Election win sets Moon to push harder for NK policy President Moon Jae-in shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during their summit at the truce village of Panmunjeom, April 27, 2018. / Korea Times fileBy Kang Seung-wooFollowing the sweeping victory by the ruling party in the general election, the Moon Jae-in administration's North Korea policy is expected to gain momentum.The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and its affiliate, Civil Together, won 60 percent of all seats in the 300-strong National Assembly. Given that the April 15 parliamentary elections served as a referendum on Moon's presidency, now in the third year of his five-year term, the win is likely to give more political space for his government to continue pursuing its policy agenda related to the North. Inter-Korean relations have remained at a standstill as diplomacy between the two countries has been deadlocked since the collapse of the Hanoi summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in February 2019.“The resounding election triumph has cleared the way for the Moon administration to push harder for its KoreanApr 24, 2020By Kang Seung-woo
Dennis Rodman says he is praying for North Korean leader's health Former NBA player Dennis Rodman / ReutersFormer NBA star Dennis Rodman has expressed concern over unconfirmed reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is seriously ill, saying he is "praying" for his quick recovery.Rodman has visited North Korea multiple times and apparently befriended Kim, who is known as an avid basketball fan.In an interview with U.S. outlet TMZ Sports, published Wednesday, the retired basketball player addressed the recent reports that Kim may be in "grave danger" after a cardiovascular procedure."I hope it's just a rumor that Marshal Kim Jong-un is sick," Rodman said. "Hopefully I will find out more soon."North Korea's state media has kept mum on the leader's whereabouts since reporting on a ruling party meeting he presided over on April 11."There is still so much work we have to do between both the USA and DPRK," Rodman said, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "If he is not feeling well, I am praying for his speedy recovery, so that both my friends [President Trump & Marshal Kim] can continue towardApr 24, 2020
Pompeo: US will seek North Korea's denuclearization regardless of who leads regime U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a press briefing at the State Department on Wednesday, April 22, 2020, in Washington. APThe United States will push for North Korea's denuclearization regardless of who is in power there, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, amid unconfirmed reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is seriously ill.Pompeo was asked on Fox News Wednesday how comfortable he would be dealing with Kim's sister, Yo-jong, in the event she takes power in the dynastic regime."Well, I did have a chance to meet her a couple of times, but the challenge remains the same. The goal remains unchanged," he said."Whoever is leading North Korea, we want them to give up their nuclear program, we want them to join the league of nations, and we want a brighter future for the North Korean people," he continued. "But they've got to denuclearize, and we've got to do so in a way that we can verify. That's true no matter who is leading North Korea."CNN reported earlier this week that Kim is in "grave danger" after a surgery. That followed a report in the Daily NK, a South Apr 24, 2020
Trump says reports on Kim's health 'incorrect' U.S. President Donald Trump listens to a speaker during the daily briefing on the novel coronavirus in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, April 23, 2020. AFPUS President Donald Trump on Thursday rejected reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was ailing, criticizing his frequent nemesis CNN for running the story."I think the report was incorrect, let me just put it that way," Trump told reporters. "I'm hearing they used old documents."Trump declined to say if he had direct knowledge from North Korea that Kim was fine. He instead attacked cable news network CNN, with which the US leader has an acrimonious relationship."I think it was a fake report done by CNN," Trump said at a daily briefing on the coronavirus pandemic, before refusing to take further questions from a journalist of the network.CNN, quoting what it said was an anonymous US official, on Monday reported that Washington was "monitoring intelligence" that Kim was in "grave danger" after undergoing surgery.Daily NK, an online media outlet run mostly by North Korean defectors, separately saidApr 24, 2020
Mystery continues: Photos of Kim Jong-un missing from North Korea media coverage North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visits a pursuit assault plane group under the Air and Anti-Aircraft Division in the country's western region, in this photo released by North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), April 12. Rumors have been mounting over Kim's physical condition as he has been absent from recent political events including a floral tribute ceremony at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang last Wednesday to commemorate the birth of his grandfather, the country's founding leader Kim Il-sung. KCNA-YonhapBy Jung Da-min North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Wednesday that the country's leader Kim Jong-un sent a letter to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to thank him for the message sent in recognition of the 108th birthday of Kim Il-sung, North Korea's founding leader.Such reports on the North Korean leader's diplomacy activities are seen as usual routine in state media, but are receiving significant attention this time, as speculation has been mounting on Kim's physical condition, following recent reports of a suspected carApr 23, 2020
North Korea's silence on leader's health raises succession speculation Kim Yo-jong, younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, walks ahead of Kim who escorts his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in at the North's ruling Workers' Party headquarters in Pyongyang on Sept. 18, 2018. APWith North Korea saying nothing so far about outside media reports that leader Kim Jong-un may be unwell, there is renewed worry about who is next in line to run a nuclear-armed country that has been ruled by the same family for seven decades. Questions about Kim's health flared after he skipped an April 15 commemoration of the 108th birthday of his grandfather, North Korea founder Kim Il-sung. It is North Korea's most important event and Kim, 36, hadn't missed it since inheriting power from his father in late 2011. North Korea's state media on Wednesday said Kim sent a message thanking Syria's president for conveying greetings on his grandfather's birthday, but didn't report any other activities, while rival South Korea repeated that no unusual developments had been detected in the North. Kim has been out of the public eye for extended periods in the past, and North Apr 23, 2020
Defector-turned-lawmaker in hot water over NK remarks By Kang Seung-wooA North Korean defector-turned-lawmaker-elect's unconfirmed remarks regarding North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's health are raising some eyebrows, including those of a fellow defector.Ji Seong-hoIn response to CNN, which broke the news on Monday that Kim was gravely ill, the government said he seemed to be dealing with state affairs as usual, adding there was no intelligence regarding rumors about his health. However, Ji Seong-ho, who won a National Assembly seat through the proportional representation system in last week's general election, recounted to local media that his former country's leader is in a critical condition after undergoing cardiovascular surgery. “It is true that Kim is seriously ill, so he may not come back to power,” Ji said, citing a source inside North Korea.Ji also said a succession battle is taking place in the North.“We need to wait and see whether the leader's sister Kim Yo-jong will step in or if his wife Ri Sol-ju will take over,” he added.Ji went further, saying the North Korean leader has a mistress and said that Apr 23, 2020By Kang Seung-woo
Trump says 'We don't know' about North Korean leader's health U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday he doesn't know about the health condition of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un amid reports he may be seriously ill. AP-YonhapU.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday he doesn't know about the health condition of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un amid reports he may be seriously ill."These are reports that came out, and we don't know. We don't know," Trump said at a White House coronavirus press briefing. "I can only say this: I wish him well. Because if he is in the kind of condition that the reports say, that the news say, that's a very serious condition."Trump said he doesn't place "too much credence" in any report put out by CNN. Citing an unidentified U.S. official, CNN first reported that the U.S. is looking into intelligence that Kim is in "grave danger" after a surgery."They came out with very, very serious medical reports. Nobody's confirmed that," he said.Asked about possible successors to Kim in the dynastic regime, Trump declined to weigh in."I don't want to ask him that. I haven't asked him that. It's not my purpose to tell you that Apr 22, 2020
Speculations mounting over Kim Jong-un's health North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks during a political bureau meeting of the ruling Workers' Party, April 11, according to the North's state media reports the day after. A South Korean media outlet reported, Monday, that Kim received a cardiovascular surgery on April 12 and his condition was improving, while CNN reported he is in grave danger. YonhapBy Kim RahnSpeculation is rising on the physical condition of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, following reports of a suspected cardiovascular surgical procedure. While South Korean online media dealing with North Korea issues reported he was recovering from the recent operation, CNN reported he was “in grave danger.”Citing a local source in the North, the South Korean media outlet the Daily NK reported Monday that Kim underwent the surgery at Hyangsan Medical Center near Mount Myohyang in North Pyongan Province, an exclusive hospital for the Kim family, April 12, and has been receiving treatment at his vacation home nearby.According to the Daily NK, the procedure was performed by a surgeon from Kim Man Yu Hospital, the NorApr 21, 2020By Kim Rahn
No unusual signs about North Korean leader's health: South Korean gov't North Korean leader Kim Jong-un / Korea Times fileSouth Korea has seen no unusual signs with regard to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's health, government officials said Tuesday, after CNN reported that Kim is "in grave danger after a surgery."CNN cited an unidentified "U.S. official with direct knowledge" but offered no further details."There are no unusual signs in North Korea," a government official told Yonhap News Agency on condition of anonymity. "It is not a fact."Another official said there have been no signs detected with regard to Kim's health, emphasizing that Kim had continued to be seen in public until recently. A spokesperson of Cheong Wa Dae also said that no unusual signs have been detected about Kim's health.The CNN report came after the Daily NK, a South Korean internet news outlet specializing in North Korea news, reported that Kim has been receiving medical treatment at a villa in the resort county of Hyangsan, outside of Pyongyang, following a cardiovascular procedure.Speculation has arisen about what happened to Kim since he apparently skipped an annual visit tApr 21, 2020
