Ball is in N. Korea's court, but how it is going to respond is uncertain

North Korea has yet to respond to US outreach regarding the safety and whereabouts of a US service member who crossed the inter-Korean border into the reclusive country this week, a state department spokesperson said Wednesday. The American soldier, identified as Pvt. 2nd Class Travis King, crossed the military demarcation line at the Joint Security Area in the Demilitarized Zone on Tuesday. "Yesterday, the Pentagon reached out to counterparts in the Korean People's Army," state

North Korea stole a total of US$700 million worth of cryptocurrency last year, equivalent to the money that would enable the country to fire 30 intercontinental ballistic missiles, South Korea's state intelligence agency said Wednesday. "We've confirmed that North Korea took $700 million in virtual assets in two separate incidents last year," said a senior official from the National Intelligence Service (NIS), adding that Pyongyang has failed to monetize them yet. North Kor

The defection of a US soldier to North Korea has brought forth significant questions about the means and motives behind his crossing of the inter-Korean border within the Joint Security Area in the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that divides the two Koreas. The soldier, identified by the US Army as Travis King, holds the rank of Private Second Class and has been serving in the army since 2021. But it appears that King warrants additional attention from the US Forces Korea, as he face

The United States is currently focused on dealing with the threat posed by North Korea's nuclear and missile development programs instead of formally ending the 1950-53 Korean War with a peace treaty, a senior state department official said Tuesday. Daniel Kritenbrink, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, also insisted that the U.S. should focus on demonstrating its strong commitment to the defense of South Korea and Japan rather than signing a peace treaty with

Lee Seo-hyun grew up as a proud North Korean elite, always thinking about what she could do to help make her country a better place. That was until she saw North Korean agents abruptly take her best friend and roommate Su-jeong away from their school dormitory in Beijing in December 2013. A text message from Su-jeong that she would not be able to come back and that she was throwing away her phone at a highway rest stop was the last she heard from her. Lee later learned that Su-jeong’s fath

The powerful sister of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un warned Monday that it would be "delusional" for the United States to believe that Pyongyang's disarmament was possible. Kim Yo-jong criticized Washington's policies of strengthening its extended deterrence and military alliance with South Korea, stating that such actions would only make it difficult for Pyongyang to engage in dialogue, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency. "The US is being delusiona

JAKARTA -- The top diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan held three-way talks Friday in Indonesia to discuss ways to deal with North Korea's evolving threats highlighted by this week's test-firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile. South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin and his US and Japanese counterparts, Antony Blinken and Yoshimasa Hayashi, respectively, were visiting Jakarta to attend the annual regional meetings led by the Association of Southeast Asian N

The powerful sister of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Friday condemned the United Nations Security Council for holding a meeting over the North's latest firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile, calling it a "rightful" exercise of self-defense. Kim Yo-jong expressed "great displeasure" at the UNSC, as its members met Thursday (New York time) to discuss the North's launch of a Hwasong-18 solid-fuel ICBM the previous day. She said the ICBM launch serv

The top diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan are scheduled to hold three-way talks Friday to discuss ways to deal with North Korea's evolving threats highlighted by this week's test-firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile, according to Seoul's foreign ministry. South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin and his US and Japanese counterparts, Antony Blinken and Yoshimasa Hayashi, respectively, were visiting Jakarta to attend annual regional meetings led by the A

South Korea on Friday imposed unilateral sanctions on four North Korean individuals and three entities in response to Pyongyang's launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile earlier this week, Seoul's foreign ministry said. The move came two days after North Korea test-fired a Hwasong-18 solid-fuel ICBM under the guidance of leader Kim Jong-un despite international condemnation over its recent missile launches. "In response to North Korea's long-range ballistic missile la

South Korea and the United States conducted combined air drills, involving at least one US B-52H strategic bomber, over the Korean Peninsula on Thursday, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, a day after North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile. The North's state media has confirmed the country fired a solid-fuel Hwasong-18 ICBM on Wednesday, raising tensions already heightened by the North's accusations earlier this week claiming US military spy aircraft "intrud

A new North Korean smartphone bearing a resemblance to Samsung smartphones called the Samtaesong 8 was recently featured on the North's state-run Korean Central Television. The phone made its first appearance in a program that promoted the proper and safe usage of smartphones. According to the North's Korean dictionary, "samtaesong" refers to the "three bright stars" - North Korean founder Kim Il-sung, his wife Kim Jong-suk and his son Kim Jong-il - of their alleged

While admitting to launching the newly developed Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile, North Korea on Thursday said the latest missile test the day before was carried out to convey a "strong practical warning" to its adversaries. The Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea made the "strategic judgment and crucial decision" to conduct on Wednesday the second test-firing of the Hwasong-18 solid-fuel ICBM, according to North Korean state-r

White House Indo-Pacific Coordinator Kurt Campbell gave an emergency security briefing to a delegation of South Korea's ruling People Power Party in Washington after North Korea's latest long-range missile launch, lawmakers said. On Wednesday, Pyongyang fired a Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile into the East Sea, the first launch in about three months, demonstrating significant progress in its pursuit of long-range nuclear missiles capable of reaching the United