South Korean President Moon Jae-in credited US&nbsp;President Donald Trump on Wednesday for helping to spark the first inter-Korean talks in more than two years and warned that Pyongyang would face stronger sanctions if provocations continued.

The talks were held on Tuesday on the South Korean side of the demilitarised zone, which has divided the two Koreas since 1953, after a prolonged period of tension on the Korean peninsula over the North&#39;s missile and nuclear programmes.

North Korea ramped up its missile launches last year and also conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test, resulting in some of the strongest international sanctions yet.

The latest sanctions sought to drastically cut the North&#39;s access to refined petroleum imports and earnings from workers abroad. Pyongyang called the steps an &quot;act of war&quot;.

Seoul and Pyongyang agreed at Tuesday&#39;s talks, the first since December 2015, to resolve all problems between them through dialogue and also to revive military consultations so that accidental conflict could be averted.&nbsp;

&quot;I think President Trump deserves big credit for bringing about the inter-Korean talks, I want to show my gratitude,&quot; Moon told reporters at his New Year&#39;s news conference. &quot;It could be a resulting work of the US-led sanctions and pressure.&quot;

Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un exchanged threats and insults over the past year, raising fears of a new war on the peninsula. South Korea and the United States are technically still at war with the North after the 1950-53 Korean conflict ended with a truce, not a peace treaty.

Basic stance

Washington had raised concerns that the overtures by North Korea could drive a wedge between it and Seoul, but Moon said his government did not differ with the United States over how to respond to the threats posed by Pyongyang.

&quot;This initial round of talks is for the improvement of relations between North and South Korea. Our task going forward is to draw North Korea to talks aimed at the denuclearisation of the North,&quot; Moon said. &quot;(It&#39;s) our basic stance that will never be given up.&quot;

Moon said he was open to meeting North Korea&#39;s leader at any time to improve bilateral ties, and if the conditions were right and &quot;certain achievements are guaranteed&quot;.

&quot;The purpose of it shouldn&rsquo;t talk for the sake of talks,&quot; he said.

However, Pyongyang said it would not discuss its nuclear weapons with Seoul because they were only aimed at the United States, not its &quot;brethren&quot; in South Korea, nor Russia or China, showing that a diplomatic breakthrough remained far off.

North Korea`s Rodong Sinmun newspaper said all problems would be resolved through efforts by the Korean people alone.

&quot;If the North and South abandon external forces and cooperate together, we will be able to fully solve all problems to match our people&#39;s needs and our joint prosperity,&quot; it said.

Washington still welcomed Tuesday`s talks as a first step towards solving the North Korean nuclear crisis. The US&nbsp;State Department said it would be interested in joining future talks, with the aim of denuclearising the North.

The United States, which still has 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea, initially responded coolly to the idea of inter-Korean meetings. Trump later called them &quot;a good thing&quot; and said he would be willing to speak to Kim.

Lee Woo-young, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said it was wise of Moon to praise Trump, his sanctions and pressure campaign.

&quot;By doing that, he can help the US&nbsp;build logic for moving toward negotiations and turning around the state of affairs in the future, so when they were ready to talk to the North, they can say the North came out of isolation because the sanctions were effective.&quot;

The United States and Canada are set to host a conference of about 20 foreign ministers on January 16 in Vancouver to discuss North Korea, without the participation of China, Pyongyang&#39;s sole major ally and biggest trade partner.

China would not attend the meeting and is resolutely opposed to it, said foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang.

&quot;It will only create divisions within the international community and harm joint efforts to appropriately resolve the Korean peninsula nuclear issue,&quot; he told a regular briefing on Wednesday.

Large Olympics delegation

Pyongyang also said it would send a large delegation to next month&#39;s Winter Olympics in South Korea.

Washington agreed with Seoul last week to postpone until after the Olympics joint military exercises that Pyongyang denounces as rehearsals for invasion. But it also said the apparent North-South thaw had not altered the US&nbsp;intelligence assessment of the North&rsquo;s weapons programmes.

The United States has also warned that all options, including military, are on the table in dealing with the North.

&quot;We cannot say talks are the sole answer,&quot; Moon said. &quot;If North Korea engages in provocations again or does not show sincerity in resolving this issue, the international community will continue applying strong pressure and sanctions.&quot;

Seoul said on Tuesday it was prepared to offer financial assistance and lift some unilateral sanctions temporarily so North Koreans could attend the Olympics. North Korea said its delegation would include athletes and officials, among others.

However, Moon said on Wednesday South Korea had no plans for now to ease unilateral sanctions against North Korea, or revive economic exchanges that could run foul of United Nations sanctions.&nbsp;

Moon also said his government would continue working towards recovering the honour and dignity of former &quot;comfort women&quot;, a euphemism for those forced to work in Japan&#39;s wartime brothels.

But historical issues should be separated from bilateral efforts with Japan to safeguard peace on the Korean peninsula, he added.

&quot;It&#39;s very important we keep a good relationship with Japan,&quot; Moon said.

On Tuesday, South Korea said it would not seek to renegotiate a 2015 deal with Japan despite determining that the pact was insufficient to resolve the divisive issue, and urged Japan for more action to help the women.

The talks were held on Tuesday on the South Korean side of the demilitarised zone, which has divided the two Koreas since 1953

South Korean President Moon Jae-in credited US President Donald Trump on Wednesday for helping to spark the first inter-Korean talks in more than two years and warned that Pyongyang would face stronger sanctions if provocations continued. The talks were held on Tuesday on the South Korean side of the demilitarised zone, which has divided the two Koreas since 1953, after a prolonged period of tension on the Korean peninsula over the North's missile and nuclear programmes. North Korea ramped up its missile launches last year and also conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test, resulting in some of the strongest international sanctions yet. The latest sanctions sought to drastically cut the North's access to refined petroleum imports and earnings from workers abroad. Pyongyang called the steps an "act of war". Seoul and Pyongyang agreed at Tuesday's talks, the first since December 2015, to resolve all problems between them through dialogue and also to revive military consultations so that accidental conflict could be averted. "I think President Trump deserves big credit for bringing about the inter-Korean talks, I want to show my gratitude," Moon told reporters at his New Year's news conference. "It could be a resulting work of the US-led sanctions and pressure." Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un exchanged threats and insults over the past year, raising fears of a new war on the peninsula. South Korea and the United States are technically still at war with the North after the 1950-53 Korean conflict ended with a truce, not a peace treaty. Basic stance Washington had raised concerns that the overtures by North Korea could drive a wedge between it and Seoul, but Moon said his government did not differ with the United States over how to respond to the threats posed by Pyongyang. "This initial round of talks is for the improvement of relations between North and South Korea. Our task going forward is to draw North Korea to talks aimed at the denuclearisation of the North," Moon said. "(It's) our basic stance that will never be given up." Moon said he was open to meeting North Korea's leader at any time to improve bilateral ties, and if the conditions were right and "certain achievements are guaranteed". "The purpose of it shouldn’t talk for the sake of talks," he said. However, Pyongyang said it would not discuss its nuclear weapons with Seoul because they were only aimed at the United States, not its "brethren" in South Korea, nor Russia or China, showing that a diplomatic breakthrough remained far off. North Korea`s Rodong Sinmun newspaper said all problems would be resolved through efforts by the Korean people alone. "If the North and South abandon external forces and cooperate together, we will be able to fully solve all problems to match our people's needs and our joint prosperity," it said. Washington still welcomed Tuesday`s talks as a first step towards solving the North Korean nuclear crisis. The US State Department said it would be interested in joining future talks, with the aim of denuclearising the North. The United States, which still has 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea, initially responded coolly to the idea of inter-Korean meetings. Trump later called them "a good thing" and said he would be willing to speak to Kim. Lee Woo-young, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said it was wise of Moon to praise Trump, his sanctions and pressure campaign. "By doing that, he can help the US build logic for moving toward negotiations and turning around the state of affairs in the future, so when they were ready to talk to the North, they can say the North came out of isolation because the sanctions were effective." The United States and Canada are set to host a conference of about 20 foreign ministers on January 16 in Vancouver to discuss North Korea, without the participation of China, Pyongyang's sole major ally and biggest trade partner. China would not attend the meeting and is resolutely opposed to it, said foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang. "It will only create divisions within the international community and harm joint efforts to appropriately resolve the Korean peninsula nuclear issue," he told a regular briefing on Wednesday. Large Olympics delegation Pyongyang also said it would send a large delegation to next month's Winter Olympics in South Korea. Washington agreed with Seoul last week to postpone until after the Olympics joint military exercises that Pyongyang denounces as rehearsals for invasion. But it also said the apparent North-South thaw had not altered the US intelligence assessment of the North’s weapons programmes. The United States has also warned that all options, including military, are on the table in dealing with the North. "We cannot say talks are the sole answer," Moon said. "If North Korea engages in provocations again or does not show sincerity in resolving this issue, the international community will continue applying strong pressure and sanctions." Seoul said on Tuesday it was prepared to offer financial assistance and lift some unilateral sanctions temporarily so North Koreans could attend the Olympics. North Korea said its delegation would include athletes and officials, among others. However, Moon said on Wednesday South Korea had no plans for now to ease unilateral sanctions against North Korea, or revive economic exchanges that could run foul of United Nations sanctions. Moon also said his government would continue working towards recovering the honour and dignity of former "comfort women", a euphemism for those forced to work in Japan's wartime brothels. But historical issues should be separated from bilateral efforts with Japan to safeguard peace on the Korean peninsula, he added. "It's very important we keep a good relationship with Japan," Moon said. On Tuesday, South Korea said it would not seek to renegotiate a 2015 deal with Japan despite determining that the pact was insufficient to resolve the divisive issue, and urged Japan for more action to help the women.

South Korea's Moon says Trump deserves 'big' credit for North Korea talks

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">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<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>
<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>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
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>
<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>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-cards="hidden" data-lang="en">
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>
<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>

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;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/trump%20tweet-20180110054236.JPG" />
<div class="media-description">
Trump has often been seen insulting&nbsp;his opponents. (Twitter)
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

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

The two Koreas are eyeball-to-eyeball one day, engaged in a slanging match the other and jaw-jaw the next day. Over the last 65 years, only the actors have changed, not the script. North Korea (NK), meanwhile, has gone about merrily developing a range of WMD.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Last year, NK conducted its most powerful nuclear test ever, demonstrated its ability to even launch an ICBM, engaged in chilling rhetoric (duly matched for the first time by an American President), threatened destruction of the US and South Korea (ROK), shrugged off ever-tightening UNSC sanctions and contemptuously dismissed South Korean peace overtures.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

And then suddenly on 1st January, Kim Jong-un (KJU) offered to talk to Seoul and expressed willingness to send his athletes to participate in the Winter Olympics at PyeongChang, which is taking place between 9 to 25 February 2018. President Moon Jae-in, whose parents migrated from North Korea, has always been a votary of peace and reconciliation. He grabbed the offer with alacrity.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Restoration of North-South military hotline followed. USA and ROK quickly consented to postpone the annual joint military exercises, as demanded by Pyongyang. President Trump promptly credited his hardline policy for the thaw. Ministerial-level talks were held successfully at the &lsquo;Peace Village&rsquo; at DMZ on 9th January, with the sides agreeing to North Korean participation, resumption of a military dialogue to lower tensions and further talks on related issues.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

What led to these dramatic developments, all in a span of nine days? First and foremost, it was North&rsquo;s growing isolation. Increasing Chinese discomfiture with Kim Jong-un was the other reason.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

UNSC sanctions were steadily tightening. The cap on supply of oil and petroleum products, if implemented in right earnest (unlikely!), could potentially cause genuine hardship to the Kim regime. Its avenues of earning foreign exchange were getting choked. NK&rsquo;s missions abroad, which routinely engage in illicit activities to generate cash, were coming under a scanner.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Countries, including Kuwait, Mexico, Malaysia, Peru, Philippines, Spain and Thailand had begun downgrading or suspending diplomatic ties with Pyongyang. The US, Japan and ROK had begun singing from the same music sheet. That was the cue for NK to tactically shift gears.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Going by its play-book, NK extended the olive branch, to ease the mounting pressure, buy time, extract some freebies from ROK and try to drive a wedge between Seoul and Washington.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

For good reasons, Seoul has, historically, taken a softer approach towards Pyongyang, while the US has advocated a muscular one. Also, the optics; NK athletes are capable of winning a few medals, which will sit well with the home crowd. Media across the world will live-stream footage of smiling and smartly turned-out NK sportspersons, constituting good propaganda value. NK can rest assured that South Koreans will reserve their loudest cheers for the NK contingent.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The South Korean public, politicians, media and academia &ndash; hawks and doves in equal measure &ndash; will again fathom signs of thaw and hope. There would be renewed calls for resuming humanitarian assistance. The sides may even arrive at a secret understanding or two, which would only surface over time. It may be recalled that ROK President Kim Dae-jung&rsquo;s &lsquo;successful&rsquo; Sunshine Policy and summit with Kim Jong-il, was anchored on a secret &lsquo;gift&rsquo; of US$500 million to North Korea.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

And then NK will launch its next missile, conduct one more nuclear test, commit another provocation or simply get &lsquo;offended&rsquo; at ROK-US joint military exercises, abruptly shattering ROK&rsquo;s dream sequence.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Going by its play-book, NK extended the olive branch, to ease the mounting pressure, buy time, extract some freebies from ROK and try to drive a wedge between Seoul and Washington.

The two Koreas are eyeball-to-eyeball one day, engaged in a slanging match the other and jaw-jaw the next day. Over the last 65 years, only the actors have changed, not the script. North Korea (NK), meanwhile, has gone about merrily developing a range of WMD. Last year, NK conducted its most powerful nuclear test ever, demonstrated its ability to even launch an ICBM, engaged in chilling rhetoric (duly matched for the first time by an American President), threatened destruction of the US and South Korea (ROK), shrugged off ever-tightening UNSC sanctions and contemptuously dismissed South Korean peace overtures. And then suddenly on 1st January, Kim Jong-un (KJU) offered to talk to Seoul and expressed willingness to send his athletes to participate in the Winter Olympics at PyeongChang, which is taking place between 9 to 25 February 2018. President Moon Jae-in, whose parents migrated from North Korea, has always been a votary of peace and reconciliation. He grabbed the offer with alacrity. Restoration of North-South military hotline followed. USA and ROK quickly consented to postpone the annual joint military exercises, as demanded by Pyongyang. President Trump promptly credited his hardline policy for the thaw. Ministerial-level talks were held successfully at the ‘Peace Village’ at DMZ on 9th January, with the sides agreeing to North Korean participation, resumption of a military dialogue to lower tensions and further talks on related issues. What led to these dramatic developments, all in a span of nine days? First and foremost, it was North’s growing isolation. Increasing Chinese discomfiture with Kim Jong-un was the other reason. UNSC sanctions were steadily tightening. The cap on supply of oil and petroleum products, if implemented in right earnest (unlikely!), could potentially cause genuine hardship to the Kim regime. Its avenues of earning foreign exchange were getting choked. NK’s missions abroad, which routinely engage in illicit activities to generate cash, were coming under a scanner. Countries, including Kuwait, Mexico, Malaysia, Peru, Philippines, Spain and Thailand had begun downgrading or suspending diplomatic ties with Pyongyang. The US, Japan and ROK had begun singing from the same music sheet. That was the cue for NK to tactically shift gears. Going by its play-book, NK extended the olive branch, to ease the mounting pressure, buy time, extract some freebies from ROK and try to drive a wedge between Seoul and Washington. For good reasons, Seoul has, historically, taken a softer approach towards Pyongyang, while the US has advocated a muscular one. Also, the optics; NK athletes are capable of winning a few medals, which will sit well with the home crowd. Media across the world will live-stream footage of smiling and smartly turned-out NK sportspersons, constituting good propaganda value. NK can rest assured that South Koreans will reserve their loudest cheers for the NK contingent. The South Korean public, politicians, media and academia – hawks and doves in equal measure – will again fathom signs of thaw and hope. There would be renewed calls for resuming humanitarian assistance. The sides may even arrive at a secret understanding or two, which would only surface over time. It may be recalled that ROK President Kim Dae-jung’s ‘successful’ Sunshine Policy and summit with Kim Jong-il, was anchored on a secret ‘gift’ of US$500 million to North Korea. And then NK will launch its next missile, conduct one more nuclear test, commit another provocation or simply get ‘offended’ at ROK-US joint military exercises, abruptly shattering ROK’s dream sequence. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Opinion: North Korea is fooling all with promises of peace talks

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

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/kamala-mills-fire-hotelier-arrested-for-sheltering-accused-29051">Kamala Mills fire: Hotelier arrested for sheltering accused</a>

The Mumbai Police have arrested a Juhu-based hotelier for sheltering three owners of &#39;1 Above&#39; pub, after a police probe, Vishal Kariya confessed to having sheltered the accused trio -- Kripesh Sanghvi, Jigar Sanghvi and Abhijeet Mankar -- at his Juhu residence.

&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/pakistan-has-suspended-military-intelligence-cooperation-with-us-defence-minister-khurram-dastgir-khan-29060">Pakistan has suspended military intelligence cooperation with </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/pakistan-has-suspended-military-intelligence-cooperation-with-us-defence-minister-khurram-dastgir-khan-29060">US</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/pakistan-has-suspended-military-intelligence-cooperation-with-us-defence-minister-khurram-dastgir-khan-29060">: Defence </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/pakistan-has-suspended-military-intelligence-cooperation-with-us-defence-minister-khurram-dastgir-khan-29060">minister</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/pakistan-has-suspended-military-intelligence-cooperation-with-us-defence-minister-khurram-dastgir-khan-29060"> Khurram Dastgir Khan</a>

Pakistan defence minister Khurram Dastgir Khan said today that his country has suspended military and intelligence cooperation with the US as relations between the two allies continued to nosedive.

&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/our-weapons-are-only-aimed-at-at-united-states-north-korea-official-29048">Our weapons &#39;are only aimed&#39; at </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/our-weapons-are-only-aimed-at-at-united-states-north-korea-official-29048">United</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/our-weapons-are-only-aimed-at-at-united-states-north-korea-official-29048"> States: North Korea official</a>

North Korea said after its first talks with South Korea in more than two years that it would not discuss its nuclear weapons with Seoul because they were aimed only at the United States, not its &quot;brethren&quot; in South Korea. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/dominos-ceo-patrick-doyle-to-step-down-in-june-29058">Domino&#39;s CEO Patrick Doyle to step down in June</a>

Patrick Doyle, Domino&#39;s chief executive officer will step down this June, the fast-food giant announced Tuesday, he will be replaced by Domino&#39;s current chief of international business, Richard Allison.

&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/six-including-four-policemen-killed-in-quetta-blast-29034">Pakistan: Six including five policemen killed in Quetta suicide bombing</a>

Five police personnel and a passerby were killed and 16 others injured on Tuesday when a suspected suicide bomb rocked Quetta&#39;s Zarghoon road near the Balochistan Assembly building.&nbsp;

Kamala Mills fire: Hotelier arrested for sheltering accused The Mumbai Police have arrested a Juhu-based hotelier for sheltering three owners of '1 Above' pub, after a police probe, Vishal Kariya confessed to having sheltered the accused trio -- Kripesh Sanghvi, Jigar Sanghvi and Abhijeet Mankar -- at his Juhu residence. Pakistan has suspended military intelligence cooperation with US: Defence minister Khurram Dastgir Khan Pakistan defence minister Khurram Dastgir Khan said today that his country has suspended military and intelligence cooperation with the US as relations between the two allies continued to nosedive. Our weapons 'are only aimed' at United States: North Korea official North Korea said after its first talks with South Korea in more than two years that it would not discuss its nuclear weapons with Seoul because they were aimed only at the United States, not its "brethren" in South Korea. Domino's CEO Patrick Doyle to step down in June Patrick Doyle, Domino's chief executive officer will step down this June, the fast-food giant announced Tuesday, he will be replaced by Domino's current chief of international business, Richard Allison. Pakistan: Six including five policemen killed in Quetta suicide bombing Five police personnel and a passerby were killed and 16 others injured on Tuesday when a suspected suicide bomb rocked Quetta's Zarghoon road near the Balochistan Assembly building.

WION Morning News Brief, January 10, 2018

North and South Korea held their first talks in over two years on Tuesday, which Washington welcomed as a first step to solving the North Korean nuclear weapons crisis, even though Pyongyang said those were aimed only at the United States and not up for discussion.

The US&nbsp;State Department said Washington would be interested in joining future talks, but stuck to its insistence that they must be aimed at denuclearisation, showing that a diplomatic breakthrough remains far off.

In a joint statement after 11 hours of talks, North and South Korea said they had agreed to hold the military to military talks and that North Korea would send a large delegation to next month&#39;s Winter Olympics in South Korea.

However, North Korea made a &quot;strong complaint&quot; after Seoul proposed talks to denuclearise the Korean peninsula.

&quot;Clearly this is a positive development,&quot; a spokesman for the US&nbsp;State Department, Steve Goldstein, said of the joint statement while adding: &quot;We would like nuclear talks to occur; we want denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula. This is a good first step in that process.&quot;

North and South Korea said they agreed to meet again to resolve problems and avert accidental conflict, amid high tension over North Korea&#39;s program to develop nuclear missiles capable of hitting the United States.

&quot;All our weapons, including atomic bombs, hydrogen bombs and ballistic missiles, are only aimed at the United States, not our brethren, nor China and Russia,&quot; Pyongyang&#39;s chief negotiator, Ri Son Gwon, said.

&quot;This is not a matter between North and South Korea, and to bring up this issue would cause negative consequences and risks turning all of today&#39;s good achievement into nothing,&quot; Ri said in closing remarks.

The White House and State Department did not respond to requests for comment on the United States being the only potential target of North Korea&#39;s nuclear weapons.

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have exchanged threats and insults in the past year, raising fears of a new war on the peninsula.

The United States, which has 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea as a legacy of the 1950-1953 Korean War, initially responded coolly to the idea of inter-Korean meetings, but Trump later called them &quot;a good thing&quot; and said he would be willing to speak to Kim.

&quot;At the appropriate time, we&#39;ll get involved,&quot; Trump said on Saturday, although US-North Korean talks appear unlikely anytime soon, given entrenched positions on both sides.

The United States has warned that all options, including military ones, are on the table in dealing with North Korea.

Washington agreed with Seoul last week to postpone joint military exercises that Pyongyang denounces as rehearsals for invasion until after the Olympics, but the North-South thaw has not altered the US&nbsp;intelligence assessment of North Korea&rsquo;s weapons programs.&nbsp;

The consensus, according to US&nbsp;officials familiar with the classified analysis, is that Kim remains convinced the United States is determined to overthrow him and that only a nuclear arsenal that threatens America can deter that.

One official said the North-South talks were likely to follow the pattern of past diplomatic efforts, in which the North has benefited from additional food and other aid without making any concessions on the weapons front.

The additional danger now, said a second official, was that Kim would seek to use the talks to take advantage of Trump&#39;s sometimes bellicose rhetoric to try to drive a wedge between Washington and Seoul.

On Tuesday, UN&nbsp;Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the talks, particularly the agreement to hold military-to-military talks, calling this &quot;critical to lowering the risk of miscalculation&quot;.

He also welcomed North Korea&#39;s decision to send a delegation to the Olympics and said he hoped for the resumption of dialogue leading to denuclearisation.

In spite of the North Korean negotiator`s remarks, South Korea&#39;s Unification Ministry said it believed Tuesday&#39;s talks could lead to the discussion of a &quot;fundamental resolution&quot; of the nuclear issue.

&quot;We will closely coordinate with the United States, China, Japan and other neighbours in this process,&quot; it said, adding that Seoul had asked Pyongyang to halt acts that stoke tension.

Tuesday&#39;s meeting followed a year of ramped-up North Korean missile launches and its sixth and most powerful nuclear test, which prompted a US-led campaign to toughen UN&nbsp;sanctions.

High hopes

Earlier on Tuesday, Seoul said it was prepared to lift some unilateral sanctions temporarily so North Koreans could visit for the Olympics. North Korea said its delegation would include athletes, high-ranking officials, a cheering squad, art performers, reporters and spectators.

Talks to work out details would be held soon, the South&#39;s Unification Ministry said.

Tuesday&#39;s talks were the first between the two Koreas since 2015 and were held at the Peace House on the South Korean side of Panmunjom truce village.

Seoul said it proposed reunions of divided families in time for February&#39;s Lunar New Year holiday, but the joint statement made no mention of any agreement on this.

Seoul said North Korea had finished technical work to restore a military hotline, with normal communications set to resume on Wednesday.

North Korea cut communications in February 2016, following South Korea&#39;s decision to shut down a jointly run industrial park.

Seoul also said North Korea responded &quot;positively&quot; to the South&#39;s proposal for athletes from both sides to march together in the Olympic opening ceremony.

Such a joint parade has not happened since the 2007 Asian Winter Games in China.

China&#39;s Foreign Ministry said it was happy to see talks between North and South Korea and welcomed all positive steps. Russia echoed the sentiment. &quot;This is exactly the kind of dialogue that we said was necessary,&quot; a Kremlin spokesman said.

Some US-based analysts have hailed the talks as an opening for diplomacy, but others see an attempt by North Korea to weaken US&nbsp;pressure so that it is eventually accepted as a nuclear-armed state.

Evans Revere, a former senior US&nbsp;diplomat for East Asia, said that by engaging Seoul, North Korea was clearly seeking to weaken the US-South Korean alliance and it was important that Seoul had raised the nuclear issue to show it was not just a US-North Korea matter.

The US State Department said Washington would be interested in joining future talks, but stuck to its insistence that they must be aimed at denuclearisation

North and South Korea held their first talks in over two years on Tuesday, which Washington welcomed as a first step to solving the North Korean nuclear weapons crisis, even though Pyongyang said those were aimed only at the United States and not up for discussion. The US State Department said Washington would be interested in joining future talks, but stuck to its insistence that they must be aimed at denuclearisation, showing that a diplomatic breakthrough remains far off. In a joint statement after 11 hours of talks, North and South Korea said they had agreed to hold the military to military talks and that North Korea would send a large delegation to next month's Winter Olympics in South Korea. However, North Korea made a "strong complaint" after Seoul proposed talks to denuclearise the Korean peninsula. "Clearly this is a positive development," a spokesman for the US State Department, Steve Goldstein, said of the joint statement while adding: "We would like nuclear talks to occur; we want denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula. This is a good first step in that process." North and South Korea said they agreed to meet again to resolve problems and avert accidental conflict, amid high tension over North Korea's program to develop nuclear missiles capable of hitting the United States. "All our weapons, including atomic bombs, hydrogen bombs and ballistic missiles, are only aimed at the United States, not our brethren, nor China and Russia," Pyongyang's chief negotiator, Ri Son Gwon, said. "This is not a matter between North and South Korea, and to bring up this issue would cause negative consequences and risks turning all of today's good achievement into nothing," Ri said in closing remarks. The White House and State Department did not respond to requests for comment on the United States being the only potential target of North Korea's nuclear weapons. US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have exchanged threats and insults in the past year, raising fears of a new war on the peninsula. The United States, which has 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea as a legacy of the 1950-1953 Korean War, initially responded coolly to the idea of inter-Korean meetings, but Trump later called them "a good thing" and said he would be willing to speak to Kim. "At the appropriate time, we'll get involved," Trump said on Saturday, although US-North Korean talks appear unlikely anytime soon, given entrenched positions on both sides. The United States has warned that all options, including military ones, are on the table in dealing with North Korea. Washington agreed with Seoul last week to postpone joint military exercises that Pyongyang denounces as rehearsals for invasion until after the Olympics, but the North-South thaw has not altered the US intelligence assessment of North Korea’s weapons programs. The consensus, according to US officials familiar with the classified analysis, is that Kim remains convinced the United States is determined to overthrow him and that only a nuclear arsenal that threatens America can deter that. One official said the North-South talks were likely to follow the pattern of past diplomatic efforts, in which the North has benefited from additional food and other aid without making any concessions on the weapons front. The additional danger now, said a second official, was that Kim would seek to use the talks to take advantage of Trump's sometimes bellicose rhetoric to try to drive a wedge between Washington and Seoul. On Tuesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the talks, particularly the agreement to hold military-to-military talks, calling this "critical to lowering the risk of miscalculation". He also welcomed North Korea's decision to send a delegation to the Olympics and said he hoped for the resumption of dialogue leading to denuclearisation. In spite of the North Korean negotiator`s remarks, South Korea's Unification Ministry said it believed Tuesday's talks could lead to the discussion of a "fundamental resolution" of the nuclear issue. "We will closely coordinate with the United States, China, Japan and other neighbours in this process," it said, adding that Seoul had asked Pyongyang to halt acts that stoke tension. Tuesday's meeting followed a year of ramped-up North Korean missile launches and its sixth and most powerful nuclear test, which prompted a US-led campaign to toughen UN sanctions. High hopes Earlier on Tuesday, Seoul said it was prepared to lift some unilateral sanctions temporarily so North Koreans could visit for the Olympics. North Korea said its delegation would include athletes, high-ranking officials, a cheering squad, art performers, reporters and spectators. Talks to work out details would be held soon, the South's Unification Ministry said. Tuesday's talks were the first between the two Koreas since 2015 and were held at the Peace House on the South Korean side of Panmunjom truce village. Seoul said it proposed reunions of divided families in time for February's Lunar New Year holiday, but the joint statement made no mention of any agreement on this. Seoul said North Korea had finished technical work to restore a military hotline, with normal communications set to resume on Wednesday. North Korea cut communications in February 2016, following South Korea's decision to shut down a jointly run industrial park. Seoul also said North Korea responded "positively" to the South's proposal for athletes from both sides to march together in the Olympic opening ceremony. Such a joint parade has not happened since the 2007 Asian Winter Games in China. China's Foreign Ministry said it was happy to see talks between North and South Korea and welcomed all positive steps. Russia echoed the sentiment. "This is exactly the kind of dialogue that we said was necessary," a Kremlin spokesman said. Some US-based analysts have hailed the talks as an opening for diplomacy, but others see an attempt by North Korea to weaken US pressure so that it is eventually accepted as a nuclear-armed state. Evans Revere, a former senior US diplomat for East Asia, said that by engaging Seoul, North Korea was clearly seeking to weaken the US-South Korean alliance and it was important that Seoul had raised the nuclear issue to show it was not just a US-North Korea matter.

US hails Korea talks, despite North's rejection of denuclearisation

A cybersecurity company said it has found software that appears to install code for mining cryptocurrency and sends any mined coins to a server at a North Korean university, the latest sign that North Korea may be searching for new ways to infuse its economy with cash.&nbsp;

The application, which was created on December 24, uses host computers to mine a cryptocurrency called Monero. It then sends any coins to Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang, said cybersecurity firm AlienVault, which examined the program.&nbsp;

&quot;Crypto-currencies may provide a financial lifeline to a country hit hard by sanctions, and as a result universities in Pyongyang have shown a clear interest in cryptocurrencies,&quot; the California-based security firm said in a release, adding that the software &quot;may be the most recent product of their endeavours.&quot;&nbsp;

The company added a caveat that a North Korean server used in the code does not appear to be connected to the wider internet, which could mean its inclusion is meant to trick observers into making a North Korean connection. Kim Il Sung University, however, plays host to foreign students and lecturers, not just North Koreans.&nbsp;

Kim Il Sung University did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Government officials representing North Korea at the United Nations were not immediately available for comment.

Others have flagged increasing signs of North Korean interest in cryptocurrencies and underlying blockchain technology.&nbsp;

&quot;With economic sanctions in place, cryptocurrencies are currently the best way to earn foreign currency in North Korea&#39;s situation. It is hard to trace and can be laundered several times,&quot; said Mun Chong-hyun, chief analyst at South Korean cybersecurity firm ESTsecurity.&nbsp;

Cryptocurrency watchers say technical details of Monero, the 13th-largest crypto asset in the world, according to www.coinmarketcap.com, with a total value of more than $7 billion, make it more appealing than bitcoin to those who value secrecy.&nbsp;

Monero funds go to an unlinkable, one-time address generated with random numbers every time a payment is issued. That makes it less traceable than bitcoin, where transactions can be linked to specific, albeit anonymous, private addresses, cybersecurity experts said.&nbsp;

South Korea-based Bithumb, the world&#39;s busiest cryptocurrency exchange, is also the largest Monero trading exchange in the world, with about 24 percent of trading volume. The next largest were Europe-based exchange HitBTC and Hong Kong-based Bitfinex, as of Monday.&nbsp;

Cybersecurity firm FireEye cited in a November blog post a series of North Korean activities against South Korean cryptocurrency targets such as exchanges.

Analyst Luke McNamara wrote that &quot;it should be no surprise that cryptocurrencies, as an emerging asset class, are becoming a target of interest by a regime that operates in many ways like a criminal enterprise.&quot;&nbsp;

In early November, Federico Tenga, the Italian co-founder of bitcoin startup Chainside, posted on his Twitter account pictures and comments on his visit to lecture on bitcoin and blockchain technology at the Western-funded Pyongyang University of Science and Technology.&nbsp;

&quot;The lectures were at a quite basic level to give a general understanding of blockchain technologies, which are also very relevant to trade, supply chains and other e-business,&quot; a spokesman for the university said.&nbsp;

&quot;We believe this teaching can give the next generation of North Korean professionals additional concepts that may be valuable as they seek to develop their country,&quot; the spokesman added. &quot;We&#39;re acutely aware of issues around sanctions, which we keep under regular review and take care to avoid any sensitive or proscribed areas.&quot;&nbsp;

Tenga said his lectures were geared toward explaining the underlying technology of cryptocurrencies.

&quot;The focus of the lectures was to make the students understand what the blockchain is, how it works (special focus on proof of work) and what are the main use cases. My aim was simply to spread technical knowledge, not suggesting them how to use it,&quot; Tenga told Reuters in a series of messages.&nbsp;

AlienVault&#39;s report said one North Korean IP address, 175.45.178.19, has been active on bitcoin trading sites. That is the same address used to control compromised web servers in 2014-15 cyberattacks on South Korean energy, traffic, telecommunications, broadcasting, financial and political institutions, according to security firm AhnLab .&nbsp;

The report also observed that North Korean IP addresses have downloaded several episodes of the automotive TV series Top Gear and documentaries by the show&#39;s former presenter James May.&nbsp;

A cybersecurity company said it has found software that appears to install code for mining cryptocurrency and sends mined coins to a server in North Korea

A cybersecurity company said it has found software that appears to install code for mining cryptocurrency and sends any mined coins to a server at a North Korean university, the latest sign that North Korea may be searching for new ways to infuse its economy with cash. The application, which was created on December 24, uses host computers to mine a cryptocurrency called Monero. It then sends any coins to Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang, said cybersecurity firm AlienVault, which examined the program. "Crypto-currencies may provide a financial lifeline to a country hit hard by sanctions, and as a result universities in Pyongyang have shown a clear interest in cryptocurrencies," the California-based security firm said in a release, adding that the software "may be the most recent product of their endeavours." The company added a caveat that a North Korean server used in the code does not appear to be connected to the wider internet, which could mean its inclusion is meant to trick observers into making a North Korean connection. Kim Il Sung University, however, plays host to foreign students and lecturers, not just North Koreans. Kim Il Sung University did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Government officials representing North Korea at the United Nations were not immediately available for comment. Others have flagged increasing signs of North Korean interest in cryptocurrencies and underlying blockchain technology. "With economic sanctions in place, cryptocurrencies are currently the best way to earn foreign currency in North Korea's situation. It is hard to trace and can be laundered several times," said Mun Chong-hyun, chief analyst at South Korean cybersecurity firm ESTsecurity. Cryptocurrency watchers say technical details of Monero, the 13th-largest crypto asset in the world, according to www.coinmarketcap.com, with a total value of more than $7 billion, make it more appealing than bitcoin to those who value secrecy. Monero funds go to an unlinkable, one-time address generated with random numbers every time a payment is issued. That makes it less traceable than bitcoin, where transactions can be linked to specific, albeit anonymous, private addresses, cybersecurity experts said. South Korea-based Bithumb, the world's busiest cryptocurrency exchange, is also the largest Monero trading exchange in the world, with about 24 percent of trading volume. The next largest were Europe-based exchange HitBTC and Hong Kong-based Bitfinex, as of Monday. Cybersecurity firm FireEye cited in a November blog post a series of North Korean activities against South Korean cryptocurrency targets such as exchanges. Analyst Luke McNamara wrote that "it should be no surprise that cryptocurrencies, as an emerging asset class, are becoming a target of interest by a regime that operates in many ways like a criminal enterprise." In early November, Federico Tenga, the Italian co-founder of bitcoin startup Chainside, posted on his Twitter account pictures and comments on his visit to lecture on bitcoin and blockchain technology at the Western-funded Pyongyang University of Science and Technology. "The lectures were at a quite basic level to give a general understanding of blockchain technologies, which are also very relevant to trade, supply chains and other e-business," a spokesman for the university said. "We believe this teaching can give the next generation of North Korean professionals additional concepts that may be valuable as they seek to develop their country," the spokesman added. "We're acutely aware of issues around sanctions, which we keep under regular review and take care to avoid any sensitive or proscribed areas." Tenga said his lectures were geared toward explaining the underlying technology of cryptocurrencies. "The focus of the lectures was to make the students understand what the blockchain is, how it works (special focus on proof of work) and what are the main use cases. My aim was simply to spread technical knowledge, not suggesting them how to use it," Tenga told Reuters in a series of messages. AlienVault's report said one North Korean IP address, 175.45.178.19, has been active on bitcoin trading sites. That is the same address used to control compromised web servers in 2014-15 cyberattacks on South Korean energy, traffic, telecommunications, broadcasting, financial and political institutions, according to security firm AhnLab . The report also observed that North Korean IP addresses have downloaded several episodes of the automotive TV series Top Gear and documentaries by the show's former presenter James May.

Cryptocurrency may be getting quietly channelled to North Korea

North Korea said during rare talks with the South on Tuesday it will send a delegation to the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea next month and Seoul said it was prepared to lift some sanctions temporarily to facilitate the visit if needed.

North Korean officials at the first formal talks with South Korea in more than two years said their delegation for the Games would consist of athletes, high-ranking officials and a cheering squad.

The talks are being closely watched by world leaders eager for any sign of a reduction in tensions on the Korean peninsula amid rising fears over North Korea&#39;s missile launches and development of nuclear weapons in defiance of United Nations Security Council resolutions.

South Korea has unilaterally banned several North Korean officials from entering the country in response to Pyongyang&#39;s ramped-up missile and nuclear tests, conducted despite international pressure.

However, some South Korean officials have said they see the Olympics as a possible opportunity for easing tensions.

Foreign ministry spokesman Roh Kyu-deok said Seoul would consider whether it needed to take &quot;prior steps&quot;, together with the U.N. Security Council and other relevant countries, to help the North Koreans visit for the Olympics.

At Tuesday&#39;s talks, the first since December 2015, Seoul proposed inter-Korean military discussions to reduce tensions on the Korean peninsula and a reunion of family members in time for February&#39;s Lunar New Year holiday, South Korea&#39;s vice unification minister Chun Hae-sung said.

South Korea also proposed that athletes from the two Koreas march together at the Games&#39; opening ceremony and other joint activities between during the Winter Olympics, Chun told reporters outside the talks.

Athletes from the two Koreas have paraded together at the opening and closing ceremonies of major international games before, although it has not been seen since the 2007 Asian Winter Games in China after relations chilled under nearly a decade of conservative rule in the South.

It would also be the first time since 2005 for the North to send its female cheerleaders, dubbed the &quot;cheering squad of beauty&quot; by South Korean media.

Peace House

The meetings continued on Tuesday afternoon after the two sides broke up for separate lunches. Officials began speaking at 10 a.m. (0100 GMT) in the three-storey Peace House just across the demilitarised zone on the South Korean side of Panmunjom truce village.

&quot;North Korea said that they are determined to make today&rsquo;s talks fruitful, and make it a groundbreaking opportunity,&quot; South Korea&#39;s Chun said.

Chun also said the South Koreans proposed resuming negotiations over the North&#39;s nuclear programme but there was no specific response from the North Koreans.

However, North Korean officials said during the meeting they were open to promoting reconciliation between the two countries through dialogue and negotiation, according to Chun.

The head of the North Korean delegation, Ri Son Gwon, said in opening remarks: &quot;We came to this meeting today with the thought of giving our brethren, who have high hopes for this dialogue, invaluable results as the first present of the year .&quot;

Good present

North Korea entered the talks with a &quot;serious and sincere stance&quot;, said Ri, chairman of the North&#39;s Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland.

South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon expressed optimism as the meeting began.

&quot;Our talks began after North and South Korea were severed for a long time, but I believe the first step is half the trip,&quot; said Cho. &quot;It would be good for us to make that &#39;good present&#39; you mentioned earlier.&quot;

&quot;Everything feels slightly new as we have not had talks in a while,&quot; he said.

Just before the delegation drove into the demilitarised zone, some 20 South Koreans were seen waving a banner that read: &quot;We wish the success of the high-ranking inter-Korean talks&quot;.

One man was spotted waving a flag with a unified Korean peninsula.

The delegations were made up of five senior officials from each side.

The North Korean delegation walked over the border inside the joint security area to the Peace House around 0030 GMT, an official from the South&#39;s Unification Ministry told reporters.

The United States, which has 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea as a legacy of the 1950-1953 Korean War, initially responded coolly to the idea of inter-Korean meetings, but U.S. President Donald Trump later called the talks &quot;a good thing&quot;.

Trump has said he would like to see talks go beyond the Olympics. &quot;At the appropriate time, we&#39;ll get involved,&quot; he said.

China&#39;s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday it was happy to see talks between North and South Korea take place and welcomed all positive steps.

North Korean officials at the first formal talks with South Korea in more than two years said their delegation for the Games would consist of athletes, high-ranking officials and a cheering squad

North Korea said during rare talks with the South on Tuesday it will send a delegation to the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea next month and Seoul said it was prepared to lift some sanctions temporarily to facilitate the visit if needed. North Korean officials at the first formal talks with South Korea in more than two years said their delegation for the Games would consist of athletes, high-ranking officials and a cheering squad. The talks are being closely watched by world leaders eager for any sign of a reduction in tensions on the Korean peninsula amid rising fears over North Korea's missile launches and development of nuclear weapons in defiance of United Nations Security Council resolutions. South Korea has unilaterally banned several North Korean officials from entering the country in response to Pyongyang's ramped-up missile and nuclear tests, conducted despite international pressure. However, some South Korean officials have said they see the Olympics as a possible opportunity for easing tensions. Foreign ministry spokesman Roh Kyu-deok said Seoul would consider whether it needed to take "prior steps", together with the U.N. Security Council and other relevant countries, to help the North Koreans visit for the Olympics. At Tuesday's talks, the first since December 2015, Seoul proposed inter-Korean military discussions to reduce tensions on the Korean peninsula and a reunion of family members in time for February's Lunar New Year holiday, South Korea's vice unification minister Chun Hae-sung said. South Korea also proposed that athletes from the two Koreas march together at the Games' opening ceremony and other joint activities between during the Winter Olympics, Chun told reporters outside the talks. Athletes from the two Koreas have paraded together at the opening and closing ceremonies of major international games before, although it has not been seen since the 2007 Asian Winter Games in China after relations chilled under nearly a decade of conservative rule in the South. It would also be the first time since 2005 for the North to send its female cheerleaders, dubbed the "cheering squad of beauty" by South Korean media. Peace House The meetings continued on Tuesday afternoon after the two sides broke up for separate lunches. Officials began speaking at 10 a.m. (0100 GMT) in the three-storey Peace House just across the demilitarised zone on the South Korean side of Panmunjom truce village. "North Korea said that they are determined to make today’s talks fruitful, and make it a groundbreaking opportunity," South Korea's Chun said. Chun also said the South Koreans proposed resuming negotiations over the North's nuclear programme but there was no specific response from the North Koreans. However, North Korean officials said during the meeting they were open to promoting reconciliation between the two countries through dialogue and negotiation, according to Chun. The head of the North Korean delegation, Ri Son Gwon, said in opening remarks: "We came to this meeting today with the thought of giving our brethren, who have high hopes for this dialogue, invaluable results as the first present of the year ." Good present North Korea entered the talks with a "serious and sincere stance", said Ri, chairman of the North's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland. South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon expressed optimism as the meeting began. "Our talks began after North and South Korea were severed for a long time, but I believe the first step is half the trip," said Cho. "It would be good for us to make that 'good present' you mentioned earlier." "Everything feels slightly new as we have not had talks in a while," he said. Just before the delegation drove into the demilitarised zone, some 20 South Koreans were seen waving a banner that read: "We wish the success of the high-ranking inter-Korean talks". One man was spotted waving a flag with a unified Korean peninsula. The delegations were made up of five senior officials from each side. The North Korean delegation walked over the border inside the joint security area to the Peace House around 0030 GMT, an official from the South's Unification Ministry told reporters. The United States, which has 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea as a legacy of the 1950-1953 Korean War, initially responded coolly to the idea of inter-Korean meetings, but U.S. President Donald Trump later called the talks "a good thing". Trump has said he would like to see talks go beyond the Olympics. "At the appropriate time, we'll get involved," he said. China's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday it was happy to see talks between North and South Korea take place and welcomed all positive steps.

After talks, South Korea to consider easing ban on North Korea

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 Korea said after its first talks with South Korea in more than two years that it would not discuss its nuclear weapons with Seoul because they were aimed only at the United States, not its &quot;brethren&quot; in South Korea. &nbsp;

In a joint statement after 11 hours of talks, North Korea pledged to send a large delegation to next month&#39;s Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea but made a &quot;strong complaint&quot; after Seoul proposed talks to denuclearise the Korean peninsula. &nbsp;

Officials from both sides said they agreed to meet again to resolve problems and avert accidental conflict, amid high tension over North Korea&#39;s program to develop nuclear missiles capable of hitting the United States, but Pyongyang said disarmament would not be part of the discussions. &nbsp;

&quot;All our weapons including atomic bombs, hydrogen bombs and ballistic missiles are only aimed at the United States, not our brethren, nor China and Russia,&quot; Pyongyang&#39;s chief negotiator, Ri Son Gwon, said.&nbsp;

&quot;This is not a matter between North and South Korea, and to bring up this issue would cause negative consequences and risks turning all of today&#39;s good achievement into nothing,&quot; Ri, chairman of the North&#39;s Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, warned in closing remarks. &nbsp;

US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have exchanged threats and insults in the past year, raising tensions on the peninsula. &nbsp;&nbsp;

A spokesperson for the White House&#39;s National Security Council said North Korean participation in the Olympics would be &quot;an opportunity for the regime to see the value of ending its international isolation by denuclearising.&quot; &nbsp;

The White House did not comment on the United States being the only potential target of North Korea&#39;s nuclear weapons. &nbsp;

In spite of Ri&#39;s remarks, South Korea&#39;s Unification Ministry said it believed inter-Korean ties and a series of steps agreed in the talks on Tuesday could lead to the discussion of a &quot;fundamental resolution&quot; of the nuclear issue in the future. &nbsp;

&quot;We will closely coordinate with the United States, China, Japan and other neighbours in this process,&quot; the ministry said in a statement. &nbsp;

It said South Korea had asked North Korea to halt hostile acts that stoke tension and that North had agreed that peace should be guaranteed in the region. &nbsp;

The North-South meeting came after a year of ramped-up North Korean missile launches and its sixth and most powerful nuclear test. &nbsp;

The United States, which has 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea as a legacy of the 1950-1953 Korean War, initially responded coolly to the idea of inter-Korean meetings, but Trump later called them &quot;a good thing.&quot; &nbsp;

&quot;At the appropriate time, we&#39;ll get involved,&quot; he said on Saturday. &nbsp;

The United States has led an international campaign to step up sanctions on North Korea to press it to give up its weapons programmes. &nbsp;

&nbsp;The UN Security Council last month unanimously imposed new sanctions on North Korea in response to its test-firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile. Pyongyang called the sanctions an act of war. &nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp;&quot;High hopes&quot; &nbsp;

Earlier on Tuesday, Seoul said it was prepared to lift some sanctions temporarily so North Koreans could visit South Korea for the Winter Olympics. North Korea said its delegation would include athletes, high-ranking officials, a cheering squad, art performers, reporters and spectators. &nbsp;&nbsp;

South Korea has unilaterally banned several North Korean officials from entry in response to Pyongyang&#39;s missile and nuclear tests. &nbsp;

Talks will be held soon to work out the details of bringing the North Koreans to the Olympics, the South&#39;s unification ministry said. &nbsp;

Tuesday&#39;s talks, the first between the two Koreas since 2015, were held in the three-storey Peace House on the South Korean side of Panmunjom truce village that lies between North and South. &nbsp;

&quot;We came to this meeting with the thought of giving our brethren, who have high hopes for this dialogue, invaluable results as the first present of the year,&quot; Ri said at the start of the meeting. &nbsp;

Seoul said it proposed reunions of members of families divided between North and South in time for February&#39;s Lunar New Year holiday, but the joint statement made no mention of any agreement on reunions. &nbsp;

North Korea has finished technical work to restore a military hotline with South Korea, Seoul said, with normal communications set to resume on Wednesday. &nbsp;

North Korea cut communications in February 2016, following the South&#39;s decision to shut down a jointly run industrial park in the North. &nbsp;

North Korea responded &quot;positively&quot; to the South&#39;s proposal for athletes from both sides to march together in the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics, Seoul said. &nbsp;

Athletes of the two sides have not paraded together at an international sports event since the 2007 Asian Winter Games in China. &nbsp;

On Tuesday, China&#39;s Foreign Ministry said it was happy to see talks between North and South Korea and welcomed all positive steps. Russia echoed the sentiment, with a Kremlin spokesman saying: &quot;This is exactly the kind of dialogue that we said was necessary.&quot; &nbsp;

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said of the North-South agreement on the Pyeongchang games: &ldquo;These proposals mark a great step forward in the Olympic spirit.&rdquo; &nbsp;

The IOC would await official proposals on the number and names of athletes from the North and such matters as flag, anthem and ceremonies, he said.

US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have exchanged threats and insults in the past year, raising tensions on the peninsula

North Korea said after its first talks with South Korea in more than two years that it would not discuss its nuclear weapons with Seoul because they were aimed only at the United States, not its "brethren" in South Korea. In a joint statement after 11 hours of talks, North Korea pledged to send a large delegation to next month's Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea but made a "strong complaint" after Seoul proposed talks to denuclearise the Korean peninsula. Officials from both sides said they agreed to meet again to resolve problems and avert accidental conflict, amid high tension over North Korea's program to develop nuclear missiles capable of hitting the United States, but Pyongyang said disarmament would not be part of the discussions. "All our weapons including atomic bombs, hydrogen bombs and ballistic missiles are only aimed at the United States, not our brethren, nor China and Russia," Pyongyang's chief negotiator, Ri Son Gwon, said. "This is not a matter between North and South Korea, and to bring up this issue would cause negative consequences and risks turning all of today's good achievement into nothing," Ri, chairman of the North's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, warned in closing remarks. US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have exchanged threats and insults in the past year, raising tensions on the peninsula. A spokesperson for the White House's National Security Council said North Korean participation in the Olympics would be "an opportunity for the regime to see the value of ending its international isolation by denuclearising." The White House did not comment on the United States being the only potential target of North Korea's nuclear weapons. In spite of Ri's remarks, South Korea's Unification Ministry said it believed inter-Korean ties and a series of steps agreed in the talks on Tuesday could lead to the discussion of a "fundamental resolution" of the nuclear issue in the future. "We will closely coordinate with the United States, China, Japan and other neighbours in this process," the ministry said in a statement. It said South Korea had asked North Korea to halt hostile acts that stoke tension and that North had agreed that peace should be guaranteed in the region. The North-South meeting came after a year of ramped-up North Korean missile launches and its sixth and most powerful nuclear test. The United States, which has 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea as a legacy of the 1950-1953 Korean War, initially responded coolly to the idea of inter-Korean meetings, but Trump later called them "a good thing." "At the appropriate time, we'll get involved," he said on Saturday. The United States has led an international campaign to step up sanctions on North Korea to press it to give up its weapons programmes. The UN Security Council last month unanimously imposed new sanctions on North Korea in response to its test-firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile. Pyongyang called the sanctions an act of war. "High hopes" Earlier on Tuesday, Seoul said it was prepared to lift some sanctions temporarily so North Koreans could visit South Korea for the Winter Olympics. North Korea said its delegation would include athletes, high-ranking officials, a cheering squad, art performers, reporters and spectators. South Korea has unilaterally banned several North Korean officials from entry in response to Pyongyang's missile and nuclear tests. Talks will be held soon to work out the details of bringing the North Koreans to the Olympics, the South's unification ministry said. Tuesday's talks, the first between the two Koreas since 2015, were held in the three-storey Peace House on the South Korean side of Panmunjom truce village that lies between North and South. "We came to this meeting with the thought of giving our brethren, who have high hopes for this dialogue, invaluable results as the first present of the year," Ri said at the start of the meeting. Seoul said it proposed reunions of members of families divided between North and South in time for February's Lunar New Year holiday, but the joint statement made no mention of any agreement on reunions. North Korea has finished technical work to restore a military hotline with South Korea, Seoul said, with normal communications set to resume on Wednesday. North Korea cut communications in February 2016, following the South's decision to shut down a jointly run industrial park in the North. North Korea responded "positively" to the South's proposal for athletes from both sides to march together in the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics, Seoul said. Athletes of the two sides have not paraded together at an international sports event since the 2007 Asian Winter Games in China. On Tuesday, China's Foreign Ministry said it was happy to see talks between North and South Korea and welcomed all positive steps. Russia echoed the sentiment, with a Kremlin spokesman saying: "This is exactly the kind of dialogue that we said was necessary." International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said of the North-South agreement on the Pyeongchang games: “These proposals mark a great step forward in the Olympic spirit.” The IOC would await official proposals on the number and names of athletes from the North and such matters as flag, anthem and ceremonies, he said.

Our weapons 'are only aimed' at United States: North Korea official

North Korea offered to send a high-level delegation to attend next month&#39;s Winter Olympics in the South on Tuesday as the two rivals held their <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/north-and-south-korea-begin-talks-in-truce-village-28934">first official talks</a> in more than two years, Seoul said.

&quot;The North side proposed dispatching a high-level delegation, National Olympic Committee delegation, athletes, supporters, art performers, observers, a taekwondo demonstration team and journalists to the Games, which will be held in Pyeongchang next month,&quot; the South&#39;s vice unification minster Chun Hae-Sung told journalists.

The South, meanwhile, proposed holding reunions during next month&#39;s <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/would-like-to-see-north-korea-get-involved-in-winter-olympics-trump-28774">Winter Olympics</a> for families divided by the 1950-53 Korean War.

The issue is one of the most emotive legacies of the conflict and the South urged that the meetings be held at the Lunar New Year, which falls in the middle of the Pyeongchang Games, the South&#39;s vice unification minister Chun Hae-Sung told journalists.

South Korea also proposed that athletes from the two Koreas march together at the Games&#39; opening ceremony and other joint activities between the two nations during the Games, Chun told reporters.

The talks are being held at Panmunjom, the truce village in the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) that divides the peninsula.

The much-awaited talks are a result of 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.

Seoul&#39;s five-member delegation, led by unification minister Cho Myoung-Gyon, travelled to Panmunjom in a convoy of vehicles, passing a group of well-wishers holding a banner at a checkpoint leading towards the DMZ.

The North&#39;s group, of similar size and led by senior official Ri Son-Gwon, walked over the Military Demarcation Line at Panmunjom for the talks, pictures showed - just yards from where a defector ran across in a hail of bullets two months ago.

Looking businesslike, Cho and Ri shook hands at the entrance to the Peace House, the building on the southern side where the discussions were being held, and again across the table.

In accordance with standard practice in the North, 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. Cho also wore a lapel badge, depicting the South Korean flag.

&quot;The people have a strong desire to see the North and South move toward peace and reconciliation,&quot; Cho said. It was a radically different tone from the rhetoric of recent months, which have seen Kim and US President Donald Trump trade personal insults and bellicose <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-has-to-keep-kim-jong-un-on-his-toes-nikki-haley-on-nuclear-button-tweet-28895">threats of war</a>, while Pyongyang has launched missiles capable of reaching the US mainland and carried out its sixth and most powerful nuclear test to date.

The South, meanwhile, proposed holding reunions during next month's Winter Olympics for families divided by the 1950-53 Korean War.

North Korea offered to send a high-level delegation to attend next month's Winter Olympics in the South on Tuesday as the two rivals held their first official talks in more than two years, Seoul said. "The North side proposed dispatching a high-level delegation, National Olympic Committee delegation, athletes, supporters, art performers, observers, a taekwondo demonstration team and journalists to the Games, which will be held in Pyeongchang next month," the South's vice unification minster Chun Hae-Sung told journalists. The South, meanwhile, proposed holding reunions during next month's Winter Olympics for families divided by the 1950-53 Korean War. The issue is one of the most emotive legacies of the conflict and the South urged that the meetings be held at the Lunar New Year, which falls in the middle of the Pyeongchang Games, the South's vice unification minister Chun Hae-Sung told journalists. South Korea also proposed that athletes from the two Koreas march together at the Games' opening ceremony and other joint activities between the two nations during the Games, Chun told reporters. The talks are being held at Panmunjom, the truce village in the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) that divides the peninsula. 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. Seoul's five-member delegation, led by unification minister Cho Myoung-Gyon, travelled to Panmunjom in a convoy of vehicles, passing a group of well-wishers holding a banner at a checkpoint leading towards the DMZ. The North's group, of similar size and led by senior official Ri Son-Gwon, walked over the Military Demarcation Line at Panmunjom for the talks, pictures showed - just yards from where a defector ran across in a hail of bullets two months ago. Looking businesslike, Cho and Ri shook hands at the entrance to the Peace House, the building on the southern side where the discussions were being held, and again across the table. In accordance with standard practice in the North, 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. Cho also wore a lapel badge, depicting the South Korean flag. "The people have a strong desire to see the North and South move toward peace and reconciliation," Cho said. It was a radically different tone from the rhetoric of recent months, which have seen Kim and US President Donald Trump trade personal insults and bellicose threats of war, while Pyongyang has launched missiles capable of reaching the US mainland and carried out its sixth and most powerful nuclear test to date.

North Korea offers to send high-level delegation to Olympics during talks with South Korea

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/north-and-south-korea-begin-talks-in-truce-village-28934">North and South Korea begin talks in truce village</a>

North and South Korea began talks in the border truce village of Panmunjom today as tensions between the two countries over Kim&#39;s repeated ballistic tests faded.

&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-would-welcome-challenge-from-oprah-winfrey-for-president-28935">Trump would welcome challenge from Oprah Winfrey for president</a>

US President Donald Trump would gladly face Oprah Winfrey as an opponent in the 2020 presidential race, a White House spokesman said on Monday after social media buzz from her speech at an award show thrust her name into the political arena.

&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-to-deport-2-lakh-salvadorans-28943">US</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-to-deport-2-lakh-salvadorans-28943"> to deport 2 lakh Salvadorans</a>

The United States has announced to terminate the provisional residency permits of about 2,00,000 Salvadorans living in the country since 2001.

&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/reports-says-china-shuts-128000-harmful-websites-in-2017-journalists-denied-access-to-files-related-to-tibet-and-taiwan-28936">China shut 128,000 &#39;harmful&#39; websites in 2017: Report</a>

In order to achieve the mission of &quot;tightening control&quot; over internet content, China banned 128,000 websites containing obscene information, a report said.

&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/todays-google-doodle-is-on-nobel-prize-winner-biochemist-har-gobind-khorana-28945">Google doodle on Indian-American biochemist Har Gobind Khorana</a>

Google doodle honoured Indian American biochemist, Har Gobind Khorana who shared 1968 Nobel Prize for physiology or medician with Marshall W Nirenberg and Robert W Holley on his 96th birthday.

North and South Korea begin talks in truce village 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. Trump would welcome challenge from Oprah Winfrey for president US President Donald Trump would gladly face Oprah Winfrey as an opponent in the 2020 presidential race, a White House spokesman said on Monday after social media buzz from her speech at an award show thrust her name into the political arena. US to deport 2 lakh Salvadorans The United States has announced to terminate the provisional residency permits of about 2,00,000 Salvadorans living in the country since 2001. China shut 128,000 'harmful' websites in 2017: Report In order to achieve the mission of "tightening control" over internet content, China banned 128,000 websites containing obscene information, a report said. Google doodle on Indian-American biochemist Har Gobind Khorana Google doodle honoured Indian American biochemist, Har Gobind Khorana who shared 1968 Nobel Prize for physiology or medician with Marshall W Nirenberg and Robert W Holley on his 96th birthday.

WION Morning News Brief, January 9, 2018

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

Nikki Haley has defended US President Donald Trump&#39;s recent &quot;nuclear button&quot; tweet warning Kim Jong Un of America&#39;s might, saying it was required to keep the North Korean leader &quot;on his toes&quot;.

Trump last week warned that his &quot;nuclear button&quot; is &quot;much bigger and more powerful&quot; than the one controlled by Kim, days after the North Korean leader said that Pyongyang&#39;s nuclear weapons can reach anywhere in the US and threatened that he has a nuclear button on his desk.

Haley, the Indian-American US Ambassador to the UN said that the North Korean regime needs to take a series of steps for talks, a day after Trump said that he is open to talks with the North Korean leader.

The steps include stop testing missiles and nuclear weapons and be willing to talk about banning their nuclear weapons, Haley was quoted as saying by ABC News yesterday.

Asked if the tweet was a good idea, she said: &quot;I think that he (Trump) always has to keep Kim on his toes. It&#39;s very important that we don&#39;t ever let him get so arrogant that he doesn&#39;t realise the reality of what would happen if he started a nuclear war&quot;.

Asked if Trump&#39;s statement at Camp David on Saturday meant any reversal of the stated US policy with regard to talks with North Korea, she said: &quot;There is no turnaround&quot;.

&quot;What he (Trump) has basically said is yes, there could be a time where we talk to North Korea but a lot of things have to happen before that actually takes place,&quot; Haley said.

They have to stop testing. They have to be willing to talk about banning their nuclear weapons. Those things have to happen, she said.

&quot;What we&#39;re trying to do is make sure we don&#39;t repeat what&#39;s happened in the last 25 years. Which is them start to act like they&#39;re coming to the table, they ask for a lot of money and then them cheat their way through.

&quot;We&#39;re going to be smart this time. We&#39;re going to make sure that whatever happens makes the United States safer and make sure that we denuclearise the (Korean) peninsula,&quot; Haley said.

'I think that he (Trump) always has to keep Kim on his toes. It's very important that we don't ever let him get so arrogant that he doesn't realise the reality of what would happen if he started a nuclear war,' Haley said

Nikki Haley has defended US President Donald Trump's recent "nuclear button" tweet warning Kim Jong Un of America's might, saying it was required to keep the North Korean leader "on his toes". Trump last week warned that his "nuclear button" is "much bigger and more powerful" than the one controlled by Kim, days after the North Korean leader said that Pyongyang's nuclear weapons can reach anywhere in the US and threatened that he has a nuclear button on his desk. Haley, the Indian-American US Ambassador to the UN said that the North Korean regime needs to take a series of steps for talks, a day after Trump said that he is open to talks with the North Korean leader. The steps include stop testing missiles and nuclear weapons and be willing to talk about banning their nuclear weapons, Haley was quoted as saying by ABC News yesterday. Asked if the tweet was a good idea, she said: "I think that he (Trump) always has to keep Kim on his toes. It's very important that we don't ever let him get so arrogant that he doesn't realise the reality of what would happen if he started a nuclear war". Asked if Trump's statement at Camp David on Saturday meant any reversal of the stated US policy with regard to talks with North Korea, she said: "There is no turnaround". "What he (Trump) has basically said is yes, there could be a time where we talk to North Korea but a lot of things have to happen before that actually takes place," Haley said. They have to stop testing. They have to be willing to talk about banning their nuclear weapons. Those things have to happen, she said. "What we're trying to do is make sure we don't repeat what's happened in the last 25 years. Which is them start to act like they're coming to the table, they ask for a lot of money and then them cheat their way through. "We're going to be smart this time. We're going to make sure that whatever happens makes the United States safer and make sure that we denuclearise the (Korean) peninsula," Haley said.

Trump has to keep Kim Jong-un 'on his toes': Nikki Haley on 'nuclear button' tweet

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-says-willing-to-talk-with-north-korean-leader-28741">Even as South and North Korea </a>talk peace, US military on Sunday sent the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp to join the 7th Fleet operations, close to Japan.

US <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/no-one-inside-white-house-questions-trumps-mental-stability-haley-28826">warships have been conducting joint drills</a> with the South Korean and Japanese Navy for the past several months even as Kim&#39;s regime fired rockets and ballistic missiles over the Korean peninsula.

The USS Wasp was supposed to join the 7th Fleet in August last year but was diverted to assist in relief efforts in the aftermath of the Hurricane Irma which hit the US Virgin Islands and Dominica. It was then sent around to Puerto Rico due to Hurricane Maria.

The 40,00-ton, 844-foot-long Wasp is an aircraft carrier built in the 80s. It hosts Marine Corps F-35B stealth fighter jets.

The warship has taken part in operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The ship can house over 1,000 soldiers and hosts jets to provide air support during&nbsp;attacks.

The warship has taken part in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Even as South and North Korea talk peace, US military on Sunday sent the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp to join the 7th Fleet operations, close to Japan. US warships have been conducting joint drills with the South Korean and Japanese Navy for the past several months even as Kim's regime fired rockets and ballistic missiles over the Korean peninsula. The USS Wasp was supposed to join the 7th Fleet in August last year but was diverted to assist in relief efforts in the aftermath of the Hurricane Irma which hit the US Virgin Islands and Dominica. It was then sent around to Puerto Rico due to Hurricane Maria. The 40,00-ton, 844-foot-long Wasp is an aircraft carrier built in the 80s. It hosts Marine Corps F-35B stealth fighter jets. The warship has taken part in operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The ship can house over 1,000 soldiers and hosts jets to provide air support during attacks.

USS Wasp joins 7th fleet in Pacific

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

The International Olympic Committee has &#39;extended the deadline&#39; for North Korea&#39;s participation in the Winter Olympics, it announced on Monday.

&quot;We will be as flexible as we can be,&quot; an IOC spokesman told AFP over North Korea sending a team to the Pyeongchang Games in South Korea.

Talks between the two Koreas hosted by IOC president Thomas Bach will take place at the Olympic movement&#39;s headquarters in Lausanne on Tuesday.

&quot;We welcome the discussion which will take place... between the governments of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the Democratic People&#39;s Republic of Korea (DPRK),&quot; the IOC said.

&quot;The IOC has been having discussions with both sides for a long time. In doing so we have kept the door open by extending the deadline for registration, and by offering support to North Korean athletes in the qualification process, whilst always respecting United Nations sanctions.&quot;

On Saturday, North Korea Olympic body member Chang Ung said the isolated state was &#39;likely to participate&#39; in the Pyeongchang Games from February 9-25.

Tuesday&#39;s Lausanne summit comes days after the two Koreas agreed to hold their first official dialogue in more than two years to discuss the North&#39;s participation in the Winter Olympics.

The tentative rapprochement comes after the North&#39;s leader Kim Jong-Un warned in his New Year speech that he had a nuclear button on his desk, but also said Pyongyang could send a team to the Olympics.

The IOC in its statement Monday emphasised that its mission was &quot;always to ensure the participation of all qualified athletes, beyond all political tensions and divisions.

&quot;With regard to the very particular situation on the Korean peninsula we need the political commitment from all parties concerned to make such a participation possible,&quot; it added.

&quot;Once this political commitment is clear the IOC will take the final decision.&quot;

&nbsp;

'We will be as flexible as we can be,' an IOC spokesman said

The International Olympic Committee has 'extended the deadline' for North Korea's participation in the Winter Olympics, it announced on Monday. "We will be as flexible as we can be," an IOC spokesman told AFP over North Korea sending a team to the Pyeongchang Games in South Korea. Talks between the two Koreas hosted by IOC president Thomas Bach will take place at the Olympic movement's headquarters in Lausanne on Tuesday. "We welcome the discussion which will take place... between the governments of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)," the IOC said. "The IOC has been having discussions with both sides for a long time. In doing so we have kept the door open by extending the deadline for registration, and by offering support to North Korean athletes in the qualification process, whilst always respecting United Nations sanctions." On Saturday, North Korea Olympic body member Chang Ung said the isolated state was 'likely to participate' in the Pyeongchang Games from February 9-25. Tuesday's Lausanne summit comes days after the two Koreas agreed to hold their first official dialogue in more than two years to discuss the North's participation in the Winter Olympics. The tentative rapprochement comes after the North's leader Kim Jong-Un warned in his New Year speech that he had a nuclear button on his desk, but also said Pyongyang could send a team to the Olympics. The IOC in its statement Monday emphasised that its mission was "always to ensure the participation of all qualified athletes, beyond all political tensions and divisions. "With regard to the very particular situation on the Korean peninsula we need the political commitment from all parties concerned to make such a participation possible," it added. "Once this political commitment is clear the IOC will take the final decision."

North Korea 'likely to participate' in Winter Olympics, IOC extends deadline

Pope Francis, in his annual &quot;state of the world&quot; address called on Monday for all nations to support dialogue to ease tensions on the Korean peninsula and to work for a legally binding ban on nuclear weapons.&nbsp;

In the speech, Francis also repeated his call for a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians and respect for the &quot;status quo&quot; of Jerusalem following US.&nbsp;

President Donald Trump`s decision to recognize the city as Israel`s capital.&nbsp;

&quot;It is of paramount importance to support every effort at the dialogue on the Korean peninsula, in order to find new ways of overcoming the current disputes, increasing mutual trust and ensuring a peaceful future for the Korean people and the entire world,&quot; Francis said.&nbsp;

The pope addressed envoys from more than 180 countries a day before North Korea and South Korea are due to hold talks expected to address North Korea&#39;s participation in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, which some diplomats see as a possible opening for discussions on other topics such as humanitarian issues and divided families.&nbsp;

Earlier this month, after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, asserted that he had a nuclear button at the ready, Trump tweeted that the US button was bigger and more powerful.&nbsp;

&quot;Nuclear weapons must be banned,&quot; Francis said, quoting a document issued by Pope John XXIII at the height of the Cold War and adding that there is &quot;no denying that the conflagration could be started by some chance and unforeseen circumstance&quot;.&nbsp;

Noting that the Holy See was among 122 states that last year agreed a United Nations treaty to ban nuclear weapons, he called for a &quot;serene and wide-ranging debate&quot; on disarmament.&nbsp;

The United States, Britain, France and others boycotted the talks that led to the treaty, instead pledging commitment to a decades-old Non-Proliferation Treaty.&nbsp;

At the individual greetings after the speech, Francis spent more time chatting with South Korea`s envoy, Jonghyun Jeong, than with most other diplomats.&nbsp;

Washington&#39;s new ambassador to the Vatican, Callista Gingrich, attended along with her husband, former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich.&nbsp;

Addressing climate change, Francis called for a &quot;united effort&quot; to remain committed to the 2015 Paris accord on reducing carbon emissions. French President Emmanuel Macron is trying to breathe new life into the agreement after Trump announced that the United States would withdraw.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Francis, who has made the defence of migrants and refugees a major plank of his pontificate, warned against &quot;stirring up primal fears&quot; of newcomers.&nbsp;

&quot;There is a need, then, to abandon the familiar rhetoric and start from the essential consideration that we are dealing, above all, with persons,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

Migration has become a top political issue in countries including the United States, Italy and Germany.

At the individual greetings after the speech, Francis spent more time chatting with South Korea`s envoy, Jonghyun Jeong, than with most other diplomats.

Pope Francis, in his annual "state of the world" address called on Monday for all nations to support dialogue to ease tensions on the Korean peninsula and to work for a legally binding ban on nuclear weapons. In the speech, Francis also repeated his call for a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians and respect for the "status quo" of Jerusalem following US. President Donald Trump`s decision to recognize the city as Israel`s capital. "It is of paramount importance to support every effort at the dialogue on the Korean peninsula, in order to find new ways of overcoming the current disputes, increasing mutual trust and ensuring a peaceful future for the Korean people and the entire world," Francis said. The pope addressed envoys from more than 180 countries a day before North Korea and South Korea are due to hold talks expected to address North Korea's participation in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, which some diplomats see as a possible opening for discussions on other topics such as humanitarian issues and divided families. Earlier this month, after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, asserted that he had a nuclear button at the ready, Trump tweeted that the US button was bigger and more powerful. "Nuclear weapons must be banned," Francis said, quoting a document issued by Pope John XXIII at the height of the Cold War and adding that there is "no denying that the conflagration could be started by some chance and unforeseen circumstance". Noting that the Holy See was among 122 states that last year agreed a United Nations treaty to ban nuclear weapons, he called for a "serene and wide-ranging debate" on disarmament. The United States, Britain, France and others boycotted the talks that led to the treaty, instead pledging commitment to a decades-old Non-Proliferation Treaty. At the individual greetings after the speech, Francis spent more time chatting with South Korea`s envoy, Jonghyun Jeong, than with most other diplomats. Washington's new ambassador to the Vatican, Callista Gingrich, attended along with her husband, former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich. Addressing climate change, Francis called for a "united effort" to remain committed to the 2015 Paris accord on reducing carbon emissions. French President Emmanuel Macron is trying to breathe new life into the agreement after Trump announced that the United States would withdraw. Francis, who has made the defence of migrants and refugees a major plank of his pontificate, warned against "stirring up primal fears" of newcomers. "There is a need, then, to abandon the familiar rhetoric and start from the essential consideration that we are dealing, above all, with persons," he said. Migration has become a top political issue in countries including the United States, Italy and Germany.

In 'State of World' speech, Pope urges dialogue in Korea, nuclear ban

A day after US President Donald Trump said he is open to talks with the North Korean leader, his top Indian-American diplomat to the US said that Pyongyang needs to take a series of steps to make that happen.

Prominent among them being stop testing missiles and nuclear weapons and be willing to talk about banning their nuclear weapons, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley was quoted as saying by ABC News in an interview on Sunday.

&quot;There is no turnaround,&quot; Haley said when asked if Trump&#39;s statement at Camp David on Saturday meant any reversal of the stated US policy with regard to talks with North Korea.

&quot;What he (Trump) has basically said is yes, there could be a time where we talk to North Korea but a lot of things have to happen before that actually takes place,&quot; Haley said.

They have to stop testing. They have to be willing to talk about banning their nuclear weapons. Those things have to happen.

&quot;What we&#39;re trying to do is make sure we don&#39;t repeat what&#39;s happened the last 25 years,&quot; she said.

&quot;Which is them start to act like they&#39;re coming to the table, them ask for a lot of money and then them cheat their way through. We&#39;re going to be smart this time. We&#39;re going to make sure that whatever happens makes the United

States safer and make sure that we de-nuclearise the peninsula,&quot; Haley said.

Haley said stop testing is very important and has to be for a significant amount of time.

&quot;And then you go and you work toward the next step. This is going to be phases. This isn&#39;t going to happen overnight as we&#39;ve seen, but it&#39;s a dangerous situation,&quot; she said.&nbsp;

A day after US President Donald Trump said he is open to talks with the North Korean leader, his top Indian-American diplomat to the US said that Pyongyang needs to take steps to make that happen

A day after US President Donald Trump said he is open to talks with the North Korean leader, his top Indian-American diplomat to the US said that Pyongyang needs to take a series of steps to make that happen. Prominent among them being stop testing missiles and nuclear weapons and be willing to talk about banning their nuclear weapons, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley was quoted as saying by ABC News in an interview on Sunday. "There is no turnaround," Haley said when asked if Trump's statement at Camp David on Saturday meant any reversal of the stated US policy with regard to talks with North Korea. "What he (Trump) has basically said is yes, there could be a time where we talk to North Korea but a lot of things have to happen before that actually takes place," Haley said. They have to stop testing. They have to be willing to talk about banning their nuclear weapons. Those things have to happen. "What we're trying to do is make sure we don't repeat what's happened the last 25 years," she said. "Which is them start to act like they're coming to the table, them ask for a lot of money and then them cheat their way through. We're going to be smart this time. We're going to make sure that whatever happens makes the United States safer and make sure that we de-nuclearise the peninsula," Haley said. Haley said stop testing is very important and has to be for a significant amount of time. "And then you go and you work toward the next step. This is going to be phases. This isn't going to happen overnight as we've seen, but it's a dangerous situation," she said.

North Korea needs to take series of steps to mend ties with US: Haley

International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach will host talks over North Korea&#39;s possible participation in the Winter Olympics, which are being staged in South Korea, in &quot;the middle of the week&quot;, a source told AFP on Sunday.

Discussions will be held at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne between IOC President Thomas Bach and Chang Ung, a member of the North Korean Olympic body, the source added.

On Saturday, Chang said the hermit state was &quot;likely to participate&quot; in the Games in Pyeongchang from February 9-25, Kyodo news agency reported.

South Korea said Saturday that they already proposed sending a five-member delegation led by a government minister to rare talks with North Korea next week, the Unification Ministry in Seoul said Saturday.

The offer came a day after the two Koreas agreed to hold their first official dialogue in more than two years to discuss the North&#39;s participation in the Winter Olympics.

The tentative rapprochement comes after the North&#39;s leader Kim Jong-Un warned in his New Year speech that he had a nuclear button on his desk, but also said Pyongyang could send a team to the Olympics.

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.

In recent months, the North 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.

Discussions will be held at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne

International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach will host talks over North Korea's possible participation in the Winter Olympics, which are being staged in South Korea, in "the middle of the week", a source told AFP on Sunday. Discussions will be held at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne between IOC President Thomas Bach and Chang Ung, a member of the North Korean Olympic body, the source added. On Saturday, Chang said the hermit state was "likely to participate" in the Games in Pyeongchang from February 9-25, Kyodo news agency reported. South Korea said Saturday that they already proposed sending a five-member delegation led by a government minister to rare talks with North Korea next week, the Unification Ministry in Seoul said Saturday. The offer came a day after the two Koreas agreed to hold their first official dialogue in more than two years to discuss the North's participation in the Winter Olympics. The tentative rapprochement comes after the North's leader Kim Jong-Un warned in his New Year speech that he had a nuclear button on his desk, but also said Pyongyang could send a team to the Olympics. The two Koreas have been separated by the world's most heavily militarised border since the Korean War ended in a stalemate in 1953. In recent months, the North 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.

IOC to host North Korea 2018 Games talks 'midweek': Sources

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

Fewer than 100 North Koreans a month defected to the South last year, Seoul said Friday, the lowest for 15 years as Pyongyang and Beijing both tighten controls on movement.

A total of 1,127 North Koreans came to the South last year, down 21 percent from 2016, according to data from the unification ministry. It was the lowest figure since 2001.

The vast majority of defectors from the impoverished North, which suffers chronic food shortages and is subject to UN Security Council sanctions over its banned nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes, go first to China.

They sometimes stay there for several years before making their way to the South, often via a third country.

Defections across the heavily guarded Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) that divides the Korean peninsula are very rare, but this year there have been four, including a dramatic dash under a hail of bullets by a Northern soldier in November.

Another soldier escaped to the South across the DMZ in December but observers said there was no evidence of a trend.

Pyongyang has been bolstering border controls since the second half of 2015, putting up more guards and setting up high-tension wires to prevent its citizens from fleeing to its giant neighbour.

&quot;On top of that, China has drastically strengthened crackdowns on North Korean escapees, repatriating them recklessly whenever they find them,&quot; Seo Jae-Pyong, an official of the Association of North Korean Defectors, said.

Many professional brokers who help arrange defectors` trips through China and Southeast Asian countries to the South have consequently gone underground, he said.

As of the end of December, more than 31,000 North Korean defectors had entered the South since 1948, when the two Koreas were officially separated into different states.

Numbers peaked at 2,914 in 2009 and have mostly declined in recent years.

Female defectors continue to account for a lion`s share, with women making up 83 per cent of last year`s defectors.

It is easier for women to leave the North, as men all have assigned jobs, making any absence easier to spot for the authorities.

Defections across the heavily guarded Demilitarised Zone that divides the Korean peninsula are very rare, but this year there have been four.

Fewer than 100 North Koreans a month defected to the South last year, Seoul said Friday, the lowest for 15 years as Pyongyang and Beijing both tighten controls on movement. A total of 1,127 North Koreans came to the South last year, down 21 percent from 2016, according to data from the unification ministry. It was the lowest figure since 2001. The vast majority of defectors from the impoverished North, which suffers chronic food shortages and is subject to UN Security Council sanctions over its banned nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes, go first to China. They sometimes stay there for several years before making their way to the South, often via a third country. Defections across the heavily guarded Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) that divides the Korean peninsula are very rare, but this year there have been four, including a dramatic dash under a hail of bullets by a Northern soldier in November. Another soldier escaped to the South across the DMZ in December but observers said there was no evidence of a trend. Pyongyang has been bolstering border controls since the second half of 2015, putting up more guards and setting up high-tension wires to prevent its citizens from fleeing to its giant neighbour. "On top of that, China has drastically strengthened crackdowns on North Korean escapees, repatriating them recklessly whenever they find them," Seo Jae-Pyong, an official of the Association of North Korean Defectors, said. Many professional brokers who help arrange defectors` trips through China and Southeast Asian countries to the South have consequently gone underground, he said. As of the end of December, more than 31,000 North Korean defectors had entered the South since 1948, when the two Koreas were officially separated into different states. Numbers peaked at 2,914 in 2009 and have mostly declined in recent years. Female defectors continue to account for a lion`s share, with women making up 83 per cent of last year`s defectors. It is easier for women to leave the North, as men all have assigned jobs, making any absence easier to spot for the authorities.

North Korean defector numbers slump as controls tighten

Is there really a red button on the desks of leaders which they can press to trigger off a nuclear strike?

In the United States, the so-called red button is a real metal briefcase.The military aid accompanying the president always carries this metal briefcase.&nbsp;

The briefcase and its cover weighing about 20 kg are also known as the Atomic Football, the Black Box or even the &quot;Button&quot;.

It consists of four items which include two books, a folder and a small card.&nbsp;

One of the books is black in colour and lists the options open to the launching country for retaliation.&nbsp;

The other book lists out site locations of where the President can be whisked away to safety.

A small folder contains a description of procedures for the emergency alert system, while the card includes the authentication codes on it.&nbsp;

To launch a strike the President will first decide on which weapons are to be launched.&nbsp;Next, his order will be verified by the secretary of the defence. Then, the president has to identify himself to the joint chiefs of staff through his personal code. It is only after all these steps that nuclear weapon would be launched.&nbsp;

Procedures vary slightly in different countries but there you have it. It is not as easy as President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un seem to make it believable.&nbsp;

&nbsp;In short, the red button does not exist.

To launch a strike the President will first decide on which weapons are to be launched

Is there really a red button on the desks of leaders which they can press to trigger off a nuclear strike? In the United States, the so-called red button is a real metal briefcase.The military aid accompanying the president always carries this metal briefcase. The briefcase and its cover weighing about 20 kg are also known as the Atomic Football, the Black Box or even the "Button". It consists of four items which include two books, a folder and a small card. One of the books is black in colour and lists the options open to the launching country for retaliation. The other book lists out site locations of where the President can be whisked away to safety. A small folder contains a description of procedures for the emergency alert system, while the card includes the authentication codes on it. To launch a strike the President will first decide on which weapons are to be launched. Next, his order will be verified by the secretary of the defence. Then, the president has to identify himself to the joint chiefs of staff through his personal code. It is only after all these steps that nuclear weapon would be launched. Procedures vary slightly in different countries but there you have it. It is not as easy as President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un seem to make it believable. In short, the red button does not exist.

Can US, North Korea 'trigger' nuclear strike?

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

The security situation facing Japan is the most perilous since World War Two because of North Korea&#39;s &quot;unacceptable&quot; provocations, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Thursday and he vowed to bolster defences to protect the Japanese people.

Tension in the region has been rising, particularly since North Korea conducted its sixth and largest nuclear test in September, and then in November, said it had successfully tested a new intercontinental ballistic missile that could reach all of the US&nbsp;mainland.

&quot;It is not an exaggeration to say that the security environment surrounding Japan is at its severest since World War Two. I will protect the people&#39;s lives and peaceful living in any situation,&quot; Abe told a New Year news conference.

Abe said Japan would take new steps to strengthen its defence posture but he did not go to specifics.

The government approved a record military budget last month, with defence outlays due to rise for a sixth year, increasing by 1.3 per cent to 5.19 trillion yen ($46 billion), with the biggest item 137 billion yen in reinforcing defences against North Korean ballistic missiles.

The US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said this week the United States was hearing reports that North Korea might be preparing to fire another missile, and she warned it not to.

&quot;It is absolutely unacceptable that North Korea is trampling the strong desire of Japan and the rest of the international community for peaceful resolutions and continuing with its provocative behaviour,&quot; Abe said.

Abe has said he wants to amend Japan&#39;s pacifist constitution with the aim of loosening constraints on the military, although the public is divided over changes to the charter imposed after Japan&#39;s World War Two defeat.

War-renouncing Article 9 of the constitution, if read literally, bans the existence of standing armed forces, but has long been interpreted to allow a military for exclusively defensive purposes.

Abe said he wanted more debate on the issue. &quot;I would like this to be a year in which public debate over a constitutional revision will be deepened further,&quot; he said.

Abe&#39;s Liberal Democratic Party-led coalition retained its two-thirds &quot;super majority&quot; in parliament&#39;s lower house in an October 22 election, re-energising his push to revise the constitution.

Tension in the region has been rising, particularly since North Korea conducted its sixth and largest nuclear test in September, and then in November, said it had successfully tested a new intercontinental ballistic missile that could reach all of the US?mainland

The security situation facing Japan is the most perilous since World War Two because of North Korea's "unacceptable" provocations, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Thursday and he vowed to bolster defences to protect the Japanese people. Tension in the region has been rising, particularly since North Korea conducted its sixth and largest nuclear test in September, and then in November, said it had successfully tested a new intercontinental ballistic missile that could reach all of the US mainland. "It is not an exaggeration to say that the security environment surrounding Japan is at its severest since World War Two. I will protect the people's lives and peaceful living in any situation," Abe told a New Year news conference. Abe said Japan would take new steps to strengthen its defence posture but he did not go to specifics. The government approved a record military budget last month, with defence outlays due to rise for a sixth year, increasing by 1.3 per cent to 5.19 trillion yen ($46 billion), with the biggest item 137 billion yen in reinforcing defences against North Korean ballistic missiles. The US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said this week the United States was hearing reports that North Korea might be preparing to fire another missile, and she warned it not to. "It is absolutely unacceptable that North Korea is trampling the strong desire of Japan and the rest of the international community for peaceful resolutions and continuing with its provocative behaviour," Abe said. Abe has said he wants to amend Japan's pacifist constitution with the aim of loosening constraints on the military, although the public is divided over changes to the charter imposed after Japan's World War Two defeat. War-renouncing Article 9 of the constitution, if read literally, bans the existence of standing armed forces, but has long been interpreted to allow a military for exclusively defensive purposes. Abe said he wanted more debate on the issue. "I would like this to be a year in which public debate over a constitutional revision will be deepened further," he said. Abe's Liberal Democratic Party-led coalition retained its two-thirds "super majority" in parliament's lower house in an October 22 election, re-energising his push to revise the constitution.

Japan faces greatest danger since World War due to North Korea: PM Shinzo Abe

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday praised North Korea for its tough anti-US agenda.

News agency ANI quoted as the CM saying that North Korea refused to bow to pressure imposed on it by the US.

The Kerala CM was speaking at the CPM Kozhikode&#39;s district committee meeting.&nbsp;

&quot;North Korea has been following tough anti-USA agenda. North Korea has successfully defended the pressure imposed by the US&quot; said Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at CPM Kozhikode district committee meeting&nbsp;

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&quot;North Korea has been following tough anti USA agenda. North Korea has successfully defended the pressure imposed by US&quot; said Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at CPM Kozhikode district committee meeting (02.01.18) <a href="https://t.co/6sj47sEefF">pic.twitter.com/6sj47sEefF</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/948791638888931328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 4, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The US and North Korea share a turbulent relationship since Donald Trump became the president of the US. Despite several threats from Washington, Pyongyang refused to back down from nuclear weapons programme. Despite Washington&#39;s opposition, North Korea has conducted more than 20 missile launches since US President Donald Trump came to power in January last year.

On several occasions, North Korea has reacted strongly to Trump&#39;s pressure tactics and refused to bow to Trump&#39;s pressure tactics.&nbsp;

Last week, Kim in his annual New Year&#39;s Day address had warned Washington that his nuclear launch button was &quot;always on my table&quot;.

In his response to North Korean leader&#39;s statement, Trump said that he to have a nuclear button - much bigger and more powerful.

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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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&#39;&#39;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,&#39;&#39; Trump tweeted.&nbsp;

On several occasions, North Korea has reacted strongly to Trump's pressure tactics and refused to bow to Trump's pressure tactics.?

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday praised North Korea for its tough anti-US agenda. News agency ANI quoted as the CM saying that North Korea refused to bow to pressure imposed on it by the US. The Kerala CM was speaking at the CPM Kozhikode's district committee meeting. "North Korea has been following tough anti-USA agenda. North Korea has successfully defended the pressure imposed by the US" said Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at CPM Kozhikode district committee meeting "North Korea has been following tough anti USA agenda. North Korea has successfully defended the pressure imposed by US" said Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at CPM Kozhikode district committee meeting (02.01.18) pic.twitter.com/6sj47sEefF — ANI (@ANI) January 4, 2018 × The US and North Korea share a turbulent relationship since Donald Trump became the president of the US. Despite several threats from Washington, Pyongyang refused to back down from nuclear weapons programme. Despite Washington's opposition, North Korea has conducted more than 20 missile launches since US President Donald Trump came to power in January last year. On several occasions, North Korea has reacted strongly to Trump's pressure tactics and refused to bow to Trump's pressure tactics. Last week, Kim in his annual New Year's Day address had warned Washington that his nuclear launch button was "always on my table". In his response to North Korean leader's statement, Trump said that he to have a nuclear button - 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 × ''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,'' Trump tweeted.

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan lauds North Korea's 'tough' anti-US stance

As North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warmed up to South Korea proposing to send his national team for the Winter Olympics in Seoul, President Trump said today it was possible because he was firm and strong in dealing with Kim.

South Korea on Tuesday announced it was open for dialogue at a border village raising hopes of peace in the Korean peninsula.

President Trump in an early morning tweet said with all of the &quot;failed &ldquo;experts weighing in, talks and dialogue between North and South Korea wouldn&#39;t have been possible if he wasn&#39;t firm and willing to commit total &quot;might&quot; against North Korea.

&quot;Fools, but talks are a good thing!,&quot; the president tweeted.

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With all of the failed &ldquo;experts&rdquo; weighing in, does anybody really believe that talks and dialogue would be going on between North and South Korea right now if I wasn&rsquo;t firm, strong and willing to commit our total &ldquo;might&rdquo; against the North. Fools, but talks are a good thing!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/948879774277128197?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 4, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The US military meanwhile which has been conducting joint drills with Japan and South Korea for the past several months moved with cautioned over the olive branch handed by Kim.

Chief of United States Forces Korea (USFK), Vincent Brooks told the Yonhap news agency: &quot;We must keep our expectations at the appropriate level.&quot;

&quot;We can&#39;t ignore that reality,&quot; he said, adding it was important for the United States and South Korea to maintain an &quot;ironclad and razor sharp&quot; alliance.

Brooks said the peace overture could be a strategy by North Korea&nbsp;to divide the United States, South Korea, China, Japan and Russia to reach its goal of being accepted as a &quot;nuclear capable&quot; nation.

&nbsp;US officials feel Kim might be trying to &quot;to drive a wedge&quot; between the US and South Korea, Reuters reported.

Meanwhile, President Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-In have decided to delay military exercises until after the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang next month, Moon&#39;s office said on &nbsp;Thursday.

&quot;The two leaders agreed that the US-South Korea joint military exercises will not be carried out during the Olympics period, and the armed forces of the two countries should do their best to guarantee the safety of the Olympics,&quot; a statement said.

&nbsp;

South Korea on Tuesday announced it was open for dialogue at a border village raising hopes of peace in the Korean peninsula.

As North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warmed up to South Korea proposing to send his national team for the Winter Olympics in Seoul, President Trump said today it was possible because he was firm and strong in dealing with Kim. South Korea on Tuesday announced it was open for dialogue at a border village raising hopes of peace in the Korean peninsula. President Trump in an early morning tweet said with all of the "failed “experts weighing in, talks and dialogue between North and South Korea wouldn't have been possible if he wasn't firm and willing to commit total "might" against North Korea. "Fools, but talks are a good thing!," the president tweeted. With all of the failed “experts” weighing in, does anybody really believe that talks and dialogue would be going on between North and South Korea right now if I wasn’t firm, strong and willing to commit our total “might” against the North. Fools, but talks are a good thing! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2018 × The US military meanwhile which has been conducting joint drills with Japan and South Korea for the past several months moved with cautioned over the olive branch handed by Kim. Chief of United States Forces Korea (USFK), Vincent Brooks told the Yonhap news agency: "We must keep our expectations at the appropriate level." "We can't ignore that reality," he said, adding it was important for the United States and South Korea to maintain an "ironclad and razor sharp" alliance. Brooks said the peace overture could be a strategy by North Korea to divide the United States, South Korea, China, Japan and Russia to reach its goal of being accepted as a "nuclear capable" nation. US officials feel Kim might be trying to "to drive a wedge" between the US and South Korea, Reuters reported. Meanwhile, President Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-In have decided to delay military exercises until after the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang next month, Moon's office said on Thursday. "The two leaders agreed that the US-South Korea joint military exercises will not be carried out during the Olympics period, and the armed forces of the two countries should do their best to guarantee the safety of the Olympics," a statement said.

Dialogue between North and South Korea wasn't possible if I was not firm: Trump

South Korea Tuesday proposed high-level talks with Pyongyang on January 9, after the North&#39;s leader Kim Jong-Un called for better relations and said his country might attend the Winter Olympics in the South.

Kim used his annual New Year address to warn he has a &quot;nuclear button&quot; on his table, but sweetened his remarks by expressing an interest in dialogue and taking part in the Pyeongchang Games next month.

South Korea&#39;s unification minister Cho Myoung-Gyon told a press conference that Seoul was &quot;reiterating our willingness to hold talks with the North at any time and place in any form&quot;.

&quot;The government proposes to hold high-level government talks with North Korea on January 9 at the Peace House in Panmunjom,&quot; Cho said, referring to a truce village on the border between the two Koreas.

&quot;We hope that the South and North can sit face to face and discuss the participation of the North Korean delegation at the Pyeongchang Games as well as other issues of mutual interest for the improvement of inter-Korean ties.&quot;

The news comes after North Korea has rattled the international community in recent months with multiple missile launches and its sixth and most powerful nuclear test -- purportedly of a hydrogen bomb.

It has shrugged off a raft of new sanctions and heightened rhetoric from Washington as it drives forward with its weapons programme, which it says is for defence against US aggression.&nbsp; 
But US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that sanctions and other pressure were beginning to have a &quot;big impact&quot; on the North, citing leader Kim Jong-Un&#39;s offer of talks with the South.

&quot;Perhaps that is good news, perhaps not -- we will see!&quot; he said on his Twitter account.

The Koreas, divided by a Demilitarised Zone since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, last held high-level talks in 2015 to try to ease tensions.

Those talks failed to reach an agreement.

&quot;Just the fact that they are meeting will be meaningful because it signals an attempt on both sides to improve relations,&quot; said Koh Yu-Hwan, a political science professor at Dongguk University.

But once they sit down, the North could put Seoul in a difficult position by making unacceptable demands such as an end to its annual joint military drills with the United States, Koh added.

&quot;What North Korea is trying to do is re-establish its relations as a nuclear state (with Seoul). The South&#39;s dilemma is whether we can accept that.&quot;

South Korean President Moon Jae-In, who has long favoured engagement to ease tensions with the North, earlier Tuesday welcomed Kim&#39;s suggestion of an opportunity for dialogue.

However, he indicated that improvements in ties must go hand in hand with steps towards denuclearisation of the North.

&#39;Positive response&#39;&nbsp;

Kim&#39;s comments on Monday were the first indication of North Korea&#39;s willingness to take part in the Winter Games from February 9-25.

Moon called them a &quot;positive response&quot; to Seoul&#39;s hopes that the Pyeongchang Olympics would be a &quot;groundbreaking opportunity for peace&quot; and urged officials to come up with measures to realise the North&#39;s participation.

Beijing, Pyongyang&#39;s main ally, welcomed developments.

&quot;We support the two sides in taking advantage of this opportunity to make concrete efforts to improve bilateral ties... and realise the denuclearisation of the peninsula,&quot; said Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang.

Washington considers China key to a resolution of the crisis and has asked Beijing to do more to rein in Pyongyang.

While China has supported UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea, it has proposed a freeze-for-freeze approach under which the US would stop military drills in South Korea and the North would halt its weapons programmes.

But the idea has been rejected by Washington and Seoul, and Pyongyang insists it will continue its nuclear and missile projects.

&#39;Same blood&#39;

In his speech Monday the North&#39;s leader said the Olympics could provide a reason for officials from the neighbours &quot;to meet in the near future&quot;.

&quot;Since we are compatriots of the same blood as South Koreans, it is natural for us to share their pleasure over the auspicious event and help them,&quot; Kim said in his address.

The main venues for the Games are just 80 kilometres (50 miles) from the heavily fortified border with North Korea and the build-up to the event has been overshadowed by the nuclear weapons standoff.

But Seoul and the Games&#39; organisers are keen for the North to take part, and analysts say its participation at Pyeongchang is likely given Kim&#39;s remarks about sending a delegation there.

&nbsp;

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South Korea Tuesday proposed high-level talks with Pyongyang on January 9, after the North's leader Kim Jong-Un called for better relations and said his country might attend the Winter Olympics in the South

South Korea Tuesday proposed high-level talks with Pyongyang on January 9, after the North's leader Kim Jong-Un called for better relations and said his country might attend the Winter Olympics in the South. Kim used his annual New Year address to warn he has a "nuclear button" on his table, but sweetened his remarks by expressing an interest in dialogue and taking part in the Pyeongchang Games next month. South Korea's unification minister Cho Myoung-Gyon told a press conference that Seoul was "reiterating our willingness to hold talks with the North at any time and place in any form". "The government proposes to hold high-level government talks with North Korea on January 9 at the Peace House in Panmunjom," Cho said, referring to a truce village on the border between the two Koreas. "We hope that the South and North can sit face to face and discuss the participation of the North Korean delegation at the Pyeongchang Games as well as other issues of mutual interest for the improvement of inter-Korean ties." The news comes after North Korea has rattled the international community in recent months with multiple missile launches and its sixth and most powerful nuclear test -- purportedly of a hydrogen bomb. It has shrugged off a raft of new sanctions and heightened rhetoric from Washington as it drives forward with its weapons programme, which it says is for defence against US aggression. But US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that sanctions and other pressure were beginning to have a "big impact" on the North, citing leader Kim Jong-Un's offer of talks with the South. "Perhaps that is good news, perhaps not -- we will see!" he said on his Twitter account. The Koreas, divided by a Demilitarised Zone since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, last held high-level talks in 2015 to try to ease tensions. Those talks failed to reach an agreement. "Just the fact that they are meeting will be meaningful because it signals an attempt on both sides to improve relations," said Koh Yu-Hwan, a political science professor at Dongguk University. But once they sit down, the North could put Seoul in a difficult position by making unacceptable demands such as an end to its annual joint military drills with the United States, Koh added. "What North Korea is trying to do is re-establish its relations as a nuclear state (with Seoul). The South's dilemma is whether we can accept that." South Korean President Moon Jae-In, who has long favoured engagement to ease tensions with the North, earlier Tuesday welcomed Kim's suggestion of an opportunity for dialogue. However, he indicated that improvements in ties must go hand in hand with steps towards denuclearisation of the North. 'Positive response' Kim's comments on Monday were the first indication of North Korea's willingness to take part in the Winter Games from February 9-25. Moon called them a "positive response" to Seoul's hopes that the Pyeongchang Olympics would be a "groundbreaking opportunity for peace" and urged officials to come up with measures to realise the North's participation. Beijing, Pyongyang's main ally, welcomed developments. "We support the two sides in taking advantage of this opportunity to make concrete efforts to improve bilateral ties... and realise the denuclearisation of the peninsula," said Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang. Washington considers China key to a resolution of the crisis and has asked Beijing to do more to rein in Pyongyang. While China has supported UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea, it has proposed a freeze-for-freeze approach under which the US would stop military drills in South Korea and the North would halt its weapons programmes. But the idea has been rejected by Washington and Seoul, and Pyongyang insists it will continue its nuclear and missile projects. 'Same blood' In his speech Monday the North's leader said the Olympics could provide a reason for officials from the neighbours "to meet in the near future". "Since we are compatriots of the same blood as South Koreans, it is natural for us to share their pleasure over the auspicious event and help them," Kim said in his address. The main venues for the Games are just 80 kilometres (50 miles) from the heavily fortified border with North Korea and the build-up to the event has been overshadowed by the nuclear weapons standoff. But Seoul and the Games' organisers are keen for the North to take part, and analysts say its participation at Pyeongchang is likely given Kim's remarks about sending a delegation there.

South Korea proposes high-level talks with North Korea on January 9

US President <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/north-koreas-kim-says-open-to-dialogue-with-south-korea-will-only-use-nukes-if-threatened-28277">Donald Trump said today that </a>sanctions and &quot;other pressures&quot; are beginning to have a big impact on North Korea as Kim Jong Un offered an olive branch to South Korea.

Trump&#39;s latest observation on North Korea comes even as Kim Jong Un said he was &quot;open to dialogue&quot; with South Korea.&nbsp;

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Sanctions and &ldquo;other&rdquo; pressures are beginning to have a big impact on North Korea. Soldiers are dangerously fleeing to South Korea. Rocket man now wants to talk to South Korea for first time. Perhaps that is good news, perhaps not - we will see!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/948194400114487296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2018</a></blockquote>
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In a televised address to the nation on New Years Day, North Korean leader&nbsp;Kim Jong Un said his country was &quot;a peace-loving and responsible nuclear power&quot; while calling for improved ties with South Korea.

&quot;When it comes to North-South relations, we should lower the military tensions on the Korean Peninsula to create a peaceful environment,&quot; Kim said, adding that &quot;both North and South should make efforts.&quot;

Kim also said he may consider sending a delegation to the Winter Olympics Games to be held in South Korea next month.

&quot;North Korea&#39;s participation in the Winter Games will be a good opportunity to showcase the national pride and we wish the Games will be a success. Officials from the two Koreas may urgently meet to discuss the possibility,&quot; Kim said.

Lee Hee- beom, president of the Pyeongchang Organizing Committee, said the organisation welcomed North Korean participation.

In a televised address to the nation, North Korean leader?Kim Jong Un said his country was "a peace-loving and responsible nuclear power"

US President Donald Trump said today that sanctions and "other pressures" are beginning to have a big impact on North Korea as Kim Jong Un offered an olive branch to South Korea. Trump's latest observation on North Korea comes even as Kim Jong Un said he was "open to dialogue" with South Korea. Sanctions and “other” pressures are beginning to have a big impact on North Korea. Soldiers are dangerously fleeing to South Korea. Rocket man now wants to talk to South Korea for first time. Perhaps that is good news, perhaps not - we will see! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 × In a televised address to the nation on New Years Day, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country was "a peace-loving and responsible nuclear power" while calling for improved ties with South Korea. "When it comes to North-South relations, we should lower the military tensions on the Korean Peninsula to create a peaceful environment," Kim said, adding that "both North and South should make efforts." Kim also said he may consider sending a delegation to the Winter Olympics Games to be held in South Korea next month. "North Korea's participation in the Winter Games will be a good opportunity to showcase the national pride and we wish the Games will be a success. Officials from the two Koreas may urgently meet to discuss the possibility," Kim said. Lee Hee- beom, president of the Pyeongchang Organizing Committee, said the organisation welcomed North Korean participation.

Sanctions beginning to have big impact on North Korea: Trump

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