US agrees with NK to hold second summit soon U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, right, talks to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during their meeting in Pyongyang, Sunday (KST). Screengrab of Pompeo's TwitterPompeo says he had 'productive conversation' with Kim By Kim Yoo-chulU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hailed “progress” in discussions with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang, Sunday (KST), saying the two had a “productive conversation” in taking steps toward denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.“I don't have much to add. I would certainly tell you in private about our conversation. But we had a good productive conversation. As President Trump said there are many steps along the way and we took one of them today with another step forward. This is I think a good outcome for all of us,” Pompeo told President Moon Jae-in at Cheong Wa Dae late Sunday.Pompeo said Kim had agreed to hold a second summit with U.S. President Donald Trump “as early as possible,” adding working-level discussions between the two countries to set a date and location would take place soon.Oct 7, 2018By Kim Yoo-chul
Inter-Korean Assembly summit challenges ruling party Rep. Lee Hae-chan, left, leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and the co-head of a delegation to Pyongyang for an inter-Korean event to celebrate the anniversary of a 2007 summit, listens as the North's Kim Yong-dae, vice chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly speaks during a gathering of political figures from the two Koreas at the Koryo Hotel, Pyongyang, Friday. / YonhapBy Park Ji-won, Joint Press CorpsAs a first-ever inter-Korean legislative summit is being discussed amid the growing mood of rapprochement on the peninsula, the ruling party must persuade the opposition parties to participate. Ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) leader Lee Hae-chan, who led a South Korean delegation to Pyongyang from Oct. 4 to 6 with Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon, said Friday after meeting his counterparts that “the inter-Korean legislative summit will likely occur this year even though the opposition parties are against it. There is no big difference between the two Koreas on holding this event.”Lee added that, “We talked with vice chairman Oct 7, 2018By Park Ji-won
North Korean media attacks South's conservative party North Korean media have accused South Korea's main opposition party of hampering peace efforts. YonhapBy Jung Da-minNorth Korean media used South Korean news reports, Sunday, in attacks on the South's conservative Liberty Korea Party, saying the party is ruining itself and being isolated from peace efforts.The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling Workers' Party, citied South Korea's media reports to attack the South's main opposition party, saying it is on the track to “destruction.”“According to Edaily, the party is doing everything it can for survival with 'reform' and 'new faces,' but its situation isn't improving,” Rodong said.In another article, Rodong criticized conservative lawmakers for refusing to ratify the Panmunjeom Declaration, which was signed by President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on April 27.North Korean media has been mentioning the Liberty Korea Party more often this year, according to North Korean media tracker KCNA Watch website. The number of articles mentioning the party has increased to 4179 (as of OcOct 7, 2018
Pompeo heads to North Korea for meeting with Kim Jong-un United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Pyongyang on Sunday and is set to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to discuss the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, news reports said.Pompeo left for Pyongyang from Tokyo earlier in the day, where he met Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Foreign Minister Taro Kono on Saturday. His plane landed in the North Korean capital before noon, the reports said.South Korean officials said that in Pyongyang, the U.S. secretary will hold a meeting with the North Korean leader on the issues of denuclearization and the establishment of a peace regime.Following the meeting, Pompeo will fly to Seoul for a meeting with President Moon Jae-in and Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha later Sunday and brief them on the results of his trip to the North.On Monday, he will depart for Beijing for further talks with Chinese officials.His visit to the North, his fourth, comes as the U.S. and the North are trying find a breakthrough in the stalled denuclearization negotiations.The U.S. has insisted that the North must declare its nuclear arsenal before aOct 7, 2018
Senior NK diplomat to hold bilateral, trilateral talks with Russian, Chinese officials in Moscow North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Choe Sun-hui is leaving the VIP room after she arrived at Sheremetyevo International Airport, Saturday. YonhapA senior North Korean diplomat will have talks with Russian and Chinese officials on the situation on the Korean Peninsula, following her arrival in Moscow on Saturday, Russian media reported.Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui departed for Moscow earlier in the day following a two-day visit to Beijing.Her trip comes ahead of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's fourth visit to Pyongyang on Sunday for talks about Pyongyang's denuclearization and a possible second summit between the U.S. and the North.Citing Russian embassy staff in the North, the news agency Tass said that Choe will have talks with her Russian counterpart on Monday and then trilateral talks with her Chinese and Russian counterparts the following day.Observers said that during the talks in Moscow, Choe is likely to seek cooperation from the North's traditional partner countries regarding ongoing denuclearization negotiations. She may also try to win support for Pyongyang's eOct 6, 2018
N. Korean vice foreign minister heads to Russia North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, right, is seen at Beijing Capital International Airport on Saturday. YonhapNorth Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui headed to Russia on Saturday, in an apparent bid to reaffirm ties between Pyongyang and Moscow and win support amid ongoing efforts to hold talks with Washington.Choe took an Aeroflot flight from Beijing to Moscow, after completing her two-day trip in China.She briefly told reporters that the purpose of the visit is to hold a trilateral dialogue with China and Russia.Pundits said the visit is apparently aimed at reaffirming ties with allies, especially amid U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's planned visit to Pyongyang on Sunday.North Korea's state media earlier reported that Choe was set to meet with Chinese officials in Beijing before flying to Russia for the trilateral talks.During her stay in Russia, pundits said Choe is expected to focus on earning Russia's support on easing sanctions, and set details of a possible visit to Moscow by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. (Yonhap)Oct 6, 2018
South Korean delegation returns home after celebrating summit anniversary The participants applaud during an event to mark the 11th anniversary of the 2007 inter-Korean summit at the People's Palace of Culture in Pyongyang on Friday. Yonhap-Joint Press CorpsA group of South Korean government officials, politicians and civic and religious leaders returned home on Saturday after participating in a joint event to celebrate the anniversary of the 2007 inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang a day earlier.A delegation of 160 people, led by Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon and ruling Democratic Party leader Lee Hae-chan, arrived in the South via the direct western air route after the three-day trip.The purpose of the visit was to mark the Oct. 4 Declaration signed by the leaders of the two Koreas in 2007, which centered on building mutual trust, easing tensions and fostering inter-Korean economic cooperation.The summit was held by then-South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and then-North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.On Saturday, the delegation visited a pine tree planted by Roh and the North's nominal leader, Kim Yong-nam, at a botanical garden in 2007."Looking at the pOct 6, 2018
S. Korea reacts cautiously to latest N. Korea sanctions By Yi Whan-wooThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Friday that the latest U.S. sanctions on a Turkish company are believed to have been made in line with Washington's strategy of pursuing dialogue with and sanctions on Pyongyang simultaneously. The announcement came in response to the U.S. Department of the Treasury's blacklisting of Turkey-based SIA Falcon International Group, its Chief Executive Huseyin Sahin and General Manager Erhan Culha, Thursday, for allegedly breaching an international ban on the trade of weapons and luxury goods with the Kim Jong-un regime.The two executives _ both Turkish nationals _ are suspected of negotiating weapons deals with Economic and Commercial Counselor Ri Song-un at the North Korean Embassy in Mongolia. The Treasury Department has blacklisted Ri as well.The U.S. measures come as U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo plans to make his fourth trip to Pyongyang, Sunday, to reinvigorate denuclearization talks. Pyongyang has been disgruntled with economic sanctions against its regime despite its promise to give up its nuclear program.“We assess tOct 5, 2018By Yi Whan-woo
Koreas agree to follow up on 2007 summit Joint ceremony held in PyongyangBy Yi Whan-wooThe two Koreas jointly celebrated the anniversary of the 2007 inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang, Friday. This is the first time the two sides have jointly celebrated the summit between then-President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il since it was held from Oct. 2 to 4, 2007.The second received less attention than the groundbreaking inter-Korean summit in June 2000 between Roh's predecessor Kim Dae-jung and Kim Jong-il, partly because cross-border ties deteriorated under the past two conservative governments here.Against this backdrop, the guests on Friday promised to bolster efforts for peace and prosperity during the celebrations at the People's Palace of Culture in Pyongyang.“The history of failures to fully carry out the June and October declarations should not be repeated,” the participants said in a joint letter, referring to agreements reached at the June 2000 and October 2007 summits. “We should continue to proceed with the era of peace and prosperity to decide our fate on our own while writing our nOct 5, 2018By Yi Whan-woo
North Korea releases new animation episodes on Goguryeo kingdom founder A scene from episode 20 of North Korean animation “Gojumong,” in which hero Jumong and heroine Soseono feature. Captured from DPRK Today's YouTube channelBy Jung Da-minNorth Korea's premier April 26 Animation Studio recently released new episodes ― Nos. 21 and 22 ― of its showpiece 3D history animation “Gojumong” that depicts the story of King Dongmyeong of Goguryeo (37 B.C.-A.D. 668).King Dongmyeong is widely known by his birth name Jumong, with his last name being Go.According to North Korea's propaganda website Arirang-Meari's Friday report, the new episodes depict Jumong's love story with Soseono, Jumong's wife and the mother of the founder of the Baekje kingdom (18 B.C.-A.D. 660)The fictional love story between Jumong and Soseono also is widely known in South Korea, with the 2006 MBC drama titled “Jumong” becoming a hit. The North Korean animation of Gojumong's story, however, is different from South Korean dramas in depicting details of ancient Korea.For example, it features an ancient kingdom called “Guryeo.” North Korea's historOct 5, 2018
