South Korea and the United States are closely coordinating on all inter-Korean exchanges, including an agreed-upon plan to hold a ceremony to break ground for a railway and road reconnection project before year's end, a unification ministry official said Thursday."Issues related to inter-Korean exchanges are all being discussed," the official told reporters on condition of anonymity when asked if the allies are discussing the details of a groundbreaking ceremony for the project to re-link roads

North Korea has held a state funeral for a former anti-Japanese fighter also long involved in the country's military affairs, Pyongyang's state media reported Thursday.The funeral was held in Pyongyang on Wednesday for Kim Chol-man, who died of an illness at the age of 98 on Monday, according to the Korean Central News Agency and the Rodong Sinmun. (Yonhap)Kim had long been involved in the North's military supplies sector since the era of national founder Kim Il-sung. The former deputy to the Su

North Korea has "significantly" expanded a key long-range missile base, while denuclearization negotiations with the United States have stalled, CNN reported Wednesday, citing new satellite imagery.It's the latest in a series of reports suggesting that North Korea continues to develop its missile programs short of an agreed plan with the US to dismantle them.(Yonhap)The base is identified in a report by the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey as being located in the mountai

Government preparing to hold groundbreaking ceremony to connect inter-Korean roads and railways this month

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service on Wednesday said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s visit to Seoul is dependent on US-North Korea talks.According to the minor conservative opposition Bareunmirae Party’s Rep. Lee Hag-jae, NIS officials also corroborated Cheong Wa Dae’s claims that the dates of Kim’s possible trip to Seoul are undecided, at a parliamentary intelligence committee briefing. National Intelligence Service Director Suh Hoon (center) attends a session with the National

Cheong Wa Dae on Wednesday once again stressed that the dates for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s possible visit to Seoul remain undecided, denying reports of behind-the-scenes negotiations between the two Koreas.“As the president stated, (the dates are) open whether it’s this year or early next year. The important thing is the North’s decision,” President Moon Jae-in’s senior press secretary Yoon Young-chan said.Groups calling for end to North Korean sanctions hold up cutouts of President Moo

　The South Korean government on Wednesday pledged to simplify the process for civilians to enter the restricted border region, as a part of efforts to lift the ban on developing the military-controlled area amid an inter-Korean detente. 　The Ministry of National Defense and the ruling Democratic Party said they will establish an automated identification system by 2022 for those who want to cross the line that restricts civilians from entering the buffer zone near the heavily fortified Demilitari

WASHINGTON -- South Korea and the United States continue to review plans for next year's combined military exercises to avoid hurting disarmament talks with North Korea, a Pentagon official said Tuesday.The allies have suspended or scaled back some major exercises since US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed in June to work toward "complete" denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. (Yonhap)The move is seen as a concession to the North, which denounces the drills as

　North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho has arrived in Syria, Pyongyang’s state media reported Tuesday, where the top diplomat is expected to discuss a potential visit to Pyongyang by the Syrian president.　The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that the North Korean delegation, led by Ri, arrived in the capital city of Damascus on Monday.　The report did not provide further details, including the purpose of the visit. North Korea`s Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho (Yonhap)　His visit to Syria

The significance of a possible visit to Seoul by the North Korean leader lies in laying the foundations for the second US-North Korea summit, rather than with its timing, President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday.Speaking after his meeting with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand in Auckland, Moon said the timing of Kim’s visit was secondary to its purpose. President Moon Jae-in and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand shakes hands at the joint press conference in Auckland, New Zealand

A group of South Korean officials and railway experts will return home this week after completing a joint inspection on the rail line along North Korea's western region, a unification ministry official said Tuesday.A train left for the North on Friday with 28 South Koreans on board to inspect the Gyeongui western railway as part of its 18-day inspection of the rail system in the North.  (Yonhap)The personnel will return home Wednesday after completing a six-day inspection on the western line fro

WASHINGTON -- US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has called North Korea the most urgent threat to the United States as negotiations to dismantle the regime's nuclear weapons program have stalled.Mattis made the remark at the Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, California, Saturday, when asked which of four countries -- North Korea, China, Russia and Iran -- poses the most serious threat to the US"In terms of urgency, North Korea is the problem," he said, according to a transcript released

The presumed birthday of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un remains unmarked in the North's calendars for 2019.The North's 2019 calendars mark Jan. 8, which is presumed to be Kim's birthday, as an ordinary working day, according to the recently-published calendar obtained by Yonhap News Agency. North Korea`s recently published calender for 2019 marks Jan. 8, known to be leader Kim Jong-un`s birthday, as an ordinary working day. (Yonhap)Kim's birthday has not been designated as a holiday since he to

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday highlighted the importance of a proposed visit by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to his country, saying it may help speed up the North's denuclearization process.Moon said the proposed visit may also help ensure greater success in the second US-North Korea summit, expected to be held early next year. (Yonhap)"There is a possibility that Chairman Kim Jong-un's Seoul visit may be made within the year," the president said in a joint press conference, w

The United States can help break the impasse in denuclearization talks with North Korea without sanctions relief if it allows humanitarian businesses in the communist nation to go forward, a special adviser to President Moon Jae-in said Monday.   Moon Chung-in, a special presidential adviser for unification, foreign and security affairs, made the remark during a lecture in Seoul, reiterating President Moon's earlier remark that rewards for the North's denuclearization steps do not necessarily ha