The official countdown for the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, has begun, with the lighting of the Olympic flame in ancient Olympia in Greece on Tuesday. Despite South Korean organizers’ determination to make the Winter Games a big hit, much of the event’s success may depend on the host country’s enigmatic neighbor, North Korea.  North Korean figure skaters Ryom Tae-ok and Kim Ju-sik compete during the pairs free program at the Figure Skating-ISU Challenger Series on Sept. 29 in Obe

North Korea Oct. 25, 2017

US President Donald Trump on Sunday renewed the possibility of military action against North Korea, while the North‘s senior diplomat refused to return to long-stalled six-nation talks for denuclearization unless the US’ attitude changes. US President Donald Trump (AP-Yonhap)Trump said he is “totally prepared” to use military force against the rogue regime if necessary, in an interview with Fox News on Sunday. The remark follows a series of bellicose rhetoric between the US president and Pyongya

North Korea Oct. 23, 2017

North Korea said Friday that South Korea is not entitled to permit its nationals to visit the inter-Korean complex in the North’s border city of Kaesong, amid signs of a unilateral resumption of its operation by the North. Meanwhile, Seoul’s Unification Ministry deferred a plan to deliver to the North the visitation request of a group of businessmen who ran factories at Kaesong industrial park.  (Yonhap)“South Korea does not have the right, reason, nor honor to talk about the issues surrounding

North Korea Oct. 20, 2017

Seoul needs to actively pursue pre-emptive strike capability to maintain a balance of power with North Korea amid escalating military tensions on the Korean Peninsula, an expert said Thursday. “(South Korea) needs to actively pursue (measures) to secure various pre-emptive strike capabilities,” Choi Kang, vice president of research at the Seoul think-tank Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said at a forum.  US President Donald Trump (Yonhap)The expert highlighted the rogue regime’s growing missi

Defense Oct. 19, 2017

Seoul’s Unification Minister said Wednesday that it is highly unlikely that North Korea will relinquish its nuclear weapons, as it nears the completion of its weapons program.“The possibility that North Korea will give up its nuclear weapons is extremely low,” Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon said at a forum hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Seoul on Wednesday.  (Yonhap)“I used the term ‘extremely low’ to express it on a softer note. It would not be incorrect to say there is actually almost n

North Korea Oct. 18, 2017

The US should refrain from making any pre-emptive military strike against North Korea, as it would inflict “huge casualties and damage” to the reclusive regime’s neighboring countries, an expert said Tuesday. “Ensuring diplomatic and political options remains a priority unless North Korea would unbelievably make (a) military provocation,” Zhu Feng, a professor in international relations at China’s Nanjing University, said at a forum in Seoul hosted by the South Korean Unification Ministry on Tue

North Korea Oct. 17, 2017

South Korea will continue to make efforts to bring North Korea to dialogue for denuclearization, Seoul’s unification minister said Friday. “We will maintain a strong policy stance against North Korea’s provocations, while pursuing a fundamental and peaceful resolution for the North’s nuclear issues as a nation directly involved in the issues surrounding the Korean peninsula,” Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon told lawmakers during a parliamentary audit. Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon sp

North Korea Oct. 13, 2017

Chinese police asked South Korean citizens near the North Korea-China border to evacuate the area due to risks of an attack and abduction by the North, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday. “We are aware that Chinese authorities have suggested South Korean citizens there evacuate on the possibility of an attack by North Korea,” the ministry here said.  Border bridge connecting North Korea`s Manpo and China`s Jian. (Yonhap)Local media reports said Tuesday that Chinese police warned around 10 So

Foreign Affairs Oct. 12, 2017

A US senior diplomat will visit Seoul next week to strengthen diplomatic alliance and talk about impending issues that concern both nations, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.  US Deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan (AP)US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan will hold a strategic dialogue with South Korea’s Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-han on Oct. 18. The two are expected to tackle issues involving North Korea’s nuclear and missile development along with its ongoing threats to

North Korea Oct. 11, 2017

Kim Jong-un’s 21-year-old nephew has been expressing increasing frustration of his life on-the-run and has begun to develop a habit of daytime drinking, media here reported Tuesday.“According to various sources, Kim Han-sol is under ‘iron-like’ protection at his mother’s house. This keeps him safe, but also makes him frustrated at the same time,” TV Chosun, a media outlet here said Monday. A video released online in March features a man claiming to be Kim Han-sol (Yonhap)“He has been telling the

North Korea Oct. 10, 2017

Signs of vehicle movement and electricity use within the joint industrial park in the North Korean city of Kaesong have been detected since March, Seoul’s Unification Ministry revealed Tuesday, amid growing concerns over the North’s unilateral operation of the zone. The ministry warned that the North should refrain from operating the complex without Seoul’s consent, stressing that South Korean firms hold the property rights to all factories and machines there. (Yonhap)“The government takes the b

North Korea Oct. 10, 2017

North Korea’s recent large-scale personnel reshuffle appears to be an effort to deal with and navigate the current situation, Seoul’s Unification Ministry said.“Kim Jong-un is taking the current situation seriously and the personnel reshuffle is a way to overcome that,” it said in a report released Sunday. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attends a meeting of Pyongyang`s Central Committee of the ruling Workers` Party on Saturday. (Yonhap)The personnel changes were announced Sunday, shortly after

North Korea Oct. 9, 2017

Revelations that North Korea has been secretly operating South Korea-invested factories in a joint industrial park shuttered in 2016 have angered South Korean officials, politicians and businesspeople. But there seems to be no practical way to stop the North’s “illegal use” of South Korean properties.  The Kaesong Industrial Complex, a joint industrial park in the North Korean border city of Kaesong. (Yonhap)On Friday, North Korea’s propaganda outlet Uriminzokkiri claimed that “it’s nobody’s bus

North Korea Oct. 8, 2017

With the war of words between the US and North Korea showing no signs of subsiding, growing attention is being focused on what Kim Jong-un’s next move will be.North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho on Sept. 21 said Pyongyang may detonate a hydrogen bomb in the Pacific Ocean, during his visit to New York to attend the annual UN General Assembly. This came in response to US President Donald Trump’s earlier threats that the US could “totally destroy” North Korea if it refuses to halt its provocat

North Korea Sept. 29, 2017

The United States was “very unpleasant” toward South Korea’s decision to propose military talks with North Korea to ease tension on the Korean Peninsula in July, a senior presidential security adviser in Seoul said Wednesday.President Moon Jae-in’s adviser, professor Moon Jung-in, said that “US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson used a strong tone to protest against the decision when he met (South Korean) Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha.”  US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (AP-Yonhap)Moon Jung-i

North Korea Sept. 27, 2017