Pyongyang uses Beijing as negotiation leverage A limousine presumably carrying North Korean leader Kim Jong-un leaves Beijing Capital International Airport, Tuesday, when Kim visited the country to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. / YonhapBy Kim RahnNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un's third visit to China may be aimed at seeking China's economic support and advice on his denuclearization deal with the U.S., experts said Tuesday.China can also have a stronger say in the Korean Peninsula and denuclearization issues by having an image as the North's patron, they said.Kim headed for Beijing Tuesday morning for a two-day visit, which includes bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. It was the two leaders' third meeting in three months, with the first one in late March and the second in early May, displaying the strong bond between the traditional allies.Kim may have briefed Xi on his summit with U.S. President Donald Trump and they may have coordinated their joint strategy in denuclearization negotiations with the U.S. By doing so, Kim can get China's support in relieving international sanctions against the regime, and Xi cJun 19, 2018
Peace treaty may follow joint drill suspension By Kim RahnFollowing the decision to suspend the Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) exercise, attention is on what the United States and South Korea can offer North Korea next, if the North's denuclearization process is seen to progress. Expectations are that the allies may seek to transform the Korean War (1950-53) armistice into a peace treaty, and the North may also show reciprocity by disposing some of its nuclear weapons.The South Korean and U.S. militaries announced Tuesday they would suspend UFG, slated for August, to keep denuclearization negotiations alive.The decision came a week after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would suspend joint military exercises, which he called “war games,” as long as the negotiations were ongoing, after his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore, June 12, adding the exercises were “provocative” and “expensive.”North Korea has claimed it would have no reason to have nuclear weapons if military threats from the U.S. were removed and its regime security guaranteed. The UFG suspension is a part of Jun 19, 2018
Seoul expects Kim's China visit to facilitate denuclearization South Korea expressed hope Tuesday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's ongoing visit to China will help facilitate the denuclearization process, saying Seoul and Beijing share that strategic goal."Our government expects China to play a constructive role in order to resolve the issue," Noh Kyu-duk, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a press briefing.China is expected to make a contribution to the denuclearization of the North through Kim's trip there, he added.Kim arrived in China earlier in the day, apparently by plane, making his third known visit to the communist ally since March.China's state media reported he will stay in Beijing for two days in an unusually quick confirmation of the North Korean leader's itinerary.It came as Pyongyang and Washington have been preparing for high-level talks to follow up on the four-point accord between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump from their summit meeting in Singapore last week. The "comprehensive" summit deal calls for a new relationship between the Korean War foes, efforts for lasting peace, the North's "complete"Jun 19, 2018
Pompeo urged to craft timeline in follow-up talks By Kim Jae-kyoungFollowing the historic Singapore summit, U.S. President Donald Trump has come under criticism for failing to secure details, such as including complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization (CVID) in the joint statement.Trump defended himself saying that details will be discussed at follow-up negotiations between U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his North Korea counterpart Kim Yong-chol.Troy StangaroneTroy Stangarone, an expert on the Korean Peninsula and Korea unification, said the two sides must achieve two things in their upcoming talks to ensure success for the North's denuclearization.First of all, he said there needs to be an “agreement on a framework and timetable” for denuclearization.“This (the Singapore accord) is a very broad agreement and much work remains to be done. We need firm timelines to keep the process moving forward,” Stangarone said in an interview following the landmark summit.The joint statement signed by the two leaders has been hit for carrying few details, including timeline, framework and short-term cJun 19, 2018
Xi supports North Korea's commitment to denuclearization In this image taken from video footage run by China's CCTV on June 19, 2018, via AP Video, Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. / AP In this image taken from a video footage run by China's CCTV on June 19, 2018, via AP Video, Chinese President Xi Jinping with his wife Peng Liyuan at right and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un with his wife Ri Sol-Ju at left during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. / APChinese President Xi Jinping has voiced his strong support for North Korea's commitment to denuclearization and promised to keep playing a constructive role in the process, North Korean state media reported Wednesday.In his summit with Xi in Beijing on Tuesday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un expressed gratitude for China's support for his historic meeting with U.S. president Donald Trump last week and vowed to further consolidate bilateral ties with China, according to the Korean Central News Agency.The KCNA provided an extensive report on the Jun 19, 2018
Two Koreas to make joint entrance at Asian Games South Korean head delegate Jeon Choong-ryul, right, shakes hands with his North Korean counterpart Won Kil-u ahead of a meeting on inter-Korean sports exchange at the southern side of Panmunjeom, Monday. The Koreas agreed to make a joint entrance and field joint teams at the Asian Games in August, and to hold an inter-Korean basketball competition in July. / YonhapBy Kim Bo-eunSouth and North Korea agreed to make a joint entrance under a flag symbolizing a unified Korea at the Asian Games to be held in Indonesia in August, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Monday. The Koreas also decided to hold an inter-Korean basketball competition in Pyongyang between July 3 and 6, and another in Seoul in the fall. The agreements on sports sector exchanges were made during inter-Korean talks at the truce village of Panmunjeom. Joint participation in the Asian Games this year was among the agreements in the Panmunjeom Declaration reached at the April 27 inter-Korean summit. According to the ministry, athletes from the two Koreas will march together at the opening Jun 18, 2018
Pyongyang should allow IAEA to inspect nuke sites China clearly benefits from summit outcome; Japan gains leastBy Kim Jae-kyoungSINGAPORE ― The historic summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has marked a meaningful step on the long road to peace on the Korean Peninsula.However, the meeting has left one big question due to the lack of details about how to verify the North's denuclearization: Is Kim really willing to give up his nuclear weapons?Liang Tuang NahLiang Tuang Nah, a research fellow of the Military Studies Program at the Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies in Singapore, said that in order to show his sincerity, Kim must allow the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect key nuclear sites.“Pyongyang needs to permit unrestricted inspections of its nuclear material production facilities, nuclear storage sites and depots where missiles and warheads are kept,” he said in an interview after the summit.“These must be conducted by the IAEA along with qualified military experts,” he added.He stressed that the terms under which these inspections Jun 18, 2018
Defector explains North Korea's nuclear obsession North Korea may not want to use nuclear weapons, but it will never give them up. Korea Times fileBy Jung Min-hoIf there is one thing that North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un will never do, it is “complete denuclearization,” according to Thae Yong-ho, a former North Korean diplomat who defected to South Korea.After Kim promised to give up nuclear weapons last week at his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore, you may feel inclined to trust Kim. But if you understand what the weapons really has meant to the regime's 70-year dictatorship, you are more likely to agree with Thae.Thae was a former deputy ambassador at the North Korean Embassy in London before taking asylum in South Korea in the summer of 2016 with his wife and two sons.The defector's book, “Cryptography from the Third-Floor Secretariat,” which was published last month, explains the history of North Korea's efforts to become a nuclear power and what is behind the ambition.According to the book, Kim Il-sung, founder of North Korea and grandfather of Kim Jong-un, its current leader, Jun 18, 2018
South Korea 'flexible' on timing, format of ending Korean War: FM Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha speaks during a press conference marking her 1st anniversary in office, Monday. / YonhapSouth Korea aims to formally end the Korean War within this year but will be flexible on the specific timing and format, as the process requires consultations with Pyongyang and Washington, Seoul's top diplomat said Monday.Speaking to reporters shortly after a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said the Trump administration is willing to declare a formal end to the 1950-53 conflict, which was agreed between the leaders of the two Koreas in April."I think (we) need to produce a result through consultations with the U.S., and North Korea. But (South Korea) plans to handle the issue of timing and format with flexibility," she said at a press conference.She quoted Pompeo as saying that his talks with the North to follow up on the Singapore summit deal between President Donald Trump and the communist nation's leader Kim Jong-un will proceed speedily.On the proposed "hotline" between Trump and Kim, Kang said itJun 18, 2018
'The ball is in North Korea's court' North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore / ReutersTrump-Kim summit shows improvements over past dealsBy Kim Jae-kyoungWilliam BrownFollowing the historic Singapore summit, many have raised questions about the outcome of the talks. They say the deal favors North Korea because it has few details on ensuring the path to the complete denuclearization of the reclusive regime.But for William Brown, adjunct professor at Georgetown School of Foreign Service, the outcome is not all bad.Although there is some disappointment, he sees a clear improvement in the summit from past agreements.“There are important improvements over what we have seen before, especially the facts that our provisions, such as halting exercises during positive negotiations, and no release of sanctions until progress is achieved,” he said in an interview following the summit.“Unlike in past agreements, the U.S. has not promised aid and has not even relaxed economic pressure, so the ball is in North Korea's court if it wants success.”He pointed out that in previous deals, the U.S. always offereJun 17, 2018
