Ahead of the inter-Korean summit this week, all eyes are again on the Korean Peninsula, as South Korea, the US and major powers strive to achieve denuclearization. 　If the ongoing negotiations to rid North Korea of nuclear weapons succeeds, it would boost the decades-old campaign to make the world nuclear-free, according to Alyn Ware, global coordinator for Parliamentarians for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament. 　“Here, we have an opportunity in Northeast Asia,” Ware said during an interv

South Korea’s Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung, the first co-head of the inter-Korean liaison office, vowed to contribute to advancing inter-Korean relations through round-the-clock communication with North Korea.  Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung (Yonhap)The inter-Korean liaison office was officially launched in North Korea’s border town of Kaesong on Friday. It is expected to foster direct communication and exchanges between the two Koreas. “In addition to supporting the inter-Ko

President Moon Jae-in will fly across the inter-Korean border into North Korea for a three-day inter-Korean summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un next week, the presidential office said Friday. An advance team will be sent to Pyongyang via a land route on Sunday to prepare for the summit which will be held Tuesday to Thursday. The key events at the summit, from the moment the two leaders meet, will be aired live, according to Cheong Wa Dae. (Yonhap)The announcement comes after officials fr

South and North Korea on Friday opened a joint liaison office in North Korea’s border city of Kaesong ahead of the inter-Korean summit next week as they seek to improve cross-border exchanges and communication. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon and his North Korean counterpart Ri Son-gwon stressed that the direct inter-Korean communication channel could help bring peace and prosperity to the Korean Peninsula. 　“A new chapter in history begins here today, upho

Working-level talks between officials from South and North Korea are underway at the border village of Panmunjom on Friday to hammer out details of an inter-Korean summit planned for next week.Panmumjom (Ock Hyun-ju/The Korea Herald)The preparatory meeting comes four days before South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un are set to sit down for their third meeting in Pyongyang from Tuesday to Thursday.At Friday’s meeting, officials are expected to discuss the size and

The US and allies plan to launch a new effort to expose North Korean violations of sanctions aimed at curbing its nuclear and missile programs, according to a news report Thursday.The new effort will make the public more aware of steps taken by the US and its allies to enforce the UN sanctions against North Korea, particularly the monitoring of ships illicitly transferring refined petroleum to North Korean oil tankers in the East China Sea, CNN reported, citing two defense officials.  (AP)The UN

With prospects of a second summit between North Korea and the US cautiously growing, the leaders of the two countries would likely sit down for talks in a third country by October, if the meeting takes place, analysts say. Foreign policy experts interviewed by The Korea Herald all said that the summit is likely to take place by mid-October, as both North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump would like to use the meeting to appeal to their domestic audiences. 　Trump, who is emb

The US special envoy on North Korea said Tuesday that South Korea and the US need to make the most of the opportunity to achieve denuclearization amid growing momentum for a breakthrough in stalled denuclearization talks. “We have some hard work to do,” Stephen Biegun, special representative for North Korea, said in an opening speech during a meeting with his counterpart Lee Do-hoon. “But we also have a tremendous opportunity created by President Donald Trump and by President Moon Jae-in and by

The US special envoy on North Korea began his three-day trip to Seoul on Monday to meet his counterparts here amid growing momentum for a breakthrough in stalled denuclearization talks. 　In his first visit to Seoul since his appointment last month, Stephen Biegun, special representative for North Korea, met with his counterpart Lee Do-hoon to be briefed on South Korean special envoys’ recent trip to Pyongyang and to discuss ways to achieve denuclearization.  Stephen Biegun (Yonhap)　　After arrivi

The US State Department appears to have boosted a lineup of senior officials handling North Korea affairs amid stalled denuclearization talks, which experts say is a sign of Washington’s willingness to resolve the nuclear standoff. 　The US has filled the posts needed to conduct negotiations with North Korea -- US ambassador to South Korea and US special representative for North Korea -- and reportedly created the role of deputy assistant secretary for North Korea. 　　 (Yonhap)Marc Knapper, who un

North Korea on Tuesday lashed out at the US for standing in the way of the two Koreas’ efforts to improve inter-Korean relations, a day before South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s special envoy is set to travel to Pyongyang. 　The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, carried a commentary titled “Blocking North Korea-South Korea relations is blocking the US’ own road ahead.” It called upon South Korea to pursue inter-Korean projects without being i

A key mission for South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s special envoy to Pyongyang is to salvage stalled denuclearization talks between North Korea and the US by persuading North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to take bolder steps to denuclearize, experts say. Headed by Moon’s national security adviser Chung Eui-yong, the five-member delegation will travel to Pyongyang on Wednesday for a one-day trip to set the date and agenda for the inter-Korean summit planned for this month, according to the presid

South Korean President Moon Jae-in named his national security adviser Chung Eui-yong as a special envoy to lead a delegation on a one-day trip to North Korea on Wednesday, the presidential office said Sunday. 　The delegation’s visit to Pyongyang comes as Moon is set to hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un this month amid a deadlock in denuclearization talks between North Korea and the US.  Led by Chung, the five-member delegation includes Suh Hoon, chief of the National Intelligen

It was two-for-five. South Korea bagged two gold and three silver medals in judo at the 18th Asian Games on Friday.  (Yonhap)Five South Korean judokas reached the final in their weight divisions, but Gwak Dong-han in the men's under-90 kilogram class and Kim Sung-min in the men's over-100 kilogram division were the only ones smiling in the end at Jakarta Convention Center Plenary Hall in Jakarta. Gwak delivered South Korea's first judo gold of the day after beating Altanbagana Gantulga of Mongol

South Korea won bronze in women's football at the 18th Asian Games on Friday. (Yonhap)The Taeguk Ladies beat Chinese Taipei 4-0 at Gelora Sriwijaya Stadium in Palembang, Indonesia, the co-host city of the Asian Games with Jakarta, to take third place in the women's football competition.  It was South Korea's third straight bronze at the Asian Games. The women's team also finished third at Guangzhou 2010 and Incheon 2014. South Korea have yet to play in a final of the Asiad women's football compe