Swedish staff have left the country's embassy in North Korea but the diplomatic mission in Pyongyang remains open and is being staffed by local employees, officials said Tuesday. "The main reason is that we have temporarily relocated our diplomats who are either on holiday or are part of a (scheduled) rotation," Foreign Ministry spokesman Anton Dahlquist said. "Let me stress that we maintain our diplomatic relations with North Korea." But Dahlquist added that "the situ

Unification Minister Lee In-young met with US Ambassador Harry Harris on Tuesday, seeking support from the US for South Korea’s push for inter-Korean cooperation projects, and called for adjustments to the South Korea-US working group that coordinates North Korea policy.  It was the first time the minister had met with a foreign envoy since he took office last month.  During the meeting, Lee reiterated his stance of wanting to start with humanitarian cooperation and small-sca

North Korea is estimated to have between 20 and 60 nuclear bombs, as well as the capacity to produce six new ones every year, the US Army said in its latest report, adding that the communist country pursues its nuclear weapons program to prevent a forcible regime change from outside. “External powers intervened in Libya when the domestic revolts began in 2011. The Kim family does not want something similar to happen in North Korea,” said the report, titled “North Korean Tacti

North Korea is set to convene a key meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party on Wednesday to discuss a “crucial” matter as the reclusive regime is grappling with severe flood damage and the COVID-19 pandemic amid a failing economy under international sanctions.  Top party officials will decide on the issue of “crucial significance in developing the Korean revolution and increasing the party’s fighting efficiency” during the plenary meeting of its central c

Unification Minister Lee In-young was set to meet the US Ambassador to Seoul Harry Harris on Tuesday, the ministry said. Lee is likely to discuss South Korea's policies for inter-Korean cooperation during the meeting with Harris. It will mark the minister's first meeting with a foreign envoy since he took office last month. "(Lee) will explain our government's stance for improving inter-Korean relations, and I believe the US will show support for inter-Korean cooperation, but there are n

North Korea said Tuesday it will hold a plenary Central Committee meeting of the Workers' Party (WKP) this week to "discuss and decide on an issue of crucial significance in developing the Korean revolution and increasing the fighting efficiency of the party." The official Korean Central News Agency didn't provide further details on the meeting set for Wednesday, including what exactly will be discussed, but observers expect that the session could deal with organizational issues giv

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin exchanged greetings Saturday to mark the 75th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan, Pyongyang's state media reported. In their messages, the two men expressed their desire to further deepen bilateral ties based on the agreement for cooperation reached during their first summit in Russia's Far Eastern city of Vladivostok in April of last year, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Acco

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un described his friendship with US President Donald Trump as something out of a “fantasy film” in one of 25 letters they exchanged, American publisher Simon & Schuster said Wednesday, adding that the letters will be disclosed in an upcoming book by veteran journalist Bob Woodward. The book titled “Rage,” due out next month, will reveal details of the Trump-Kim letters that have never been made public before, and offer insights into the T

North Korean leader Kim Jon-un said Thursday his country will make efforts to rebuild homes and rice fields damaged by the recent downpours but would do so on its own, without outside help due to COVID-19. “In the wake of the worsening coronavirus pandemic, outside help in carrying out those recovery efforts is not an option and stronger border lockdown is demanded,” Kim was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the Korean Central News Agency. “It is imperative that we fu

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said the country suffered serious damage from recent heavy downpours, but it should not accept any outside assistance due to the coronavirus risk, state media reported Friday. Kim made the remark while presiding over a politburo meeting of the ruling Workers' Party on Thursday to discuss measures to recover from the flood, stressing the importance of concentrating on COVID-19 prevention efforts and maintaining the "state emergency anti-epidemic system,"

Flooding in North Korea may have damaged the facilities at the Yongbyon nuclear complex, the communist regime’s main nuclear facility, a US-based North Korean monitoring website said Thursday. 　 Comparing satellite images of the region taken July 22 and Aug. 6, the website, 38 North, said they show a dramatic rise in the water level of the Kuryong River, which runs alongside the Yongbyon complex, and that the flooding appears to be the worst the North has seen in several years. 　 &ldquo

About six out of ten North Koreans or the country’s 15.3 million population are estimated to suffer undernutrition this year, as the poor economy has been ravaged by the coronavirus, the US Agriculture Department’s Economic Research Service said in its latest report on food security worldwide. Last year, 14.6 million North Koreans, 57 percent of the total, did not have enough food. The food crisis there showed no immediate signs of abating, as 45 percent of the population was f

Special rapporteur on human rights in North Korea says Seoul’s argument for audits of defectors’ organizations is ‘unsatisfactory,’ UN mulling making a formal ‘communication’ on the issue

WASHINGTON -- A North Korean defector-turned-lawmaker said Wednesday that he doesn't believe a US-North Korea is summit is likely before the US presidential election in November. Thae Yong-ho, former North Korean deputy ambassador to Britain and now a member of South Korea's National Assembly, also questioned the likelihood of a major provocation by the North within that timeframe. "I don't think an October surprise summit or any summit between the US and North Korea is likely," he

The United Nations said it is willing to help North Korea recover from severe flood damage, and is in contact with authorities there. 　 “In the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the unusually heavy rains this month have resulted in flooding,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters during a regular briefing on Tuesday (US time), referring to North Korea by its formal name. 　 “The UN team is in contact with authorities and stands ready to support its response