WASHINGTON -- The combined forces of South Korea and the United States stand fully ready and capable to defend against any threats from North Korea, the top US military official said Wednesday. Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also said the countries closely monitor their joint readiness to make sure they are capable. "The forces that we have on the Korean Peninsula, in combination with our ROK allies by the way, which is a very capable military, are in fact capabl

WASHINGTON -- The United States reaffirmed its support for North Korean human rights Wednesday, vowing to hold Pyongyang accountable for "egregious" human rights violations. "On this occasion of North Korea Freedom Week, we stand with the millions of North Koreans who continue to have their dignity and human rights violated by one of the most repressive and totalitarian states in the world," State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a released statement. The spokesman ad

South Korea will consider publishing a report on human rights situations in North Korea after securing more verifiable information and testimonies from North Korean defectors, a unification ministry official said Wednesday. The government runs a center for North Korean human rights records under the ministry to accumulate information on human rights violations in the reclusive country based mostly on interviews with North Korean defectors. The center was launched in 2016 in line with the North

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday reaffirmed his will to restore the collapsed diplomacy with North Korea in marking the third anniversary of his historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. “The Panmunjeom Declaration is a milestone for peace that no one can undermine,” he said during a weekly Cabinet meeting, referring to the landmark deal that was signed by the two leaders on April 27, 2018. “The path for peace, promised in the declaration, should not be reversed

SEOUL/PAJU -- Unification Minister Lee In-young urged North Korea on Tuesday to implement inter-Korean summit agreements and come out for talks as he marked the third anniversary of a historic 2018 summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Lee made the remarks during an event organized by civic groups to celebrate the anniversary of the Panmunjom Declaration adopted after the summit talks on April 27, 2018, stressing that South Korea is willing to resume talks wi

WASHINGTON -- The United States must be ready to make concessions to North Korea that could include temporary sanctions relief if necessary to advance the North's denuclearization process, a US lawmaker said Monday. Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ) also said South Korean President Moon Jae-in needs to explain exactly what options are on the table when he meets his US counterpart, Joe Biden, next month. "I do think that the United States should be prepared and could be prepared to be able to provide s

Tuesday is the third anniversary of the historic inter-Korean summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, where the two leaders vowed for peace and reunification on the Korean Peninsula. Despite the flurry of efforts toward reconciliation since, hopes for peace on the long-divided peninsula remain tempered by a deadlock in nuclear diplomacy and Pyongyang’s recent escalation of tension. 　 Unlike in the past two years, the Korean government is not

Unification Minister Lee In-young on Monday stressed the importance of inter-Korean cooperation in the forest sector, saying it will eventually benefit the people of the two Koreas by reducing carbon emissions on the Korean Peninsula. Lee made the remarks in a speech during a tree-planting event at the Inter-Korean Cooperation Center on Forestry that opened in the border town of Paju last June, saying that such cooperation will also accelerate Seoul's objective to become "carbon neutral&q

North Korea is stepping up efforts to stay alert against the protracted coronavirus pandemic amid increasing economic activities in the spring season, according to state media Monday. The state-run Korean Central Broadcasting Station (KCBS) urged people not to let their guard down especially in educational institutions, construction sites and agricultural fields during the spring season amid reports of new variants around the world. "We are putting foremost priority in tightening antiviru

WASHINGTON -- The United States is ready and able to deter any aggression from North Korea, the chief of the US Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) said Thursday, also highlighting the US security commitment to South Korea. Adm. Charles Richard, however, said the best way to resolve issues with North Korea is with diplomacy. "I will tell you that I am very confident in my ability to deter, or we're very familiar with North Korea's capabilities and I'm very confident in our ability to deter tha

UN special rapporteurs voiced concerns that South Korea's anti-leafleting law could restrict freedom of expression in a letter sent to the government calling for further clarification, the UN website showed Thursday. Tomas Ojea Quintana, special rapporteur on North Korea's human rights situation, along with three other rapporteurs, made the appeal in a "communications" letter dated Monday, urging the South Korean government to provide additional information about the compliance of th

The republication of an autobiography of the late North Korean founder Kim Il-sung has ignited controversy in South Korea, where possession of the book could violate national security laws. Starting this week, a number of major South Korean bookstores have accepted purchase orders for “Reminiscences: With the Century,” which emphasizes the North Korean leader’s childhood and what he did to resist the Japanese colonial regime. But South Korean historians and experts have sai

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has sent his third congratulatory message to Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel this week alone, expressing hope that relations between the two countries will "grow stronger," according to state media Thursday. The latest message, delivered Tuesday to mark the Cuban leader's birthday, came after Kim already sent two congratulatory messages earlier this week on his recent election as the first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba. North Korea conside

North Korea appears to be working to develop capabilities that can degrade or even defeat US missile defense systems deployed in its region, a congressional report suggested. The Congressional Research Service (CRS) report also noted the North's efforts to develop weapons may be more than just a political statement. "The recent advances in North Korea's ballistic missile test program appear to be directed at developing capabilities to defeat or degrade the effectiveness of missile defense

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un stressed the country's "special" strategic relations with Cuba in another message congratulating President Miguel Diaz-Canel on his election as the new powerful head of its ruling communist party, according to state media Wednesday. The message delivered Tuesday via the Cuban ambassador in Pyongyang came a day after Kim sent another message expressing "absolute support" to Diaz-Canel following his appointment as first secretary of the Communis