North Korea has remained unresponsive to South Korea's attempt to propose working-level consultations on its push to extend help to the neighbor in its fight against the COVID-19 outbreak for the third day, a ministry official here said Wednesday. The Ministry of Unification had sought to deliver a related message to the North on Monday through their liaison office to hold the talks and offer as...

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un rebuked officials for failing to respond properly to the COVID-19 outbreak in its early stages as he presided over a ruling Workers' Party meeting, state media said Wednesday. His message came as the country reported more than 232,880 people with fever symptoms nationwide and six additional deaths, raising total fatalities to 62, as of 6 p.m. the previous day. At...

The United States is deeply concerned about the COVID-19 outbreak in North Korea and supports providing humanitarian assistance, including COVID-19 vaccines, to the impoverished country, a state department spokesperson said Tuesday. Ned Price, however, noted Pyongyang may still go ahead with its widely anticipated nuclear test. "Unfortunately, to date the DPRK has refused all vaccine donations ...

South Korea's top military officer on Tuesday visited an Army unit on the eastern front to check its readiness against possible threats from North Korea and border breaches, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. JCS Chairman Gen. Won In-choul inspected the frontline unit of the 22nd Division in charge of the eastern border area and its border defense system, it said. Citing the division's vast border...

North Korea has remained unresponsive for the second day to South Korea's attempt to offer dialogue on COVID-19 medical supplies and health care cooperation, a ministry official here said Tuesday. The Ministry of Unification had sought to deliver a related fax message to the North on Monday through their liaison office. It is seeking to hold working-level consultations on the ongoing epidemic in...

Propaganda website says Yoon’s North Korea policy reminiscent of Lee Myung-bak’s ‘Vision 3000’ policy

Former South Korean president’s ‘friendly ties’ with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may play positive in talks with Pyongyang

At least 34,000 omicron deaths possible in the unvaccinated country, says leading doctor

North Korea reported six additional deaths Tuesday amid a surge in suspected COVID-19 cases, as it deployed its military to supply medicine to pharmacies in Pyongyang. According to the information of the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters, over 269,510 people showed symptoms of fever and six deaths were reported as of 6 p.m. Monday, raising the total number of fatalities to 56 amid...

Yoon offers ‘unsparing’ aid to COVID-hit North Korea, but Pyongyang unlikely to accept

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...