Chinese President Xi Jinping was to pay a visit Friday to a monument in Pyongyang symbolizing the friendship between the two countries on the second and last day of a state visit to the neighboring ally. After a visit to the Friendship Tower commemorating China's participation in the Korean War in support of the North, Xi is expected to have a lunch meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un before heading home later in the day.The two leaders held summit talks on Thursday, at which Xi said Ch

The United States on Thursday designated North Korea as one of the worst human trafficking nations for the 17th consecutive year.The State Department's annual Trafficking in Persons Report placed North Korea among the lowest Tier 3 countries, along with China, Iran and Russia, among others. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called out the regime for its use of forced labor."In North Korea, the government subjects its own citizens to forced labor both at home and abroad and then uses proceed

Kim tells Xi he hopes talks with US will bear fruit

A former unification minister called for government action Thursday, as he raised concerns that the denuclearization talks may be expanded to a four-way dialogue that includes China in addition to the two Koreas and the US.Former Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun made the statement during a conference at the National Assembly, saying Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Pyongyang attested to China’s intentions to play a bigger role in the denuclearization talks.  &ldqu

The number of Chinese people visiting North Korea has seen a huge surge recently, especially since Chinese President Xi Jinping announced Tuesday his first official visit to Pyongyang.Several images and videos of Chinese tourists taken in North Korea were revealed through social media Thursday, coinciding with Xi’s arrival.  By Choi Ji-won (jwc@heraldcorp.com)

The US Treasury Department slapped sanctions on a Russian financial company Wednesday for allegedly assisting North Korea evade sanctions, while Washington’s top nuclear negotiator called for dialogue with Pyongyang with no conditions attached. The Russian Financial Society is accused of opening multiple bank accounts since at least 2017 on behalf of Dandong Zhongsheng Industry & Trade, a company owned and controlled by the North Korean Foreign Trade Bank, Pyongyang’s primary for

North Korea is drawing up a new plan for its third summit with the United States, a Korean newspaper quoted a former NK diplomat as saying on Thursday. The two-day summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un that begins Thursday signals that Pyongyang has chosen China over South Korea as a mediator for denuclearization talks with the US, Thae Yong-ho, a former deputy North Korean ambassador to the UK, said in an interview with Dong-A Ilbo, a South Korean daily

PYONGYANG (AFP) -- Xi Jinping arrived in Pyongyang Thursday for a two-day state visit, the first by a Chinese president in 14 years, according to Chinese state media.Xi, who is accompanied by his wife Peng Liyuan, Foreign Minister Wang Yi and other officials, landed at 11:40 am local time (0240 GMT), according to China's CCTV broadcaster. (AFP)

Chinese President Xi Jinping left for North Korea on Thursday, in a high-profile trip likely to highlight the countries' traditional alliance amid escalating Sino-US competition on trade and other tricky geopolitical fronts.It marks the first trip to the North by a Chinese head of state in 14 years and the fifth since Beijing and Pyongyang established diplomatic relations in 1949. Then Chinese President Hu Jintao visited Pyongyang in October 2005.Xi's two-day state visit to the communist ally ha

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday voiced support for North Korea and its approach to denuclearization, fanning speculation that Beijing will take a more direct hand in North Korean issues. In an op-ed piece published in North Korea’s official newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, Wednesday -- a day before he begins a state visit to North Korea -- Xi highlighted China’s support for Pyongyang. “We will actively contribute to peace and security, development and prosperity of the

Experts suggest China could use nuclear issue as leverage to resolve trade war with US

A North Korean propaganda media outlet carried a report on South Korea's Cannes-winning film, "Parasite," on Tuesday, saying the movie shows that the South's society is seriously ill with the cancerous problem of the rich-poor gap.The article in DPRK Today, one of the North's propaganda websites, marks the first time that a North Korean state media outlet has mentioned the winner of the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival. It is rare for a North Korean media outlet to report

The US is in contact with North Korea in various ways, South Korea’s chief nuclear negotiator Lee Do-hoon said Tuesday, raising hopes for the resumption of stalled nuclear talks between the two countries. “I believe various forms of contact are being made. I can tell you that we’re going in the direction where we can revive the momentum for dialogue,” he told reporters at Incheon Airport before boarding a plane bound for Washington. US President Donald Trump has hint

South Korea's presidential office publicly toned down its expectations for another inter-Korean summit Tuesday, a day after Beijing and Pyongyang announced this week's bilateral summit.Attending the Oslo Forum in the Norwegian capital last week, President Moon Jae-in expressed his desire to meet again with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un before US President Donald Trump visits South Korea at the end of June. Trump is due in Northeast Asia to attend the Group of 20 summit to take place in Osaka,

INCHEON -- Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said Tuesday there are "good signs" pointing to a resumption of denuclearization talks between the United States and North Korea. "I think there are good signs," she told reporters at the airport upon returning from Moscow, when asked if there are any fresh moves to restart the stalled nuclear talks. She didn't elaborate on what those good signs are.Kang returned from a two-day trip to Russia, where she held talks with her counterpar