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 …
Read More »‘Say hello’: Trump invites Kim to DMZ meeting
Osaka, Japan | AFP | US President Donald Trump on Saturday invited North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to meet for a historic handshake at the demilitarised zone that divides the Korean peninsula, and said he would have “no problem” stepping over the border. The invitation issued on Twitter caught observers …
Read More »China’s Xi to visit North Korea this week ahead of G20
Beijing, China | AFP | Xi Jinping will make the first trip to North Korea by a Chinese president in 14 years this week, state media said Monday, as Beijing tightens relations with Pyongyang amid tensions with the United States. Xi will visit Pyongyang on Thursday and Friday at the invitation …
Read More »US-N.Korea tensions rise with Pyongyang launches, ship seizure
Washington, United States | AFP | The US seized a North Korean freighter in a further escalation of tensions Thursday after Pyongyang fired what was believed to be two missiles and President Donald Trump said Kim Jong Un was not ready to negotiate denuclearisation. The launch of the projectiles — identified …
Read More »North Korea fires missiles as US envoy visits Seoul
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | North Korea welcomed a US envoy’s visit to Seoul by firing two missiles Thursday, the South’s military said, in Pyongyang’s second launch in less than a week as it seeks to up the ante in deadlocked nuclear negotiations with Washington. It came after North Korea …
Read More »Kim, Putin vow to seek closer ties at first talks
Vladivostok, Russia | AFP | North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and Russia’s Vladimir Putin vowed to seek closer ties as they met for the first time on Thursday, in talks aimed at countering US influence. Putin emerged from the meeting in Russia’s Vladivostok saying that like Washington, Moscow supports efforts to …
Read More »N. Korea may be preparing a missile or space launch: NPR
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | North Korea may be preparing for a missile or space launch, US news outlet NPR has reported, based on satellite image analysis of a key facility near Pyongyang. NPR said the images of Sanumdong, one of the facilities Pyongyang has used to produce inter-continental ballistic …
Read More »North Korea in five figures
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | Ahead of the second summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, here are five key figures on the reclusive Asian country. – 67 percent – The portion of the workforce employed in the agriculture sector, according to the Food …
Read More »North Korea seeks sweet smell of success ahead of summit
Sinuiju, North Korea | AFP | The manager of North Korea’s Sinuiju Cosmetics Factory clenches her fists when asked about a rival plant in Pyongyang, then bumps them together. “We compete,” Kim Hye Yong says firmly. Throughout the plant, masked workers in white overalls, gloves and hairnets operate machines producing shampoos, …
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