Denuclearization - Page 2

South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo told his parliament on Monday there is no sign of an imminent missile launch from North Korea, despite some provocative activity spotted by satellite at the rocket launch facility in Tongchang-ri.

South Korea issued an unusually stern warning to North Korea on Tuesday as a national security adviser to President Moon Jae-in said it would be a “big disaster” and “catastrophic” to diplomacy if Pyongyang conducted another provocative missile test to gain leverage in negotiations.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration this week expressed dismay over reports of new activity at North Korean long-range rocket site and research center allegedly used to build long-range missiles capable of targeting the United States mainland, demanding that dictator Kim Jong-Un destroy all its nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons before receiving any sanctions relief.

Before meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, 35, President Donald Trump felt he enjoyed “a very special relationship” with the dictator. But, historically, what impact does a personal relationship between foreign leaders with opposing ideologies in the voluntary pursuit of peace really have?

North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho gave a press conference from Hanoi, Vietnam, on Thursday in which he disputed U.S. President Donald Trump’s account of unsuccessful negotiations with dictator Kim Jong-un.

The South Korean government expressed regret on Thursday that President Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un could not reach an agreement in Hanoi. South Korea applauded the progress made so far and said it remains committed to dialogue with North Korea.

“No agreement was reached at this time, but their respective teams look forward to meeting in the future,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement to White House reporters.

President Donald Trump seemed to be in very good humor following his meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.

With the second summit on February 27-28 between President Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un – this time in Vietnam – the question to be asked is: Who holds the high ground when the two leaders negotiate the issue of Pyongyang terminating its nuclear and missile programs?

Judging by satellite images of the Yongbyon Nuclear Research Center, North Korea’s primary reactor for creating weapons-grade nuclear material might be up and running. There is clearly activity at the plant, although skeptical analysts say it is difficult to ascertain precisely what the reactor is doing without a ground-level inspection.

WASHINGTON, DC— North Korea does not intend to give up all its nuclear weapons or production facilities and remains the “most immediate” menace in the Indo-Pacific area for the United States, the top U.S. commander in the region told lawmakers on Tuesday, echoing a recent assessment from the American intelligence community.

Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh arrived in North Korea on Tuesday for an anticipated three-day visit.

A study published Monday by Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) estimated that North Korea produced enough fissile material last year to construct seven more nuclear bombs, even as it was negotiating denuclearization with the United States.

President Donald Trump proclaimed high hopes Friday night for peace with North Korea that will lead to a different kind of rocket as U.S. officials left the nation.

North Korean media remain almost completely silent about the second summit between dictator Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump, even though the meeting is less than three weeks away.

The U.S. envoy charged with leading efforts towards a fully verified denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula arrived in Seoul on Sunday to prepare for a second high-level meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.

North Korea has reportedly dispatched Han Song-ryol, vice foreign minister and one of that country’s most experienced negotiators, to a labor camp along with five other top officials for the crime of “breaching doctrine” by suggesting innovative tactics for breaking the diplomatic stalemate with the United States.

North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un on Thursday expressed “great satisfaction” with the “good personal letter” he received from President Donald Trump, praised Trump’s “unusual determination and will” to achieve denuclearization, and ordered preparations to begin for a second U.S.-North Korea summit.

A report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and its Beyond Parallel project asserted on Monday that North Korea has “approximately 20 undeclared missile operating bases,” one of which is described in detail by the authors.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Monday urged the United States to pursue diplomacy with North Korea, promising his country would provide all possible assistance to the second summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump.

The White House announced on Friday afternoon that President Donald Trump met for an hour and a half with North Korean envoy Kim Yong-chol to “discuss denuclearization and a second summit, which will take place near the end of February.”

Lee Hae-chan, chairman of South Korea’s governing Democratic Party (DP), said on Friday that he expects Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping to visit both North and South Korea this spring.

South Korean leader Moon Jae-in announced on Thursday that he would ask the United States to lift sanctions on North Korea, in part to allow Seoul more contact with Pyongyang.

North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un made his fourth known trip to China on Monday at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Kim made the journey by train, as is his habit, bringing most of the top North Korean Communist Party officials and his wife Ri Sol-ju along for the four-day excursion.

President Trump issued a warm tweet to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ahead of an anticipated second meeting early this year.

North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un delivered his much-anticipated New Year’s address in the early hours of Tuesday morning Eastern time. As expected, the speech was largely focused on North Korea’s economy but included some mixed messages about denuclearization.

It is a safe bet that 2019 will be a crucial year for North Korea. Dictator Kim Jong-un closed out the year by sending South Korean President Moon Jae-in a letter with a “positive” message, an invitation to hold further summit meetings, and a vague commitment from Kim to make his long-promised historic visit to Seoul.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) declared on Monday that it is prepared to send nuclear weapons inspectors to North Korea, when and if the North Korea regime agrees to accept them. North Korea ejected IAEA inspectors from the country in 2009.

North Korea declared on Monday it will not agree to any denuclearization agreement with the United States if Washington continues to pursue “vicious [and] hostile actions” against Kim Jong-un’s communist regime. 

The prospects of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un visiting Seoul in the last few days left in this year are bleak, the Yonhap news agency reported Wednesday, citing South Korea’s presidential office.

Outgoing U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley told NBC’s Today show on Wednesday that she took advantage of President Donald Trump’s stormy rhetoric and “unpredictable” nature to get things done at the United Nations.

South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myung-gyon expressed hope on Tuesday that North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un will follow through on his promise to visit Seoul and make the trip a “stepping stone” to his second summit with U.S. President Donald Trump.

North Korea’s state-run KCNA news agency reported on Friday that dictator Kim Jong-un inspected a “newly-developed ultramodern” tactical weapon system at an undisclosed location. North Korean media clearly intended the report to be provocative, but South Korean analysts shrugged it off as testing for a battlefield rocket launcher that would have little impact on arms control negotiations.

Vice President Mike Pence said from the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit on Thursday that President Donald Trump will hold a second meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un next year. Pence said Kim will be expected to submit a firm denuclearization plan at the meeting.

A study that the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) published on Monday found that North Korea is maintaining at least 13 ballistic missile bases, seemingly contradicting the spirit of denuclearization even as Pyongyang demands sanctions relief as a reward for the steps it has taken so far.

North Korean state media accused the United States and South Korea on Monday of violating their provisional peace agreements designed to reduce tensions across the Korean peninsula.