Trump, Kim likely to 'reach accord' in SingaporeBy Kim Jae-kyoungSINGAPORE ― U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un are likely to reach a deal at their June meeting in Singapore, according to a noted political scientist on international relations, Tuesday.He believes if the two leaders walk away from Singapore without a deal, they would be worse off than if there had been no summit as it will reduce options to a potential conflict. Douglas Webber “I don't think the two sides would have agreed to a summit without being fairly certain they will reach an accord,” Douglas Webber, professor of Political Science at INSEAD, said in an interview.“Both would stand to lose now from a failure. The difficult issues will concern the sequencing of their mutual concessions.”His view came after Trump announced last Thursday he would meet Kim Jong-un in Singapore on June 12 to discuss the North's denuclearization.He thinks the main purpose of Kim coming to Singapore is to polish his international image and May 15, 2018
A sneak peek into North Korea's divorce court NK bestseller reprinted amid 2 Koreas' ties in smooth sailing By Park Jin-haiIn a capitalist society, there are various reasons for divorce. Money, domestic violence and unfaithful spouses are some of the most common triggers of family breakups, while celebrities or high-profile couples who don't want their private lives to be exposed to the public simply put it down to “irreconcilable differences.” What if the couples live in a dictatorial state? What would be their main reasons to end or decades of marriage life? A North Korean bestseller “Friend” says there are no major differences in the causes of divorce between a capitalist society and the reclusive regime that is North Korea. “Please help me end my marriage,” deplores a 33-year-old woman to a local people's court judge overseeing the divorce cases in the novel written by Paek Nam-ryong. The estranged wife, who has a son, claims “disharmony” with her husband and “different lifestyles” are the reasons for their marital problems. The novel, beginning with story of the diMay 15, 2018
North Korea removing nuclear facilities in test site By Kim RahnNorth Korea has begun the dismantlement of its nuclear test site at Punggye-ri, the closure of which it plans to disclose to foreign media, satellite imagery showed Tuesday. According to 38 North, a U.S. website monitoring Pyongyang, the imagery taken May 7 showed “definitive evidence” that the dismantlement was “already well underway.”“Several key operational support buildings, located just outside the north, west and south portals, have been razed since our last analysis (April 20),” it said.Some rails for mining carts and several sheds around the site have been removed, while some carts have been disassembled, according to the imagery.But larger buildings around the facilities and the entrances to tunnels remain intact. “This may be because on May 12 the official Korean Central News Agency announced that the final dismantlement of the Punggye-ri nuclear test ground would be witnessed by foreign journalists and would involve the 'collapsing all of its tunnels with explosions, blocking its entrances, and removing all observation fMay 15, 2018
8 South Korean reporters invited to witness nuke test site blowup North Korea will invite South Korean reporters from one news agency and from one television broadcaster to observe the dismantling of a nuclear test site between May 23 and May 25, South Korea's Ministry of Unification said on Tuesday.The South Korean reporters will be allowed in to North Korea on a flight from Beijing, with other foreign media covering theevent, on May 22. They will then go by train to the nuclear site, then return on May 26 or May 27, the South Korean ministry said in a statement, citing a North Korean notice.North Korea has said it will dismantle its nuclear test site between May 23 and May 25, to uphold its pledge to discontinuenuclear tests, its state media reported on Saturday, a month ahead of a planned North Korea-U.S. summit in Singapore. (REUTERS)May 15, 2018
Two Koreas to hold high-level talks on carrying out summit vows The two Koreas will hold a high-level meeting on Wednesday to discuss setting up military and Red Cross talks aimed at reducing border tension and restarting reunions between families separated by the Korean War.Seoul's Unification Ministry said Tuesday the meeting at a border truce village will discuss ways to carry out peace commitments made between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in in their summit last month.The discussions may also include setting up working-level talks between the countries' sports officials over plans to field combined teams in certain sports at the Asian Games in August. The meeting comes ahead of the June 12 summit between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump. Those talks are part of a global diplomatic push to resolve the issue of Pyongyang's nuclear program. After their April 27 meeting, Kim and Moon issued a vague vow for the ``complete'' denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. They also agreed to stop all hostile acts over ``land, sea and air'' that can cause military tensions and clashes, and to resume temporary reunMay 15, 2018
North Korea blasts US for raising human rights issues ahead of Kim-Trump summit North Korea blasted the United States on Tuesday for taking issue with the North's human rights situation, calling it "unacceptable" and "extremely rude" for a dialogue partner.Earlier this month, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert issued a statement voicing concerns over human rights abuses in the communist state and vowing efforts to hold any violators responsible.In a commentary, the Rodong Sinmun, the North's official newspaper, said it is unacceptable and extremely rude to use the issue as a way to put pressure on its partner for talks. It urged the U.S. to take more caution and respect its dialogue partner if it wants to resolve issues related to their relations full of mistrust through talks.The North's propaganda website Uriminjokkiri also lambasted the U.S. for ramping up its criticism, urging restraint from confrontational acts and words that could spoil an "important matter."North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump are set to hold an unprecedented summit in Singapore on June 12.Observers see the North's sharp criticism as an apparent biMay 15, 2018
Seoul finds it 'hard to confirm' abduction of South Korean reporter to North By Kang Aa-young, Park Si-soo It is hard to confirm a lawmaker's claim that Pyongyang agents abducted a North Korean defector-turned-journalist last year and are holding him in a dungeon, South Korea's unification ministry said Monday. A ministry spokesman told The Korea Times that the journalist, surnamed Choi, was confirmed to have vanished, but it was unclear if he was abducted to the North.Rep. Ha Tae-keung of the conservative Bareun Party claimed last week that Choi, who worked for Daily NK, a Seoul-based internet news outlet specializing in North Korea, had been abducted from the China-North Korea border in May last year.Choi's wife claims her husband vanished after he went to the border area on a business trip, but did not say if she thought he had been abducted. If the lawmaker's claim is true, seven South Koreans are being held in the North, not six as the ministry has claimed. May 14, 2018
South Korea welcomes US investment proposals for NK By Kim RahnSeoul welcomed Washington's plan to allow U.S. firms to invest in North Korea if Pyongyang completely dismantle its nuclear arsenal.A Cheong Wa Dae official said Monday that South Korea expects such a proposal to be put into practice as soon as possible.His remarks followed an interview of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who hinted at private American investment in the reclusive regime which needs to build an energy infrastructure.“The sooner (the process for such an investment is made), the better,” the official said on condition of anonymity.Some compare such a U.S. stance to the Marshall Plan, a U.S. initiative to provide economic aid to Western Europe to help rebuild economies there after World War II. The official said, “Whatever it is called, (the related parties) are expected to exchange the North's denuclearization for a security guarantee for the regime.“Regime security means safety, but with a more active interpretation, it means the North will be able to have normal exchanges with international society including the U.S.,” he sMay 14, 2018
Were North Korean restaurant workers 'kidnapped' to South? Activists call for a thorough investigation into the North Korean restaurant workers' defection case that took place in April 2016, in a press conference held in front of Cheong Wa Dae, Monday. / Korea Times photo by Bae Woo-hanBy Choi Ha-youngA two-year-old controversy around 12 North Korean restaurant workers, who fled a state-controlled restaurant in China, has been rekindled, following a media report in which three of them claimed they were “kidnapped.” In the news report aired Thursday by cable channel JTBC, four of the “defectors” said they never intended to come to Seoul in April 2016. “The restaurant manager surnamed Huh said the restaurant would move to another area. I figured out we were heading for South Korea, once we arrived at the South Korean embassy in Malaysia,” she was quoted as saying. Huh verified their remarks, saying South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) orchestrated the group defection. “An NIS agent lured me, saying then-President Park Geun-hye was waiting for me. He said a post in the NIS was confirmed forMay 14, 2018
Why North Korea excludes Japan from onsite nuclear inspection Japanese media's reporting on North Korea's denuclearization on April 22. North Korea announced it was willing to denuclearize the day before. / YonhapBy Jung Da-minJapan has been sidelined from the ongoing peace process and North Korea's denuclearization effort.The latest development is the North's decision to keep Japanese media out during the dismantling of the Punggye-ri nuclear site, planned for May 23 to 25. The North's foreign ministry said North Korea would invite journalists from six countries, including five member countries of the six-party talks, except Japan. The U.K. is on the list instead.Japanese media have remained calm. “Japanese media have responded to North Korea's announcement very calmly by just reporting this news,” said Kosuke Takahashi, Tokyo correspondent of IHS Jane's Defence Weekly.Kosuke Takahashi, Tokyo correspondent for IHS Jane's Defence Weekly.“At least one thing is evident. Prime Minister Abe has always said Japan will maintain pressure against North Korea unless it solves the abduction, nuclear and missile issues,” Takahashi May 14, 2018
