Once regarded as a symbol of inter-Korean cooperation, tours to Kumgangsan in North Korea are on the brink of losing their South Korean touch, as the North seeks to transform the scenic mountain into an international tourism attraction for global visitors. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un last month ordered the demolition of South Korea-funded facilities at the resort complex by the mountain north of the inter-Korean border. Alarmed by the announcement, the South Korean government proposed workin

North Korea Nov. 4, 2019

The US House of Representatives has passed a bill to offer up to $25 million in reward for reporting violations of its sanctions, including those imposed against North Korea, according to the Voice of America on Friday. The bill amends existing laws to expand the State Department’s reward program, which is limited to reporting on terror-related activities, to information on breach of sanctions by the US and the UN.  South Carolina Republican Joe Wilson and Florida Democrat Ted Deutch

North Korea Nov. 1, 2019

Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul held a meeting Thursday with chiefs of Hyundai Asan and the state-run Korea Tourism Organization, operators of now-suspended tours to North Korea’s Kumgangsan, to discuss ways to deal with Pyongyang’s demand to demolish their facilities from the tourism resort. Kim stressed close coordination with the operators to find a path forward in “this critical situation” in a meeting with Bae Kook-hwan, president of Hyundai Asan, and Ahn Young-ba

North Korea Oct. 31, 2019

North Korea has turned down South Korea’s proposal to hold a working-level meeting over the regime’s plan to tear down the South’s facilities at the Kumgangsan tourist resort, the Unification Ministry said Tuesday. “The North has insisted on discussing a demolition plan and schedule for (South Korea’s) facilities (at the Kumgangsan resort) by means of exchanging documents without having to hold a working-level meeting proposed by our side,” the ministry said i

North Korea Oct. 29, 2019

The South Korean government has proposed holding working-level talks with North Korea in response to the regime’s plan to abolish the South’s facilities at the Kumgangsan tourist resort, the Unification Ministry said Monday. The offer was made through the joint liaison office in the North’s border town of Kaesong after the regime notified the South that it would tear down the latter’s facilities in the tourist zone in accordance with the orders of its leader Kim Jong-un,

North Korea Oct. 28, 2019

North Korea’s former top nuclear envoy said Sunday the close ties between the leaders of the regime and the US have a limited impact on their stalled denuclearization talks, stressing the year-end deadline for Washington to reconsider its negotiation method is fast approaching.“The US is seriously mistaken if it is of the idea of passing off in peace the end of this year, by exploiting the close personal relations between its president and the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission

North Korea Oct. 27, 2019

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said Thursday that North Korea seemed disappointed that the inter-Korean tourism project had not resumed, commenting on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s orders to tear down the South’s facilities at the Kumgangsan tourist resort. In response to the report on Wednesday saying Kim had ordered the removal of “all the unpleasant-looking facilities of the south side” and wanted to “build new modern service facilities our own way,” t

North Korea Oct. 24, 2019

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered the pulling down of facilities built by South Korea at the Kumgangsan tourist resort, amid stalled inter-Korean diplomacy. 　According to the North’s official newspaper Rodong Sinmun and the Korean Central News Agency on Wednesday, the North Korean leader visited Kosong Port, Haegumgang Hotel, the House of Culture, Kumgangsan Hotel, Kumgangsan Okryu Restaurant, Kumgang Pension Town, Kuryong Village, Onchon Village, Family Hotel, Onjong Pavilion No

North Korea Oct. 23, 2019

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon kicked off a three-day visit to Japan in the hope that a meeting with his Japanese counterpart will pave the way for improvements in the two countries’ strained relations. Before heading to Tokyo, Lee said he hoped South Korea and Japan would foster harmonious and mature relations despite difficulties, speaking with Japanese Ambassador Yasumasa Nagamine, who saw Lee off at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. “I don’t expect that this visit w

Foreign Affairs Oct. 22, 2019

Rep. Park Joo-sun of the minor opposition Bareunmirae Party called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday to intensify diplomatic efforts to push for the disclosure of US government documents related to the 1980 pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju. During a parliamentary audit of the Foreign Ministry at the National Assembly, Park stressed the need for the systematic collection of records for a thorough investigation into remaining questions about the Gwangju Democratic Uprising. 

Foreign Affairs Oct. 21, 2019

The Ministry of Unification and state-run Korea Institute for National Unification are jointly hosting an international forum Tuesday on ways to draw up a road map for the era of a peace-driven economy. The International Forum on Korean Peninsula Peace Economy 2019 is designed to raise domestic and international understanding of the peace economy and the new economic map initiative of the Moon Jae-in administration to foster the formation of an inter-Korean economic community. Officials fro

North Korea Oct. 21, 2019

The world's first female spacewalking team is making history high above Earth. NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir exited the International Space Station on Friday, the first time in a half-century of spacewalking that a woman floated out without a male crewmate. Their job is to fix a broken part of the station's solar power network. America's first female spacewalker from 35 years ago, Kathy Sullivan, is delighted. She says it's good to finally have enough women in the astronau

World News Oct. 18, 2019

South Korea and the United States plan to hold a new round of negotiations on sharing the cost of the upkeep for the 28,500-strong US Forces Korea in Hawaii next week, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday.Seoul's top negotiator, Jeong Eun-bo, and his US counterpart, James Dehart, will meet in Honolulu on Wednesday and Thursday. The last round of talks took place in Seoul last month. "Based on the stance that our government will shoulder the fair share of defense costs at a reasonable l

Defense Oct. 18, 2019

North Korea leader Kim Jong-un visited a greenhouse farm, stressing the need to actively introduce advanced cultivation technique to improve food supply, according to the North’s state media Korean Central News Agency. It said Kim gave field guidance to the Jungphyong Vegetable Greenhouse Farm and Tree Nursery under construction in Kyongsong County.“It is essential to meticulously operate and manage the farm so as to show our success in the production the vitality of a highly intensi

North Korea Oct. 18, 2019

Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul said Thursday that North Korea may be seeking an epoch-making approach from the US for a breakthrough in their deadlocked nuclear talks. Nuclear negotiators from Washington and Pyongyang resumed stalled working-level talks in Stockholm, Sweden, Oct. 5, seven months after a disappointing summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. But the two countries failed to make tangible progress in their recent meeting. “The US and N

North Korea Oct. 17, 2019