Vice Unification Minister Suh Ho visited the inter-Korean liaison office in North Korea's border town of Kaesong on Friday for the first time since his appointment.Suh was appointed last week as the South Korean chief of the office. He replaced Chun Hae-sung last month as vice unification minister, who also serves as Seoul's liaison office chief.Suh crossed the western land border into the North earlier in the day and returned home in the afternoon after meeting the South Korean staff and figuri

The United States pursues a one-time solution to get North Korea to eliminate its nuclear arsenal, Christopher Ashley Ford, assistant secretary of state for international security and non-proliferation, said Tuesday, in a stark contrast to the incremental approach that Pyongyang has been pushing for. “It may be that a one-time solution set can sometimes be generated within the nonproliferation enterprise itself. This is, after all, exactly what the United States aims to achieve with North

The US State Department said Wednesday that it is ready to hold working-level talks with North Korea on relinquishing its nuclear arsenal after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent a letter to US President Donald Trump, the first direct contact between the two leaders in months. During a press briefing, US State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus reaffirmed that the country is seeking to achieve lasting peace and the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.“Here at the State D

President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday expressed hopes on meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in the coming weeks, further fueling speculation surrounding inter-Korean and US-North Korea dialogue. “I am prepared to meet Chairman Kim at any time. In the end, whether we meet, or setting the time of the meeting, is down to Chairman Kim’s choice,” Moon said at the Oslo Forum on Wednesday. “President Trump is visiting Korea at the end of June, and if possible, meeting Chairman

South and North Korea will not hold a meeting of their liaison office chiefs this week, though the vice unification minister plans to travel to the office in the North's border town of Kaesong for the first time since his appointment, a ministry official said Thursday.Vice Unification Minister Suh Ho was appointed last week as the South Korean chief of the liaison office in Kaesong. The appointment came after he replaced Chun Hae-sung last month as vice unification minister, who also serves as S

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday refuted allegations that he committed to not spying on North Korea.The question was raised after Trump said Tuesday that he would not have let the slain half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un work as a source for the US Central Intelligence Agency, as alleged in recent reports."No, it's not what I meant," Trump said at a joint press conference with the Polish president, when asked whether he was committing to not spying on North Korea. &q

The US State Department said Wednesday it is ready to continue working-level denuclearization talks with North Korea as the countries mark one year since their historic first summit in Singapore.At a press briefing, department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said US policy over the past year has centered on transforming bilateral relations."We're looking, of course, to build a lasting peace. We're looking for complete denuclearization," she said. "The president, as obvious by his state

South Korean President Moon Jae-in expressed hope Wednesday that he will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ahead of US President Donald Trump's visit to the peninsula at the end of this month.   Speaking at the Oslo Forum in the Norwegian capital, Moon also emphasized the urgency of Pyongyang and Washington resuming formal dialogue.Trump is scheduled to attend the two-day G-20 summit to open in Osaka, Japan, on June 28. He plans to travel to South Korea as well during the upcom

US President Donald Trump’s comments regarding a personal letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un are fanning speculations that US-North Korea dialogue may resume. On Tuesday, Trump revealed that he had received a letter from Kim the previous day and that he expects positive developments between the two countries. “I just received a beautiful letter from Kim Jong-un,” Trump said, describing the letter as “very personal, very warm, very nice.”“I think

Recalling the first historic summit between leaders of the US and North Korea a year ago, Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul said Wednesday that the government sees this month as a critical period in making progress in the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. “Today is the first anniversary of the historic Singapore summit … the second US-North Korea summit was held in Hanoi in late February, and we are expecting the third one to come soon,” Kim said during a meeting betw

North Korea sent a condolence message and flowers for former first lady Lee Hee-ho who died Monday night, the Unification Ministry said Wednesday. Kim Yo-jong, the younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and First Vice Director of Workers’ Party of Korea, delivered a written message in her brother’s name, for the funeral of Lee, who is known for her own efforts as well as support for the peace and inter-Korean reconciliation efforts of her husband -- former President Kim Da

The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will deliver a condolence message and flowers to South Korea at the border village of Panmunjom on Wednesday over the death of former South Korean first lady Lee Hee-ho, the unification ministry said.The North informed the South through their joint liaison office in the North's border city of Kaesong that the leader's younger sister, Kim Yo-jong, will deliver the message and flowers at the North Korean side of Panmunjom at 5 p.m., the ministry said.

North Korea's official newspaper confirmed an outbreak of African swine fever in the country on Wednesday, its first acknowledgment of the disease since Pyongyang reported a case to an international organization last month, saying nationwide efforts are under way to prevent its spreading."Emergency preventive efforts are actively underway across the country to stem the spread of African swine fever, a highly contagious virus," the Rodong Sinmun said in an article, adding that relevant

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he has received a "beautiful" and "very warm" letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.Trump told reporters at the White House that he received the letter on Monday, the first known correspondence of its kind since the two men's summit in Vietnam in February ended without a deal."I just received a beautiful letter from Kim Jong-un," Trump said. "It was a very personal, very warm, very nice letter. I appreciate it."

Maintaining sanctions against North Korea is necessary to get it back to the negotiation table, a former US ambassador to Seoul has said, stressing the need for working-level talks to learn exactly what Pyongyang is willing to trade for sanctions relief.Negotiations on North Korea's nuclear programs have been stalled since February, when the second summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Hanoi broke down due to their failure to narrow gaps over the scope o