North Korea slams US censure on human rights North Korea condemned US criticism of its human rights record as "ridiculous", days before leader Kim Jong-un's summit with the South and ahead of a meeting with US President Donald Trump.The isolated North has been accused of a litany of state-sanctioned rights abuses including extrajudicial killing, torture, brutal crackdowns on dissent and even kidnapping foreign citizens.The US State Department's rights report on the North, released last week, described "egregious human rights violations" in the authoritarian state from public executions to widespread surveillance of citizens.Pyongyang angrily slammed the report for "viciously slandering" the nation, accusing the US of being a "hotbed" of rights abuses itself, beset by "cancer-like" gun violence and "all sorts of injustice, deprivation of rights".Washington was appointing itself as a "human rights judge", the official KCNA news agency said in a commentary late Tuesday."This is really ridiculous and reminds one of a thief crying to stop the thief," it said."Its true aim is to disintegrate those countries which are disobedient to iApr 25, 2018
Trump to N.Korea's Kim: 'Get rid of nukes' US President Donald Trump on Tuesday called on North Korea to abandon its nuclear program, ahead of an expected summit with the North’s leader Kim Jong Un.Earlier, the US leader – who spent the day in talks with French President Emmanuel Macron – had described Kim as “very open” and “very honorable” – his most positive comments yet about a man he once publicly belittled.But when pressed about what he hoped to gain from Pyongyang, the 71-year-old Republican president was blunt.“Meetings are being set up, and I want to see denuclearisation of North Korea,” Trump told reporters.Asked to explain what he means by denuclearisation, Trump replied: “It means they get rid of their nukes – very simple.”“It would be very easy for me to make a simple deal and claim victory. I don’t want to do that. I want them to get rid of their nukes.”While Trump has repeatedly referred to North Korea’s denuclearization, Pyongyang however consistently defines the term as “denuclearisation of the Korean pApr 25, 2018
'Hasty declaration to end war may cause confusion' By Choi Ha-youngHong Il-pyoWhile speculation is circulating that “ending the Korean War” could be on the table in the upcoming inter-Korean summit, a legislative forum raised concerns that a hasty declaration to end the war may cause confusion. The National Assembly Human Rights Forum led by Rep. Hong Il-pyo of the Liberty Korea Party called on the government to prioritize denuclearization and a peace treaty over the declaration of the end of the war. “If the armistice loses its validity, the North may claim nullification of the Northern Limit Line (NLL),” Hong said Tuesday. “Therefore, the two Koreas should terminate the war after signing the peace treaty. Also, the envisioned treaty should stipulate that the two nations' territories will remain as they are.”Since the two Koreas technically remain at war under the armistice ― signed by the United Nations, China and North Korea ― ending the war means the end of the armistice. In a meeting with the media Friday, President Moon said that the declaration would take place before the peace treApr 24, 2018
'Reduce NK threat before signing peace treaty' This is the third in a series of interviews with international experts on the Korean Peninsula to discuss key issues at the upcoming inter-Korean summit slated for April 27. ― ED.By Kim Jae-kyoungTara OPresident Moon Jae-in should seek ways to reduce the military threat posed by North Korea before signing a peace treaty, said Tara O, an adjunct fellow at the Pacific Forum CSIS, Tuesday.She urged Moon to raise this issue at his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to be held at the border village of Panmunjeom, Friday.“Unless there are concrete measures to reduce the threat, the signing of a peace treaty is premature and only makes South Korea more vulnerable,” O said in an interview.“Besides, North Korea does not even want to sign a peace treaty with South Korea; it wants to sign it with the U.S.”O's advice came after President Moon said last week he was optimistic about signing a peace treaty with North Korea to formally end the Korean War.She suggested Moon make detailed requests to Kim, such as moving the North's artillery away from the DemilitarizedApr 24, 2018
North Korea internally promotes 'nuclear statehood' to its people ahead of summit By Park Si-sooNorth Korea is promoting its “nuclear statehood” to its people ahead of Friday's historic summit between its leader Kim Jong-un and his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in, according to a report. Citing sources in the reclusive state, Seoul-based newswire Newsis reported on Tuesday that the North's regime ordered news outlets and publishers to produce stories promoting the North as a “nuclear-armed state.” Newsis said the order became effective at midnight Sunday ― hours after Kim made a surprise announcement that his country would suspend all nuclear and long-range missile tests and close a nuclear test site. “The order was applied to all newspapers, broadcasters and publishers (in North Korea),” Newsis quoted an unidentified source as saying. “Its purpose was to educate the people that the North could become a nuclear-armed state thanks to Kim, who has pursued simultaneous development of the economy and nuclear weapons with tireless efforts and commitment.” Another source who read the order reportedly said he saw nothinApr 24, 2018
Declaration to end Korean War tied to denuclearization: Seoul The issue of South and North Korea's declaration of an end to the 1950-53 Korean War will be tied to progress of North Korea's denuclearization, a ranking government official said Tuesday.The establishment of a permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula is one of the key agenda items for a summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Friday. They will likely discuss ways to replace the current armistice with a peace treaty.A ranking official at Seoul's unification ministry said that ways to bring a permanent peace to the peninsula are likely to be pursued in a phased manner."Without the progress of (the North's) denuclearization, it would not be realistic to discuss ways to establish peace," the official said, when asked whether it is possible to declare an end to the war, regardless of the North's nuke issue.He said that as these issues are linked to each other, the two Koreas need to coordinate in a way that convinces the international community.The official also added that North Korea's recent pledge to shut down a nuclear test site has shown that the cApr 24, 2018
Confirmation bias on North Korea's denuclearization A North Korean solider is on guard at its building inside the truce village of Panmunjom in this recent photo. / YonhapBy Oh Young-jinJust days before the April 27 inter-Korean summit, the atmosphere is one of optimism.If the past two summits serve as any guide, they are a cautionary tale, advising us not to be overly expecting. Expectation over the stated goal of South Korea and the United States ― North Korea's willingness to separate itself from its nuclear programs or the so-called denuclearization ― is far from reality.The North has never committed itself to it. The South and the usually less emotional U.S. appear to have a case of confirmation bias ― seeing only what they want to see and what they want to hear. President Moon Jae-in positively believed that the North's denuclearization was doable, while U.S. President Donald Trump was no less positive. But one North Korea observer called this collective wishful thinking on the part of the Moon government and the media “dyslexia.” “It is as if people do not comprehend what North Korea's Kim Jong-un isApr 24, 2018
Hopes high for peace as Kim takes historic step to inter-Korean summit North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will walk across the Demilitarized Zone on Friday for a historic summit with the South's President Moon Jae-in, the highest-level encounter yet in a whirlwind of nuclear diplomacy.Pyongyang's atomic arsenal will be high on the agenda the first time one of its rulers sets foot in the South since the Korean War ended 65 years ago, and a peace treaty to formally end the conflict could also be discussed.The meeting on the southern side of the truce village of Panmunjom -- only the third of its kind after two in Pyongyang, the last 11 years ago -- is intended to pave the way for a highly anticipated encounter between Kim and US President Donald Trump.It comes after a rapid and spectacular diplomatic dance on the peninsula, orchestrated by Moon and set to the beat of the Winter Olympics in the South.Kim sent a delegation headed by his sister to the Games and offered to put denuclearisation on the table in exchange for security guarantees. Trump accepted his proposal for a summit, and Kim went to Beijing to pay his respects to ally China in his first overseasApr 24, 2018
US won't ease sanctions until North Korea takes 'concrete action' The White House said Monday North Korea won't get sanctions relief until it takes ``concrete action'' toward denuclearization, the goal of President Donald Trump's planned summit with Kim Jong Un.Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders' comments appeared to leave open the possibility of easing the U.S.-led ``maximum pressure'' campaign before North Korea had completely given up its nuclear weapons.But Sanders said the U.S. wouldn't make the mistake of past administrations in taking the North Koreans ``simply at their word.'' She said, ``We've seen some steps in the right direction but we have a long way to go.''On Saturday, North Korea announced it will close its nuclear testing facility and suspend nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests -- a move welcomed by Trump as ``big progress.'' The North stopped short of suggesting it will give up its nuclear weapons or scale back its production of missiles and their related components.Asked if the suspension of tests was a positive sign, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Monday, ``Right now, I think there (are) a lot of reasons Apr 24, 2018
'A lot of reasons for optimism' on N. Korea talks: Mattis US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Monday he saw reasons to be optimistic about talks with North Korea, after Pyongyang announced it was halting nuclear tests and intercontinental ballistic missile launches."Right now, I think there is a lot of reasons for optimism that the negotiations will be fruitful, and we'll see," Mattis told Pentagon reporters as he greeted General Prawit Wongsuwan, the deputy leader of the Thai junta who also serves as defense minister.North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared over the weekend that Pyongyang had no further need for nuclear tests or intercontinental ballistic missile launches, and no further use for its atomic test site.The move comes ahead of Friday's historic inter-Korea summit between Kim and South Korea's President Moon Jae-in.Kim is expected to meet US President Donald Trump in late May or early June.Spokesman Colonel Rob Manning said the Pentagon has not changed its readiness to fight on the Korean Peninsula in light of recent developments."From a military perspective from the Department of Defense, there has been no change in our postuApr 24, 2018
