Tag: North Korea

N. Korea’s Kim tours cosmetics plant with wife, sister

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un took his stylish wife and powerful sister to a make-up plant for a “field guidance trip” amid the country’s nuclear standoff with the US. During a visit to the Pyongyang Cosmetics Factory in the capital, Kim hailed its “world-level” products that realized “the dream of the women who want to be more beautiful,” the official KCNA news agency reported. Kim was accompanied by Kim Yo-Jong, […]

Duterte says “it would be good” for countries to “reach out” to North Korea’s Kim, assure him “nobody is after (him)”

(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday said several countries could “reach out” to North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and assure him that “nobody was after (him).” In a press conference in Davao prior to his departure for his three-day working visit in Japan, President Duterte said in particular, “it would be good if America, Japan, (South) Korea and Mr. Kim Jong Un talk to convince him to sit down on a roundtable. He […]

N. Korea nuclear weapon use would meet ‘massive military response’: Mattis

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis warned Saturday that North Korea would face a “massive military response” if Pyongyang ever used its nuclear weapons. “Make no mistake — any attack on the United States or our allies will be defeated,” he said at a press conference on his trip to Seoul. “Any use of nuclear weapons by the North will be met with a massive military response, effective and overwhelming.” […]

Mattis says US goal is ‘not war’ over N. Korea

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Washington’s goal “is not war” as it seeks to ease high military tension with Pyongyang, US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis said Friday, standing at the heavily-fortified border between the two Koreas. Tension has flared on the Korean peninsula as US President Donald Trump and the North’s ruler Kim Jong-Un have traded threats of war and personal insults that sparked global alarm. But Mattis, who visited the tense Demilitarized Zone […]

North Korean leader sends congratulations to China’s Xi after congress

PYONGYANG, North Korea (Reuters) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sent a rare congratulatory message to Chinese President Xi Jinping at the end of China’s Communist Party Congress, wishing him “great success” as head of the nation, the North’s state-run television KRT reported on Thursday (October 26). The friendly gesture by the North Korean leader, who seldom issues personal messages, comes as China is being urged by the international community to do more to […]

US adds sanctions on North Korea for rights abuses

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States layered a new round of sanctions on North Korea Thursday, blacklisting individuals and organizations involved in security and forced labor policies for “ongoing and serious human rights abuses.” Amid the ongoing standoff over Pyongyang’s threatening nuclear posture towards Japan and the United States, the US Treasury sought to boost pressure by placing the financial restrictions on seven senior officials and three state units. The move came as […]

Trump congratulates Xi after Chinese leader tightens grip on power

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – President Donald Trump congratulated Xi Jinping on Wednesday, after the Chinese leader solidified his grip on power at a landmark Communist Party Congress. “Spoke to President Xi of China to congratulate him on his extraordinary elevation. Also discussed NoKo & trade, two very important subjects!” Trump tweeted after the call. The phone call came as Xi was formally handed a second term in power and his doctrine was written into the party […]

Defense Secretary Lorenzana: Sanctions on N. Korea strengthen Kim

CLARK, Philippines (AFP) — International sanctions on North Korea are not working and serve only to strengthen the regime of Kim Jong-Un, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on Tuesday. The United States, which has a longstanding defense pact with the Philippines, has led a drive at the United Nations Security Council to impose tough sanctions against the North for its nuclear and ballistic missile tests. The threat from Pyongyang’s program was a major topic at a […]

Kim Jong-Nam murder suspects visit airport crime scene

by M Jegathesan  Agence France-Presse SEPANG, Malaysia (AFP) —Two women on trial for murdering the North Korean leader’s half-brother have visited the Malaysian airport where they allegedly poisoned him, escorted by huge numbers of heavily armed police on Tuesday. Indonesian Siti Aisyah and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong, wearing bulletproof vests, were brought to Kuala Lumpur International Airport’s budget terminal along with the judge in the case, defense lawyers and prosecutors. About 200 police, many armed with […]

Mattis to discuss N. Korea threat on Asia trip

CLARK, Philippines (AFP) — US Secretary of Defense James Mattis said Monday that curbing military threats from North Korea would be high on the agenda on his Asian tour this week, ahead of a visit by Donald Trump. Tension has been high on the divided peninsula for months with Pyongyang staging its sixth nuclear test and launching two ICBMs that apparently brought much of the US mainland into range. Trump and the North’s leader Kim […]

Abe targets N. Korea after storming to ‘super-majority’ vote win

by Richard Carter/ Miwa Suzuki  © Agence France-Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stormed to a landslide “super-majority” in snap Japanese elections, near complete projections showed Monday, with the hardline nationalist immediately pledging to “deal firmly” with North Korea. Abe’s conservative coalition is on track to win at least 312 seats with only a handful left to call, according to public broadcaster NHK, giving him a coveted two-thirds majority in the lower house of […]

Trump says US ‘totally prepared’ for potential NKorea threat

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States is “totally prepared” to respond to threats from Pyongyang, US President Donald Trump said in an interview aired Sunday, while also emphasizing his “exceptional relationship” with China’s leader. “We’re so prepared like you wouldn’t believe,” Trump told the Fox News program Sunday Morning Futures while discussing tensions with North Korea, which have soared over Pyongyang’s nuclear program. “You would be shocked to see how totally prepared we […]