North Korea criticizes Japan for 'free-riding' on peace efforts Rodong Sinmun: Japan should do its part for Korea's peace or be left out. / AFPBy Jung Min-hoNorth Korea's newspaper slammed the Japanese government Sunday for “trying to free-ride on the wind of peace” without playing its part.The Rodong Sinmun, mouthpiece of the ruling Workers' Party, said in a commentary that Japan, which “made a fuss about North Korea threats last year,” was now “trying to act like an apostle of peace after sensing a peaceful atmosphere on the Korean Peninsula.”The paper accused the Japanese government of currying favor with the United States to take credit for peace efforts and normalize relations with North Korea.But Japan would “forever be left out” unless it completely gave up its aggressive sanctions against North Korea, the paper said.Before the historic inter-Korean summit on April 27, which turned around the atmosphere in the region, Japan had advocated the U.S.-led campaign of applying “maximum pressure” and sanctions against the regime over its nuclear weapons program.Japan sees itself as a majMay 7, 2018
South Koreans praise Trump for peace efforts Donald Trump's popularity may be slipping in the United States, but it appears to be improving in South Korea. / AFPBy Jung Min-hoFew South Koreans were excited when Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton on Nov. 8 2016 to win the U.S. presidential election.When Trump started to threaten to unleash “fire and fury” on North Korea over the regime's nuclear weapons program, South Koreans feared the worst and felt that good days under Barack Obama's peaceful leadership had gone.But after the Trump administration's tough strategies involving “maximum pressure” brought North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to the negotiating table, many South Koreans' views about him ― and Obama ― have changed dramatically.“Obama was a refined, articulate leader who did almost nothing to resolve important issues surrounding North Korea,” an elementary school teacher in Seoul told The Korea Times.“Trump may be less refined and often use coarse language, but it seems he is doing everything he can to resolve them. I did not like Trump at first, perhaps because how May 7, 2018
Is Trump playing North Korea over summit itinerary? U.S. President Donald Trump on his way to Texas. / ReutersBy Oh Young-jin U.S. President Donald Trump takes pride in his ability to keep the other party guessing before negotiating a better deal.Now Trump appears applying his strong suit to North Korea, or he may getting smarter about the North. After the April 27 inter-Korean summit at Panmunjeom truce village, Trump talked about his summit with Kim taking place in three or four weeks _ meaning an early meeting. At first, it was said to be held in late May and early June. Then Trump twice talked in public about the place and time of the summit being fixed but did not reveal either. Trump also said he liked Panmunjeom as the venue, adding to the urgency of the summit. Then the White House announced that Moon would visit Washington for talks with Trump on May 22. So it is logical that the Trump-Kim meeting will be held after that. The early summit is almost out of the picture. Reports say the summit will be delayed to mid-June after the G-7 summit in Canada on June 6-8, with Singapore being mentioned as the likely venue. At first glanMay 7, 2018
INTERVIEW 'North Korea's complete denuclearization unlikely' Robert Gallucci, Georgetown University professor and former chief U.S. negotiator during North Korea's 1994 nuclear standoff, talks during an interview with The Korea Times at the Shilla Hotel in central Seoul, Thursday. / Korea Times photo by Hong In-kiBy Lee Suh-yoon, Lee Min-hyungA U.S. expert on North Korea's nuclear issue said it might be unrealistic to continue pushing for “a complete, verifiable and irreversible” denuclearization (CVID) of North Korea's nuclear programs, despite the North's commitment to denuclearization.Robert Gallucci, the former chief U.S. negotiator during the 1994 North Korean nuclear crisis, said the standards for denuclearization set by the popular notion of CVID would be physically impossible. “We cannot verify the declaration of the North,” Gallucci said during an exclusive interview with The Korea Times, Thursday, during his participation in the Korea Forum 2018 co-hosted by the English daily and its sister paper the Hankook Ilbo.“We can verify the destruction of what they declare but if they declare 25 nuclear weapons, May 6, 2018
Inter-Korean summit, 'clear victory' for the South By Kim Jae-kyoungThe historic inter-Korean summit carries huge significance as it has allowed South Korea to act as a go-between for the U.S. and North Korea, according to Balbina Hwang, a former senior adviser to the U.S. State Department, Sunday.She described the summit between Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the first of its kinds in over a decade, as a “clear victory” for Moon and South Korea.Balbina Hwang“What is of absolute historical significance is that for the first time since the outbreak of the Korean War, the North has legitimized the South as an equal dialogue partner,” Hwang, a visiting professor at Georgetown University's Center for Security Studies, said in an interview.She said that at the April 27 summit, Pyongyang first acknowledged Seoul as the lead or co-partner in not only negotiating permanent peace on the peninsula, but also denuclearization.She pointed out Pyongyang is using Seoul as its “agent” or negotiating representative with Washington, particularly on the nuclear issue, which is “unprecedented.”&May 6, 2018
Moon-Trump meeting to facilitate US-NK summit By Kim Bo-eunThe meeting between President Moon Jae-in and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump on May 22 is expected to play a mediating role for Trump's following summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.The South Korean leader will especially have to help Washington and Pyongyang narrow their gaps on “how” to denuclearize the latter, by briefing Trump on the outcome of the inter-Korean summit held on April 27. At that summit, the two Koreas agreed on complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and formally ending to the Korean War.Moon's task ahead is a tall one. With all related parties having embarked on fierce diplomatic posturing, North Korea's official news agency on Sunday criticized the “misleading” claims that Trump's policy of maximum political pressure and sanctions are what drove the North to the negotiating table.For the success, Moon and Trump are likely to fine-tune the detailed process of denuclearization and a timeframe for it, with American media reporting Trump wants to address the issue within his term, meaning less than three yearsMay 6, 2018
South Korean convenience shop CU hopes to reopen in Gaesong An empty Family Mart inside the Gaesong Industrial Complex in North Korea in September 2017. / Korea Times fileBy Ko Dong-hwanIn February 2016, South Korean convenience store chain CU was evicted from an inter-Korean industrial park in the border city of Gaesong in North Korea as bilateral tension increased and Pyongyang shut down the joint economic venture indefinitely.But as the inter-Korean summit on April 27 at Panmunjeom took a dramatic positive turn and tension eased, the Gaesong Industrial Complex may reopen. If this happens, the 124 South Korean companies that operated in the complex could, if they choose, get their businesses back ― including CU, the only convenience store chain there.“We feel like we are on thin ice as we are closely monitoring how the joint economic venture will turn out following the summit,” a CU official said Sunday. “Our decision depends on the bigger geopolitical issue.”The official hopes CU can return to the industrial park. He believes all the companies involved are “not simply there to make big bucks” but a resulMay 6, 2018
North Korea says US ruining mood of detente ahead of summit With just weeks to go before President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un are expected to hold their first-ever summit, Pyongyang on Sunday criticized what it called ``misleading'' claims that Trump's policy of maximum political pressure and sanctions are what drove the North to the negotiating table.The North's official news agency quoted a Foreign Ministry spokesman warning the claims are a ``dangerous attempt'' to ruin a budding detente on the Korean Peninsula after Kim's summit late last month with South Korean President Moon Jae-in.At the summit, Kim agreed to a number of measures aimed at improving North-South ties and indicated he is willing to discuss the denuclearization of the peninsula, though exactly what that would entail and what conditions the North might require have not yet been explained.Trump and senior U.S. officials have suggested repeatedly that Washington's tough policy toward North Korea, along with pressure on its main trading partner China, have played a decisive role in turning around what had been an extremely tense situation. Just last year,May 6, 2018
US detainees in North Korea may be released over next several days Rudy Giuliani said Saturday that three Americans detained in North Korea may be freed "over the next several days," revising his previous remark that the release may happen on Thursday."There is a good chance that the three long-time hostages in North Korea will be released over the next several days," Giuliani, a former New York mayor who recently joined President Donald Trump's legal team, was quoted as saying in a speech at the Iran Freedom Convention in Washington, D.C.On Thursday, he indicated that they may be released that day in an interview with Fox News. "We got Kim Jong-un impressed enough to be releasing three prisoners today," he said.The detainee issue is widely expected to be resolved ahead of a planned meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.The U.S. citizens -- Kim Hak-song, Tony Kim and Kim Dong-chul -- have been held in the North on charges of espionage or "hostile acts" against the regime.According to a South Korean activist who cited a Pyongyang resident, the three were moved from a labor camp to a hotel near Pyongyang in eaMay 6, 2018
Trump speaks with Britain's May on North Korea U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May on Saturday on issues including the Iran nuclear deal, a week before the president is to decide whether Washington will leave the pact, the White House said.Trump is set to decide by May 12 whether to withdraw from the 2015 Iran deal, in which the Islamic Republic agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. Trump has all but decided to withdraw, White House officials said on May 2.Still, Trump could figure out a way to stay in the deal between the Islamic Republic and six world powers: Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States.Britain, France and Germany agreed that the deal is the best way of stopping Tehran from getting nuclear weapons, May’s office said in late April.French President Emmanuel Macron urged Trump to stay in the deal when he met with the president in Washington last month.In the call with May, Trump “underscored his commitment to ensure that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon,” the White House said.The two also talked abouMay 6, 2018
