HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Asian markets and the dollar were jolted Wednesday as news that Donald Trump’s top economics advisor had resigned revived trade war fears, though the losses were tempered by North Korea’s offer of denuclearisation talks. Investors, already on edge over expected US interest rate hikes, have been rattled further since the US president last week unveiled controversial tariffs on steel and aluminum imports as part of his “America First” agenda. Equities […]
Tag: North Korea
Trump hails ‘very positive’ North Korea offer of talks
by Andrew Beatty, with Jung Hawon in Seoul Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump Tuesday welcomed North Korea’s breakthrough offer of denuclearization talks as positive — and apparently sincere — saying the standoff over Pyongyang’s weapons drive would not be allowed to “fester.” Seoul earlier announced the two Koreas would hold a historic summit in the Demilitarized Zone next month — and that the North’s leader Kim Jong Un […]
Trump welcomes North and South Korea summit plans, N. Korea’s readiness to denuclearize
by Jung Hawon with Andrew Beatty in Washington Agence France-Presse SEOUL, South Korea – North and South Korea will hold a historic summit in the Demilitarized Zone next month after Pyongyang expressed willingness to give up its nuclear weapons in exchange for security guarantees, South Korea’s national security adviser said Tuesday. The North is open to “frank” talks with the United States on denuclearization and would suspend missile and nuclear tests while dialogue was under way, Chung […]
Watch: N. Korea’s Kim Jong-Un meets with Seoul envoys for possible inter-Korean summit
https://youtu.be/FmVfNmJKEMA SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un discussed a possible summit with envoys from the South’s President Moon Jae-in, both sides said Tuesday, in the latest step of an Olympics-driven rapprochement on the divided peninsula. The delegation from Seoul is the most senior to travel North for more than a decade, and comes as Moon tries to broker talks between nuclear-armed Pyongyang and Washington after months of high tensions. The […]
Two Koreas to hold summit, Pyongyang offers nuke deal: Seoul
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North and South Korea have agreed to hold a summit at their heavily armed border next month, with Pyongyang saying it would consider abandoning nuclear weapons in exchange for security guarantees, Seoul said Tuesday. If confirmed by Pyongyang, the offer would mark the first time under the current leadership the North had declared itself willing to discuss conditions under which it might consider giving up its nuclear arsenal -– […]
White House clarifies Trump-North Korea ‘call’
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The White House said Monday that Donald Trump had been referring to a call with South Korea’s leader when he appeared to suggest a landmark direct contact with the nuclear North. Trump raised eyebrows at a Washington media dinner on Saturday when he said “they, by the way, called up a couple of days ago and said ‘we would like to talk.’ “And I said, ‘so would we, but you […]
N.Korea’s Kim, Seoul envoys discuss easing tensions: KCNA
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un discussed ways to ease tensions on the peninsula with visiting South Korean envoys, the state KCNA news agency reported Tuesday. Kim “warmly welcomed” the South Korean officials, who handed over a letter from President Moon Jae-in. “Hearing the intention of President Moon Jae In for a summit from the special envoy of the south side, he exchanged views and made a satisfactory agreement,” the Korean […]
South Korean envoys in historic trip to North, meet Kim
by Sunghee Hwang Agence France Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — The most senior South Koreans to travel to North Korea for more than a decade met leader Kim Jong Un Monday, a Seoul official said, the latest step in an Olympics-driven rapprochement on the divided peninsula. The delegation, representing the South’s President Moon Jae-in, is pushing for talks between the nuclear-armed regime and the United States, after Kim sent his sister Kim Yo […]
South Korean delegation in historic trip to Pyongyang
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — The most senior South Koreans to travel North for more than a decade headed for Pyongyang Monday on a mission to push for talks between the nuclear-armed regime and the United States. An intense rapprochement saw athletes from both sides of the divided peninsula march together at the South’s Pyeongchang Winter Olympics last month, with the North’s leader Kim Jong Un sending his sister as a special envoy to […]
North Korea vows sanctions will ‘never work’
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — North Korea told a United Nations disarmament forum on Tuesday that sanctions over its nuclear program would “never work”, as it voiced further defiance against President Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign. The “US should (be) aware that sanctions and pressure will never threaten (North Korea) and never work”, said Han Tae Song, Pyongyang’s envoy to the UN Conference on Disarmament in Geneva. The comments came days after Trump unveiled what he […]
US should lower ‘threshold for talks’ with N. Korea: Seoul
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korean President Moon Jae-in urged the United States to “lower the threshold for talks” with North Korea on Monday as his aides held rare talks with a Pyongyang general on ways to defuse tensions. Moon has sought to use the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics that ended on Sunday to open dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang in the hopes of easing a nuclear standoff that has sparked global security fears. […]
US seeks UN ban on 33 ships, 27 firms over North Korea smuggling
by Carole Landry Agence France Presse UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — The United States is seeking to have the United Nations ban 33 vessels from ports worldwide and blacklist 27 shipping businesses for helping North Korea circumvent sanctions. The US request to a UN sanctions committee, a copy of which was obtained by AFP, came as President Donald Trump announced Friday the “heaviest sanctions ever” on North Korea over its nuclear and ballistic missile […]
