Bolton: Trump-Kim summit will take place in 'next couple of months' U.S. national security adviser John Bolton has said President Donald Trump's second meeting with his North Korean counterpart, Kim Jong-un, will take place in the "next couple of months."The remark was made following U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's recent visit to North Korea last weekend where he had hourslong talks with the North Korean leader."We'll see a meeting, I think, between Chairman Kim and President Trump sometime in the next couple of months," Bolton said in a radio interview on the Hugh Hewitt Show that aired Friday.Earlier this week, Trump said the meeting will take place after the U.S. midterm elections slated for early November.Referring to the Obama administration's policy of "strategic patience" as a synonym for "doing nothing," the U.S. top security adviser said the combination of the potential use of military force and maximum pressure on the economic front seem to have brought Kim to the table.The security adviser also reiterated the need for complete and irreversible denuclearization by the North."If they do that and walk through the door, the future couldOct 13, 2018
China-North Korea trade falls 59% this year: report By Park Si-soo The trade volume between China and North Korea has fallen by 59 percent this year from a year earlier, a Chinese newspaper reported Friday.The sharp fall was credited with China’s compliance with international sanctions against the nuclear-armed North, China’s state paper Global Times reported.According to Beijing's customs office, Chinese exports to North Korea totaled $1.6 billion, from January to September 2018, down 59.2 percent from the previous year.Li Kuiwen, a spokesman for the customs office, was quoted as saying $144.6 million worth of North Korea imports into China also fell 90.1 percent from January to September.The data came at a time when North Korea is denying the impact that sanctions have had on its economy."Place sanctions on us for 10 years, even 100 years," Korean Workers' Party newspaper Rodong Sinmun said Friday in an article titled, "This is the spirit of high-class pride and self-reliance.""The enemy is using the blockade of murderous sanctions as a method of last resort, for fear of the complete collapse of their policy of crushing Oct 13, 2018
Moon aims to win EU backing for peace process Moon says 'only a matter of time' to end Korean War By Kim Yoo-chulPresident Moon Jae-in is seeking to win support from key European Union countries on his nine-day visit there to participate in an Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit, Cheong Wa Dae said Friday.“There would be some announcements on the sidelines of Moon's participation in the ASEM summit. There is sympathy for the reconciliation process that South Korea is trying to pursue. The EU has a mixed policy toward North Korea, which is a mixture of talks, aid and sanctions. Given the ongoing progress in nuclear disarmament talks, winning additional backing from the EU will be clearly helpful,” a senior Cheong Wa Dae official said.Like the United States, China and Russia, the other key stakeholders in the North's denuclearization talks, the main goal the EU hopes for is to stop Pyongyang's nuclear provocations to bring more stability to the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia.But the EU is known to apply a greater flexibility when it comes to North Korean policies as its “strategic engagement” initiative Oct 12, 2018By Kim Yoo-chul
'North Koreans will survive even 100 years of sanctions' North Korea's official newspaper said Friday that the country will be ready to survive even 100 years of sanctions by means of self-reliance.In a stepped-up criticism of the United States-led economic sanctions, the Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, accused its "enemies" of enforcing a "murderous" blockade against North Korea as a last resort.But the North Koreans armed with the spirit of self-reliance and self-sufficiency will overcome the international sanctions even if they would last 10 years or 100 years, the newspaper said in an editorial. "Our enemies are implementing a murderous blockade as a last resort after their bid to suffocate the DPRK (North Korea) by military power failed," the newspaper said."Let them stick to the sanctions for the next 10 years or a hundred years. We'll eventually overcome any sanctions and difficulties to emerge as the world's strongest power and socialist paradise. That's the determination of our people," the paper said.It then urged the North's people to struggle for self-reliance and economic growth and indepenOct 12, 2018
Vatican waiting for invitation from Kim Jong-un: official Pope Francis arrives to lead the weekly general audience in Saint Peter's Square, Vatican City, Oct. 10. EPA-YonhapThe Vatican is waiting for North Korea's invitation to Pope Francis, its spokesman said, amid rising speculation about his visit to Pyongyang."The Vatican is just waiting for the invitation to officially arrive," spokesman Greg Burke told Yonhap News on Wednesday. He added that he has nothing to comment before South Korean President Moon Jae-in communicates North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's intent to invite the pope during his visit to the Vatican next week.Moon, who will visit France and Italy from Oct. 13-18 and the Vatican from Oct. 17-18, is scheduled to meet with Pope Francis at noon on Oct. 18. During the meeting, Moon plans to deliver a message of Kim's willingness to invite the pope to Pyongyang.Kim allegedly told Moon during their summit in Pyongyang last month that he will "ardently welcome the pope if he visits Pyongyang."The pope's North Korea trip, if realized, is expected to contribute to widening the international community's support for peace on the KoreaOct 11, 2018
North Korea, China, Russia call for 'corresponding' measures in denuclearization talks North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui arrives at Beijing Capital International Airport on stopover, Thursday, on her way back to Pyongyang after a trilateral talks two days ago with her counterparts from China and Russia in Moscow. TASS-YonhapSenior diplomats of North Korea, China and Russia have called for "corresponding measures" in response to the North's "practical" denuclearization steps, the North's state media reported Thursday.The three also demanded that denuclearization be carried out in a "stage-by-stage and simultaneous way" and emphasized the importance of confidence-building in the process. The demands are part of the consensus that North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui reached with her Russian and Chinese counterparts, Igor Morgulov and Kong Xuanyou, during their first-ever trilateral talks in Moscow on Tuesday, according to the Korean Central News Agency."The three parties reaffirmed the will for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and establishment of a peace regime there," the KCNA said. China's Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kong XuanyoOct 11, 2018
'South Korea won't lift North Korean sanctions without US approval': Trump President Donald Trump speaks at a rally endorsing the Republican ticket in Pennsylvania on Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2018 in Erie, Pa. AP-YonhapU.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday ruled out the possibility of South Korea lifting sanctions on North Korea without approval from the United States.South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said earlier that Seoul has been reviewing whether to remove unilateral sanctions that were imposed on North Korea following its deadly sinking of a South Korean warship in 2010."Well, they won't do it without our approval," Trump told reporters at the White House. "They do nothing without our approval."He reaffirmed when asked if he had been contacted, "Yes, they do nothing without our approval."South Korean President Moon Jae-in has been eager to improve relations with North Korea in order to induce its denuclearization and bring lasting peace to the divided peninsula.An easing of sanctions would be in line with North Korea's wishes, along with a joint declaration with the U.S. to formally end the 1950-53 Korean War.A State Department spokesperson sOct 11, 2018
Seoul seeks inclusion in nuke inspection Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha answers a lawmaker's question during a National Assembly audit, at the ministry building in Seoul, Wednesday. / YonhapBy Kim Bo-eunThe government is closely discussing with the U.S. about including South Korean experts in the inspection of the Punggye-ri nuclear testing site in the North, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said Wednesday. The remarks came during the National Assembly's audit of the ministry.This was a response to Rep. Choo Mi-ae of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) who stated South Korean experts should be included on the team of international inspectors who will examine the Punggye-ri site.Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo also said in a separate audit that Korea has “delivered its intentions so that it can take part when North Korea and the U.S. discuss nuclear inspection.”Kang also said it appears more likely a declaration ending the 1950-53 Korean War will be made within the year.The minister, however, stated the declaration could could be nullified if North Korea goes back to making provocations, such as nuclear Oct 10, 2018By Kim Bo-eun
Ex-NBA player Yao Ming leads China delegation for match in North Korea Chinese and North Korean basketball players held a friendly match on Oct. 9 in Pyongyang. YonhapBy Lee Min-youngNorth Korean and Chinese female basketball players have held a friendly match as part of their bilateral sports exchanges. China's Yao Ming, the former Houston Rockets center and eight-time NBA all-star, arrived in Pyongyang on Monday with a high-level delegation to preside over a friendly match between Chinese and North Korean female basketball players on Tuesday.China's basketball legend Yao Ming in Pyongyang. YonhapYao Ming shakes hands with North Korean officials. YonhapYao Ming is the head of China's Basketball Association.The delegation also included Gou Zhongwen, the director of China's General Administration of Sports, the equivalent of China's sport minister.North Korean and Chinese players formed teams named "Unity" and "Friendship." The Unity team won 107 to 106. At the end of the game, Yao Ming congratulated the players. The friendly match between North Korean and Chinese players. YonhapNorth Koreans watch the game held in Pyongyang. YonhapThe match is known to Oct 10, 2018By Lee Min-young
Sanctions can't stop Kim Jong-un from rolling on in his Rolls-Royce Kim Jong-un's car, spotted before Kim's meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, appears to be a Rolls-Royce Phantom. YonhapBy Lee Min-youngNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un was spotted in what appeared to be his gleaming new Rolls-Royce Phantom as he arrived for his latest meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Pyongyang on Oct. 7. The Rolls-Royce Phantom is one of the world most luxurious automobiles and carries a price tag of up to 1 billion won.The Rolls-Royce Phantom. Captured from the official Rolls-Royce website Kim is said to have a special taste in luxury cars. He took his top-class Mercedes limousine on trips around the country and to foreign engagements, including his meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in April. South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Kim's Mercedes. YonhapIt is unknown whether Kim's “Phantom” was recently added to his collection. If it was, it comes despite the regime being under heavy U.S.-led sanctions. Trump has been insisting that the international community must strictly enforce the U.N. sanctions until NortOct 10, 2018By Lee Min-young
