North Korea is believed to have replaced the head of the country’s main intelligence agency and the Supreme Guard commander, who is in charge of protecting its leader Kim Jong-un and his family. 　 Lt. General Rim Kwang-il was promoted as the director of the Reconnaissance General Bureau, replacing Jang Kil-song last December, according to Seoul’s Unification Ministry on Wednesday, in its annual publication of the country’s key figures. 　 North’s RGB is known to be behi

North Korea May 13, 2020

A host of US documents on the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising, declassified and provided to South Korea, may offer fresh clues to understand what really happened nearly four decades after the bloodshed.  On Monday, US handed over to Korea the copies of about 140 pages of State Department documents, including those produced by the US Embassy in Seoul regarding the uprising in the southwestern city of Gwangju in 1980.  “It seems like new documents are included,” Kim In-

Foreign Affairs May 12, 2020

Information on around $23 million worth of frozen North Korean funds deposited at three US banks will be disclosed to the parents of Otto Warmbier, an American student who died after being detained in North Korea, possibly enabling them to collect damages. 　 The US District Court for Washington D.C. on Monday granted a “protective order” requiring three American banks -- Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase and The Bank of New York Mellon -- to disclose information on the accounts that

North Korea May 12, 2020

South Korea’s acclaimed response to the coronavirus outbreak stems from the legitimacy of its government and a “deep-rooted sense of solidarity” among its citizens, said Guy Sorman, a renowned French American economist and writer.  Sorman, in a YouTube interview series on the post-coronavirus era organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Korea, along with Taiwan and Germany, stands out for its quick, efficient response to COVID-19.  “I believe that t

Foreign Affairs May 11, 2020

South Korea on Monday sent 2 million face masks to the US, which is battling one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in the world. 　 The Foreign Ministry said a US cargo flight carrying the protective masks left Seoul and is expected to arrive in the US on Monday (local time). They will be distributed to medical facilities at the forefront of the COVID-19 response. 　 The assistance follows a phone conversation between Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump on March 24, wher

Foreign Affairs May 11, 2020

South Korean President Moon Jae-in called for anti-virus cooperation with North Korea as a way to break the impasse in inter-Korean relations amid stalled denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington. 　 “We should not only watch the US-North Korea dialogue, but search and do what can be done between the two Koreas,” Moon said during a Q&A session following a special address to the nation marking the third anniversary of his inauguration. 　 Among various inter-Korean

North Korea May 10, 2020

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday offered to help North Korea contain the novel coronavirus, in his reply to an earlier message from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. 　 “China is willing to enhance anti-epidemic cooperation with the DPRK and provide as much support as its capacity allows for the DPRK in line with the latter’s needs,” Xi said, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency. DPRK stands for the country’s official name, the Democratic People’s Re

Foreign Affairs May 10, 2020

Amid the coronavirus pandemic and a stalled peace process on the Korean Peninsula, South Korean Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul proposed a joint response system with North Korea against infectious diseases. 　 “The coronavirus has affected not only our daily lives but also inter-Korean relations and the political landscape of the peninsula in various ways,” Kim told reporters during a press conference held in Seoul. 　 “The ministry is preparing ways to tackle such unconven

North Korea May 7, 2020

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is not seriously ill, nor did he undergo heart surgery during his recent absence from the public eye, South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers Wednesday. 　 “At least, it is judged that Kim did not receive surgery or a medical procedure related to his heart,” ruling Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Kim Byung-kee told reporters after a closed-door parliamentary briefing with the National Intelligence Service. “(We were also told that) while he

North Korea May 6, 2020

South Korea has already presented the US with its best possible offer in ongoing defense cost-sharing talks, local reports said Wednesday, as the US called for more “flexibility.” 　 The reports cited an unnamed source as saying that Seoul’s proposal for a 13 percent increase over the 1.04 trillion won ($850 million) that it paid last year to host US troops was the highest it could offer, reiterating remarks last week from Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha during a parliamentary

Foreign Affairs May 6, 2020

US President Donald Trump said he was “glad” about the reemergence of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and that he appeared to be healthy, after weeks of global speculation that Kim was gravely ill or dead. 　 “I, for one, am glad to see he is back, and well,” said Trump on Twitter on Saturday (US time), after Kim’s surprise appearance at a public event for the first time in three weeks. 　 On speculation that the North Korean leader had undergone cardiovascular su

North Korea May 3, 2020

South Korea and China agreed on Wednesday to exempt qualified businesspeople from the strict quarantine rules that otherwise apply to travelers entering their respective countries, in a move to facilitate trade-related travel despite the coronavirus pandemic.  Taking effect Friday, the “fast-track” entry procedures apply to Korean nationals visiting 10 regions in China for business purposes: the cities of Shanghai, Tianjin and Chongqing and the provinces of Liaoning, Shandong,

Foreign Affairs April 29, 2020

Amid conflicting reports about the health of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, a parliamentary think tank in South Korea has weighed in on Kim’s younger sister Kim Yo-jong taking over the throne of the reclusive regime.  “Kim Jong-un, in order to overcome the national crisis, could expand Yo-jong’s status and role as the ‘party center,’” the National Assembly Research Service said in a report released on Wednesday. “Party center” is a term th

North Korea April 29, 2020

Amid mounting speculation about the health status of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Seoul officials expressed confidence that “nothing is unusual” in the reclusive regime, labeling the rampant rumors as an “infodemic.”   　 “(The government) has enough information-gathering capabilities to say confidently that there are no unusual signs (in North Korea),” Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul told a plenary session of the National Assembly’s foreign

North Korea April 28, 2020

Despite intensifying speculation outside the country about leader Kim Jong-un’s health, North Korea’s state media has continued routine coverage of Kim, this time saying he thanked workers in the elite tourism area where he is believed to be staying.   　 The North’s official Rodong Sinmun reported Monday that Kim had sent a message of gratitude to workers building a tourist zone in the Wonsan-Kalma region on the east coast, without indicating when or offering other detai

North Korea April 27, 2020