North Korea on Wednesday accused US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other officials of "antagonism" toward Pyongyang, claiming they are preventing improvement in relations between the two sides and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. A spokesperson for the North's foreign ministry also warned that more sanctions on the communist nation would be an "outright challenge" to the joint statement signed by their leaders in Singapore last year, the Korean Central News Agenc

North Korea's official newspaper urged its citizens Wednesday to use domestically produced goods, rather than imports, to build a "self-reliant economy" in the face of global sanctions."To sort out problems arising in the process of economic development and make the sanction scheme of our enemies bear no fruit, it would be critical to boost a self-reliant economy," the Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the North's ruling party, said in an article. "One of important methods to

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un "at some point," further casting doubt on a possible summit during his trip to the peninsula this week.Trump will visit Seoul on Saturday and Sunday after attending a Group of 20 summit in Japan, prompting speculation that a Trump-Kim meeting could be arranged at the inter-Korean border.The last time they met was for their second summit in Vietnam in February. Both men walked away without a deal du

US President Donald Trump has said that his recent letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was a "thank you" note for wishing him a happy birthday.In an interview with The Hill on Monday, Trump was asked to share the details of Kim's letter to him earlier this month."Well, it was a very nice letter. It was actually a 'happy birthday' letter, if you want to know the truth," said the president, who turned 73 on June 14. "It was my birthday. He sent me a beautiful letter

A North Korean state newspaper on Tuesday reiterated Pyongyang's "firm" will for lasting peace on the peninsula and called on South Korea and the United States to thoroughly enforce joint declarations aimed at enhancing bilateral ties.The Minju Chosun, the daily of the North's Cabinet, carried an editorial titled "Let's safeguard peace and security of the Korean Peninsula," as the country marks the 69th anniversary of the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War."The firm conv

US President Donald Trump has no plans to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his trip to South Korea, a White House official confirmed Monday. In response to questions from the media about the possibility of Trump meeting Kim later this week, a senior White House official said “there are no plans for the meeting that you just mentioned,” adding that the purpose of the trip is for Trump to meet South Korean President Moon Jae-in.  The answer from the White House echoes t

Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, appears to have been promoted to a leadership role, South Korea's spy agency said Tuesday.The status of Kim Yong-chol, who served as a chief negotiator in nuclear talks with the United States, also seems to have fallen, following the no-deal summit between the North's leader and US President Donald Trump, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) said in a closed-door briefing to lawmakers. Kim Yo-jong, who has assumed the No. 2 post of the r

The US intelligence community does not believe North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is ready to denuclearize, US Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lieutenant General Robert Ashley told Fox News in an interviewon Monday. A summit in February between Kim and President Donald Trump collapsed when the two leaders were unable to bridge differences between US demands for denuclearization and North Korean demands for sanctions relief.   "We still continue to assess within the IC (inte

US President Donald Trump has no plans to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his trip to South Korea later this week, a senior US administration official said Monday.Trump will visit Seoul on Saturday and Sunday after attending a Group of 20 summit in Japan, prompting speculation that a Trump-Kim meeting could be arranged at the inter-Korean border."There are no plans for the meeting that you just mentioned," the official told reporters on background in a phone call."

US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun will arrive in Seoul this Thursday for  talks with his South Korean counterpart and other officials, days before the planned visit to Seoul by US President Donald Trump, diplomatic sources said Monday.    Officials in Seoul and Washington are at the final stage of making arrangements for the nuclear envoy to visit Seoul from that day, according to the sources familiar with the matter. He last visited Seoul in May. 

Positive signals sent back and forth between the US and North Korea are feeding hopes for a swift resumption of nuclear negotiations that have been at a standstill since the last summit between the two countries ended without results in late February. Within the past two weeks, US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un each disclosed that they had received letters from each other, with both expressing satisfaction and hinting that the letters might be a sign of positive devel

North Korea raked in more than $120 million a year from a symbolic cross-border industrial zone that Pyongyang and Seoul are pushing to re-open as part of nuclear negotiations, a report said Monday.The Kaesong Industrial Complex -- where around 55,000 North Korean workers churned out products ranging from watches to clothes for some 125 South Korean companies -- was one of the most visible signs of reconciliation that followed the first inter-Korean summit in 2000. But it was shuttered by the So

The government is taking administrative steps necessary to carry out its decision to send food aid to North Korea, with a view to completing the procedures by the end of this week, a unification ministry official said Monday.Last week, the ministry announced the plan to send 50,000 tons of rice in aid to the North via the World Food Programme (WFP) to help the impoverished state address worsening food shortages. The WFP will spearhead its shipment to North Korea, along with its distribution and

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said there may be a "very real possibility" of Washington and Pyongyang resuming their working-level nuclear talks, after their leaders have exchanged personal letters.According to the State Department, Pompeo also said in his remarks to the press on Sunday (Washington time) that the United States is prepared to engage in dialogue with the North at a "moment's notice" should the North indicate it is ready.The remarks came hours after

US President Donald Trump is likely to visit the Demilitarized Zone between South and North Korea during his planned state visit to Seoul later this week, Japanese media reported Sunday. Following a summit with President Moon Jae-in at Cheong Wa Dae on Sunday, Trump is expected to travel to the zone about 50 kilometers north of Seoul by helicopter. The DMZ has divided the country since the Korean War was halted in an armistice in 1953. The US president will pay a two-day state visit to the South