Tag Archives: Korea
North Korea releases South Korean after illegal border crossing
North Korea released a South Korean who illegally crossed the border into the North, South Korea’s Unification Ministry said on Tuesday, as relations between the two sides show a steady thaw. A 60-year-old man who entered North Korea last month was repatriated through the truce village of Panmunjom in the demilitarized zone, the ministry said. All South Korean nationals are required to seek approval from the ministry before contacting North Koreans or traveling to the North. The ministry said it was investigating how and why the man reached the North, thanking Pyongyang for returning him “from a humanitarian standpoint”.
North and South Korea agree railway ceremony next month
The two Koreas will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the reconnection of their railways and roads as early as next month, they agreed Monday, as Seoul pursues an approach to the nuclear-armed North increasingly diverging from the US. “The South and North agreed to hold the groundbreaking ceremony for the connection and modernisation of the east and west coast rail and road in late November or early December,” read a joint statement issued after the meeting. Monday’s talks marked the second meeting between South Korean unification minister Cho Myoung-gyon and his North Korean counterpart Ri Son Gwon since President Moon Jae-in met with Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang last month.
France says it could help North Korea denuclearize if it sees real commitment
France, a nuclear power and permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, is not directly involved in talks between North Korea, South Korea and the United States to work toward the region’s denuclearization. “We are waiting for precise commitments from Pyongyang to demonstrate its real desire to engage in a dismantlement of its nuclear and ballistic programs,” Macron told a news conference alongside his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in. “We are ready to put forward our expertise and play an active role if a negotiation process is started.” North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump pledged at a landmark summit in Singapore in June to work toward denuclearization.
Pope visit to North Korea feasible if well prepared, South Korean bishop says
The bishop, Lazarus You Heung-sik of Daejeon, spoke ahead of a meeting next week in the Vatican between Francis and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who will be carrying an invitation from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to visit Pyongyang. “If the pope goes there, it will be a gigantic step, a qualitative step for the Korean peninsula, for its pacification,” said You, who was in Rome for a meeting of bishops from around the world known as a synod. “North Korea could enter the world community as a normal country.
Kim Jong-un's invitation for Pope Francis to visit North Korea condemned as propaganda stunt
South Korea says Pompeo complained about inter-Korean military pact
The deal was sealed by South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during their third summit in Pyongyang on Sept. 18-20. During an annual parliamentary audit on Wednesday, an opposition party lawmaker asked Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha if Pompeo had complained about the agreement during a phone call reported earlier by Japan’s Nikkei newspaper. While maintaining that it remains in lockstep with the United States, South Korea has forged ahead with efforts to engage with North Korea, even as critics accused Moon of naively focusing on feel-good theatrics at the expense of real progress in persuading North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons.
South Korea's Foreign Minister Says Seoul May Lift Some Sanctions on North Korea
Australia, Japan agree to keep pressure on North Korea
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia and Japan on Wednesday reaffirmed their commitment to pressuring North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program and enforcing sanctions on Pyongyang.
South Korea considers lifting some sanctions on North Korea
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea is considering lifting some of its unilateral sanctions against North Korea to create more momentum for diplomacy aimed at improving relations and defusing the nuclear crisis, the South's foreign minister said Wednesday.
Pompeo says U.S., North Korea continue to make progress toward denuclearization
Shortly after arriving in South Korea following the visit, Pompeo posted a photo of himself walking along with Kim on Twitter, saying: “Had a good trip to #Pyongyang to meet with Chairman Kim. Thanks for hosting me and my team @StateDept.” Kim and Pompeo met for about two hours, including lunch at the Paekhwawon, or 100 Flowers Garden, a prestigious state guesthouse, according to a pool report. The brief trip, his fourth since March, was initially planned in late August but called off at the last minute by U.S. President Donald Trump who blamed lack of progress.
