North Korea has executed five diplomats who handled U.S. relations since the collapse of the February summit with U.S. President Trump, according to the South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo (Korea Times)
It reported that Kim Hyok-chol, North Korea’s nuclear envoy to the United States, was among those executed (Reuters)
UN Report Details Dire Economic and Rights Situation in North Korea
UN experts reported that North Koreans are facing arbitrary arrests and detention as they turn to a “legally precarious parallel economy” and bribe officials to meet their basic needs (OHCHR)
North Korea Faces Severe Drought
Many of the country’s rivers have dried up and grain production has significantly dropped, according to a U.S.-based nonprofit that recently visited the country (Korea Times)
Rainfall so far this year is at its lowest level since 1982, according to state media (New York Times)
North Korea Demands Return of Seized Cargo Ship
Pyongyang called for Washington to immediately return a North Korean cargo ship seized on suspicion it was used to violate sanctions. It said holding the vessel represents an “outright denial” of the spirit of last year’s U.S.-North Korea summit (Yonhap)
U.S. Seizes North Korean Cargo Ship
The Justice Department said the ship was in violation of sanctions and was being moved to American Samoa (Korea Times)
The ship, which was carrying coal, was first detained by Indonesia in April 2018. Its twenty-five crew members are reportedly back in North Korea (Associated Press)
North Korea Launches Two More Missiles
Pyongyang launched two short-range missiles from the country’s northwest today, according to the South Korean military (New York Times)
The launch coincides with a visit to Seoul by U.S. envoy to North Korea Stephen Biegun (Yonhap)
U.S. Downplays North Korean Weapons Test
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that short-range missile tests by Pyongyang over the Sea of Japan on Saturday “won’t get in the way” of Washington reaching an agreement to end North Korea’s nuclear weapons program (Voice of America)
South Korea Advocates for North Korean Defectors
Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said Seoul is “mobilizing all our diplomatic resources” to ensure the safety of seven North Koreans, including a nine-year-old girl, who were detained after escaping to China last month. Beijing views North Korean refugees as economic migrants and often returns them to North Korea (Voice of America)
Bolton: United States Ignored $2 Million Payment to North Korea
U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton said the United States signed an agreement to pay a bill from North Korea for $2 million for the medical care of American detainee Otto Warmbier but that ultimately “nobody was paid” (Voice of America)
North Korea Reportedly Billed U.S. for Detainee’s Treatment
North Korea insisted the United States pay a $2 million bill for medical care for University of Virginia student Otto Warmbier before he was returned to the United States in a coma in 2017, according to a new report. Warmbier died soon after he was released. It is unclear if the Trump administration ever paid the bill (Washington Post)
Kim and Putin Meet in Russia
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin met for their first-ever summit in the eastern city of Vladivostok today (Korea Times)
The two leaders did not immediately announce any agreements, though they struck a friendly tone and vowed to strengthen bilateral ties (Guardian)
Pentagon: Pyongyang Weapon Test Not a Ballistic Missile
Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan did not detail U.S. intelligence into the type of weapon tested by North Korea late Wednesday night, but said that “what’s important is it wasn’t ballistic” (The Hill)
Meanwhile, the Kremlin announced yesterday that President Vladimir Putin will meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for the first time in late April in Russia (Agence France-Presse)
North Korea Announces Missile Test
Amid demands for the removal of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo from nuclear negotiations, North Korea boasted that it tested a tactical guide weapon capable of carrying a “powerful warhead.” Although the weapon did not appear to be a long-range ballistic missile, the test was North Korea’s first such provocation since a February summit with U.S. President Donald J. Trump (Associated Press)
President Moon Jae-in Calls for a Fourth Summit With North Korea
South Korean President Moon Jae-in announced his readiness to engage in a fourth summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to discuss ways to achieve progress between the two nations (Time)
Moon Pushes Trump on North Korea Relief
In a meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the White House yesterday, President Donald J. Trump said he is open to supporting a more limited deal on nuclear disarmament in North Korea, in reference to Seoul’s preference for an incremental approach to negotiations (Korea Times)
Trump signalled that he would support some sanctions relief for the North, to provide for humanitarian assistance such as food aid, after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with UN agencies to explore relief options. On nuclear disarmament, Trump said there are “various smaller deals that maybe could happen,” but he stressed that economic sanctions on the North would remain (Foreign Policy)
UN Food Agency Calls for North Korea Aid
The head of the World Food Program said he is aware of U.S. concerns that aid to North Korea could help Kim Jong-un’s regime but that innocent children should not “suffer because of politics.” Flooding and a heat wave last year damaged the country’s food supply (Guardian)
U.S. General Lists Challenges With Anticipating North Korea Attack
Commander of U.S. Forces Korea Robert Abrams warned that the United States lacks sufficient intelligence and military capabilities needed to foresee a potential North Korean attack, and said that despite recent developments North Korean activity observed by the United States is “inconsistent with denuclearization” (CNN)
North Korea Returns Staff to Its Inter-Korean Liaison Office
South Korean officials reported that North Korea returned its staff to an inter-Korean liaison office after U.S. President Donald J. Trump decided not to impose additional sanctions on the North (Reuters)
North Korean Official Warns of End to U.S. Talks
The deputy foreign minister said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will soon decide whether to continue denuclearization talks with the United States and maintain a halt on missile and nuclear tests. Her comments are Pyongyang’s first official response following the collapse of a summit between the countries’ leaders in Hanoi last month (New York Times)
UN Probes North Korea Sanctions Violations
In a new report to the Security Council, UN experts said they are investigating possible violations of sanctions on North Korea by about twenty countries, including prohibited military and arms exchanges with Syria and nuclear procurement from China (Associated Press)
North Korea Reportedly Rebuilding Launch Site
New satellite imagery shows that North Korea has begun reconstruction at its Tongchang-ri site, which it has used to test rocket engines and carry out satellite launches. The work is believed to have been done sometime between mid-February and March 2; South Korean intelligence officials reportedly told lawmakers yesterday that the rebuilding began before the U.S.-North Korea summit in Hanoi (New York Times)
North Korean Hackers Continued Attacks During Trump-Kim Summit
McAfee researchers reported that North Korean hackers continued to target American and European businesses while U.S. President Donald J. Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met in Hanoi last week for a second summit (New York Times)
North Korea Disputes U.S. Account of Summit Collapse
Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho said that North Korea demanded only partial sanctions relief in exchange for shutting down its main nuclear complex, contradicting President Donald J. Trump’s account that leader Kim Jong-un asked for all international sanctions to be lifted (Korea Times)
North Korean state media reported that Washington and Pyongyang agreed to hold further dialogue (Korea Times)
Trump, Kim End Hanoi Summit Early
A second summit between U.S. President Donald J. Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un collapsed over disagreements about sanctions relief for Pyongyang. Trump reported that Kim sought the lifting of all international sanctions without agreeing to dismantle all of the country’s nuclear sites (New York Times)
Second Trump-Kim Summit Underway in Vietnam
U.S. President Donald J. Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met for dinner today in the Vietnamese capital ahead of formal talks on North Korean denuclearization (New York Times)
As Washington seeks assurances Pyongyang will dismantle its nuclear weapons program, the latter is looking for concessions that include sanctions relief. Kim said Trump’s decision to hold a second summit was courageous, while Trump called Kim a “great leader” and said his country has “tremendous economic potential” (Yonhap)