Commemorative coin for Trump-Kim summit unveiled A commemorative coin featuring US President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un has been struck by the White House Communications Agency ahead of their summit meeting. The coin depicts Trump and Kim, described as North Korea's "Supreme Leader," in profile facing each other in front of a background of US and North Korean flags. The words "Peace Talks" are emblazoned at the top of the front of the coin with the date "2018" beneath. The summit is expected to take place in Singapore on June, 12, 2018. / AFPA commemorative coin featuring US President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un has been struck by the White House Communications Agency ahead of their planned summit next month.In a statement, deputy spokesman Raj Shah insisted that "the White House did not have any input into the design and manufacture of the coin."The coin depicts Trump and Kim, described as North Korea's "Supreme Leader," in profile facing each other in front of a background of US and North Korean flags.At the top of the front, the words "Peace Talks" are emblazoned, with the date "2018" beneath.The bMay 22, 2018
Trump urges China to maintain tight North Korea border / REUTERSU.S. President Donald Trump on Monday urged China on Monday to maintain a secure border with North Korea, pressing Beijing ahead of his anticipated meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un next month aimed at denuclearization."China must continue to be strong & tight on the Border of North Korea until a deal is made. The word is that recently the Border has become much more porous and more has been filtering in. I want this to happen, and North Korea to be VERY successful, but only after signing!" Trump tweeted.He did not elaborate on the significance of the North Korea-China border issue in any deal that might be reached on denuclearization. Trump has said his meeting with Kim will take place on June 12 in Singapore. China is North Korea's most important trading partner and it has consistently said it is fully enforcing U.N. sanctions against the North.Speaking in Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said China had always fulfilled its international obligations, but that as friendly neighbors they, of course, had what he termed normal trading ties. "TMay 22, 2018
N. Korea again proves its unpredictability Foreign reporters depart for Wonsan, North Korea, from the Beijing Capital International Airport, Tuesday, while South Korean reporters have not been approved for visas to the North. / Joint Press CorpsBy Choi Ha-youngNorth Korea's refusal to issue entry visas for South Korean reporters to observe the shutdown of its nuclear test site casts doubt on whether it is serious about improving relations with South Korea, experts said Tuesday.South Koreans now have fundamental questions about the Kim Jong-un regime: Can they trust any agreements with North Korea? Can North Korea become a normal country? On May 15, the North invited eight South Korean reporters ― four from a news agency and as many from a broadcaster. They were in Beijing awaiting entry permits to the North until Tuesday afternoon but had to return home in vain. Only foreign reporters were allowed to enter the North. “This has been a typical tactic of North Korea, to lay a burden on the South Korean government and tame journalists,” said Cha Du-hyeogn, a visiting research fellow at Asan Institute for Policy SMay 22, 2018
PHOTOS Foreign reporters on way to North Korea's nuke site A foreign reporter at the security checkpoint at Kalma Airport in Wonsan, North Korea, Tuesday. / Captured from Xinhua News Twitter Foreign reporters at Kalma Airport in Wonsan, North Korea, Tuesday. / Captured from Xinhua News Twitter Foreign reporters at Kalma Airport in Wonsan, North Korea, Tuesday. / Captured from Xinhua News Twitter Foreign reporters line up at a check-in counter at Beijing Capital International Airport, Tuesday. They are on their way to the Punggye-ri nuclear site to cover its dismantlement, scheduled for sometime between Wednesday and Friday. South Korean reporters were unable to join the trip because the North denied their entry in protest at an ongoing Seoul-Washington military drill and an anti-Pyongyang speech in Seoul by a high-ranking North Korean defector. / Joint Press CorpsA North Korean, center, who introduced himself as a reporter at Rodong Sinmun, talks with reporters at Beijing Capital International Airport. / Joint Press CorpsAbout two dozen journalists from Western and Chinese news organizations arrived in NortMay 22, 2018
Pence warns Kim Jong-un not to 'play' Trump U.S. Vice President Mike PenceU.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Monday warned North Korean leader Kim Jong Un not to "play" President Donald Trump if they meet at a proposed June 12 summit, according to excerpts from a Fox News interview."It would be a great mistake for Kim Jong Un to think he could play Donald Trump," Pence said amid growing concerns that the meeting could become an embarrassing failure for Trump if he does not achieve his goal of getting North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons.Pence added that there was "no question" that Trump was prepared to walk away from the meeting set to be held in Singapore. "I don't think President Trump is thinking about public relations, he's thinking about peace," he said.North Korea last week said it would walk away from the landmark summit if the US insisted on its complete denuclearization.Trump, who firmly believes in his ability to strike major deals, has reportedly been asking advisors and allies whether he should still attend the summit in the wake of North Korea's dramatic change of tone.Trump is expected to discuss the meetinMay 22, 2018
Seoul eyes '99.9% chance of Kim-Trump meeting taking place as planned' President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook disembark from the presidential flight after arriving at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, Tuesday, for Moon's summit with U.S. President Donald Trump. / Yonhap‘NK-US summit very likely to be held despite standoff’By Kim RahnWASHINGTON, D.C. ― President Moon Jae-in arrived in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, for talks with U.S. President Donald Trump today about North Korea’s denuclearization.His visit comes almost three weeks before Trump’s planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore, June 12, following Moon’s April 27 summit with Kim.The allies are tasked with setting a joint strategy to make the Washington-Pyongyang summit successful, and how they will carry out agreements reached at it afterward.Although the two leaders talked about the issue over the phone many times and their aides have been doing so as well, the face-to-face talks are expected to help them build more trust in the joint strategy.“In usual summits, working- and high-level officials make almost all agreements inMay 22, 2018
North Korea rejects South Korean pool reporters to cover nuke site blowup North Korea declined to accept the list of South Korean journalists chosen to cover the dismantling of its nuclear test site Tuesday, making it technically hard for the South Korean media to join the event scheduled for this week."We tried to convey the list through the Panmunjom communication channel at 9 a.m. today, but the North declined to accept it," a unification ministry official said on condition of anonymity.As the North declined to accept the list, South Korean media is highly likely to be excluded from covering the event that the North is planning to hold this week."It appears to be technically difficult (for the South Korean reporters) to make a trip to the North today," a government official said. "It is regrettable."North Korea announced in mid-May that it will publicly shut down the test site located in the country's northern region in a ceremony to which media from South Korea, China, Russia, the United States and Britain will be invited to cover.The North invited four South Korean reporters each from a newswire and a broadcasting company for the event to be held fromMay 22, 2018
Moon to help Trump narrow opinion gap with Kim President leaves for Washington for summitBy Kim RahnPresident Moon Jae-in has embarked on a mission to set a joint strategy with U.S. President Donald Trump to help him have a successful summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and achieve the North's denuclearization.Moon departed for Washington, D.C., Monday afternoon, for bilateral talks with Trump Wednesday.The meeting will take place amid a twisted situation where Pyongyang has abruptly pulled back from the reconciliatory mood to protest the ongoing South Korea-U.S. joint air force exercises and some American hawkish officials' comments about the possible application of a “Libyan model” in resolving the nuclear issue. North Korea threatened to reconsider the Kim-Trump summit slated for June 12 and has refused talks with the South. It seems Trump is upset about Pyongyang's sudden change of attitude and is trying to figure out what's behind it. Moon and Trump had a phone conversation Sunday, just three days before their planned meeting. Trump mainly asked questions and Moon answered them, according to Cheong Wa DaeMay 21, 2018
North Korea traced defectors with malware-infected Android apps: McAfee By Park Si-sooNorth Korean hackers traced defectors with three malware-infected Android apps, U.S. cyber security company McAfee claims. Report: https://bit.ly/2x5J30KThe apps were uploaded to the Google Play Store between January and March. The first app was Food Ingredients Info, which offered information on food, true to its name. The second and third apps were FastAppLock and Fast AppLock Free, which functioned as security tools. The apps were also promoted on Facebook, coaxing “targets” to install seemingly innocent apps from the Google Play Store.The apps have since been removed from the store. About 100 people downloaded them before the malware was detected. McAfee said that once installed, the apps used Dropbox and Yandex to upload data and issue commands. Their developers ― presumed to be North Korean hackers collectively named Sun Team ― were able to steal users' personal data, with which they could trace and blackmail them.The hacking team is said to be behind the WannaCry ransomware last year. May 21, 2018
North Korea charges $10,000 per reporter to cover Punggye-ri nuclear site blowup South Korean reporters at Incheon International Airport, Monday. / YonhapBy Park Si-sooNorth Korea is demanding that each foreign reporter pay $10,000 for a visa to cover the planned dismantlement of a nuclear test site in Punggye-ri, Seoul government officials said Monday. South Korean reporters were exempt, the officials said. But people familiar with the situation said the rule could be overturned anytime given the reclusive state's unpredictability. The North has invited an unspecified number of reporters from South Korea, the U.S., China, Russia and the U.K. to the dismantlement ceremony scheduled for sometime between Wednesday and Friday. In the South, news wire News1 and broadcaster MBC were selected to cover the event. The two companies selected four staff ― two writers and two photographers from News1 and two reporters and two cameramen from MBC ― respectively. They arrived in Beijing in the afternoon of Monday. Associated Press, ABC and CNN are among invited foreign news outlets invited to send staff. North Korea has demanded that media representatives arrive at its BeijingMay 21, 2018
