Seoul hails North Korea's release of Americans President Moon Jae-in / YonhapSouth Korea welcomed the release of three American citizens held by North Korea on Wednesday, calling for the release of six of its own held captives in the communist state."We welcome North Korea's decision to return the three American captives," Yoon Young-chan, chief press secretary to President Moon Jae-in, said in a released statement."In addition, we believe it has a significant meaning in that all three American captives are Korean descendants," he added.U.S. President Donald Trump announced earlier that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is on the way to the U.S. with the three Korean Americans. Trump also said Pompeo had a "good meeting" with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and the date and place of his summit with Kim have been set."The North's such decision will work as a very positive factor for the success of the North Korea-U.S. summit," Yoon said.The official from the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae expressed hope for the release of South Korean citizens held in the North, noting President Moon has also made such a request to the North KoreaMay 9, 2018
North Korea frees three US detainees In this May 3, 2018 photo, people watch a TV news report on screen, showing portraits of three Americans, Kim Dong-chul, left, Tony Kim and Kim Hak-song, right, detained in the North Korea, at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul. President Donald Trump says Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is on his way back from North Korea with three American detainees, saying they "seem to be in good health." / AP U.S. government plane, left, lands at Yokota U.S. Airbase in outskirts of Tokyo, Wednesday, May 9, 2018. Three Americans detained in North Korea for more than a year are on their way back to the U.S. with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday in the latest sign of improving relations between the two longtime adversary nations. / AP Three Americans detained in North Korea for more than a year are on their way back to the U.S. with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday in the latest sign of improving relations between the two longtime adversary nations.Trump said on Twitter that Pompeo was ``in theMay 9, 2018
Iran pullout a message to North Korea U.S. President Donald Trump announces his intention to withdraw from the JCPOA Iran nuclear agreement during a statement in the Diplomatic Room at the White House in Washington, Tuesday (local time) / ReutersPresident Donald Trump's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal is a major setback to US negotiating credibility and will complicate efforts to reach an agreement with Pyongyang over its own more advanced weapons programme, analysts say.Trump is set to hold a much-anticipated and unprecedented summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in the coming weeks to negotiate over Pyongyang's arsenal, after it last year carried out by far its most powerful nuclear test to date and launched missiles capable of reaching the U.S. mainland.But the US president Tuesday pulled Washington out of the 2015 accord with Teheran, pouring scorn on the "disastrous" agreement and describing it an "embarrassment" to the United States ― although European signatories and the IAEA say Iran has complied with its obligations.Antony Blinken, who was deputy secretary of state under Barack Obama, said the WhiteMay 9, 2018
South Korea working for release of its citizens held in North Korea Unification Ministry spokesman Baik Tae-hyunSouth Korea will continue to make active efforts to secure the release of six South Koreans detained in North Korea, the Unification Ministry said Wednesday, amid reports that the release of U.S. citizens held in the communist country is imminent."Our government has worked to resolve the detainee issue through inter-Korean talks and cooperation with the international community, and it will continue to make active efforts to bring back those detainees as soon as possible," Unification Ministry spokesman Baik Tae-hyun said during a regular press briefing.Currently, six South Koreans are held in North Korea, most of whom were said to have been taken to the country near the North-China border.They include three pastors -- Kim Jung-wook, Kim Kuk-gi and Choe Chun-gil -- who were sentenced to hard labor for life on charges of spying for South Korea's spy agency.U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo earlier arrived in Pyongyang to prepare for a summit between the two countries and possibly to bring three U.S. citizens detained in the North home.His tMay 9, 2018
Seoul, Tokyo, Beijing agree on joint efforts for NK denuclearization South Korean President Moon Jae-in, right, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, left, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pose for photographers prior to their summit in Tokyo, Wednesday. / ReutersBy Kim RahnThe leaders of South Korea, Japan and China have pledged to cooperate in pushing for the denuclearization of North Korea and creating permanent peace in Northeast Asia.President Moon Jae-in, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Premier Li Keqiang agreed on the joint efforts in a special statement they adopted following their trilateral summit in Tokyo, Wednesday.The meeting came nearly two-and-a-half years after the previous one in November 2015. It also took place while talks have been underway among relevant nations over the North’s denuclearization and the establishment of a peace regime.Moon, Abe and Li welcomed the two Koreas confirming the goal of “complete denuclearization” of the peninsula in the Panmunjeom Declaration announced after Moon’s April 27 summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.The leaders expressed expectation for the success of the upcoming WashinMay 9, 2018
Seoul expects North Korea to release 3 US detainees By Jung Min-hoNorth Korea is expected to release three U.S. detainees as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visits Wednesday, a Cheong Wa Dae official told reporters Wednesday."We expect him to bring the date, time and the captives," the official said. "The U.S. National Security Council has informed us of Pompeo's visit to North Korea before his departure."Pompeo arrived in Pyongyang to discuss preparations for a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.Pompeo said the North's release of the three U.S. citizens would be a "great gesture," noting the United States has been asking for their freedom for 17 months.May 9, 2018
Leaders of South Korea, China, Japan hold talks focused on North Korea Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and apanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.South Korean President Moon Jae-in arrived in Japan on Wednesday to join leaders from Japan and China in a summit that is expected to focus on North Korea's nuclear program and on improving the sometimes-frayed ties among the three northeast Asian neighbors.Japanese officials say the meeting comes at a crucial time, sandwiched between an inter-Korean summit and planned talks between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.Wednesday's summit is the seventh since the three-way meetings started in 2008 but only the first since 2015. It also follows Kim's surprise visit this week to China's northern port city of Dalian for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.Moon is expected to brief Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang about his April 27 summit with Kim.The leaders of North and South Korea agreed to work toward reconciliation, but didn't achieve any breakthroughs in North Korea's denuclearization.Analysts say Japan is trying to shoMay 9, 2018
Pompeo arrives in Pyongyang; expected to return with 3 American detainees In this file photo released by the U.S. Government on April 26, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (right) shakes hands with the former CIA Director, now U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo in Pyongyang over the 2018 Easter weekend. / AFP-YonhapU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Pyongyang on Wednesday to prepare an unprecedented summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump, while the U.S. president signaled the possibility that three Americans detained in the country could soon be released.Trump earlier broke the news of Pompeo's second visit to North Korea in less than six weeks and said that the two countries had agreed on a date and location for the summit, though he stopped short of providing details.A U.S. media pool report said Pompeo arrived in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, from Japan and headed to the city's Koryo Hotel for meetings.While Trump said it would be a "great thing" if the American detainees were freed, Pompeo, speaking to reporters en route to Pyongyang, said he had not received such a commitment but hoped North Korea would "do May 9, 2018
Trump: Killing Iran deal will send 'right message' to North Korea U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to leave the nuclear deal with Iran puts the Korean peninsula peace process in doubt, Yevgeny Serebrennikov, first deputy head of the defense and security committee in the Russian Upper House of Parliament, told the RIA news agency.Vladimir Chizhov, Russian envoy to the European Union, was quoted separately by RIA as saying that Russia will continue its efforts to keep the Iran nuclear deal functioning. (Reuters)May 9, 2018
Kim Jong-un, Xi Jinping met in China on May 7-8 / Captured from CCTVBy Kim Bo-eunNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping held their second meeting in China’s northern port city of Dalian, North Korea’s state news agency and Chinese media reported Tuesday.The meeting was confirmed only after Kim returned to Pyongyang, brewing media speculations since Monday. The meeting came about 40 days since the last one that took place in Beijing in late March ― a rare move considering Kim had not previously met any foreign heads of state since assuming power in late 2011.The rare meeting indicates Kim is seeking China’s backing ahead of his summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in late May or early June.“The two leaders’ meaningful reunion took place at China’s city of Dalian amid the situation where a notable new era in the history of friendship between North Korea and China is unfolding,” the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.The KCNA stated Kim left for Dalian in his private plane from Pyongyang on Monday. Top aides including his sister Kim Yo-jong accompanieMay 8, 2018
