South Korea’s Unification Ministry denied Monday news reports that the United Nations had granted a sanctions exemption to enable video reunions of families separated by the Korean War. “It is not true that the United Nations Security Council recently made a decision (to approve) a sanctions exemption regarding video reunions between South and North Korea,” Unification Ministry spokesman Baik Tae-hyun said at a regular press briefing.  (Yonhap)Earlier in the day, a number of Korean news outlets

North Korea March 4, 2019

South Korea’s overseas aid agency said Sunday it has donated two food-related facilities that will help upland farmers in the Philippines connect directly with consumers and contribute to the development of agricultural areas. The state-run Korea International Cooperation Agency established a regional local food terminal in San Miguel in Panay Island, which is expected to serve as a consolidation center for products from 11 municipalities of the island. KOICA President Lee Mi-kyung visits a boot

Diplomatic Circuit March 4, 2019

The French Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry hosted the inaugural French Business Awards 2019 ceremony to recognize companies that contributed to bilateral economic relations. Targeting French business members of the Chamber of Commerce, the event was designed to evaluate companies’ performances and innovation, according to the business network in Seoul. Mounir Mahjoubi, French Minister for Digital Affairs poses for a photo with French Ambassador in Korea Fabien Penone, FKCCI Chairman Davi

Diplomatic Circuit March 4, 2019

The South Korean government needs to go back to basics to resolve the complex issue of North Korea’s denuclearization in the aftermath of the summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un that ended without a deal last week, experts said. Following the breakdown of the talks, Seoul’s hopes that its push for economic engagement with Pyongyang would gain traction with substantial results from the summit were thwarted, as US-led sanctions will continue to remain, effe

North Korea March 3, 2019

President Moon Jae-in reaffirmed Friday his commitment to bringing the US and North Korea to the negotiating table again for nuclear talks, after the two countries ended their summit without a deal. During a ceremony marking the centennial anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement against Japanese colonial rule, Moon stressed the expanded diplomatic role of South Korea in bridging the gap between Washington and Pyongyang.  (Yonhap)“My administration will closely communicate and cooperate

Politics March 1, 2019

Free Joseon announced Friday that it has established a provisional government for North Korea in an effort to fight against the regime’s abuse of human rights. The group previously claimed it had protected the son of the late Kim Jong-nam, the half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, from possible assassination.  (Yonhap)Formerly known as Cheollima Civil Defense, the group said it will rise against the North Korean regime for committing crimes against humanity for decades. “We indict thi

North Korea March 1, 2019

US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un left their Hanoi summit empty-handed as Washington demanded a bolder move from Pyongyang to give up its nuclear program.The US seems to have wanted a denuclearization deal that goes far beyond the dismantlement of the Yongbyon nuclear complex, while North Korea offered the shutdown of the main site in exchange for the complete lifting of US-led sanctions, according to Trump and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during a press conferen

North Korea Feb. 28, 2019

The Yongbyon Scientific Research Center has been at the center of nuclear talks between the US and North Korea for more than two decades. Built in the 1960s under the leadership of North Korea’s founding leader Kim Il-sung, the Yongbyon complex has expanded in scale by adding a 5-megawatt-electric reactor, 100-megawatt-thermal experimental light water reactor, uranium enrichment buildings as well as spent fuel reprocessing facilities and research buildings. (Yonhap)Just as Siegfried Hecker, a le

North Korea Feb. 28, 2019

It took 66 hours, from Saturday afternoon to Tuesday morning, for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to travel via train all the way across China to Vietnam. He made the journey in order to sit with US President Donald Trump once again to discuss the North’s denuclearization measures and corresponding steps that the US will take in return. Every move that Kim makes is being closely watched by the international media, not only because the upcoming summit is a high-profile event, but because Kim rare

North Korea Feb. 26, 2019

A North Korean propaganda outlet urged South Korea on Tuesday to separate inter-Korean relations from denuclearization issues, a day ahead of the second meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump.Voicing dissatisfaction over slow progress in building ties between South and North Korea, Meari blamed Seoul for dealing with inter-Korean relations within the framework of sanctions by linking ties to Pyongyang’s denuclearization. In this April 27, 2018 file photo, N

North Korea Feb. 26, 2019

The US and North Korea could reach an agreement to declare an end to seven decades of war on the Korean Peninsula during the upcoming summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, South Korea’s presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Monday. “I believe the possibility is open. There is no way of knowing what kind of a declaration it might be, but I believe the US and North Korea may reach an agreement on the declaration of the war’s end at any degree,” Cheong Wa Da

North Korea Feb. 25, 2019