US seizes North Korean cargo ship for violating sanctions
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has seized a North Korean cargo ship used to supply coal to the isolated nation in violation of international sanctions, law enforcement officials said Thursday.The seizure of the vessel, detained last month in Indonesia, comes at a delicate moment between the two countries.
North Korea fires 2 suspected missiles in possible new warning
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea fired two suspected short-range missiles toward the sea on Thursday, South Korean officials said, its second weapons launch in five days and a possible warning that nuclear disarmament talks with Washington could be in danger.South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the weapons flew 420 kilometers (260 miles) and 270 kilometers (167 miles), respectively.
North Korea fires several short-range projectiles into sea
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea on Saturday fired several unidentified short-range projectiles into the sea off its eastern coast, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said, a likely sign of Pyongyang's growing frustration at stalled diplomatic talks with Washington meant to provide coveted sanctions relief in return for nuclear disarmament.The South initially reported a single missile was fired, but later issued a statement that said "several projectiles" had been launched and that they flew up to 200 kilometers (125 miles) before splashing into the sea toward the northeast.South Korea's military has bolstered its surveillance in case there are additional weapons launches, and South Korean and U.S. authorities are analyzing the details.
North Korea test-fires a new tactical guided weapon
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea announced that it has test-fired a new type of tactical guided weapon.The Korean Central News Agency says Chairman Kim Jong Un observed the firing of the weapon Wednesday by the Academy of Defense Science.The agency reports that Kim said "the development of the weapon system serves as an event of very weighty significance in increasing the combat power of the People's Army."The agency says Kim mounted an observation post to learn about the test-fire of the new-type tactical guided weapon and guide the test-fire.The announcement came after reports of new activity at a North Korean missile research center and long-range rocket site where the North is believed to build long-range missiles targeting the U.S. mainland.The White House said it was aware of the report and had no comment.The Associated Press could not immediately and independently verify North Korea's claim.
North Korea said to be rebuilding structures at rocket site
NORTH KOREA -- North Korea is restoring facilities at a long-range rocket launch site that it dismantled last year as part of disarmament steps, according to foreign experts and a South Korean lawmaker who was briefed by Seoul's spy service.The finding follows a high-stakes nuclear summit last week between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump that ended without any agreement.South Korea's National Intelligence Service provided the assessment about the North's Tongchang-ri launch site to lawmakers during a private briefing Tuesday.
US judge orders North Korea to pay $500M in Otto Warmbier's death
WASHINGTON — A federal judge ordered North Korea to pay more than $500 million on Monday in a wrongful death suit filed by the parents of Otto Warmbier, an American college student who died shortly after being released from that country.U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell in Washington ruled that North Korea should pay damages to Fred and Cindy Warmbier, the parents of the University of Virginia student.Warmbier was a University of Virginia student who was visiting North Korea with a tour group when he was arrested and sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in March 2016 on suspicion of stealing a propaganda poster.
President Trump, at UN, says 2nd North Korea summit likely 'soon'
UNITED NATIONS — Confronting the dangers of North Korea's nuclear threat, President Donald Trump arrived at the United Nations on Monday striking a far less ominous tone than a year ago, announcing he likely will hold a second summit with Kim Jong Un "quite soon."Twelve months after President Trump stood at the rostrum of the U.N. General Assembly and derided Kim as "Rocket Man," the push to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula is a work in progress, although fears of war have given way to dreams of rapprochement.
North Korea to fete 70th birthday with tanks, dancing masses
PYONGYANG, North Korea — Workers with paint brushes and brooms put the final touches on Pyongyang's iconic Kim Il Sung Square as North Korea prepared for what promises to be its biggest celebration in years on Sunday — the 70th anniversary of the country's official birth as a nation.The spectacle, months in the making, will center on a military parade and mass games that will likely put both advanced missiles and leader Kim Jong Un's hopes for a stronger economy front and center.Although North Korea stages military parades almost every year, and held one just before the Olympics began in South Korea in February this year, Sunday's parade comes at a particularly sensitive time.Kim's effort to ease tensions with President Donald Trump have stalled since their June summit in Singapore.
US says North Korean computer programmer charged in Sony hack, WannaCry attack
WASHINGTON — A computer programmer accused of working at the behest of the North Korean government was charged Thursday in connection with several high-profile cyberattacks, including the Sony Pictures Entertainment hack and the WannaCry ransomware virus that affected hundreds of thousands of computers worldwide.Park Jin Hyok, who is believed to be in North Korea, conspired with others to conduct a series of attacks that also stole $81 million from a bank in Bangladesh, according to the Justice Department's criminal complaint.
North Korea provided just 1 dog tag with 55 sets of war remains
WASHINGTON — A U.S. defense official says that when North Korea handed over 55 boxes of bones that it said are remains of American war dead, it provided only a single military dog tag — but no other information that could help U.S. forensics experts determine their individual identities.The official, who discussed previously undisclosed aspects of the remains issue on condition of anonymity, says it probably will take months, if not years, to fully determine individual identities from the remains.
White House says North Korea returns remains of US war dead
PYEONGTAEK, South Korea — North Korea on Friday returned the remains of what are believed to be U.S. servicemen killed during the Korean War, the White House said, with a U.S military plane making a rare trip from a U.S. base in South Korea to a coastal city in the North to retrieve the remains.The handover follows through on a promise Kim Jong Un made to President Donald Trump when the leaders met in June and is the first tangible result from the much-hyped summit.An Associated Press journalist at Osan Air Base outside of Seoul saw the plane land, and the White House earlier confirmed that a U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft containing remains of fallen service members had departed Wonsan, North Korea, on its way to Osan.
Secretary of State Pompeo appeals for North Korea to replicate Vietnam's 'miracle'
HANOI, Vietnam — Undeterred by a blistering rebuke of his efforts to forge a denuclearization deal with North Korea, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday appealed for North Korea's leadership to follow Vietnam's path in overcoming past hostilities with the United States.Pompeo called on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to replicate Vietnam's "miracle" of economic growth by improving ties with the U.S., vowing that America keeps its promises with former foes.Speaking to members of the U.S.-Vietnamese business community in Hanoi, Pompeo said Vietnam's experience since the normalization of relations with the U.S. in 1995 should be proof for North Korea that prosperity and partnership with the U.S. is possible after decades of conflict and mistrust. "We know it is a real possibility because we see how Vietnam has traveled this remarkable path," Pompeo said."In light of the once-unimaginable prosperity and partnership we have with Vietnam today, I have a message for Chairman Kim Jong Un: President Trump believes your country can replicate this path," he said, repeating President Donald Trump's pledge to help improve North Korea's economy and provide it with security assurances in return for Kim giving up nuclear weapons."It's yours if you'll you seize the moment.
North Korea says talks with Pompeo were 'regrettable'
PYONGYANG, North Korea — High-level talks between the United States and North Korea appeared to hit a snag on Saturday as Pyongyang said a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had been "regrettable" and accused Washington of making "gangster-like" demands to pressure the country into abandoning its nuclear weapons.The statement from the North came just hours after Pompeo wrapped up two days of talks with senior North Korean officials without meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un but with commitments for new discussions on denuclearization and the repatriation of the remains of American soldiers killed during the Korean War.While Pompeo offered a relatively positive assessment of his meetings, North Korea's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the U.S. betrayed the spirit of last month's summit between President Donald Trump and Kim by making "unilateral and gangster-like" demands on "CVID," or the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of North Korea.It said the outcome of the follow-up talks was "very concerning" because it has led to a "dangerous phase that might rattle our willingness for denuclearization that had been firm.""We had expected that the U.S. side would offer constructive measures that would help build trust based on the spirit of the leaders' summit ...
National Security Adviser John Bolton: US has plan to dismantle NK nuclear program in year
WASHINGTON — The United States has a plan that would lead to the dismantling of North Korea's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs in a year, President Donald Trump's national security adviser said Sunday, although U.S. intelligence reported signs that Pyongyang doesn't intend to fully give up its arsenal.John Bolton said top U.S. diplomat Mike Pompeo will be discussing that plan with North Korea in the near future.
US won't ease sanctions before North Korea denuclearizes: 'Only then will there be relief'
BEIJING — The United States will not ease sanctions against North Korea until it denuclearizes, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday, as he reassured key Asian allies that President Donald Trump had not backed down on Pyongyang's weapons program.Pompeo, meeting in Seoul with top South Korean and Japanese diplomats, put a more sober spin on President Trump's summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un after the president's comments fueled unease in Washington, Tokyo and Seoul.
President Trump declares North Korea 'no longer a nuclear threat'
WASHINGTON -- America and the world can "sleep well tonight," President Donald Trump declared on Wednesday, boasting that his summit with Kim Jong Un had ended any nuclear threat from North Korea though the meeting produced no details on how or when weapons might be eliminated or even reduced.While President Trump claimed a historic breakthrough at the most significant diplomatic event of his presidency, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, was more measured.
President Trump, Kim Jong Un converge on Singapore ahead of high-stakes summit
SINGAPORE — President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un converged on this island city-state Sunday ahead of one of the most unusual and highly anticipated summits in recent world history, a sit-down meant to settle a standoff over Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal.President Trump descended from Air Force One into the steamy Singapore night, greeting officials and declaring he felt "very good" before being whisked away to his hotel via a route lined with police and photo-snapping onlookers.
Pres. Trump casts North Korea summit as 'one-time shot' for Kim
SINGAPORE — President Donald Trump cast his Tuesday summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un as a "one-time shot" for the autocratic leader to ditch his nuclear weapons and enter the community of nations, saying he would know within moments if Kim is serious about the talks.President Trump said Saturday he was embarking on a "mission of peace," as he departed the Group of Seven meeting in Canada to fly to the summit site in Singapore.
Pres. Trump says summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un depends on attitude, not preparation
WASHINGTON — Heading into his North Korea summit with characteristic bravado, President Donald Trump said Thursday that "attitude" is more important than preparation as he looks to negotiate an accord with Kim Jong Un to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.Preparing to depart Washington for the next week's meeting, President Trump dangled before Kim visions of normalized relations with the United States, economic investment and even a White House visit.
President Trump said to be 'actively preparing' for summit
WASHINGTON -- The White House says President Donald Trump "continues to actively prepare" for the president's "expected summit" with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore.White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says President Trump will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the White House on June 7.She says Kim Yong Chol, North Korea's vice chairman of the Central Committee, is traveling to New York and will meet with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo later this week.Sanders says a U.S. delegation is meeting with the North Korean delegation at the DMZ.Plans for the high-stakes summit have been in flux for days.