Mao Zedong's grandson possibly killed in North Korean bus crash By Ko Dong-hwan Mao Xinyu, left, became the youngest Major General of the People's Liberation Army of China, according to Chinese newspaper Ming Pao in Hong Kong, August 2010. / Korea Times fileChinese communist revolutionary Mao Zedong's only grandson Mao Xinyu was possibly killed in a bus crash in North Korea in April that killed over 30 Chinese, according to a report from French radio.Xinyu, the son of Mao Zedong's second son Anqing who died fighting in the Korean War, was possibly one of 32 Chinese tourists who died when a bus fell from a bridge in North Hwanghae Province, Radio France Internationale's Chinese version reported on April 30, citing a Chinese source. The report said Xinyu, a Major General in the People's Liberation Army of China, and most of the other Chinese tourists were the children of Chinese soldiers who fought in the Korean War.The accident also killed four North Koreans.The tourists died reportedly on their way back from a cemetery in Hoechang County in South Pyongan Province that was for Chinese soldiers who died during the Korean War. Mao Zedong's eldest soMay 1, 2018
Talks on cross-border civic exchanges underway By Yi Whan-wooCivic exchanges are expected to resume across the border following improved inter-Korean relations after the historic summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.Activist groups in Seoul said Tuesday they seek to resume cooperation with North Koreans mainly on culture and sports, which are not in violation of the U.N. Security Council's economic sanctions against North Korea.A mass cultural festival is being discussed to mark the anniversary of the Joint Declaration announced during the first inter-Korean summit on June 15, 2000. The last joint event to celebrate the declaration took place on Mount Geumgang in the North in 2008.Talks are also underway about another joint celebration of Korea's liberation from Japanese occupation on Aug. 15, 1945. The last event was held in Seoul in 2005.“We'll meet our North Korean counterparts sometime this month and discuss how the two sides can successfully commemorate the June 15 Joint Declaration and Liberation Day,” said an official of the South Korean Committee for Implementation of the JuMay 1, 2018
Trump to play hardball with Kim on nukesMoon needs fallback plan to handle Trump-Kim summitBy Kim Jae-kyoungU.S. President Donald Trump will try to play hardball with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un over denuclearization at the upcoming summit, William Brown, a Washington-based North Korea expert, said Tuesday.He said if the North really wants to build rapport with the U.S., the reclusive regime should consider shutting down fissile material plants together with nuclear test sites.“Trump can be hard to read. Talking tough is a big part of his character and Kim might not be used to that,” Brown, an adjunct professor at Georgetown School of Foreign Service, said in an interview. William Brown “I don't see Trump backing away on much so we will see. I do think Kim is under great economic pressure and will be looking for relief. In other words, I think Trump is less in need of a success than Kim.”He suggests President Moon Jae-in come up with a fallback plan to deal with scenarios in which the Trump-Kim summit, May 1, 2018
Will NK-US summit be held at Panmunjeom? South Korean soldiers stand guard at the truce village of Panmunjeom in this file photo. / Korea Times fileBy Kim Bo-eunExpectation is growing over the possibility that the truce village of Panmunjeom will serve as a venue for a meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump, after the historic inter-Korean summit took place there last week. Bordering the South and the North, Panmunjeom symbolizes the divided Koreas. It is where the armistice for the 1950-53 Korean War was signed.Trump positively mentioned the possibility of his summit with Kim at the truce village in a post on Twitter, Monday (local time).“Numerous countries are being considered for the meeting, but would Peace House/Freedom House, on the border of North and South Korea, be a more representative, important and lasting site than a third party country? Just asking!” the post said. The Peace House and Freedom House are both on the southern side of Panmunjeom. “There's something that I like about it because you are there, you are actually there,” he also saiMay 1, 2018
South Korean military to remove loudspeakers at border On Feb. 15, 2018, a South Korean military vehicle with loudspeakers is seen in front of the barbed-wire fence in Paju, near the border with North Korea, South Korea. / AP-YonhapSouth Korea's defense authorities will take down loudspeakers installed along the border with North Korea later Tuesday in a follow-up to their summit deal last week, officials said."As (we) notified, we will today begin the removal of the loudspeaker broadcast equipment from front-line regions," a military official said.The military plans to allow the media to cover the start of the removal work at a border area in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, in the afternoon.In this June 16, 2004 file photo, South Korean army soldiers remove loudspeakers used for propaganda near the demilitarized zone between South and North Korea, in Paju, South Korea. / AP-Yonhap The South began blaring anti-Pyongyang broadcasts using high-decibel loudspeakers along the border in 1963, most recently from around 40 locations. The program included messages critical of the North's communist system, news on South Korea and even K-pop music bMay 1, 2018
Trump suggests Korea's Panmunjeom for Kim summit U.S. President Donald Trump / ReutersU.S. President Donald Trump suggested Monday that his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un be held in the truce village that straddles the border separating the two Koreas."Numerous countries are being considered for the MEETING, but would Peace House/Freedom House, on the Border of North & South Korea, be a more Representative, Important and Lasting site than a third party country? Just asking!" Trump tweeted.The Peace House in Panmunjom, the truce village in the Demilitarized Zone that separates the two Koreas, was where Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in met Friday for a historic summit.Kim, the first North Korean leader to set foot in the South since the 1953 armistice that halted the Korean War, walked with Moon to the Peace House on the southern side of the border.Preparations for a Trump-Kim summit have gathered momentum with North Korea's promise to pursue the complete denuclearization of the peninsula.Seoul says North Korea has promised to shut down its nuclear test site within weeks and invite American weapons experts Apr 30, 2018
Moon: 'Nobel Peace Prize should go to Trump' South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump / YonhapBy Jung Min-hoSouth Korean President Moon Jae-in said the Nobel Peace Prize should go to U.S. President Donald Trump, if anyone were to win it for their efforts to resolve the issues with North Korea, noting that “all we need is peace.”His comment came after he received a congratulatory message from Lee Hee-ho, the widow of late South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, Monday, after the historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un three days ago.In the message, she said, “You’ve done great work. You deserve to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.”After reading her note, Moon told his aides that the honor should go to Trump, not him, and added, “All we need is to bring peace (to the Korean Peninsula),” according to a Cheong Wa Dae official.The summit was filled with warm encounters, and the two leaders issued a joint declaration to call for a formal end to the Korean War and work together to make Korea “nuclear free.”Lee’s husband organized thApr 30, 2018
Seoul city seeks to co-host sports competition with Pyongyang The Seoul city government will seek to co-host next year's annual national sports competition with Pyongyang as part of efforts to boost all-around exchanges with North Korea, officials said Monday.Mayor Park Won-soon plans to hold a meeting with members of the city's advisory committee on inter-Korean exchanges later this week to discuss ways forward in the wake of last week's historic summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, officials said."We're in a situation where it's difficult to seek active exchanges in areas other than culture and sports because North Korea is under international sanctions," a city official said. "We're going to focus on culture and sports exchanges but will also discuss ways to expand humanitarian assistance."Officials said the first goal will be to co-host the national sports competition that Seoul is set to host next year with Pyongyang and to revive friendly soccer matches held between the teams representing Seoul and Pyongyang in the late 1920s and 40s.Mayor Park made the proposals when he met with Ri Son-kwon, chairman Apr 30, 2018
China's top diplomat to visit North Korea this week China’s foreign minister will visit North Korea this week, his office said Monday (April 30), becoming the highest-ranking Chinese official to travel there in years as Beijing moves to further improve ties with Pyongyang days after a landmark inter-Korean summit.The Chinese foreign ministry said in a brief statement that Wang Yi will visit North Korea on Wednesday and Thursday at the invitation of his North Korean counterpart, Ri Yong-ho.The two met in Beijing in early April, days after talks between President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in the Chinese capital – the first meeting between the leaders since Kim inherited power from his father Kim Jong Il in 2011.Wang will be the first Chinese foreign minister to visit the North since 2007, a lapse that highlights the rough patch that relations between the Cold War-era allies has gone through in recent years.Former premier Wen Jiabao visited Pyongyang in 2009.China has backed a series of United Nations sanctions against Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons programme.But Beijing is likely eager to avoid beingApr 30, 2018
VIDEO What can we expect from the North-US Summit? Two Korea Times columnists ― Emanuel Pastreich and Stephen Costello ― feel “cautiously” optimistic about the upcoming U.S. and North Korea summit after the success of the inter-Korean summit. ― ED.The big question today after the successful Inter-Korean summit is what sort of a summit will be held between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chairman Kim Jong-un of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in May or June. The success of the Inter-Korean summit vastly increases the probability that such a summit will occur, but because such an event is unprecedented, and there are tremendous domestic political conflicts in Washington, D.C., the road forward may not be smooth. Apr 30, 2018
