US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he hoped an unprecedented summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would be successful after a recent visit to Pyongyang by CIA Director Mike Pompeo, but warned he would call it off if he did not think it would produce results.

Trump told a joint news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that his campaign of "maximum pressure" on North Korea would continue until Pyongyang gave up its nuclear weapons.

He also said Washington was negotiating for the release of three Americans held by North Korea and there was "a good chance of doing it." He did not answer a reporter's question as to whether that would be a condition for going ahead with the summit.

“I hope to have a very successful meeting (with Kim),” Trump said in Palm Beach, Florida.

“If I think that it’s a meeting that is not going to be fruitful, we’re not going to go," he added. If the meeting when I’m there is not fruitful, I will respectfully leave the meeting.”

Trump said earlier that Pompeo, one of his most trusted advisers and his pick to be the next US secretary of state, formed a "good relationship" with Kim when he became the first US official known to have met the North Korean leader.

US officials said Pompeo met Kim when he visited Pyongyang over the Easter weekend, which ran from March 31 to April 2, to lay the groundwork for the planned summit, in which Trump hopes to persuade North Korea to abandon development of nuclear missiles capable of hitting the United States.

"Mike Pompeo met with Kim Jong-un in North Korea," Trump tweeted earlier. "Meeting went very smoothly and a good relationship was formed. Details of Summit are being worked out now. Denuclearisation will be a great thing for World, but also for North Korea!"

A senior administration official said Pompeo brought up the case of the three American prisoners with Kim in North Korea and that the United States was hopeful for their release.

Goodwill

Pompeo's visit provided the strongest sign yet of Trump's willingness to become the first serving US&nbsppresident to meet a North Korean leader.

Trump said on Tuesday he believed there was a lot of goodwill in the diplomatic push, which he has said could take place in late May or early June.

US&nbspofficials said the visit by Pompeo was arranged by South Korean intelligence chief Suh Hoon with his North Korean counterpart, Kim Yong Chol, and was intended to assess whether Kim was prepared to hold serious talks about giving up his nuclear weapons.

They said Pompeo's conversations in Pyongyang fuelled Trump’s belief that productive negotiations were possible, but far from guaranteed. They said no site had yet been chosen for a summit.

Pompeo flew to North Korea from a US Air Force base in Osan, south of Seoul, an official with South Korea's Defence Ministry said.

Pompeo told his Senate confirmation hearing last week for secretary of state that he was optimistic a course could be set at a Trump-Kim summit for a diplomatic outcome with North Korea, but added that no one was under any illusion that a comprehensive deal could be reached at that meeting.

Pompeo said the aim would be “an agreement ... such that the North Korean leadership will step away from its efforts to hold America at risk with nuclear weapons” and that Pyongyang should not expect rewards until it takes irreversible steps.

North-South summit

News of Pompeo's trip came as South Korean President Moon Jae-in was preparing for his own summit with Kim, on April 27, with a bid to formally end the 1950-1953 Korean War a major factor.

"As one of the plans, we are looking at a possibility of shifting the Korean Peninsula's armistice to a peace regime," a top South Korean presidential official told reporters in Seoul.

"But that's not a matter that can be resolved between the two Koreas alone. It requires close consultations with other concerned nations, as well as North Korea."

South Korea and a US-led UN force have remained technically at war with North Korea since the Korean War ended with a truce, not a peace treaty. The US-led United Nations Command, Chinese forces and North Korea signed the 1953 armistice, to which South Korea is not a party.

The South Korean official said he did not know if any joint summit statement would include wording about ending the war, "but we certainly hope to be able to include an agreement to end hostile acts between the South and North."

Trump said on Tuesday he backed efforts between North and South Korea aimed at ending the state of war.

Such discussions between the two Koreas, and between North Korea and the United States, would have been unthinkable last year when North Korea conducted repeated missile tests, detonated its largest-ever nuclear bomb, and said the United States was now within range of its weapons.

The tests and escalating rhetoric between Trump and Kim raised fears of war before the North Korean leader called, in a New Year's speech, for lower military tensions and improved ties with South Korea.

Amid the diplomatic flurry, CNN reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping planned to visit Pyongyang soon, after Kim made a surprise trip last month to China, Pyongyang's sole major ally.

Despite China's traditional friendship with North Korea, Beijing has been angered by Kim's weapons development and backed successive rounds of UN economic sanctions, from which Pyongyang is seeking respite.On Wednesday, finance ministers from the Group of Seven industrialized countries issued a statement saying they were concerned about North Korea's evasion of sanctions and its "ability to access the international financial system."

Trump told a joint news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that his campaign of 'maximum pressure' on North Korea would continue until Pyongyang gave up its nuclear weapons

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he hoped an unprecedented summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would be successful after a recent visit to Pyongyang by CIA Director Mike Pompeo, but warned he would call it off if he did not think it would produce results. Trump told a joint news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that his campaign of "maximum pressure" on North Korea would continue until Pyongyang gave up its nuclear weapons. He also said Washington was negotiating for the release of three Americans held by North Korea and there was "a good chance of doing it." He did not answer a reporter's question as to whether that would be a condition for going ahead with the summit. “I hope to have a very successful meeting (with Kim),” Trump said in Palm Beach, Florida. “If I think that it’s a meeting that is not going to be fruitful, we’re not going to go," he added. If the meeting when I’m there is not fruitful, I will respectfully leave the meeting.” Trump said earlier that Pompeo, one of his most trusted advisers and his pick to be the next US secretary of state, formed a "good relationship" with Kim when he became the first US official known to have met the North Korean leader. US officials said Pompeo met Kim when he visited Pyongyang over the Easter weekend, which ran from March 31 to April 2, to lay the groundwork for the planned summit, in which Trump hopes to persuade North Korea to abandon development of nuclear missiles capable of hitting the United States. "Mike Pompeo met with Kim Jong-un in North Korea," Trump tweeted earlier. "Meeting went very smoothly and a good relationship was formed. Details of Summit are being worked out now. Denuclearisation will be a great thing for World, but also for North Korea!" A senior administration official said Pompeo brought up the case of the three American prisoners with Kim in North Korea and that the United States was hopeful for their release. Goodwill Pompeo's visit provided the strongest sign yet of Trump's willingness to become the first serving US&nbsppresident to meet a North Korean leader. Trump said on Tuesday he believed there was a lot of goodwill in the diplomatic push, which he has said could take place in late May or early June. US&nbspofficials said the visit by Pompeo was arranged by South Korean intelligence chief Suh Hoon with his North Korean counterpart, Kim Yong Chol, and was intended to assess whether Kim was prepared to hold serious talks about giving up his nuclear weapons. They said Pompeo's conversations in Pyongyang fuelled Trump’s belief that productive negotiations were possible, but far from guaranteed. They said no site had yet been chosen for a summit. Pompeo flew to North Korea from a US Air Force base in Osan, south of Seoul, an official with South Korea's Defence Ministry said. Pompeo told his Senate confirmation hearing last week for secretary of state that he was optimistic a course could be set at a Trump-Kim summit for a diplomatic outcome with North Korea, but added that no one was under any illusion that a comprehensive deal could be reached at that meeting. Pompeo said the aim would be “an agreement ... such that the North Korean leadership will step away from its efforts to hold America at risk with nuclear weapons” and that Pyongyang should not expect rewards until it takes irreversible steps. North-South summit News of Pompeo's trip came as South Korean President Moon Jae-in was preparing for his own summit with Kim, on April 27, with a bid to formally end the 1950-1953 Korean War a major factor. "As one of the plans, we are looking at a possibility of shifting the Korean Peninsula's armistice to a peace regime," a top South Korean presidential official told reporters in Seoul. "But that's not a matter that can be resolved between the two Koreas alone. It requires close consultations with other concerned nations, as well as North Korea." South Korea and a US-led UN force have remained technically at war with North Korea since the Korean War ended with a truce, not a peace treaty. The US-led United Nations Command, Chinese forces and North Korea signed the 1953 armistice, to which South Korea is not a party. The South Korean official said he did not know if any joint summit statement would include wording about ending the war, "but we certainly hope to be able to include an agreement to end hostile acts between the South and North." Trump said on Tuesday he backed efforts between North and South Korea aimed at ending the state of war. Such discussions between the two Koreas, and between North Korea and the United States, would have been unthinkable last year when North Korea conducted repeated missile tests, detonated its largest-ever nuclear bomb, and said the United States was now within range of its weapons. The tests and escalating rhetoric between Trump and Kim raised fears of war before the North Korean leader called, in a New Year's speech, for lower military tensions and improved ties with South Korea. Amid the diplomatic flurry, CNN reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping planned to visit Pyongyang soon, after Kim made a surprise trip last month to China, Pyongyang's sole major ally. Despite China's traditional friendship with North Korea, Beijing has been angered by Kim's weapons development and backed successive rounds of UN economic sanctions, from which Pyongyang is seeking respite.On Wednesday, finance ministers from the Group of Seven industrialized countries issued a statement saying they were concerned about North Korea's evasion of sanctions and its "ability to access the international financial system."

Trump hopes for successful North Korea summit but warns he could walk away

U.S. Secretary of State nominee and CIA Director Mike Pompeo made a secret visit to North Korea over the Easter weekend and met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to discuss a planned summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, U.S. officials said on Tuesday.

Pompeo's trip made him the most senior U.S. official ever known to have met with Kim and provided the strongest sign yet to Trump's willingness to become the first serving U.S. president ever to meet a North Korean leader.

Pompeo's conversations fueled Trump’s belief that productive negotiations were possible with North Korea over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, but far from guaranteed, according to a U.S. senior official briefed on the trip.

The visit, a second U.S. official said, was arranged by South Korean intelligence chief Suh Hoon with his North Korean counterpart, Kim Yong Chol, and was intended to assess whether Kim was prepared to hold serious talks.&nbsp;

Pompeo, one of Trump's most trusted advisers, returned to report that it was worth continuing to pursue the possibility of a summit, but added that no site had been selected from lists of options, and consequently no logistical arrangements had been made so far, the second official said. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity.

Trump said earlier on Tuesday the United States was engaged in direct talks at "extremely high levels" with North Korea to try to set up a summit between him and Kim.

He sowed some confusion by suggesting he had been speaking to Kim directly, but later clarified by saying: "Let's leave it a little bit short of the highest level."

Spokeswoman Sarah Sanders added: "The president said the administration has had talks at the highest levels and added that they were not with him directly.”

Asked about Pompeo, she said: “The administration does not comment on the CIA director’s travel.”

Pompeo told his Senate confirmation hearing for the post of secretary of state this week he was optimistic a course could be set at a Trump-Kim summit for a diplomatic outcome with North Korea, but added that no one was under any illusion that a comprehensive deal could be reached at that meeting.

Pompeo said the aim of the summit would be “an agreement ... such that the North Korean leadership will step away from its efforts to hold America at risk with nuclear weapons” and that Pyongyang should not expect rewards until it takes irreversible steps.

Pompeo's trip made him the most senior U.S. official to visit North Korea since then-intelligence chief James Clapper in 2014.

The news came after Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe opened two days of talks at the president's Mar-a-Lago retreat in Palm Beach, Florida.

Trump said he believed there was a lot of goodwill in the diplomatic push with North Korea, but added it was possible the summit - first proposed in March and which the president said could take place in late May or early June - may not happen.

Efforts to arrange the unprecedented meeting have helped ease tensions over Pyongyang's development of nuclear missiles capable of hitting the United States. Kim has agreed to discuss denuclearization, according to U.S. and South Korean officials.

"I really believe there’s a lot of goodwill a lot of good things are happening," Trump told reporters.

"As I always say, we’ll see what happens, because ultimately it’s the end result that matters, not the fact that we’re thinking about having a meeting or having a meeting."

MEETING SITE?

Trump, who has exchanged bellicose threats with Kim in the past year, said U.S. officials were looking at five locations for a meeting. Asked if any of those were in the United States, Trump replied: "No."

A U.S. official said sites in Southeast Asia and Europe were among those under discussion. Kim has rarely left North Korea.

Speculation has centered on a range of sites including Pyongyang, the demilitarized zone between the Koreas, Stockholm, Geneva and Mongolia.

Talks between Trump and Abe are largely focused on the prospective summit as Japan seeks a U.S. commitment that any denuclearization deal with Kim will include not just long-range missiles but those that could be aimed at Japan.

Reflecting the closeness of their ties, the Trump-Abe meetings included a walk around the carefully manicured grounds of the beachfront club and dinner on the patio with their wives. A round of golf was planned for Wednesday.

"For the North Korean issue, I’d like to underscore the importance of achieving the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization, as well as the abandonment of missile programs of North Korea," Abe told Trump.

Abe also obtained an agreement from Trump to bring up the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea, a highly emotive issue for the Japanese.

'IT'S POSSIBLE THINGS WON'T GO WELL'

Trump stressed that he and Abe were united.

"Japan and ourselves are locked, and we are very unified on the subject of North Korea," he said.

Trump said it was possible diplomatic efforts to arrange a Kim summit would fall short and if it did not happen, the United States and its allies would maintain pressure on Pyongyang through sanctions.

"It’s possible things won’t go well and we won’t have the meetings and we’ll just continue to go on this very strong path we have taken," he said.

Trump also backed efforts between South Korea and the North aimed at ending a state of war that has existed between the two countries since 1953.

"People don’t realize the Korean War has not ended. It’s going on right now. And they are discussing an end to the war. Subject to a deal, they have my blessing and they do have my blessing to discuss that," he said.

TRADE AGENDA

Trump and Abe could use a successful summit to give themselves a political boost at home. Trump has been hounded by controversies linked to an investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election, and Abe is struggling with declining popularity because of scandals over suspected cronyism.

Trump has forged close ties with Abe during his 15 months in power and the two have bonded over rounds of golf during Abe's last visit to Florida more than a year ago and Trump's visit to Tokyo last November.

Japan fears Trump will try to link vital security matters with touchy trade topics. Tokyo is eager to avoid being pushed into talks on a two-way free trade agreement aimed not only at market access but at currency policies, something South Korea recently accepted when it renegotiated a trade deal with the United States.

Another irritant on trade is that Japan has not been given an exemption to tariffs on steel and aluminum exports to the United States, unlike the European Union, Canada and Mexico.

Pompeo travelled over the Easter weekend to discuss a planned summit with US President Donald Trump, who had said earlier that the US was talking to North Korea at 'extremely high levels'

U.S. Secretary of State nominee and CIA Director Mike Pompeo made a secret visit to North Korea over the Easter weekend and met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to discuss a planned summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, U.S. officials said on Tuesday. Pompeo's trip made him the most senior U.S. official ever known to have met with Kim and provided the strongest sign yet to Trump's willingness to become the first serving U.S. president ever to meet a North Korean leader. Pompeo's conversations fueled Trump’s belief that productive negotiations were possible with North Korea over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, but far from guaranteed, according to a U.S. senior official briefed on the trip. The visit, a second U.S. official said, was arranged by South Korean intelligence chief Suh Hoon with his North Korean counterpart, Kim Yong Chol, and was intended to assess whether Kim was prepared to hold serious talks. Pompeo, one of Trump's most trusted advisers, returned to report that it was worth continuing to pursue the possibility of a summit, but added that no site had been selected from lists of options, and consequently no logistical arrangements had been made so far, the second official said. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity. Trump said earlier on Tuesday the United States was engaged in direct talks at "extremely high levels" with North Korea to try to set up a summit between him and Kim. He sowed some confusion by suggesting he had been speaking to Kim directly, but later clarified by saying: "Let's leave it a little bit short of the highest level." Spokeswoman Sarah Sanders added: "The president said the administration has had talks at the highest levels and added that they were not with him directly.” Asked about Pompeo, she said: “The administration does not comment on the CIA director’s travel.” Pompeo told his Senate confirmation hearing for the post of secretary of state this week he was optimistic a course could be set at a Trump-Kim summit for a diplomatic outcome with North Korea, but added that no one was under any illusion that a comprehensive deal could be reached at that meeting. Pompeo said the aim of the summit would be “an agreement ... such that the North Korean leadership will step away from its efforts to hold America at risk with nuclear weapons” and that Pyongyang should not expect rewards until it takes irreversible steps. Pompeo's trip made him the most senior U.S. official to visit North Korea since then-intelligence chief James Clapper in 2014. The news came after Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe opened two days of talks at the president's Mar-a-Lago retreat in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump said he believed there was a lot of goodwill in the diplomatic push with North Korea, but added it was possible the summit - first proposed in March and which the president said could take place in late May or early June - may not happen. Efforts to arrange the unprecedented meeting have helped ease tensions over Pyongyang's development of nuclear missiles capable of hitting the United States. Kim has agreed to discuss denuclearization, according to U.S. and South Korean officials. "I really believe there’s a lot of goodwill a lot of good things are happening," Trump told reporters. "As I always say, we’ll see what happens, because ultimately it’s the end result that matters, not the fact that we’re thinking about having a meeting or having a meeting." MEETING SITE? Trump, who has exchanged bellicose threats with Kim in the past year, said U.S. officials were looking at five locations for a meeting. Asked if any of those were in the United States, Trump replied: "No." A U.S. official said sites in Southeast Asia and Europe were among those under discussion. Kim has rarely left North Korea. Speculation has centered on a range of sites including Pyongyang, the demilitarized zone between the Koreas, Stockholm, Geneva and Mongolia. Talks between Trump and Abe are largely focused on the prospective summit as Japan seeks a U.S. commitment that any denuclearization deal with Kim will include not just long-range missiles but those that could be aimed at Japan. Reflecting the closeness of their ties, the Trump-Abe meetings included a walk around the carefully manicured grounds of the beachfront club and dinner on the patio with their wives. A round of golf was planned for Wednesday. "For the North Korean issue, I’d like to underscore the importance of achieving the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization, as well as the abandonment of missile programs of North Korea," Abe told Trump. Abe also obtained an agreement from Trump to bring up the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea, a highly emotive issue for the Japanese. 'IT'S POSSIBLE THINGS WON'T GO WELL' Trump stressed that he and Abe were united. "Japan and ourselves are locked, and we are very unified on the subject of North Korea," he said. Trump said it was possible diplomatic efforts to arrange a Kim summit would fall short and if it did not happen, the United States and its allies would maintain pressure on Pyongyang through sanctions. "It’s possible things won’t go well and we won’t have the meetings and we’ll just continue to go on this very strong path we have taken," he said. Trump also backed efforts between South Korea and the North aimed at ending a state of war that has existed between the two countries since 1953. "People don’t realize the Korean War has not ended. It’s going on right now. And they are discussing an end to the war. Subject to a deal, they have my blessing and they do have my blessing to discuss that," he said. TRADE AGENDA Trump and Abe could use a successful summit to give themselves a political boost at home. Trump has been hounded by controversies linked to an investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election, and Abe is struggling with declining popularity because of scandals over suspected cronyism. Trump has forged close ties with Abe during his 15 months in power and the two have bonded over rounds of golf during Abe's last visit to Florida more than a year ago and Trump's visit to Tokyo last November. Japan fears Trump will try to link vital security matters with touchy trade topics. Tokyo is eager to avoid being pushed into talks on a two-way free trade agreement aimed not only at market access but at currency policies, something South Korea recently accepted when it renegotiated a trade deal with the United States. Another irritant on trade is that Japan has not been given an exemption to tariffs on steel and aluminum exports to the United States, unlike the European Union, Canada and Mexico.

CIA chief made secret visit to North Korea and met Kim Jong-Un: US officials

President Donald Trump today said the US was in direct talks with North Korea "at a very high level" ahead of his planned summit with Kim Jong-un.

Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have not spoken directly, the White House said, but the US president confirmed that Washington and Pyongyang had been in contact at "very high levels" to prepare for a historic meeting between them.

The Washington Post reported that CIA director Mike Pompeo had met Kim on a secret trip to the North over the first weekend of April, shortly after he was nominated to be secretary of state.

Both the White House and the CIA declined to comment on the report.

The two countries were looking at five potential venues for the summit, "but it is not in the United States", Trump told reporters at Mar-a-Lago where he was hosting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

"We've also started talking to North Korea directly. We have had direct talks at very high levels -- extremely high levels -- with North Korea," Trump said before a restricted bilateral meeting with Abe.

"I really believe there's a lot of goodwill.&nbsp;A lot of good things are happening. We'll see what happens. As I always say, we'll see what happens. Because ultimately, it's the end result that counts, not the fact that we're thinking about having a meeting or having a meeting," he said.

Asked about the location of the potential venues, Trump confirmed that they were outside the US.&nbsp;China, North Korea, South Korea, and Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone between the two Koreas are seen as possible locations.

"We have not picked a site yet, but we've picked five sites where it's potentially going to be. We'll let you know fairly soon. Let's see what happens. We'll either have a very good meeting or we won't have a good meeting. Maybe we won't even have a meeting at all depending on what's going in," he said.

Panmunjom was the site of the signing of the 1953 armistice and will be the location of the April 27 summit between Kim and South Korea's President Moon Jae-in.

Officials from the two Koreas were to meet Wednesday in preparation, after Seoul's culture minister -- who sat next to Kim at a K-pop concert in Pyongyang earlier this month -- said Tuesday that Seoul "thinks that the inter-Korean summit should lead to the signing of a peace treaty".

The US president said irrespective of whether the meeting happens or not, there was mutual respect for each other between the two countries.

"I look forward to meeting with Kim Jong-un. And hopefully, that will be a success. Maybe it will be, and maybe it won't be. We don't know. But we will see what happens. But I can say this: They do respect us. We are respectful of them. We are going to see what happens," Trump said.&nbsp;In his remarks, Abe said prior to the small group discussion at the one-on-one session, the two leaders already had a very in-depth discussion focusing on the issue of North Korea and also the economic issues.

"On those two points, we actually successfully forged a mutual understanding. So, I'm very happy to see the outcome of our one-on-one discussion," he said. Abe said the planned meeting between South Korea and North Korea was made possible with the help of Trump who successfully pressured Pyongyang into softening its stance.

"Since the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games in South Korea, we have observed major change in terms of North Korea's behaviour. Background of this change is Donald's (Trump) unwavering conviction, as well as the determination that you demonstrated in addressing the issue of North Korea.&nbsp;So your stance made it possible to achieve this major change," he said.

"As a matter of fact, the US has the overwhelming military power in the world.? By using this strength, you have been effectively applying the overwhelming level of pressure against North Korea. And this, actually, successfully led to the outcome that we have already observed," Abe said.

The Japanese prime minister expressed hope that the US-North Korea summit meeting yield tangible progress toward resolving a wide range of issues, from nuclear issues, missile issues to the abductions issue.

"So this will be a historic meeting, and I certainly hope that there will be progress on these fronts," he said. Trump said he will bring up the abductees.&nbsp;

The US President also thanked the Chinese President Xi Jinping for playing a "constructive" role on the issue of North Korea.

"He's been incredibly generous.&nbsp;They have never been this way with the United States. I think they have more respect for us, perhaps our leadership, but for us than they've ever had before," he said.

"President Xi has been very strong on the border, much stronger than anyone thought they would be. I'd like them to be stronger on the border. But he has been at a level that nobody ever expected. The goods coming into North Korea have been cut down very substantially. As you know, 93 per cent of the goods coming into North Korea come through China, come through the border," Trump said.

'I really believe there's a lot of goodwill. A lot of good things are happening. We'll see what happens,' said Trump. He and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un are slated to meet soon

President Donald Trump today said the US was in direct talks with North Korea "at a very high level" ahead of his planned summit with Kim Jong-un. Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have not spoken directly, the White House said, but the US president confirmed that Washington and Pyongyang had been in contact at "very high levels" to prepare for a historic meeting between them. The Washington Post reported that CIA director Mike Pompeo had met Kim on a secret trip to the North over the first weekend of April, shortly after he was nominated to be secretary of state. Both the White House and the CIA declined to comment on the report. The two countries were looking at five potential venues for the summit, "but it is not in the United States", Trump told reporters at Mar-a-Lago where he was hosting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. "We've also started talking to North Korea directly. We have had direct talks at very high levels -- extremely high levels -- with North Korea," Trump said before a restricted bilateral meeting with Abe. "I really believe there's a lot of goodwill. A lot of good things are happening. We'll see what happens. As I always say, we'll see what happens. Because ultimately, it's the end result that counts, not the fact that we're thinking about having a meeting or having a meeting," he said. Asked about the location of the potential venues, Trump confirmed that they were outside the US. China, North Korea, South Korea, and Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone between the two Koreas are seen as possible locations. "We have not picked a site yet, but we've picked five sites where it's potentially going to be. We'll let you know fairly soon. Let's see what happens. We'll either have a very good meeting or we won't have a good meeting. Maybe we won't even have a meeting at all depending on what's going in," he said. Panmunjom was the site of the signing of the 1953 armistice and will be the location of the April 27 summit between Kim and South Korea's President Moon Jae-in. Officials from the two Koreas were to meet Wednesday in preparation, after Seoul's culture minister -- who sat next to Kim at a K-pop concert in Pyongyang earlier this month -- said Tuesday that Seoul "thinks that the inter-Korean summit should lead to the signing of a peace treaty". The US president said irrespective of whether the meeting happens or not, there was mutual respect for each other between the two countries. "I look forward to meeting with Kim Jong-un. And hopefully, that will be a success. Maybe it will be, and maybe it won't be. We don't know. But we will see what happens. But I can say this: They do respect us. We are respectful of them. We are going to see what happens," Trump said. In his remarks, Abe said prior to the small group discussion at the one-on-one session, the two leaders already had a very in-depth discussion focusing on the issue of North Korea and also the economic issues. "On those two points, we actually successfully forged a mutual understanding. So, I'm very happy to see the outcome of our one-on-one discussion," he said. Abe said the planned meeting between South Korea and North Korea was made possible with the help of Trump who successfully pressured Pyongyang into softening its stance. "Since the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games in South Korea, we have observed major change in terms of North Korea's behaviour. Background of this change is Donald's (Trump) unwavering conviction, as well as the determination that you demonstrated in addressing the issue of North Korea. So your stance made it possible to achieve this major change," he said. "As a matter of fact, the US has the overwhelming military power in the world.? By using this strength, you have been effectively applying the overwhelming level of pressure against North Korea. And this, actually, successfully led to the outcome that we have already observed," Abe said. The Japanese prime minister expressed hope that the US-North Korea summit meeting yield tangible progress toward resolving a wide range of issues, from nuclear issues, missile issues to the abductions issue. "So this will be a historic meeting, and I certainly hope that there will be progress on these fronts," he said. Trump said he will bring up the abductees. The US President also thanked the Chinese President Xi Jinping for playing a "constructive" role on the issue of North Korea. "He's been incredibly generous. They have never been this way with the United States. I think they have more respect for us, perhaps our leadership, but for us than they've ever had before," he said. "President Xi has been very strong on the border, much stronger than anyone thought they would be. I'd like them to be stronger on the border. But he has been at a level that nobody ever expected. The goods coming into North Korea have been cut down very substantially. As you know, 93 per cent of the goods coming into North Korea come through China, come through the border," Trump said.

US in direct talks with North Korea 'at a very high level': Trump

North Korea leader Kim Jong-un, for the first time, made a direct mention of&nbsp;the possible talks with the US over denuclearisation during a meeting on Monday ahead of a planned summit with Trump.&nbsp;

At the meeting of party officials on Monday, Kim delivered a report "on the development of the recent situation on the Korean peninsula", including the separate summit with South Korea to be held later this month.&nbsp;

The North Korean leader also talked about the "prospect of the DPRK-US dialogue” and “strategic and tactical issues to be maintained” by the party, “including the future policy of international relations and the orientation corresponding to them.”&nbsp;

United States President Donald Trump on Monday announced that the meeting with Kim Jong-un will take place in May or early June and said the summit will be an "exciting thing for the world".

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&nbsp;

The announcement came a day after Trump's administration revealed that North Korea has confirmed that it was willing to discuss denuclearisation with them.

"We have a meeting that is being set up with North Korea, so that will be very exciting, I think, for the world. I think it's going to be a very exciting thing for the world," The New York Times quoted Trump as saying.

Trump made this announcement when he was interacting with reporters at the beginning of a cabinet meeting at the White House.

There was no immediate word on the possible venue for the talks, which would be the first ever between a sitting US&nbsp;president and North Korean leader.

“The US has confirmed that Kim Jong Un is willing to discuss the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula‎,” said a second US&nbsp;official.

US and North Korean officials have held secret contacts recently in which Pyongyang directly confirmed its willingness to hold the unprecedented summit, the official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The communications, still at a preliminary stage, have involved State Department officials talking to North Korea apparently through its United Nations mission, and intelligence officers from both sides using a separate backchannel, the official said.

Until now, the United States had relied mostly on ally South Korea’s assurance of Kim’s intentions. However, Pyongyang has never officially confirmed its offer of denuclearisation talks to the White House, which was delivered by a South Korean envoy. 
&nbsp;

The North Korean leader also talked about the 'prospect of the DPRK-US dialogue' and 'strategic and tactical issues to be maintained' by the party, 'including the future policy of international relations and the orientation corresponding to them'

North Korea leader Kim Jong-un, for the first time, made a direct mention of the possible talks with the US over denuclearisation during a meeting on Monday ahead of a planned summit with Trump. At the meeting of party officials on Monday, Kim delivered a report "on the development of the recent situation on the Korean peninsula", including the separate summit with South Korea to be held later this month. The North Korean leader also talked about the "prospect of the DPRK-US dialogue” and “strategic and tactical issues to be maintained” by the party, “including the future policy of international relations and the orientation corresponding to them.” United States President Donald Trump on Monday announced that the meeting with Kim Jong-un will take place in May or early June and said the summit will be an "exciting thing for the world". × The announcement came a day after Trump's administration revealed that North Korea has confirmed that it was willing to discuss denuclearisation with them. "We have a meeting that is being set up with North Korea, so that will be very exciting, I think, for the world. I think it's going to be a very exciting thing for the world," The New York Times quoted Trump as saying. Trump made this announcement when he was interacting with reporters at the beginning of a cabinet meeting at the White House. There was no immediate word on the possible venue for the talks, which would be the first ever between a sitting US president and North Korean leader. “The US has confirmed that Kim Jong Un is willing to discuss the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula‎,” said a second US official. US and North Korean officials have held secret contacts recently in which Pyongyang directly confirmed its willingness to hold the unprecedented summit, the official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. The communications, still at a preliminary stage, have involved State Department officials talking to North Korea apparently through its United Nations mission, and intelligence officers from both sides using a separate backchannel, the official said. Until now, the United States had relied mostly on ally South Korea’s assurance of Kim’s intentions. However, Pyongyang has never officially confirmed its offer of denuclearisation talks to the White House, which was delivered by a South Korean envoy.

North Korea's Kim Jong-un addresses talks with US for the first time

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After Trump said Assad's regime will have a "big price to pay" over the alleged use of chemical weapons in rebel-held town in Syria, the state media said missiles struck the military airport just hours the US president's warning.

&nbsp;

<a href="http://cmsuat.wionews.com/world/north-korea-confirms-talks-of-denuclearisation-with-us-official--129228">North Korea ready to talk on </a><a href="http://cmsuat.wionews.com/world/north-korea-confirms-talks-of-denuclearisation-with-us-official--129228">denuclearisation</a><a href="http://cmsuat.wionews.com/world/north-korea-confirms-talks-of-denuclearisation-with-us-official--129228"> with Trump during talks: US government</a>

North Korea has confirmed that they will hold talks on denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula when Kim Jong-un meets President Trump, US officials said on Saturday.

&nbsp;

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Telangana Tourism Department welcomed four women bikers who successfully completed 'Road to Mekong', a 16,992-km long road trip covering six Southeast Asian countries starting from Hyderabad.

&nbsp;

<a href="http://cmsuat.wionews.com/sports/cwg-2018-indian-womens-tt-team-grabs-gold-after-historic-victory-against-singapore-129166">CWG 2018: Indian women's TT team grabs gold after historic victory against Singapore</a>

Indian women's table tennis team outplayed four-time defending champions Singapore 3-1 to clinch the gold medal at the 21st Commonwealth Games on Sunday.

&nbsp;

<a href="http://cmsuat.wionews.com/sports/narine-karthik-guide-kolkata-to-its-first-ipl-2018-victory-against-bangalore--129227">Narine, Karthik guide Kolkata to its first IPL 2018 victory against Bangalore</a>

Dinesh Karthik played an inning of a skipper to lead his side to victory against Bangalore at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

After Trump's warning, missiles hit Syrian military airport: Report After Trump said Assad's regime will have a "big price to pay" over the alleged use of chemical weapons in rebel-held town in Syria, the state media said missiles struck the military airport just hours the US president's warning. North Korea ready to talk on denuclearisation with Trump during talks: US government North Korea has confirmed that they will hold talks on denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula when Kim Jong-un meets President Trump, US officials said on Saturday. Women bikers complete 17,000km journey promoting Telangana culture in South Asia Telangana Tourism Department welcomed four women bikers who successfully completed 'Road to Mekong', a 16,992-km long road trip covering six Southeast Asian countries starting from Hyderabad. CWG 2018: Indian women's TT team grabs gold after historic victory against Singapore Indian women's table tennis team outplayed four-time defending champions Singapore 3-1 to clinch the gold medal at the 21st Commonwealth Games on Sunday. Narine, Karthik guide Kolkata to its first IPL 2018 victory against Bangalore Dinesh Karthik played an inning of a skipper to lead his side to victory against Bangalore at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

WION news brief: Top 5 news stories of the day

North Korea has confirmed that they will hold&nbsp;talks on&nbsp;denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula when Kim Jong-un meets President Trump, US officials said on Saturday.&nbsp;

"The US has confirmed that Kim Jong Un is willing to discuss the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula,"&nbsp;an administration official said.

This is the first time North Korea has officially confirmed that they will discuss this option after holding secret talks in which Pyongyang directly delivered the message of its willingness to hold the summit, the official told Reuters.&nbsp;

No venue for the talks between Trump and the North Korean leader has been set.

South Korean emissaries, in a visit to the White House last month, had presented Kim's invitation to meet with Trump, who quickly agreed.

Until now, Washington had relied on South Korea’s assurance of Kim’s intentions. South Korean envoys visited Washington last month to convey Kim’s invitation to meet.&nbsp;

It has to be noted here that ever since that announcement, Pyongyang has not made any statement about the potential summit. Even when Kim visited Beijing earlier this month, no mention about the same came up.

No venue for the talks between Trump and the North Korean leader has been set

North Korea has confirmed that they will hold talks on denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula when Kim Jong-un meets President Trump, US officials said on Saturday. "The US has confirmed that Kim Jong Un is willing to discuss the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula," an administration official said. This is the first time North Korea has officially confirmed that they will discuss this option after holding secret talks in which Pyongyang directly delivered the message of its willingness to hold the summit, the official told Reuters. No venue for the talks between Trump and the North Korean leader has been set. South Korean emissaries, in a visit to the White House last month, had presented Kim's invitation to meet with Trump, who quickly agreed. Until now, Washington had relied on South Korea’s assurance of Kim’s intentions. South Korean envoys visited Washington last month to convey Kim’s invitation to meet. It has to be noted here that ever since that announcement, Pyongyang has not made any statement about the potential summit. Even when Kim visited Beijing earlier this month, no mention about the same came up.

North Korea ready to talk on denuclearisation with Trump during talks: US government

"If you don't like the weather in New England now, just wait a few minutes," once said Mark Twain. This is as applicable to the political weather in the Korean Peninsula, which continues to live up to its billing as a theatre of the unexpected.

Barely had the surprise news of an inter-Korean summit, begun to sink-in that President Trump announced his willingness to meet Kim Jong-un (KJU) towards the end of May. If it materialises, and there is still an if, it would be a historic first.

As if that was not dramatic enough, Japanese media sighted a 21-coach green train with yellow stripes, from North Korea heading to the Chinese capital. As speculated, none other than a beaming Kim Jong-un emerged in Beijing, with wife in toe, for a first ever meeting with Xi Jinping on 26 March. An attempt to lift the veil is in order.

The international isolation of North Korea appeared near complete towards the end of last year. Sanctions had begun to bite and the American rhetoric was becoming shriller. With the dawn of 2018, came the unexpected offer of dialogue with Seoul and one thing led to another. The Korean leaders are to meet at the Peace Village on DMZ (Demilitarised Zone) on April 27. Hectic preparations are underway.

NSA Chung Eui-yong, who was the principal South Korean (ROK) envoy to Pyongyang rushed to Washington with a message from Kim Jong-un. He called on Trump on March 8, who agreed on the spot to meet Kim Jong-un, without any preconditions. Kim's message also included a promise to denuclearise. Addressing the media at the White House and knowing which buttons to press, Chung observed, "I explained to President Trump that his leadership and his maximum-pressure policy, together with international solidarity, brought us to this juncture."

Meanwhile, Trump has been busy inducting like-minded hardliners into his team. CIA Director Mike Pompeo, a hawk, is to be the new Secretary of State. The 69-year-old John Bolton, a super-hawk, has been pulled out of retirement to become the new NSA.

Earlier on March 19, Bolton, who has been a votary of regime change in North Korea had stated, "We should insist that if this meeting is going to take place, it will be similar to discussions we had with Libya 13 or 14 years ago: how to pack up their nuclear weapons program and take it to Oak Ridge, Tennessee... . If they're not prepared to have that kind of serious discussion, it could actually be a very short meeting." (Reported by Reuters on March 23). Even though he was publicly staking out a maximalist position, the Libyan example and fate of Gaddafi, is Kim Jong-un's darkest nightmare, and does not portend well for any meaningful forward movement.

For a few weeks it appeared that Seoul was calling the shots in fostering a thaw in the Korean Peninsula. Her diplomats were clocking up thousands of air-miles in briefing key world leaders including Putin, Xi and Abe. Japan was uncomfortable but could do little except to advise caution and keep in touch with Washington. Abe is travelling to the US to meet Trump on 17-18 April. China, North Korea's sole, even if somewhat estranged benefactor, refused to be side-lined and decided to get into the act. An invitation for an unofficial meeting was extended by President Xi to Kim Jong-un and grabbed with alacrity.

Both sides stood to gain. China underscored its leverage over the North and signalled that a solution to the North Korea imbroglio could only be found with its blessings. Beijing effectively claimed a spot for itself at the negotiating table and became a frontrunner to host the Trump-Kim summit. Paranoid about his security and convinced that the US is out to get him, Kim Jong-un is highly unlikely to travel to the US or a western capital for the meeting. His preference would be Pyongyang or the Peace Village, which would not be acceptable to the US. The sides, even if reluctantly, could settle for Beijing.

Setting his grievances aside, Xi Jinping accorded all state-honours to Kim, who had left North Korea for the first time since coming to power in 2011. The charm offensive worked. For Kim, friendless and isolated, the invite came as a Godsent. It improved his bargaining position in one go, knowing that China, which was loath to see an increased US role in the Korean Peninsula, was being supportive.

"The issue of denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula can be resolved, if South Korea and the United States respond to our efforts with goodwill, create an atmosphere of peace and stability while taking progressive and synchronous measures for the realisation of peace," (emphasis added) Kim stated in Beijing. He expectedly introduced caveats which may be difficult for Trump to accept, who wants to frontload the agreement with obligations on North Korea's part to dismantle its Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) programme, before easing sanctions. Thus, the stage is being set for bruising and gruelling negotiations.

All these developments augur well for a constructive inter-Korean summit, for only that can pave the way for a Trump-Kim meet.

(Vishnu Prakash has been Ambassador of India to Republic of Korea and Indian High Commissioner to Canada. He is spokesperson of Foreign Office & Consul General to Shanghai, a columnist/analyst on foreign affairs)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the authors and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

The international isolation of North Korea appeared near complete towards the end of last year.

"If you don't like the weather in New England now, just wait a few minutes," once said Mark Twain. This is as applicable to the political weather in the Korean Peninsula, which continues to live up to its billing as a theatre of the unexpected. Barely had the surprise news of an inter-Korean summit, begun to sink-in that President Trump announced his willingness to meet Kim Jong-un (KJU) towards the end of May. If it materialises, and there is still an if, it would be a historic first. As if that was not dramatic enough, Japanese media sighted a 21-coach green train with yellow stripes, from North Korea heading to the Chinese capital. As speculated, none other than a beaming Kim Jong-un emerged in Beijing, with wife in toe, for a first ever meeting with Xi Jinping on 26 March. An attempt to lift the veil is in order. The international isolation of North Korea appeared near complete towards the end of last year. Sanctions had begun to bite and the American rhetoric was becoming shriller. With the dawn of 2018, came the unexpected offer of dialogue with Seoul and one thing led to another. The Korean leaders are to meet at the Peace Village on DMZ (Demilitarised Zone) on April 27. Hectic preparations are underway. NSA Chung Eui-yong, who was the principal South Korean (ROK) envoy to Pyongyang rushed to Washington with a message from Kim Jong-un. He called on Trump on March 8, who agreed on the spot to meet Kim Jong-un, without any preconditions. Kim's message also included a promise to denuclearise. Addressing the media at the White House and knowing which buttons to press, Chung observed, "I explained to President Trump that his leadership and his maximum-pressure policy, together with international solidarity, brought us to this juncture." Meanwhile, Trump has been busy inducting like-minded hardliners into his team. CIA Director Mike Pompeo, a hawk, is to be the new Secretary of State. The 69-year-old John Bolton, a super-hawk, has been pulled out of retirement to become the new NSA. Earlier on March 19, Bolton, who has been a votary of regime change in North Korea had stated, "We should insist that if this meeting is going to take place, it will be similar to discussions we had with Libya 13 or 14 years ago: how to pack up their nuclear weapons program and take it to Oak Ridge, Tennessee... . If they're not prepared to have that kind of serious discussion, it could actually be a very short meeting." (Reported by Reuters on March 23). Even though he was publicly staking out a maximalist position, the Libyan example and fate of Gaddafi, is Kim Jong-un's darkest nightmare, and does not portend well for any meaningful forward movement. For a few weeks it appeared that Seoul was calling the shots in fostering a thaw in the Korean Peninsula. Her diplomats were clocking up thousands of air-miles in briefing key world leaders including Putin, Xi and Abe. Japan was uncomfortable but could do little except to advise caution and keep in touch with Washington. Abe is travelling to the US to meet Trump on 17-18 April. China, North Korea's sole, even if somewhat estranged benefactor, refused to be side-lined and decided to get into the act. An invitation for an unofficial meeting was extended by President Xi to Kim Jong-un and grabbed with alacrity. Both sides stood to gain. China underscored its leverage over the North and signalled that a solution to the North Korea imbroglio could only be found with its blessings. Beijing effectively claimed a spot for itself at the negotiating table and became a frontrunner to host the Trump-Kim summit. Paranoid about his security and convinced that the US is out to get him, Kim Jong-un is highly unlikely to travel to the US or a western capital for the meeting. His preference would be Pyongyang or the Peace Village, which would not be acceptable to the US. The sides, even if reluctantly, could settle for Beijing. Setting his grievances aside, Xi Jinping accorded all state-honours to Kim, who had left North Korea for the first time since coming to power in 2011. The charm offensive worked. For Kim, friendless and isolated, the invite came as a Godsent. It improved his bargaining position in one go, knowing that China, which was loath to see an increased US role in the Korean Peninsula, was being supportive. "The issue of denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula can be resolved, if South Korea and the United States respond to our efforts with goodwill, create an atmosphere of peace and stability while taking progressive and synchronous measures for the realisation of peace," (emphasis added) Kim stated in Beijing. He expectedly introduced caveats which may be difficult for Trump to accept, who wants to frontload the agreement with obligations on North Korea's part to dismantle its Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) programme, before easing sanctions. Thus, the stage is being set for bruising and gruelling negotiations. All these developments augur well for a constructive inter-Korean summit, for only that can pave the way for a Trump-Kim meet. (Vishnu Prakash has been Ambassador of India to Republic of Korea and Indian High Commissioner to Canada. He is spokesperson of Foreign Office & Consul General to Shanghai, a columnist/analyst on foreign affairs) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the authors and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Expect the unexpected in the Korean theatre

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un smiled, clapped and said he was "deeply moved" by a rare performance by South Korean K-pop stars in Pyongyang, state media reported Monday.

The high profile appearance of Kim and his wife, former singer Ri Sol Ju, at the concert was unusual as his authoritarian regime typically struggles to prevent any infiltration of the South's pop culture among his isolated people.

Kim, the first North Korean leader ever to attend a show by entertainers from the South, shook hands with the performers and "expressed his deep thanks to them," the North's official KCNA news agency reported.

"He said that he was deeply moved to see our people sincerely acclaiming the performance, deepening the understanding of the popular art of the South's side," KCNA said.

The visit by the South's entertainers, seen as part of a cultural charm offensive by Seoul, comes as a diplomatic thaw gathers pace on the peninsula ahead of a landmark inter-Korean summit later this month.

Kim said he was likely to be busy "because of his complicated political program early in April," so he was glad to make it to the concert which he credited with bringing the "spring of peace".

The 120-member South Korean group -- 11 musical acts as well as dancers, technicians and martial artists -- gave one concert on Sunday with another set for Tuesday.

Kim and his wife were seen clapping their hands during the two-hour Sunday event, which was also attended by Kim's younger sister, Kim Yo Jong, and the North's ceremonial head of state Kim Yong Nam.

The concert at the elaborately decorated 1,500-seat East Pyongyang Grand Theatre ended with a standing ovation by the packed audience after a finale featuring all the stars singing a song about unification.

'They sang along'

One of the most closely watched acts was Red Velvet, part of the South's hugely popular K-pop phenomenon that has taken audiences in Asia and beyond by storm.

Even leader Kim acknowledged that there had been "so much interest in whether I'd come to see Red Velvet or not".

The five-member girlband -- known for its signature K-pop mix of upbeat electronic music and high-voltage choreography -- performed two of their hits, "Bad Boy" and "Red Flavour".

"The North's audience applauded our performance much louder than we expected and even sang along to our songs... it was a big relief," band member Yeri told reporters.

The ongoing rapprochement was triggered by the South's Winter Olympics, to which the North's leader Kim Jong Un sent athletes, cheerleaders and his sister as an envoy.

Kim followed up by agreeing to a summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, and offering a face-to-face meet with US President Donald Trump. Kim also met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing last week during his first overseas trip.

The inter-Korean summit, the third such event after meetings in 2000 and 2007, will be held on April 27. No date has been set for the US-North Korean summit although it is expected before the end of May.

 
&nbsp

The high profile appearance of Kim and his wife, former singer Ri Sol Ju, at the concert was unusual as his authoritarian regime typically struggles to prevent any infiltration of the South's pop culture among his isolated people

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un smiled, clapped and said he was "deeply moved" by a rare performance by South Korean K-pop stars in Pyongyang, state media reported Monday. The high profile appearance of Kim and his wife, former singer Ri Sol Ju, at the concert was unusual as his authoritarian regime typically struggles to prevent any infiltration of the South's pop culture among his isolated people. Kim, the first North Korean leader ever to attend a show by entertainers from the South, shook hands with the performers and "expressed his deep thanks to them," the North's official KCNA news agency reported. "He said that he was deeply moved to see our people sincerely acclaiming the performance, deepening the understanding of the popular art of the South's side," KCNA said. The visit by the South's entertainers, seen as part of a cultural charm offensive by Seoul, comes as a diplomatic thaw gathers pace on the peninsula ahead of a landmark inter-Korean summit later this month. Kim said he was likely to be busy "because of his complicated political program early in April," so he was glad to make it to the concert which he credited with bringing the "spring of peace". The 120-member South Korean group -- 11 musical acts as well as dancers, technicians and martial artists -- gave one concert on Sunday with another set for Tuesday. Kim and his wife were seen clapping their hands during the two-hour Sunday event, which was also attended by Kim's younger sister, Kim Yo Jong, and the North's ceremonial head of state Kim Yong Nam. The concert at the elaborately decorated 1,500-seat East Pyongyang Grand Theatre ended with a standing ovation by the packed audience after a finale featuring all the stars singing a song about unification. 'They sang along' One of the most closely watched acts was Red Velvet, part of the South's hugely popular K-pop phenomenon that has taken audiences in Asia and beyond by storm. Even leader Kim acknowledged that there had been "so much interest in whether I'd come to see Red Velvet or not". The five-member girlband -- known for its signature K-pop mix of upbeat electronic music and high-voltage choreography -- performed two of their hits, "Bad Boy" and "Red Flavour". "The North's audience applauded our performance much louder than we expected and even sang along to our songs... it was a big relief," band member Yeri told reporters. The ongoing rapprochement was triggered by the South's Winter Olympics, to which the North's leader Kim Jong Un sent athletes, cheerleaders and his sister as an envoy. Kim followed up by agreeing to a summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, and offering a face-to-face meet with US President Donald Trump. Kim also met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing last week during his first overseas trip. The inter-Korean summit, the third such event after meetings in 2000 and 2007, will be held on April 27. No date has been set for the US-North Korean summit although it is expected before the end of May.

Kim Jong-un 'deeply moved' by South Korean pop concert: State media

It was a train that alerted the world to the fact that North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong-Un might be in Beijing. The dark green train with yellow piping has been "in the family" for generations.&nbsp;

Kim's father, Kim Jong-Il, did not like flying. So he used the train instead.&nbsp;

News reports say he had fresh lobster delivered to the train everyday, and French wine flown in from Paris. The reports quote foreign officials who had the rare chance of travelling on the train as saying it was possible to order any Korean, Chinese, Russian, French, and Japanese dish on the train.&nbsp;

The elder Kim made about a dozen trips abroad. Most of them to China and all of them by train.&nbsp;

Kim's grandfather and North Korean founder, Kim Il-Sung, took the train all the way to eastern Europe in 1984.&nbsp;

Reports from Kim Jong-Il's time say that when he stepped out in his train, a total of three trains would travel with him. An advance security train that also checks on the condition of the tracks, a train carrying the leader, and a train that follows with additional security and supplies.&nbsp;

The trains' carriages are all bulletproof. That also makes them heavier, which means they travel no faster than 60 kilometres per hour.&nbsp;

And planes and helicopters fly overhead to provide even more security.&nbsp;

The reports say that 20 train stations have been built across the secretive country just for the leader’s personal use.

The reports add that when bored, a group of female entertainers aka lady conductors would sing to Kim Jong-Il in Korean and Russian.

Current news reports say Kim Jong-Un likes Swiss cheese, Cristal champagne, and Hennessy cognac.

It was the green train with yellow piping that alerted the world to the fact that North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong-Un might be in Beijing

It was a train that alerted the world to the fact that North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong-Un might be in Beijing. The dark green train with yellow piping has been "in the family" for generations. Kim's father, Kim Jong-Il, did not like flying. So he used the train instead. News reports say he had fresh lobster delivered to the train everyday, and French wine flown in from Paris. The reports quote foreign officials who had the rare chance of travelling on the train as saying it was possible to order any Korean, Chinese, Russian, French, and Japanese dish on the train. The elder Kim made about a dozen trips abroad. Most of them to China and all of them by train. Kim's grandfather and North Korean founder, Kim Il-Sung, took the train all the way to eastern Europe in 1984. Reports from Kim Jong-Il's time say that when he stepped out in his train, a total of three trains would travel with him. An advance security train that also checks on the condition of the tracks, a train carrying the leader, and a train that follows with additional security and supplies. The trains' carriages are all bulletproof. That also makes them heavier, which means they travel no faster than 60 kilometres per hour. And planes and helicopters fly overhead to provide even more security. The reports say that 20 train stations have been built across the secretive country just for the leader’s personal use. The reports add that when bored, a group of female entertainers aka lady conductors would sing to Kim Jong-Il in Korean and Russian. Current news reports say Kim Jong-Un likes Swiss cheese, Cristal champagne, and Hennessy cognac.

Kim Jong-Un's train: Fresh lobster, lady conductors & French wine from Paris

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/vladimir-putin-wins-another-term-but-what-happens-in-2024-36289" target="_blank">Russia&#39;s Putin wins yet another term but what happens in 2024?</a>

In power for almost two decades, Vladimir Putin predictably won a fourth Kremlin term in&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/putin-wins-fourth-term-with-739-of-vote-36284" target="_blank">Russia&#39;s presidential election</a>&nbsp;on Sunday, extending his long rule for another six years.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/ysr-congress-tdp-to-pitch-for-no-trust-vote-against-government-today-36300" target="_blank">YSR Congress, TDP to pitch for </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/ysr-congress-tdp-to-pitch-for-no-trust-vote-against-government-today-36300" target="_blank">no-trust</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/ysr-congress-tdp-to-pitch-for-no-trust-vote-against-government-today-36300" target="_blank"> vote against </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/ysr-congress-tdp-to-pitch-for-no-trust-vote-against-government-today-36300" target="_blank">government</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/ysr-congress-tdp-to-pitch-for-no-trust-vote-against-government-today-36300" target="_blank"> today</a>

The YSR Congress and the Telugu Desam Party will pitch for taking up their notices of no-confidence motion against the Modi government when the Lok Sabha meets today amid no signs of a let-up in the deadlock in its proceedings.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/kim-jong-un-has-given-his-word-on-denuclearisation-south-korea-36295" target="_blank">Kim Jong-un &#39;has given his word&#39; on denuclearisation: South Korea</a>

North Korea&#39;s Kim Jong-un has &quot;given his word&quot; that he is committed to denuclearisation, South Korea&#39;s foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha was quoted as saying on Sunday.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/ola-uber-on-strike-today-demand-better-earnings-36298" target="_blank">Ola, Uber on strike today, demand better earnings</a>

App-based&nbsp;cabs Ola and Uber will begin with a strike&nbsp;in Mumbai on Monday for an indefinite period. The strike has been called by Maharashtra Navnirman Vahtuk Sena, the&nbsp;transport wing of Raj Thackeray led MNS.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/president-donald-trump-sharpens-attacks-on-russia-probe-36285" target="_blank">US President Donald Trump sharpens attacks on Russia probe</a>

President Donald Trump Sunday intensified his attacks on Robert Mueller&#39;s Russia investigation as biased against him, but stopped just short of targeting the special counsel &mdash; whose ouster lawmakers warned would cross a &quot;massive red line.&quot;

&nbsp;

Russia's Putin wins yet another term but what happens in 2024? In power for almost two decades, Vladimir Putin predictably won a fourth Kremlin term in Russia's presidential election on Sunday, extending his long rule for another six years. YSR Congress, TDP to pitch for no-trust vote against government today The YSR Congress and the Telugu Desam Party will pitch for taking up their notices of no-confidence motion against the Modi government when the Lok Sabha meets today amid no signs of a let-up in the deadlock in its proceedings. Kim Jong-un 'has given his word' on denuclearisation: South Korea North Korea's Kim Jong-un has "given his word" that he is committed to denuclearisation, South Korea's foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha was quoted as saying on Sunday. Ola, Uber on strike today, demand better earnings App-based cabs Ola and Uber will begin with a strike in Mumbai on Monday for an indefinite period. The strike has been called by Maharashtra Navnirman Vahtuk Sena, the transport wing of Raj Thackeray led MNS. US President Donald Trump sharpens attacks on Russia probe President Donald Trump Sunday intensified his attacks on Robert Mueller's Russia investigation as biased against him, but stopped just short of targeting the special counsel — whose ouster lawmakers warned would cross a "massive red line."

WION Morning News Brief, March 19, 2018

North Korea&#39;s Kim Jong-un has &quot;given his word&quot; that he is committed to denuclearisation, South Korea&#39;s foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha was quoted as saying on Sunday.

The foreign minister said Kim Jong-un&#39;s assurance is significant since this is the first time since he has spoken on denuclearisation directly.

Kang Kyung-wha said that Kim Jong-un is &quot;taking stock&quot; of US President Donald Trump&#39;s surprise decision to accept his invitation for talks on denuclearising the Korean peninsula.

&quot;We believe the North Korean leader is now taking stock,&quot; South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said on CBS&#39;s &quot;Face the Nation.&quot;

&quot;We give them the benefit of the doubt, and the time that he would need to come out with some public messaging.&quot;

Kang said a channel of communication has been established, adding, &quot;I&#39;m sure there are back and forth messages.&quot; 
 
&quot;But, I think the North Korean leader would also need some time, given the readiness with which President Trump has accepted the invitation to talks.&quot;

The invitation was relayed to Trump at an impromptu White House meeting March 6 by South Korean national security adviser Chung Eui-yong, who previously had met with Kim.

Chung told Trump that Kim had agreed to discuss denuclearisation, and would suspend all missile and nuclear tests until the talks were held.

Trump accepted on the spot, catching his own top advisers off guard.

&quot;I think we were all quite surprised by the readiness of that decision,&quot; Kang said.

He said Kim had &quot;given his word&quot; on his commitment to denuclearization, a key condition for the unprecedented leader-to-leader talks.&nbsp;

The meeting would be the first time an American president has participated in direct talks with Kim Jong-un.

North Korea's Kim Jong-un has said that he is committed to denuclearisation, South Korea's foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha was quoted as saying on Sunday

North Korea's Kim Jong-un has "given his word" that he is committed to denuclearisation, South Korea's foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha was quoted as saying on Sunday. The foreign minister said Kim Jong-un's assurance is significant since this is the first time since he has spoken on denuclearisation directly. Kang Kyung-wha said that Kim Jong-un is "taking stock" of US President Donald Trump's surprise decision to accept his invitation for talks on denuclearising the Korean peninsula. "We believe the North Korean leader is now taking stock," South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said on CBS's "Face the Nation." "We give them the benefit of the doubt, and the time that he would need to come out with some public messaging." Kang said a channel of communication has been established, adding, "I'm sure there are back and forth messages." "But, I think the North Korean leader would also need some time, given the readiness with which President Trump has accepted the invitation to talks." The invitation was relayed to Trump at an impromptu White House meeting March 6 by South Korean national security adviser Chung Eui-yong, who previously had met with Kim. Chung told Trump that Kim had agreed to discuss denuclearisation, and would suspend all missile and nuclear tests until the talks were held. Trump accepted on the spot, catching his own top advisers off guard. "I think we were all quite surprised by the readiness of that decision," Kang said. He said Kim had "given his word" on his commitment to denuclearization, a key condition for the unprecedented leader-to-leader talks. The meeting would be the first time an American president has participated in direct talks with Kim Jong-un.

Kim Jong-un 'has given his word' on denuclearisation: South Korea

By&nbsp;Gary Grappo*&nbsp;

The world can be forgiven for having been whipsawed by Washington&rsquo;s announcement on March 8 that President Donald Trump will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The revelation came after briefings at the White House for the US administration by South Korean officials following South Korean President Moon Jae-in&rsquo;s dispatch of a delegation to Pyongyang for talks with their North Korean counterparts. Those meetings resulted in the invitation from Chairman Kim for the meeting between President Trump and him.

No sitting US president has ever met with a North Korean leader. (Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton did but only after leaving office.) The jolting realization that this may now take place &mdash; tentatively scheduled for May &mdash; with a sitting US president who has variously threatened, taunted and excoriated Kim has the foreign policy intelligentsia and US public both flummoxed and leery, and probably just a bit anxious.

Is Donald Trump &mdash; both famous and infamous for his much touted deal-making skills, but also notorious for ignorance of complex foreign policy issues and lack of interest in educating himself &mdash; really up to this? Let&rsquo;s remember, we are talking about two leaders who have both bragged about their nuclear weapons and threatened to use them.

Credit goes to South Korea&rsquo;s President Moon for recognizing and capitalizing on the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic games to encourage North-South dialog. Especially noteworthy is his recognition that any such proposed talks between Trump and Kim would be dead on arrival in Washington without the North&rsquo;s agreement to discuss the &ldquo;d&rdquo; word: denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.&nbsp;

Hoping the past isn&#39;t prelude

Let&rsquo;s return to reality. In the past, negotiations have been a tried and true tactic of the North Koreans to extract what they need from the US and the West, only to restart nuclear and missile testing when they got what they wanted. Invariably, their nuclear strategy proceeded almost unabated.

The US and its various negotiating partners, including South Korea, China and Japan, have all had the carpet pulled out from under them every time they&rsquo;ve attempted to negotiate with Pyongyang, including the most recent and short lived in early 2012. North Korea had pledged not to launch satellites in exchange for US and other Western aid. The agreement was abrogated when the North launched a satellite a few short months later to celebrate the centennial birthdate of the country&rsquo;s founder, Kim Il-Sung. And so it has gone, dating back at least to 1993. Ditto on agreements with South Korea, the UN and the International Atomic Energy Agency. Can we expect this time to be any different?

The North is negotiating from a much different vantage point this time. It has nuclear weapons. It also possesses the means to deliver them, most certainly to South Korea and Japan and possibly even the US West Coast. The dynamics are changed, and not to the advantage of the US or its South Korean ally. Moreover, the North&rsquo;s young and ruthless leader &mdash; he ordered the assassination of his half-brother and execution of family members perceived as disloyal or threatening &mdash; has threatened to use them, including against the US. Possessing these weapons with the means to deliver them empowers Kim as never before, giving him leverage his grandfather and father could only have dreamed of. What does he want?&nbsp;

What Kim Jong-un wants

The consensus appears to be that Kim wants the US out of the Korean Peninsula &mdash; i.e., to sever what has been one of Washington&rsquo;s most important alliances with South Korea. Undoubtedly, there are other interests &mdash; official recognition, economic ties with the US and other major economic powers &mdash; besides China, which have taken a hit as of late due to increased sanctions, and the opportunity to appear one-on-one on the world stage with the leader of the world&rsquo;s superpower. There he&rsquo;ll be able to say to the American president, &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve got what you&rsquo;ve got, now let&rsquo;s talk!&rdquo;&nbsp;

This is not a position that a US president has faced since the arms negotiations of the 1970s with the Soviet Union, which roughly qualified as an &ldquo;equal.&rdquo; Nuclear weapons have handed the leader of an impoverished, isolated police state the dream of every dictator: gravitas, respectability and the attention of the U.S. and its president.

Heretofore, Kim has made clear he will not give up his new-found leverage&hellip; ever. This may be mere posturing, but one must still ask: Is he really willing to rid his nation of its nuclear weapons, missiles and supporting infrastructure? And the answer is, only if he gets what he wants&hellip; maybe&nbsp;

Meeting of unknown minds

Further obfuscating an accurate reading of this announced gathering is the personalities of the two principals. In past summits between an American president and his counterpart from any nation, senior State Department and National Security Council officials and experts conducted extensive pre-meeting negotiations so that the main event would be almost a mere formality &mdash; i.e., the handshakes, signings, banquets, toasts and photo ops. Pre-meetings are intended to sort out major issues, identify obstacles, reach preliminary understandings and ensure the ultimate encounter between principals is a satisfactory one. But that hasn&rsquo;t happened this time, presumably at all.

Instead, these talks will be in the hands of two erratic and unpredictable leaders who are not likely to fully and accurately understand the other or the issues and implications. Nor will the issues have been tackled in advance by senior experts. That&rsquo;s a risk.

For his part, Donald Trump places far too much stock in his innate abilities, soi-disant high-functioning gut instincts and business acumen, qualities that have earned him the Oval Office and the unflagging support of a core following within the Republican Party. He places little trust in the expertise and counsel of experts around him. That&rsquo;s a further complicating risk. Luckily for Americans and South Koreans, the more sober-minded South Korean President Moon won&rsquo;t be far away, one presumes, and should help keep the American tethered. Or at least, Americans and South Koreans can hope.

Kim, on the other hand, will face an American president he knows only from media reports and biased and censored information from his eager-to-please intelligence service, loath to tell him anything he may not wish to hear, less they suffer the fate of other disloyal minions. It&rsquo;s impossible to know his mindset in the run-up to this meeting.

All this suggests that despite whatever happy talk emerges from this summit of shock, concrete results may be lacking and, in any event, suspect. It will depend on one ineluctable fact: What is on the mind of Kim Jong-un? For that, the world must place its trust and hopes in an untested, inexperienced president, whose own mind remains a mystery.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

*Gary Grappo is a former US ambassador and a distinguished fellow at the Center for Middle East Studies at the Korbel School for International Studies, University of Denver. 
&nbsp;

The <a href="rel=" target="blank">article</a> was originally published in <a href="https://www.fairobserver.com/">Fair Observer</a>

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;

Can the world expect substantive achievements to come out of the meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong, who will face each other they know only from media reports and biased information from their eager-to-please intelligence services?

By Gary Grappo* The world can be forgiven for having been whipsawed by Washington’s announcement on March 8 that President Donald Trump will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The revelation came after briefings at the White House for the US administration by South Korean officials following South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s dispatch of a delegation to Pyongyang for talks with their North Korean counterparts. Those meetings resulted in the invitation from Chairman Kim for the meeting between President Trump and him. No sitting US president has ever met with a North Korean leader. (Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton did but only after leaving office.) The jolting realization that this may now take place — tentatively scheduled for May — with a sitting US president who has variously threatened, taunted and excoriated Kim has the foreign policy intelligentsia and US public both flummoxed and leery, and probably just a bit anxious. Is Donald Trump — both famous and infamous for his much touted deal-making skills, but also notorious for ignorance of complex foreign policy issues and lack of interest in educating himself — really up to this? Let’s remember, we are talking about two leaders who have both bragged about their nuclear weapons and threatened to use them. Credit goes to South Korea’s President Moon for recognizing and capitalizing on the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic games to encourage North-South dialog. Especially noteworthy is his recognition that any such proposed talks between Trump and Kim would be dead on arrival in Washington without the North’s agreement to discuss the “d” word: denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Hoping the past isn't prelude Let’s return to reality. In the past, negotiations have been a tried and true tactic of the North Koreans to extract what they need from the US and the West, only to restart nuclear and missile testing when they got what they wanted. Invariably, their nuclear strategy proceeded almost unabated. The US and its various negotiating partners, including South Korea, China and Japan, have all had the carpet pulled out from under them every time they’ve attempted to negotiate with Pyongyang, including the most recent and short lived in early 2012. North Korea had pledged not to launch satellites in exchange for US and other Western aid. The agreement was abrogated when the North launched a satellite a few short months later to celebrate the centennial birthdate of the country’s founder, Kim Il-Sung. And so it has gone, dating back at least to 1993. Ditto on agreements with South Korea, the UN and the International Atomic Energy Agency. Can we expect this time to be any different? The North is negotiating from a much different vantage point this time. It has nuclear weapons. It also possesses the means to deliver them, most certainly to South Korea and Japan and possibly even the US West Coast. The dynamics are changed, and not to the advantage of the US or its South Korean ally. Moreover, the North’s young and ruthless leader — he ordered the assassination of his half-brother and execution of family members perceived as disloyal or threatening — has threatened to use them, including against the US. Possessing these weapons with the means to deliver them empowers Kim as never before, giving him leverage his grandfather and father could only have dreamed of. What does he want? What Kim Jong-un wants The consensus appears to be that Kim wants the US out of the Korean Peninsula — i.e., to sever what has been one of Washington’s most important alliances with South Korea. Undoubtedly, there are other interests — official recognition, economic ties with the US and other major economic powers — besides China, which have taken a hit as of late due to increased sanctions, and the opportunity to appear one-on-one on the world stage with the leader of the world’s superpower. There he’ll be able to say to the American president, “I’ve got what you’ve got, now let’s talk!” This is not a position that a US president has faced since the arms negotiations of the 1970s with the Soviet Union, which roughly qualified as an “equal.” Nuclear weapons have handed the leader of an impoverished, isolated police state the dream of every dictator: gravitas, respectability and the attention of the U.S. and its president. Heretofore, Kim has made clear he will not give up his new-found leverage… ever. This may be mere posturing, but one must still ask: Is he really willing to rid his nation of its nuclear weapons, missiles and supporting infrastructure? And the answer is, only if he gets what he wants… maybe Meeting of unknown minds Further obfuscating an accurate reading of this announced gathering is the personalities of the two principals. In past summits between an American president and his counterpart from any nation, senior State Department and National Security Council officials and experts conducted extensive pre-meeting negotiations so that the main event would be almost a mere formality — i.e., the handshakes, signings, banquets, toasts and photo ops. Pre-meetings are intended to sort out major issues, identify obstacles, reach preliminary understandings and ensure the ultimate encounter between principals is a satisfactory one. But that hasn’t happened this time, presumably at all. Instead, these talks will be in the hands of two erratic and unpredictable leaders who are not likely to fully and accurately understand the other or the issues and implications. Nor will the issues have been tackled in advance by senior experts. That’s a risk. For his part, Donald Trump places far too much stock in his innate abilities, soi-disant high-functioning gut instincts and business acumen, qualities that have earned him the Oval Office and the unflagging support of a core following within the Republican Party. He places little trust in the expertise and counsel of experts around him. That’s a further complicating risk. Luckily for Americans and South Koreans, the more sober-minded South Korean President Moon won’t be far away, one presumes, and should help keep the American tethered. Or at least, Americans and South Koreans can hope. Kim, on the other hand, will face an American president he knows only from media reports and biased and censored information from his eager-to-please intelligence service, loath to tell him anything he may not wish to hear, less they suffer the fate of other disloyal minions. It’s impossible to know his mindset in the run-up to this meeting. All this suggests that despite whatever happy talk emerges from this summit of shock, concrete results may be lacking and, in any event, suspect. It will depend on one ineluctable fact: What is on the mind of Kim Jong-un? For that, the world must place its trust and hopes in an untested, inexperienced president, whose own mind remains a mystery. *Gary Grappo is a former US ambassador and a distinguished fellow at the Center for Middle East Studies at the Korbel School for International Studies, University of Denver. The article was originally published in Fair Observer (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Sneak-peek into Kim Jong's unpredictable mind before meeting Trump

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday said Washington had been surprised by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un&#39;s willingness to hold direct talks with the US on the nuclear standoff in the Korean peninsula.

&quot;What changed was his posture in a fairly dramatic way,&quot; Tillerson said in Djibouti during a five-nation Africa tour.

&quot;In all honesty, that came as a little bit of a surprise to us, as well that he was so forward-leaning in his conversations with the delegation from South Korea.&quot;

Tillerson&#39;s comments came after President Trump agreed to a historic meeting with Kim, the first ever between a US president and a North Korean leader.

The meeting is due to take place by the end of May.

News of the summit, which South Korean President Moon Jae-in said was &quot;like a miracle&quot;, is the latest step in a quickening detente after a period of heightened rhetoric and extreme tension between Washington and Pyongyang.

Just hours before the summit announcement, Tillerson had said that the United States was &quot;a long way&quot; from talking directly to North Korea.

&quot;In terms of direct talks... we&#39;re a long way from negotiations, we just need to be very clear-eyed and realistic about it,&quot; Tillerson had said in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa on Thursday.

A first step would be &quot;talks about talks&quot; to see if &quot;conditions are right to even begin thinking about negotiations,&quot; Tillerson had said.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday said Washington had been surprised by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's willingness to hold direct talks with the US on the nuclear standoff in the Korean peninsula

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday said Washington had been surprised by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's willingness to hold direct talks with the US on the nuclear standoff in the Korean peninsula. "What changed was his posture in a fairly dramatic way," Tillerson said in Djibouti during a five-nation Africa tour. "In all honesty, that came as a little bit of a surprise to us, as well that he was so forward-leaning in his conversations with the delegation from South Korea." Tillerson's comments came after President Trump agreed to a historic meeting with Kim, the first ever between a US president and a North Korean leader. The meeting is due to take place by the end of May. News of the summit, which South Korean President Moon Jae-in said was "like a miracle", is the latest step in a quickening detente after a period of heightened rhetoric and extreme tension between Washington and Pyongyang. Just hours before the summit announcement, Tillerson had said that the United States was "a long way" from talking directly to North Korea. "In terms of direct talks... we're a long way from negotiations, we just need to be very clear-eyed and realistic about it," Tillerson had said in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa on Thursday. A first step would be "talks about talks" to see if "conditions are right to even begin thinking about negotiations," Tillerson had said.

US surprised at North Korea's offer of talks: Rex Tillerson

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-agrees-meet-north-koreas-kim-jong-un-35147">Trump says sanctions will remain as he agrees to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un</a>

US President Donald Trump has agreed to meet North Korea&#39;s Kim Jong-un by May in response to Kim&#39;s invitation to hold the first meeting between leaders of the United States and North Korea, a South Korean envoy said.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/emmanuel-macron-to-arrive-in-delhi-on-friday-35156">French President Emmanuel Macron to arrive in Delhi today on </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/emmanuel-macron-to-arrive-in-delhi-on-friday-35156">four-day</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/emmanuel-macron-to-arrive-in-delhi-on-friday-35156"> visit</a>

French President France Emmanuel Macron to arrive in New Delhi on Friday on a four-day state visit.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/biplab-deb-to-be-sworn-in-as-tripura-chief-minister-on-friday-35152">Biplab Deb to be sworn in as Tripura chief minister on Friday</a>

Biplab Kumar Deb will be sworn in as the chief minister of Tripura on Friday, officially ushering the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the Left bastion.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-signs-sweeping-tariffs-canada-mexico-exempted-35148">Trump signs sweeping tariffs; Canada, Mexico exempted</a>

US President Donald Trump slapped steep trade tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum Thursday, drawing sharp protests from allies at home and abroad as the contentious move raised the specter of a global trade war.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/uk-minister-says-us-tariffs-wrong-way-to-resolve-trade-issues-35151">UK minister says US tariffs &#39;wrong way&#39; to resolve trade issues</a>

Britain&#39;s trade minister Liam Fox on Thursday criticised US President Donald Trump&#39;s announcement of duties on steel and aluminium imports to America, saying it was the &quot;wrong way&quot; to resolve trade disputes.

Trump says sanctions will remain as he agrees to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un US President Donald Trump has agreed to meet North Korea's Kim Jong-un by May in response to Kim's invitation to hold the first meeting between leaders of the United States and North Korea, a South Korean envoy said. French President Emmanuel Macron to arrive in Delhi today on four-day visit French President France Emmanuel Macron to arrive in New Delhi on Friday on a four-day state visit. Biplab Deb to be sworn in as Tripura chief minister on Friday Biplab Kumar Deb will be sworn in as the chief minister of Tripura on Friday, officially ushering the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the Left bastion. Trump signs sweeping tariffs; Canada, Mexico exempted US President Donald Trump slapped steep trade tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum Thursday, drawing sharp protests from allies at home and abroad as the contentious move raised the specter of a global trade war. UK minister says US tariffs 'wrong way' to resolve trade issues Britain's trade minister Liam Fox on Thursday criticised US President Donald Trump's announcement of duties on steel and aluminium imports to America, saying it was the "wrong way" to resolve trade disputes.

WION Morning News Brief, March 9, 2018

In a move which could signal softening of US stand on North Korea, President Donald Trump said Kim&#39;s regime was &quot;sincere&quot;, asserting at the same time that sanctions were working against North Koreans.

Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office, the US president said &quot;statements coming out of South Korea and North Korea have been very positive.&quot;

&quot;I think that they are sincere. And I think they&#39;re sincere also because of the sanctions and what we&#39;re doing with respect to North Korea, including the great help that we&#39;ve been given from China,&quot; Trump said at a news conference.

The President tweeted later saying possible &quot;progress was being made on talks with North Korea&quot;, although cautioning that it &quot;may be false hope&quot; at the same time the president said the US is ready to &quot;go hard in either direction.&quot;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Possible progress being made in talks with North Korea. For the first time in many years, a serious effort is being made by all parties concerned. The World is watching and waiting! May be false hope, but the U.S. is ready to go hard in either direction!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/971025582061424640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 6, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Trump met Sweden&#39;s PM Stefan Lofven who represents US interests in North Korea with both leaders cautiously optimistic over the recent peace moves by North Korea.

However, when pressed about preconditions on talks, Trump seemed non-committal, adding: &quot;I don&#39;t want to talk about it. We&#39;re going to see what happens.&quot;

PM Lofven expanding on his country&#39;s role said: &quot;It is not up to us to solve the problem but with our presence ... if the key actors ask us to help we can be there.&quot;

Even as the US continued to talk peace, Vice President Mike Pence who was recently in South Korea for the Winter Games and sat near to Kim&#39;s sister Kim Yo Young, declared that the United States would continue to apply &quot;maximum pressure&quot; on North Korea and that &quot;all options were on the table&quot;.

Meanwhile, Chung Eui- yong, head of the South Korean delegation who visited North Korea to continue the peace initiative said: &quot;North Korea made clear its willingness to denuclearize the Korean peninsula,&quot; adding that,&quot; the fact there is no reason for it to have a nuclear program if military threats against the North are resolved and its regime is secure.&quot;

&nbsp;

 
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/swzpI0uAu84" width="560"></iframe> 
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The US president said "statements coming out of South Korea and North Korea have been very positive."

In a move which could signal softening of US stand on North Korea, President Donald Trump said Kim's regime was "sincere", asserting at the same time that sanctions were working against North Koreans. Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office, the US president said "statements coming out of South Korea and North Korea have been very positive." "I think that they are sincere. And I think they're sincere also because of the sanctions and what we're doing with respect to North Korea, including the great help that we've been given from China," Trump said at a news conference. The President tweeted later saying possible "progress was being made on talks with North Korea", although cautioning that it "may be false hope" at the same time the president said the US is ready to "go hard in either direction." Possible progress being made in talks with North Korea. For the first time in many years, a serious effort is being made by all parties concerned. The World is watching and waiting! May be false hope, but the U.S. is ready to go hard in either direction! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 6, 2018 × Trump met Sweden's PM Stefan Lofven who represents US interests in North Korea with both leaders cautiously optimistic over the recent peace moves by North Korea. However, when pressed about preconditions on talks, Trump seemed non-committal, adding: "I don't want to talk about it. We're going to see what happens." PM Lofven expanding on his country's role said: "It is not up to us to solve the problem but with our presence ... if the key actors ask us to help we can be there." Even as the US continued to talk peace, Vice President Mike Pence who was recently in South Korea for the Winter Games and sat near to Kim's sister Kim Yo Young, declared that the United States would continue to apply "maximum pressure" on North Korea and that "all options were on the table". Meanwhile, Chung Eui- yong, head of the South Korean delegation who visited North Korea to continue the peace initiative said: "North Korea made clear its willingness to denuclearize the Korean peninsula," adding that," the fact there is no reason for it to have a nuclear program if military threats against the North are resolved and its regime is secure."

Possible progress made in talks with North Korea, tweets Trump

North Korea&#39;s ceremonial head of state will visit the South this week and attend the Winter Olympics opening ceremony as the divided peninsula witnesses a rare thaw after a year of high tensions over Pyongyang&#39;s nuclear programme.

Kim Yong-Nam will be the most senior official from the North for years to travel to the other side of the Demilitarized Zone that has divided the two Koreas for decades.

His trip will be the diplomatic high point of the rapprochement between the two Koreas triggered by the Pyeongchang Olympics in the South, which have their opening ceremony on Friday &mdash; although analysts warn that their newly warmed relations may not last long beyond the Games.

Tensions spiralled last year as the North carried out multiple weapons tests, including intercontinental ballistic missiles it says are capable of reaching the mainland United States, and its most powerful nuclear blast to date.

For months Pyongyang ignored Seoul&#39;s entreaties to take part in a &quot;peace Olympics&quot;, until leader Kim Jong-Un indicated his willingness to do so in his New Year speech.

That set off a rapid series of meetings which saw the two agree to march together at the opening ceremony and form a unified women&#39;s ice hockey team, their first for 27 years.

The North&#39;s Olympic participation would include a visit by a high-level delegation, they agreed.

It will be led by Kim Yong-Nam, who is leader of the Presidium of the Supreme People&#39;s Assembly, the North&#39;s ruling party-controlled parliament, Seoul&#39;s unification ministry said in a statement late Sunday.

The North&#39;s state-run news agency KCNA said the high-level delegation led by Kim Yong-Nam would &quot;soon visit south Korea to attend the opening ceremony of the 23rd Winter Olympics&quot;. 
Kim &mdash; who is not a close blood relative of leader Kim Jong-Un &mdash; will arrive on Friday for a three-day visit, accompanied by three other officials and 18 support staff, the ministry said it had been told by Pyongyang.

The South Korean ministry did not explicitly say whether Kim would go to the Pyeongchang opening ceremony &mdash; which will be attended by the US Vice President Mike Pence.Kim Yong-Nam will be the highest-level Northern official to visit the South since 2014.

But it may be seen as disappointing by some if he proves to be the most important member of the delegation, as he is largely considered a figurehead whose public diplomatic role leaves it unclear how much political power he really has.

He is regarded as the ceremonial head of state, but does not hold the title of national president &mdash; and nor does Kim Jong-Un.

Instead it is retained by Kim Jong-Un&#39;s grandfather, the North&#39;s founder Kim Il-Sung, who remains Eternal President of the Democratic People&#39;s Republic of Korea &mdash; the country&#39;s official name &mdash; despite dying in 1994.

Speculation about who could lead the delegation had been rife in the South for weeks, with some analysts pointing to Choe Ryong-Hae, who is the vice chairman of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers&#39; Party and seen as Kim Jong-Un&#39;s right-hand man.

Others had even suggested the leader&#39;s younger sister Kim Yo-Jong, who was recently promoted to a senior political position.

Choe was one of three senior Pyongyang officials who made a surprise visit to the South during the 2014 Asian Games along with former military chief Hwang Pyong-So and Kim Yang-Gon, a top official on inter-Korea affairs who died in a car crash in 2015.

They did not meet any senior officials of the government in Seoul, but it may be different on this occasion.

The South&#39;s new President Moon Jae-In has long argued for engagement to bring the North to the negotiating table over its nuclear ambitions, which have seen it subjected to multiple sets of United Nations Security Council sanctions.

Seoul and Washington have agreed to delay annual large-scale joint military exercises which always infuriate Pyongyang, but only until the end of the Paralympics in late March.

North Korea is to send its highest ranking official for years to the South amid an easing of tensions during the Winter Olympics

North Korea's ceremonial head of state will visit the South this week and attend the Winter Olympics opening ceremony as the divided peninsula witnesses a rare thaw after a year of high tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear programme. Kim Yong-Nam will be the most senior official from the North for years to travel to the other side of the Demilitarized Zone that has divided the two Koreas for decades. His trip will be the diplomatic high point of the rapprochement between the two Koreas triggered by the Pyeongchang Olympics in the South, which have their opening ceremony on Friday — although analysts warn that their newly warmed relations may not last long beyond the Games. Tensions spiralled last year as the North carried out multiple weapons tests, including intercontinental ballistic missiles it says are capable of reaching the mainland United States, and its most powerful nuclear blast to date. For months Pyongyang ignored Seoul's entreaties to take part in a "peace Olympics", until leader Kim Jong-Un indicated his willingness to do so in his New Year speech. That set off a rapid series of meetings which saw the two agree to march together at the opening ceremony and form a unified women's ice hockey team, their first for 27 years. The North's Olympic participation would include a visit by a high-level delegation, they agreed. It will be led by Kim Yong-Nam, who is leader of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, the North's ruling party-controlled parliament, Seoul's unification ministry said in a statement late Sunday. The North's state-run news agency KCNA said the high-level delegation led by Kim Yong-Nam would "soon visit south Korea to attend the opening ceremony of the 23rd Winter Olympics". Kim — who is not a close blood relative of leader Kim Jong-Un — will arrive on Friday for a three-day visit, accompanied by three other officials and 18 support staff, the ministry said it had been told by Pyongyang. The South Korean ministry did not explicitly say whether Kim would go to the Pyeongchang opening ceremony — which will be attended by the US Vice President Mike Pence.Kim Yong-Nam will be the highest-level Northern official to visit the South since 2014. But it may be seen as disappointing by some if he proves to be the most important member of the delegation, as he is largely considered a figurehead whose public diplomatic role leaves it unclear how much political power he really has. He is regarded as the ceremonial head of state, but does not hold the title of national president — and nor does Kim Jong-Un. Instead it is retained by Kim Jong-Un's grandfather, the North's founder Kim Il-Sung, who remains Eternal President of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea — the country's official name — despite dying in 1994. Speculation about who could lead the delegation had been rife in the South for weeks, with some analysts pointing to Choe Ryong-Hae, who is the vice chairman of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party and seen as Kim Jong-Un's right-hand man. Others had even suggested the leader's younger sister Kim Yo-Jong, who was recently promoted to a senior political position. Choe was one of three senior Pyongyang officials who made a surprise visit to the South during the 2014 Asian Games along with former military chief Hwang Pyong-So and Kim Yang-Gon, a top official on inter-Korea affairs who died in a car crash in 2015. They did not meet any senior officials of the government in Seoul, but it may be different on this occasion. The South's new President Moon Jae-In has long argued for engagement to bring the North to the negotiating table over its nuclear ambitions, which have seen it subjected to multiple sets of United Nations Security Council sanctions. Seoul and Washington have agreed to delay annual large-scale joint military exercises which always infuriate Pyongyang, but only until the end of the Paralympics in late March.

Top North Korean official to visit South Korea for Winter Olympics

North Korea&#39;s Kim Jong-un had another facet to his dictatorial personality in his school days, a school friend has vouched for him.

North Korea&#39;s &quot;rocket man&quot; had a softer and fun-loving side to him, and got along with everyone apart from occasional bouts of temper, The Daily Beast quoted his friend as saying.

Joao Micaelo, now a chef at a restaurant in Bern, has fond memories of his classmate even after 20 years.

He told The Daily Beast that the North Korean leader was popular in school and loved basketball and that he would like to renew contact with him again.

Marco Imhof of Bern told The Daily Beast that winning was very important for Kim but that he got along well even with those schoolchildren who came from other countries including enemies of North Korea. They argued about soccer and not politics, he said.

A former bodyguard for his now-deceased father, Kim Jong-il, however, said that an isolated childhood made the North Korean dictator volatile and stressed.

Lee Young-guk told ABC News that Kim Jong had no playmates of his age and only adults who educated him and played with him.

North Korea's 'rocket man' got along with everyone apart from occasional bouts of temper, The Daily Beast quoted his friend as saying

North Korea's Kim Jong-un had another facet to his dictatorial personality in his school days, a school friend has vouched for him. North Korea's "rocket man" had a softer and fun-loving side to him, and got along with everyone apart from occasional bouts of temper, The Daily Beast quoted his friend as saying. Joao Micaelo, now a chef at a restaurant in Bern, has fond memories of his classmate even after 20 years. He told The Daily Beast that the North Korean leader was popular in school and loved basketball and that he would like to renew contact with him again. Marco Imhof of Bern told The Daily Beast that winning was very important for Kim but that he got along well even with those schoolchildren who came from other countries including enemies of North Korea. They argued about soccer and not politics, he said. A former bodyguard for his now-deceased father, Kim Jong-il, however, said that an isolated childhood made the North Korean dictator volatile and stressed. Lee Young-guk told ABC News that Kim Jong had no playmates of his age and only adults who educated him and played with him.

The softer, funnier side of Kim Jong-un, as revealed by his friends

North Korea today denounced President Donald Trump&#39;s tweeted message that he has a bigger nuclear button than its leader Kim Jong-Un as the &quot;spasm of a lunatic&quot; and the &quot;bark of a rabid dog&quot;.

Kim used his annual New Year address to warn he has a &quot;nuclear button&quot; on his table, sweetening his remarks by expressing an interest in dialogue and taking part in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in the South next month.

In response, Trump wrote on Twitter: &quot;Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger &amp; more powerful one than his, and my Button works!&quot;

In Pyongyang&#39;s first reaction to the tweet, the North&#39;s official party newspaper Rodong Sinmun on Tuesday dismissed Trump&#39;s &quot;swaggering&quot; as nothing but the &quot;spasm of a lunatic&quot; frightened by North Korea&#39;s power and the &quot;bark of a rabid dog&quot;.

In the days after Kim&#39;s New Year speech the two Koreas underwent a rapid apparent rapprochement, culminating last week in their first official talks for two years when they agreed Pyongyang would attend the Games.

But the North has since issued a series of warnings against both the South and the United States.

Pyongyang has made apocalyptic threats against its enemies for years, but Trump has repeatedly used highly menacing rhetoric towards the nuclear-armed North, sparking criticism that he is ratcheting up already-high tensions on the Korean peninsula.

He has threatened to rain &quot;fire and fury&quot; on the North, warning Kim he was on a &quot;suicide mission&quot; by developing nuclear missiles.

Trump&#39;s &quot;button&quot; tweet &quot;reflects the desperate mental state of a loser,&quot; Rodong Sinmun said in its commentary, diagnosing him as &quot;suffering from anger disorder and schizophrenia&quot;.&nbsp;

Kim Jong-un used his annual New Year address to warn he has a 'nuclear button' on his table

North Korea today denounced President Donald Trump's tweeted message that he has a bigger nuclear button than its leader Kim Jong-Un as the "spasm of a lunatic" and the "bark of a rabid dog". Kim used his annual New Year address to warn he has a "nuclear button" on his table, sweetening his remarks by expressing an interest in dialogue and taking part in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in the South next month. In response, Trump wrote on Twitter: "Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!" In Pyongyang's first reaction to the tweet, the North's official party newspaper Rodong Sinmun on Tuesday dismissed Trump's "swaggering" as nothing but the "spasm of a lunatic" frightened by North Korea's power and the "bark of a rabid dog". In the days after Kim's New Year speech the two Koreas underwent a rapid apparent rapprochement, culminating last week in their first official talks for two years when they agreed Pyongyang would attend the Games. But the North has since issued a series of warnings against both the South and the United States. Pyongyang has made apocalyptic threats against its enemies for years, but Trump has repeatedly used highly menacing rhetoric towards the nuclear-armed North, sparking criticism that he is ratcheting up already-high tensions on the Korean peninsula. He has threatened to rain "fire and fury" on the North, warning Kim he was on a "suicide mission" by developing nuclear missiles. Trump's "button" tweet "reflects the desperate mental state of a loser," Rodong Sinmun said in its commentary, diagnosing him as "suffering from anger disorder and schizophrenia".

North Korea calls Trump nuclear button boast the 'bark of a rabid dog'

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump on Sunday disputed a newspaper&#39;s account of an interview with him last week in which he was quoted as saying he probably has a very good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Trump said in tweets that in the Wall Street Journal interview on Thursday, he said &quot;I&#39;d probably&quot; have a good relationship with Kim, using a conditional tense.

The White House released a portion of the audio from the interview that it said showed Trump said &quot;I&#39;d.&quot; The Wall Street Journal released its own audio that it said backed up its version of the events.

The Trump comment was key because it suggested he feels he has a good relationship with Kim, who has resisted global pressure to stand down from a series of nuclear and ballistic missile tests.

Trump has derided the North Korean leader as a &ldquo;maniac&rdquo; and referred to him as &ldquo;little rocket man.&rdquo; Kim has responded by calling the U.S. president a &ldquo;mentally deranged U.S. dotard.&rdquo;

Kim has warned the United States that he intends to build a nuclear arsenal capable of hitting the United States, prompting threats of military action by Washington.

In the Wall Street Journal interview, Trump was asked whether he has spoken with the North Korean leader.

&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to comment on it. I&lsquo;m not saying I have or haven&lsquo;t. I just don&rsquo;t want to comment,&quot; he had said.

Trump is spending a long weekend at his oceanfront Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida.

&quot;Obviously I didn&rsquo;t say that,&quot; tweeted Trump. &quot;I said &#39;I&rsquo;d have a good relationship with Kim Jong Un,&#39; a big difference. Fortunately we now record conversations with reporters ... and they knew exactly what I said and meant. They just wanted a story. FAKE NEWS!&quot;

A White House official said the delay in publicly disputing the Journal&#39;s account was the result of a failed attempt to get the paper to correct the record.

&quot;The reason there was a delay is because we had several calls and emails with WSJ, starting Friday morning, asking them to issue a correction. They refused and so we pushed out our own clarification,&quot; the official said.

Trump was quoted as saying he had a good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in an interview in the Wall Street Journal

US President Donald Trump on Sunday disputed a newspaper's account of an interview with him last week in which he was quoted as saying he probably has a very good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump said in tweets that in the Wall Street Journal interview on Thursday, he said "I'd probably" have a good relationship with Kim, using a conditional tense. The White House released a portion of the audio from the interview that it said showed Trump said "I'd." The Wall Street Journal released its own audio that it said backed up its version of the events. The Trump comment was key because it suggested he feels he has a good relationship with Kim, who has resisted global pressure to stand down from a series of nuclear and ballistic missile tests. Trump has derided the North Korean leader as a “maniac” and referred to him as “little rocket man.” Kim has responded by calling the U.S. president a “mentally deranged U.S. dotard.” Kim has warned the United States that he intends to build a nuclear arsenal capable of hitting the United States, prompting threats of military action by Washington. In the Wall Street Journal interview, Trump was asked whether he has spoken with the North Korean leader. “I don’t want to comment on it. I‘m not saying I have or haven‘t. I just don’t want to comment," he had said. Trump is spending a long weekend at his oceanfront Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida. "Obviously I didn’t say that," tweeted Trump. "I said 'I’d have a good relationship with Kim Jong Un,' a big difference. Fortunately we now record conversations with reporters ... and they knew exactly what I said and meant. They just wanted a story. FAKE NEWS!" A White House official said the delay in publicly disputing the Journal's account was the result of a failed attempt to get the paper to correct the record. "The reason there was a delay is because we had several calls and emails with WSJ, starting Friday morning, asking them to issue a correction. They refused and so we pushed out our own clarification," the official said.

Trump denies saying he probably had good relationship with Kim

United States president Donald Trump has said that he has a &quot;good relationship&quot; with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and is open to friendship.

&quot;I probably have a very good relationship with Kim Jong- Un,&quot; Trump told the media. &quot;I have relationships with people. I think you people are surprised,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

&quot;You&#39;ll see that a lot with me and then all of the sudden somebody&#39;s my best friend. I could give you 20 examples. You could give me 30. I&#39;m a very flexible person,&quot; Trump added.

However, there has been no information on whether the two leaders have had a word recently.&nbsp;

&quot;I don&#39;t want to comment on it. I&#39;m not saying I have or haven&#39;t. I just don&#39;t want to comment&quot;, adding that his attitude towards North Korea is intentional and part of a broader goal.

Washington and Pyongyang have long been having a standoff over North Korea&#39;s missile and nuclear programs which could destroy the United States.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trumps-madman-rhetoric-may-have-scared-north-korea-to-talks-analysts-29272" target="_blank">Donald Trump&#39;s &#39;madman&#39; rhetoric may have scared North Korea to talks: Analysts </a>

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday after the first intra-Korean talks in over two years that the United States was willing to speak to North Korea <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-on-possibility-of-north-korea-talks-says-who-knows-where-it-leads-29176" target="_blank">&quot;under the right circumstances</a>,&quot; although it was far from clear whether this would pay dividends.

Trump has previously stated that that North Korea was &quot;a responsible nuclear nation that loves peace&quot; and that &quot;the US cannot wage a war&quot; against it.

However, there has been no information on whether the two leaders have had a word recently

United States president Donald Trump has said that he has a "good relationship" with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and is open to friendship. "I probably have a very good relationship with Kim Jong- Un," Trump told the media. "I have relationships with people. I think you people are surprised," he said. "You'll see that a lot with me and then all of the sudden somebody's my best friend. I could give you 20 examples. You could give me 30. I'm a very flexible person," Trump added. However, there has been no information on whether the two leaders have had a word recently. "I don't want to comment on it. I'm not saying I have or haven't. I just don't want to comment", adding that his attitude towards North Korea is intentional and part of a broader goal. Washington and Pyongyang have long been having a standoff over North Korea's missile and nuclear programs which could destroy the United States. Also read: Donald Trump's 'madman' rhetoric may have scared North Korea to talks: Analysts US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday after the first intra-Korean talks in over two years that the United States was willing to speak to North Korea "under the right circumstances," although it was far from clear whether this would pay dividends. Trump has previously stated that that North Korea was "a responsible nuclear nation that loves peace" and that "the US cannot wage a war" against it.

Trump: 'I probably have a very good relationship with Kim Jong-Un'

Vice President of Twitter Bruce Daisley has clarified that if Trump tweets any personal information such as phone number or address of any individual it will caution him to remove that tweet.

Bruce Daisley said this in an interview with BBC radio.

Twitter has been in questions recently for applying terms and conditions selectively, as they refused to delete Trump&#39;s account over hate speech he gives through his tweets.

Daisley said&nbsp;any person who posts personal number or address of anyone would be asked to delete that tweet on which Daisley was asked whether the rule applies on Donald Trump also to that he responded saying yes.

Many tweets of Donald Trump should have been taken seriously by the social media giant which could be equivalent to threats but Twitter has always refused to take any action or even ask Trump to delete his tweets as he is a world leader.

People on social media has been asking to ban Trump&#39;s account or Dorsey to resign after he compared Kim Jong-un nuclear button to his calling it much bigger and more powerful.&quot;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the &ldquo;Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.&rdquo; Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger &amp; more powerful one than his, and my Button works!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/948355557022420992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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I&#39;m beginning to suspect Twitter of being a brilliant Russian psy op. How else to explain their reluctance to ban Trump &amp; other malefactors? <a href="https://t.co/1OUaDwjNFK">https://t.co/1OUaDwjNFK</a>
&mdash; Traci Degerman (@TraciDegerman) <a href="https://twitter.com/TraciDegerman/status/950964279968120832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Activist Group Demands That &lsquo;Complicit&rsquo; Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey Resign or Ban Trump <a href="https://t.co/14IGBKbOMc">https://t.co/14IGBKbOMc</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/gay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#gay</a>
&mdash; Judge_Falazar (@falazar) <a href="https://twitter.com/falazar/status/950838455289827328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2018</a></blockquote>
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In 2017, November Trump tweeted Kim Jong-Un&#39;s number on Twitter and asked people to call him and say &quot;he is sloppy and low energy sad rocket man.&quot;

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Trump has often been seen insulting&nbsp;his opponents. (Twitter)
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However, the tweet has now been deleted.

Trump has often seen insulting&nbsp;his opponents such as always referring Hillary Clinton as &quot;crooked Hillary,&quot; or calling Kim Jong-Un rocket man, Twitter said that in such cases twitter would now step in and take action.

&nbsp;

 
&nbsp;

Vice President of Twitter Bruce Daisley has clarified that if Trump tweets any personal information such as Phone number or address of any individual it will caution him to remove that tweet

Vice President of Twitter Bruce Daisley has clarified that if Trump tweets any personal information such as phone number or address of any individual it will caution him to remove that tweet. Bruce Daisley said this in an interview with BBC radio. Twitter has been in questions recently for applying terms and conditions selectively, as they refused to delete Trump's account over hate speech he gives through his tweets. Daisley said any person who posts personal number or address of anyone would be asked to delete that tweet on which Daisley was asked whether the rule applies on Donald Trump also to that he responded saying yes. Many tweets of Donald Trump should have been taken seriously by the social media giant which could be equivalent to threats but Twitter has always refused to take any action or even ask Trump to delete his tweets as he is a world leader. People on social media has been asking to ban Trump's account or Dorsey to resign after he compared Kim Jong-un nuclear button to his calling it much bigger and more powerful." North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the “Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.” Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018 × I'm beginning to suspect Twitter of being a brilliant Russian psy op. How else to explain their reluctance to ban Trump & other malefactors? https://t.co/1OUaDwjNFK — Traci Degerman (@TraciDegerman) January 10, 2018 × Activist Group Demands That ‘Complicit’ Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey Resign or Ban Trump https://t.co/14IGBKbOMc #gay — Judge_Falazar (@falazar) January 9, 2018 × In 2017, November Trump tweeted Kim Jong-Un's number on Twitter and asked people to call him and say "he is sloppy and low energy sad rocket man." Trump has often been seen insulting his opponents. (Twitter) × However, the tweet has now been deleted. Trump has often seen insulting his opponents such as always referring Hillary Clinton as "crooked Hillary," or calling Kim Jong-Un rocket man, Twitter said that in such cases twitter would now step in and take action.

Twitter Vice President clarifies on Trump tweets

A day after officials from both the Koreas met at the Peace House of Panmunjom truce village, South Korean President, Moon Jae-In, announced his plan to hold a summit with his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong-Un.&nbsp;

He was willing to hold a summit &quot;at any time&quot;, he said, as long as it was &quot;under the right conditions&quot;.

&quot;It is only the beginning,&quot; Moon told a press conference Wednesday. &quot;Yesterday was the first step and I think we had a good start,&quot; Moon added.&nbsp;

Moon expressed his desire to discuss denuclearisation with North Korea.&nbsp;

&quot;But it cannot be a meeting for meeting&#39;s sake. To hold a summit, the right conditions must be created and certain outcomes must be guaranteed,&quot; he noted.

Earlier on Tuesday, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-hails-korea-talks-despite-norths-rejection-of-denuclearisation-29057">US President Donald Trump hailed the &#39;Korea meet</a>&#39; describing it as an event that may resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis.&nbsp;

The Pyongyang regime has also decided to <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-to-attend-olympics-in-rival-south-29052">send its athletes to the Winter Olympics</a> in the South.

The South Korean President has been lobbying to bring its Northern counterpart to discuss banned weapons programmes.&nbsp;

Moon insisted that his regime does not differ in opinion with the US and that they &quot;shared an understanding about security, were working together and were both threatened by the North&#39;s nuclear weapons and missiles.&quot;

The United States, on the other hand, has called for the North Korean regime to halt its nuclear testing to facilitate any ties with the Trump administration.&nbsp;

Moon also noted that &quot;stronger sanctions and pressures (on North Korea) could further heighten tensions and lead to accidental armed conflicts&quot;. 
&nbsp;

(With inputs from AFP)

He (Kim Jong-Un) was willing to hold a summit 'at any time', Moon said

A day after officials from both the Koreas met at the Peace House of Panmunjom truce village, South Korean President, Moon Jae-In, announced his plan to hold a summit with his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong-Un. He was willing to hold a summit "at any time", he said, as long as it was "under the right conditions". "It is only the beginning," Moon told a press conference Wednesday. "Yesterday was the first step and I think we had a good start," Moon added. Moon expressed his desire to discuss denuclearisation with North Korea. "But it cannot be a meeting for meeting's sake. To hold a summit, the right conditions must be created and certain outcomes must be guaranteed," he noted. Earlier on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump hailed the 'Korea meet' describing it as an event that may resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis. The Pyongyang regime has also decided to send its athletes to the Winter Olympics in the South. The South Korean President has been lobbying to bring its Northern counterpart to discuss banned weapons programmes. Moon insisted that his regime does not differ in opinion with the US and that they "shared an understanding about security, were working together and were both threatened by the North's nuclear weapons and missiles." The United States, on the other hand, has called for the North Korean regime to halt its nuclear testing to facilitate any ties with the Trump administration. Moon also noted that "stronger sanctions and pressures (on North Korea) could further heighten tensions and lead to accidental armed conflicts". (With inputs from AFP)

South Korean President willing to hold summit with North Korea's Kim

North Korea will send its athletes to the Winter Olympics in the South, the rivals said Tuesday, after their first formal talks in more than two years following high tensions over Pyongyang&#39;s nuclear weapons programme.

At the meeting in Panmunjom -- the truce village in the Demilitarised Zone that splits the peninsula -- the two sides also decided to hold military talks and to restore a military hotline closed since February 2016.

It came after Seoul responded to a New Year speech by the North&#39;s leader Kim Jong-Un last week with an offer of high-level dialogue, and last week a civilian hotline was restored after an almost two-year suspension.

Seoul and Olympic organisers have been keen for Pyongyang -- which boycotted the 1988 Summer Games in South Korea&#39;s capital -- to take part in what they repeatedly proclaimed a &quot;peace Olympics&quot; in Pyeongchang next month.

But the North gave no indication it would do so until Kim&#39;s speech, pursuing its banned weapons programmes in defiance of United Nations sanctions, launching missiles capable of reaching the US and detonating its sixth and most powerful nuclear test.

&quot;The North Korean side will dispatch a high-level delegation, National Olympic Committee delegation, athletes, cheerleaders, art performers&#39; squad, spectators, a taekwondo demonstration team and a press corps and the South will provide necessary amenities and facilities,&quot; they said in a joint statement.&nbsp;

The US cautiously welcomed the talks, warning that the North&#39;s invitation to the Games must not undermine international efforts to isolate Kim&#39;s regime.

US officials would work with Seoul to ensure that the North&#39;s participation &quot;does not violate the sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council over North Korea&#39;s unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile programs&quot;, the State Department said in a statement.

It added that President Trump and his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-In had already agreed &quot;to continue the campaign of maximum pressure on North Korea toward the goal of complete and verifiable denuclearization.&quot;

New Year&#39;s gift

For the talks, the North&#39;s delegation walked over the Military Demarcation Line marking the border to the Peace House venue on the southern side, just yards from where a defector ran across in a hail of bullets two months ago.

Looking businesslike, the South&#39;s Unification minister Cho Myoung-Gyon and the North&#39;s chief delegate Ri Son-Gwon shook hands at the entrance to the building, and again across the negotiating table.

Ri wore a badge on his left lapel bearing an image of the country&#39;s founding father Kim Il-Sung and his son and successor Kim Jong-Il, while Cho sported one depicting the South Korean flag.&nbsp;

&quot;Let&#39;s present the people with a precious new year&#39;s gift,&quot; said Ri. &quot;There is a saying that a journey taken by two lasts longer than the one travelled alone.&quot;

The atmosphere was friendlier than at past meetings, and Cho told Ri: &quot;The people have a strong desire to see the North and South move toward peace and reconciliation.&quot;

But there was no mention in the joint statement of the proposal by Seoul to resume reunions of families left divided by the Korean War, which Pyongyang has previously refused to do unless several of its citizens are returned by the South.

Ri also told South Korean journalists that denuclearisation was not on the table and not an issue for the two to discuss.

&quot;The target of all our nuclear and hydrogen bombs and ICBMs and all other sophisticated weapons is the US,&quot; he said. &quot;These weapons are not aimed at our brethren.&quot;

There were &quot;many problems&quot; to settle between the two sides, he added, warning of &quot;unexpected obstacles&quot; down the road.

Peace Olympics

Olympic organisers welcomed the North&#39;s participation in Pyeongchang and a Unification ministry official dubbed the Games &quot;a Peace Festival&quot;.

International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said Pyongyang&#39;s decision to take part was a &quot;great step forward in the Olympic spirit&quot;.

Only two athletes from the North have so far qualified for the Games, but hundreds of young female North Korean cheerleaders have created a buzz at three previous international sporting events in the South.

Any high-level delegation accompanying the team could include Kim&#39;s younger sister Yo-Jong -- a senior member of the ruling Workers&#39; Party, according to South Korean reports.&nbsp;

The Unification ministry official said the meeting &quot;laid the foundation for restoring the severed inter-Korean ties and normalising them&quot;.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also welcomed the progress, especially plans to hold military talks and reopen the military hotline.&nbsp;

&quot;The re-establishment and strengthening of such channels is critical to lowering the risk of miscalculation or misunderstanding,&quot; his spokesman said in a statement.

It remains unclear when the proposed military talks -- which would be the first of their kind since 2014 -- would be held.

Lim Eul-Chul, a professor of North Korean studies at Kyungnam University in Seoul, said the North&#39;s participation would &quot;help turn South Korean public sentiment about the North more favourable&quot;.

Pyongyang would then probably seek to resume lucrative joint economic projects, such as the suspended Kaesong industrial complex, he added -- although it is unclear whether that would be in compliance with UN sanctions.

Pyongyang&#39;s state media reiterated its condemnations of Trump on Tuesday, but Lim said the North &quot;appears to be trying to use the improvement in ties with the South as a springboard to resume talks with the US, which holds the key to controlling or possibly easing sanctions.&quot;

The United States and South Korea agreed last week to delay their joint military exercises until after the Games, apparently to help calm nerves.

North Korea will send its athletes to the Winter Olympics in the South after their first formal talks in more than two years

North Korea will send its athletes to the Winter Olympics in the South, the rivals said Tuesday, after their first formal talks in more than two years following high tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme. At the meeting in Panmunjom -- the truce village in the Demilitarised Zone that splits the peninsula -- the two sides also decided to hold military talks and to restore a military hotline closed since February 2016. It came after Seoul responded to a New Year speech by the North's leader Kim Jong-Un last week with an offer of high-level dialogue, and last week a civilian hotline was restored after an almost two-year suspension. Seoul and Olympic organisers have been keen for Pyongyang -- which boycotted the 1988 Summer Games in South Korea's capital -- to take part in what they repeatedly proclaimed a "peace Olympics" in Pyeongchang next month. But the North gave no indication it would do so until Kim's speech, pursuing its banned weapons programmes in defiance of United Nations sanctions, launching missiles capable of reaching the US and detonating its sixth and most powerful nuclear test. "The North Korean side will dispatch a high-level delegation, National Olympic Committee delegation, athletes, cheerleaders, art performers' squad, spectators, a taekwondo demonstration team and a press corps and the South will provide necessary amenities and facilities," they said in a joint statement. The US cautiously welcomed the talks, warning that the North's invitation to the Games must not undermine international efforts to isolate Kim's regime. US officials would work with Seoul to ensure that the North's participation "does not violate the sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council over North Korea's unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile programs", the State Department said in a statement. It added that President Trump and his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-In had already agreed "to continue the campaign of maximum pressure on North Korea toward the goal of complete and verifiable denuclearization." New Year's gift For the talks, the North's delegation walked over the Military Demarcation Line marking the border to the Peace House venue on the southern side, just yards from where a defector ran across in a hail of bullets two months ago. Looking businesslike, the South's Unification minister Cho Myoung-Gyon and the North's chief delegate Ri Son-Gwon shook hands at the entrance to the building, and again across the negotiating table. Ri wore a badge on his left lapel bearing an image of the country's founding father Kim Il-Sung and his son and successor Kim Jong-Il, while Cho sported one depicting the South Korean flag. "Let's present the people with a precious new year's gift," said Ri. "There is a saying that a journey taken by two lasts longer than the one travelled alone." The atmosphere was friendlier than at past meetings, and Cho told Ri: "The people have a strong desire to see the North and South move toward peace and reconciliation." But there was no mention in the joint statement of the proposal by Seoul to resume reunions of families left divided by the Korean War, which Pyongyang has previously refused to do unless several of its citizens are returned by the South. Ri also told South Korean journalists that denuclearisation was not on the table and not an issue for the two to discuss. "The target of all our nuclear and hydrogen bombs and ICBMs and all other sophisticated weapons is the US," he said. "These weapons are not aimed at our brethren." There were "many problems" to settle between the two sides, he added, warning of "unexpected obstacles" down the road. Peace Olympics Olympic organisers welcomed the North's participation in Pyeongchang and a Unification ministry official dubbed the Games "a Peace Festival". International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said Pyongyang's decision to take part was a "great step forward in the Olympic spirit". Only two athletes from the North have so far qualified for the Games, but hundreds of young female North Korean cheerleaders have created a buzz at three previous international sporting events in the South. Any high-level delegation accompanying the team could include Kim's younger sister Yo-Jong -- a senior member of the ruling Workers' Party, according to South Korean reports. The Unification ministry official said the meeting "laid the foundation for restoring the severed inter-Korean ties and normalising them". UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also welcomed the progress, especially plans to hold military talks and reopen the military hotline. "The re-establishment and strengthening of such channels is critical to lowering the risk of miscalculation or misunderstanding," his spokesman said in a statement. It remains unclear when the proposed military talks -- which would be the first of their kind since 2014 -- would be held. Lim Eul-Chul, a professor of North Korean studies at Kyungnam University in Seoul, said the North's participation would "help turn South Korean public sentiment about the North more favourable". Pyongyang would then probably seek to resume lucrative joint economic projects, such as the suspended Kaesong industrial complex, he added -- although it is unclear whether that would be in compliance with UN sanctions. Pyongyang's state media reiterated its condemnations of Trump on Tuesday, but Lim said the North "appears to be trying to use the improvement in ties with the South as a springboard to resume talks with the US, which holds the key to controlling or possibly easing sanctions." The United States and South Korea agreed last week to delay their joint military exercises until after the Games, apparently to help calm nerves.

North Korea to attend Olympics in rival South

With tension on the Korean Peninsula higher than it&rsquo;s been for years and fears are surging on all sides that a full-blown conflict is nearer than ever. But as the war of words between Washington and Pyongyang gets ever more lurid, with missile and warhead tests on one side and military exercises and flypasts on the other, it&rsquo;s easy to forget that North and South Korea have made serious efforts to defrost their relationship before.

On July 7 1988, with the Cold War coming to an end, South Korean President Rho Tae-woo announced his plan to &ldquo;actively promote exchanges of visits between the people of South and North Korea, including politicians, businessmen, journalists, religious leaders, cultural leaders, artists, academics and students&rdquo;. This South Korean policy, called Nordpolitik, was modelled on West Germany&rsquo;s Ostpolitik. But it took more than ten years to begin these exchanges.

In 2000, the two leaders of South and North Korea met in Pyongyang for the first time since the division of the Korean peninsula. South Korean President Kim Dae-jung reassured North Korean Leader Kim Jong-il, who was worried that North Korea would meet a fate similar to East Germany, that the South Korean proposal for a peacebuilding process was not to absorb North Korea, but to promote peaceful coexistence.

After their first summit, the South and North Korean governments expanded several cross-border peacebuilding activities, such as humanitarian, development, and economic cooperation, business, and socio-cultural exchanges. Within a few years, as part of these activities, more than half a million people crossed the border between North and South Korea. Almost 2m South Korean tourists visited North Korea.

And yet today, the inter-Korean peacebuilding of the 2000s looks like a long-lost dream. What went wrong?

Pushed to the limit

Some say the breaking point was the hardline changes in US and South Korean policy toward North Korea after 9/11, epitomised by George W. Bush&rsquo;s &ldquo;Axis of Evil&rdquo; speech. Others say the north is to blame because of its nuclear ambitions. But what both arguments have in common is North Korea&rsquo;s deep sense of insecurity, which goes back more than 60 years.

When Japan was defeated in World War II, the Korean independence movement and its provisional government, who had long fought Japanese colonial rule, were not recognised as victors. Instead, the northern half of Korea was put under Soviet control and the south was occupied by the US, effectively dividing the Korean peninsula in two.

The first North Korean leader, Kim Il-sung, seemed convinced he could resolve this division by force, but his attack on South Korea in 1950 and the ensuing Korean War almost cost North Korea its existence. Only Chinese intervention saved it, and the war was suspended (though not ended) by the Armistice Treaty of 1953.

<figure><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NTFreay3bOA?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440"></iframe></figure>

&nbsp;

But North Korean memories of how US bombers destroyed their country and how close the US came to using the atomic bomb on North Korea, are still very much alive, and may be stronger after the end of the Cold War.

North Korean leaders have for decades used the spectre of an American attack to justify their authoritarian rule. The continuous economic sanctions and displays of military power by the US and South Korea did not deter North Korean plans to develop nuclear weapons in order to ensure its survival, and instead seem to have given the North Korean dictatorship fodder for its rhetoric.

Not backing down

As if to validate the rhetoric of the North Korean regime, the US president, Donald Trump, successfully persuaded South Korea to purchase more American weapons during his recent visit to East Asia. The US and South Korea are planning yet another joint military drill from December 4-8, in which about 230 warfare aircraft will participate in a show of force.

Meanwhile, North Korea fired another ballistic missile on November 28, once again claiming that their development of nuclear and missile technology is not &ldquo;to pose any threat to any country&rdquo;, but to defend North Korea from the US threat.

Putting aside debate around the nature of the North Korean regime, the insecurity experienced by a conflict party is not a phenomenon unique to the Korean conflict. Several contemporary peace processes, such as the Northern Ireland peace process, show that without addressing the issue of insecurity, any agreement would not be possible.

Would peacebuilding mean simply appeasing a regime that is playing with nuclear fire &ndash; or is it perhaps a better option than &ldquo;smart sanctions&rdquo; and military exercises? For South Korean civil society groups, who can remember crossing borders, building relationships, and re-humanising each other, peacebuilding is still regarded as the best way to neutralise the nuclear ambitions of the North Korean leadership and improve the human rights conditions of the North Korean people.

After all, it is about coming up with a more effective strategy for peace in the Korean peninsula, and beyond. If war is not an option, the inevitable process to build peace must resume.

As if to validate the rhetoric of the North Korean regime, the US president, Donald Trump, successfully persuaded South Korea to purchase more American weapons during his recent visit to East Asia. The US and South Korea are planning yet another joint military drill from December 4-8, in which about 230 warfare aircraft will participate in a show of force.

Meanwhile, North Korea fired another ballistic missile on November 28, once again claiming that their development of nuclear and missile technology is not &ldquo;to pose any threat to any country&rdquo;, but to defend North Korea from the US threat.

Putting aside debate around the nature of the North Korean regime, the insecurity experienced by a conflict party is not a phenomenon unique to the Korean conflict. Several contemporary peace processes, such as the Northern Ireland peace process, show that without addressing the issue of insecurity, any agreement would not be possible.

Would peacebuilding mean simply appeasing a regime that is playing with nuclear fire &ndash; or is it perhaps a better option than &ldquo;smart sanctions&rdquo; and military exercises? For South Korean civil society groups, who can remember crossing borders, building relationships, and re-humanising each other, peacebuilding is still regarded as the best way to neutralise the nuclear ambitions of the North Korean leadership and improve the human rights conditions of the North Korean people.

After all, it is about coming up with a <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09512748.2015.1022586?scroll=top&amp;needAccess=true">more effective strategy</a> for peace in the Korean peninsula, and beyond. If war is not an option, the inevitable process to build peace must resume.

&nbsp;

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" rel="nofollow" target="blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-two-koreas-have-tried-to-make-peace-before-and-they-could-do-so-again-86809" rel="nofollow" target="blank">original article</a>.

&nbsp;

For South Korean civil society, who can remember crossing borders, building relationships, and re-humanising each other, peacebuilding is still regarded as the best way to neutralise the nuclear ambitions of the North Korean leadership and improve the human rights conditions of the North Koreans.

With tension on the Korean Peninsula higher than it’s been for years and fears are surging on all sides that a full-blown conflict is nearer than ever. But as the war of words between Washington and Pyongyang gets ever more lurid, with missile and warhead tests on one side and military exercises and flypasts on the other, it’s easy to forget that North and South Korea have made serious efforts to defrost their relationship before. On July 7 1988, with the Cold War coming to an end, South Korean President Rho Tae-woo announced his plan to “actively promote exchanges of visits between the people of South and North Korea, including politicians, businessmen, journalists, religious leaders, cultural leaders, artists, academics and students”. This South Korean policy, called Nordpolitik, was modelled on West Germany’s Ostpolitik. But it took more than ten years to begin these exchanges. In 2000, the two leaders of South and North Korea met in Pyongyang for the first time since the division of the Korean peninsula. South Korean President Kim Dae-jung reassured North Korean Leader Kim Jong-il, who was worried that North Korea would meet a fate similar to East Germany, that the South Korean proposal for a peacebuilding process was not to absorb North Korea, but to promote peaceful coexistence. After their first summit, the South and North Korean governments expanded several cross-border peacebuilding activities, such as humanitarian, development, and economic cooperation, business, and socio-cultural exchanges. Within a few years, as part of these activities, more than half a million people crossed the border between North and South Korea. Almost 2m South Korean tourists visited North Korea. And yet today, the inter-Korean peacebuilding of the 2000s looks like a long-lost dream. What went wrong? Pushed to the limit Some say the breaking point was the hardline changes in US and South Korean policy toward North Korea after 9/11, epitomised by George W. Bush’s “Axis of Evil” speech. Others say the north is to blame because of its nuclear ambitions. But what both arguments have in common is North Korea’s deep sense of insecurity, which goes back more than 60 years. When Japan was defeated in World War II, the Korean independence movement and its provisional government, who had long fought Japanese colonial rule, were not recognised as victors. Instead, the northern half of Korea was put under Soviet control and the south was occupied by the US, effectively dividing the Korean peninsula in two. The first North Korean leader, Kim Il-sung, seemed convinced he could resolve this division by force, but his attack on South Korea in 1950 and the ensuing Korean War almost cost North Korea its existence. Only Chinese intervention saved it, and the war was suspended (though not ended) by the Armistice Treaty of 1953. But North Korean memories of how US bombers destroyed their country and how close the US came to using the atomic bomb on North Korea, are still very much alive, and may be stronger after the end of the Cold War. North Korean leaders have for decades used the spectre of an American attack to justify their authoritarian rule. The continuous economic sanctions and displays of military power by the US and South Korea did not deter North Korean plans to develop nuclear weapons in order to ensure its survival, and instead seem to have given the North Korean dictatorship fodder for its rhetoric. Not backing down As if to validate the rhetoric of the North Korean regime, the US president, Donald Trump, successfully persuaded South Korea to purchase more American weapons during his recent visit to East Asia. The US and South Korea are planning yet another joint military drill from December 4-8, in which about 230 warfare aircraft will participate in a show of force. Meanwhile, North Korea fired another ballistic missile on November 28, once again claiming that their development of nuclear and missile technology is not “to pose any threat to any country”, but to defend North Korea from the US threat. Putting aside debate around the nature of the North Korean regime, the insecurity experienced by a conflict party is not a phenomenon unique to the Korean conflict. Several contemporary peace processes, such as the Northern Ireland peace process, show that without addressing the issue of insecurity, any agreement would not be possible. Would peacebuilding mean simply appeasing a regime that is playing with nuclear fire – or is it perhaps a better option than “smart sanctions” and military exercises? For South Korean civil society groups, who can remember crossing borders, building relationships, and re-humanising each other, peacebuilding is still regarded as the best way to neutralise the nuclear ambitions of the North Korean leadership and improve the human rights conditions of the North Korean people. After all, it is about coming up with a more effective strategy for peace in the Korean peninsula, and beyond. If war is not an option, the inevitable process to build peace must resume. As if to validate the rhetoric of the North Korean regime, the US president, Donald Trump, successfully persuaded South Korea to purchase more American weapons during his recent visit to East Asia. The US and South Korea are planning yet another joint military drill from December 4-8, in which about 230 warfare aircraft will participate in a show of force. Meanwhile, North Korea fired another ballistic missile on November 28, once again claiming that their development of nuclear and missile technology is not “to pose any threat to any country”, but to defend North Korea from the US threat. Putting aside debate around the nature of the North Korean regime, the insecurity experienced by a conflict party is not a phenomenon unique to the Korean conflict. Several contemporary peace processes, such as the Northern Ireland peace process, show that without addressing the issue of insecurity, any agreement would not be possible. Would peacebuilding mean simply appeasing a regime that is playing with nuclear fire – or is it perhaps a better option than “smart sanctions” and military exercises? For South Korean civil society groups, who can remember crossing borders, building relationships, and re-humanising each other, peacebuilding is still regarded as the best way to neutralise the nuclear ambitions of the North Korean leadership and improve the human rights conditions of the North Korean people. After all, it is about coming up with a more effective strategy for peace in the Korean peninsula, and beyond. If war is not an option, the inevitable process to build peace must resume. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Opinion: Are two Koreas serious in defrosting the relationship?

North and South Korea <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-has-to-keep-kim-jong-un-on-his-toes-nikki-haley-on-nuclear-button-tweet-28895">began talks in the border truce village </a>of Panmunjom today as tensions between the two countries over Kim&#39;s repeated ballistic tests faded.

Unification minister Cho Myung-Gyun who is leading the delegation said he would be discussing North Korea&#39;s participation in the Winter Olympics and Paralympics and look to improve relations with its neighbour.

&quot;We will do our best to ensure that the Pyeongchang Olympics and Paralympics will take place as a peace festival and that this meeting will serve as the first step for improving &nbsp;South-North ties,&quot; Cho said.

One of the agendas during the meeting would be the size and membership of the North Korean delegation for the winter games, including accommodation details.

Reports said North Korean athletes may stay on a cruise ship near the games venue.

Cho had earlier participated in talks with North Korea in the 90s, his counterpart &nbsp;Ri Son-Gwon, the chief delegate from the North has also been in a similar role as the head of the Committee for Peaceful Reunification of Korea.

The much-awaited talks are a result of &nbsp;Kim Jong-Un New Year&#39;s speech in which he held out an olive branch to his neighbours signalling his intention to send his country&#39;s athletes to the Winter Games, South Korea was quick to respond to the peace overtures by quickly asking for dialogue between the two countries at a venue acceptable to both. 
&nbsp;

Unification minister Cho Myung-Gyun who is leading the delegation

North and South Korea began talks in the border truce village of Panmunjom today as tensions between the two countries over Kim's repeated ballistic tests faded. Unification minister Cho Myung-Gyun who is leading the delegation said he would be discussing North Korea's participation in the Winter Olympics and Paralympics and look to improve relations with its neighbour. "We will do our best to ensure that the Pyeongchang Olympics and Paralympics will take place as a peace festival and that this meeting will serve as the first step for improving South-North ties," Cho said. One of the agendas during the meeting would be the size and membership of the North Korean delegation for the winter games, including accommodation details. Reports said North Korean athletes may stay on a cruise ship near the games venue. Cho had earlier participated in talks with North Korea in the 90s, his counterpart Ri Son-Gwon, the chief delegate from the North has also been in a similar role as the head of the Committee for Peaceful Reunification of Korea. The much-awaited talks are a result of Kim Jong-Un New Year's speech in which he held out an olive branch to his neighbours signalling his intention to send his country's athletes to the Winter Games, South Korea was quick to respond to the peace overtures by quickly asking for dialogue between the two countries at a venue acceptable to both.

North and South Korea begin talks in truce village

U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un should never talk to each other on the phone, or through Twitter. Two unpredictable, nuclear-armed egotists are a threat to themselves and to the world, regardless of the size of their buttons.

Fortunately, cooler heads are now communicating between North and South Korea. Still, this is no time for South Korean President Moon Jae-in, nor the international community, to get comfortable with Kim Jong-un.

North Korea flouts international agreements, bolsters its economy through sordid means and is responsible for ghastly human rights abuses.

As a researcher on social justice and human security in North Korea, I have a reminder for Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson as they prepare to meet in Vancouver next week to discuss North Korea: Kim Jong-un runs a feudal gangland, not a nation state. The rules of diplomacy do not apply to the Hermit Kingdom.

North Korea is isolated, hungry, without power and without allies. Yet Kim gathers resources for nuclear proliferation, missiles and prison camps. This is thanks to his business partners. The international community has mistakenly ignored them.

How to deal with Kim&rsquo;s belligerence? View him as a thug. And like any gangster, understand how he makes money and what really scares him.

First, target those who profit with Kim. Second, empower defectors who can speak to North Korea&rsquo;s grim reality. Their voices matter both within and outside of North Korea.

Kim acquires weapons by sea, he pays for them with narcotics, cyber-attacks and cryptocurrency. Masterful smugglers, North Korean vessels run under flags of convenience, shell companies process the funds, and other vessels entering North Korean waters deceptively turn off their broadcast identifiers.

&lsquo;Protector&rsquo; of North Koreans

I interviewed numerous North Korean defectors for three years. I also tracked vessels doing business with Mr. Kim. From this work, I make two conclusions about how the international community should approach North Korea.

First, Kim holds power through a projected image of ordained invincibility. He is the protector of the North Korean people. He may not provide enough food, and he may send them to prison camps, but only he can protect against pending violence from the United States.

Missile launches and nuclear tests pose little threat to the West. They are symbolic demonstrations of power for his compatriots.

Second, in order to prop up his image as the Great Marshal, Kim collects his military resources below the radar. Illegal smuggling, counterfeiting, insurance scams, weapons sales, cyber attacks, narcotics production and forced labour abroad bring in cash. And there are global markets for all, accessed through shady diplomats and shadowy shell companies. They skirt sanctions with impunity.

Formal diplomacy fails as North Korea relies more on the illicit, rather than the legitimate, international community. Until now.

<figure class="align-center "><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/201062/original/file-20180107-26163-19vbufg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" />
<figcaption>
Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson take part in a joint media availability on Parliament Hill in Ottawa in December. The two will soon be meeting in Vancouver to discuss how to handle North Korea. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
</figcaption>
</figure>

&nbsp;

Recent sanctions by the United States, the United Nations and the European Union are smarter. They target Kim&rsquo;s financial environment. Instead of sanctioning the target, new sanctions attack the banks and maritime operators that help him.

Already, maritime traffic into North Korea has dropped significantly and the regime is taking to sea-to-sea transfers to acquire goods &mdash; a high-risk, low-return operation. Kim&rsquo;s options are getting fewer.

It&rsquo;s a start, but not enough.

Targeting Kim&rsquo;s markets for missile tests and nuclear proliferation is good policy. It is easier, and safer, to prevent missiles getting in to North Korea than it is to shoot them down once they&rsquo;re flying out.

However, North Korea&rsquo;s trading partners are widespread and include businesses around the world, notably in Europe, India, Africa and even New Zealand.

Recognize that Kim&rsquo;s greatest fear is having his compatriots and the world know how weak he is. The missiles are more show than threat. It&rsquo;s why Kim is not fazed by Donald Trump&rsquo;s half-baked tweets.

Kim nervous about defectors&rsquo;s stories

He is, however, deeply frightened of defectors telling their stories. Their testimony will shatter his reputation and possibly land him in the International Court of Justice.

North Koreans are unlikely to oust Kim themselves and rebel against Juche, the regime&rsquo;s rigid social control system. China also fears the thought of any civil conflict in North Korea that could lead to a massive refugee crisis at its borders.

Strategic sanctions against North Korea are starting to put Kim in a bind. Winter is a hungry time in North Korea, and Kim will blame sanctions for upcoming food shortages.

Freeland, Tillerson and Moon must remain vigilant with smart sanctions and not trust Kim to make good on any agreement.

Instead, they must identify those who finance Kim, block their revenues and deal with him like an international criminal, not as a head of state.

&nbsp;

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" rel="nofollow" target="blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/kim-jong-un-is-a-gangster-heres-how-to-sort-him-out-89656" rel="nofollow" target="blank">original article</a>.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

&nbsp;

In order to prop up his image as the Great Marshal, Kim collects his military resources below the radar. Illegal smuggling, counterfeiting, insurance scams, weapons sales, cyber attacks, narcotics production and forced labour abroad bring in cash.

U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un should never talk to each other on the phone, or through Twitter. Two unpredictable, nuclear-armed egotists are a threat to themselves and to the world, regardless of the size of their buttons. Fortunately, cooler heads are now communicating between North and South Korea. Still, this is no time for South Korean President Moon Jae-in, nor the international community, to get comfortable with Kim Jong-un. North Korea flouts international agreements, bolsters its economy through sordid means and is responsible for ghastly human rights abuses. As a researcher on social justice and human security in North Korea, I have a reminder for Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson as they prepare to meet in Vancouver next week to discuss North Korea: Kim Jong-un runs a feudal gangland, not a nation state. The rules of diplomacy do not apply to the Hermit Kingdom. North Korea is isolated, hungry, without power and without allies. Yet Kim gathers resources for nuclear proliferation, missiles and prison camps. This is thanks to his business partners. The international community has mistakenly ignored them. How to deal with Kim’s belligerence? View him as a thug. And like any gangster, understand how he makes money and what really scares him. First, target those who profit with Kim. Second, empower defectors who can speak to North Korea’s grim reality. Their voices matter both within and outside of North Korea. Kim acquires weapons by sea, he pays for them with narcotics, cyber-attacks and cryptocurrency. Masterful smugglers, North Korean vessels run under flags of convenience, shell companies process the funds, and other vessels entering North Korean waters deceptively turn off their broadcast identifiers. ‘Protector’ of North Koreans I interviewed numerous North Korean defectors for three years. I also tracked vessels doing business with Mr. Kim. From this work, I make two conclusions about how the international community should approach North Korea. First, Kim holds power through a projected image of ordained invincibility. He is the protector of the North Korean people. He may not provide enough food, and he may send them to prison camps, but only he can protect against pending violence from the United States. Missile launches and nuclear tests pose little threat to the West. They are symbolic demonstrations of power for his compatriots. Second, in order to prop up his image as the Great Marshal, Kim collects his military resources below the radar. Illegal smuggling, counterfeiting, insurance scams, weapons sales, cyber attacks, narcotics production and forced labour abroad bring in cash. And there are global markets for all, accessed through shady diplomats and shadowy shell companies. They skirt sanctions with impunity. Formal diplomacy fails as North Korea relies more on the illicit, rather than the legitimate, international community. Until now. Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson take part in a joint media availability on Parliament Hill in Ottawa in December. The two will soon be meeting in Vancouver to discuss how to handle North Korea. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld Recent sanctions by the United States, the United Nations and the European Union are smarter. They target Kim’s financial environment. Instead of sanctioning the target, new sanctions attack the banks and maritime operators that help him. Already, maritime traffic into North Korea has dropped significantly and the regime is taking to sea-to-sea transfers to acquire goods — a high-risk, low-return operation. Kim’s options are getting fewer. It’s a start, but not enough. Targeting Kim’s markets for missile tests and nuclear proliferation is good policy. It is easier, and safer, to prevent missiles getting in to North Korea than it is to shoot them down once they’re flying out. However, North Korea’s trading partners are widespread and include businesses around the world, notably in Europe, India, Africa and even New Zealand. Recognize that Kim’s greatest fear is having his compatriots and the world know how weak he is. The missiles are more show than threat. It’s why Kim is not fazed by Donald Trump’s half-baked tweets. Kim nervous about defectors’s stories He is, however, deeply frightened of defectors telling their stories. Their testimony will shatter his reputation and possibly land him in the International Court of Justice. North Koreans are unlikely to oust Kim themselves and rebel against Juche, the regime’s rigid social control system. China also fears the thought of any civil conflict in North Korea that could lead to a massive refugee crisis at its borders. Strategic sanctions against North Korea are starting to put Kim in a bind. Winter is a hungry time in North Korea, and Kim will blame sanctions for upcoming food shortages. Freeland, Tillerson and Moon must remain vigilant with smart sanctions and not trust Kim to make good on any agreement. Instead, they must identify those who finance Kim, block their revenues and deal with him like an international criminal, not as a head of state. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Opinion: Kim Jong-un is a gangster

US President Donald Trump today said that he would like to see North Korea get involved in the upcoming Winter Olympics in neighbouring South Korea and hoped that the two Koreas take it to the next level.

Trump was responding to a question on the move in this regard between the two Koreans, who are scheduled to hold their first talks on Tuesday. The president said he had some role in it as he took a strong stand against the North Koreans.

&quot;I&#39;d like to see them getting involved in the Olympics and maybe things go from there. So I&#39;m behind that 100 percent,&quot; Trump told reporters at a news conference in Camp David, the picturesque presidential resort in Maryland.

&quot;I spoke to the president, as you know, with President Moon Jae-in of South Korea. He thanked me very much for my tough stance and, you know, for 25 years they haven&#39;t been using a tough stance,&quot; Trump said.

Trump hoped that the two Koreans moved their relationship beyond just Olympics participation.

&quot;I hope they do. I would love to see them take it beyond the Olympics. We have a very good relationship with South Korea,&quot; he said.

&quot;I would love to see it go far beyond the Olympics, absolutely. And at the appropriate time, we&#39;ll get involved. I like the idea of their dealing with the Olympics. That should be between those two countries,&quot; Trump said.

Trump has adopted a tough approach against North Korea and has very often slammed its leader Kim Jong-un over tweeter. In a tweet this year he told the North Korean leader that he has a bigger nuclear button than his works and that his nuclear button works.

Responding to a question, Trump said he is open to the idea of talking with Kim Jong-un. &quot;Are you, willing to engage and phone talks with Kim Jong right now,&quot; he was asked.

&quot;Sure. I always believe in talking. Right now they&#39;re talking Olympics. It&#39;s a start. It&#39;s a big start. If we are not involved they wouldn&#39;t be talking about Olympics right now. They would be doing no talking.

He (Kim Jong Un) knows I&#39;m not messing around. I&#39;m not messing around. Not even a little bit. Not even one per cent. He understands that&quot; he said.

&quot;At the same time, if we can come up with a very peaceful and very good solution we&#39;re working on it with (Secretary of State) Rex (Tillerson). We&#39;re working on it with a lot of people. If something can happen and something can come out of those talks, that would be a great thing for all of humanity,&quot; he said.

&quot;That would be a great thing for the world. Very important,&quot; Trump said.&nbsp;

&nbsp;&nbsp;

Donald Trump also said that he hopes that the two Koreas take it to the next level

US President Donald Trump today said that he would like to see North Korea get involved in the upcoming Winter Olympics in neighbouring South Korea and hoped that the two Koreas take it to the next level. Trump was responding to a question on the move in this regard between the two Koreans, who are scheduled to hold their first talks on Tuesday. The president said he had some role in it as he took a strong stand against the North Koreans. "I'd like to see them getting involved in the Olympics and maybe things go from there. So I'm behind that 100 percent," Trump told reporters at a news conference in Camp David, the picturesque presidential resort in Maryland. "I spoke to the president, as you know, with President Moon Jae-in of South Korea. He thanked me very much for my tough stance and, you know, for 25 years they haven't been using a tough stance," Trump said. Trump hoped that the two Koreans moved their relationship beyond just Olympics participation. "I hope they do. I would love to see them take it beyond the Olympics. We have a very good relationship with South Korea," he said. "I would love to see it go far beyond the Olympics, absolutely. And at the appropriate time, we'll get involved. I like the idea of their dealing with the Olympics. That should be between those two countries," Trump said. Trump has adopted a tough approach against North Korea and has very often slammed its leader Kim Jong-un over tweeter. In a tweet this year he told the North Korean leader that he has a bigger nuclear button than his works and that his nuclear button works. Responding to a question, Trump said he is open to the idea of talking with Kim Jong-un. "Are you, willing to engage and phone talks with Kim Jong right now," he was asked. "Sure. I always believe in talking. Right now they're talking Olympics. It's a start. It's a big start. If we are not involved they wouldn't be talking about Olympics right now. They would be doing no talking. He (Kim Jong Un) knows I'm not messing around. I'm not messing around. Not even a little bit. Not even one per cent. He understands that" he said. "At the same time, if we can come up with a very peaceful and very good solution we're working on it with (Secretary of State) Rex (Tillerson). We're working on it with a lot of people. If something can happen and something can come out of those talks, that would be a great thing for all of humanity," he said. "That would be a great thing for the world. Very important," Trump said.

Would like to see North Korea get involved in Winter Olympics: Trump

North Korea&#39;s Olympic representative said Saturday the reclusive nation was &quot;likely to participate&quot; in next month&#39;s Winter Games in South Korea, Kyodo news agency reported, in the latest sign of a thaw in tensions on the peninsula.

The comments by Chang Ung, Pyongyang&#39;s representative to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), come a day after the North and South agreed to hold rare talks next week and follow Seoul and Washington&#39;s announcement that they would postpone joint military exercises that rile North Korea.

The Japanese news agency said Chang made the brief comment to reporters during a stopover at Beijing&#39;s international airport.

Kyodo said Chang was believed to be travelling to Switzerland, where the IOC is based, quoting unnamed sources as saying the trip may be aimed at meeting the committee to discuss the North&#39;s potential participation in the Games at Pyeongchang.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un said in a new year speech that his country wished success for the Olympics, to be held from February 9-25, and would consider sending a delegation.

The two Koreas have been separated by the world&#39;s most heavily militarised border since the Korean War ended in a stalemate in 1953.

Seoul and organisers are keen for the North to take part in the Games to help ease worsening tensions on the Korean peninsula stemming from Pyongyang&#39;s nuclear and missile programmes.

In recent months, North Korea has held multiple missile launches and its sixth and most powerful nuclear test -- purportedly of a hydrogen bomb -- in violation of UN resolutions banning such activity by the isolated nation.

The region has been further rattled by tit-for-tat threats and insults between Kim and US President Donald Trump.

&nbsp;Winter thaw&nbsp;

But the new year has witnessed a marked softening of tone.

Seoul has reacted warmly to Kim&#39;s Olympic overture and the two Koreas this past week restored a cross-border hotline that had been shut down since 2016 and agreed to hold high-level talks next week -- the first since December 2015.

Those talks are expected to focus on matters including Olympic participation.

Also in recent days, the United States and South Korea agreed to delay their joint military exercises until after the Games, apparently to help ease nerves.

The regular joint drills have been criticised by some as adding to regional tensions. Beijing and Moscow have both called for them to be suspended.

North Korea&#39;s young leader has shrugged off multiple sets of new UN Security Council sanctions as his regime drives forward with its weapons programmes, which it says are needed to defend against US aggression.

The latest round of sanctions passed in December bans the supply of nearly 75 percent of refined oil products to North Korea, puts a cap on crude deliveries and orders all North Korean nationals working abroad to be sent back by the end of 2019.

Sales of all industrial machinery, trucks, iron, steel and other metals to North Korea have been banned, as well as a range of Northern exports.

China, North Korea&#39;s longtime ally and most important economic lifeline, said it had begun enforcing the new restrictions on Saturday.

South Korean opposition parties have struck a cautious tone over the latest developments, warning against making concessions to the North to secure its Olympic participation.

Kim Jong-Un in his new year speech said his country wished success for the Olympics and would consider sending a delegation

North Korea's Olympic representative said Saturday the reclusive nation was "likely to participate" in next month's Winter Games in South Korea, Kyodo news agency reported, in the latest sign of a thaw in tensions on the peninsula. The comments by Chang Ung, Pyongyang's representative to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), come a day after the North and South agreed to hold rare talks next week and follow Seoul and Washington's announcement that they would postpone joint military exercises that rile North Korea. The Japanese news agency said Chang made the brief comment to reporters during a stopover at Beijing's international airport. Kyodo said Chang was believed to be travelling to Switzerland, where the IOC is based, quoting unnamed sources as saying the trip may be aimed at meeting the committee to discuss the North's potential participation in the Games at Pyeongchang. North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un said in a new year speech that his country wished success for the Olympics, to be held from February 9-25, and would consider sending a delegation. The two Koreas have been separated by the world's most heavily militarised border since the Korean War ended in a stalemate in 1953. Seoul and organisers are keen for the North to take part in the Games to help ease worsening tensions on the Korean peninsula stemming from Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programmes. In recent months, North Korea has held multiple missile launches and its sixth and most powerful nuclear test -- purportedly of a hydrogen bomb -- in violation of UN resolutions banning such activity by the isolated nation. The region has been further rattled by tit-for-tat threats and insults between Kim and US President Donald Trump. Winter thaw But the new year has witnessed a marked softening of tone. Seoul has reacted warmly to Kim's Olympic overture and the two Koreas this past week restored a cross-border hotline that had been shut down since 2016 and agreed to hold high-level talks next week -- the first since December 2015. Those talks are expected to focus on matters including Olympic participation. Also in recent days, the United States and South Korea agreed to delay their joint military exercises until after the Games, apparently to help ease nerves. The regular joint drills have been criticised by some as adding to regional tensions. Beijing and Moscow have both called for them to be suspended. North Korea's young leader has shrugged off multiple sets of new UN Security Council sanctions as his regime drives forward with its weapons programmes, which it says are needed to defend against US aggression. The latest round of sanctions passed in December bans the supply of nearly 75 percent of refined oil products to North Korea, puts a cap on crude deliveries and orders all North Korean nationals working abroad to be sent back by the end of 2019. Sales of all industrial machinery, trucks, iron, steel and other metals to North Korea have been banned, as well as a range of Northern exports. China, North Korea's longtime ally and most important economic lifeline, said it had begun enforcing the new restrictions on Saturday. South Korean opposition parties have struck a cautious tone over the latest developments, warning against making concessions to the North to secure its Olympic participation.

North Korea 'likely' to join Winter Games, says IOC official

US President Donald Trump started a storm on Twitter with a post threatening North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un over his nuclear button comment.

&quot;North Korean leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the &#39;nuclear button is on his desk at all times.&#39; Will someone from his depleted and food-starved regime please inform him that I too have a nuclear button, but it is a much bigger and more powerful one than his, and my Button works!&quot; Trump tweeted on Tuesday.

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North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the &ldquo;Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.&rdquo; Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger &amp; more powerful one than his, and my Button works!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/948355557022420992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

This led to questions from users who wanted to know whether Trump&#39;s tweet which raised prospect of nuclear war with North Korea violated Twitter&#39;s revised <a href="https://help.twitter.com/en/rules-and-policies/twitter-rules">terms of service</a>. The new rules put in place by Twitter recently targets violent and hateful content posted on the micro-blogging platform; in order to curb violence, Twitter takes down such tweets and suspends the account too.

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<a href="https://t.co/vYQyvVoDEr">pic.twitter.com/vYQyvVoDEr</a>
&mdash; amy brown (@arb) <a href="https://twitter.com/arb/status/948362687360090112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://t.co/6gq9ROMPpx">pic.twitter.com/6gq9ROMPpx</a>
&mdash; Camille Fournier (@skamille) <a href="https://twitter.com/skamille/status/948375452275666944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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But much to the surprise of users, Twitter sent them replies on email saying Trump&#39;s post did not violate &quot;Twitter Rules against abusive behavior.&quot;

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that was fast <a href="https://t.co/E7KmG5wPs7">pic.twitter.com/E7KmG5wPs7</a>
&mdash; amy brown (@arb) <a href="https://twitter.com/arb/status/948363265377210369?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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They didn&#39;t even pretend to care about this one <a href="https://t.co/7YMhLfIrXO">pic.twitter.com/7YMhLfIrXO</a>
&mdash; Camille Fournier (@skamille) <a href="https://twitter.com/skamille/status/948376571756318721?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The White House too has defended President Trump&#39;s tweet directed at the North Korean leader, saying it was not &#39;taunting&#39;.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said what the American public should be concerned about is the mental fitness of the North Korean leader, not Trump.

&quot;I don&#39;t think that it&#39;s taunting to stand up for the people of this country,&quot; Sanders said.

Trump and Kim have exchanged insults in recent months, raising alarm worldwide, with Trump at times dismissing the prospect of a diplomatic solution to a crisis in which both sides have threatened to destroy each other.

The new rules put in place by Twitter recently targets violent and hateful content posted on the micro-blogging platform.

US President Donald Trump started a storm on Twitter with a post threatening North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un over his nuclear button comment. "North Korean leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the 'nuclear button is on his desk at all times.' Will someone from his depleted and food-starved regime please inform him that I too have a nuclear button, but it is a much bigger and more powerful one than his, and my Button works!" Trump tweeted on Tuesday. North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the “Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.” Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018 × This led to questions from users who wanted to know whether Trump's tweet which raised prospect of nuclear war with North Korea violated Twitter's revised terms of service. The new rules put in place by Twitter recently targets violent and hateful content posted on the micro-blogging platform; in order to curb violence, Twitter takes down such tweets and suspends the account too. pic.twitter.com/vYQyvVoDEr — amy brown (@arb) January 3, 2018 × pic.twitter.com/6gq9ROMPpx — Camille Fournier (@skamille) January 3, 2018 × But much to the surprise of users, Twitter sent them replies on email saying Trump's post did not violate "Twitter Rules against abusive behavior." that was fast pic.twitter.com/E7KmG5wPs7 — amy brown (@arb) January 3, 2018 × They didn't even pretend to care about this one pic.twitter.com/7YMhLfIrXO — Camille Fournier (@skamille) January 3, 2018 × The White House too has defended President Trump's tweet directed at the North Korean leader, saying it was not 'taunting'. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said what the American public should be concerned about is the mental fitness of the North Korean leader, not Trump. "I don't think that it's taunting to stand up for the people of this country," Sanders said. Trump and Kim have exchanged insults in recent months, raising alarm worldwide, with Trump at times dismissing the prospect of a diplomatic solution to a crisis in which both sides have threatened to destroy each other.

Users say Trump's North Korea tweet threatens nuclear war, ban him; Twitter says no

In a defiant New Year message, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un said today that he was always within the reach of the nuclear button. He also said that North Korea must mass-produce nuclear weapons and missiles. 
 
&quot;The nuclear button is always on my table. The US must realise this is not blackmail but reality, said Kim, reiterating his claims that North Korea was a nuclear state.

&quot;(The North) can cope with any kind of nuclear threats from the US and has a strong nuclear deterrence that is able to prevent the US from playing with fire,&quot; Kim said in his annual address to the nation.

&quot;We must mass-produce nuclear warheads and ballistic missile and speed up their deployment,&quot; said Kim.

The message comes after <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-says-us-threats-make-war-unavoidable-26132">months of escalating tensions</a> over his country&#39;s weapons programme. &nbsp;&nbsp;

US President Donald Trump has responded to each test with his own counter-threats, threatening to &quot;totally destroy&quot; Pyongyang and saying Kim Jong-Un was on &quot;a suicide mission&quot;.

Analysts say Trump&#39;s tough talk may have prompted the North Korean leader to drive through with his dangerous quest, AFP reported.

Mike Mullen, a former chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, said the Trump presidency had helped create &quot;an incredibly dangerous climate&quot;, in an interview on ABC&#39;s &quot;This Week&quot;. &nbsp;

&quot;We&#39;re actually closer, in my view, to a nuclear war with North Korea and in that region than we have ever been,&quot; he said.

Kim Jong-Un has presided over multiple missile tests in recent months and the North&#39;s sixth and most powerful nuclear test -- which it said was a hydrogen bomb -- in September.&nbsp;

In December the United Nations Security Council unanimously passed new, US-drafted sanctions to restrict oil supplies vital for the impoverished state. The sanctions also received the backing of China, the North&#39;s sole major ally and economic lifeline&nbsp;

The third raft of sanctions imposed last year, which the North slammed as an<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-says-us-threats-make-war-unavoidable-26132"> &quot;act of war&quot;</a>.

Ties with South Korea must improve: Kim Jong-Un

The North Korean firebrand leader said inter-Korean ties must improve ahead of the 2018 Winter Olympics.

North Korea could send a delegation to the South for the Olympics, the first indication Pyongyang may participate in next month&#39;s Games despite tensions over its weapons programme.

Kim said, &quot;We are willing to take necessary measures including to dispatch our delegation&quot; to the Pyeongchang Games which Seoul and organisers have billed as a &quot;peace Olympics&quot; and have been keen for North Korea to take part.

&quot;I sincerely hope the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics will be staged successfully,&quot; Kim said in his new year&#39;s address to the nation.

He also said that the &quot;sharp military tension between the North and the South must be eased and peaceful atmosphere should be in place.&quot;

&quot;As long as an unstable state which is neither a war nor peace continues, the North and the South cannot guarantee a success of the Olympics, sit down for talks or move forward for reunification.&quot;&nbsp;

(With inputs from AFP)&nbsp;

Kim Jong-Un also said that North Korea must mass-produce nuclear weapons and missiles

In a defiant New Year message, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un said today that he was always within the reach of the nuclear button. He also said that North Korea must mass-produce nuclear weapons and missiles. "The nuclear button is always on my table. The US must realise this is not blackmail but reality, said Kim, reiterating his claims that North Korea was a nuclear state. "(The North) can cope with any kind of nuclear threats from the US and has a strong nuclear deterrence that is able to prevent the US from playing with fire," Kim said in his annual address to the nation. "We must mass-produce nuclear warheads and ballistic missile and speed up their deployment," said Kim. The message comes after months of escalating tensions over his country's weapons programme. US President Donald Trump has responded to each test with his own counter-threats, threatening to "totally destroy" Pyongyang and saying Kim Jong-Un was on "a suicide mission". Analysts say Trump's tough talk may have prompted the North Korean leader to drive through with his dangerous quest, AFP reported. Mike Mullen, a former chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, said the Trump presidency had helped create "an incredibly dangerous climate", in an interview on ABC's "This Week". "We're actually closer, in my view, to a nuclear war with North Korea and in that region than we have ever been," he said. Kim Jong-Un has presided over multiple missile tests in recent months and the North's sixth and most powerful nuclear test -- which it said was a hydrogen bomb -- in September. In December the United Nations Security Council unanimously passed new, US-drafted sanctions to restrict oil supplies vital for the impoverished state. The sanctions also received the backing of China, the North's sole major ally and economic lifeline The third raft of sanctions imposed last year, which the North slammed as an "act of war". Ties with South Korea must improve: Kim Jong-Un The North Korean firebrand leader said inter-Korean ties must improve ahead of the 2018 Winter Olympics. North Korea could send a delegation to the South for the Olympics, the first indication Pyongyang may participate in next month's Games despite tensions over its weapons programme. Kim said, "We are willing to take necessary measures including to dispatch our delegation" to the Pyeongchang Games which Seoul and organisers have billed as a "peace Olympics" and have been keen for North Korea to take part. "I sincerely hope the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics will be staged successfully," Kim said in his new year's address to the nation. He also said that the "sharp military tension between the North and the South must be eased and peaceful atmosphere should be in place." "As long as an unstable state which is neither a war nor peace continues, the North and the South cannot guarantee a success of the Olympics, sit down for talks or move forward for reunification." (With inputs from AFP)

'Nuclear button is always on my table': North Korea's Kim Jong-Un

The United States has placed sanctions on two North Koreans who it says are part of the country&#39;s nuclear missile programme, while Russia has reiterated its offer to mediate between the two countries.&nbsp;

The two men have been identified as Kim Jong-sik and Ri Pyong-chol. The US said Kim was part of North Korea&#39;s efforts to switch its missile program from liquid to solid fuel, while Ri was part of its&nbsp;ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) development programme.&nbsp;

The two men have often been seen photographed with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at missile launches.&nbsp;

&quot;Treasury is targeting leaders of North Korea&rsquo;s ballistic missile programs, as part of our maximum pressure campaign to isolate (North Korea) and achieve a fully denuclearized Korean Peninsula,&rdquo; US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.

The&nbsp;sanctions will allow the US to block any property or interests the two North Korean men might have in US jurisdiction and stop any further dealings with US citizens.&nbsp;

The UN had on Friday imposed new sanctions on North Korea in response to its ICMB test&nbsp;conducted last month, which Pyongyang said put all of the US&nbsp;mainland&nbsp;within range of its nuclear weapons.&nbsp;

The UN sanctions&nbsp;limit North Korea&#39;s access to refined petroleum products and crude oil as well as its earning from workers overseas.&nbsp;

North Korea said the move was &quot;an act of war&quot; and equivalent to a total economic blockade.

The two North Koreans sanctioned by the US, along with weapons developer Jang Chan-ha, were reportedly personally selected by Kim Jong-un and were popular with him.

Pyong-chol is an ex-air force general who studied in Russia, and Jong-sik is a veteran rocket scientist.&nbsp;

Kremlin offer

On Tuesday, the Kremlin, which has long called for the two sides to hold negotiations, said it was ready to act as a mediator if the United States and North Korea were willing for it to play such a role.

&quot;Russia&#39;s readiness to clear the way for de-escalation is obvious,&quot; Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Asked to comment on the offer, a spokesman for the U.S. State Department, Justin Higgins, said the United States &quot;has the ability to communicate with North Korea through a variety of diplomatic channels,&quot; and added:

&quot;We want the North Korean regime to understand that there is a different path that it can choose, however it is up to North Korea to change course and return to credible negotiations.&quot;

(With inputs from agencies)

'Russia's readiness to clear the way for de-escalation is obvious, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

The United States has placed sanctions on two North Koreans who it says are part of the country's nuclear missile programme, while Russia has reiterated its offer to mediate between the two countries. The two men have been identified as Kim Jong-sik and Ri Pyong-chol. The US said Kim was part of North Korea's efforts to switch its missile program from liquid to solid fuel, while Ri was part of its ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) development programme. The two men have often been seen photographed with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at missile launches. "Treasury is targeting leaders of North Korea’s ballistic missile programs, as part of our maximum pressure campaign to isolate (North Korea) and achieve a fully denuclearized Korean Peninsula,” US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement. The sanctions will allow the US to block any property or interests the two North Korean men might have in US jurisdiction and stop any further dealings with US citizens. The UN had on Friday imposed new sanctions on North Korea in response to its ICMB test conducted last month, which Pyongyang said put all of the US mainland within range of its nuclear weapons. The UN sanctions limit North Korea's access to refined petroleum products and crude oil as well as its earning from workers overseas. North Korea said the move was "an act of war" and equivalent to a total economic blockade. The two North Koreans sanctioned by the US, along with weapons developer Jang Chan-ha, were reportedly personally selected by Kim Jong-un and were popular with him. Pyong-chol is an ex-air force general who studied in Russia, and Jong-sik is a veteran rocket scientist. Kremlin offer On Tuesday, the Kremlin, which has long called for the two sides to hold negotiations, said it was ready to act as a mediator if the United States and North Korea were willing for it to play such a role. "Russia's readiness to clear the way for de-escalation is obvious," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Asked to comment on the offer, a spokesman for the U.S. State Department, Justin Higgins, said the United States "has the ability to communicate with North Korea through a variety of diplomatic channels," and added: "We want the North Korean regime to understand that there is a different path that it can choose, however it is up to North Korea to change course and return to credible negotiations." (With inputs from agencies)

US sanctions North Korean missile experts, Russia offers to mediate

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