Trump calls off Pompeo's North Korea trip, blasts China President Donald Trump speaks during the 2018 Ohio Republican Party State Dinner, Friday, Aug. 24, 2018, in Columbus, Ohio. AP-YonhapU.S. President Donald Trump said Friday he has directed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to delay a planned trip to North Korea, citing insufficient progress on denuclearization.Trump put some blame on Beijing, saying he does not believe China is helping ``because of our much tougher Trading stance.''The surprise announcement appeared to mark a concession by the president to domestic and international concerns that his prior claims of world-altering progress on the peninsula had been strikingly premature.``I have asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo not to go to North Korea, at this time, because I feel we are not making sufficient progress with respect to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,'' Trump tweeted Friday, barely two months after his June meeting with the North's Kim Jong Un in Singapore.Trump's comment followed a report issued Monday by the International Atomic Energy Agency outlining ``grave concern'' about the North's nuclear programAug 25, 2018
Pompeo to visit North Korea next week with new special envoy U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, right, announces former senior executive of Ford Motor Company Stephen Biegun to be special envoy for North Korea, at the State Department in Washington, DC, USA, 23 August 2018. EPAUS Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday named a Ford Motor Co. executive as special envoy for North Korea and said they would both travel to the nuclear-armed country next week.Stephen Biegun, 55, who is retiring as Ford's vice president for international governmental affairs, had been considered for the post of President Donald Trump's national security advisor before it went to John Bolton."Steve will direct the US policy towards North Korea and lead our efforts to achieve President Trump's goal of the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea, as agreed to by chairman Kim Jong Un," Pompeo said."He and I will be traveling to North Korea next week to make further diplomatic progress towards our objective," he said.The trip will be Pompeo's fourth to North Korea, and the second since a historic summit on June 12 between Trump and Kim."The State DepartAug 24, 2018
UN environment chief visits Pyongyang to discuss big issues By Jung Da-minUnited Nations Environment Program Executive Director Erik Solheim. ReutersUnited Nations Environment Program Executive Director Erik Solheim arrived in Pyongyang Wednesday, the (North) Korean Central News Agency reported.He plans to discuss North Korea's deforestation and other environmental problems.North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has emphasized environmental issues, including forest restoration, energy conservation and green technology. In particular, North Korea has been conducting nationwide tree-planting projects.Aug 23, 2018
Pyongyang media reports on reunions of separated families Members of separated families reunite in Mount Kumgang in the southeast of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on Aug. 20, 2018. Families of South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), separated by the 1950-53 Korean War, finally reunited in tears and joy as they had never seen each other for decades until Monday when the rare reunions were held in Mount Kumgang in southeast DPRK. Xinhua-YonhapNorth Korea's state media reported Thursday on this week's reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War, calling them part of "practical" measures to enforce the April inter-Korean summit agreement to enhance cross-border ties."During the first reunion held from August 20 and 22, the families and relatives from our side met their flesh and blood from the south and exchanged their inmost thoughts in a happy homely atmosphere," the North's Korean Central News Agency said in an English-language article.On Monday, 89 elderly South Koreans crossed the border into the North to attend the family reunions at the eastern scenic mountain resort of Kumgang, which weAug 23, 2018
Seoul may drop labeling N. Korea as 'enemy' By Kim Yoo-chulSouth Korea is considering removing the phrase “main enemy,” referring to North Korea, from a biannual white paper to be released by the defense ministry in December, military sources said Wednesday.“After a thorough review, the defense ministry will soon decide whether to delete its reference to North Korea as the main enemy in the 2018 Defense White Paper, which will be released in December,” the ministry said.South Korea designated North Korea as its “main enemy” in 1995. Back in 1994, North Korea threatened to turn Seoul into a “sea of fire” if war broke out. The labeling continued until 2000. But the South deleted the designation in 2004 and replaced it with “direct military threat.” The label was applied again in 2010 after North Korean artillery killed two soldiers and two civilians on Yeonpyeong Island, and has been used ever since.The ministry declined to comment on whether the upcoming paper will give updated details on the North's military capabilities.The possible removal represents Seoul's continuAug 22, 2018
Three days were too short after 65 years of separation Kim Byoung-oh, 88, wipes tears during his last meeting with his younger sister from the North, at the Mount Geumgang Hotel in the North, Wednesday. / Joint Press CorpsBy Kim Bo-eun, Joint Press CorpsSouth Koreans bid goodbye to their relatives in the North, Wednesday, after a three-day reunion that took place at Mount Geumgang.During the three-day event, they were able to spend a total of 12 hours with long-lost relatives. But this could not bridge the 65 years they spent apart after the 1950-53 Korean War.Lee Soo-nam, 77, met with his older brother and his wife and son in the North. Before parting, Lee asked his nephew to write down the names of his siblings.“I don't know when we will be able to meet again. It's sad. If we were younger it may have been possible,” Lee said.“I am going to go to my parents' tomb and will tell them 'I saw that my older brother is alive and well. I want to thank you, and owe this to your prayers. They were all well and it turns out I have four nephews. I asked for their names so I could remember them for the rest of my life,'” he Aug 22, 2018
North Korea hunkers down for Typhoon Soulik This video footage from (North) Korean Central Television (KCTV)'s 8 p.m. news shows the anticipated path of Typhoon Soulik, or Typhoon-19. KCTV via YonhapBy Jung Da-minAs Typhoon Soulik makes its way toward the Korean Peninsula, North Korea's state weather agency has warned people to take care.The North's state-run Korean Central Television's 8 p.m. news broadcast an interview with an official of the state meteorological administration to explain the anticipated path of the typhoon and emphasize safety measures."The typhoon will land near the bay of Ganghwa, South Hwanghae Province, on (Aug.) 23 night and will move northeast through (Aug.) 25, influencing the whole region of our country, including the East Coast region," the official said, calling Soulik typhoon-19."At the time of landing near Ganghwa Bay in South Hwanghae Province, the central strength of Typhoon-19 is predicted to be 985 hectopascals (hPa) and the maximum wind speed would be up to 25 meters per second."South's Korea Meteorological Administration is also expecting Typhoon Soulik, the year's 19th typhoon, to hit theAug 22, 2018
Red Cross chief seeks to visit N. Korea next month to discuss humanitarian issues Korean Red Cross President Park Kyung-seo, right, cheers with Pak Yong-il, Vice Chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, at a hotel at Mount Geumgang, North Korea, during a dinner hosted by the North on Monday, the first day of the 21st family reunion from Aug. 20 to 26. YonhapThe head of South Korea's Red Cross said Tuesday that he seeks to visit North Korea next month to discuss inter-Korean cooperation on humanitarian issues.In a meeting with pool reporters covering the reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War underway at Mount Kumgang, a scenic resort on the North's east coast, Park Kyung-seo, the head of the Korean Red Cross, said that talks are underway for a September trip to Pyongyang."We are coordinating a trip to Pyongyang for the middle of September," he said. "If cooperation based on the spirit of the Red Cross, or in (the North's) words, if mutually beneficial cooperation projects are determined, we will meet reporters in an official setting (again to share the outcome)."Park didn't specify what those projects could be aAug 22, 2018
No indication North Korean nuclear activities stopped: IAEA North Korean leader Kim Jong-un provides guidance with Ri Hong-sop (3rd L) and Hong Sung-mu (L) on a nuclear weapons program in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang September 3, 2017. YonhapThe U.N. nuclear watchdog said it did not find any indication that North Korea had stopped its nuclear activities, adding to doubts about the country’s willingness to abandon its arsenal.“The continuation and further development of the DPRK’s nuclear program and related statements by the DPRK are a cause for grave concern,” the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a report published late on Monday.The report, which refers to the country’s official name Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, is to be submitted to the IAEA’s board meeting next month.U.S. President Donald Trump said in an interview with Reuters on Monday he believed North Korea had taken specific steps toward denuclearization and that he would “most likely” meet again with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.Trump helAug 22, 2018
Two Koreas to close 10 DMZ guard posts Defense Minister Song Young-moo speaks to lawmakers during a visit to the National Assembly, Tuesday. / YonhapBy Lee Min-hyungSeoul and Pyongyang have agreed to remove 10 guard posts near the inter-Korean border line, as part of a step to realize their mutual goal of transforming the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) into a peaceful area, South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo said Tuesday.“We reached an agreement with the North to remove 10 guard posts and decided to expand the number,” Song said during a National Assembly session.The two Koreas will start removing posts closest to the border and continue to raise the number, according to the minister.“We will start withdrawing ones located less than one kilometer from the border,” he said.Song declined to comment on when to kick off the plan. The two Koreas also agreed to remove more posts after enhancing their mutual trust, according to him.He also underlined that he would make sure the number of removed posts from the South will be on par with that of the North.The removal of the guard posts is part of a measAug 21, 2018
