The ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Sunday called for defector politicians to apologize over their remarks suggesting Kim Jong-un's ill health, a day after the North Korean leader appeared in public following a 20-day absence. Kim had not appeared in public since presiding over an April 11 Politburo meeting of the ruling Workers' Party, sparking speculation that he might be seriously ill. North Korean media also did not provide photos of him, fanning the rumors. In Seoul, two North Korean def

Several gunshots from North Korea hit a South Korean guard post inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on Sunday, prompting the South to fire back, but the North's firings do not appear to have been intentional, an official said. South Korean soldiers on guard duty at the unit in the central border town of Cheorwon heard gunshots at around 7:41 a.m. and found four bullet marks on a wall of the guard post, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In accordance with the response manual, the militar

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- US President Donald Trump on Saturday welcomed the reemergence of North Korea's Kim Jong-un after weeks of speculation about his health, but prospects for the US efforts to persuade Pyongyang to denuclearize appear as bleak as ever. On Saturday, North Korean media said Kim cut a ribbon at a ceremony on Friday to mark the completion of a fertilizer plant. It had not reported on Kim's whereabouts since he presided over a meeting on April 11, provoking speculation that he

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended a fertilizer factory completion ceremony, state media reported Saturday, his first public appearance after 20 days of absence that sparked rumors about his health. The official Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim cut the tape at the ceremony marking the completion of Sunchon Phosphatic Fertilizer Factory in Sunchon, north of Pyongyang, on Friday. Photos released by KCNA showed Kim, dressed in a dark Mao suit, cutting the red ribbon during the

A North Korea defector elected as a lawmaker in South Korea claimed Friday that he is "99 percent" sure that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un died after surgery amid speculation over his health. Unconfirmed reports about Kim's ill health have mounted since he has not appeared in public for nearly three weeks. News reports described Kim as being in "grave danger" after surgery or hiding out at a coastal resort to escape the coronavirus pandemic. Ji Seong-ho, who earned a pro

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un remained out of public view for the 20th straight day Thursday amid persisting speculation about his health and who will take over the nuclear-armed communist nation after him. Kim was last seen in state media on April 11 presiding over a politburo meeting of the ruling Workers' Party. State media have since carried reports about him handling state affairs, such as sending messages to foreign leaders, but no photo or video of him has been released. Sparking spe

The United States is preparing for any eventuality in North Korea as it monitors the regime closely amid unconfirmed reports about leader Kim Jong-un's ill health, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday. Speaking on a radio program, "The Scott Sands Show," Pompeo said it is unusual, but not unheard of, that the North Korean leader has not appeared in public for over two weeks. Kim was last seen presiding over a politburo meeting of the ruling Workers' Party on April 11. "

US Sen. Edward Markey and Rep. Ro Khanna introduced Tuesday legislation that would bar President Donald Trump from waging military action against North Korea, unless Pyongyang delivers a preemptive strike or the US Congress authorizes it in advance. The bill, initially introduced in 2017 but which failed to get past the committee approval, surfaced again amid lingering tensions over recent conflicting reports on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s health and his whereabouts. “While d

Amid conflicting reports about the health of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, a parliamentary think tank in South Korea has weighed in on Kim’s younger sister Kim Yo-jong taking over the throne of the reclusive regime.  “Kim Jong-un, in order to overcome the national crisis, could expand Yo-jong’s status and role as the ‘party center,’” the National Assembly Research Service said in a report released on Wednesday. “Party center” is a term th

No unusual movements have been detected in North Korea despite rumors about its leader Kim Jong-un's health, Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo said Wednesday, stressing that Kim's absence from public view is not new. Kim last appeared publicly in state media on April 11, when he presided over a meeting of the Politburo of the ruling Workers' Party. His weekslong absence, including skipping an annual event marking the birth anniversary of his grandfather and national founder Kim Il-sung, has sp

Two Russian lawmakers have dismissed persistent speculation over North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's health, citing their talks with diplomats from Pyongyang, according to Russian media reports. Kim's absence from the public eye since his attendance at a ruling party politburo meeting on April 11 has spawned rumors of his failing health despite Seoul's assessment that there was "nothing unusual" in the communist state. Kazbek Taysayev, who heads the Russian State Duma group on ties wi

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he wishes North Korean leader Kim Jong-un well amid reports he may be gravely ill, but refused to comment further. Trump has offered varying assessments since reports on the North Korean leader's alleged health issues began emerging last week. "I just don't want to comment on it. I don't want to comment on it. I just wish him well," he told reporters at the White House when asked if Kim is still in control of his country. Tr

Amid mounting speculation about the health status of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Seoul officials expressed confidence that “nothing is unusual” in the reclusive regime, labeling the rampant rumors as an “infodemic.”   　 “(The government) has enough information-gathering capabilities to say confidently that there are no unusual signs (in North Korea),” Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul told a plenary session of the National Assembly’s foreign

Potential cooperation between the two Koreas in fighting the coronavirus pandemic is not subject to the international sanctions on Pyongyang, a senior presidential official said Tuesday. South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Monday vowed to move ahead with "realistic and practical" cooperation with the North, including a joint response to COVID-19 and border-area disasters, as he marked the second anniversary of the historic summit with his northern counterpart, Kim Jong-un. "T

The top nuclear envoys of South Korea and the United States exchanged their assessments of the situation on the Korean Peninsula in a phone call Tuesday, the foreign ministry said, amid speculation about North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's health. The phone talks between Lee Do-hoon and his US counterpart, Stephen Biegun, came as media reports about Kim's weekslong absence from the public eye spawned rumors about his health conditions despite Seoul's assessment that there was "nothing unusu