North Korea

North Korea Claims Trump Offered US Help With Virus

The New York Times reports: President Trump has sent a letter to North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, expressing his willingness to help the North battle the coronavirus, North Korea said on Sunday. “I would like to extend sincere gratitude to the U.S. president for sending his invariable faith to the Chairman,” said Kim Yo-jong, the North Korean leader’s sister and …

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Trump: No More Nuke Summits Before Election Day

CNN reports: President Donald Trump has told top foreign policy advisers that he does not want another summit with Kim Jong Un before the presidential election in November, according to two sources familiar with the discussions. Trump’s last meeting with the North Korean dictator took place almost exactly a year ago, and both leaders walked away empty-handed. Since then diplomacy …

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Trump Sent “Happy Birthday” Message To Kim Jong-Un

Bloomberg News reports: U.S. President Donald Trump asked South Korea to deliver a birthday message to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, in the latest exchange of personal greetings between the two leaders whose countries have been adversaries for decades. South Korea’s National Security Adviser Chung Eui-yong told reporters at Incheon International Airport on Friday that Trump made the request …

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White House: US Would Respond To Any NK Missile

Reuters reports: The United States would be very disappointed if North Korea tested a long-range or nuclear missile and would take appropriate action as a leading military and economic power, White House national security adviser Robert O’Brien said on Sunday. Washington has many “tools in its tool kit” to respond to any such test, O’Brien said in an interview with …

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Trump Shrugs Off North Korean Threat Of Christmas Gift: Maybe He’s Sending Me A Vase, Not A Missile

Reuters reports: President Donald Trump on Tuesday brushed off North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s warning of a “Christmas gift”, saying the United States would “deal with it very successfully” and that perhaps it would be a “nice present”. “We’ll find out what the surprise is and we’ll deal with it very successfully,” Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort. …

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John Bolton Rips Trump On North Korea Policy

Jonathan Swan reports at Axios: In his sharpest criticism yet of his old workplace, John Bolton suggested the Trump administration is bluffing about stopping North Korea’s nuclear ambitions — and soon might need to admit publicly that its policy failed badly. Driving the news: Bolton told me in an interview that he does not think the administration “really means it” …

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US Braces For Major North Korean Missile Test

The New York Times reports: American military and intelligence officials tracking North Korea’s actions by the hour say they are bracing for an imminent test of an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching American shores, but appear resigned to the fact that President Trump has no good options to stop it. If the North goes ahead with the test in …

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US Watching For North Korean “Christmas Missile”

The Associated Press reports: The U.S. is closely watching North Korea for signs of a possible missile launch or nuclear test in the coming days that officials are referring to as a “Christmas surprise.” Earlier this month, the North conducted what U.S. officials say was an engine test. North Korea described it as “crucial” and experts believe that it may …

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North Korea “Successfully” Tests Long-Range Missile

The Associated Press reports: North Korea said Saturday that it successfully performed another “crucial test” at its long-range rocket launch site that will further strengthen its nuclear deterrent. The test possibly involved technologies to improve intercontinental ballistic missiles that could potentially reach the continental United States. The announcement comes as North Korea continues to pressure the Trump administration for major …

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New Book Claims Trump Called For Evacuating Seoul

The Guardian reports: Donald Trump called for the population of Seoul to be moved during an Oval Office meeting when tensions between the US and North Korea were at their height, according to a new book about the president’s relations with the US military. In Trump and his Generals: The Cost of Chaos, the national security and counter-terrorism expert Peter …

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North Korea: Trump Is “A Heedless, Erratic Old Man”

The Daily Beast reports: North Korea has ridiculed President Donald Trump once again—this time calling him a “heedless and erratic old man.” Trump and Kim Jong Un appear to have hit a rough patch in their relationship of late and the countries have been exchanging insults like its 2017. This time, North Korea has taken exception to a Sunday tweet …

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North Korea: Denuclearization Talks Are Off The Table

Reuters reports: North Korea’s ambassador to the United Nations said today that denuclearization is off the negotiating table with the United States and lengthy talks with Washington are not needed, the starkest statement yet emphasizing the gulf between the two sides ahead of a year-end deadline set by Pyongyang. U.S. President Donald Trump sought to play down a recent surge …

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North Korea Rumbles About “Christmas Gift” For Trump

The Associated Press reports: North Korea on Tuesday repeated its assertions that the Trump administration is running out of time to salvage nuclear negotiations, saying it’s entirely up to the United States to choose what “Christmas gift” it gets from the North. The statement, attributed to a senior diplomat, came as North Korea continues to dial up pressure on Washington …

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North Korea: Trump Lied, There is No Coming Summit

The Independent reports: The leader of North Korea is not interested in another meeting with Donald Trump, even though the American recently signaled they would be coming together soon. That’s according to a statement from North Korean Foreign Ministry adviser Kim Kye Gwan, who told the state news agency that Mr Trump’s Sunday night tweet saying “See you soon!” was …

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North Korea Calls Joe Biden A “Rabid Dog”

The Associated Press reports: North Korea called former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden a “rabid dog” that “must be beaten to death with a stick” in its latest swipe against foreign and political leaders it sees as hostile to the North’s leadership. The commentary by Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency said the U.S. presidential hopeful “reeled off a string …

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Jared Kushner: Kim Sees Trump As “Father Figure”

Fox News reports: A new book claims to shed light on President Trump’s relationship with North Korea.  Author Doug Wead interviewed Trump on the issue and was able to read some of the personal letters exchanged between the president and his North Korean counterpart, Kim Jong Un. Trump took the step of meeting in person with Kim after a prolonged …

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REPORT: North Korea Building Nuke-Launching Sub

NBC News reports: Satellite photos indicate North Korea is building a ballistic missile submarine and may be making preparations to test a submarine-launched missile, according to an analysis of the commercial images by experts at a Washington-based think tank. The photos of Sinpo South Shipyard taken Monday appear to confirm reports by North Korean state media of a “newly built …

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Trump: I Got Another “Beautiful” Love Letter From Kim

Politico reports: President Trump on Friday said he received a “beautiful” letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as the country continues to test ballistic missiles, alarming U.S. allies in the region. Trump told reporters as he left the White House for a fundraiser in the Hamptons that the two men could meet again in the future to discuss …

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Trump Hangs Photo Of NK Dictator In White House

Newsweek reports: Images of world leaders are a common fixture on the walls inside the White House, but the contrast in the latest additions could cause a few people to do a double-take. It is not unusual that there would be an image of President Donald Trump next to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles at an event in the …

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Pentagon: North Korean Nukes Can Hit Any US Target

Newsweek reports: The U.S. military has acknowledged that North Korean intercontinental ballistic missiles can now hit targets anywhere in the continental U.S., confirming fears raised by weapons tests conducted in 2017. U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) released its 2019 Strategic Digest on Thursday, detailing the current state of play for American troops on the Korean peninsula. As part of its summary, …

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