North Korea has promised to shut its atomic test site within weeks and invite American weapons experts to verify its closure, Seoul reported Sunday, as new US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington had an "obligation" to pursue peace. Kim Jong Un plans to shut down North Korea's nuclear test site in May, Seoul says North Korean leader Kim Jong Un -- who may meet US President Donald Trump as early as next month -- also said Pyongyang would have no need for nuclear weapons if it were promised it would not be invaded, according to Seoul. Friday's historic meeting saw Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in agree to pursue the complete denuclearisation of the peninsula. Washington's new chief diplomat said he and Kim held in-depth talks about a denuclearisation "mechanism" when they met over Easter. "We talked a great deal about what it might look like, what this complete, verifiable, irreversible mechanism might look like," Pompeo said. "We have an obligation to … [Read more...] about N. Korea offers to shut nuclear test site in May, invite US experts
North korea invaded south korea
Beijing says 32 Chinese tourists killed in North Korea bus accident
A bus crash in North Korea has killed 32 Chinese tourists and four North Koreans, the foreign ministry in Beijing said on Monday. Two other Chinese nationals were injured in Sunday's accident south of the capital Pyongyang, ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a regular press briefing. "We are investigating the cause" of the accident, Lu said. The ministry provided few details but China's state broadcaster CGTN earlier tweeted that more than 30 people died when a tour bus fell from a bridge in North Korea. The tweet was later deleted. State broadcaster CCTV broadcast images of a large overturned vehicle with light rain falling on rescue vehicles and doctors attending to a patient. China was informed about the accident on Sunday night, and its embassy personnel in Pyongyang rushed to the scene and are working to manage the situation, the foreign ministry said in a statement earlier. The vast majority of foreign tourists to North Korea are Chinese, with the Cold War-era allies sharing a long … [Read more...] about Beijing says 32 Chinese tourists killed in North Korea bus accident
US and North Korea: foes face-to-face after decades of tension
Following a historic announcement at the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are poised for a face-to-face meeting. Since the end of the Korean War, the countries' relations have been marked by high tensions and periodic, but short-lived, thaws. Here is a recap of their troubled history: A divided Korean peninsula In 1945 Japan's defeat in World War II ends its occupation of Korea. The peninsula is divided along the 38th parallel between the Soviet-backed regime of Kim Il-Sung in the North and a South under U.S. protection. In June 1950 North Korea, later assisted by China, invades the South. A coalition led by the United States retakes Seoul. In July 1953, an armistice -- not a full-fledged peace treaty -- is signed and Washington imposes sanctions on Pyongyang. Pueblo spy ship crisis In January 1968, the spy ship USS Pueblo is captured by North Korea. After 11 months, its 83 crew members are released. According to Pyongyang, … [Read more...] about US and North Korea: foes face-to-face after decades of tension
N.Korea dismisses South’s dialogue offer on Kaesong
North Korea dismissed on Sunday the South's offer for dialogue on the future of the Kaesong joint industrial zone, calling the offer an "empty" political gesture. Seoul last Thursday called for Pyongyang to "come to the dialogue table" to revive the complex, a rare symbol of cross-border economic cooperation and crucial hard currency source for the North. But Pyongyang dismissed the offer by the South's Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-Jae as a "meaningless" and "cunning" gesture aimed at concealing its true intentions to invade the North. "We found the offer an empty, meaningless act," a spokesman of the North's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea said in an interview with the state media KCNA. The official cited the South's ongoing joint military drill with its ally, the United States, and a call for the North to give up its nuclear ambitions as obstacles preventing talks. "If the South is genuine about having talks...it should first abandon the … [Read more...] about N.Korea dismisses South’s dialogue offer on Kaesong
N.Korea leader visits navy amid rocket launch tensions
North Korea's new leader Kim Jong-Un has visited the naval unit that captured a US spy ship in 1968, the official news agency said Friday, amid tensions over its planned satellite launch. Any attempt to intercept the satellite would be "an act of war", the North said late Thursday after South Korea and Japan prepared to shoot down the rocket should it fall towards their territory. In the latest of a series of military visits, Kim inspected Navy Unit 155 in the southeastern province of Kangwon and highly praised its past feats, the agency said. It "startled the world" by sinking the US heavy cruiser Baltimore with just four torpedo craft during the 1950-53 Korean War and also captured the US spy ship Pueblo, it said. Kim "stressed the need for the seamen of the unit to firmly take over the baton of the revolutionary forerunners (and) send the enemies into the bottom of the sea if they dare intrude into the territorial waters". The North captured the spy ship with 83 crew members … [Read more...] about N.Korea leader visits navy amid rocket launch tensions