, governed by the ruling Workers' Party, was renamed as the Socialist Patriotic Youth League (SPYL) at the 10th congress in Pyongyang, according to the Korean Central News Agency.North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent a letter congratulating the youth league and said the renaming of the group was "deeply considerate of the fresh requirements of the Korean revolution and development of the youth movement, and the unanimous will and desire of the youth league officials and the youths."The SPYL, however, stressed Apr 30, 2021
Defector group sends propaganda leaflets into North Korea in defiance of ban Fighters for a Free North Korea leader Park Sang-hak in a video the group released on Friday, where he said his group of North Korean defectors flew anti-Pyongyang leaflets to North Korea across the inter-Korean border from areas close to the demilitarized zone in Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces from April 25 to 29 / YonhapA North Korean defector group claimed Friday it has sent anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border in defiance of a ban enacted recently over concern such a leafleting campaign could provoke the North and endanger the safety of people in border regions.Fighters for a Free North Korea led by Park Sang-hak, a vocal North Korean defector, said that the group flew 10 large balloons carrying around 500,000 leaflets, 500 booklets and 5,000 $1 bills from unidentified border areas in Gyeonggi and Gangwon Provinces from Sunday to Thursday.This marked the first time that a local activist group claimed to have sent anti-Pyongyang leaflets since the leafleting ban went into effect late in March. Under the ban, violators are subject to a maximum prison term of three years or a fApr 30, 2021
'1st half of 2021 opportune time for inter-Korean, denuclearization talks': unification minister Unification Minister Lee In-young speaks during a press conference at the Office of the Inter-Korean Dialogue in Seoul, Thursday. YonhapBy Kang Seung-wooUnification Minister Lee In-young said Thursday that the first half of the year would be the most opportune time to initiate progress in President Moon Jae-in's stalled Korean Peninsula peace process, saying the new American administration needs to engage North Korea as early as possible. In addition, the minister expected the U.S. policy review on the North Korean regime will recommend adopting a synchronized and phased approach to eliminating Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program, adding that the United States could take a flexible stance on international sanctions following the totalitarian state's moves toward denuclearization.“The government will make efforts to encourage the U.S. to engage North Korea at an early stage in a bid to normalize the Korean Peninsula peace process and achieve tangible results,” Lee said during a press conference at the Office for Inter-Korean Dialogue in Seoul.“As the U.S. policy reviApr 29, 2021By Kang Seung-woo
UN committee requests North Korea provide explanation on human rights violations A woman wearing traditional dress and holding a North Korean flag watches a performance celebrating the 89th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army, a precursor to the Korean People's Army, in Changjon Street in Pyongyang, April 25. A United Nations committee called on North Korea to provide an explanation on reported cases of human rights violations and to report any progress. AFP-YonhapA U.N. committee called on North Korea to provide an explanation on reported cases of human rights violations and to report any progress, its website showed Thursday.The U.N. Human Rights Committee (HRC) last week urged the North to provide information on whether it has made progress on several human rights issues, including torture and violence against women.The committee asked the North to specify the measures it has taken to ensure that the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), a multilateral U.N. treaty, takes precedence over the North's domestic law in practice.It also requested Pyongyang to provide an explanation to reports that it issued "Apr 29, 2021
Biden vows to work with allies to address North Korea threats 'through diplomacy and stern deterrence' U.S. President Joe Biden addresses a joint session of Congress, April 28, in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. AP-YonhapU.S. President Joe Biden said Wednesday he will work with allies to address threats from North Korea and Iran through "diplomacy" and "stern deterrence."Biden made the remark during his first address to a joint session of Congress, calling the nuclear programs of Pyongyang and Tehran "a serious threat to America's security and world security.""We are going to be working closely with our allies to address the threats posed by both of these countries through diplomacy, as well as stern deterrence," Biden said in the address attended by only about one-fifth of U.S. senators and representatives due to social distancing measures.The United States has been conducting a comprehensive review of its North Korea policy that it says will provide a new approach to dealing with the recalcitrant North.The Biden administration has also reached out to North Korea for engagement since mid-February, but Pyongyang remains unresponsive to the U.S. overtures.Biden strApr 29, 2021
