The Unification Ministry on Monday denied that two North Koreans were returned to the North unlawfully, saying they were not entitled to protection due to the serious nature of their crimes. “The two North Koreans are not subjected to protection under the North Korean Refugees Protection and Settlement Support Act, as they are ‘nonpolitical’ serious criminals and their acceptance as refugees cou...

President Moon Jae-in’s top security adviser reaffirmed Sunday that South Korea’s bilateral military intelligence-sharing pact with Japan could be renewed, as the expiration date draws near. Chung Eui-yong, chief of Cheong Wa Dae’s National Security Office, laid the blame on Japan for the strained relations, which have sunk to their lowest point in decades. “The government is willing to rethink...

The Korea Senior Star Association, a civic group for senior citizens, hosted a fashion show Saturday to promote the beauty of the Korean traditional costume, hanbok, and break down the barriers that divide generations. Around 1,000 people attended the event, titled “Our Beautiful Costume Hanbok That Moves Forward Into the Future,” held at Namsangol Hanok Village, a collection of five Korean trad...

Two North Koreans who entered South Korean waters on a fishing boat were repatriated, as they allegedly killed 16 fellow crew members on their boat, the Unification Ministry said Thursday. The government returned the fishermen, who were in their 20s, through the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom after they confessed to mutiny during an investigation conducted by South Korean authorities. ...

The South Korean government has proposed sending a delegation to inspect the facilities it funded at North Korea’s Kumgangsan, in its second attempt to engage the regime in dialogue after demolition plans were announced. The Unification Ministry said Wednesday it sent a letter to North Korea on Tuesday, notifying that it will send a delegation comprising government officials and businesspeople f...

South Korea and the US held a joint public-private economic forum to discuss ways to strengthen their economic ties and enhance cooperation on issues of common interest, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday. The fourth Republic of Korea-United States Senior Economic Dialogue was held in Seoul on Wednesday to take stock of the progress and explore avenues of further cooperation between the two cou...

Once regarded as a symbol of inter-Korean cooperation, tours to Kumgangsan in North Korea are on the brink of losing their South Korean touch, as the North seeks to transform the scenic mountain into an international tourism attraction for global visitors. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un last month ordered the demolition of South Korea-funded facilities at the resort complex by the mountain nort...

The US House of Representatives has passed a bill to offer up to $25 million in reward for reporting violations of its sanctions, including those imposed against North Korea, according to the Voice of America on Friday. The bill amends existing laws to expand the State Department’s reward program, which is limited to reporting on terror-related activities, to information on breach of sanctions b...

Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul held a meeting Thursday with chiefs of Hyundai Asan and the state-run Korea Tourism Organization, operators of now-suspended tours to North Korea’s Kumgangsan, to discuss ways to deal with Pyongyang’s demand to demolish their facilities from the tourism resort. Kim stressed close coordination with the operators to find a path forward in “this critical situation...

North Korea has turned down South Korea’s proposal to hold a working-level meeting over the regime’s plan to tear down the South’s facilities at the Kumgangsan tourist resort, the Unification Ministry said Tuesday. “The North has insisted on discussing a demolition plan and schedule for (South Korea’s) facilities (at the Kumgangsan resort) by means of exchanging documents without having to hold ...

The South Korean government has proposed holding working-level talks with North Korea in response to the regime’s plan to abolish the South’s facilities at the Kumgangsan tourist resort, the Unification Ministry said Monday. The offer was made through the joint liaison office in the North’s border town of Kaesong after the regime notified the South that it would tear down the latter’s facilities...

North Korea’s former top nuclear envoy said Sunday the close ties between the leaders of the regime and the US have a limited impact on their stalled denuclearization talks, stressing the year-end deadline for Washington to reconsider its negotiation method is fast approaching. “The US is seriously mistaken if it is of the idea of passing off in peace the end of this year, by exploiting the clos...

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said Thursday that North Korea seemed disappointed that the inter-Korean tourism project had not resumed, commenting on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s orders to tear down the South’s facilities at the Kumgangsan tourist resort. In response to the report on Wednesday saying Kim had ordered the removal of “all the unpleasant-looking facilities of the south side” ...

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered the pulling down of facilities built by South Korea at the Kumgangsan tourist resort, amid stalled inter-Korean diplomacy. According to the North’s official newspaper Rodong Sinmun and the Korean Central News Agency on Wednesday, the North Korean leader visited Kosong Port, Haegumgang Hotel, the House of Culture, Kumgangsan Hotel, Kumgangsan Okryu Re...

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon kicked off a three-day visit to Japan in the hope that a meeting with his Japanese counterpart will pave the way for improvements in the two countries’ strained relations. Before heading to Tokyo, Lee said he hoped South Korea and Japan would foster harmonious and mature relations despite difficulties, speaking with Japanese Ambassador Yasumasa Nagamine, who saw Lee of...