U.S. Charges North Korean With Wannacry, Sony Hacks
The Justice Department accused Park Jin Hyok of working for the North Korean government to carry out the 2017 Wannacry ransomware attack and a 2014 cyberattack on Sony Pictures Entertainment. Pyongyang has denied the hacking allegations (Washington Post)
In Switch, Trump Says South Korea Drills Still Suspended
U.S. President Donald J. Trump tweeted that there is no reason to spend “large amounts of money” on joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises. The statement came after Defense Secretary Jim Mattis announced that the Pentagon planned to resume joint drills in South Korea, which had been suspended as a good-faith measure during denuclearization talks with North Korea (Yonhap)
U.S. to Resume Military Exercises in South Korea
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said the United States does not plan to call off military drills in South Korea after suspending earlier ones “as a good-faith measure” following a summit between the U.S. and North Korean leaders (Korea Times)
UN Watchdog Reports North Korea Still Developing Nuclear Weapons
North Korea continues to develop its nuclear weapons program, according to a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (Guardian)
North Korea Lashes Out at U.S. Sanctions Threats
The North Korean foreign ministry said the United States cannot expect it to move forward with dismantling its nuclear program as long as U.S. officials call for strengthened sanctions, accusing Washington of “den[ying] even the basic decorum for its dialogue partner” (Yonhap)
U.S. Says North Korea Has Not Taken Steps to Denuclearize
U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton said North Korea has not pursued denuclearization in the months since the Singapore summit (Washington Post)
Images Show Construction at North Korean Missile Site
Satellite imagery appears to show the construction of new buildings at a missile production site outside of Pyongyang (Wall Street Journal)
Several U.S. media reports citing unnamed officials say U.S. spy agencies have detected the construction of new missiles at the facility (Washington Post)
U.S. Receives Korean War Remains
North Korea returned what it said were the remains of fifty-five Americans killed during the 1950–53 Korean War to the United States (New York Times)
North Korea Starts Dismantling Rocket Site
North Korea appears to have started dismantling facilities at a rocket launch test site known as Sohae, according to new satellite imagery (38 North)
It remains unclear whether Pyongyang plans to raze the whole site, which U.S. President Donald J. Trump said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had told him he would dismantle (New York Times)
North Korea Should Forge U.S. Ties, Pompeo Says
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, on a visit to Hanoi, urged North Korea to follow the same path Vietnam has taken in recent decades and seek improved U.S. relations (Voice of America)
Over the weekend, following two days of talks in Pyongyang, the North Korean Foreign Ministry accused the United States of making “gangster-like” demands, and called the talks “deeply regrettable” (New York Times)
Pompeo Returns to North Korea Amid Nuclear Doubts
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is traveling today to Pyongyang, his third such trip, to follow up on North Korea’s pledge to dismantle its nuclear program. Pompeo is expected to press Pyongyang to give Washington a list of nuclear facilities it plans to dismantle (Nikkei)
The visit comes amid growing doubts about the country’s intention to follow through on denuclearization, as a U.S.-based monitoring group reported that North Korea continues to upgrade its Yongbyon nuclear complex (Guardian)
South Korea Suspends Military Drill
The defense ministry announced the suspension of the Taegeuk drills, held annually since 1995, to promote the United States’ nuclear negotiations with North Korea. The announcement follows the suspension of an August joint drill with the United States (Korea Times)
Kim Meets Xi as U.S. Suspends Military Drills
Kim Jong-un met with Chinese President Xi Jinping today, the North Korean leader’s third visit to China in three months; Kim was expected to discuss his recent summit with U.S. President Donald J. Trump over nuclear arms (Washington Post)
Meanwhile, a Pentagon spokeswoman announced yesterday that the United States has suspended planning for joint military exercises with South Korea that were to be held in August, a concession Trump offered Kim at the summit (Associated Press)
U.S. Outlines North Korean Sanctions Relief Conditions
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, after meeting with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts in Seoul, said North Korea will not receive sanctions relief until it demonstrates it has achieved “complete denuclearization” (New York Times)
Separately, a senior U.S. official said today that major military exercises between the United States and South Korea have been suspended indefinitely (Agence France-Presse)
Trump, Kim Sign Joint Declaration
U.S. President Donald J. Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed a joint agreement during a historic meeting in Singapore in which Pyongyang committed to work toward the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula (White House)
Trump announced the United States would no longer hold war games with South Korea, calling such military exercises provocative and inappropriate in light of diplomatic efforts with Pyongyang, and the joint statement does not lay out a timetable or next steps for the dismantling of North Korea’s weapons programs (New York Times)
Trump Announces Summit with Kim Back On
U.S. President Donald J. Trump announced today that a proposed summit with Kim Jong-un will happen as originally scheduled on June 12 in Singapore. The announcement was made following an Oval Office meeting with North Korean envoy with General Kim Yong-chol, the highest ranking North Korean official to visit the United States since 2000 (New York Times)
Trump Cancels June 12 Summit with Kim
U.S. President Donald J. Trump sent a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un today cancelling a summit planned for next month in Singapore, citing “tremendous anger and open hostility” from the country (Washington Post)
North Korea Demolishes Only Known Nuclear Test Site
North Korea destroyed its nuclear facility at Punggye-ri, beneath the remote Mount Mantap in the country’s northeast, in a detonation witnessed by foreign journalists (Associated Press)
North Korea Threatens to Cancel Kim-Trump Summit
Pyongyang canceled high-level talks with Seoul scheduled for today in protest of ongoing U.S.-South Korean military drills and said it would reconsider a June summit between leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald J. Trump (Korea Times)
A North Korean vice minister of foreign affairs accused top U.S. officials of contradicting intentions for dialogue by asserting that the country abandon its nuclear weapons ahead of any sanctions relief (New York Times)
North Korea Appears to Begin Dismantling Nuclear Site
Satellite imagery shows several buildings at the nuclear test site in Punggye-ri have been razed, according to 38 North, a U.S. website that monitors North Korean affairs. Pyongyang is expected to show the dismantled nuclear site to journalists (Korea Times)
North Korea Says It Will Dismantle Test Site, End Missile Tests
North Korea will dismantle its nuclear testing site later this month, outlining steps and confirming that international journalists will be invited to observe the ceremony in a statement made on Saturday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (CNN)
The announcement came the day after North Korea told the UN aviation agency that it will no longer conduct unannounced ballistic missile tests, saying that tests are no longer needed now that its nuclear weapons program is complete (Associated Press)
Trump, Kim Set to Meet in Singapore in June
U.S. President Donald J. Trump announced via Twitter today that he and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will meet on June 12 in Singapore (Washington Post)
The announcement came hours after Trump welcomed home three American prisoners released by North Korean yesterday (New York Times)
Pompeo, in Pyongyang, Secures Prisoner Release
North Korea released three American prisoners today, U.S. President Donald J. Trump said, as U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo returned from a meeting with Kim Yong-chol, the head of North Korea’s department for inter-Korean relations, in Pyongyang (Reuters)
Kim, Xi Meet Again in China
Kim Jong-un traveled to the Chinese city of Dalian earlier this week for two days of talks, his second summit with President Xi Jinping in just over a month (Yonhap)
Chinese Foreign Minister, in Pyongyang, Backs Denuclearization
The trip by Wang Yi is the first by a Chinese foreign minister to North Korea since 2007. Wang commended the country for a recent inter-Korean summit and said he hopes for “substantial progress” in a planned meeting between the North’s leader, Kim Jong-un, and U.S. President Donald J. Trump (Korea Times)