WASHINGTON -- South Korea is paying close attention to the outcome of this weekend's denuclearization negotiations between the United States and North Korea, while maintaining communication with Washington, Seoul's top envoy here said Friday.Ambassador Cho Yoon-je made the remark at an annual parliamentary audit of the South Korean Embassy in Washington, noting that the U.S. and North Korea are scheduled to resume working-level denuclearization talks in Sweden Saturday."(We are) paying clos

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The UN Security Council will hold closed consultations Tuesday on North Korea's recent ballistic missile launches, diplomats said Thursday.Britain, France and Germany called for a council meeting following the recent series of missile launches, which are a violation of UN sanctions.The council session will take place following Saturday's meeting of US and North Korean officials in Stockholm. It will be the first US-North Korean meeting since talks broke down in February at

The US Joint Chiefs of Staff said Thursday that North Korea's latest test was of a short to medium range ballistic missile, which was fired from a sea-based platform.JCS spokesman Air Force Col. Patrick Ryder told reporters there was no indication the missile on Wednesday was launched from a submarine, but declined to provide other details.The comments come after North Korea said it successfully tested a new submarine-launched ballistic missile off its east coast, "usher(ing) in a new phase

North Korea's chief nuclear negotiator arrived in Stockholm Thursday to resume working-level denuclearization negotiations with the United States this weekend.Kim Myong-gil and his delegation arrived at Stockholm Arlanda Airport around 5:40 p.m. on a flight from Beijing. They left the airport shortly after through the VIP hall instead of the main arrivals gate.The US chief negotiator, Stephen Biegun, is also expected to head to the Swedish capital soon. North Korea said earlier that the two side

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States will be talking to North Korea soon, indicating denuclearization negotiations will go ahead as planned despite the regime's test-firing of a submarine-launched ballistic missile earlier this week.Trump's remarks come as negotiators from the two countries are expected to meet in Sweden this weekend to resume working-level talks on denuclearizing the regime."We'll see," Trump told reporters at the White House when asked if No

North Korea said Thursday its testing of a new submarine-launched ballistic missile was successful -- touting it as a significant milestone in strengthening its self-defense -- even as its nuclear negotiating team headed to Sweden for working-level talks with the US. Its state news agency KCNA said that the Pukguksong-3 missile was test-fired at a high angle in the waters off Wonsan, a military base used for previous missile launches, and was designed to contain external threats. “The succ

North Korea's chief nuclear negotiator arrived in Beijing on Thursday for a possible trip to Sweden for the envisioned denuclearization talks with the United States. The four-member North Korean delegation led by Kim Myong-gil was spotted at Beijing International Capital Airport upon arrival from Pyongyang on an Air Koryo flight.The officials are forecast to leave for the Swedish capital of Stockholm later in the day, as they were confirmed to have reserved Air China tickets bound for the city.

The United States plans to offer a 36-month suspension of some sanctions on North Korea in exchange for shutting down the Yongbyon nuclear facility, according to a report by US online media Vox on Wednesday.The proposal is reportedly being considered for discussions between both countries when they meet for working-level talks this weekend.Vox also reported that US President Donald Trump promised North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during their meeting at Panmunjom in June that he would sign a decla

North Korea failed to give prior notice to the international maritime body ahead of testing a mid-range submarine-launched ballistic missile this week, the Voice of America reported Thursday.On Wednesday, North Korea fired what it claimed as the "new-type SLBM Pukguksong-3" SLBM in waters off its eastern coast town of Wonsan, according to the North's Korean Central News Agency. The missile flew around 450 kilometers at a maximum altitude of about 910 km, according to Seoul's Joint Chie

North Korea said Thursday that it has successfully test-fired a new-type submarine-launched ballistic missile, boasting that the success "ushered in a new phase" in its self-defense capabilities just two days before resuming nuclear talks with the United States.The North's Academy of Defence Science succeeded in test-firing the "new-type SLBM Pukguksong-3" in the waters off Wonsan Bay of the East Sea on Wednesday morning, the Korean Central News Agency said, adding that the m

Missile launch comes barely 13 hours after announcement of US-North Korea working-level talks later this week

The US and North Korea have finally confirmed they will resume nuclear diplomacy within days. The big question is whether the two sides will come to the negotiating table with acceptable new proposals to make progress in the denuclearization process that has stalled due to differences in their positions. On Tuesday, North Korea disclosed the date for the working-level dialogue, which was supposed to take place in mid-July. US State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus later confirmed the talks,

North Korea appears to have appointed a new head of its foreign ministry's North American affairs department, according to the Russian mission in Pyongyang on Wednesday, as the North is set to resume denuclearization talks with the United States this weekend. Jo Chol-su's appointment was made known in a Facebook post by the Russian embassy as it reported Jo's meeting with Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexander Matsegora, where Jo was referred to as the "Director-General of the North Am

Preparations for the Korea-ASEAN Commemorative Summit are being made with the possibility of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s attendance in mind, a former aide to President Moon Jae-in said Wednesday. Tak Hyun-min, a former official with the presidential protocol office who currently serves as an adviser for the planning of presidential events, said in a radio interview that Kim’s possible attendance is being factored into the preparations.  Tak also said that if Kim attends th

North Korea's official newspaper blamed South Korea's "betrayal behaviors" for the current stalemate in inter-Korean relations, urging Seoul to "return to basics" and respect the spirit of last year's summit agreements.The criticism came a day after North Korea said that Pyongyang and Washington agreed to resume working-level talks after months of impasse following their February summit, raising cautious hopes that progress in the upcoming talks could help the stalled inter-K