Trump invites Kim Jong-un for meeting at DMZ In this June 12, 2019, photo, a South Korean soldier gestures during a press tour at the Panmunjom in the demilitarized zone (DMZ), South Korea. U.S. President Donald Trump invited North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to shake hands during a visit by Trump to the DMZ. AP-YonhapBy Kim Yoo-chulOSAKA, Japan _ U.S. President Donald Trump has proposed a brief encounter with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un somewhere in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas.“I will be going to South Korea. We may go to the DMZ. I don't know where (North Korean leader) Kim is right now. He may not be in North Korea, but I said if Chairman Kim would want to meet, I would be at the border, and certainly we seem to get along very well. I can tell you. That's good thing, not a bad thing,” the U.S. president told reporters, Saturday. The surprise invitation came as Trump wrapped up his summits with other world leaders at this year's G20 summit held in the western Japanese city. “All I did is put out a feeler if he (Kim Jong-un)'d like to meet. Nobody goes through that border, just abJun 29, 2019By Kim Yoo-chul
Trump hints at meeting Kim at DMZ U.S. President Donald Trump / ReutersU.S. President Donald Trump offered Saturday to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the inter-Korean border when he travels to South Korea later in the day. Trump made the offer on Twitter, hours before he was due to travel to Seoul from Osaka, Japan, where he has been attending the G20 summit. “After some very important meetings, including my meeting with President Xi of China, I will be leaving Japan for South Korea,” Trump wrote.“While there, if Chairman Kim of North Korea sees this, I would meet him at the Border/DMZ just to shake his hand and say Hello!” There had been speculation that a Trump-Kim meeting could happen inside the Demilitarized Zone during the U.S. President's visit to Seoul, Saturday and Sunday. Previously, before leaving Washington, Wednesday, Trump denied that he was planning to meet Kim, saying only that he may speak to the North Korean leader “in a different form.” At a meeting in Osaka with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman Al Saud, Trump confirmed that he would beJun 29, 2019
Australian student feared detained in North Korea This undated handout photo received on June 27, 2019 courtesy of the Sigley family shows Australian student Alek Sigley, one of only a handful of Western students who studies Korean literature at Kim Il Sung University, at an unknown location. AFP-YonhapAlek Sigley poses for a photo in an unidentified location in this undated image obtained on social media. Reuters-YonhapAustralia said it was "urgently seeking clarification" Thursday on the fate of a 29-year-old tour guide and student feared detained in North Korea.Alek Sigley ― who speaks fluent Korean and is one of only a handful of Western students living in Pyongyang ― is believed to have been detained sometime in the last three days.In a statement, Sigley's family said there was no confirmation yet that he had been arrested."The situation is that Alek has not been in digital contact with friends and family since Tuesday morning Australian time, which is unusual for him," the statement said.Sigley, from Perth in Western Australia, had been studying Korean literature at Kim Il Sung University since 2018, while running a company spJun 27, 2019
'US needs new proposal if it wants nuclear talks' North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attends a wreath laying ceremony at a navy memorial in Vladivostok, Russia, April 26, 2019. Reuters-YonhapNorth Korea said Thursday the United States should come up with a new proposal if it truly wants to resume denuclearization negotiations, warning that time is not sufficient to produce results before its earlier imposed end-of-the-year deadline.Kwon Jong-gun, director general of the North Korean foreign ministry's American affairs department, made the remark in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency, saying the stalled nuclear talks won't resume automatically just because the U.S. calls repeatedly for it."As the Comrade Chairman of the State Affairs Commission has already declared in his historic Policy Speech, the U.S. should come out to the table for the DPRK-U.S. dialogue with a correct method of calculation and the time limit is until the end of this year," Kwon said, referring to leader Kim Jong-un by his title.The official also said the U.S. should have the right attitude."Even though we are to think of holding a dialoJun 27, 2019
Dentist helps North Korean defectors in memory of his father Shin Deok-Jae, the director of Central Dental Clinic in Seoul, right, has volunteered in medical services organized by Korea Hana Foundation for North Korean defectors. Courtesy of Korea Hana FoundationBy Yi Whan-wooA dentist in his 70s is extending a helping hand to North Korean defectors in honor of his father who was left behind in the North during the 1950-53 Korean War and was never seen again. Shin Deok-Jae, 72, the director of the Central Dental Clinic in Seoul, has volunteered his medical services and has donated hundreds of millions of won for defectors since 2003.Originally from the North, Shin's father and rest of the family were separated by the war. His father told the family to escape to the South first, promising to join them after taking care of business. Shin was five years old then.“It still sounds real whenever I think of him saying he will catch up with us,” Shin said.“My heart breaks even several decades after we were separated.”After entering Seoul National University as dentistry major, Shin formed a medical volunteer group comprised of Jun 26, 2019By Yi Whan-woo
Trump says he will meet with Kim Jong-un 'at some point' U.S. President Donald Trump, left, shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Feb. 27, at Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi in Vietnam. Korea Times fileU.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday he will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un "at some point," further casting doubt on a possible summit during his trip to the peninsula this week.Trump will visit Seoul on Saturday and Sunday after attending a Group of 20 summit in Japan, prompting speculation that a Trump-Kim meeting could be arranged at the inter-Korean border.The last time they met was for their second summit in Vietnam in February. Both men walked away without a deal due to gaps over the scope of North Korea's denuclearization and sanctions relief from the U.S.A senior U.S. administration official told reporters Monday that there were "no plans" for another meeting. Trump will be in Seoul to see President Moon Jae-in, he said.A reporter asked Trump at the White House if a summit was mentioned in his latest exchange of letters with Kim."Maybe there was, but we, you know, at some point, we'll do that," he replieJun 26, 2019
Biegun to visit Seoul ahead of Trump President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands during a summit at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul in November 2017. YonhapBy Lee Min-hyungStephen Biegun, U.S. special representative for North KoreaU.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun will visit Seoul, Thursday, for talks with officials here on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, according to the U.S. State Department.His visit takes place two days before U.S. President Donald Trump's planned trip to the South this weekend. Trump will hold a summit with President Moon Jae-in and discuss measures to resume the suspended nuclear disarmament negotiations with North Korea.“Stephen Biegun will travel to Seoul, June 27-30, and meet with South Korean officials before joining U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo for President Trump's visit to Seoul,” the department said in a press release, Monday (local time).It did not disclose any other details regarding Biegun's itinerary during his stay in Seoul. Expectations are that he will hold talks with his counterpart Lee Do-hoon, Seoul's special repreJun 25, 2019By Lee Min-hyung
Reopening Kaesong park likely to act as 'driver of dialogue': think tank Kaesong Industrial Complex / Korea Times photo by Hong In-kiReopening a now-shuttered inter-Korean industrial complex in North Korea could encourage cross-border economic cooperation and also act as a "driver of dialogue" on the Korean Peninsula, a global think tank said Tuesday.The International Crisis Group, a Belgium-based think tank, called for the United States to drop its "maximalist" approach of opposing the reopening of the factory park in the border city of Kaesong until the North's complete denuclearization, saying it is "counterproductive" in peace and nuclear talks."(The reopening of the Kaesong park) could act as a driver of dialogue between the parties to the Korean Peninsula crisis and encourage further economic and political cooperation. It would also present an opportunity to test the hypothesis that North Korea is committed to changing its economy for the better," the report said. "To be sure, Washington is bound to be deeply uncomfortable with any deal that creates a source of hard currency revenue for Pyongyang before it has completely renounced its nuclear prograJun 25, 2019
DMZ war remains excavation highlights ongoing war and peace on Korean Peninsula About 300 soldiers from South Korea, the United States and France are believed to have been killed on Arrowhead Ridge, Cheorwon. Battles there also left some 3,000 enemy soldiers dead. Korea Times fileIt took nearly 70 years before the first layer of soil was removed on a front-line hill bordering North Korea to reveal traces of the unsung heroes who had fallen in bloody battles at the height of the 1950-53 Korean War.About 300 soldiers from South Korea, the United States and France are believed to have been killed on Arrowhead Ridge, Cheorwon, some 90 kilometers northeast of Seoul, while fighting in four fierce battles against communist forces. The intense fighting also left some 3,000 enemy soldiers dead. And they have since been underneath the hill untouched, as the ridge is located inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), a no-go buffer zone between the two Koreas."It is the military's first excavation mission inside the DMZ since the armistice agreement," said Col. Moon Byeong-wook, who leads the task force in charge of the demining and excavation project that has been underway at tJun 25, 2019
Trump says he exchanged 'very friendly' letters with Kim U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the White House in Washington DC, U.S. June 24. ReutersU.S. President Donald Trump said Monday he exchanged "very friendly" letters with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.Kim sent a letter to Trump earlier this month amid a deadlock in negotiations to dismantle the North's nuclear weapons program.Trump responded with a letter "of excellent content," the North's state media said Sunday, raising hopes of a possible resumption of two-way talks."He actually sent me birthday wishes, but it was just a very friendly letter both ways," Trump told reporters at the Oval Office in the White House.Trump, who turned 73 on June 14, revealed earlier that he had received a "beautiful" and "very warm" letter from Kim on June 10.It was the first known correspondence between the leaders since their second summit in Vietnam in February ended without a deal.The contents of the messages have not been disclosed, but the timing has prompted speculation that the two sides could be headed for a revival of talks on denuclearizing North Korea in exchange for sanctions relief.Jun 25, 2019
