Seoul, South Korea | AFP | North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has carried out a major reshuffle of his State Affairs Commission, official media reported Monday, replacing more than a third of its members. Kim has established an iron grip on the levers of authority in his nuclear-armed country since …
Read More »‘Old man’ Trump is ‘bluffing’ says North Korea
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | North Korea on Monday slammed US President Trump for “bluffing” and called him “an old man bereft of patience” as Pyongyang ramps up pressure on Washington over stalled nuclear talks. Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un engaged in mutual insults and threats of …
Read More »North Korea ‘no longer interested’ in summits with US: KCNA
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | North Korea is “no longer interested” in summits with the US unless Washington offers new concessions in their nuclear negotiations, Pyongyang said Monday, hours after Donald Trump hinted at the prospect. “You should act quickly, get the deal done,” Trump tweeted Sunday, referring to North Korean leader Kim Jong …
Read More »Trump says North Korea talks going ahead despite missile test
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump on Thursday brushed off North Korea’s test of a sea-launched ballistic missile, saying that planned nuclear talks with Pyongyang will go ahead. “They want to talk and we’ll be talking to them,” Trump told reporters at the White House in his …
Read More »N.Korea says to hold nuclear talks with US on Saturday
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | North Korea and the United States will hold working-level nuclear talks on Saturday, Pyongyang said, signalling the resumption of a dialogue process that has been effectively stalled since the collapse of a summit in February. The two sides agreed to have “preliminary contact” on October …
Read More »Could Trump gamble big on Iran? Skepticism reigns
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump is not afraid of surprises but could he take one of the biggest shifts of all in his foreign policy — easing sanctions on Iran? Washington is widely skeptical that Trump will shift course on Iran, with his hawkish advisors long …
Read More »North Korea hails ‘historic’ Kim-Trump summit
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | North Korea on Monday hailed the weekend meeting between leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump in the Demilitarized Zone as “historic”, as analysts said Pyongyang was looking to shape the narrative to its own agenda. The two leaders agreed to “resume and …
Read More »‘Say hello’: Trump invites Kim to DMZ meeting
Osaka, Japan | AFP | US President Donald Trump on Saturday invited North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to meet for a historic handshake at the demilitarised zone that divides the Korean peninsula, and said he would have “no problem” stepping over the border. The invitation issued on Twitter caught observers …
Read More »China’s Xi to visit North Korea this week ahead of G20
Beijing, China | AFP | Xi Jinping will make the first trip to North Korea by a Chinese president in 14 years this week, state media said Monday, as Beijing tightens relations with Pyongyang amid tensions with the United States. Xi will visit Pyongyang on Thursday and Friday at the invitation …
Read More »US-N.Korea tensions rise with Pyongyang launches, ship seizure
Washington, United States | AFP | The US seized a North Korean freighter in a further escalation of tensions Thursday after Pyongyang fired what was believed to be two missiles and President Donald Trump said Kim Jong Un was not ready to negotiate denuclearisation. The launch of the projectiles — identified …
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