Ruling on Kim Jong-nam assassination case delayed (From top) Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong (C) and Indonesian Siti Aisyah (C), who were detained in connection with the death of Kim Jong-Nam, are escorted by Malaysian police officers out of the Shah Alam High Court in Shah Alam, Malaysia, 16 August 2018. Kim Jong Nam murder trial continued after Malaysia court found sufficient evidence against the two suspects. Doan Thi Huong from Vietnam and Siti Aisyah from Indonesia were charged with murder under Section 302 of the penal code, which carries mandatory death sentence if found guilty. Both pleaded not guilty during the murder trial. Photos from EPA-YonhapA man believed to be North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il's eldest son, Kim Jong-Nam, is surrounded by journalists upon his arrival at Beijing's capital airport, 11 February 2007. Wearing a cap, sunglasses and jeans, the man who Japanese television crew described as Kim Jong-Nam arrived at Beijing's airport from Macau in the afternoon, as six-nation talks on ending North Korea's nuclear weapons programme were underway in the Chinese capital. Kim Jong-Nam, 35, was recently reported to have beeAug 16, 2018
US sanctions China, Russia firms for helping North Korean illicit shipments The United States on Wednesday sanctioned Chinese and Russian firms for their alleged role in helping illicit trade with North Korea in violation of international sanctions.The Department of the Treasury announced the designations of a Chinese business, its Singapore-based affiliate, a Russian firm and its director general, whose dealings in the U.S. and with American citizens must be blocked.The new sanctions demonstrate the U.S. commitment to keep pressure on North Korea until it abandons its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs in line with an agreement reached by U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in June."Treasury will continue to implement existing sanctions on North Korea, and will take action to block and designate companies, ports, and vessels that facilitate illicit shipments and provide revenue streams to the DPRK," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea."Consequences for violating these sanctions will remain in place until we haveAug 16, 2018
Pyongyang again urges South Korea not to follow sanctions This file photo taken on November 21, 2017 shows a general view of North Korean coal piled up on a dockside at the port in Rason. AFP-YonhapNorth Korea's official newspaper on Thursday repeated its call on South Korea not to follow foreign forces' sanctions on Pyongyang, saying sanctions pressure and relationship improvement cannot be compatible.The Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of the ruling Workers' Party, said in a commentary that inter-Korean relations can hardly move forward in the interests of the Korean people if sanctions pressure from foreign forces is blindly supported and followed by the South.The commentary was published in apparent response to South Korean President Moon Jae-in's Liberation Day address the previous day, which called for complete denuclearization and lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula ahead of full-fledged inter-Korean economic cooperation.Besides the Rodong Sinmun, the North's external propaganda media outlets have recently stepped up calls on the South to choose between sanctions and relationship improvement."If the (South) joins and blindly follows sAug 16, 2018
KBS news live in Pyongyang KBS News 9 Tuesday broadcast shows a night view of Pyongyang. Yonhap (Courtesy of KBS).By Jung Da-minPublic service television channel KBS' flagship News 9 presented a live broadcast from Pyongyang, Tuesday.The broadcast was made at a time when inter-Korean relations are warming up, with the third summit this year slated for next month. It showed a live night view of Pyongyang from Yanggakdo International Hotel located on Yanggak Island, a small island in the Taedong River. It also aired pre-recorded footage shot around the city.KBS sent a dozen staffers on Friday to cover an international youth football event in Pyongyang. They were included in the South's delegation of 151 athletes, journalists and other cultural exchange-related members.Aug 15, 2018
'Partial lifting of sanctions on N. Korea likely' The Gaeseong Industrial Complex in North Korea is seen in this file photo. All operations in the joint venture between the two Koreas have been stopped since 2016 when Seoul decided to close the complex. YonhapS. Korea says businesses with NK going under economic sanctions frame By Yi Whan-wooSouth Korea's foreign ministry said Wednesday it was talking with the United States to possibly obtain sanctions relief for North Korea, though the ministry didn't specify when the relief would happen.“The ministry is in discussions with the United States to get the go-ahead for partial sanctions relief, which will be helpful for South Korea to push forward the country's business projects, most of which are non-commercial, with North Korea. But the South has no plans to violate U.N. sanctions now being imposed on the North,” said a ministry official.The official added the U.N. Security Council's actions would support and conform to the efforts of diplomatic talks toward denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.At the Singapore summit in June between U.S. President Donald Trump Aug 15, 2018
Seoul sends advance team for family reunion in N. Korea Ministry of Unification officials get ready to leave Seoul and head to Mount Geumgang in North Korea, Wednesday, to support the cross-border family reunion slated for Aug. 20 to 26. The officials are among Seoul's 18-member advance team tasked with last-minute preparations for the reunion of 181 divided family members. YonhapBy Yi Whan-wooSouth Korea sent its advance inspection team to the North, Wednesday, for last-minute preparations for the reunion of separated families slated for Aug. 20 to 26.The 18-member team led by Lee Jong-chol, a senior Red Cross official, is tasked with checking the facilities, including accommodations and the banquet hall, of the North's scenic resort at Mount Geumgang on the east coast.The team members include officials from the Ministry of Unification and Hyundai Asan _ the operator of the now-suspended Mount Geumgang tour project.They will consult with North Korea and finalize the schedule, travel route and other details concerning the family members who were separated by the 1950-53 Korean War.“The inspection team left Seoul in the morning and hAug 15, 2018
Putin hopes for early summit with Kim: Pyongyang media AUGUST 12, 2018: Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) and Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov attend a meeting of the heads of state of the Caspian Five at the Friendship Palace. TASS-YonhapRussian President Vladimir Putin has expressed hope for a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at an early date, Pyongyang's state media said Wednesday.The message was delivered to the North's leader as Putin congratulated North Korea on the 73rd anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA)."I am satisfied with the fact that the relations between our two states have friendly and constructive characters," Putin was quoted as saying by the KCNA.In this April 27, 2018, file photo, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, poses with South Korean President Moon Jae-in for a photo inside the Peace House at the border village of Panmunjom in Demilitarized Zone, South Korea. AP-Yonhap"I affirm that I am ready to meet you at an early date to discuss urgent issues of bilateral relations and important matters of the reAug 15, 2018
'Progress can be made on North Korean nuclear dismantlement' U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, left, greets North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho as they prepare for a group photo at the 25th ASEAN Regional Forum Retreat in Singapore, Saturday, Aug. 4, 2018. AP-YonhapSouth Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, right, and Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon enter Seoul Government Complex for a ministerial meeting on Aug. 7, 2018. YonhapU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday he believes progress is possible toward the dismantlement of North Korea's nuclear weapons program amid reports he is preparing for another trip to Pyongyang.Pompeo wrote the message on Twitter after speaking by phone with South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha."I spoke with Foreign Minister Kang about the Inter-Korean talks held on Monday," he wrote. "The U.S. and the #ROK remain in close cooperation to ensure the final, fully verified denuclearization of the #DPRK. We believe progress can be made."ROK refers to South Korea's formal name, the Republic of Korea, while DPRK refers to the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of KoreAug 15, 2018
North Korean media highlight summits ahead of Liberation Day By Jung Da-minPresident Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un shake hands during the April 27 inter-Korean summit. YonhapNorth Korean media have highlighted the importance of the April 27 inter-Korean summit ahead of the Aug. 15 Liberation Day. An editorial on the North's propaganda website DPRK Today on Tuesday highlighted North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's commitment to boosting inter-Korean relations.Liberation Day is celebrated in North and South Korea to commemorate the end of 35 years of Japanese colonial rule.(North) Korean Central News Agency reported on the same day that another inter-Korean summit, the third this year, will be held in September. The summit agreement came on Monday during the fourth high-level talks between the two countries. Unification Minister Cho Myong-gyon and Ri Son-gwon, head of the North's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification, met. The DPRK Today editorial also referred to the June 15, 2000, joint declaration that was issued after the first inter-Korean summit between late President Kim Dae-jung and then North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.Aug 14, 2018
South Korea submits letter on banned North Korean coal shipments to UNSC This file photo taken on November 21, 2017 shows a general view of North Korean coal piled up on a dockside at the port in Rason. Three South Korean firms were caught importing coal and iron from the North last year, Seoul's customs office said on August 10, 2018, in an apparent breach of UN sanctions imposed in August 2017 on the nuclear-armed state. AFP-YonhapSouth Korea has submitted to the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) a letter detailing the results of its recent probe into illegal shipments of North Korean coal, a diplomatic source said Monday.Last Friday, Seoul's customs office said that three South Korean firms brought in 35,038 tons of North Korean coal and pig iron, worth a combined 6.6 billion won (US$5.81 million), on seven occasions between April and October last year, in breach of a U.N. sanctions resolution.The three entities were found to have transshipped the resources at a Russian port and misstated the country of origin to bring them into South Korea, Seoul officials said.The investigation came amid media speculation that Seoul has not been taking due steps to block Aug 14, 2018
