The unification ministry on Thursday expressed hope that North Korea will respond to South Korea's recent offer for discussion on setting up a virtual conference system for inter-Korean talks. South Korea made a proposal to discuss the matter with North Korea days after the two Koreas restored cross-border communication lines last week that had been severed for more than a year after North Korea cut them off in protest of anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent from the South. North Korea has yet to provi

North Korea has been taking flooding prevention measures in major farming areas in the country's southwest in an effort to minimize damage to grain production amid forecasts of heavy downpours, state media reported Thursday. "Emergency steps have been taken to prevent damage from flooding at cooperative fields in Jaeryong County," the Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the North's ruling party, said. "Anti-flooding efforts have been seriously undertaken basically to prevent farming area

Seoul’s spy chief says drills could lead to N. Korea provocation

South Korea's ruling party chairman suggested Wednesday reopening the long-shuttered inter-Korean industrial complex in North Korea's border town of Kaesong will help build trust among the two Koreas and the United States, and ease tension on the Korean Peninsula. "Reopening the Kaesong Industrial Complex is very critical to building trust between the US, South Korea and North Korea," Rep. Song Young-gil, head of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), said during a session of the Aspen Sec

North Korean officials attended a photo exhibition held by the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang and highlighted their cooperative ties, state media showed Wednesday, signaling Pyongyang's resumption of in-person diplomacy suspended due to the coronavirus. The photo exhibition was held Tuesday "to mark the 20th anniversary of Chairman Kim Jong-il's historic visit to Russia and the 10th anniversary of his visit to the Siberian and the Far Eastern regions," according to the Korean Central Ne

It was North Korean leader Kim Jong-un who first reached out to reopen the severed hotlines between the two Koreas after a hiatus of almost 14 months, according to Seoul’s spy agency on Tuesday. As for Kim’s health condition, the officials said there is no sign of abnormality, citing his light manner of walking and other gestures. His younger sister, Kim Yo-jong, also seems to maintain her No. 2 status in the regime as a top diplomatic strategist, they added. Officials of the Nat

North Korea has sent detailed information to South Korea on fishing boats operating illegally in the Yellow Sea via inter-Korean military hotlines restored last week, government sources said Monday. Last week, the two sides reopened all cross-border communication lines, including military hotlines, 13 months after Pyongyang cut them off in protest over anti-regime propaganda leaflets flying in from the South. "The North has sent a fax message at 9 a.m. every day, which carries details abo

North Korea on Monday denounced the United States again for meddling in internal affairs in Cuba by instigating anti-government demonstrations and unrest in the Caribbean country. "The US's intention has been laid bare outright that it seeks to instigate internal unrest by influencing anti-government elements and bolstering anti-Cuba sentiment globally," the ministry said in a posting on its website. "The US has been involved in behind-the-scene manipulation of anti-government d

The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un warned Sunday that annual summertime military drills between South Korea and the United States will cloud the future of inter-Korean relations. Kim Yo-Jong issued the warning in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency, just days after the North restored long-severed communication lines with the South and raised hope for a new round of detente between the two sides. "I surely see the military drill, which takes place at an importa

North Korea’s food security situation is expected to deteriorate in the next four months, a U.N. report has said, citing limited humanitarian access and trade disruptions as key factors leading to the country’s widening food gap. The Food and Agriculture Organization and World Food Programme forecast in a joint report released Friday that the North is expected to be facing a food shortage of around 860,000 tons this year, “which is equivalent to approximately 2.3 months&rsquo

The South Korean government on Thursday proposed talks with North Korea on the establishment of a videoconference system, as part of efforts to rekindle stalemated inter-Korean talks, according to Unification Minister Lee In-young on Friday.  “Yesterday, we proposed to the North via the joint liaison channel that we consult on setting up a videoconference system,” Lee told reporters during a press conference at the ministry’s office in central Seoul. “The North has

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un accused "hostile forces" of intensifying "frantic and persistent war drills for aggression" as he presided over the first-ever workshop of military commanders and political officers this week, state media reported Friday. The remark came as South Korea and the United States are mulling over whether and how to conduct their annual military exercise expected for mid-August amid concern that it could negatively affect a conciliatory mood created

Chinese President Xi Jinping has pledged efforts to "defend, consolidate and develop" relations with North Korea, Pyongyang's state media reported Friday, after the North's Kim Jong-un said he will push to elevate the two countries' ties to a "new strategic point." Xi made the remarks in a reply to Kim's earlier letter to mark the 100th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of China, touting the "message of fervent congratulations at an early hour" as a sign

North Korea's annual trade plunged a whopping 73.4 percent in 2020 from a year earlier, as the country shut down its border amid the COVID-19 pandemic, data showed Thursday. The combined amount of North Korea's trade came to $863 million in 2020, compared with $3.24 billion tallied a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the state-run Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA). "The decrease came as both exports and imports lost ground after North Korea closed down its bord

Direct military communication lines between South and North Korea are back to normal operation Thursday after technical problems with one of the lines were fixed, the defense ministry said. On Tuesday, the two sides reopened all cross-border communication lines, 13 months after Pyongyang cut them off in protest over anti-regime propaganda leaflets flying in from the South. Of the two cross-border military hotlines, the western channel worked well from the first day, but the other one, known as