US President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Sunday (May 26) to express his "confidence" in North Korean leader Kim Jong Un despite Pyongyang's recent weapons tests and deadlocked nuclear talks. US President Donald Trump and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un. (Photo: AFP/Saul Loeb) Trump, currently in Japan on a trip aimed at improving ties with Washington's close Asian ally, also suggested that Kim was sending him a "signal" through a North Korean state media commentary on Joe Biden - in which the former vice president was labelled an "imbecile" and a "fool of low IQ" for criticising Kim. "North Korea fired off some small weapons, which disturbed some of my people, and others, but not me," Trump wrote on Twitter, apparently referring to weapons tests in early May. But Trump tweeted: "I have confidence that Chairman Kim will keep his promise to me, & also smiled when he called Swampman Joe Bidan [sic] a low IQ individual, & worse. Perhaps that's sending me a signal?" … [Read more...] about Trump says still has “confidence” in North Korea”s Kim
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As North Korea ponders economic reform, its top diplomat to visit Vietnam
By Reuters  November 8, 2018 | 10:10 am GMT+7 North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho arrives for the Asean Regional Forum Retreat Session in Singapore August 4, 2018. Photo by Reuters/Edgar Su North Korea’s foreign minister, Ri Yong Ho, will visit Vietnam this month to learn about its model of economic reform, sources and the media said Wednesday. Ri will visit the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi, for three days from November 27 to inspect industrial zones and interview economic experts, a diplomatic source with direct knowledge of the trip told Reuters. South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, citing unidentified sources, also reported that Ri would make the three-day trip at that time. Vietnam’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. South Korea’s foreign ministry said it was not aware of Ri’s visit. After years of self-imposed isolation, and sanctions for its development of nuclear weapons and ballistic … [Read more...] about As North Korea ponders economic reform, its top diplomat to visit Vietnam
North Korea warns of returning to nuclear policy
SEOUL: North Korea has warned the United States it will "seriously" consider returning to a state policy aimed at building nuclear weapons if Washington does not end tough economic sanctions against the impoverished regime. This undated picture released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Nov 1, 2018 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un inspecting the construction site of the Hot Spring Tourist Area in Yangdok County, South Phyongan Province. (KCNA VIA KNS/AFP) For years, the North had pursued a "byungjin" policy of simultaneously developing its nuclear capabilities alongside the economy. In April, citing a "fresh climate of detente and peace" on the peninsula, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared the nuclear quest complete and said his country would focus on "socialist economic construction". But a statement issued by the North's foreign ministry said Pyongyang could revert to its former policy if the US does not change its stance over … [Read more...] about North Korea warns of returning to nuclear policy
North Korea’s box of bones: A mythical king and the dream of Korean unification
On a divided Korean peninsula, tales of King Dangun - the mythical founder of the first Korean kingdom more than 4,350 years ago - play a quiet but persistent role in keeping the dream of reunification alive. This mythology made an appearance in September when North Korean leader Kim Jong Un took South Korean President Moon Jae-in to the top of Mount Paektu, the supposed birthplace of Dangun. Moon also invoked the legend in an unprecedented speech in Pyongyang, calling for Korea to be reunited. “We had lived together for 5,000 years but apart for just 70 years,” said Moon, whose parents came from what is now North Korea. For many South Koreans, the idea of unification has become increasingly unrealistic amid a widening gulf between the two Koreas more than 70 years after they were partitioned in the wake of World War II. The legend of Dangun, however, plays a lasting role in promoting unification because it portrays Koreans as a homogenous group destined to live together, … [Read more...] about North Korea’s box of bones: A mythical king and the dream of Korean unification
Next summit for Trump, North Korea’s Kim likely after first of year
Next summit for Trump, North Korea's Kim likely after first of year - senior U.S. officialThe Saigon Times Daily U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un hold a signing ceremony at the conclusion of their summit at the Capella Hotel on the resort island of Sentosa, Singapore June 12, 2018 – PHOTO: REUTERS WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - The next summit meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is likely to happen early next year, a senior administration official said on Friday. The two sides have been engaged in talks on the leaders’ second meeting after the first, unprecedented, one in Singapore in June. “A meeting is likely sometime after the first of the year,” the U.S. official told a small group of reporters. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday he hopes to meet his North Korean counterpart soon to lay the groundwork for a “big step forward” on denuclearisation during … [Read more...] about Next summit for Trump, North Korea’s Kim likely after first of year