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)
Trump: ‘No Rush’ on North Korean Denuclearization
U.S. President Donald J. Trump, a week ahead of a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said yesterday his goal is ultimately to see North Korea abandon its nuclear weapons program but that he is in “no rush” as long as the country holds off on testing rockets, missiles, and nuclear weapons (Voice of America)
Trump, Kim Jong-un to Meet in Vietnam
During his State of the Union address yesterday, U.S. President Donald J. Trump announced he will meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for a second summit on February 27-28 in Vietnam (New York Times)
The announcement comes amid reports that North Korea has been taking steps to hid components of its nuclear weapons and missile programs, making them harder to destroy with military strikes, a UN monitoring team told the UN Security Council last week (Reuters)
North Korea Pledges to Dismantle Nuclear Facilities
North Korea has committed to dismantling and destroying all its uranium and plutonium enrichment facilities, the U.S. special envoy for North Korea, Stephen Biegun, said yesterday. Biegun said the pledge also includes handing over a list of all such facilities and goes beyond North Korea’s main Yongbyon nuclear complex, which Pyongyang offered to dismantle during talks with Seoul last September (Financial Times)
North Korea Backs Two-Regime Reunification
A conference of North Korean government officials, political figures, and public organizations in Pyongyang issued an appeal for “peaceful reunification” with South Korea in which “existing” ideologies and systems in the North and South would remain in place, according to state media (Korea Times)
U.S.-North Korea Talks to Pave Way for Second Summit
Top North Korean official Kim Yong-chol is in Washington today for talks with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. They are expected to discuss plans for a second summit between U.S. and North Korean leaders. Kim, the country’s lead negotiator on its nuclear program, is reportedly bringing a handwritten letter for President Donald J. Trump from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (Korea Times)
The Missile Defense Review presented by Trump at the Pentagon yesterday says North Korea remains an “extraordinary threat” (CNN)
North Korea’s Kim Begins Four-Day China Trip
During the visit, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is expected to coordinate plans with Chinese officials for a possible second U.S.-North Korea summit (Korea Times)
U.S. President Trump said over the weekend that the United States is “negotiating a location” for a meeting (CNN)
U.S. to Review North Korea Travel Ban
U.S. envoy Stephen Biegun said the United States will review its ban on Americans traveling to North Korea so that humanitarian relief groups can deliver aid. His statement appears to indicate a softening of the Trump administration’s strategy of applying “maximum pressure” to move negotiations forward (New York Times)
North Korea Condemns New U.S. Sanctions
Pyongyang condemned new U.S. sanctions on three top North Korean officials, calling the move a “deliberate provocation” that could stall efforts to end the country’s nuclear program (Guardian)