North Korea appears to be replacing its top envoy in Vietnam over a month after the breakdown of February‘s summit between leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump in Hanoi.Kim Myong-gil, the country’s ambassador to Vietnam, made a farewell visit to Vietnamese Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh on Friday, according to the Korean Central News Agency.(Yonhap)In her meeting with the outgoing ambassador, the vice president emphasized 70 years of friendly and cooperative relations between Vie

Some 1,000 foreigners participated in an international marathon in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, on Sunday amid eased tensions on the peninsula, the country's official news outlet and foreign media reported.According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), foreign runners joined the Mangyongdae Prize International Marathon to celebrate the birthday of Kim Il-sung, the late grandfather of the country's current leader Kim Jong-un, which falls on April 15.Foreign runners have been allowe

A North Korean propaganda website criticized Seoul's deployment of stealth fighter jets on Sunday, warning that such a provocative act could jeopardize the peace mood on the Korean Peninsula.   Late last month, South Korea received two U.S.-made F-35A fighter jets, although the date for their full operational deployment has yet to be decided.   A total of 10 F-35A fighters, manufactured by the U.S. defense firm Lockheed Martin, are set to arrive in South Korea by the end of this year. In 2014, S

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday (US time) that his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un remains “very good,” conveying his hopes of drawing Kim back to the negotiation table.His remarks come amid a stalemate between the two countries following the breakdown of the two leaders’ second summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, in late February. The deal breakers concerned denuclearization and economic sanctions.“We’re getting along with North Korea. We’ll see how it works out, but we have

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has made his second inspection of the construction site of the Wonsan-Kalma tourist area on the east coast in five months, state media said Saturday.The visit marked his second "field guidance" of economy-related facilities this year following the breakdown of the Hanoi summit between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump.Kim stressed large-scale construction like the tourist zone should "never be carried out in a slipshod manner," according to the Korean Central Ne

A major hotel in North Korea has reopened its doors after months of renovation in preparation for a possible rise in foreign tourists, the website of a Beijing-based tour agency showed Friday.Yanggakdo International Hotel has carried out a "facelift" since early this year and recently resumed operation, Koryo Tours said in a story and photos posted on its website. (Yonhap)The reopening came as Pyongyang is bracing for a rise in tourists in time for an international marathon event slated for Sund

South Korea will share information with the North about a devastating forest fire that engulfed the country's northeastern regions near the inter-Korean border and will convey the need for possible cooperation, the unification ministry said Friday.The fire that broke out in Goseong, 160 kilometers northeast of Seoul, on Thursday spread quickly to neighboring areas, leaving one dead and thousands displaced. President Moon Jae-in earlier ordered officials to work with the North to put out the fire

Kim’s visit to Samjiyon invites speculation major decision may be imminent

A number of Swedish officials have visited North Korea’s science institution to take part in discussions on renewable energy research, an area of focus for the communist country in recent years, according to the Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang on Monday. “EU visit to the State Academy of Sciences’ Institute for Natural Energy. Discussion on renewable energy research and solar panel production. Presentation of the Unjong Development Zone,” the embassy said on Twitter along with three images showing

A senior Russian minister is visiting Pyongyang amid speculation that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may travel to Russia soon.Choe Pu-il, head of the North’s Ministry of People’s Security, held talks with Russia’s Minister of Internal Affairs Vladimir Kolokoltsev in Pyongyang on Tuesday, the North’s state-run media reported. (Yonhap)The two exchanged views on how to develop the friendly relations between their agencies and issues of mutual interest, the Korea Central News Agency said.The Minis

North Korea continues to ship coal despite sanctions and a South Korean ship has been held at port for nearly six months for suspected involvement in related activities, it was revealed Tuesday. According to Seoul’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a South Korean ship suspected of transferring petroleum products to a North Korean vessel in a ship-to-ship transfer is currently being held in Busan. The South Korean ship suspected of being involved in violating sanctions on North Korea sits at anchor a

A senior Russian official has arrived in North Korea, Pyongyang’s state media reported Tuesday, amid speculation that leader Kim Jong-un might be preparing to visit the neighboring country for his first-ever summit with President Vladimir Putin.“Vladimir Kolokoltsev, minister of Interior of the Russian Federation, and his party arrived here on Monday,” the Korean Central News Agency said. It did not elaborate on why and how long he will stay in Pyongyang. Kim Yong Nam (right) president of the Pr

Self-proclaimed North Korean government-in- exile’s success hinges on whether it can rally people inside the country

South Korean and US national security officials met in Washington on Monday to fine-tune the agenda for the upcoming summit between the two countries. Kim Hyun-chong, the second deputy chief of Cheong Wa Dae’s National Security Office, held talks at the White House with US deputy national security adviser Charles Kupperman. Kim Hyun-chong, the second deputy chief of Cheong Wa Dae’s National Security Office, speaks to reporters in Washington on Saturday. YonhapDuring the meeting, Kim and Kupperma

A top North Korean official returned home on Monday after a visit to Laos where the two nations agreed to bolster their friendly and cooperative relationship, the North's state media reported.Ri Su-yong (in red circle), who is in charge of international affairs at the North's ruling Workers' Party, arrives at Beijing Capital International Airport to return home on Monday. (Yonhap)In a one-sentence dispatch, the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported the arrival of Ri Su-yong, vice ch