SEOUL (Reuters) – Two South Korean military intelligence officers have been indicted on charges of raping a North Korean defector, the South’s defense ministry said on Tuesday. According to Yonhap news agency, the victim filed a criminal complaint last year, a... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – Accounts by former U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton of discussions between leaders of the United States and the two Koreas in his upcoming book are inaccurate and distorted, South Korea said on Monday. Bolton gives details in the bo... More »
GENEVA (Reuters) – A United Nations human rights expert voiced alarm on Tuesday at what he called “widespread food shortages and malnutrition” in North Korea, made worse by a nearly five-month border closure with China and strict quarantine measures against CO... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean officials are calling for caution amid reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may be ill or is being isolated because of coronavirus concerns, emphasising that they have detected no unusual movements in North Korea. At a cl... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean and Chinese officials on Tuesday cast doubt on reports North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was ill after media outlets said he had undergone a cardiovascular procedure and was in “grave danger”. Daily NK, a Seoul-based speciality web... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea reported on Monday that at least 116 people initially cleared of the new coronavirus had tested positive again, although officials suggested they would soon look at easing strict recommendations aimed at preventing new outbreaks. ... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea fired two short-range missiles off the east coast into the sea on Monday, resuming testing after a three-month pause, South Korea’s military said. The missiles were launched from the eastern coastal city of Wonsan and flew 240 km ... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – The projectiles North Korea fired on Monday flew 240 km (150 miles) and reached 35 km in altitude, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. North Korea fired two short-range projectiles off its eastern coastal city of Wonsan – from whe... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s defence ministry said on Monday there was no indication that North Korea projectiles reached Japan’s territory or its exclusive economic zone. South Korea’s defence ministry said earlier North Korea fired two unidentified projectiles ... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – China on Monday reiterated a call for dialogue in response to North Korea’s latest missile launch and said all sides involved in efforts to rid the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons should reconcile conflicts through discussion. Foreign m... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean and U.S. special forces troops recently conducted drills simulating the infiltration of an enemy facility, U.S. military photos seen by Reuters on Monday show, as tensions with North Korea ratchet up ahead of a year-end deadline.... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – Stalled denuclearization talks and a recent flare-up in tension between the United States and North Korea are not beneficial for Pyongyang, South Korean President Moon Jae-in told Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Monday. North Kor... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping told South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Monday that China supports South Korea’s efforts to improve ties with North Korea and inject new impetus into promoting peace talks, state television reported. Source: ... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – U.S. special envoy for North Korea, Stephen Biegun, urged Pyongyang on Monday to return offers of talks, dismissing leader Kim Jong Un’s year-end deadline while highlighting Washington’s willingness to discuss “all issues of interest.” Tensio... More »
INCHEON, South Korea (Reuters) – Stephen Biegun, the U.S. special envoy for North Korea, arrived in South Korea on Sunday as Pyongyang stepped up pressure on Washington to make concessions to revive stalled denuclearization talks ahead of a year-end deadline. ... More »
(Reuters) – Democrat Joe Biden’s presidential campaign launched new attacks on Donald Trump on Sunday, advocating a reevaluation of U.S.-Saudi relations and calling North Korea’s apparent weapons test a “rebuke” to the U.S. president in a statement to Reuters.... More »
SEOUL/TOKYO (Reuters) – South Korea and Japan traded fresh barbs on Monday, just days after agreeing to salvage an important intelligence-sharing pact, highlighting the fragile ties between the former wartime foes and allies of the United States. Officials fro... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korean media reported on Monday that leader Kim Jong Un supervised air force drills for the second time in three days, even as the United States and South Korea decided to postpone their joint air drills to ease denuclearisation talks w... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean and U.S. officials resumed talks on Monday to narrow a $4 billion gap in how much they want Seoul to pay for the cost of hosting the American military amid public protests of “highway robbery” against sharply increased U.S. deman... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – A South Korean service is offering free funerals – but only to the living. More than 25,000 people have participated in mass “living funeral” services at Hyowon Healing Center since it opened in 2012, hoping to improve their lives by simulati... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in on Monday suggested high-level talks to resolve a deepening political and trade row with Japan during a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Moon’s spokeswoman said. The two leaders held an 11-m... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea and the United States could hold another round of working-level talks as soon as mid-November to expedite progress before a year-end deadline set by Pyongyang, a South Korean lawmaker said on Monday. North Korean and U.S. official... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean football fans will be left in the dark as their national team play in North Korea for the first time in 30 years on Tuesday, with Pyongyang refusing to broadcast the World Cup qualifier live amid a return of chilled relations wit... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un invited U.S. President Donald Trump to visit Pyongyang in a letter sent in August, a South Korean newspaper reported on Monday, citing diplomatic sources. The letter, the second Trump received from Kim last mon... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Former White House national security adviser John Bolton, who parted ways this week with President Donald Trump, resumed his old job on Friday as head of two political action committees and announced $50,000 in contributions to Republica... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly fired his national security adviser John Bolton amid disagreements with his hard-line aide over how to handle foreign policy challenges such as North Korea, Iran, Afghanistan and Russia. “I informed J... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Having once branded John Bolton a “war maniac”, North Korean officials could see U.S. President Donald Trump’s removal of his national security adviser as a chance to resume denuclearization talks without facing an unyielding hawk on the... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – A recent remark by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about “North Korea’s rogue behavior” will make talks with the United States more difficult, the North’s KCNA news agency on Saturday quoted its vice foreign minister, Choe Son Hui, as say... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected Saturday’s test of a new weapon, which was developed to suit the country’s terrain, state media KCNA said on Sunday. North Korea fired what appeared to be two short-range missiles on Saturday, South K... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday he would nominate Representative John Ratcliffe, a Texas Republican who strongly defended him at a recent congressional hearing, to replace Dan Coats as the U.S. spy chief. Coats, the current U.... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump said on Sunday the nation’s top intelligence official, Dan Coats, would leave his post next month and that he would nominate Republican congressman John Ratcliffe to replace him. “I am pleased to announce that high... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. candidates running for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination on Sunday criticized President Donald Trump’s latest overture to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, saying the leaders’ meeting lacked substance and elevated a ruthles... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump will visit South Korea this week to discuss ways to revive nuclear talks with North Korea, the South’s presidential Blue House said on Monday. Trump is set to start his two-day visit on Saturday, and hold a summit ... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday that he hopes a letter sent by President Donald Trump to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un can pave the way for new talks aimed at ending North Korea’s nuclear program. Pompeo, who confirm... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Sunday he will travel to Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates for talks, and repeated his offer for negotiations with Iran “with no preconditions” to de-escalate tensions. “We’re prepared... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea’s former top nuclear envoy, Kim Yong Chol, accompanied leader Kim Jong Un to an art performance, state news agency KCNA said on Monday, signaling that the former spymaster is alive and remains a force in the power structure. Sunda... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – The Pentagon has told the White House that the U.S. military will not be politicized, a U.S. official said on Sunday, in response to a controversy after officials directed the United States Navy to keep the USS John S. McCain out of sight dur... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump pressed Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday to even out a trade imbalance with the United States and expressed confidence, despite Japanese wariness, that “good things” would come from North Korea. Trump i... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he would work with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to bring home Japanese citizens who were kidnapped by North Korean agents decades ago. Trump, on a four-day state visit to Japan, was speaking at... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton is “inordinately ignorant” to argue that North Korea’s recent missile tests violated United Nations resolutions, the North’s foreign ministry said in a statement carried by state media on Monday. A s... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump will discuss North Korea, U.S.-Japan economic issues and next month’s Group of 20 summit, the Japanese premier said on Monday. Speaking ahead of the talks, Abe added that he was determ... More »
(Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un agree on their assessment of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said on Sunday, aligning the American president with an authoritarian fore... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed on Friday the possibility of a new accord limiting nuclear arms that could eventually include China in what would be a major deal between the globe’s top ... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said he had a “very productive” call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on issues ranging from North Korea, Ukraine and Venezuela to trade and nuclear weapons. Trump, in a series of tweets, also a... More »
(Reuters) – U.S. intelligence has accused Huawei Technologies of being funded by Chinese state security, The Times said on Saturday, adding to the list of allegations faced by the Chinese technology company in the West. The CIA accused Huawei of receiving fund... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea reversed a decision to withdraw its staff from an inter-Korean liaison office by sending some back to work on Monday, South Korea said, in a turnaround that came after U.S. President Donald Trump opted not to impose extra sanction... More »
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – An Indonesian woman accused in the 2017 killing of the North Korean leader’s half-brother was freed on Monday, as a Malaysian court dropped the murder charge against her in a case that drew suspicions of being a political assassination... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump is open to a third summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un but some time may have to go by before this takes place, Trump’s national security adviser said on Sunday. Speaking on ABC, John Bolton said the U... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – Perhaps none of the communist legacies shared by Vietnam and North Korea highlighted during Kim Jong Un’s “goodwill visit” to Hanoi is stranger than the embalmed leaders on display in their capital cities, and the secretive team of Russian te... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that the Democrats’ decision to interview his longtime fixer, lawyer Michael Cohen, on the same day as a meeting with Kim Jong Un may have contributed to the North Korea summit ending with no deal. T... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump said on Sunday the reason he wanted to curb military drills with South Korea was to save the United States hundreds of millions of dollars in costs, and suggested it could also reduce tensions with North Korea. “Th... More »
(Note language in 1st and 9th paragraphs that may offend readers.) By Katanga Johnson and Steve Holland OXON HILL, Md. (Reuters) – President Donald Trump on Saturday attacked U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller ahead of his report on alleged Russia collusion b... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Looking for a quick way to stop North Korean missiles immediately after lift-off, the Pentagon is studying as a near-term option whether a group of F-35 fighter jets hovering around North Korean airspace could pick off freshly-launched r... More »
VLADIVOSTOK, Russia (Reuters) – A Russian tanker violated international trade sanctions by transferring fuel to a North Korean vessel at sea at least four times between October 2017 and May 2018, two crew members who witnessed the transfers said. Such transact... More »
HANOI (Reuters) – An Australian comedian who impersonates North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said on Monday authorities were deporting him from Vietnam, some 24 hours before the real Kim was due to arrive for a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump. The Kim loo... More »
HANOI (Reuters) – Kim Jong Ale? Rock It, Man? Or how about a glass of Peace Negroniations? Bars in Vietnam’s capital are cashing in on the second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un next week with special concoctions ... More »
(Reuters) – A renewed nuclear arms race, rising greenhouse gas emissions and the emergence of state-sponsored disinformation campaigns have left the modern world as close to annihilation as it was at the height of the Cold War, atomic scientists said on Thursd... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – A train believed to be carrying North Korean leader Kim Jong Un left a station in the Chinese capital on Wednesday, a Reuters witness said. Kim was invited to Beijing by Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit China amid negotiations for a se... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed an expected U.S.-North Korea summit in talks in Beijing on Tuesday, Yonhap news agency said, days after Kim warned he may take an alternative path if the United Stat... More »
(Reuters) – U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will quit in February after falling out with Donald Trump over the president’s foreign policies, including the surprise decision this week to pull troops out of Syria and plan a drawdown in Afghanistan. Mattis, a r... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – The United States has agreed to help South Korea send flu medication to North Korea, a South Korean official said on Friday, after the United States said it would help deliver aid to the North despite stalled nuclear talks. North Korean leade... More »
TOKYO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo brushed off North Korean charges that he used “gangster-like” diplomacy in negotiations in Pyongyang, saying on Sunday after meeting his Japanese and South Korean counterparts that he would keep ... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The State Department on Thursday denied that the United States had softened its approach toward North Korea’s denuclearization, as U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo heads to Pyongyang hoping to hammer out a roadmap for its nuclear disa... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump believes North Korean leader Kim Jong Un wants a “different, brighter future” for North Koreans, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a tweet on Thursday. “I spoke with @POTUS while we were both in the ... More »
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he believes that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sees a different future for his country, as America’s top diplomat heads to Pyongyang for talks on denuclearization. Speaking to repo... More »
SEOUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – White House national security adviser John Bolton said on Sunday he believed the bulk of North Korea’s weapons programs could be dismantled within a year, as the United States and North Korea resumed working-level talks. Bolton tol... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. envoy Sung Kim held talks with North Korean officials on Sunday in the border village of Panmunjom within the demilitarized zone between the North and South Korea, South Korean media reported on Sunday. Kim, the U.S. ambassador to t... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The senior U.S. diplomat for Asia, Susan Thornton, will retire at the end of July, the State Department said on Saturday, in the midst of critical negotiations with North Korea and China. Questions have long been raised about whether Tho... More »
SEOUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – North Korea’s top three military officials have been removed from their posts, a senior U.S. official said, a move analysts said on Monday could support efforts by the North’s young leader to jump-start economic development and eng... More »
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Singapore has designated a central region of the wealthy city state as a “special event area” from June 10 to 14 for a planned summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the government said on Monday. ... More »
TOKYO/SEOUL (Reuters) – A top aide to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in Singapore on Monday night, Japanese public broadcaster NHK said on Tuesday, the latest indication that the on-again-off-again summit with U.S. President Donald Trump may go ahead.... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – Former North Korea spy chief and senior official Kim Yong Chol is headed to the United States after stopping over in Beijing, presumably for talks with U.S. officials regarding a possible summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Pre... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday nominated Admiral Harry Harris, head of the U.S. Pacific Command, as U.S. ambassador to South Korea ahead of a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un scheduled next month but since called into q... More »
SEOUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Shutting down North Korea’s nuclear test site is trickier than it might seem. A botched tunnel collapse could spread radioactive debris. Nuclear material might be buried, but accessible enough to be dug up and reused in a weapon. A... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea and South Korea agreed on Tuesday to hold high-level inter-Korea talks on May 16 to discuss steps needed to uphold the pledge to denuclearize the Korean peninsula, South Korea’s Unification Ministry said. The meeting will discuss ... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea will invite South Korean reporters from one news agency and from one television broadcaster to observe the dismantling of a nuclear test site between May 23 and May 25, South Korea’s Ministry of Unification said on Tuesday. The So... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – The United States and Japan will “move rapidly” to get a trade deal under a new framework aimed at intensifying bilateral trade consultations, U.S. ambassador William Hagerty said, keeping pressure on Tokyo to open up protected markets like a... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is traveling to the United States on Sunday for a two-day visit, during which he will meet Vice President Mike Pence and national security adviser John Bolton, Britain said. The discussions in Washingt... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump on Friday said the date and location have been set for a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, building suspense for the unprecedented talks, as South Korea said it would oppose a withdrawal of U.S. troops ... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to prepare options for reducing the number of U.S. troops in South Korea, the New York Times reported on Thursday, citing several people briefed on the deliberations. Reduced U.S. troop lev... More »
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (Reuters) – The International Olympic Committee (IOC), at the request of North and South Korea, will support peace talks on the Korean peninsula with sports initiatives, IOC President Thomas Bach said on Thursday. The countries marched un... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean trust in North Korea has surged since last week’s feel-good summit at which their leaders declared an end to hostilities and to work towards denuclearization of the peninsula. A survey taken on Friday, the day North Korean leader... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean President Moon Jae-in said U.S. President Donald Trump deserves a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end the standoff with North Korea over its nuclear weapons program, a South Korean official said on Monday. “President Trump s... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – Smiling and holding hands, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in met at the heavily fortified demilitarized zone between the countries on Friday, pledging to pursue peace after decades of conflict. Kim became ... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – The golden doors on the stately North Korean building swung open and leader Kim Jong Un, in a black Mao suit and surrounded by a gaggle of officials, descended the steps toward the border. Not since the 1950-53 Korean War had a North Korean l... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in wrapped up the first round of talks on Friday for their countries’ first summit in over a decade, the South’s presidential office said on Friday. Kim and Moon will meet la... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate confirmed Mike Pompeo as President Donald Trump’s secretary of state on Thursday, and the former CIA director set off immediately on a trip to meet key allies in Europe and the Middle East. Pompeo, a former Army officer w... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said he is considering three or four dates as well as five locations for his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, adding that it remains unclear whether the meeting will occur. Trump, spea... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The first big showdown at the U.S. Supreme Court over President Donald Trump’s immigration policies is set for Wednesday when the justices hear a challenge to the lawfulness of his travel ban targeting people from several Muslim-majority... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States has banned American companies from selling telecommunications equipment to China’s ZTE Corp after the Chinese company illegally shipped telecom equipment to Iran and North Korea, the Commerce Department said on Monday. ... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe could find his oft-touted close ties with Donald Trump sorely tested at a summit this week in which Tokyo fears the U.S. leader will to try to link vital security matters with touchy trade topics. It is a fr... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – The U.S. ambassador to Japan on Tuesday met the families of people abducted by North Korea decades ago to train its spies, just a week before Japan’s prime minister is expected to raise the emotive topic at a summit with U.S. President Donald... More »
WASHINGTON/SEOUL (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he planned to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un next month or in early June and hoped the discussions would ultimately lead to an end of the North’s nuclear weapons program. “We’ll be m... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – U.S. policy toward China has been misdirected for decades and policymakers are now recalibrating ties, Senator Elizabeth Warren told reporters during a visit to Beijing amid heightened trade tensions between the world’s two largest economie... More »
FILE PHOTO: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets members of the special delegation of South Korea’s President in this photo released by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on March 6, 2018. KCNA/via Reuters/File Photo SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea... More »
Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi (R) meets with South Korea’s National Security Advisor Chung Eui-Yong (C) and South Korean ambassador to China Noh Young-min (L) at the Diaoyutai state guesthouse on March 12, 2018 in Beijing, China. REUTERS/Etienne Oliveau/... More »
GENEVA (Reuters) – Any progress in the nuclear and security dialogue with North Korea at upcoming summits must be accompanied by discussions on human rights violations, including political prison camps, the U.N. investigator on the isolated country said on Mon... More »
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson listens to a question during a news conference in Nairobi, Kenya, March 9, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst NAIROBI (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has cut short his first trip to Africa to return to Washingt... More »
U.S. Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis addresses a news conference during a NATO defence ministers meeting at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, February 15, 2018. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir MUSCAT (Reuters) – U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on ... More »
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin testifies before a Senate Finance Committee hearing on Fiscal Yeah (FY) 2019 budget on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., February 14, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump... More »
