Moon's envoys arrive in Pyongyang; talks with N. Korean officials under way Chung Eui-yong, front left, head of the presidential National Security Office, Suh Hoon, front right, chief of the National Intelligence Service, and other South Korean delegates walk to an aircraft at a military airport in Seongnam, south of Seoul, for a flight to Pyongyang on Wednesday. APBy Park Si-soo High-stakes talks between South Korean President Moon Jae-in's special envoys and their North Korean counterparts started in Pyongyang on Wednesday. Cheong Wa Dae said a chartered flight carrying the delegates landed in the North Korean capital at 9 a.m. The presidential office said the envoys were greeted by Ri Sun-kwon, chief of the North's unification committee, at Pyongyang International Airport and escorted to the Koryo Hotel in downtown Pyongyang. They had a tea meeting with Ri and Kim Yong-chol, vice chairman of the North's ruling Workers' Party Central Committee. The tea started at 9:35 a.m. and ended at 10:14 a.m. The envoys were then taken to an unidentified location for a meeting around 10:22 a.m. Cheong Wa Dae said it did not know where they were taken. “We are in Sep 5, 2018
VIDEO Moon's special envoys embark on one-day trip to North Korea A chartered flight carrying President Moon Jae-in's special envoys takes off from Seoul Air Base early Wednesday. They will return later today. / YonhapSouth Korean President Moon Jae-in's special envoy headed to North Korea on Wednesday for talks on a proposed summit between Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, as well as ways to move forward stalled talks on ridding the North of its nuclear weapons.Chung Eui-yong, head of the presidential National Security Office, left Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, along with four other delegates including National Intelligence Service Director Suh Hoon and Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung.The same five members visited Pyongyang on March 5-6 for a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un that eventually led to the historic summit between Moon and Kim in the border village of Panmunjom on April 27, followed by a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and the North Korean leader in Singapore on June 12.Their trip to Pyongyang is aimed at making arrangements for what would be a third Moon-Kim summit. The leaders of the divided KoreaSep 5, 2018
Rodong slams US for hindering Koreas' ties ahead of inter-Korean talks National security adviser Chung Eui-yong, head of the South Korean delegation to the North, holds a press briefing at Cheong Wa Dae, Tuesday. YonhapBy Jung Da-minNorth Korea's party mouthpiece Rodong Sinmun Tuesday slammed the U.S. for interfering in inter-Korean relations, a day before a South Korean delegation led by national security adviser Chung Eui-yong heads to the North to discuss an inter-Korean summit expected later this month.In an editorial titled "Blocking North-South relations," the newspaper said U.S. intervention had hampered inter-Korean projects in various sectors."(The U.S.) is pulling (the two Koreas') hind legs to prevent every (inter-Korean) project, including the opening of the North-South joint liaison office, North-South railway projects, North-South road modernization projects, the reactivation of Kaesong Industrial Complex and resumption of Mount Kumgang tourism," it said. "(The U.S.) is also dissatisfied with the already planned inter-Korean summit, saying dissonance in U.S.-South Korean relations has been growing."Criticizing the U.S. for not supporting tSep 4, 2018
South Korea seeks to hold inter-Korean summit Sept. 18-20: reports In this April 27, 2018 file photo, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in cross the military demarcation line to the South side at the border village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone, South Korea. Korea Times fileBy Ko Dong-hwanThe South Korean presidential office plans to hold the next inter-Korean summit on Sept. 18-20 to confirm the road toward denuclearization, according to Hankook Ilbo.The report said Cheong Wa Dae will propose the date to North Korea. The presidential office also has started clearing part of Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Jongno-gu in central Seoul and hotels in the area to set up a main press center for journalists. Cheong Wa Dae, however, denied Tuesday that it has signed a rental contract with DDP. An official from the presidential office told News1 that “main press center is usually set up after dates have been finally confirmed” and the office was “currently searching venues for the media center.” He said DDP and KINTEX in Paju were “among the options.” Regarding the summit'Sep 4, 2018
Key member of North Korea's nuke, missile programs dies at 89 Ju Kyu-changA North Korean official known to have been involved in missile and nuclear weapons development has died, the North's state-run media reported Tuesday.Ju Kyu-chang, 89, died Monday night of pancytopenia, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). It called him a "revolutionary soldier" who had made a "distinguished" contribution to national defense."Letting go of comrade Ju Kyu-chang who had faithfully carried out our party's great tasks at the forefront of national defense is a huge loss not just for our party but also for our people," the KCNA said. A graduate of North Korea's renowned Kim Chaek University of Technology, Ju had spent much of his career developing weapons. He was named director of the Machine-Building Industry Department of the Workers' Party of Korea in 2010, which is tasked with nuclear and missile development.In April 2009, he was seen accompanying then-North Korean leader Kim Jong-il on his visit to a command center to observe the launch of an Unha-2 rocket. He was also known to deeply involved in developing the upgraded Unha-3 rocket the NorSep 4, 2018
North Korean movies to screen at Ulju Mountain Film Festival “The Other Side of the Mountain.” Courtesy of UMFFBy Jung Da-minFive North Korean movies about the country's nature and people will be screened at the Ulju Mountain Film Festival (UMFF) on Friday to Tuesday.A romance movie titled "The Other Side of the Mountain (2012)," which deals with inter-Korean separated families, will screened on Saturday at 4 p.m. and next Monday at 10 a.m.The other four films are short North Korean animations with themes about nature ― "Ant rolled Korean Melon (1983)", "A Peasant and a Brindled Dog (1999)", "Potato arrived in Hyanggi-Gol (2000)" and "A Present from Old Tree (2007)".They will be presented as a combined film next Tuesday from 1 p.m.Korean-American Joon Bai, writer of "The Other Side of the Mountain," will visit the film festival to meet audience. Bai was born in the north-eastern border area of the North, but moved to the South during the Korean War.He went to the U.S. in 1959 and has since lived there as a businessman.The U.S-North Korean collaboration movie deals with South Korean soldier Ri Il-gyu's story of falling in love with Sep 3, 2018
Moon names special envoys to North Korea Five delegates will use direct route for one-day visitBy Yi Whan-wooChung Eui-yongSuh HoonPresident Moon Jae-in named National Security Office (NSO) chief Chung Eui-yong as a special envoy to North Korea, according to Cheong Wa Dae, Sunday.It said the five-member delegation led by Chung on a visit to Pyongyang will be made up of National Intelligence Service (NIS) director Suh Hoon, Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung, NIS deputy director Kim Sang-gyun, and senior Cheong Wa Dae official Yun Kun-young. They will travel to the North Korean capital, Wednesday.The five previously visited Pyongyang together in March to arrange the first summit between Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the truce village of Panmunjeom, April 27.This time, they will cross the border in preparation for the third Moon-Kim summit scheduled later this month in Pyongyang. Moon did not send envoys for the May 26 second summit.“The government considered the continuity in inter-Korean dialogue and effective achievement of the trip's objective in its decision to send the same officials,&rdquoSep 2, 2018
Inter-Korean liaison office to open this week By Yi Whan-wooA joint liaison office will open “early this month” in Gaeseong, North Korea, as agreed upon by the two Koreas, according to National Security Office chief Chung Eui-yong.The planned establishment of the liaison office is in line with a joint declaration jointly by President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during their first summit at Panmunjeom, April 27.The establishment was confirmed when Chung mentioned it during a three-way meeting among presidential officials, Cabinet members and ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) lawmakers at Cheong Wa Dae, Saturday. The liaison office is expected to open Wednesday, when Moon's special envoys will visit Pyongyang to discuss a third summit scheduled for later this month following the second one, May 26.The move, however, is unlikely to be welcomed by the U.S., as Washington apparently wants inter-Korean relations to be in tandem with Pyongyang's denuclearization, talks on which remain deadlocked.“The inter-Korean liaison office is scheduled to open early this month,” Chung was quoted as Sep 2, 2018
US tells its citizens not to visit North Korea The U.S. Department of State has issued a new North Korea travel advisory for its nationals, according to its website."Do not travel to North Korea due to the serious risk of arrest and long-term detention of U.S. nationals," it said Friday (Washington D.C. time) in a message posted by the bureau of consular affairs.It stated that individuals can't use a U.S. passport to travel to or through the communist nation without a "special validation" from the department.Special validations are granted in very limited circumstances, including for diplomatic or humanitarian activities.The state department calls on those with a special validation to "draft a will and designate appropriate insurance beneficiaries and/or power of attorney."It also calls for them to create a plan for loved ones regarding the care and custody of children, pets, property, belongings, non-liquid assets and funeral wishes.It noted the United States is unable to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in North Korea as it does not have diplomatic or consular relations with North KoreaSweden has served as the protecSep 1, 2018
Documentary on North Korea's TB to be aired Monday A still from the documentary film “Out of Breath.” Courtesy of MBCBy Jung Da-minA documentary on international volunteers helping North Korea to fight multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) will be aired on MBC at 11:10 p.m. Monday. The film titled “Out of Breath” presents the journey of U.S. doctor Stephen Linton and Korean-American doctor KJ Seung, who have been visiting the North every six month to help North Korean doctors fight the spread of MDR-TB. They have been working with the Eugene Bell Foundation.The film was directed by Korean-American Hein S. Seok. NHK WORLD aired it in July and September last year. The Japanese broadcaster will re-air the film on Sept. 10 this year.Dr. Stephen Linton, right, is seen in this still from the film “Out of Breath.” Courtesy of MBCDr. KJ Seung, second from right, is seen in this still from the film “Out of Breath.” Courtesy of MBCA still from the documentary film “Out of Breath.” Courtesy of MBCAug 31, 2018
