NK could shutdown nuke talks unless US does U-turn: think tank U.S. President Donald Trump meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Sentosa Island, Tuesday, June 12, 2018, in Singapore. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)North Korea could announce an end to denuclearization talks with the United States when it convenes a meeting of the ruling Workers' Party later this month, a state-run think tank said Friday.The North said last week it will convene a plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the WPK later this month to address "crucial issues in line with the needs of the development of the Korean revolution and the changed situation at home and abroad."The announcement came as Pyongyang has ramped up pressure on Washington to come up with a new proposal by the end of this year to move deadlocked denuclearization negotiations forward."Unless there is a last-minute turnaround, the North is expected to announce its stance on the U.S. that could include the declaration of an end to denuclearization talks," the Institute for National Security Strategy affiliated with Seoul's spy agency said in a report.The Workers' Party session "appears to have characterDec 13, 2019
US beefs up airborne ground surveillance over peninsula An RQ-4 Global Hawk soars through the sky to record intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data.The United States flew a surveillance plane over the Korean Peninsula, an aviation tracker said Thursday, the latest in a series of near-daily flights to monitor North Korea amid growing concerns Pyongyang could test-fire a long-range missile.The E-8C aircraft, or JSTARS, was spotted over the Korean Peninsula at 29,000 feet, Aircraft Spots said on its Twitter account without specifying the exact time of the operation. It also did not upload photos showing the flight route.As a platform for airborne command and control, surveillance and reconnaissance, the E-8C is known to be capable of closely monitoring North Korea's troops and equipment movements, including missiles and artillery guns. It was recently spotted over South Korea, the aviation tracker said on Tuesday. Then on Wednesday, the Twitter account said that the U.S. deployed its key spy asset Global Hawk over the peninsula and a strategic B-52 bomber over the sea near Japan.Such flights came amid heightened tensions in the reDec 12, 2019
US ready to be 'flexible' for 'balanced agreement' with North Korea US Ambassador to the UN, Kelly Craft, chairs a UN Security Council meeting on "Non-proliferation/Democratic People's Republic of Korea," December 11, 2019, at UN Headquarters in New York. - The US warned North Korea of consequences if it makes good on threats of a spectacular missile test in the New Year, while offering flexibility if it stays in talks. "We trust that (North Korea) will turn away from further hostility and threats, and instead make a bold decision to engage with us," Craft said at the meeting. (Photo by Eskinder DEBEBE / UNITED NATIONS / AFP)The United States is ready to be flexible in negotiations with North Korea on dismantling the regime's nuclear weapons program, the U.S. envoy to the United Nations said Wednesday, urging Pyongyang to refrain from provocations.Ambassador Kelly Craft made the remarks at a U.N. Security Council session as Pyongyang's year-end deadline for nuclear negotiations with Washington draws near.Amid indications the North is preparing to launch a long-range missile, Craft warned that such activity will only complicate efforts to implement anDec 12, 2019
Trump urges Russia to help denuclearize North Korea Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, right, departs with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, after a media availability at the State Department, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2019, in Washington. AP-YonhapU.S. President Donald Trump met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday and urged Moscow to help ensure North Korea's denuclearization, the White House said.Trump and Lavrov met a day before the U.N. Security Council is set to convene to discuss North Korea's recent missile launches and the possibility of a provocation by the regime.The U.S. president "urged Russia to support United States efforts to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons and ensure the denuclearization of North Korea," the White House said in a readout.The U.S. and Russia are both veto-wielding permanent members of the Security Council but have opposing views on the extent to which sanctions should be used to get North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons program.Washington has led a "maximum pressure" campaign against Pyongyang, while Moscow has urged the U.S. to simultaneously offer concessions in exchangDec 11, 2019
Rocketman vs. Dotard: war of words is back North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump in Singapore on June 12 2018. Picture: REUTERS/JONATHAN ERNSTTensions are quickly rising between the United States and North Korea, which has ramped up pressure as it demands concessions by President Donald Trump's administration by the end of the year.The United States called a UN Security Council meeting for Wednesday on North Korea's series of rocket launches, the latest return to antagonism as diplomacy languishes.Monday's announcement came two days after North Korea claimed to have carried out a "very important" but otherwise unspecified test, in a hint that it may have further actions in store.Trump has met three times with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to discuss Pyongyang's nuclear program, describing him a friend and hailing the comparative calm achieved since 2017 when fears were growing of all-out war.But North Korea is seeking a comprehensive deal that includes sanctions relief, especially with Trump heading next year into a potentially difficult re-election fight.Insults backTrump said Saturday that Kim has Dec 10, 2019
UN Security Council to meet this week to discuss North Korea's provocation report North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un is seen at the President Palace in Hanoi, Vietnam, March 1, 2019. ReutersThe United Nations Security Council will meet this week to discuss North Korea's recent missile launches and the possibility of an escalatory provocation by the regime, Reuters reported Monday, citing diplomats and a request from the United States.The meeting will be held publicly Wednesday, according to Reuters, just days after North Korea announced it conducted an unspecified "very important test" at its Dongchang-ri satellite launch site. Experts have suggested the test on Saturday may have involved an engine for a new long-range missile.That the request was made by the U.S., which serves as president of the council this month, may indicate that Washington will not tolerate the latest escalation of threats by the North.When European Union members of the 15-member council condemned Pyongyang's short-range ballistic missile launches in recent months, the U.S. did not take part in the joint action."In light of recent events on the Korean Peninsula and the President's Dec. 5 meetiDec 10, 2019
Trump warns N. Korea not to interfere with his reelection bid U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before departing the White House en route to Florida, in Washington, U.S., December 7, 2019. REUTERS/Erin ScottU.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday he doesn't think North Korea will engage in hostile acts and interfere with the upcoming U.S. presidential election, an apparent warning that the communist nation shouldn't undertake provocations that could hurt his reelection chances."I'd be surprised if North Korea acted hostilely," Trump was quoted as telling reporters at the White House. "He knows I have an election coming up. I don't think he wants to interfere with that. But we'll have to see."The remark came as the North has increased pressure on the United States to meet its demand for a new negotiating proposal by year's end, strongly suggesting that otherwise, it could restart testing of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). Trump has touted the North's suspension of nuclear and ICBM tests as one of his key achievements.Trump warned in response that the U.S. may use military force against North KoreaDec 8, 2019
North Korea says denuclearization 'gone out of negotiation table' with US North Korean ambassador to the United Nations Kim Song speaks during a news conference in New York, U.S., October 7, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermidUNITED NATIONS (AP) ― North Korea said Saturday that denuclearization has ``already gone out of the negotiation table'' and it does not need to have lengthy talks with the United States as the end-of-year deadline set by its leader Kim Jong Un for substantial U.S. concessions in nuclear diplomacy looms.A statement released by North Korea's U.N. ambassador, Kim Song, accused the Trump administration of persistently pursuing a ``hostile policy'' toward the country ``in its attempt to stifle it.'' He also said Washington's claims it is engaged in a ``sustained and substantial dialogue'' with Pyongyang solely for ``its domestic political agenda.''``We do not need to have lengthy talks with the U.S. now and the denuclearization is already gone out of the negotiation table,'' he said.Song's statement was a response to Wednesday's condemnation by six European countries of North Korea's 13 ballistic missile launches since May. He accused the EuropDec 8, 2019
N. Korea says it carried out 'very important test' at satellite launch site Kim Jong-unNorth Korea has conducted a "very important test" at its Sohae satellite launch site, state media reported Sunday, as nuclear negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington remain deadlocked."A very important test was carried out at the Sohae Satellite Launch Site on December 7th, 2019," a spokesman for the North's National Academy of Science said.The result of the latest test will have an "important effect" on changing the "strategic status" of North Korea, the spokesman said in a statement carried by the KCNA news agency.The statement did not provide further details on the test.North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had agreed to shutter the Sohae site during a summit last year with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Pyongyang as part of trust-building measures.Kim has also held three meetings with US President Donald Trump since June 2018 but little progress has been made in efforts towards denuclearisation.The latest test comes as Pyongyang is ramping up pressure ahead of its end-of-year deadline for the US to propose a new offer to kickstart stalled nuclear talks.On ThursdDec 8, 2019
Moon, Trump agree on need to maintain dialogue momentum over North Korea President Moon Jae-in speaks on a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump from Cheong Wa Dae, Saturday. Courtesy of Cheong Wa DaePresident Moon Jae-in and President Donald Trump agreed Saturday that it was necessary to maintain dialogue momentum between Washington and Pyongyang, according to Cheong Wa Dae, amid growing worries about the future of Moon's Korea Peace Process. During a half-hour phone conversation, they also agreed that the current situation on the Korean Peninsula is "severe" and "dialogue momentum should be maintained to achieve prompt results from denuclearization negotiations," presidential spokeswoman Ko Min-jung said.Moon and Trump had "in-depth consultations" on ways to move forward the peace process and agreed to call each other whenever it was needed, Ko added. Earlier this week, North Korea resumed its verbal attacks against Trump in response to his apparent warning message made during his trip to Britain for a NATO summit.Trump did not rule out the possibility of using military force against the regime, again calling its leader Kim Jong-un "Rocket Man."TDec 7, 2019
