Seoul, South Korea | AFP | North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has not been seen in public for more than two weeks, missing commemorations for a key political anniversary, and reports he underwent a cardiovascular procedure have spiralled into speculation he could be incapacitated or even dead. Both Seoul and …
Read More »North Korea’s Kim ‘alive and well’: Seoul
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is “alive and well”, a top security adviser to the South’s President Moon Jae-in said, downplaying rumours over Kim’s health following his absence from a key anniversary. Conjecture over Kim has grown since his conspicuous no-show at April 15 …
Read More »Seoul plays down report on Kim Jong Un health
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | South Korea played down a report Tuesday that the North’s leader Kim Jong Un was being treated after surgery, as speculation mounted over his absence from a key anniversary. Pyongyang marked the birthday of its late founder, Kim’s grandfather Kim Il Sung, on …
Read More »North Korea’s Kim reshuffles top governing body
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 …
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