The Unification Ministry looks set to approve an inter-Korean barter trade of South Korea’s sugar for North Korea’s liquor and food products. Before taking office late last month, then Unification Minister nominee Lee In-young said small-scale barter exchanges could pave the way for a resumption of stalled inter-Korean exchanges, as they bypass UN sanctions banning cash transfers. A South Korean farmers’ cooperative in June sealed a deal with five North Korean trading firms,

Floodgates of a North Korean dam near the border with South Korea remain partially open amid heavy rains, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Tuesday, amid concerns the release of dam water could pose threats to South Korean regions downstream. Whether the North opens the floodgates of Hwanggang Dam has been something to watch for in the South since an abrupt release of dam water in 2009 raised the water levels of the Imjin River downstream and left six campers dead. The North has since agre

North Korea appears to have received more rainfall this month than the corresponding period of 2007 when the communist nation was hit by some of the worst flooding, the unification ministry said Monday. "We expect North Korea to be affected by the flood in the entire region and have problems in controlling the water flow," Yoh Sang-key, the ministry's spokesperson, said in a regular press briefing. When North Korea faced the worst flood damage in 2007, 500 to 700 millimeters of rain

A shipment of grain that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un promised to provide for flood victims has reached those in need, state media reported Monday, stressing that the aid shows the leader's "great loving care" for his people. Kim promised to release grain from his own special stock for flood victims during a visit last week to the Taechong-ri area of Unpha County in North Hwanghae Province, where more than 900 homes and 600 hectares of rice fields were inundated after a dyke broke

North Korea is gearing up for another deluge of torrential rain this week, with its houses and rice fields already severely flooded, in another blow to the regime grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic and a flailing economy under international sanctions. “Heavy rain is expected through Sunday and Monday, with mid-level flood warnings issued for the Hwanghae provinces, Kaesong City and Kangwon Province,” the official Korea Central News Agency said Saturday, just a day after reporting

North Korea's ruling party has delivered relief supplies including rice to Kaesong, the North's city near the western inter-Korean border under lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the country's main news outlet said Sunday. A train carrying special supplies such as rice provided by the Workers' Party of Korea arrived at Kaesong station late Friday, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported The provision was made two days after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered special aid t

The Seoul government’s ban on nongovernmental groups’ flying of leaflets into North Korea was based on the basic principle of a democratic society that people should not risk the safety of others to pursue their own freedom, a senior Unification Ministry official said. “The floating of leaflets and other items posed serious risks to the lives of residents in the border regions by raising inter-Korean tensions; dealt a blow to the regional economy by resulting in a (local gove

WASHINGTION -- US President Donald Trump said Friday he will make deals with North Korea "very quickly" if reelected in November. Trump was referring to his administration's stalled efforts to get North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons program in exchange for concessions. "If and when we win, we will make deals with Iran very quickly. We'll make deals with North Korea very quickly," he said during a press conference in Bedminster, New Jersey. "Now whatever happ

Days of torrential downpours have flooded hundreds of houses and vast rice fields in North Korea, with damage expected to grow further, dealing a blow to a regime already grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic and a flailing economy under international sanctions.  Nearly 730 homes and 600 hectares of rice fields have been flooded. Some 179 houses were destroyed in Taechong-ri, Unpha County, northwest of capital Pyongyang, after a water levee broke due to the heavy rains, according to the No

North Korea continues to work aggressively to develop long-range nuclear missiles capable of threatening the US mainland through a “very deliberate testing program” for systems improvement, a senior Pentagon official said. Victorino Mercado, US assistant secretary of defense for strategy, plans and capabilities, made the remarks during the 2020 Space and Missile Defense Symposium held virtually Tuesday, Washington time, according to the transcript posted on the Pentagon website on

South Korea on Thursday decided to send $10 million in aid to North Korea via the World Food Program to address the nutrition needs of women and babies there, as the government seeks more engagements to break an inter-Korean impasse. 　 The decision was approved during a civilian-government committee on inter-Korean exchanges presided over by new Unification Minister Lee In-young, marking the first time that Seoul has reached out to the North since Lee was sworn into office last month. 　 Thro

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that if it weren’t for the US presidential election campaign, North Korea, Iran and China would be at the negotiation table wanting to make a deal with the US. During a 53-minute interview with Fox News, Trump briefly mentioned that if the US didn’t have an election coming up, its stock market would be in better shape and countries like North Korea would be at the negotiation table within 24 hours. “Our stock market is very close to h

Unification Minister Lee In-young expressed regret Thursday over North Korea's release of water from a border dam without giving South Korea prior notice earlier this week. On Monday, the North partially opened the floodgates of Hwanggang Dam on the western inter-Korean border and sent water into the Imjin River, a move that put authorities here on alert against a potential rise in water levels in the South. "I express my regrets over the recent unilateral measure to release dam water,&q

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un convened an executive policy council meeting of the Worker's Party and ordered special aid to the city of Kaesong under lockdown over coronavirus concerns, state media reported Thursday. In late July, North Korea declared a "maximum emergency system" against the coronavirus after it claimed a defector returned home from the South with symptoms. It has since intensified antivirus efforts, putting the border town of Kaesong under complete lockdown since

WASHINGTON -- The United States has emphasized the need for North Korea to halt provocations and return to denuclearization talks, the State Department said Wednesday. The issue of North Korea's nuclear weapons program was discussed during Tuesday's 33rd US-ASEAN Dialogue, co-chaired by US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs David Stilwell and Laotian Deputy Foreign Minister Thongphane Savanphet, the department said in a press release. "The United States ... s