Two Koreas dismantle propaganda loudspeakers at border The rival Koreas dismantled huge loudspeakers used to blare Cold War-style propaganda across their tense border on Tuesday, as South Korea's president asked the United Nations to observe the North's planned closing of its nuclear test site.The dismantling of dozens of loudspeakers was in line with an agreement on reconciliation by the leaders of the Koreas at their historic summit last Friday. It is still unclear if such measures can bring permanent peace because no major breakthrough in the North Korean nuclear standoff was produced at the summit.South Korean soldiers disassembled loudspeakers in multiple front-line areas in the presence of journalists before pulling them away from the border, the Defense Ministry said.A South Korea military officer said later Tuesday that North Korea had also begun taking down its propaganda loudspeakers earlier in the day. He requested anonymity, citing department rules.Both Koreas had turned off the propaganda broadcasts along the 248-kilometer (154-mile) -long border last week before the summit.They had restarted their propaganda warfare in earlMay 2, 2018
Moon asks UN to verify closure of North Korea's test site South Korean President Moon Jae-in has asked the United Nations to verify the planned closure of North Korea's nuclear test site, a UN spokesman said Tuesday.Moon made the request in a phone call to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday, a few days after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told the South Korean leader he planned to shut down the test site in May."The president sought the support of the United Nations to verify the imminent closure of the DPRK’s nuclear test site, as announced by the DPRK Chairman Kim Jong Un," said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is North Korea's official name.Moon also asked for UN support to "transform the demilitarized zone into a peace zone" between the two Koreas, he added.Guterres said the United Nations was ready to discuss possible forms of support, but no details were provided.The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN's global nuclear watchdog, has the expertise to carry out verification missions.Kim told Moon during the summit on Friday that he planned to May 2, 2018
Trump says location, date of summit with Kim Jong-un to be announced 'in couple of days' U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday the location and date of his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would be announced in the next couple of days.Trump has said he will meet with Kim in three to four weeks to discuss the denuclearization of the regime. On Monday he said the demilitarized zone dividing the two Koreas, and Singapore, were being considered for the site."We're setting up meetings right now, and I think it's probably going to be announced over the next couple of days -- location and date," Trump told reporters at the White House.Trump also said he thought it was "very generous" of South Korean President Moon Jae-in to suggest he should receive the Nobel Peace Prize for bringing North Korea to the negotiation table.Moon was commenting on suggestions that he win the prize, saying Trump could take it if the two Koreas can have peace."I appreciate it," Trump said. "But the main thing is to get it done. I want to get it done."He also said he wants to "get peace," calling it the "main thing.""That was a big problem, and I think it's going to work out well," TrumpMay 2, 2018
Contribution To South Korean youth, North Korea is not 'one of us' South and North Korean athletes enter together at the opening ceremony of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, in the Olympic stadium, Pyeongchang, Feb. 9. The two Koreas formed a joint women's ice hockey team, bringing strong criticism among the young generation. / YonhapThis is a summary of a research by the Asan Institute for Policy Studies on South Korean young people's perceptions of North Korea and unification. The study was conducted by senior fellow Kim Ji-yoon, senior associate Kang Chung-ku and research associate Kim Kil-dong.― ED.By Kim Ji-yoon, Kang Chung-ku, Kim Kil-dongKim Ji-yoonOne of the most controversial issues in the run-up to the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics was the formation of an inter-Korean women's ice hockey team. The Moon Jae-in administration viewed the unified team as the perfect opportunity to de-escalate tension on the Korean Peninsula, while marketing the games as the “Peace Olympics.”However, the reaction of South Koreans to the decision was completely different from what the administration expected. While many welcomed North Korea's May 1, 2018
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
