North Korean leader in Beijing for talks with Xi ahead of possible summit with Trump North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un and his wife Ri Sol-ju are featured in this photo released by the Korean Central News Agency, Tuesday. The state media said Kim was visiting China from Monday to Thursday at Xi's invitation. KCNA-YonhapNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in Beijing on Tuesday at the start of a four-day visit, in what's likely an effort to coordinate with his only major ally ahead of a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump that could happen early this year. A long motorcade including motorcycle outriders reserved for state leaders left a Beijing train station shortly after the arrival of an armored train consisting of 20 to 25 cars ― most of whose windows were blacked-out ―along tracks lined by police and paramilitary troops.Kim's trip, announced earlier by both sides, comes after U.S. and North Korean officials are believed to have met in Vietnam to discuss the location of a second summit.North's Korean Central News Agency said Kim departed Monday afternoon with his wife Ri Sol Ju and other top officials. It said Kim is visiting China at the invitation of CJan 8, 2019
South Korea to provide 200,000 doses of Tamiflu to North Korea South Korean donations of Tamiflu packed into trucks heading for North Korea in 2009. Korea Times fileSouth Korea will provide North Korea about 200,000 doses of Tamiflu antiviral medication and other medical material this week, the unification ministry said Tuesday.The Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Council has set aside about 3.56 billion won (US$3.2 million) for the project, the ministry said.The council, made up of government officials and civilian experts, reviews important policies and decisions related to inter-Korean exchange and cooperation projects."The government expects the drugs will improve the health and medical conditions of North Korean citizens and prevent the spread of influenza that could occur in the process of personnel exchanges between the Koreas, thereby contributing to the health of citizens in both the South and the North," the ministry said.The drugs will be delivered to the North on Friday through a land route on the western inter-Korean border. About 10 government officials will visit the North's border town of Gaeseong to hand over the drugs.AlonJan 8, 2019
South Korea optimistic on Kim Jong-un China visit The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul. Korea Times fileSouth Korea expressed hope Tuesday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's ongoing trip to China will help the denuclearization and peace process."The government expects that high-level exchanges between the North and China, including a meeting between Chairman Kim Jong-un and President Xi Jinping, will contribute to the complete denuclearization and establishment of permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula," a foreign ministry official said.South Korea would continue to foster the "virtuous cycle" of denuclearization and related diplomatic activities by the Koreas and regional powers, the official said.Earlier in the day, the North's state media confirmed that Kim was on a four-day trip to China that started Monday. Chinese news outlets carried similar reports.Late Monday night, a diplomatic source told Yonhap News Agency that a special North Korean train, apparently carrying high-profile figures, crossed the border.The visit is Kim's fourth-known trip to China since he took power in late 2011.It comes amidJan 8, 2019
Kim Jong-un leaves Pyongyang for China visit: KCNA North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un and his wife Ri Sol-ju are featured in this photo released by the Korean Central News Agency, Tuesday. The state media said Kim was visiting China from Monday to Thursday at Xi's invitation. KCNA-YonhapNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un is on a trip to China for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, state media reported Tuesday, a development that could suggest a second summit between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump is forthcoming.Kim and his wife Ri Sol-ju left for China Monday afternoon for a four-day visit at the invitation of the Chinese president, Pyongyang's Korean Central News Agency said. China's Xinhua news agency also confirmed his visit.sThe confirmation of Kim's trip to China came after South Korean media reports said earlier that a special train carrying a high-ranking North Korean official crossed into China on Monday night.It was Kim's fourth trip to the neighboring ally and came as Washington and Pyongyang are in talks to set the venue for a meeting between Kim and Trump.Kim is widely expected to discuss with Xi his possible secondJan 8, 2019
No celebrations in NK for Kim Jong-un's purported birthday North Korean leader Kim Jong-un / YonhapBy Park Ji-wonNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un is believed to be turning 35 as of Tuesday, but there are no signs of celebration for the day, unlike the birthdays of his late father and grandfather.The Ministry of Unification said the ministry didn't find any signs that they'd be holding ceremonial events for the day.“In the North's New Year's calendar, there are no signs of commemorating the day or Jan. 8,” unification ministry spokesman Baik Tae-hyun said during a regular briefing, Tuesday. “We will keep an eye on the related issues.”On Monday, the eve of his birthday, North Korean state media outlets didn't mention anything about his birthday. The North's 2019 calendar also marked the date as an ordinary working day. The moves were likely in order to detract from his young age as a leader compared to his predecessors as ageism plays a big role in leadership in the North, critics say.The country celebrates the birthdays of Kim's late grandfather and father, Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il as key national holidays to idolizeJan 7, 2019By Park Ji-won
North Korea calls for inter-Korean unification against foreign power Pyongyang citizens wave the Korean Unification Flag as they watch vehicles carrying South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un through Pyongyang last year. Korea Times fileBy Jung Da-minNorth Korea's propaganda outlet Uriminzokkiri Monday said the unification of two Koreas was necessary to counter a foreign power, which had been the cause of division of the two Koreas. The foreign power is assumed to be the United States. “The biggest obstacle on the way to prosperity of our people today is the division of people,” the pro-Pyongyang outlet said, in a commentary titled “True patriotism is in struggle for the unification of the country.”The commentary highlighted former leader Kim Jong-il's efforts to promote the unification of two Koreas, including the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration in 2000 and the Oct. 4 Joint Declaration and 2007.It also said leader Kim Jong-un was making “endless efforts and dedication” to bring about the unification of Korea, encouraging people to follow the doctrines presented in his New Year'Jan 7, 2019
Propaganda photos at North Korean Embassy in Rome Six photos promoting the North Korean regime on display next to the gate of the North Korean Embassy in Rome, Italy, on Sunday (local time). They appeared on the bulletin board after reports that North Korea's acting ambassador to Italy, Jo Song-gil, was seeking asylum after disappearing in early November. The photos show North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un's recent activities, including a summit with Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and inspections of construction sites, as well as landmarks in the capital Pyongyang. The display is believed as an attempt by the North to show nothing is amiss despite the envoy's reported defection. YonhapJan 7, 2019
US, North Korea 'negotiating' on location for Trump-Kim summit In this file photo taken on June 12, 2018 US President Donald Trump (R) gestures as he meets with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (L) at the start of their historic US-North Korea summit, at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore. - US President Donald Trump said January 6, 2019 negotiations are underway on the location of the next summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. AFPU.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday negotiations are underway on the location of his next summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, while remaining evasive on its timing.Trump, who held a historic summit with Kim in Singapore in June, said earlier in the week he had received a "great letter" from the North Korean leader but declined to reveal its contents."We are negotiating a location," he told reporters before boarding a helicopter for the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland, where he said he would be discussing a trade deal with China."It will be announced probably in the not too distant future," he said of a summit with Kim. "They do want to meet and we want to meet and we'll seJan 7, 2019
North Korean leader to turn 35 this week Kim Jong-un Korea Times fileNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un is believed to be turning 35 this week, but unlike the birthdays of his father and grandfather, considered among the country's most important holidays, no state celebrations are expected for the young leader.Kim is known to have been born on Jan. 8, 1984, though the North's government hasn't officially confirmed the date. On the eve of his birthday, the North's state media outlets, including its key mouthpiece Korean Central News Agency, remained mum about his birthday.The North's 2019 calendar marked the date as an ordinary working day, contrasting with the birthdays of Kim's late grandfather and father, Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, which are celebrated as national holidays.North Korea has not publicly celebrated the current leader's birthday since he took office in late 2011, and its media outlets have rarely mentioned his birthday.The quiet passing of the incumbent leader's birthday could be due to his comparatively young age.Kim's father, the late leader Kim Jong-il, saw his birthday designated as a national holiday in 1Jan 7, 2019
N. Korean newspaper demands complete end to S. Korea-US military drills The Rodong Sinmun urged South Korea on Monday to stop joint military drills with the United States, saying it will help create a peaceful atmosphere and move forward inter-Korean relations.North Korea's official newspaper urged South Korea on Monday to stop joint military drills with the United States, saying it will help create a peaceful atmosphere and move forward inter-Korean relations. The Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the North's ruling party, also called on Seoul to stop bringing any foreign strategic assets onto the Korean Peninsula, reiterating what leader Kim Jong-un demanded during his New Year's speech last week."Removing nuclear threats on the Korean Peninsula and fostering peaceful mood is an essential requirement for inter-Korean relations to move forward," the newspaper said in a commentary."As clearly promised between the North and the South to walk toward the path of peace and prosperity, there should be no joint military exercises with outside forces," it added. "Bringing in war-related equipment, including strategic assets, from outside should also come to a completeJan 7, 2019
