Firms under probe on illegal trade of N. Korean coal By Park Ji-wonThe nation’s tax authorities are investigating four South Korean firms allegedly involved in the illegal trade of North Korean coal last year in violation of the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) sanctions against the North.An official of the Korea Customs Service said, “We are conducting an investigation and will decide whether to refer this case to the prosecution.”The official said two shipping firms and two financial firms are being investigated, without revealing their names.If the allegations are true, they would be a violation of UNSC sanctions that ban North Korea from exporting coal and firms involved in the case will be placed on a sanctions list.“We cannot provide further details about the matter as there is an ongoing investigation,” the official added.Panama and a Sierra Leone flagged vessels brought 9,000 tons of coal to the South Korean ports of Incheon and Pohang in October last year, the unification ministry said.Under U.N. Resolution 2371 adopted by the Security Council in August last year, transfer of North Korean minerals, suJul 30, 2018
North Korea launches team to mend ties with Japan: report By Park Si-sooNorth Korea has put together a team to negotiate with Japan, which itself is seeking direct talks to settle various issues, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported on Saturday, citing sources familiar with bilateral relations.Kyodo said the negotiating team was apparently established sometime between April and the historic U.S.-North Korea summit on June 12. If the report is true, the team is a visible indicator North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is interested in exploring dialogue with Tokyo in the midst of a rapid change in the geopolitics of the Korean Peninsula."North Korea decided earlier this year that mending ties with Japan would become a future objective if it moves to improve ties with the United States, South Korea and China," the news outlet quoted a source as saying.At a plenary meeting in April of the central committee of North Korea’s ruling party, the policy of pursuing active dialogue with surrounding countries was adopted, according to the outlet.It is not known who heads the team, but Kim Yong-chol, a close aide to the North Korean leader and vice chairJul 28, 2018
Trump thanks Kim Jong-un for 'fulfilling a promise' U.S. President Donald Trump gives the thumbs-up as he boards Air Force One, Friday, July 27, 2018, in Andrews Air Force Base, Md., en route to Morristown Municipal Airport, in Morristown, N.J., and on to Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J. / AP U.S. President Donald Trump thanked North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Friday for ``fulfilling a promise'' to return the remains of U.S. soldiers missing from the Korean War, as a U.S. military plane made a rare trip into North Korea to retrieve 55 cases said to contain remains.Close to 7,700 U.S. soldiers remain unaccounted for from the 1950-53 Korean War, and about 5,300 of those were lost in North Korea. North Korea's move signals a positive step in Trump's diplomacy with Pyongyang, and may restart efforts to send U.S. teams into the country to search for additional war dead.Defense Secretary Jim Mattis cautioned that the transfer of remains ``is separate'' from what has so far been troubled efforts to negotiate the complete denuclearization of North Korea. But he said it was a step in the right direction following the TrJul 28, 2018
North Korea returns remains of US soldiers killed during Korean War A U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft carrying the returned remains of U.S. soldiers killed during the Korean War at Osan Air Base. / YonhapNorth Korea has transferred the remains of U.S. soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War following a pledge by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at his historic summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, the White House said Thursday.The remains were carried out of Wonsan, North Korea, on a U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft headed for Osan Air Base, south of Seoul, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement. The plane arrived at the base at around 11 a.m. (Korean time). A formal repatriation ceremony will be held Aug. 1 at the base."At their historic meeting in Singapore, President Donald J. Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un took a bold first step to achieve the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, transform relations between the United States and North Korea, and establish enduring peace," Sanders said. "Today, the Chairman is fulfilling part of the commitment he made to the President to return our fallen American service members.Jul 27, 2018
Two Koreas to hold general-level military talks at Panmunjom next Tuesday South and North Korea have agreed to hold general-level military talks next week to discuss measures to enforce the military part of their April summit agreement, Seoul's defense ministry said Friday.The talks will take place at the Peace House, a South Korea-controlled building at the border truce village of Panmunjom, at 10 a.m. on Tuesday.Pyongyang first proposed the talks, which Seoul accepted later, the ministry said.Major Gen. Kim Do-gyun will lead South Korea's five-member delegation, while the North Korean side will be represented by Lt. Gen. An Ik-san.The two sides are expected to discuss measures to build confidence and seek arms control, such as disarming the Joint Security Area in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, and withdrawing troops and equipment from border guard posts.The agenda could also include the idea of a joint project to excavate the remains of troops in the DMZ, who were killed during the 1950-53 Korean War.Some observers said that the militaries could also discuss the summit agreement to turn the Northern Limit Line, a de facto sea borJul 27, 2018
Minjung Party may face fine for meeting NK party Minjung Party co-leader Jung Tae-heung poses after having an interview with The Korea Times at party headquarters on Yeouido, Wednesday. / Korea Times photo by Park Ji-wonBy Park Ji-wonThe Ministry of Unification may fine the minor leftist Minjung Party for its unauthorized meeting last week with a North Korean political party in Shenyang, China, according to the party's co-leader, Thursday.Three delegates from each of the two parties met in the Chinese city from Friday to Saturday to seek parliamentary exchanges between the two Koreas. To arrange the meeting, the two had exchanged letters via the unification ministry.After agreeing with the Korean Social Democratic Party of North Korea to meet in Shenyang, the Minjung Party sought permission from the ministry. But the ministry refused to permit the party's trip, and instead asked it to delay the meeting.However, the party went ahead anyway.Minjung Party co-leader Jung Tae-heung, who was also part of the delegation to Shenyang, said he was told the government may fine the party for the gathering in Shenyang.“We could have been Jul 26, 2018
Trump pleased as North Korea seen dismantling launch site parts President Donald Trump acknowledges the crowd after an address at the Veteran's of Foreign Wars national convention in Kansas City, Mo., Tuesday. APPresident Donald Trump expressed appreciation to North Korea on Tuesday following reports that Pyongyang has started to dismantle key parts of a missile test site. But Trump's top diplomat sounded a note of caution, saying inspectors would have to confirm the development.Trump said new satellite photos indicating the North has begun to take down facilities at the Sohae site are a sign of progress from the ``fantastic'' summit he held last month in Singapore with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.``We're all pursuing the denuclearization of North Korea and a new future of prosperity, security and peace on the Korean Peninsula and all of Asia,'' Trump told a VFW convention in Kansas City, Missouri. ``New images just today show that North Korea has begun the process of dismantling a key missile site and we appreciate that. We had a fantastic meeting with Chairman Kim, and it seems to be going very well.''He spoke after the North Korea-focused Jul 25, 2018
Minor party plans to send delegation to Pyongyang Delegates from South Korea's Minjung Party and North Korea's Korean Social Democratic Party pose at the Rungrado restaurant in Shenyang, China, Friday. Seen are Minjung Party co-leader Jung Tae-heung, third from left, and Ri Kum-chol, fourth from left, vice head of the North's Social Democratic Party's central committee. / Courtesy of Minjung PartyBy Park Ji-wonThe minor leftist Minjung Party plans to send a delegation to Pyongyang soon as part of its inter-Korean parliamentary exchange program, the party said Tuesday.The party with only one seat in the 293-member National Assembly held talks with the Korean Social Democratic Party of North Korea from Friday to Saturday in Shenyang, China, to discuss boosting exchanges in accord with the Panmunjeom Declaration signed at the latest inter-Korean summit. The two parties had exchanged letters via the unification ministry.At the meeting in Shenyang, the Minjung Party suggested a plan to send a delegation to Pyongyang in late August or early September. Along with that, the two parties agreed to hold a gathering at Mount Baekdu in North KorJul 24, 2018
While making nice with US and South, North Korea slams Japan North Korean leader Kim Jong-un / YonhapNorth Korea's state-run media have toned down their rhetorical attacks on the United States and South Korea while leader Kim Jong-un pursues a more diplomatic approach, but the vitriol continues _ and Japan is now Pyongyang's favorite foil.Commentaries critical of Tokyo, which has maintained a harder line toward Pyongyang than Seoul and Washington, have increased noticeably in recent weeks in a strategy aimed at driving a wedge between Japan and its allies.Over the past few days, the North's official media have chastised Japan for discriminating against its large ethnic Korean community and played up South Korean reports that protesters in Seoul threw eggs at the Japanese Embassy over Tokyo's alleged attempts to take control over a disputed island that is a cause celebre for both North and South.Pyongyang has also lambasted Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono for suggesting Japan could foot part of the bill for inspections to verify the North's denuclearization process.Japan ruled the Korean Peninsula as a colony from 1910 to 1945 and the histoJul 24, 2018
North Korean leader inspects sapling farm to highlight importance of forests North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspects in the state's eastern region, according to its media Tuesday. YonhapNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has visited a sapling farm in the country's eastern region in an apparent bid to highlight the importance of forests, the state media reported Tuesday.Kim gave a "field guidance" at the sapling farm in Kangwon Province, accompanied by senior ruling party members, including Hwang Pyong-so, Han Kwang-sang and Jo Yong-won, according to the Korean Central News Agency.This marks the first reported outing by Kim in seven days. He was reported to have visited the same sampling farm in 2015 and 2016.Kim lavished praise on workers there for building the farm that can produce some 20 million seedlings a year in a short period of time and address problems that could arise in the process of managing such a large-scale facility, the KCNA said.His trip to the farm is seen in line with North Korea's stepped-up push for reforestation of the country by improving sapling cultivation techniques and planting more trees.North Korea earlier agreed with SouJul 24, 2018
