News on East Asia

Exclusive: N.Korea military, uncle to share power with Kim heir

2011-12-21T01:30:06Z

BEIJING (Reuters) - North Korea will shift to collective rule from a strongman dictatorship after last week's death of Kim Jong-il, although his untested young son will be at the head of the ruling coterie, a source with...

IAEA wants to redeploy nuclear inspectors in North Korea: report

2011-12-20T01:00:08Z

TOKYO (Reuters) - The International Atomic Energy Agency must redeploy its inspectors in North Korea to help with the denuclearization of the SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, revered at home by a propaganda machine that turned him into a demi-god and vilified in the West as a temperamental tyrant with a nuclear arsenal, has died, North Korean state television reported Monday.

Kim, who was 69 years old, died early Satur...

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il dead

2011-12-18T21:00:54Z

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-il died of a heart attack while on a train trip, state media reported Monday, sparking immediate concern over who is in control of the reclusive state and its nuclear program.

A tearful television announcer dressed in black said the 69-year old had di...

EU may study oil embargo on Iran; China urges calm

2011-12-01T10:00:38Z

BRUSSELS/TEHRAN (Reuters) - EU nations agreed on Thursday to examine sanctions on Iran's energy sector over its nuclear program which could include an oil embargo, championed by North Korea said Wednesday it is making rapid progress in enriching uranium and building a new reactor -- projects which experts say could give it a second way to make nuclear weapons.

"The construction of experimental LWR (light-water reactor) and the low-enriched uranium for the provision of raw materials are progressing apace," a foreign ministry spokesman told the official news agency.

The spokesman rejected demands by...

North Korea says work on uranium enrichment moves briskly

2011-11-29T20:00:10Z

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said on Wednesday it was moving briskly ahead with the construction of an experimental light-water reactor and uranium enrichment, and that it was willing to prove the peaceful nature of its program through the U...

US restates N.Korea nuclear demands

2011-11-22T05:30:34Z

The United States will consider holding further talks with North Korea but Pyongyang must halt its uranium enrichment programme before full disarmament negotiations resume, a senior US official said Tuesday.

"They have not yet made all of the commitments they need to, including on ending their uranium enrichment programme,...

Powers pressure Iran, IAEA chief "alerts world"

2011-11-17T18:00:06Z

VIENNA (Reuters) - Major powers closed ranks on Thursday to increase pressure on Iran to address fears about its atomic ambitions, and the U.N. nuclear chief said it was his duty to "alert the world" about suspected Iranian efforts to develop atom bombs.

The six powers involved in...

Powers make "progress" on IAEA Iran resolution

2011-11-16T03:30:39Z

VIENNA (Reuters) - World powers are making progress in narrowing their differences on how to respond to a U.N. watchdog report that aired intelligence suggesting Iran has worked on designing a nuclear weapon, Western diplomats said on Wednesday.

They said officials from the six bi...

North Korea says new reactor to start soon

2011-11-10T18:30:47Z

North Korea will soon start operating a new home-built nuclear reactor, its official news agency said Thursday in a commentary one year after Pyongyang publicly disclosed the plant.

"The day is near at hand when a light-water reactor entirely based on domestic resources and technology will come into operation in the DPRK (North Korea)," the agency said.

It made the remark i...

China says sanctions 'cannot solve' Iran issue

2011-11-10T08:30:31Z

China said on Thursday sanctions would not "fundamentally solve" the Iranian nuclear issue and urged further dialogue to resolve an ongoing impasse over Tehran's atomic programme.

The comments come after the United States and Europe said they may pursue fresh sanctions to...

China warns of turmoil over Iran, mute on sanctions

2011-11-09T01:00:05Z

BEIJING (Reuters) - China warned on Wednesday against turmoil in the Middle East from action over Iran's nuclear program, but declined to comment on the possibility of new sanctions following a

China urges Iran be flexible on nuclear program

2011-11-04T04:02:07Z

BEIJING (Reuters) - China urged Iran on Friday to show flexibility over its controversial nuclear program and warned that the use of force to resolve the issue was the last thing the Middle East needed at ...

U.S. upbeat after North Korea talks, but no breakthrough

2011-10-25T14:30:25Z

GENEVA (Reuters) - The United States ended two days of meetings with North Korea on Tuesday sounding upbeat about an eventual return to wider talks on ending Pyongyang's atomic programs but saying there was no im...

U.S. upbeat after North Korea nuclear talks

2011-10-25T09:30:45Z

GENEVA (Reuters) - The United States is optimistic about an eventual return to six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program, the chief U.S. negotiator said on Tuesday after two days of meetings with North Korean negotiators.

Reuters) - A second day of scheduled talks between the United States and North Korea on nuclear issues has been delayed at the request of Pyongyang, but will take place later Tuesday, a U.S. ...

N.Korea's Kim calls for nuclear talks, doubts on uranium

2011-10-24T20:00:10Z

BEIJING (Reuters) - North Korea's leader Kim Jong-il told Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang that a moribund 2005 deal should be the basis for fresh talks abo...

U.S. says N. Korea talks positive, issues remain

2011-10-24T14:30:35Z

GENEVA (Reuters) - The United States and North Korea have narrowed differences in a second set of talks since wider negotiations on nuclear disarmament collapsed in 2009, but issues remain, the top U.S. negotiator said on Monday.

United States and North Korea will meet in Geneva on Monday for their second round of direct talks aimed at reviving long-stalled nuclear disarmament negotiations.

While analysts expect no breakthrough during the two-day meeting, they see engagement between the two parties as a positive step as we...

Optimism in check as U.S., North Korea set to talk

2011-10-22T22:30:04Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two days of U.S.-North Korea talks opening on Monday in Geneva are aimed more at managing tensions on the tense Korean peninsula than resuming regional talks on ending the North's nuclear programs.

U.S. officials and analysts w...

North Korea and U.S. to meet in Geneva next week: report

2011-10-17T00:30:09Z

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea and the United States will hold a second round of talks in Geneva next week to discuss ways to restart regional talks on disabling ...

N.Korea could conduct third nuclear test: Seoul

2011-10-07T09:30:48Z

North Korea could conduct a third nuclear test or another missile launch before next year's US and South Korean presidential elections if disarmament talks fail, a senior Seoul official warned on Friday.

The communist North abandoned six-party nuclear talks in April 2009 and staged its second nuclear test a month later. It now calls for an unconditional resumption of the negotiations, am...

US, N. Korea 'may hold' nuclear talks this month

2011-10-02T04:30:27Z

The United States and North Korea are likely to hold a second round of talks this month to try to revive international nuclear disarmament negotiations, a South Korean report said Sunday.

The meeting may come after a summit between US President Barack Obama and his South Korean counterpart

Ex-envoy casts doubt on N. Korea nuke disarmament

2011-09-28T04:30:34Z

A former diplomat in Pyongyang cast doubt Wednesday on North Korea's willingness to denuclearise, saying its officials believe Libya's regime would have survived had it kept its nuclear weapons.

Diplomatic efforts are under way to revive six-nation talks on the North's nuclear disarmament. SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea and the United States are looking at holding a second round of dialogue early next month as part of renewed efforts to restart talks on disabling the North's nuclear weapons program, South Korean media r...

Korean envoys hold nuclear talks in Beijing

2011-09-21T07:30:37Z

The chief nuclear envoys for North and South Korea met in Beijing on Wednesday to try to revive international nuclear disarmament talks, with little hope of any early breakthroughs.

The one-day meeting at a private members' club in the centre of the Chinese capital is the second round of talks between the South's Wi Sung-Lac...

Two Koreas to hold nuclear talks Wednesday

2011-09-19T04:30:29Z

Top North and South Korean envoys will meet in Beijing on Wednesday for a second round of talks aimed at restarting stalled six-nation nuclear disarmament negotiations, Seoul's foreign ministry said.

The ministry gave no further details Monday of the meeting between the South's chief nuclear negotiator Wi Sung-Lac and his North K...

China urges new push for North Korea nuclear talks

2011-09-18T21:00:08Z

BEIJING (Reuters) - China urged regional powers on Monday to revive moribund nuclear disarmament talks with North Korea, with its foreign minister Yang Jiechi defending Beijing as an honest b...

Analysis: West fears possible Iran-North Korea nuclear links

2011-09-17T16:00:07Z

VIENNA (Reuters) - It is one of the West's biggest nuclear proliferation nightmares -- that increasingly isolated Iran and North Korea might covertly trade know-how, material or technology that could be put to developing atomic bombs.

"Such a relationship would be logical and beneficial to both Nort...

Koreas sound out orchestral maneuvers, but are strings attached?

2011-09-16T02:00:05Z

SEOUL (Reuters) - Bitter rivals South and North Korea could come together later this year to stage combined orchestral performances in the two capitals, a renowned conductor said on Friday, amid signs of improving relations on the divided peninsula.

On the diplomatic front, South Kore...

US, EU slam NKorea at UN atomic agency

2011-09-14T17:30:41Z

The United States and the European Union sharply criticised North Korea on Wednesday as the board of the UN atomic agency was briefed on Pyongyang's nuclear activities.

The US President Barack Obama will host talks and lay on the official pageantry of a state dinner for South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak on October 13, the White House has said.

The meeting will showcase the solidarity between Washington and Seoul

U.S. expert: North Korea may need more atomic tests

2011-09-09T11:30:07Z

VIENNA (Reuters) - North Korea has "good technical reasons" to carry out at least one more atomic test if it wants to develop a nuclear-armed missile, a prominent U.S. scientist who has often visited the reclusive Asian state said on Friday.

The North tested nuclear devices in 2006 and 2009, but still has not shown it has a working nuclea...

North Korea military parade shows leader's succession on course

2011-09-09T01:00:07Z

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-il flanked by his son reviewed a military parade of goose-stepping North Korean soldiers in Pongyang's central square on Friday, underlining a planned third generation of dynastic rule is on track.

Kim and his son Reuters) - North Korea may have used a "clandestine supply network" to acquire technology and information needed for an uranium enrichment facility the reclusive Asian state revealed late last year, the U.N. nuclear agency said in a report.

In November 2010, ...

Seoul must change to "trustpolitik" with North, says Park

2011-08-22T23:30:05Z

SEOUL (Reuters) - The frontrunner to be South Korea's next president says Seoul must be more accommodative toward the North, proposing what she calls a policy of "trustpolitik" that marks a move away from the administration's current hardline stance.

Park Geun-hye, daughter of the founder of moder...

North Korea agrees to U.S. talks on recovering GI remains

2011-08-19T02:00:13Z

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said on Friday it had agreed to talks with the United States on repatriating remains of American service members killed in the 1950-53 Korean War amid a diplomatic push to ease tensions on the peninsula....

N. Korea vows to bolster nuclear deterrent

2011-08-17T09:30:34Z

North Korea vowed Wednesday to bolster its nuclear deterrent, describing an exercise by United States and South Korean troops as preparation for a "war of aggression" against the communist state.

The 10-day drill, which began on Tuesday, showed the US was not committed to dialogue over nuclear disarmament, a foreign ministry spokesman said in a statement published by the ...

Rival Koreas trade blame for firing, U.S. says must move on

2011-08-11T00:30:08Z

SEOUL (Reuters) - The rival Koreas traded blame on Thursday for a brief military exchange at a tense maritime border as the United States urged Pyongyang to get back to the main business of denuclearization talks.

Japan PM in Hiroshima vows nuclear-free future

2011-08-06T06:30:09Z

A ceremony on Saturday to mark the anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing was dominated by national soul-searching on atomic power as Japan's prime minister pledged a nuclear-free future.

Marking the 66th anniversary of the world's first atomic bombing at an annual event usually devoted to opposing nuclear weapons, Prime Minister Naoto Kan

Japan PM brings his nuclear-free vision to Hiroshima

2011-08-05T17:30:12Z

HIROSHIMA, Japan (Reuters) - Prime Minister Naoto Kan vowed on Saturday to challenge the "myth of safety" of nuclear power while marking the 66th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, a city that has now started questioning its long em...

N. Korea minister says satisfied with US talks: report

2011-08-02T19:30:27Z

The North Korean minister who travelled to New York for talks last week said he was satisfied with the outcome and called for more discussions on resuming a stalled nuclear forum, a report said Wednesday.

First vice foreign minister Kim Kye-Gwan held talks in New York with US officials led by the US special en...

Japan warns of China's growing naval muscle

2011-08-02T06:30:17Z

Japan voiced concern Tuesday over China's growing assertiveness and widening naval reach in nearby waters and the Pacific and over what it called the "opaqueness" of Beijing's military budget.

In its annual defence report, Tokyo also pointed to threats from North Korea said Monday it wanted an early resumption of six-party nuclear negotiations following "constructive" talks with the United States last week.

The North "remains unchanged in its stand to resume the six-party talks without preconditions at an early date" and comprehensively implement a September 2005 denuclearisation deal, a foreign ministry spokesman said.

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US demands N. Korea commitment to nuclear disarmament

2011-07-29T17:30:36Z

The United States on Friday ended nuclear arms talks with North Korea with a message that the "path is open" to better relations if the reclusive North shows a firm commitment to disarmament efforts.

Both sides gave a cautiously optimistic assessment of two days of talks at the US mission to the United Nations<...

US presses N. Korea to give up nuclear arsenal

2011-07-29T01:30:07Z

The United States pressed North Korea to take "concrete and irreversible" steps to give up its nuclear arsenal as the two held talks on how to improve hostile relations.

The US State Department said the first of two days of meetings in New York had been "serious and ...

US presses N. Korea for 'irreversible' disarmament move

2011-07-28T20:30:26Z

The United States on Thursday pressed North Korea to take "concrete and irreversible" steps to give up its nuclear arsenal at talks on how to improve hostile relations.

The US State Department said the first day of the talks in New York had been "serious and business...

N. Korea warns of new nuclear arms race ahead of US talks

2011-07-27T19:00:32Z

North Korea said Wednesday, ahead of landmark talks with the United States, that a US missile defense shield will set off a new nuclear arms race.

The new diplomatic attack on the United States came as the US government said it wanted to see signs in talks due to start on Thursday in New York that North Korea is "serious about moving forward."

But the <...

Missile shield will spark nuclear arms race: North Korea

2011-07-27T13:00:38Z

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - If U.S. plans to deploy a missile shield to protect Europe against a possible attack by Iran are realized, it will spark a new nuclear arms race, North Korea's U.N. ambassador said Wednesday...

N.Korea envoy 'upbeat' about US talks: report

2011-07-26T21:00:33Z

North Korea's vice foreign minister Kim Kye-Gwan said he was optimistic ties with Washington would improve as he arrived for rare talks with US officials, Yonhap news agency reported.

"I believe North Korea-US relations will improve as now is the...

Analysis: U.S and South Korea stand firm against Pyongyang

2011-07-25T01:30:20Z

SEOUL (Reuters) - A rare visit by one of North Korea's top diplomats to the United States this week has renewed hopes for stalled nuclear talks, but Seoul and Washington's terms have not changed:

N. Korea envoy to visit US for nuclear talks: Clinton

2011-07-24T14:30:21Z

The United States said Sunday it has invited a top North Korean envoy to New York for "exploratory talks" on the possible resumption of the six-party negotiations on denuclearisation.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the North's vice foreign minister and former nuclear negotiator, United States said Saturday it was "encouraged" by surprise talks between North and South Korea over Pyongyang's nuclear programme, but remained cool on resuming disarmament talks.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told regional foreign mini...

North and South Korea nuclear envoys meet at Asian meeting

2011-07-22T00:30:10Z

SEOUL (Reuters) - The top nuclear envoys of South and North Korea met Friday on the sidelines of an Asian meeting in Bali, Yonhap news agency said, in the fi...

Clinton to end Asia trip with Shenzhen, China visit

2011-07-15T09:30:28Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will end a lengthy trip to Asia by meeting Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo in Shenzhen,

N. Korea 'bribed Pakistan for nuclear secrets'

2011-07-07T13:30:32Z

The architect of Pakistan's nuclear weapons program claims North Korea paid bribes to senior Pakistani military officials in return for nuclear secrets in the 1990s, the Washington Post said Wednesday.

The Post said docume...

N. Korea bribed Pakistan for nuclear secrets: report

2011-07-07T03:30:11Z

The architect of Pakistan's nuclear weapons program claims North Korea paid bribes to senior Pakistani military officials in return for nuclear secrets in the 1990s, the Washington Post said.

The Post said documents releas...

Obama taps Korean American as Seoul envoy

2011-06-24T20:31:01Z

President Barack Obama on Friday named veteran Asia troubleshooter Sung Kim to be the ambassador to South Korea, the first Korean American to represent the United States in Seoul.

Kim is n...

U.S., South Korea to keep pressure on Pyongyang

2011-06-24T14:00:17Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and South Korea on Friday signaled they would not ease pressure on North Korea's government, saying Pyongyang

N. Korea 'provocation' becoming more likely: Seoul

2011-06-13T12:30:17Z

North Korea is increasingly likely to launch a "surprise provocation" against South Korea following a series of strongly worded threats, Seoul's defence minister said Monday.

"The possibility of a surprise provocation with various means and methods is steadily increasing while (the North is) pressuring us with rhetorical threats,"

S. Korea, China to press N. Korea on talks: envoy

2011-06-08T04:30:37Z

South Korea and China will this week discuss ways to persuade North Korea to return to dialogue, the South's nuclear envoy said Wednesday, after Pyongyang publicly burnt its bridges with Seoul.

North Korea said on Wednesday it had rejected a South Korean proposal to hold a series of three summits to ease tensions on the peninsula.

The North's powerful National Defence Commission (NDC) said the South, at a secret meeting in May, had proposed the meetings to start late this month at the border truce village of Panmunjom.

It said

North Korea to free U.S. citizen held for six months

2011-05-27T12:00:42Z

SEOUL (Reuters) - U.S. rights envoy Robert King on Friday won the release of an American citizen detained in North Korea on unspecified charges for the past six months, as he wrapped up a visit to the secretive state to assess its pleas ...

N. Korea confirms Kim's secretive China visit

2011-05-26T11:30:27Z

North Korea confirmed that leader Kim Jong-Il ended a secretive visit to close ally China Thursday, but its report of his talks with President Hu Jintao struck a different note to Beijing's account.

The official KCNA news agency said Kim me...

UN atomic watchdog experts set off for Japan

2011-05-22T13:30:58Z

A team of experts from the UN atomic watchdog flew out to Tokyo from Vienna on Sunday to team up with other international experts investigating Japan's nuclear crisis.

Six experts from the China's Premier Wen Jiabao confirmed on Sunday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il is visiting China to study its dramatic economic development, South Korean officials said.

Wen expressed hope that Kim would use the knowledge to revive his own country's faltering economy, they said.

He made the comments to the South's Presi...

US envoy to discuss N. Korea in Seoul: diplomats

2011-05-13T11:30:24Z

The US special envoy on North Korea Stephen Bosworth will visit South Korea next week to coordinate policy towards nuclear-armed Pyongyang, diplomatic sources said Friday.

Bosworth will arrive Monday and meet Foreign Minister Kim Sung-Hwan, the South'...

North Korea calls Seoul nuclear summit "ridiculous"

2011-05-11T19:00:14Z

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has dismissed as "ridiculous" South Korea's hosting of an international nuclear summit next year, barely two days after the North's leader Kim Jong-il wa...

Pro-Pyongyang paper urges inter-Korean dialogue

2011-05-11T04:30:26Z

A pro-Pyongyang newspaper pressed Seoul Wednesday to accept an offer from North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il to hold a summit with South Korea's leader.

Ex-US president Jimmy Carter, who visited the communist state late ...

Carter says N. Korea seeks better US ties

2011-04-27T11:30:34Z

Former US president Jimmy Carter met North Korea's de facto head of state during his peace mission to Pyongyang on Wednesday and said in a blog posting that the North seeks better ties with Washington.

Carter and three other retired world leaders from a group called The Elders say their three-day visit aims to reduce tension...

Former US president Carter arrives in North Korea

2011-04-25T20:30:19Z

Former US president Jimmy Carter has arrived in North Korea, according to Chinese state media, on a visit aimed at easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

The official Xinhua news age...

North Korea visit to focus on food crisis: Carter

2011-04-25T10:30:44Z

A group of former statesmen led by ex-US president Jimmy Carter said Monday they will focus on food shortages, human rights and denuclearisation when they visit North Korea this week.

A delegation of "The Elders" group of retired state leaders will visit Pyongyang on Tuesday in a bid to ease tensions over North...

Carter says hopes to meet North Korea leader and son

2011-04-24T23:00:23Z

BEIJING (Reuters) - Former President Jimmy Carter said on Monday he hopes to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and his son and presumed heir during a visit this week that will concentrate on China's chief envoy to six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear disarmament will visit South Korea next week for talks, the foreign ministry said.

Wu Dawei will meet his counterpart Wi Sung-Lac on Tuesday and...

S. Korea to allow Carter flight from North: report

2011-04-21T04:30:57Z

South Korea is expected to give former US President Jimmy Carter rare approval to fly directly to Seoul after visiting the North Korean capital Pyongyang next week, a report said Thursday.

"President Carter has informed us that he wants to fly directly to Seoul" from Pyongyang by pri...

N. Korea celebrates founder as S. Koreans protest

2011-04-15T05:30:32Z

North Korea Friday celebrated the birth anniversary of its founding father as South Korean activists launched cross-border leaflets calling for the overthrow of the regime led by his son.

The showpiece capital Pyongyang is in a festive mood, the communist state's official news agency reported on the eve of the "Day of the Sun" -- the 99th anniversary of the birth of ...

Fast progress of N.Korea reactor alarms Seoul: media

2011-04-08T03:30:34Z

North Korea is rapidly completing what it says will be a light water reactor despite growing concerns over safety following Japan's quake-triggered nuclear disaster, news reports said Friday.

The speed of construction has reportedly sparked fresh safety concerns in neighbouring South Korea, where officials have been quote...

China urges talks on N.Korea uranium programme

2011-03-29T13:31:04Z

North Korea's uranium enrichment programme should be discussed as part of long-stalled nuclear disarmament talks, China said Tuesday during a visit by South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-Hwan.

Kim, who is on his first visit to China since taking office in October, discussed the North Korean nuclear issue with his Chinese counterpart US President Jimmy Carter intends to visit North Korea in an apparent bid to help ease acute cross-border tensions, South Korea's foreign ministry said Thursday.

Seoul is "paying attention to Carter's plan to visit North Korea," foreign ministry spokesman

S.Korea rejects North's offer to discuss uranium at talks

2011-03-17T00:30:04Z

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's foreign minister on Thursday rejected North Korea's offer to discuss its uranium enrichment programme at a new round of six-party talks, saying it fell far short of what was needed to restart the stalled p...

N. Korea ready to discuss uranium programme

2011-03-15T03:30:55Z

North Korea has told a Russian envoy that it is willing to discuss its uranium enrichment programme and a suspension of nuclear tests if six-party disarmament talks resume, state media said Tuesday.

"(North Korea) expressed its stand that it can go out to the six-party talks without any precondition," Pyongyang's foreign ministry said in a statement published by the ...

North Korea says willing to discuss uranium enrichment

2011-03-14T21:30:06Z

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said on Tuesday it was willing to discuss its uranium enrichment program at nuclear disarmament talks, clearing one of the hurdles for the resumption of long-stalled international dialogue.

Pyongyang walke...

IAEA seeks further N. Korea nuclear inspections

2011-03-07T14:30:25Z

UN atomic watchdog chief Yukiya Amano urged North Korea Monday to allow its inspectors back into its nuclear facilities.

"I believe that last year's reports about the construction of a new uranium enrichment facility and a light water reactor in the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) underline how importa...

US seeks UN statement on N.Korea nuclear programme

2011-03-02T14:30:52Z

The United States is working to secure a UN Security Council statement condemning North Korea's newly disclosed uranium enrichment programme, a senior official said Wednesday.

Robert Einhorn, the State...

US lawmaker urges bilateral talks with N.Korea

2011-03-01T17:30:25Z

Leading US lawmakers expressed dissatisfaction Tuesday with stalled US diplomatic efforts to dismantle North Korea's nuclear program, warning of the risks of proliferation and regional instability.

Senator John Kerry, the chairman of the Senate Fore...

U.S. says will talk with, aid North Korea on right terms

2011-03-01T13:00:11Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is ready to talk to North Korea and resume humanitarian aid to the isolated state under the right conditions, top U.S. officials for Asia said on Tuesday.

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea will fire across a land border with South Korea if Seoul continues its anti-North psychological campaign, the North's official media said on Sunday ahead of an annual, joint military drill between the South Korea's nuclear negotiations chief met Thursday with US special envoy for North Korea Stephen Bosworth to discuss Pyongyang's uranium enrichment program, officials said Thursday.

The program disclosed last November potentially gives the North a second way to...

S. Korea's nuclear envoy heads to US

2011-02-24T03:30:27Z

South Korea's nuclear envoy left Thursday for talks in Washington on North Korea's uranium enrichment activities, after China blocked publication of a United Nations report criticising the programme.

The programme ...

China pledges to revive stalled nuke talks

2011-02-23T10:30:22Z

China will work to revive stalled talks on North Korea's nuclear disarmament and to maintain peace on the Korean peninsula, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said on Wednesday during a visit to South Korea.

But Yang, in com...

N. Korea sought military talks with US: report

2011-02-21T05:30:22Z

North Korea last month offered to hold high-level military talks with the United States to discuss tensions on the Korean peninsula and nuclear disarmament, a report said Monday.

The North proposed the talks in a letter from its defence minister Kim ...

N. Korea 'appears to prepare for nuclear test'

2011-02-20T07:30:10Z

North Korea has started digging tunnels at its nuclear test site in apparent preparation for a third atomic detonation, a report said on Sunday.

The North started building at least two new tunnels at its Punggye-ri facility in northeastern North Hamgyong province for a possible underground atomic test,

N. Korea appears to prepare nuclear test: report

2011-02-19T20:30:21Z

North Korea has started digging tunnels at its nuclear test site in apparent preparation for a third atomic detonation, a report said Sunday.

The North started building at least two new tunnels at the Musudan-ri Launch Facility at Punggye-ri for a possible underground atomic test, Yonhap news age...

North Korea nears completion of second missile site: reports

2011-02-16T17:30:11Z

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea appears close to finishing a second launch site for long-range missiles, media reports said on Thursday, underscoring U.S. concerns that Pyongyang's ballistic missile programme is fast becoming a di...

Diplomacy stalemate over North Korea's nuclear programme

2011-02-11T21:00:23Z

SEOUL (Reuters) - China does not back efforts by Washington and Seoul to punish North Korea at the United Nations for its uranium enrichment programme and wants si...

S.Korea, US to intensify anti-WMD drill: report

2011-02-04T06:32:15Z

South Korea and the United States are to expand a joint military drill aimed at finding and destroying North Korean weapons of mass destruction (WMD), a news report said Friday.

The training, which simulates the detection and disposal of the North's chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons, was first conducted in 2009.

The exercise will take place duri...

South Korea Koreas Clash

2011-01-05T01:31:08Z

South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan, right, shakes hands with U.S. special envoy on North Korea, Stephen Bosworth before their meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2011. (AP Photo/Jung Yeon-je, Pool)

South Korea Koreas Nuclear

2011-01-05T01:31:07Z

U.S. special envoy on North Korea, Stephen Bosworth, left, and South Korea's chief nuclear negotiator Wi Sung-lac attend talks at the latter's office in Seoul, Wednesday, Jan...

South Korea US Koreas Clash

2011-01-04T02:30:23Z

Stephen Bosworth, US special representative for North Korea policy, talks to reporters upon his arrival at Incheon international airport, west of Seoul, Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2011. Bosworth arrived in Seoul for talks on North Korea's nuclear...

APTOPIX South Korea Koreas Clash

2011-01-03T07:31:38Z

South Korean Army's 155 mm howitzers fire during a military drill near the demilitarized zone, which has separated the two Koreas since the Korean War, in Chulwon, north of Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Jan. 3, 2011. South Korea's president vowed Monday not to let North Korea "cove...

North Korea Koreas Clash

2011-01-03T04:31:29Z

Ctizens attend a rally in support of North Korea's "joint new year editorial" in the city's central Kim Il Sung Square, in Pyongyang, North Korea Monday, Jan. 3, 2011. In the North Korean capital, tens of thousands gathered Monday for the annual New Year rally to display loyalty to leader K...