North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered his troops to maintain maximum vigilance as the North‘s fighters and warships hit targets in live-fire military maneuvers, Pyongyang’s state media reported Thursday.His inspection of the drills by the country‘s army, navy and air force came as the communist country repeatedly threatened to launch a “sacred” war against South Korea over Seoul’s defamation of the dignity of Kim and his late father, former leader Kim Jong-il.A South Korean military unit in In

About 130 senior North Korean officials visited the border village of Panmunjom last week as the communist country ratcheted up militaristic rhetoric against South Korea, a South Korean military official said Wednesday.The trips came days after their new leader Kim Jong-un placed his troops in Panmunjeom on alert during his surprise inspection trip to the village straddling the heavily armed inter-Korean border on March 3. Kim, who took over the communist country following the December death of

China has never repatriated any politically-motivated North Korean defectors, and has helped them migrate to other countries, including South Korea and the U.S., a Korean politics professor said quoting a Chinese government official.His comment comes as international pressure is growing on China to not repatriate North Korean defectors who might face severe punishment under the Kim Jong-un regime.China has repeated it does not recognize North Korean defectors as refugees but “illegal trespassers

WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― The White House indicated Tuesday that President Barack Obama will tour the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which separates the two Koreas, during his visit to South Korea later this month.“A visit to the DMZ would be reflective of the president’s commitment to both security on the Korean Peninsula and the need for North Korea to live up to its international obligations, give up its nuclear weapons program and return to the community of nations,” White House Press Secretary

WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― The U.S. special envoy on North Korean human rights issues demanded in this week’s U.N. meeting that Pyongyang stop punishing forcefully repatriated defectors.Robert King, attending a meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday (local time), shared “deep concerns” about the plight of refugees and asylum seekers from the North, according to a transcript of his remarks released by the State Department“We urge the DPRK to end the punishment and

NEW YORK (Yonhap News) ― North Korea’s chief nuclear envoy said Monday that U.N. nuclear monitors will soon be able to return to his reclusive country under a recent deal with the United States.“I think (it) will be implemented in the near future. Concrete measures are being constantly taken to fulfill the February agreement,” the North’s Vice Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho told reporters.He was wrapping up a rare visit to the U.S. for an academic forum, reflecting continued dialogue between Pyongy

Yim Tae-hee, a former South Korean presidential chief of staff, made a two-day visit to Beijing before returning to Seoul on Monday, a source here said Tuesday, raising speculation about his possible contact with North Koreans in the Chinese capital.It was the second time this year that the top aide for President Lee Myung-bak has visited China, following the previous trip early last month.　“Yim’s trip to Beijing is verified, but details of his activities in Beijing are not yet known,” the sourc

The United States said Monday that it will start sending food to North Korea “as soon as possible,” as its delegation is set to meet officials at the World Food Program (WFP) in Rome later this week.Robert King, the U.S. special envoy on the North‘s human rights, will “talk more about the modalities of this assistance” with WFP representatives, said Mark Toner, the State Department’s deputy spokesman.“But I think, you know, we‘re trying to work out whatever the remaining logistical challenges ar

South Korea has been joined by activists around the world in its recent public campaign against China’s forced repatriation of North Korean defectors, but those who have resettled in Japan continue to face difficulties, defectors and activists said Monday.About 200 North Korean defectors currently live in Japan, with about 150 in Tokyo and the rest in Osaka, according to activists here. These defectors were mostly born in Japan during Tokyo’s 1910-1945 colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula and

South Korea‘s military chief urged the navy Monday to hit back hard against any new North Korean attack, as Seoul strengthens security before a major forum.General Jung Seung-jo, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called on sailors to stay alert, saying the North’s navy would increase activities as its frozen ports begin to thaw. “The North can provoke us at any moment... you should seize the opportunity to launch immediate and strong retaliation with all available weapons,” he said during a

A group of South Korean lawmakers vowed to step up efforts to stop China’s forced repatriation of North Korean defectors as they visited Geneva to attend a U.N. meeting on human rights.The four-member delegation made the pledge in a meeting Sunday with Park Sang-ki, the ambassador at South Korea’s mission to Geneva in Switzerland, as part of their efforts to draw international attention to North Korean escapees facing repatriation to their home where they could face punishment and even death. “R

North Korea’s recent nuclear deal with the United States is a good indicator of Pyongyang’s current movement, but it is still too early to “conclusively assess” it, South Korea’s point man on North Korea said.North Korea has agreed to freeze its uranium-enrichment facilities and temporarily halt its nuclear and long-range missile tests in exchange for 240,000 tons of U.S. food aid.The North has also agreed to allow the return of monitors from the International Atomic Energy Agency to its main nu

(Yonhap) -- A North Korean orchestra arrived in Paris on Sunday for a joint concert later this week with a French orchestra led by renowned South Korean conductor Chung Myung-whun, according to Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency.The Unhasu Orchestra's arrival came three days before it p