Unification Ministry spokesperson Jeong Joon-hee (Yonhap)South Korea chided North Korea Friday for criticizing President Park Geun-hye’s mention of the Aug. 4 land mine provocation during her summit with the Chinese leader, and for Pyongyang’s repeated moves to discredit the recent bilateral agreement to defuse border tensions.Seoul had refrained from trading barbs with Pyongyang to stably implement the Aug. 25 agreement including the resumption of reunions of families separated across the borde

North Korea Sept. 4, 2015

Tiananmen Square on Thursday turned into a pomp-filled showcase of China’s military prowess, with the march of its goose-stepping troops leading a formidable display of intercontinental nuclear missiles, fighters, bombers, drones and other high-tech weapons.During the much-anticipated military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, Chinese leader Xi Jinping delivered a message of “peace and justice,” which was eclipsed by the massive presentation of China’s homebuilt com

Foreign Affairs Sept. 3, 2015

President Park Geun-hye’s trip to China this week further underscored Pyongyang’s deepening isolation and estrangement from Beijing, drawing keen attention to how the communist regime would seek to address its diplomatic impasse. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presides over a recent party meeting. (Yonhap)Park and her Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping held a summit for the sixth time Wednesday with a focus on joint efforts to address North Korea’s nuclear ambitions and provocations, reaffirming pr

North Korea Sept. 2, 2015

Japanese newspaper Sankei Shimbun came under fire again for an online column that called President Park Geun-hye’s plan to attend China’s World War II victory event “toadyism” and likened her to a 19th-century Korean empress assassinated by Japan.President Park Geun-hye presides over a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday. (Yonhap)In its Monday edition, the conservative daily carried the column accusing Korea’s diplomacy of being historically subservient to big powers -- China, Russia or

Foreign Affairs Sept. 1, 2015

South Korea faces a tough decision over its economic sanctions against North Korea, as the public here remains torn over the issue that could affect voter sentiment ahead of the parliamentary elections next April.Seoul maintains that the so-called May 24 sanctions, which were imposed after Pyongyang’s torpedo attack on the corvette Cheonan in March 2010, can only be terminated with the regime’s apology for it, steps to prevent a recurrence and the punishment of the attackers. North Korea leader

Latest News Aug. 31, 2015

Cross-border tensions further abated over the weekend as North Korea accepted the South’s offer to hold bilateral Red Cross talks on Sept. 7 to arrange the reunions of separated families, with each military seen readjusting their readiness posture to a precrisis level.The DMZ train traveling along the border areas comes to a halt at Daemari Station in Cheolwon, Gangwon Province, on Sunday. Its operations had been stopped for some time due to cross-border tensions. (Yonhap)On Saturday, a day afte

North Korea Aug. 30, 2015

 The new wartime contingency plan of South Korea and the U.S. is presumed to address the growing concerns over North Korea’s evolving weapons of mass destruction and likely to reflect changes in the U.S. force structure and strategy, analysts said Thursday.North Korea soldiers pledge allegiance in front of the statues of North Korea’s national founder Kim Il-sung and former leader Kim Jong-il on Tuesday. (Yonhap)Seoul and Washington reportedly signed the so-called Operations Plan 5015 in June to

Defense Aug. 27, 2015

Past inter-Korean talks over sensitive issues often descended into acrimonious squabbles with North Korean officials spewing out verbal threats, such as turning Seoul into a “sea of flames,” and sometimes storming out of the conference room.South Korea’s Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo speaks during his meeting with Son Gwang-ju, the new director of the Korea Hana Foundation, an organization to support North Korean defectors, in his office in central Seoul, Wednesday. (Yonhap)The latest talks

National Aug. 26, 2015

 An intense war of nerves unfolded during the rare four-day cross-border talks, with South Korea pressuring the North to apologize for the recent set of North Korean provocations, while the other side tried to gloss over its responsibility, a senior Seoul official said Tuesday.Top officials from the two Koreas engage in intense talks in South Korea’s Peace House in the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjeom this week. (Unification Ministry)However, the two sides reached an agreement through t

North Korea Aug. 25, 2015

Although the rare cross-border talks brought the two Koreas away from the brink of an armed clash Tuesday, concerns persist over whether the development would effectively end what South Korea terms the “vicious cycle” of North Korean provocations. A peaceful North Korean village in Gaepung, North Hwanghae Province, is seen from South Korea’s frontline area on Tuesday. (Yonhap)Following the four-day talks that stretched into Tuesday morning, Pyongyang offered a rare expression of “regret” in a jo

North Korea Aug. 25, 2015

President Park Geun-hye on Monday increased her pressure on North Korea to apologize for the recent land mine blast and prevent a recurrence, warning that South Korea would continue its propaganda broadcasts should her demands not be met.President Park Geun-hye presides over a meeting of her senior secretaries at Cheong Wa Dae on Monday. (Yonhap)Park maintained a hard-line stance as the two Koreas continued grueling high-level talks over a recent spate of North Korean attacks at the inter-Korean

North Korea Aug. 24, 2015