N. Korean leader emphasizes 'tense situation,' 'self-reliance' at politburo meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks during a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party in Pyongyang, Tuesday. YonhapNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un called the current situation "tense" and urged politburo officials to follow through on the party's strategic line of economic development with a spirit of "self-reliance," state media reported Wednesday.The remark, made Tuesday at an enlarged meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party, suggests the North is unlikely to announce any major policy shift at this week's parliamentary meeting despite the no-deal breakdown of Kim's summit with U.S. President Donald Trump."The Supreme Leader urged the need for leading officials to fully display a high sense of responsibility and creativity, and the revolutionary spirit of self-reliance and fortitude in an attitude befitting the masters of the revolution and construction under the prevailing tense situation and thus follow through on the new strategic line of the party," the Korean Central News Agency said. The new strateApr 10, 2019
Pompeo calls Kim Jong-un 'tyrant' U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo testifies before a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on the proposed budget estimates and justification for FY2020 for the State Department on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., April 9, 2019. ReutersU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo agreed Tuesday with the characterization of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as a "tyrant."Pompeo was asked at a Senate hearing whether he would use the same word he has used for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro for Kim."Sure. I'm sure I've said that," the top U.S. diplomat said before a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee while discussing the State Department budget request for 2020.Pompeo's remarks come as the Trump administration has appeared to take care not to offend the North Korean leader during delicate negotiations to dismantle the regime's nuclear weapons program.President Donald Trump's second summit with Kim in Vietnam in February collapsed without a deal, leaving the process in a state of limbo.South Korean President Moon Jae-in is due to meet with Trump at the White House on Thursday to try to Apr 10, 2019
Speaker cautions against skepticism over Pyongyang's denuclearization South Korea's National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulSouth Korea's National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang cautioned against persistent skepticism over the prospect of North Korea's denuclearization, saying it takes mutual trust and patience to realize the goal.In a pre-released script for a security forum in Seoul, Moon also said that due to crippling international sanctions, the communist state, now focusing economic reconstruction, has "no other option" but to renounce its nuclear program."We need to throw away the label of the North as one that we cannot trust or engage with and negative perceptions of it," Moon said during the forum organized by the Korea-U.S. Alliance Foundation and Korea Defense Veterans Association."Rather than saying that the North would never forgo its nuclear program, we need to forge a diplomatic environment in which the North cannot help but give up its nukes," he added.Skepticism has been rising among conservatives here and in Washington following the collapse of the second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump Apr 9, 2019
North Korean media slam South's deployment of stealth fighter jets An F-35A stealth fighter jet arrives at an air base in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, March 29. Courtesy of Defense Acquisition Program AdministrationBy Jung Da-minNorth Korea's media criticized the Republic of Korea Air Force's recent deployment of F-35A stealth fighter jets, saying it went against efforts to improve inter-Korean relations.On March 29, two F-35As arrived at a military air base in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, marking the first delivery of a total of 40 F-35As ordered by the South Korean government from U.S. aerospace and defense giant, Lockheed Martin.North Korean websites Uriminzokkiri and Arirang-Meari in articles published on Sunday and Monday, respectively, introduced the F-35A as a state-of-the-art weapon. The propaganda outlets also claimed the South's plan to deploy it was a hostile act that heightened military tension on the Korean Peninsula, comparing it to actions taken by the administration of former President Park Geun-hye.“We pledged to cooperate with the South Korean authorities to open up a new era of peace, and made our stance clApr 8, 2019
Moon to push 'sanctions easing' agenda to Trump Kim Hyun-chong, deputy head of the presidential office's security council responds to questions from reporters upon his arrival from Washington D.C., April 5, after having consultations with U.S. government officials and politicians ahead of the upcoming summit between President Moon Jae-in and President Donald Trump at White House, April 11. YonhapBy Kim Yoo-chulPresident Moon Jae-in plans to pitch his ambitious “sanctions easing” agenda when he meets U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House, April 11, sources at Cheong Wa Dae and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) said Sunday.The South Korean leader, a self-proclaimed “facilitator” of denuclearization talks between the U.S. and North Korea, is expected to stress why “greater engagement” matters in addressing a simmering disagreement between Washington and Seoul over a possible easing of some of the economic sanctions on Pyongyang, they said.“The failure of the Hanoi summit was still an opportunity to get a deeper understanding of what Pyongyang and Washington want to make progApr 7, 2019By Kim Yoo-chul
Kim Jong-un inspects economic sites ahead of South Korea-US summit North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un inspects three major economic sites. The country's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on April 6 on Kim's inspection to the Yangdok County, South Pyongan Province, top left, and the Wonsan-Kalma coastal tourist area, top right. Below these are photos from KCNA's April 4 report on his inspection to the Samjiyon construction site and the Samjiyon Potato Farina Production Factory in Ryanggang Province. KCNA-YonhapBy Jung Da-minNorth Korea's leader Kim Jong-un visited three major sites ahead of its key parliamentary meeting and the upcoming South Korea-United States summit planned for April 11.The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported April 6 that Kim inspected construction sites in the Wonsan-Kalma coastal tourist area in Kangwon Province, and the hot-spring spa in Yangdok County, South Pyongan Province.The inspection came two days after the KCNA reported Kim's visit to another construction site in Samjiyon County, Ryanggang Province, where about 1,900 new apartments have been built so far.The moves raised expecApr 7, 2019
Trump says his relationship with NK leader remains 'very good' U.S. President Donald Trump makes the 'two' sign with his fingers as he expresses his desire to run for office for a second term and win as he delivers a speech during a Republican Jewish Coalition meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada, April 6. EPAU.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un remains "very good," even though he had to walk away from a proposed deal at their February summit."We're getting along with North Korea. Let's see how it works out, but we have a good relationship. Don't forget. I have a very good relationship with Kim Jong-un," Trump said during a speech at the Republican Jewish Coalition's 2019 spring leadership meeting in Las Vegas.Trump said tensions with North Korea were high when he first took office, with the communist nation setting off "rockets and nuclear explosions." "A lot of things were happening," he said.Trump said he "had to walk from one deal," referring to the breakdown of the second summit with the North's leader in Hanoi in late February. The much-anticipated talks ended without an agreement due to dApr 7, 2019
NK leader inspects construction site of key coastal tourist zone In this photo released by the Korean Central News Agency on Saturday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspects a construction site of the Wonsan-Kalma tourist area on the east coast. YonhapNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has made his second inspection of a construction site in the Wonsan-Kalma tourist area on the east coast in five months, state media said Saturday.The visit marked his second “field guidance” of economy-related facilities this year following the breakdown of the Hanoi summit between him and U.S. President Donald Trump.Kim stressed large-scale construction like the tourist zone should “never be carried out in a slipshod manner,” according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).He gave a fresh order to extend the construction by six months to be completed by April 15, 2020, the birthday of the late state founder and his grandfather Kim Il-sung.Last year, he instructed officials to finish the construction by Oct. 10, 2019, the founding anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea.During his tour of the zone in November, he denounced internApr 6, 2019
Pompeo says he is 'confident' 3rd US-NK summit will happen U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is interviewed by Maria Bartiromo during her 'Mornings with Maria Bartiromo' program on the Fox Business Network, in New York, April 5. APU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday that he is “confident” there will be a third nuclear summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on an as yet undetermined date.During an interview with CBS News, Pompeo was asked whether there would be another meeting between the leaders after the second one in February collapsed without a deal.“I'm confident there will be,” he said, adding that he didn't know when it would happen but was hopeful it would be soon.Pompeo said the two sides have been in contact since the last summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, which he said have led to a “deeper understanding” of each other's positions.The summit broke down due to disagreements over the extent of North Korea's denuclearization and sanctions relief from the U.S.“We have had conversations after Hanoi about how to move forward,” Pompeo said.President MApr 6, 2019
S. Korea to share information on eastern fire with N. Korea South Korea will share information with the North about a devastating forest fire that engulfed the country's northeastern regions near the inter-Korean border and will convey the need for possible cooperation, the unification ministry said Friday.The fire that broke out in Goseong, 210 kilometers from Seoul, on Thursday spread quickly to neighboring areas, leaving one dead and thousands displaced. President Moon Jae-in earlier ordered officials to work with the North to put out the fire if it spreads across the border."Through the liaison office, we will share the situation regarding the fire (with the North) and convey the need for possible inter-Korean cooperation," Lee Eugene, the ministry's deputy spokeswoman, told a regular press briefing.The South Korean government declared a state of national disaster over the fire as the damage has been piling up to what authorities have described as "an unprecedented extent." (Yonhap)Apr 5, 2019
