North Korea dodged discussion of its nuclear program at Cabinet-level talks with South Korea, blaming the US for the stalemate in separate disarmament talks, officials said yesterday.
At the three-day ministerial dialogue that began on Wednesday, South Korea has repeatedly urged North Korea to end a dispute over US financial sanctions imposed on it and return to six-party talks.
North Korea, however, has refused to give a commitment, insisting it would talk only with the US, said Kim Chun-sig, spokesman for South Korea's delegation.
"North Korea says there has been no progress at six-party talks due to Washington's hostile policy," he said.
His comment followed a one-on-one meeting late on Wednesday between Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, Seoul's chief delegate, and his North Korean counterpart Kwon Ho-ung, a Cabinet councillor.
At talks yesterday, South Korea was to continue to press North Korea to agree to the early resumption of six-party talks grouping the two Koreas, China, the US, Japan and Russia, Kim said.
North Korea said on Sunday that the talks would be suspended indefinitely because of US financial sanctions imposed on it.
North Korea also took a lukewarm attitude over other thorny issues including the delayed opening of cross-border railways, prisoners of war and military talks, prompting South Korea to express regret.
Though economic exchanges have greatly increased following an inter-Korean summit in 2000, North Korea has balked at holding high-level military talks on easing tension, after two initial rounds.
"Our side expressed deep regret over the delayed implementation of [inter-Korean] agreements," Kim said.
In response, North Korea insisted South Korea dismantle what it called "barriers," referring to its joint military exercises with the US.
Seoul and Washington, which stations 32,500 troops in South Korea, have been military allies for decades and regularly stage joint military drills aimed at deterring North Korean aggression.
‘GREAT OPPRTUNITY’: The Paraguayan president made the remarks following Donald Trump’s tapping of several figures with deep Latin America expertise for his Cabinet Paraguay President Santiago Pena called US president-elect Donald Trump’s incoming foreign policy team a “dream come true” as his nation stands to become more relevant in the next US administration. “It’s a great opportunity for us to advance very, very fast in the bilateral agenda on trade, security, rule of law and make Paraguay a much closer ally” to the US, Pena said in an interview in Washington ahead of Trump’s inauguration today. “One of the biggest challenges for Paraguay was that image of an island surrounded by land, a country that was isolated and not many people know about it,”
DIALOGUE: US president-elect Donald Trump on his Truth Social platform confirmed that he had spoken with Xi, saying ‘the call was a very good one’ for the US and China US president-elect Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) discussed Taiwan, trade, fentanyl and TikTok in a phone call on Friday, just days before Trump heads back to the White House with vows to impose tariffs and other measures on the US’ biggest rival. Despite that, Xi congratulated Trump on his second term and pushed for improved ties, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The call came the same day that the US Supreme Court backed a law banning TikTok unless it is sold by its China-based parent company. “We both attach great importance to interaction, hope for
‘FIGHT TO THE END’: Attacking a court is ‘unprecedented’ in South Korea and those involved would likely face jail time, a South Korean political pundit said Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol yesterday stormed a Seoul court after a judge extended the impeached leader’s detention over his ill-fated attempt to impose martial law. Tens of thousands of people had gathered outside the Seoul Western District Court on Saturday in a show of support for Yoon, who became South Korea’s first sitting head of state to be arrested in a dawn raid last week. After the court extended his detention on Saturday, the president’s supporters smashed windows and doors as they rushed inside the building. Hundreds of police officers charged into the court, arresting dozens and denouncing an
‘DISCRIMINATION’: The US Office of Personnel Management ordered that public DEI-focused Web pages be taken down, while training and contracts were canceled US President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday moved to end affirmative action in federal contracting and directed that all federal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) staff be put on paid leave and eventually be laid off. The moves follow an executive order Trump signed on his first day ordering a sweeping dismantling of the federal government’s diversity and inclusion programs. Trump has called the programs “discrimination” and called to restore “merit-based” hiring. The executive order on affirmative action revokes an order issued by former US president Lyndon Johnson, and curtails DEI programs by federal contractors and grant recipients. It is using one of the
RSS