Tag: North Korea

Japan claims China ‘escalating’ military actions

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s defense chief on Monday warned the country faces a tough security environment, with China and Russia stepping up military activity and North Korea posing “imminent threats”. Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said China had been “unilaterally escalating” its military activities in the past year, including carrying out new airborne operations around Japan and running a nuclear submarine near disputed East Coast isles. “China has been rapidly improving its military strength and […]

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China slams Trump’s ‘irresponsible and absurd logic’ on North Korea

  by Elizabeth Law Agence France Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — China on Thursday derided the “irresponsible and absurd logic” of the United States after President Donald Trump accused Beijing of making Washington’s relationship with North Korea more difficult. Trump doubled down on his suggestion that China was not helping to rein in its Cold War-era ally — a charge he first levelled when he cancelled a trip to North Korea by Secretary of State […]

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North Korea still ‘serious and imminent threat’: Japan

  TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — North Korea still poses a “serious and imminent threat”, Japan said Tuesday in its first annual defence review since an outbreak of diplomacy on the Korean peninsula. Japan’s 2018 defence white paper also took aim at China’s rise as a military power, saying Beijing was sparking “strong security concerns in the region and international community, including Japan”. Last year’s defence review was published at the height of the tensions with North […]

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Seoul may delay N. Korea office plans

  SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea said Monday it may delay the imminent opening of a liaison office in North Korea, after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s trip to Pyongyang was abruptly cancelled by Donald Trump. Trump on Friday pulled the plug on the visit, blaming a lack of progress in denuclearisation efforts since his historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June. The sudden cancellation has put the brakes […]

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Pompeo to return to N. Korea with new special envoy

by Francesco Fontemaggi Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday named a Ford Motor Co. executive as special envoy for North Korea and said they would both travel to the nuclear-armed country next week. Stephen Biegun, 55, who is retiring as Ford’s vice president for international governmental affairs, had been considered for the post of President Donald Trump’s national security advisor before it went to John […]

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Russia will block US bid for UN blacklist of Russian ships over N.Korea

    by Carole Landry  Agence France-Presse UNITED NATIONS , United States (AFP) — Russia will oppose a US request to the UN Security Council to blacklist two Russian shipping firms and six Russian-flagged vessels over their dealings with sanctions-hit North Korea, the Russian ambassador said Thursday. The United States presented a request to a UN sanctions committee on Wednesday — its third bid in two months to seek UN action and turn up the pressure […]

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S. Koreans head for family reunions in North after decades apart

by Sunghee Hwang Agence France Presse SOKCHO, South Korea (AFP) — Dozens of elderly and frail South Koreans entered the North Monday to meet relatives for the first time since the peninsula and their families were divided by war nearly seven decades ago. The three-day reunion — the first for three years — will take place at Mount Kumgang, a scenic resort in North Korea, following a rapid diplomatic thaw between the neighbours. Millions of […]

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N. Korea urges Trump to be ‘bold’ on denuclearization

  SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korean state media blamed Donald Trump’s political opponents for the “deadlock” over denuclearization on Saturday, urging the US President to act boldly to make progress on the thorny issue. Trump and the North’s leader Kim Jong Un held a groundbreaking summit in Singapore in June, which the US leader touted as a historic breakthrough. At the meeting the pair struck a vague agreement to denuclearize the Korean peninsula, […]

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Malaysia court rules N. Korea assassination trial can proceed

  by M. Jegathesan Agence France-Presse SHAH ALAM, Malaysia (AFP) — A Malaysian court ruled Thursday the murder trial of two women accused of assassinating the half-brother of North Korea’s leader can proceed — in a blow to their families who insist the pair were tricked into carrying out the dramatic hit. After hearing prosecutors’ case, Judge Azmi Ariffin said there was sufficient evidence to support a murder charge against Siti Aisyah from Indonesia and Doan […]

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Korean family reunion brings no end to heartache

  by Jung Hawon Agence France-Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — The first reunions in years of families divided by the Korean War evoke bittersweet memories for Kim Jong-gyu, whose few hours with her brother in 2014 -– under the watchful eyes of the North’s agents -– were probably their last ever together. “I felt so lucky and so happy to see that my brother was alive,” said the 83-year-old. “But seeing him for only a […]

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Malaysia court to deliver key ruling on N. Korea assassination

  by M. Jegathesan Agence France-Presse SHAH ALAM, Malaysia (AFP) — A Malaysian judge will Thursday deliver a key ruling in the trial of two women accused of the assassination of the half-brother of North Korea’s leader, with their families insisting they are innocent and should be set free. The court will decide whether there is sufficient evidence to support a murder charge against Siti Aisyah from Indonesia and Doan Thi Huong from Vietnam, who allegedly […]

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Moon says Pyongyang summit to be ‘bold step’ towards ending war

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Wednesday his visit to Pyongyang next month will be a “bold step” towards formally ending the decades-old war with the nuclear-armed North. The two Koreas agreed earlier this week to hold a third meeting between Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in September as a rapid diplomatic thaw builds on the peninsula following their first summit in April. Moon’s trip to the […]

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