NorthKorea

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  S. Korean spy agency reports outbreak of pig disease across N. Korea SEOUL -- African swine fever appeared to have spread considerably across North Korea, with pigs in a northern province bordering China probably being wiped out by the deadly and highly contagious animal virus due to poor quarantine, South Korea's spy agency said. Since North Korea informed the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) in May that it detected the first case of African swine fever (ASF), there were signs of the virus spreading considerably through t 2019-09-24
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  Trump says meeting with Kim may 'happen soon': Yonhap WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump said that another meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may happen soon, although likely after there has been progress in working-level denuclearization negotiations. Arriving at the United Nations headquarters in New York to attend the U.N. General Assembly, Trump was asked by a reporter when he plans to meet with Kim. "It could happen soon," he replied. Later Trump added a caveat at the start of a meeting 2019-09-24
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  Trump says it's not right time to visit Pyongyang: Yonhap WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump said it is not the right time to visit Pyongyang after a newspaper reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un invited him for what would be their third summit. Trump said last week that he expected to meet Kim again "at some point" this year. The South Korean newspaper JoongAng Ilbo reported Monday that Kim invited Trump to Pyongyang in a letter sent in August. "I don't want to comment on tha 2019-09-17
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  N. Korea fires short-range projectiles after overnight peace overture SEOUL -- North Korea fired two short-range projectiles from an inland area north of its capital hours after a senior foreign ministry official announced Pyongyang's willingness to resume dialogue this month and urged Washington to come up with a new acceptable proposal for progress in stalled denuclearization talks. The projectiles, launched eastward from an area in Kaechon, South Pyongan province, flew up to 330 kilometers, the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff ( 2019-09-10
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  Trump says meetings are good thing after N.K. offers nuke talks: Yonhap WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump said that meetings are a good thing and he'll see what happens, after North Korea proposed denuclearization talks this month. Trump made the comment to reporters at the White House shortly after North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui made the offer in a statement carried by the country's official media. Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed to resume denuclearization talks within several w 2019-09-10
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  Nuclear watchdog finds no unusual uranium concentration from seawater near inter-Korean maritime border SEOUL -- South Korea's state nuclear safety body dispelled concerns about water pollution or a recurring spillage of waste tailings from North Korea's uranium mine, saying it has discovered nothing "unique" from seawater collected from near the inter-Korean maritime border for environmental sampling. North Korea has a uranium mine and a refining plant in Pyongsan County in North Hwanghae. The plant is located near Ryesong River which empties into 2019-09-02
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  U.S. experts cast doubt on early deployment of N. Korean ballistic missile submarine SEOUL -- U.S. experts believe the actual use of North Korea's ballistic missile submarine takes time after acceptance trials and a shake-down cruise for more than a year, even though Pyongyang claimed its operational deployment is "near at hand." Pyongyang's state media released pictures on July 23 that showed leader Kim Jong-un inspecting a new submarine at an unspecified location. South Korea's defense ministry said that North Korea appears t 2019-08-29
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  Seoul concerned little about possible radioactive leakage from N. Korean uranium mine SEOUL -- South Korea has collected seawater from near the inter-Korean maritime border for environmental sampling, but there appear to be little concerns about water pollution or a recurring spillage of waste tailings from North Korea's uranium mine. North Korea has a uranium mine and a refining plant in Pyongsan County in North Hwanghae province, the South's unification ministry told reporters Wednesday, adding that seawater near the inter-Korean maritime 2019-08-28
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  Trump again touts N. Korea's economic potential: Yonhap WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump again touted North Korea's "tremendous" economic potential, seemingly urging the regime to return to denuclearization talks. The negotiations have yet to resume despite Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's agreement to do so within several weeks after their impromptu meeting on the inter-Korean border on June 30. "I think that North Korea has tremendous economic potential, and I think th 2019-08-27
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  Biegun says will not take up ambassadorship in Russia: Yonhap Yonhap News Photo SEOUL -- U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun on Wednesday rejected media speculation about his possible ambassadorship in Russia, pledging to "remain focused" on making progress in nuclear talks with North Korea. Biegun made the remarks after his talks with South Korean counterpart Lee Do-hoon in Seoul, amid growing expectations that Washington and Pyongyang would resume their working-level negotiations on the North's nuclear d 2019-08-21
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  Pyongyang fires two projectiles into the sea , SEOUL -- North Korea has fired two short-range projectiles into the sea, 10 days after it launched two projectiles on August 6, shortly after Pyongyang warned Seoul that North Korea could end dialogue with South Korea in protest against an ongoing South Korea-U.S. joint military exercise. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement on Friday that two projectiles were fired around 8:01 a.m. (2301 GMT) and 8:16 a.m. from North's eastern coastal county of Tong 2019-08-16
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  Expert characterizes Pyongyang's new multiple-launch guided rocket system as ballistic missile system SEOUL -- Through its recent test launch, North Korea appeared to have unveiled a new multiple-launch guided rocket system with a range of at least 250 kilometers (155 miles) that should be characterized as a ballistic missile system, a U.S.-based expert said. North Korea announced the launches on July 31 and August 2 of a "newly-developed large-caliber multiple-launch guided rocket system" that triggered conflicting assessment in South Korea. "North 2019-08-07
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  Pyongyang warns of 'new road' after firing short-range projectiles again SEOUL -- In a sign of discontent, North Korea launched short-range projectiles again into the sea, warning the nuclear-armed country could ditch peace agreement and seek a "new road" unless South Korea and the United States stop hostile military moves such as a joint military exercise that kicked off this week with no publicity. Two projectiles were launched from a place in Kwail County, South Hwanghae province, at 5:24 a.m. (2024 GMT) and 12 minutes later, 2019-08-06
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  N. Korea continues low-level provocations with short-range projectiles A file picture on North Korea's missile launch. SEOUL -- North Korea fired unidentified short-range projectiles into the sea again off its east coast as South Korea and the United States revealed a gap in assessing the gravity of what appeared to be calculated low-level provocations ahead of crucial denuclearization talks. The projectiles were fired at 2:59 a.m. and 3:23 a.m. Friday from a coastal area in Yonghung, South Hamgyong Province, the South's Jo 2019-08-02
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  Trump plays down significance of N. Korea's missile launch: Yonhap WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump said that North Korea hasn't tested missiles other than "smaller ones," in an apparent attempt to keep dialogue with the North alive despite its recent test-firing of short-range ballistic missiles. Trump made the remark in an interview with Fox News a day after the North fired two short-range ballistic missiles, insisting that he gets along "very well" with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. "Th 2019-07-26
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  N. Korean economy suffers 4.1 percent setback in 2018 due to sanctions SEOUL -- North Korea's economy suffered a 4.1 percent setback in 2018 after a contraction of 3.5 percent a year earlier due to a combination of strengthened international sanctions and unfavorable weather, South Korea's central bank data showed. It was the worst performance since 1997 when the North's economy shrank 6.5 percent. The Bank of Korea (BOK) gave no explanation in reporting the second consecutive year of contraction in the North's gross dome 2019-07-26
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  N. Korean leader issues stern warning to S. Korean president while watching missile launch SEOUL -- In a strong warning which was issued during his field trip to guide a missile launch, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un urged South Korean President Moon Jae-in to stop "suicidal act" by introducing "ultra-modern offensive" weapons and holding joint military exercises with the United States. Kim "personally organized and guided the fire of the new-type tactical guided weapon as part of the power demonstration to send a solemn warning to 2019-07-26
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  North Korea launches 2 short-range missiles into sea SEOUL -- North Korea fired two short-range missiles into the sea Thursday, about one month after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and the United States' President Donald Trump agreed to hold working-level talks when the two leaders met at the truce village of Panmunjom on June 30. The first short-range missile launched from a base near the northeastern port of Wonsan flew some 430 kilometers (267 miles) and the second one flew 690 kilometers. Both missiles flew a 2019-07-25
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  Pyongyang's state media highlights 'historic' meeting between Kim and Trump SEOUL -- Pyongyang's state media highlighted a "historic" rendezvous between U.S. and North Korean leaders in the truce village of Panmunjom, saying they agreed to resume stalled denuclearization talks. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump had "a historic meeting just before the demarcation line at Panmunjom amid the worldwide attention," the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Mon 2019-07-01
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  Xi says N. Korea's denuclearization will unchanged: Yonhap OSAKA, Japan -- Chinese President Xi Jinping told South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's commitment to denuclearization and reconciliation with South Korea remains unchanged, according to Cheong Wa Dae. Xi briefed Moon on the results of his visit to Pyongyang last week as they met each other in Osaka, Japan, one day before the opening of the Group of 20 summit. Kim is hoping for an "improvement in external co 2019-06-28