More than 200 South Koreans have been issued government certificates showing state authorization of their previous trips to North Korea, the unification ministry said Thursday, after the United States tightened visa requirements for those with records of trips to the communist nation. The U.S. enforced a new visa rule last month, under which those with records of visits to the North since March 2011 are no longer eligible for the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) and must go through an interview and oth

While Pyongyang claims conducting two rounds, pictures suggest possibilities for third round of tests

Hawkish US national security adviser John Bolton’s departure may bring flexibility to the upcoming nuclear talks with North Korea but could undercut efforts to achieve the regime’s complete denuclearization, analysts said Wednesday.US President Donald Trump announced in a surprise tweet Tuesday that he has fired the conservative advisor and that he will name a replacement next week. He cited strong disagreements with many of Bolton‘s foreign policy suggestions.Bolton’s re

North Korea on Tuesday fired two short-range projectiles from its northwestern area toward the East Sea, its 10th launch this year, South Korea’s military said. According to Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, Pyongyang fired the projectiles from Kaechon, South Pyongan Province, at 6:53 a.m. and 7:12 a.m., with one of the projectiles flying 330 kilometers east. The JCS did not provide further details such as the altitude and speed of the projectiles launched, saying it is analyzing the in

North Korea gave the United States its long-awaited response Tuesday on the revival of denuclearization talks, but warned that without any concessions there could be another stalemate. Hours after the announcement, the regime fired two unidentified projectiles toward the East Sea, inviting speculation as to its intentions. The North’s First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui said Monday that the country is willing to have comprehensive discussions with the US in late September at a time an

Vice Unification Minister Suh Ho will make a two-day trip to an inter-Korean liaison office Tuesday on the occasion of the first anniversary of the opening of the office aimed at fostering cross-border exchanges, a ministry official said.Suh will leave for the office in the North's border town of Kaesong later on Tuesday with a plan to stay there until Wednesday, according to the official. It is rare for a vice unification minister, who also serves as a co-head of the office, to spend a night th

Nuclear-armed North Korea said Monday it is willing to resume talks later this month with the United States, after a standstill in the denuclearisation process since the collapse of a February summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un.The pair agreed to restart working-level dialogue during an impromptu meeting at the Demilitarised Zone dividing North and South Korea in June, but those talks have yet to begin."We are willing to sit face-to-face with the US around late September at a time

The United States is aware of reports of North Korea's latest projectile launches and is monitoring the situation with its allies in the region, a senior US government official said Monday. Hours earlier, North Korea twice fired unidentified projectiles into the East Sea, according to South Korea's military.The launches came shortly after the regime offered to resume denuclearization talks with the US in late September."We are aware of reports of projectiles launched from North Korea. We ar

North Korea fired two short-range projectiles from a western region toward the East Sea on Tuesday, South Korea's military said, just hours after the communist nation offered to resume nuclear talks with the United States.The projectiles were fired at 6:53 a.m. and 7:12 a.m. from areas in the city of Kaechon, South Pyongan Province, about 80 kilometers north of the capital, Pyongyang, in a northeastern direction, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.Both flew around 330 km across the peninsula,

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday that the US is hopeful that its nuclear talks with North Korea will resume within days or weeks, while the US Congress and other officials warned that other countries in the region may seek nuclear armament if Pyongyang fails to denuclearize. In an interview with ABC, Pompeo made a fresh call to restart working-level dialogue. Washington has repeated calls for the resumption of dialogue, to which Pyongyang has been lukewarm in responding. US Presiden

Typhoon Lingling has killed at least five people and injured three in North Korea, the North’s official Korean Central News Agency reported Sunday. “Five people have been killed and three others have been injured and are being treated at the hospital according to the data collected by the National Emergency Disaster Committee,” the KCNA said. Some 460 houses and 14 public buildings were "completely or partially destroyed or submerged" by the typhoon. It added tha

Top US officials are urging North Korea to return to talks, stressing that failing to achieve denuclearization of the regime could have wider consequences. On Friday, US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun called on Pyongyang to resume talks with the US as agreed on by the two countries’ leaders.  The North, meanwhile, has been highlighting its close ties to China, and has issued several warnings to South Korea and the US. “At this moment, to achieve further pr

Absence of attention and administrative failure pointed to as cause of the deaths

WASHINGTON -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo acknowledged Friday that North Korea has the right to defend itself and assured Pyongyang of Washington's security guarantees should the regime dismantle its nuclear weapons program.In an interview with KCMO radio in Kansas City, Missouri, Pompeo said the US is committed to continuing denuclearization negotiations with North Korea and hopes the regime will return to the table as agreed during a June meeting between US President Donald Trump and Nor