North Korea has hit out at the US for stepping up sanctions against its regime, warning that it could force a return to “exchanges of fire” and block the path to nuclear disarmament forever. Pyongyang’s statement, cautioning that the US policy of “maximum pressure” would be its “greatest miscalculation”, follows Washington’s decision last week to slap sanctions on three North Korean officials, including Choe Ryong-hae, a top aide to leader Kim Jong-un, for alleged human rights abuses. The US state department justified its vow to seize the three officials’ US assets by accusing the regime of human rights abuses that were “among the worst in the world.” The North foreign ministry responded on Sunday with the charge that state department was “bent on bringing ... relations back to the status of last year which was marked by exchanges of fire.” It claimed that Washington had imposed sanctions up … [Read more...] about North Korea threatens return to ‘exchanges of fire’ over US sanctions
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North and South Korea agree plans for joint Olympic bid
North and South Korea will seek to co-host the 2032 Summer Olympic Games after a planned bid was agreed by the neighbors’ respective leaders, Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in, it was confirmed on Wednesday. The step was announced at a news conference in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, as part of high-level discussions between northern leader Kim and his southern counterpart, Moon. READ MORE: South Korea to propose joint 2032 Olympics bid with North While no details of the plan were given, South Korean officials have previously said that the bid would involve the countries’ respective capitals, Seoul and Pyongyang, serving as the host venues. Seoul has hosted the Summer Games once before, in 1988, and South Korea also hosted the Winter Games in PyeongChang earlier this year. The Winter Games became part of a significant thawing in relations on the peninsula. Korean athletes marched under a unified flag at the opening ceremony, and the two nations fielded a joint … [Read more...] about North and South Korea agree plans for joint Olympic bid
North and South Korea open liaison office as ties warm further
North and South Korea have opened a liaison office on the North’s side of their heavily militarised border, setting up a permanent channel of communication as part of a flurry of efforts to end their decades old rivalry. Steps by North and South Korea to improve their relations are running parallel to a bid by the United States and its allies to press North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes. The opening of the joint liaison office at Kaesong, just inside the North Korean side of the border, comes days before North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in are due to hold their third meeting this year. “The two sides are now able to take a large step toward peace, prosperity and unification of the Korean peninsula by quickly and frankly discussing issues arising from inter-Korean relations,” said Ri Son Gwon, the head of North Korea’s delegation at the opening ceremony. The two Koreas previously … [Read more...] about North and South Korea open liaison office as ties warm further
North and South Korea start talks aimed at setting up leaders’ summit
North and South Korea start talks aimed at setting up leaders’ summit BelfastTelegraph.co.uk Senior officials from the rival Koreas met on Monday to set a date and venue for a third summit between South Korean president Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/north-and-south-korea-start-talks-aimed-at-setting-up-leaders-summit-37209831.html https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/article37209828.ece/e3021/AUTOCROP/h342/bpanews_85b775f1-f95f-4750-bbd1-13916f3411a8_1 Email Senior officials from the rival Koreas met on Monday to set a date and venue for a third summit between South Korean president Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The two leaders, who first met in April in a highly publicised summit and then again in May for more informal talks, previously agreed to meet again sometime in the fall in Pyongyang but released no concrete details. The meeting on Monday at a North … [Read more...] about North and South Korea start talks aimed at setting up leaders’ summit
North Korea has not halted nuclear programmes, UN warns
North Korea has not halted nuclear programmes, UN warns BelfastTelegraph.co.uk North Korea has not stopped its nuclear and missile programmes and is violating sanctions including by “a massive increase in illicit ship-to-ship transfers of petroleum products”, UN experts have said in a new report. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/north-korea-has-not-halted-nuclear-programmes-un-warns-37183826.html https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/article37183823.ece/b8fa7/AUTOCROP/h342/bpanews_31d7172f-7907-432b-b370-f904b3b8d24f_1 Email North Korea has not stopped its nuclear and missile programmes and is violating sanctions including by “a massive increase in illicit ship-to-ship transfers of petroleum products”, UN experts have said in a new report. A summary of the report by experts monitoring UN sanctions against North Korea, which was sent to the Security Council on Friday night, said the country is also violating sanctions by … [Read more...] about North Korea has not halted nuclear programmes, UN warns