Seoul’s Ministry of Unification on Tuesday declined to confirm media reports claiming that the South has asked the North to grant diplomatic immunity to South Korean officials to be stationed in the joint liaison office in North Korea. The two Koreas reaffirmed at high-level talks held Friday a plan to open a liaison office in the North’s border city of Kaesong “at an early date.” The talks aimed to hammer out details in implementing agreements reached at the April 27 inter-Korean summit.  Kaeso

The two Koreas on Friday agreed to hold military and Red Cross talks this month and open a liaison office in the North Korean border city of Kaesong, according to a joint statement released by the South’s Ministry of Unification.The statement came as a result of the high-level meeting held the same day at the truce village of Panmunjeom at the border. The talks aimed to bring about the swift implementation of agreements reached at the summit on April 27. Both sides will continue to cooperate in

North Korea’s former spymaster Kim Yong-chol and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met in New York on Wednesday as the two countries continued to engage in multi-channel dialogues across continents to arrange a summit meeting. In addition to the New York meeting, US and North Korean officials have been in talks in the Demilitarized Zone between the two Koreas, and in Singapore for the possible summit between their leaders on June 12. This handout photograph obtained courtesy of the US Department

Pyongyang’s growing calls for the repatriation of former North Korean restaurant workers who came to South Korea in 2016 may be an obstacle for Seoul at high-level talks Friday, experts said. North Korea on Tuesday said a decision to send back the defectors would prove the South Korean government’s “sincerity” toward sustained development of inter-Korean ties and peace on the peninsula. The announcement followed the same demand made by the North’s Red Cross Society on May 19. On the North’s rece

Expectations for the revival of the inter-Korean celebration of the June 15 South-North Joint Declaration is rising, with the two Koreas set to hold the stalled high-level talks. The June 15 Declaration was announced after the first-ever inter-Korean summit held in 2000. The declaration marked an unprecedented thaw on the peninsula after the 1950-53 Korean War, and was celebrated annually through jointly organized events until 2008.  (Yonhap)Despite having been discontinued for nearly a decade,

The two Koreas agreed to hold high-level talks this week, signaling a revival of cross-border projects. The first round of high-level talks to implement agreements reached at the inter-Korean summit on April 27 will take place Friday, according to Seoul. The announcement came as a result of a surprise meeting between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Saturday, when they reaffirmed the swift implementation of the agreements. (Yonhap)The ministerial level me

United States President Donald Trump’s cancellation of a planned summit with North Korea is likely to deal a heavy blow to inter-Korean ties, which have already been strained over the North’s recent belligerent rhetoric.Trump on Thursday called off what was expected to be an unprecedented summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un scheduled for next month, citing the North’s “open hostility.” The surprise announcement apparently shook the Moon Jae-in administration, prompting it to convene a cr

North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-kwan on Friday said that his country is willing to talk with the US anytime. (Yonhap)He also said that US President Donald Trump’s decision to call off the summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in June does not meet the world’s desire.(khnews@heraldcorp.com)

North Korea destroyed its Punggye-ri test site in front of international journalists Thursday, pool reports said, in what Seoul officials said appears to be a step toward denuclearization ahead of a planned summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in June. (Source: Joint Press Corps)The North dynamited the northern underground tunnel in Punggye-ri, a northeastern remote area, around 11 a.m., according to a brief pool report.The western and southern tunnels wer

North Korea on Thursday renewed its threats against the US, saying it would reconsider the scheduled summit between their leaders next month based on US decision and behavior. “Whether the US will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown is entirely dependent upon the decision and behavior of the United States,” Choe Son-hui, North Korea‘s vice foreign minister, said in a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency. Choe threatened to make a sugg

US President Donald Trump’s indication of some flexibility in the timetable for dismantling North Korea’s nuclear program is fueling speculations that a “Trump model” of denuclearization might be taking shape. In his meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Washington, Trump noted that “all- in-one would be nice” in North Korean denuclearization, but hinted at some leeway on the matter.  North Korea test-launched the Hwasong-15 missile in November 2017. (KCNA-Yonhap)“I don’t think I wa

Top diplomats of China and Japan will visit Washington on Wednesday, media outlets reported Tuesday, ahead of a US-North Korea summit in June.  Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi greets North Korean officials in Pyongyang on May 2. (Yonhap)Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will discuss issues concerning both the US and China with US ranking officials in Washington on Wednesday, a local media outlet reported, citing an unnamed source. North Korea’s denuclearization, which is the main agenda item of

Signs that North Korea is preparing for the scheduled dismantlement of its key nuclear test site this week are growing, amid lingering doubts over whether the actual decommissioning will take place. Satellite imagery from May 15 shows North Korea making necessary preparations, such as building an observational stand for visitors for the dismantling of its Punggye-ri test site, according to 38 North, a US website monitoring the North, on Sunday.  (Yonhap)North Korea said last month that it would

Amid a mood for a thaw on the Korean Peninsula, complications surrounding the arrival of 12 North Korean restaurant workers in 2016 are emerging as an obstacle to inter-Korean ties. Two years ago, when inter-Korean relations were icy, 12 female North Korean defectors made headlines as they arrived in Seoul wearing masks that covered their nose and mouth, and colorful jackets. This file photo provided by the Ministry of Unification shows North Korean restaurant workers arriving in South Korea in

North Korea’s sudden postponement of talks with South Korea is raising concerns over planned inter-Korean projects and questions over whether Pyongyang will agree to another meeting. The two Koreas initially agreed to hold a ministerial-level early Wednesday, but Pyongyang indefinitely postponed the talks, taking issue with the ongoing South Korea-US military exercise. Families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War say goodbye to each other after a reunion held in 2015. (Joint Press Corps)The matt