North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and his heir-apparent son attended a military concert celebrating the outcome of his recent trip to China, Pyongyang's official news agency said Sunday.Kim returned home from a weeklong trip to China last week that included talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao. It was the reclusive leader's third trip to the neighboring ally and key provider of aid in about a year

South Korea has no intention of sacrificing its "principle" for an apology fromNorth Korea for last year's deadly attacks for the sake of the resumption of inter-Korean dialogue, Seoul's point man on cross-border affairs said Saturday.   Tensions persist on the Korean Peninsula after North Korea continues to ignore the South's demand for an apology for two deadly military attacks -- the March 2010

A U.S. government team led by Robert King left North Korea on Saturday, the North's state media said, after winning the release of an American citizen detained in the reclusive state for the past six months.   King, the U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights, left North Korea "by air after visiting the DPRK (North Korea) to consult humanitarian issues between the DPRK and the U.S.," the

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s days-long trip to China appears to have done little in securing a promise of reliable financial and diplomatic support from the longstanding ally, observers in Seoul said Friday.A special train carrying Kim and the 70-member entourage left the border region of Dandong Friday morning and is expected to arrive back in Pyongyang later in the day, the South Korean med

 North Korean leader Kim Jong-il returned home Friday after concluding a weeklong trip to China reportedly designed to promote bilateral economic and diplomatic relations.   Kim's special train crossed the China-North Korea border into the North's border city of Sinuiju earlier in the day after a 6,000-kilometer-long journey that took him to China's northeastern and prosperous eastern areas and Be

Experts say Beijing may have pressured North Korean leader on nuke talksNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-il is likely to have pleaded for steady financial support from China, his impoverished state’s last-remaining benefactor, during his purported talks with President Hu Jintao, officials and analysts here said Thursday. The reclusive leader of Pyongyang arrived in Beijing the previous day for an appa

BEIJING, May 26 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il departed from Beijing on Thursday, the seventh day of his secretive trip, after holding talks Wednesday with Chinese President Hu Jintao on expanding bilateral economic and political relations.Kim's special train left Beijing Station at around 2:19 p.m.(local time) and headed north apparently towards China's northeastern region bordering

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, long known for his frail health, has traveled tirelessly by train since Friday without spending a night in a hotel en route to eastern China, demonstrating that his health may have improved to the extent that he can sustain three days of train ride.The 69-year-old Kim, who suffered a stroke in 2008, crossed the border into China on Friday before heading to China’s

Kim’s trip indicates urgency in securing economic assistance from ChinaNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-il arrived in the eastern city of Nanjing and looked around industrial facilities there, the South Korean media said on Tuesday, the fifth day of the secretive trip indicating the communist state’s need to secure aid and economic support from its main benefactor. Kim traveled to Nanjing in a convoy

BEIJING/YANGZHOU/SHANGHAI(Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il departed the eastern city of Nanjing on Tuesday by train after touring a top electronics company on a trip in which he apparently hopes to learn about China's vibrant economy.Kim appears to be heading toward China's northwest, though his next destination remains unclear.Earlier on Tuesday, he arrived in Nanjing in a convoy of som

Pyongyang media remains silent as China confirms Kim’s tripNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-il is currently visiting an eastern Chinese city, local reports said Monday, as Pyongyang remained silent about the secretive trip posing potential influence over inter-Korean ties. A train carrying Kim and the 70-member delegation arrived at Yangzhou, west of the Chinese capital Beijing, late night Sunday, and