President Yoon Suk-yeol said Monday he will spare no effort to help North Korea cope with a massive outbreak of the coronavirus, offering to send vaccines and other necessary supplies if Pyongyang agrees to accept. Yoon made the offer for a second time as the North struggles to curb rapidly spreading infections after acknowledging an outbreak last week for the first time since the pandemic began...

The United States and South Korea must send a clear and strong message to North Korea that the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is their goal in order to succeed, a group of South Korean and US experts said in a book soon to be released. The experts also underscored the importance of maintaining pressure on Pyongyang while helping to address humanitarian issues, such as the rece...

After holding down the fort for over two years, North Korea finally let COVID-19 slip through the cracks in its tightly sealed doors. Just days since the first cases were announced, North Korea’s total number of related deaths rose to 42, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency on Sunday. The count of people with fever accumulated since late April reached 820,620, which is about 3 ...

Number of cases explosively grow as Seoul talks support measures

North Korea on Sunday reported 15 additional deaths from an ongoing "epidemic" and 296,180 more people with fever symptoms nationwide, three days after it announced a COVID-19 outbreak. The new cases, which occurred between Friday evening and 6 p.m. Saturday, raised the total number of deaths to 42 and that of those who have shown fever symptoms since late April to over 820,620, according to the...

North Korea on Saturday reported 21 additional COVID-19 deaths, with more than 174,400 people nationwide feverish, as its leader Kim Jong-un stated that his country is faced with "great turmoil" due to the spread of the virus. Pyongyang's state media released the updated tally compiled the previous day, after Kim presided over an early-morning politburo meeting to review the nation's "maximum em...

North Korea appears to be ready to conduct a nuclear test, and may conduct further missiles tests beforehand, South Korea’s presidential office said Friday. The government is also trying to figure out the reason for Pyongyang’s movements, a presidential official told reporters. If conducted, it will be Pyongyang’s seventh nuclear test. “North Korea has already staged six nuclear tests, and we a...

North Korea reports 6 deaths amid ‘explosive’ spread of COVID-19

President Yoon Suk-yeol on Friday offered to send COVID-19 vaccines to North Korea, his spokesperson said, a day after Pyongyang acknowleged an outbreak for the first time since the pandemic began. After claiming for over two years that it was coronavirus-free, the North reported its first case of COVID-19 on Thursday, saying the country declared the implementation of the "maximum emergency" vir...

The United States has no immediate plans to provide COVID-19 vaccines to North Korea but supports international efforts to help vaccinate the people of the reclusive country, a White House spokesperson said Thursday. Jen Psaki, however, accused Pyongyang of exploiting its people by denying or diverting international assistance to pursue unlawful weapons programs. "The United States does not cur...

North Korea may be ready to conduct a nuclear test before the end of the month, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday. Her remarks come less than a week after a state department spokesperson hinted at a possible resumption of nuclear tests by North Korea in the near future. "The United States assesses that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea could be ready to conduct a test ...

North Korea fired another ballistic missile into the East Sea on Thursday, continuing a series of launches that have raised tensions on the Korean Peninsula. According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, a projectile suspected of being a ballistic missile was fired into the East Sea. Thursday’s launch is North Korea’s 16th show of force this year. The most recent was a submarine-launched ba...

Nominee says Moon administration’s inter-Korean agreements still valid

The emergency situation would not hold Pyongyang back from its nuclear ambitions, experts say

JENIN, Palestinian Territories -- Veteran Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh was shot dead Wednesday as she covered an Israeli army raid on Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. The Qatar-based TV channel said Israeli forces shot Abu Aqleh, 51, deliberately and "in cold blood" while Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said it was "likely" that Palestinian gunfire killed her. Abu...