A South Korean citizen who was repatriated from North Korea last week was arrested on Sunday morning for attempting to illegally enter the communist country, local reports said.According to the reports, a 34-year-old man surnamed Suh drove an SUV through the checkpoint on the South Korean side of the Unification Bridge in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, which leads to the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, without undergoing proper inspection. Suh was caught by South Korean troops at the joi

North Korea Aug. 12, 2018

A day ahead of scheduled high-level talks, North Korea ramped up its calls for South Korea to implement the agreement reached between their leaders in April, and lambasted Seoul for its slowness to do so. Uriminzokkiri, a North Korean propaganda website, cited Seoul’s “blind obedience” to the US-led sanctions as a major reason behind lackluster progress on implementation of the Panmunjom Declaration, adopted at a landmark summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader

North Korea Aug. 12, 2018

The two Koreas will hold a high-level meeting Monday to review progress on implementation of the Panmunjom Declaration and discuss preparations for a possible summit, South Korea’s Ministry of Unification said Thursday. It will be held on the northern side of the truce village of Panmunjom and the Seoul government plans to reassemble a delegation headed by Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon for the occasion, according to the ministry. (Reuters)The high-level meeting, which will be the fourth o

North Korea Aug. 9, 2018

The two Koreas held a meeting to discuss cooperation in modernizing and reconnecting railways across the peninsula, South Korea’s Ministry of Unification said Thursday, amid the US’ increasing efforts to maintain its maximum pressure campaign. The meeting was held at the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine office at the South Korean side of the border in Paju. The South sent a six-member delegation led by Hwang Sung-gyu, a senior official at the railway bureau of the Korean Ministry of Land, Inf

North Korea Aug. 9, 2018

A group of South Korean officials visited North Korea on Wednesday to jointly inspect forests for control of pests and diseases, the South’s Ministry of Unification said Wednesday. A delegation of 12 officials, including those from the Korean Forest Service and Unification Ministry, as well as analysts from the state-run National Institute of Forest Science, crossed the military demarcation line at 8:40 a.m. and headed to North Korea’s eastern slopes of Kumgangsan, ministry spokesperson Baik Tae

North Korea Aug. 8, 2018

South Korea’s long-stalled plan to provide state-backed humanitarian assistance to North Korea is expected to gain traction, boosted by the United Nations Security Council’s adoption of new guidelines, experts said Tuesday. Earlier in the day, the UNSC was reported to have adopted US-proposed guidelines aimed to ease the provision of humanitarian aid to North Korea, amid growing concerns that layers of crippling sanctions against the reclusive nation had been cutting off humanitarian aid in an e

North Korea Aug. 7, 2018

North Korea on Tuesday returned a South Korean citizen who illegally crossed the border on July 22 to enter the communist country, South Korea’s Ministry of Unification said Tuesday. North Korea repatriated a 34-year-old South Korean citizen surnamed Seo through the truce village of Panmunjom at around 11 a.m., the ministry said. The North sent a notice to the South on Monday, alerting it of its plan to return Seo. (Yonhap)Seo’s intention in entering North Korea without notifying the Seoul gover

North Korea Aug. 7, 2018

The opening of a South-North joint liaison office may be facing obstacles, with the latest reports of North Korea’s sanctions violations apparently heightening the US’ sensitivity toward the issue. Seoul has been asking for US cooperation in granting an exemption for the establishment of the liaison office in the border town of Kaesong, which was a clause in the agreement reached between the leaders of the two Koreas in April, as part of efforts to foster cross-border communication and cooperati

North Korea Aug. 6, 2018

Growing reports of North Korea’s sanctions violations are fueling concerns that there may be a further delay in ongoing negotiations on denuclearization between Washington and Pyongyang. Media reports released late Saturday, citing a confidential UN report, said that North Korea has in fact not halted its nuclear and missile programs and actively continued illicit ship-to-ship transfers of petroleum products and coal in 2018. It also states that the North has been cooperating militarily with Syr

North Korea Aug. 5, 2018

With a recent detente between South and North Korea fueling hopes for reunification, the South’s legal community believes that drawing up a strong legal framework for inter-Korean economic projects will lay the groundwork for the constitutional law of a reunified peninsula. Studies seeking a legal system that could support peaceful reunification are being done in the South, in the hopes of designing a legal framework that could bridge the political and economic gaps between the two Koreas.  A gr

North Korea Aug. 2, 2018

With Seoul approving Hyundai Group’s visit to North Korea scheduled for Friday, all eyes are on whether the visit will contribute to the revival of inter-Korean economic cooperation amid the US’ determination to keep sanctions intact until the North’s complete denuclearization.A group of 15 officials from Hyundai, including Chairman Hyun Jeong-eun and Lee Young-ha, CEO of the group’s inter-Korean business arm Hyundai Asan, has been permitted by the Unification Ministry to visit Kumgangsan, locat

North Korea Aug. 2, 2018

South Korea’s Ministry of Unification on Monday reaffirmed its position that the 12 North Korean restaurant workers who came to the South in 2016 defected of their own volition. The statement came a day after the National Human Rights Commission, the country’s human rights watchdog, said it plans to launch an investigation into claims that the 12 women were abducted by the South’s National Intelligence Service, without knowledge of their destination. “Our stance on the matter remains unchanged,”

North Korea July 30, 2018

North Korea remained mum on Sunday on its return of the remains of American soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War, but it is in fact sending a silent message to the US to swiftly declare mark an official end of war, experts say. In a move that is seen as the first tangible result from the Singapore summit in June, North Korea repatriated 55 sets of remains of US soldiers Friday, which prompted a note of thanks from US President Donald Trump to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un via Twitter.

North Korea July 29, 2018

North Korea’s ambassador to the United Nations was recently dismissed from his post, sources within the UN said Thursday, which may indicate that Pyongyang is seeking to further cement a fresh diplomatic stance amid ongoing denuclearization talks. Ja Song-nam, a 64-year-old diplomat who had served as the North’s permanent representative to the UN since 2014, embarked on a trip to Pyongyang via Beijing on Thursday, the sources said. The background and motive behind the North’s decision are yet un

North Korea July 26, 2018

The two Koreas exchanged the results of their search for families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War ahead of a reunion event in August, the Ministry of Unification said Wednesday. Documents compiled following the weekslong search were exchanged by Red Cross officials from the respective sides at the border village of Panmunjom around 11 a.m., officials said.  Korean Red Cross employees holding documents of results of their search for families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War on Wednesday. (

North Korea July 25, 2018