UN grants sanctions exemption for video reunions of separated families The United Nations Security Council has granted a sanctions waiver to enable video reunions for families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War, an official said Monday.The council made the decision last week to allow relevant equipment to be sent to the North, paving the way for the two Koreas to hold the reunions as agreed by their leaders last year, the official said. South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed at their third summit in Pyongyang in September to cooperate in allowing separated families to hold video reunions and exchange video messages.The equipment at the video conferencing rooms needed repair as it had not been used since the last event in 2007. Adopted in 2005, the video reunions have been held seven times. "As inter-Korean relations became ever more important following the collapse of the second U.S.-North Korea summit, we will actively push for cross-border exchanges within the boundaries of existing sanctions," a government source said. The preparations for the reunion event, such as the exchange of lists of participants, are exMar 4, 2019
Kim Jong-un wraps up Vietnam visit, chugging back home empty-handed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attends a wreath laying ceremony at the Monument to War Heroes and Martyrs in Hanoi, Vietnam, Saturday. During his last day in Hanoi, laid large red-and-yellow wreaths at the war memorial and at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, dedicated to the modern nation's founder, as he continued a “friendly” state visit meant to cement his image as a confident world leader after his summit with President Donald Trump failed to produce a breakthrough in denuclearization talks. APNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un attends wreath laying ceremony at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi, Vietnam, Saturday. ReutersNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un attends a wreath laying ceremony at the Monument to War Heroes and Martyrs in Hanoi, Vietnam, Saturday. EPABy Park Si-soo North Korean leader Kim Jong-un wrapped up his five-day visit to Vietnam, Saturday, after failing to reach a much-anticipated denuclearization deal with U.S. President Donald Trump. At the last event on his schedule, Kim paid tribute at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum at 9 a.m. before heading to the Dong Dang RaiMar 2, 2019
Mystery surrounds break-in at N.Korea embassy in Spain A week after a break-in at the North Korean embassy in Madrid, Spanish authorities were on Friday still trying to shed light on the mysterious theft of computers and office equipment.Ten men burst into the embassy on February 22 brandishing fake handguns, according to sources close to the enquiry cited by Spanish media.The intruders then tied up and gagged several embassy employees before making off with documents, computers and telephones. They escaped in two embassy vehicles with diplomatic plates which were later abandoned.According to the El Pais newspaper, investigators have not ruled out "political espionage".The Spanish government has said little about the mysterious incident."An enquiry is underway into what happened," said a foreign ministry spokesman, without elaborating.The interior ministry said the North Korean embassy had not filed any official complaint.North Korea's ambassador to Spain was expelled in 2017 as a "persona non grata" after nuclear tests and missile firings by Pyongyang.Since then, North Korea has had diplomatic representation in Madrid but no ambassador.Mar 2, 2019
North Korean leader wants improved economic ties with Vietnam: KCNA North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un, left, and Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc shake hands at the Government Office in Hanoi on March 1, 2019. AFP North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has expressed hope for stepped-up cooperation and exchanges with Vietnam in all areas, and for improving bilateral relations to a new level, Pyongyang's official news agency said Saturday.The Korean Central News Agency reported on Kim's official visit to Hanoi this week that started right after his fruitless nuclear summit with U.S. President Donald Trump."Through active party-to-party and country-to-country contacts, we should normalize cooperation and exchanges in all areas ranging from the economy, science and technology, defense, sports, culture, arts and publication and news media and upgrade the relations to a new level," Kim was quoted as saying."It is the unwavering position of our country and our party to inherit through generations the friendly cooperative relations betweenMar 2, 2019
Resumption of NK-UK talks may take some time North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho, right, speaks as vice-minister of Foreign Affairs Choe Son-hui looks on during a press conference at the Melia Hotel in Hanoi early Friday, following the abrupt end of the U.S.-North Korea summit Thursday. The North Korean official said that contrary to the claims made by U.S. President Donald Trump earlier the same day, Pyongyang had offered to dismantle its Yongbyon nuclear plant in exchange for partial sanctions relief at the summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Trump. / AFP-YonhapTwo sides present conflicting accounts of critical negotiations By Park Ji-wonFollowing an abrupt end to the second summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump in Hanoi, Thursday, it will likely be some time before further negotiations between the two will resume, experts said Friday. The summit ended without a written document after the two leaders failed to narrow their differences over Pyongyang's denuclearization. “It appears that North Korea and the U.S. have large differences on the range of denuclMar 1, 2019By Park Ji-won
'Kangson' considered one of secret nuke facilities in NK This handout satellite image taken on Feb. 21 and released to AFP by Pleiades, Cnes 2019, Distribution Airbus DS on Feb. 28 shows the 5 MWe reactor at North Korea's Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center showing no signs of activity. / AFP-YonhapBy Park Ji-wonSpeculation is circulating over North Korea's secret nuclear facilities U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned amid rumors that one of the areas is a uranium enrichment facility called Kangson located near Pyongyang. After failing to reach an agreement with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Trump held a press conference and said the U.S. told the North that it had found some hidden nuclear facilities, including a uranium enrichment plant, which likely surprised Kim.“We had to have more than that because there are other things that you haven't talked about, that you haven't written about, that we found. And we have to have ― that was done a long time ago, but the people didn't know about,” Trump said few hours after the summit was abruptly canceled without notice.“And we brought many, many points up that I thMar 1, 2019By Park Ji-won
Moon vows to assist in settling NK-US deal President Moon Jae-in speaks at an event commemorating the 100th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement, at Gwanghwamun Square in downtown Seoul, Friday. YonhapPresident stresses cooperation with Japan for peaceBy Kim Bo-eunPresident Moon Jae-in pledged to play a crucial role in North Korea and the U.S. reaching a deal on the former's denuclearization, a day after the second summit between the two countries failed to produce any agreement. “I believe this is part of a process to reach a higher level of agreement," he said in a speech commemorating the 100th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement, at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, Friday."Now our role has become even more important. My administration will closely communicate and cooperate with North Korea and the U.S. to help their talks reach a complete settlement."Moon said the process of achieving peace on the Korean Peninsula will involve difficulties. He added that the discussions in Hanoi were meaningful in that U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un spoke about the issue of settiMar 1, 2019By Kim Bo-eun
'Inter-Korean' companies in panic over NK-US summit breakdown Hyundai Asan employees watch TV news covering the summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the company's headquarters in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Thursday. YonhapBy Nam Hyun-wooThe breakdown of the summit between the United States and North Korea came as a shock to Hyundai Group and other firms having high hopes for inter-Korean economic cooperation, according to company officials, Friday.However, some analysts said the shock will soon dissipate as businesses return to normalcy and wait for something that may break the current impasse in inter-Korean relations, as they have over the past decade.“As construction firms' shares underperformed due to the shocking ending to the summit, uncertainty is clouding their outlook for next week too,” Hana Financial Investment analyst Chae Sang-wook said. “From a broader prospective, however, they don't need to get off a running horse. The two parties' will attempt to have another summit within this year, and other negotiations are believed to be ongoing.” A day earlier, U.S. President DonaMar 1, 2019By Nam Hyun-woo
NK leader pushes ahead with Vietnam official visit Dancers at Vietnam-DPRK Friendship Kindergarten in Hanoi rehearse ahead of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's scheduled visit, Friday. / YonhapBy Yi Whan-wooNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un went ahead with his first official visit to Vietnam, Friday, despite the collapse of talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in Hanoi, Thursday. But Kim has rescheduled his program and plans to head home Saturday morning, instead of the evening as initially planned, according to diplomatic sources.His two-day official visit to Vietnam is part of a five-day journey to the country, including the summit with Trump on Wednesday and Thursday.The abrupt end to the summit in the Vietnamese capital had fueled speculation that a discouraged Kim might change his schedule, which is partly aimed at benchmarking Vietnam's economic reform model.Kim held talks with Vietnamese President Nguyen Phu Trong that afternoon after inspecting an honor guard in front of the presidential palaceHe also met Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, followed by a banquet.Another source said Kim visited the Vietnam-DPRK Friendship KindergMar 1, 2019By Yi Whan-woo
Trump holds out hope for deal with North Korea U.S. President Donald Trump pumps his fist at members of the U.S. military as he arrives to address them after his summit meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Vietnam during a refueling stop at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, Alaska, U.S., Feb. 28. ReutersU.S. President Donald Trump has voiced hope that a nuclear deal with North Korea will be reached in the future.Trump held his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Hanoi on Wednesday and Thursday, but they failed to bridge their gaps on the issue of dismantling the North's nuclear weapons program and removing sanctions on the regime."I wasn't satisfied and perhaps he wasn't satisfied," Trump said in an interview with Fox News on Thursday. "Good relationship, but I decided that this wasn't the right time to sign something."Trump said it wouldn't have been good for the U.S. and "frankly, he can look at it the same way."The two sides have given conflicting accounts, with Trump telling a news conference that the North demanded the removal of all sanctions and the North countering that it asked for partiMar 1, 2019
