North Korea decries breakdown of talks US says were ‘good’HELSINKI: North Korea’s chief negotiator said that nuclear talks with the US had broken down, but Washington maintained the two sides had “good discussions” in Sweden that it intends to build on in two weeks. The North Korean negotiator, Kim Myong Gil, said the talks in Stockholm on Saturday had “not fulfilled our expectations and broke down. I am very displeased about it.” Speaking outside the North Korean Embassy, he said that negotiations broke down “entirely because the US has not discarded its old stance and attitude” and came to a negotiating table with an “empty hand.”Saturday’s talks were the first between the US and North Korea since the February breakdown of the second summit between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un in Vietnam. The two leaders held a brief, impromptu meeting at the Korean border in late June and agreed to restart diplomacy. … [Read more...] about North Korea decries breakdown of talks US says were ‘good’
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North Korea solidifies Kim Jong Un’s ‘monolithic’ power
North Korea solidifies Kim Jong Un's 'monolithic' power (Agence France-Presse) - August 30, 2019 - 3:14pm SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea has elevated leader Kim Jong Un to a status approaching his grandfather, the country's founder Kim Il Sung, analysts said Friday after Pyongyang revised its constitution to reinforce his authority. Kim was under 30 when he inherited power in late 2011 on the death of his father Kim Jong Il, but has since firmly established his authority, ruling the country with an iron fist, overseeing four of its six nuclear tests and executing his uncle for treason. Kim is officially chairman of the ruling Workers' Party and chairman of the State Affairs Commission (SAC), the top government body, although his late grandfather remains the country's Eternal President despite dying in 1994. The Supreme People's Assembly, the North's rubber-stamp parliament, approved a series of constitutional … [Read more...] about North Korea solidifies Kim Jong Un’s ‘monolithic’ power
North Korea threatens to take ‘new road’ with latest launches
North Korea fired two unidentified projectiles into the sea off its east coast on Tuesday, the South Korean military said, as Pyongyang's foreign ministry protested that joint US-South Korea military drills violated diplomatic agreements. The North, criticising the US-South Korean drills and their use of high-tech weapons, has fired a series of missiles and rockets since its leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump agreed at a June 30 meeting to revive stalled denuclearisation talks. Trump has played down the tests by saying they did not break any agreement he had with Kim but the talks have yet to resume. Analysts believe the tests are designed both to improve North Korean military capabilities and to pressure Washington to offer more concessions. A senior Trump administration official said: "We continue to monitor the situation and are consulting closely with our South Korean and Japanese allies." In Seoul, … [Read more...] about North Korea threatens to take ‘new road’ with latest launches
North Korea slams Japan over its trade spat with Seoul
North Korea has repeatedly warned the South to stop "meddling" in nuclear talks between Pyongyang and Washington, but sided with Seoul for its trade row with Tokyo SEOUL - North Korea's state media has slammed Japan for its recent trade restrictions against Seoul over wartime slavery disputes, accusing Tokyo of "destroying the trend of peace" on the Korean peninsula.After South Korea's high court ordered Japanese firms that used forced labour to compensate Korean victims, Tokyo earlier this month restricted the export of several chemicals to South Korea that are crucial to its world-leading chip and smartphone companies. South Korea's left-leaning President Moon Jae-in, who favours engagement with Pyongyang, has said Tokyo's actions are "politically motivated" and have caused an "unprecedented emergency" for Seoul's export-driven economy. North Korea has repeatedly warned the South to stop "meddling" in nuclear talks between Pyongyang and Washington, but sided with Seoul … [Read more...] about North Korea slams Japan over its trade spat with Seoul
North Korea says weapons test involved ‘long-range’ capability
North Korea says weapons test involved 'long-range' capability SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said Friday it had tested a long-range weapon, a claim that was likely to raise tensions on the peninsula and contradicted accounts from the South and in the US that Pyongyang had fired short-range missiles. The state-run Korean Central News Agency said leader Kim Jong Un had overseen Thursday's weapons test, the second in less than a week amid tensions with the US over their fitful drive to reach an agreement under which North Korea would give up its nuclear weapons in exchange for sanctions relief. "At the command post, Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un learned about a plan of the strike drill of various long-range strike means and gave an order of start of the drill," KCNA said, adding that the drill was successful. KCNA did not say what kind of weapon was fired. It avoided using the words missile, rocket or projectile. The update came amid … [Read more...] about North Korea says weapons test involved ‘long-range’ capability