North Korea
Playing the Waiting Game: How Kim Jong Il Beats the U.S.
Aside from his million soldiers and nuclear bombs, Kim Jong Il has one other card up his sleeve -- and it is one that is more powerful than his military: time
U.S. Bans Sales of iPods, Segways, and Harleys to North Korea
The Bush administration is planning to implement a sweeping list of trade penalties against North Korea in order to make it tougher for Kim Jong II and his elitist communist government to purchase luxury goods while the people of the country are starving.
The Nuclear Issue in North Korea
A crisis has been set off by disclosure that the Dramatic Peoples’ Republic of North Korea (DPRK) is engaged in building "a nuclear deterrent force" to meet the threats from U.S. The U.S. has argued that such a program was in complete violation of the 1994 Agreed Framework, a bilateral understanding with the U.S.
New Crisis Over North Korea's Nuclear Plans
US 'disappointed' as authorities eject UN inspectors and vow to resume plutonium processing
North Korea Rebuilding Reactor
Reconstruction at complex where North Koreans are believed to have produced plutonium for six bombs
US to Keep North Korea on Terrorism List
Today was earliest US could have removed Pyongyang from list in exchange for its disclosure of nuclear programs
North Korea on Brink of Food Crisis, Say Aid Agencies
Floods and poor harvests are putting millions at risk of malnutrition, says the UN World Food Program
US Tells North Korea to Prove It Has Abandoned Nuclear Ambitions
Condoleezza Rice says world cannot afford more delays on nuclear issue after six-party talks in Singapore
South Korean Tourist Shot By Soldier in North
Bilateral talks and food aid plans endangered after restriction zone patrol kills 53-year-old female
South Korean Tourist Shot Dead in North Korea
Death of tourist who wandered into restricted zone coincides with offer from Seoul to resume direct talks and provide food aid
North Korea Blows Up Cooling Tower in Nuclear Concession
Media reports say 20-meter cooling tower at main nuclear reactor complex has been destroyed
US to Take North Korea Off Rogue States List and Lift Sanctions
US move follows Pyongyang's declaration of its inventory of nuclear activities
North Korea Nuclear Programme: Pyongyang Hands Over Key Data
North Korea declares inventory of nuclear activities, paving way for it to be dropped from US terrorism list for first time in 21 years
South Korea President Praises North Over Nuclear Talks
Lee Myung-bak says North Korea is cooperating with denuclearisation in speech which signals softer approach to neighbor
US Unveils Plan to End North Korean Nuclear Ambitions
The US is considering offering North Korea a formal guarantee it will not come under attack from its military in return for the dismantling of nuclear programs, it was reported today.
US Claims North Korea Helped Build Syria Reactor Plant
Damascus dismisses video of unit bombed by Israel but US congress told site was set up to produce plutonium
US Claims North Korean Link to Israeli Bombing of Syria
The mystery over the Israeli bombing of Syria took a new twist today when US intelligence agencies showed a video claiming that the target had been a nuclear plant being built with North Korean help
US Claims Video Shows North Korea Helped Build Syrian Reactor
White House set to reveal video images it claims support allegations that North Korea was helping Syria build nuclear reactor
UN Fears Tragedy Over North Korean Food Shortage
An estimated 6.5 million people are short of food as price for a kilogram of rice rises to around one-third of a typical worker's monthly salary
North Korea Slams Aid Conditions
Worries about renewed friction as Pyongyang launches rhetorical tirade against South Korea
Don't Betray Abductees, Tokyo Warned
As talks with North Korea progress, families fear Japanese citizens snatched 30 years ago are being forgotten
New York Philharmonic to Play in North Korea
New York Philharmonic Orchestra to play in North Korea as US administration strikes chord with former 'axis of evil' nation
US Orchestra to Perform in North Korea
New York Philharmonic will visit capital next year· Trip hailed as a cultural and political breakthrough
Bush Makes Overtures to North Korean Leader
US president writes to Kim Jong il, who he once dismissed as a "pygmy"
North Korea Insists It is Off Us Blacklist
America has yet to confirm North Korean claims that it has been removed from a list of nations the US claims sponsor terrorism, after Pyongyang agreed to a nuclear deal.
North Korea Agrees to Deadline on Nuclear Weapons
Peace hopes as peninsula leaders hold further talks· Economic deal expected at Pyongyang summit
Sunny South Meets Frosty North As Two Koreas Try to Bridge 50-year Gap
Low key welcome raises fears over Kim's health · Pyongyang meeting aimed at hastening reconciliation
Bush Offers North Korea a Deal to End the World's Oldest Cold War
· South Korea's president forces promise at summit · Kim Jong-il told to give up nuclear program
North Korea 'still on Us Terror Blacklist'
Washington official denies end of sanctions despite Pyongyang's announcement after Geneva talks.
Not So Much a Policy Line As a Turn Full Circle
Pyongyang and Washington have signed an agreement after two days of talks in Geneva between North Korean officials and the assistant secretary of state for east Asian and Pacific affairs, Christopher Hill.
Pyongyang Claims End of 'pariah' Status
· Lifting of US sanctions will open up trade and aid · Washington still to confirm Geneva deal
Red Cross Issues $5.5m Appeal for North Korea Flood Victims
North Korea's worst flooding in more than 30 years threatens to turn into a health disaster as survivors fall prey to waterborne diseases, the Red Cross warned today.
Flooding Devastates North Korea
North Korea is appealing for international aid after at least 200,000 people were displaced and vast swaths of farmland submerged by what one official described as the worst flooding since the 1970s.
North Korea Shuts Nuclear Plant in Disarmament Deal With Us
Marking a significant step towards resolving a four-and-a-half-year stand-off with the US, North Korea has shut down its only operating nuclear reactor, the country's state-run media announced yesterday.
UN Inspectors Allowed Into North Korea Nuclear Plant
UN inspectors today visted a nuclear plant in North Korea for the first time since they were expelled from the country in 2002.
Nuclear Watchdog Might Not Cope in Atomic Crisis
IAEA chief warns states to choose cash or security - US envoy in North Korea after Bush U-turn on talks
North Korea Tests Missiles in Sea of Japan
North Korea today reportedly fired several short-range missiles towards the Sea of Japan in the latest provocative act from the unpredictable regime.
North Korea Resists Nuclear Shutdown Deadline
The shutdown of North Korea's main nuclear reactor by tomorrow's deadline appeared increasingly unlikely today as the Pyongyang government claimed it was still confirming the release of funds unfrozen at a Macau bank.
Frozen North Korean Funds to Be Released
Millions of dollars of North Korean funds, frozen for two years amid allegations of money laundering, are to be released, the US said today.
North Korea Talks Break Down Over Frozen Funds
North Korean negotiators walked out of nuclear disarmament talks today, leaving no prospect of a return unless $25m of frozen funds are remitted into their country's bank accounts.
N Korea Holds Its Tongue Until Funds Released
Negotiators today made little headway in nuclear disarmament talks with North Korea as the country stuck to its "show me the money" demand on $25m (£12.7m) previously frozen by the US.
N Korea Talks Resume After Funds Released
Nuclear disarmament talks resumed today in Beijing after the US resolved a financial dispute by agreeing to release frozen North Korean funds. The US treasury said the funds frozen in Macau's Banco Delta Asia (BDA) would be returned to Pyongyang via a Chinese bank, but a ban on US...
Nuclear Agency Says North Korea Ready to Negotiate.
Pyongyang is willing to enter discussions over shutting down its nuclear programme once financial sanctions against it are lifted, the head of the UN atomic watchdog said today.
North Korea Cancels Meeting With Un Inspector
The chief UN nuclear inspector has been snubbed by North Korea's deputy foreign minister during the International Atomic Energy Agency's first trip to Pyongyang in four years.
North Korea to Close Nuclear Reactor in Return for Aid
North Korea promised today to close its nuclear reactor and readmit international inspectors in exchange for fuel aid as the first step towards disarming its atomic arsenal.
North Korea to Shut Down Nuclear Reactor in Arms for Energy Deal
After three years, US makes major concessions - Agreement is example to Iran, says Rice
North Korea Agrees to Nuclear Deal
North Korea today agreed to take the first steps towards nuclear disarmament in exchange for energy aid, marking a diplomatic breakthrough after years of confrontation.
US Set for North Korea Climbdown
The US was set for embarrassing climbdown as a new round of six-nation talks over North Korea opened today, offering the best hope of a breakthrough since the standoff over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme began in 2002.
US Claims Credit As North Korea Softens Line on Nuclear Talks
Hopes were rising yesterday that North Korea would return to the negotiating table next month to discuss its nuclear programme, but the US maintained a tough line, accusing the Pyongyang government of siphoning off millions from UN development aid.
North Korea Nuclear Talks End Without Agreement
Talks on North Korea's nuclear programme today broke up without agreement as Pyongyang refused to drop its demands for the US to lift financial restrictions.
US Warns North Korea Not to Divert Nuclear Talks
The US has urged North Korea to focus more on dismantling its nuclear weapons rather than on the financial sanctions imposed upon it.
North Korea Demands End to Sanctions As Nuclear Talks Resume
North Korea will not dismantle its atomic weapons program until sanctions are lifted and it is provided with a new nuclear reactor, the country's negotiators insisted today at the opening of a new round of six-nation arms talks.
Seoul Charges Five With Spying for North Korea
Five suspected North Korean agents were indicted in Seoul today in what South Korean prosecutors are calling the biggest espionage case in more than five years.
Sanctions Target Dear Leader's Taste for Bling
US uses luxury goods ban to punish North Korea - President's favourite toys targeted by embargo
Death Toll in North Korea Typhoon Questioned
A typhoon in North Korea killed thousands more people than the country has officially admitted, an analysis by a British scientist suggests.
Asian Leaders Fail to Back Bush's Strategy to Curb North Korea's Nuclear Ambitions
President loses battle for united anti-nuclear stance - Trip to Indonesia curtailed over security concerns
North Korea Today Agreed to Resume Talks
North Korea today agreed to resume talks about ending its nuclear programme, three weeks after being universally condemned for carrying out its first nuclear test.
North Korea to Resume Talks on Nuclear Disarmament
· Pyongyang may come back to table this month · Bush thanks China for persuading its ally
How China Exerts Pressure on North Korea
Beijing may have drifted apart from Pyongyang in recent years, but it retains more influence than any other nation, says Jonathan Watts.
Chinese Pressure Forces North Korea to Apologise and Promise No More Tests
· Kim said to be ready for compromise with US · Rice flies into Beijing as nuclear row recedes
Rice Pledge to Protect Japan Cools North Korea Fears
The US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, yesterday called for the 'swift and effective' implementation of UN sanctions against North Korea and vowed that Washington would continue to protect its allies in the region amid growing fears of an arms race in the far east.
World Briefing
North Korea's nuclear test and its rumoured preparations for a sequel have set a chill wind blowing across Asia that shows no sign of abating. By Simon Tisdall
North Korea 'preparing Second Nuclear Test'
North Korea could be preparing to conduct a second nuclear test, Japan and South Korea said today, although neither country believed it was imminent.
US Tests Confirm North Korea Nuclear Blast
Air samples confirmed today that North Korea did conduct a small nuclear explosion last week, according to research from the US that puts an end to any lingering doubts.
Rush for Deal As Tests Point to Genuine Nuclear Test
The US last night refused to confirm that North Korea had joined the nuclear club, despite the discovery of a gas consistent with a nuclear blast in the atmosphere close to where Pyongyang claimed it had detonated a device on Monday.
North Korea's Nuclear Test Claim Highlights How Far Removed It Has Become From China
Rifles slung over their olive green uniforms, the North Korean border guards watch warily as the Chinese speedboat surges towards them across the Yalu river. The boatman ignores them, drawing his craft within half a dozen metres of the bank and then, turning parallel, reduces speed so his passengers can photograph the dismal promenade of rusting hulks...
Security Council to Vote on North Korea Sanctions
The United Nations security council will vote tomorrow on imposing sweeping economic and trade sanctions against North Korea after council members reached tentative agreement on how to respond to the isolated communist state's nuclear test.
Rush for Deal As Doubts Grow Over Nuclear Test
Uncertainty over North Korea's claim to have joined the nuclear club deepened last night when a US intelligence official said tests on air samples had found no evidence of radiation.
Price of a Broken Deal
Twelve months ago it seemed the west's nuclear confrontation with North Korea had reached an unexpectedly happy ending. Then the US treasury department stuck its oar in. By Simon Tisdall
Dangerous Times: North Korea and the Neocons
No one should be surprised that North Korea possesses nuclear weapons. The immediate question, however, is not how North Korea, China, Japan or South Korea will respond. The immediate question is: Are the necons in Washington insane?
How to Get Back at North Korea
What's the best way to condemn North Korea's nuclear testing? A hardline synchronised swimming ban, says Harry Pearson.
North Korea Warns of Retaliation Against Japanese Sanctions Over Nuclear Test
North Korea today threatened "strong" retaliation against Japanese sanctions as UN security council members tried to work out a compromise deal on a response to Pyongyang's nuclear test.
Japan Bans All Trade With North Korea
· Angry Tokyo closes ports to ships in unilateral move · Pyongyang threatens US with new nuclear test
North Korea – Yes, you have our attention
North Korea's big bang shakes the world. North Korea has tested a low yield nuclear device with 4% of the destructive power of the bomb that the...
North Korea Threatens Second Nuclear Test
North Korea warned today that it would conduct a second nuclear test unless the United States softens its stance.
Pyongyang Threatens More Nuclear Tests
North Korea today warned it would conduct further nuclear tests if the US continued its "hostile attitude" towards Pyongyang.
North Korea Nuclear Test: China Reluctant to Impose Sanctions
The international response to North Korea's nuclear test was in the balance today after China appeared to hint that it opposes immediate sanctions against the reclusive Stalinist state.
Democrats Seize on Crisis As Election Issue
Democrats have seized on the North Korean nuclear test as another stick with which to beat the Bush administration ahead of crucial mid-term elections less than a month away.
US Not to Blame for North Korea Nuclear Test, Says Bolton
The United States has defended branding North Korea part of the "axis of evil" and said it now fears that it could supply nuclear weapons to terrorists.
North Korea Becomes a Nuclear Player
· Regime hails 'happy bomb' · UN condemns test blast · Fears of new arms race
North Korea Vs Rest of the World - History repeating itself?
The North Korea move could not have come at a worse moment for the world...
Testing Times Ahead for North Korea
If anyone is likely to suffer as a result of the nuclear test, it will be the already impoverished population of the world's most isolated nation, says Jonathan Watts.
Bush Urges Un Action on North Korea
The UN security council was today set to discuss ways to punish North Korea after the reclusive communist state conducted a nuclear test.
The Moment North Korea Became a Nuclear Player
International efforts to curb the spread of nuclear weapons suffered a severe setback yesterday when North Korea claimed it had successfully conducted its first nuclear weapons explosion.
Big Powers Huff and Puff Over North Korea
World briefing: North Korea's nuclear test has been met with strong words, but there is little the international community can do, says Simon Tisdall.
Nuclear Test Sparks International Condemnation
North Korea announced the successful conclusion of its first nuclear test this morning, escalating tension in north-east Asia and sparking a wave of international condemnation from old enemies and traditional allies alike.
North Korean Nuclear Test Unnerves Asian Stockmarkets
South Korean stocks plunged today as Asian markets wobbled in the wake of North Korea's announcement that it had detonated a nuclear bomb in defiance of world opinion. By Justin McCurry in Tokyo.
North Korea Claims First Nuclear Test
North Korea said today it had performed its first-ever nuclear weapons test, a move that prompted swift international condemnation, with the prime minister, Tony Blair, describing it as a "completely irresponsible act".
Japan and China Unite to Denounce North Korea's Nuclear Ambitions
Japan and China set aside their historical differences yesterday to condemn North Korean plans for a nuclear bomb test and agreed to work to prevent a further escalation of hostilities in north-east Asia.
Pyongyang Defiant Over Nuclear Test
North Korea today stood firm against international pressure to abandon its plans to carry out a nuclear test.
North Korea Says It Will Carry Out Nuclear Test
North Korea announced today that it planned to conduct a nuclear test, prompting calls from senior officials around the world for it to renounce the plans or face serious consequences.
North Korea Announces Plans to Test Nuclear Weapon
North Korea announced plans today to test a nuclear weapon in a move aimed at ratcheting up tension in east Asia and forcing the US to halt financial sanctions.
North Korea Threatens to Carry Out Nuclear Weapons Test
· Move aimed at stalling financial sanctions · US and Japan lead protest against 'reckless action'
Paranoia and Provocation in Pyongyang
Concerns about North Korea's nuclear intentions are ratcheting up again, writes Simon Tisdall.
North Korea Makes Us Bomb Claim
North Korea's political paranoia has spilled into the open, writes Simon Tisdall.
North Korea Flood Deaths 'in Thousands'
Fears of a fresh humanitarian crisis in North Korea were heightened today by reports that recent flooding in the reclusive state may have killed thousands more people than originally thought.
Famine Fear As North Korea Plays Down Flood Crisis
Fears of a fresh humanitarian crisis in North Korea were heightened yesterday by reports that recent flooding may have killed thousands more people than originally thought.
Hundreds Killed in North Korean Floods
North Korea admitted today that hundreds of people are dead or missing after torrential rains swept the country, but international aid agencies say they are struggling to gauge the true extent of the damage.
Hundreds Dead or Missing in North Korea
North Korea admitted yesterday that hundreds of people are dead or missing after torrential rains swept the country, but international aid agencies say they are struggling to gauge the level of fatalities.
Bunkers Mentality
North Korea's missile tests may have been a flop but that hasn't blunted the ambition of a hawkish Japanese politician, writes Justin McCurry.
North Korea Shuns Chinese Diplomacy
Hopes for an early end to the North Korean missile crisis were dashed today after China reportedly failed to persuade its ally to stop test-firing missiles and return to six-party talks on its nuclear weapons programme.
North Korea Rebuffs China Over Missiles
· Spotlight back on UN as Beijing's envoy goes home · Japan ups stakes with talk of pre-emptive strikes
North Korea Talks 'at Pivotal Stage'
Cracks growing in coalition of nations tackling Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.
North Korea Forfeits Aid After Missile Launches
South Korean ministers today announced they were halting food aid to North Korea and the Japanese government threatened "severe measures" following the communist regime's missile tests earlier this week.
Defiant North Korea Vows to Test More Missiles
· Pyongyang says its critics face 'physical actions' · US and allies insist they will make no concessions
North Korea Defies Critics Over Missiles
North Korea rounded on its critics in dramatic fashion on Thursday, warning the US and Japan that it planned to test-launch more missiles and would resort to "physical actions" against any country that continued to pressure it to abandon its missile programme.
Defiant North Korea Fires Seventh Test Missile
North Korea ignored international condemnation of its missile tests by launching a seventh missile today, insisting it was its sovereign right to do so.
North Korean 'fireworks Display' Irritates Us But Falls Short of Target
The United Nations security council was expected to meet today to try to craft a response to the provocative firing of up to six missiles by the North Korean regime.
North Korean Missile Unlikely to Be Fired
Reports that North Korea has fuelled a long-range missile and was preparing to carry out its first test in eight years were called into question yesterday after more than a week went by without a launch.
US Deploys Missiles As N Korea Plans Test Launch
The US will deploy advanced Patriot interceptor missiles on Japanese soil this year for the first time as the region braces itself for a possible test launch by North Korea of an intercontinental ballistic missile, local media reports said yesterday.
North Korea's Threat of a Missile Test
North Korea is tweaking the American tail with its threat of a missile test. But the US need not bite. By John Gittings
US Claims It is 'ready' for Korean Missile Test
International tensions over the testing of a long-range North Korean missile continued to escalate today with the Bush administration making plans to shoot it down.
Yen Slides Amid Reports of North Korea Preparing to Test Missile
The yen fell to a record low against the euro, and an eight-year low against the pound, amid reports that North Korea was about to test-launch a long-distance ballistic missile.
North Korea Warned Over Weapons Test
North Korea was warned yesterday not to go ahead with a "provocative" weapons test amid growing concern about reports that it had fuelled a long-range missile that could be capable of reaching America's west coast.
North Korea Warned Over Missile Test
Countries fearing that North Korea is about to test a long-range missile capable of reaching the US threatened retaliatory action and further isolation of the regime today.
North Korea 'to Test Long-range Missile'
Speculation mounted on Thursday that North Korea is preparing to test-launch a long-range ballistic missile capable of hitting the US mainland.
Rice Leads Push for Us to Open Talks on Peace Deal With North Korea
· Bush to back away from nuclear confrontation · White House fears policy failure will encourage Iran
US 'to Soften North Korea Approach'
The US is considering a major u-turn in its approach to North Korea that would see a push for regime change replaced by peace talks, it was reported today.
N Korea Tops Censorship League
North Korea heads a league table of the 10 most censored countries, according to a survey by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists.
Kim-spotters Hunt Elusive Leader
· North Korean dictator makes rare trip abroad · Link made to China hosting nuclear talks
North Korea to Start Nuclear Dismantling 'soon'
North Korea did not return to international talks about its nuclear programmes today, but released a joint statement with South Korea saying the dismantling process would be "implemented soon". The latest round of talks between the two Koreas began on Tuesday in a bid to prevent North...
North Korea Makes New Nuclear Weapons Offer
North Korea today sent mixed messages to the United States, accusing it of being the 'world's worst human rights abuser' but offering to dismantle its nuclear weapons programme in return for better relations with Washington.
North and South Korea to Join Forces in Fight for Olympic Gold
· Team for Beijing 2008 represents breakthrough · Lack of food and facilities hinder northern athletes.
Last Orders at the Pyongyang Social Club
Wary of foreigners, North Korea may be about to close the only expat watering hole in the country. Jonathan Watts orders one last drink.
North Korea Turns Away Western Aid
North Korea has begun to reverse market reforms by kicking out international relief workers and choking off supplies of food and medical aid in a crackdown that puts millions of the country's children and elderly at risk.
North Korea: Genocide
North Koreans are Committing Genocide In Prison Camps - A grim picture of horror in the gulags of North Korea, near the Russian border, particularly prison camp 22, is beginning to…
Nuclear Reaction
North Korea's apparent volte-face following negotiations in Beijing highlights the need for some straight talking between Pyongyang and Tokyo, writes Justin McCurry
Nuclear Deal at Risk After North Korea Demands Reactor
· Six nation pact starts to unravel after just 24 hours · America and Japan reject call for civil project
North Korea Vows to Abandon Nuclear Weapons Project
North Korea has agreed in principle to end its nuclear weapons programme and rejoin the international non-proliferation treaty, marking the biggest breakthrough in its three-year stand-off with the US.
North Korea 'to End Nuclear Programmes'
North Korea has agreed to drop its nuclear weapons development and rejoin non-proliferation treaties in a breakthrough after two years of talks.
Good start to North Korea talks
Unusually positive signs emerged yesterday from the new round of six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear ambitions, as Washington indicated that it had no intention of attacking the North.
Hopes Grow for North Korea Talks
Six-nation talks aimed at resolving the nuclear standoff between North Korea and the United States to resume amid highest hopes of breakthrough since process began two years ago.
North Korea to Resume Nuclear Talks
North Korea will resume international nuclear arms talks in Beijing next week after a gap of more than a year, the South Korean foreign ministry announced today.
North Korea to Rejoin Nuclear Talks
North Korea yesterday raised hopes for a peaceful end to its nuclear weapons programme by agreeing to return to six-party talks after a year's absence.
US Sergeant Who Fled to North Korea Returns Home for First Visit in 40 Years
Less than a year ago Charles Jenkins would not have dared to contemplate a trip to his homeland. To do so could have meant arrest, court martial and several years in prison for the former staff sergeant, who abandoned his army unit and fled to North Korea in 1965.
Pressure to Restart N Korea Nuclear Talks
China, South Korea and the UN's nuclear watchdog yesterday pleaded with North Korea and the US to resume talks as the IAEA estimated that Pyongyang already had enough material for up to six bombs.
North Korean Missile Fired Towards Japan
International efforts to persuade North Korea to abandon its suspected nuclear weapons programme were in danger of unravelling yesterday amid reports that it has launched a short-range conventional missile into the Sea of Japan.
Bomb Fear As North Korea Halts Reactor
North Korea has halted operations at its nuclear reactor, prompting the fear that it may be extracting fuel rods for processing into weapons-grade plutonium.
World Briefing
Simon Tisdall: Reports last autumn of defecting generals, anti-regime graffiti, and disappearing portraits of the Dear Leader, Kim Jong-il, provoked excited speculation about insurrection in North Korea.
We Have the Bomb, Say North Koreans
Pyongyang claims to have nuclear weapon for self-defence against US, and pulls out of international talks to resolve crisis.
North Korea: We Have Nuclear Weapons to Defend From Us
North Korea today publicly acknowledged for the first time that it has nuclear weapons and rejected recent attempts to restart disarmament talks soon.
DNA Riddle Deepens Kidnap Row
Japanese sanction threat to North Korea in dispute over girl's remains. It was one of the century's most bizarre state crimes: dozens of Japanese were kidnapped by North Korea in the 1970s and made to live in the world's most secretive nation.
World Briefing
Simon Tisdall: The prospect of renewed conflict in the Korean peninsula receded yesterday after President George Bush eschewed further hostile rhetoric against North Korea in his State of the Union address.
Get a Socialist Haircut, North Korea Tells Men
North Korean men hoping to emulate their 'dear leader' Kim Jong-il by sporting a bouffant have been instructed to do their bit for socialism by cutting it off.
Tremors That May Signal Political Earthquake in North Korea
European policymakers have been advised to prepare for 'sudden change' in North Korea amid growing speculation among diplomats and observers that Kim Jong-il is losing his grip on power.
Into the Hornet's Nest
The government is under increasing domestic pressure to force North Korea to break its silence over the fate of kidnapped Japanese citizens, writes Justin McCurry
Korean Whispers
Jonathan Watts sorts through the speculation to assess recent moves within the North Korean government.
Experts Rebel Over Us Stance on N Korea
A group of senior US policymakers has called on the Bush administration to change its stance towards North Korea, with its chairman accusing the White House of 'distorting' intelligence about Pyongyang's uranium weapons programme.
Remains Not Cold War Woman
Officials in Tokyo said yesterday that human remains which North Korea claimed were those of a Japanese woman kidnapped by Pyongyang agents almost three decades ago are not hers.
After 40 Years, Us Soldier Who Defected to North Korea Begins New Life in Japan
Japanese wife's home town welcomes soldier who defected to North Korea.
After 40 Years, American Deserter Takes His Punishment and Begins New Life With Family
Japanese wife's home town welcomes soldier who defected to North Korea.
North Korea is Failing to Meet Growth Target
Sixty years of North Korean communism have had a grim and unexpected impact on its citizens: it has paralysed their growth.
North Korea's Kim Cult Begins to Fade From View
The world's last major political personality cult could be fading, according to reports from North Korea.
Token Sentence for Us Sergeant Who Defected to N Korea
An American soldier who spent nearly 40 years in North Korea was given a 30-day prison sentence and a dishonourable discharge after pleading guilty to defecting to the communist state and aiding the enemy - charges that carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
North Korea in Mushroom Cloud Riddle
UK minister demands explanation of apparent blast.
US Deserter to Turn Himself in
Nearly 40 years after he defected to communist North Korea, US army staff sergeant Charles Robert Jenkins is today expected to surrender to American military authorities to face a court martial on desertion charges. Mr Jenkins, 64, will arrive at the headquarters of the US army in Japan,...
Minister's Mission to North Korea
The junior Foreign Office minister Bill Rammell said yesterday that he believed North Korea could already have one or two nuclear weapons.
'Deserter' to Give Himself Up
Charles Jenkins, 64, an American soldier accused of defecting to North Korea nearly 40 years ago, said yesterday he would soon give himself up to US military authorities. "I will soon voluntarily face the charges that have been filed against me by the US army," he said in a statement from...
Minister to Visit North Korea
In a small softening of relations between North Korea and the west, it was announced yesterday that Bill Rammell of the Foreign Office is to become the first British minister to visit the communist state. The breakthrough came after North Korea agreed that Mr Rammell would be entitled to...
UN tells North Korea to protect its environment
North Korea must take urgent action to protect its environment, the UN environment programme said yesterday, publishing its first report on the deforestation and pollution caused by more than a decade of famine and economic hardship.
North Korean Nuclear Missile 'could Reach Us'
North Korea is deploying a new missile which may be able to strike the US mainland with a nuclear warhead, a report in Jane's Defence Weekly says today. In the most alarming and detailed picture yet painted of Pyongyang's deterrent force, the authoritative military publication said the...
Flight From North Korea Gains Pace
220 fly into Seoul, completing a 4,000-mile loop to defect from Stalinist state.
Alleged Us Deserter's Family Back Together
Thirty-nine years after he mysteriously disappeared into North Korea, American army sergeant Charles Robert Jenkins yesterday emerged from the reclusive Stalinist state for an emotional reunion with his wife. Travelling with Mr Jenkins, who both the American and the North Korean...
Family Reunion for Victims of the Cold War
Alleged US deserter and kidnapped Japanese wife face uncertain future outside North Korea.
Mutual Distrust Clouds Us-korea Negotiations
North Korea said yesterday it did not trust the US after the two sides' foreign ministers held their highest-level talks since Washington described Pyongyang as part of an "axis of evil". Colin Powell, the US secretary of state, said after meeting his North Korean counterpart Paek Nam-sun...
North Korean Nuclear Trade Exposed
IAEA team finds Pyonyang sold uranium to Libya for bomb.
'Train Blast Victims Died Saving Leaders' Portraits'
North Korea's state-run media today claimed that many of the 161 people who died in last week's train explosion in the town of Ryongchon had struggled heroically in the last moments of their lives to save portraits of the ruling family. The claims - from a country that enforces leader...
Railway Blast Triggered North Korean Paranoia
Huge explosions as 154 were killed made people think they were under nuclear attack from US.
North Korea Admits Hundreds Died and Asks for Help
North Korea made a rare appeal to the international community for help yesterday as details began to emerge of the huge train explosion on Thursday which killed hundreds of people, injured thousands, and flattened more than 1,800 homes. The usually secretive government in Pyongyang...
150 Killed in North Korea Blast
· 8,000 homes damaged
· Explosives-laden train causes fireball
· Pyongyang accepts UN help
54 Dead in North Korea Blast
· 8,000 homes damaged
· Explosives-laden train causes fireball
· Pyongyang accepts UN help
'54 Dead' in North Korea Blast
At least 54 people have been killed in an explosion that damaged more than 8,000 homes around a train station in North Korea, the Red Cross told Reuters today. Speaking in Beijing, John Sparrow, a regional delegation spokesman for the International Federation of the Red Cross, gave the...
3,000 Feared Dead or Hurt in N Korea Train Blast
More than 3,000 people may have been killed or injured in a collision and explosion at a railway station in North Korea, the South Korean media said yesterday. The fireball at Ryongchon station, about 10 miles from the border with China, is said to have taken place only hours after North...
North Korea 'had Nuclear Bombs Five Years Ago'
In what may prove to be the first sighting of Pyongyang's atomic arsenal, Abdul Qadeer Khan - the father of Pakistan's uranium weapons programme - has told investigators he saw three nuclear bombs in North Korea five years ago, the New York Times reported yesterday. The details of Mr...
Aid Programme Runs Out of Food for North Korea
The World Food Programme has run out of grain and rice to feed 6 million undernourished North Koreans as the standoff between Pyongyang and Washington takes an increasingly dire human toll. Once the world's biggest aid recipient, North Korea is suffering a sharp decline in donations as...
Nuclear Sale Inquiry Urged
Pakistan's opposition parties demanded a public investigation yesterday into the sale of nuclear secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea on the grounds that senior army officers must have known of the deals. President Pervez Musharraf signalled his intention to draw a line under the...
North Korea and Us Agree New Talks
North Korea and the US announced yesterday that they will take part this month in a second round of talks with four other countries aimed at resolving the world's last cold war conflict. The negotiations, to begin in Beijing on February 25, will address Washington's demand that Pyongyang...
Nuclear Expert 'admits Selling Secrets'
Abdul Qadeer Khan, the father of Pakistan's nuclear bomb, has admitted selling nuclear technology to Iran, North Korea and Libya, government officials said yesterday. They said Mr Khan had given a detailed account of his dealings with the three countries last week, as a two-month...
Revealed: the Gas Chamber Horror of North Korea's Gulag
A series of shocking personal testimonies is now shedding light on Camp 22 - one of the country's most horrific secrets.
North Korea Could Soon Be Making 13 Nuclear Bombs a Year
North Korea could be producing nuclear weapons at the rate of eight to 13 a year in the next year or two, the International Institute of Strategic Studies predicted yesterday. The US claims that North Korea is engaged in a covert programme to build nuclear weapons, and has entered into...
North Korea 'using Food As Weapon'
Amnesty International warned yesterday that food was being used as a political weapon in North Korea, where hundreds of thousands of people have starved to death in the past 10 years. In a report the human rights organisation urged the government in Pyongyang to lift restrictions on aid...
Lifeline for Isolated North Koreans
The smugglers' signal comes shortly after midnight. From the darkness of the North Korean houses on the "opposite" bank of the icy Yalu river, a torchlight flashes twice. It stirs a Chinese woman, wrapped in thick winter clothing, to leave her ramshackle home and trudge across the snow towards the...
US Delegation to Visit North Korean Nuclear Plant
Hopes for a resolution of the standoff in North Korea rose yesterday when Pyongyang offered to suspend atomic power activities and welcomed its first visiting US delegation since the crisis blew up.
North Korea Offers Arms for Aid Deal
North Korea has offered to freeze its nuclear weapons programme if the US lifts economic sanctions, provides fuel aid and removes its name from a list of state sponsors of terrorism. The proposal, outlined by Pyongyang's official news agency, comes as the major powers in north-east Asia...
North Korea is Slowly Starving. Yet It Won't Reveal All Its Pain
Shortages are worsened by reforms and pursuit of a nuclear programme.
How North Korea is Embracing Capitalism By Any Other Name
Market forces are reshaping the world's last Orwellian state.
North Korea Urges Eu to Keep Bush at Bay
North Korea called on Europe to prevent the peninsula from becoming a "second Iraq" yesterday, as Pyongyang's scepticism grows about the credibility of six-party talks aimed at resolving its year-long nuclear standoff with the US. In a rare interview with the overseas media, the foreign...
Beijing Celtic Fc Chase the Craic in Pyongyang
A team of Irish and British footballers will set off for Pyongyang tomorrow to achieve on the pitch what diplomats have failed to do in conference halls: to bring isolated North Korea and the outside world a little closer. Beijing Celtic will embark on the first amateur football tour of...
Pyongyang Derides Us Treaty Offer
Diplomatic tension between the US and North Korea worsened today, after the Pyongyang government dismissed President George Bush's offer of a nuclear treaty as a "laughing matter". Mr Bush, who is on a five day tour of south-east Asia, called on the communist state to abandon its nuclear...
Bush Offers Deal to End North Korea Crisis
President promises Pyongyang security guarantees as he takes anti-terror message to east Asia.
North Korea boasts of growing plutonium stock
North Korea boasted yesterday that its nuclear arsenal is being strengthened with plutonium extracted from 8,000 reprocessed fuel rods, and said it was ready to start an assembly line for atomic weapons.
N Korea in nuclear concession
North Korea reportedly agreed yesterday to keep working with its neighbours for a nuclear-free peninsula - a concession which could conceivably pave the way for a settlement to its standoff with the US.
US-N Korea Talks Hit Obstacles
The US and North Korea were accused of holding up efforts to resolve their 10-month-old nuclear standoff as north-east Asia's six main players began talks in Beijing.
Japan detains North Korean ferry
Relations between Japan and North Korea were tested yesterday ahead of crucial talks on Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions, as Japanese authorities refused to release a North Korean ferry allegedly used to smuggle missile parts, drugs and illicit funds.
North Korea 'wants cash to reunite families'
North Korea has risked angering Japan just days before crucial talks by reportedly demanding cash and aid in return for allowing the children of five Japanese nationals who were abducted by Pyongyang agents in the late 1970s to be reunited with their parents.
The Us is Starting a Nuclear Fight That Will Be Hard to Stop
The hawks are gunning for a showdown with North Korea and Iran. John Bolton might be termed an old hand. The US under-secretary of state for arms control and international security, a Yale-educated lawyer, has held a string of senior posts in the state and justice departments.
North Korea Agrees to Fresh Talks
North Korea conceded ground in its nuclear stand-off with the US yesterday by agreeing to a new round of multilateral talks that could pave the way for a solution to the world's last cold war stand-off. Since the start of the crisis last October, the nation has held out for one-to-one...
North Korean bank is 'front for arms trade'
North Korea's only bank in Europe is at the centre of a vast spying and criminal network funding its weapons programme, according to Austrian authorities.
Secret Nuclear Plant Detected in North Korea
North Korea may have secretly built a second nuclear reprocessing plant to produce weapons-grade plutonium, according to evidence found by US intelligence agencies. The installation may be hidden inside a mountain. The news, reported in yesterday's New York Times, complicates...
Remembering the 'forgotten' Conflict
With the 50th anniversary of the Korean war armistice looming, tensions surrounding North Korea are evoking thoughts of half a century ago, says Jonathan Watts.
The Two Faces of Rumsfeld
2000: director of a company which wins $200m contract to sell nuclear reactors to North Korea
2002: declares North Korea a terrorist state, part of the axis of evil and a target for regime change
US 'shifts Stance' on North Korean Arms
The Bush administration has accepted it might not be able to stop North Korea developing nuclear weapons and has shifted its policy towards preventing it selling them abroad, it was reported yesterday. Any such change would be a significant retreat for the administration, which had told...
North Korea Offers New Peace Deal
US to study nuclear weapons proposal.
North Korea Refuses to Discuss Weapons With South
North Korea today told South Korea not to meddle in a standoff over the North's suspected nuclear weapons programme, insisting it would only discuss the issue with the US. In the second of three days of cabinet-level talks in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, South Korean delegates...
North Korea's Nuclear Boast Defies Belief
Bush cries blackmail as dismayed neighbours await confirmation of Pyongyang's corridor comment.
America's Goofy plan
This week another dangerous dictatorship has been added to the axis of evil. Forget Syria, North Korea and Iran, the next rogue state on the United States' hit list appears to be France.
Straw Plays Down N Korea Threat
The foreign secretary, Jack Straw, urged the world today to be 'very patient' in dealing with the threat posed by North Korea.
North Korean 'threat' Over Weaponry
North Korea admitted for the first time yesterday that it had nuclear weapons and issued an apparent threat to test them at a meeting with American diplomats in Beijing, according to US officials. Colin Powell, US secretary of state, said America would not be intimidated by "bellicose...
North Korea Issues War Warning to Us
Even as North Korean negotiators met today with US officials to seek a solution to the standoff over the communist state's nuclear ambitions, Pyongyang warned that war could break out on the Korean peninsula. The North's Korean people's army (KPA) vowed to "put all people under arms and...
North Korea Nuclear Talks Begin
US negotiators today met North Korean and Chinese representatives for talks in Beijing aimed at securing a peaceful end to North Korea's alleged effort to build nuclear weapons. No details of what was discussed, or how long the meeting lasted, were available. The talks, which are set to...
North Korea Clears Path for Diplomacy
Weapons talks back on after statement is amended.
North Korea Steps Up Nuclear Programme
North Korea stepped into the nuclear danger zone yesterday by declaring it had begun reprocessing 8,000 spent fuel rods from the reactor at the heart of its confrontation with the United States. The dramatic escalation of the six-month crisis means that Pyongyang is one or two months away...
North Korea 'reprocessing nuclear fuel'
North Korea said today it was in the final stages of reprocessing more than 8,000 spent nuclear fuel rods, which intelligence experts say could allow it to build several atomic bombs within months.
Beijing Brokers North Korea Talks With Us
Seoul backs strategy to defuse nuclear stand-off.
North Korea willing to talk to 'a sincere US'
North Korea has made a significant move towards dialogue with the US after an apparently successful attempt by China to break the deadlock between Washington and Pyongyang.
North Korea to Put Faith in Deterrence
North Korea appeared to abandon diplomatic negotiation as a means of settling its nuclear dispute with the US yesterday, with a warning that only "tremendous military deterrence" could prevent Pyongyang suffering the same fate as Baghdad. Backtracking from its central negotiating demand ...
North Korea and the Us 'on a Slide Towards Conflict'
War in North Korea is now almost inevitable because of the country's diplomatic stalemate with America, a senior UN official claims. Ahead of this week's crucial talks between members of the UN Security Council, Maurice Strong, special adviser to the Secretary General Kofi Annan, was...
China Cuts Oil Supply to North Korea
China cut off oil supplies to North Korea for three days last month to punish its oldest ally for the nuclear standoff with the United States, diplomats said yesterday. The decision could mark a major shift in north-east Asia, where Beijing and Pyongyang once boasted they were "as close...
North Korea Cuts Link With Armistice Body
North Korea today cut off the only regular military contact with the US-led UN command that monitors the Korean war armistice, accusing the US of trying to attack the communist state. The move will further isolate the North amid heightened tension over its suspected nuclear...
North Korean missile test renews tension
Tensions have flared up again in the far east following a test firing of a North Korean cruise missile into the Sea of Japan earlier today. Japan and South Korea immediately condemned the test. But both countries, as well as the US, attempted to play down its significance. The US is anxious to avoid becoming embroiled in a confrontation with North Korea while its attention is focused on Iraq.
North Korea Prepares for New Missile Test
North Korea today signalled its intention of holding a new missile test by declaring a maritime exclusion zone off its coast in the Sea of Japan. The US defence department said that it was aware of a three-day exclusion warning for March 8-11 declared by Pyongyang in virtually the same...
North Korea: Us Intends to Attack Us
North Korea today said that the US president, George Bush, signalled his intention to attack its nuclear facilities by saying he had not ruled out military force. KCNA, the North's state-run news agency, said Mr Bush's remarks to US newspaper journalists on Monday were "little short of a...
IAEA Condemns North Korea for Reviving Reactor
The International Atomic Energy Agency condemned North Korea yesterday for resuming the operation of its Yongbyon reactor earlier this week, which added to the suspicion that it is pursuing a programme of plutonium production for nuclear weapons. At the same time the British minister for...
North Korea Restarts Nuclear Reactor
North Korea has restarted a reactor at its main nuclear complex, possibly laying the groundwork for additional atomic weapons to the one or two it is already believed to possess, US officials said last night. The disclosure comes as a blow to the Bush administration's reliance on...
Minister Warns Crisis With North Korea Will Worsen
Britain warned yesterday that the nuclear standoff in North Korea was likely to get worse before it got better. The foreign office minister Bill Rammell said that the UK, in its role as a guarantor of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, strongly backed the American refusal to strike a...
US Fears North Korea Could Nuke California
Long-range missile ready for testing, Senate told.
Starving North Korea Pleads for Aid Amid Nuclear Standoff
With millions of its people facing starvation, the world's most isolated nation has made a rare entreaty, writes Jonathan Watts from Pyongyang.
Daily drills, nightly blackouts: North Korea is certain it's next on the US list
The dress rehearsal for the apocalypse begins at 10am sharp in Kim il-sung Square with a terrifying wail of sirens. As a cacophony of loudspeaker warnings of enemy attack echoes from revolutionary war murals, Pyongyang citizens flee for cover.
Blair: North Korea is Next
Tony Blair today pledged that after dealing with Iraq, the UN would confront North Korea about its nuclear weapons programme. The prime minister was giving an impassioned defence of the government's position on Iraq during his weekly question time when an anti-war MP shouted: "Who's...
US Warns North Korea Strike is Possible
Pyongyang's breach of faith means all options are open to deal with 'blackmailing' state, says envoy.
North Korea Rebuffs South's Mediation Efforts
North Korea today insisted that it would deal only with the United States over its suspected nuclear weapons programmes. In a blow to the South, Pyongyang's state-run Rodong newspaper said that the "nuclear issue on the Korean peninsular" was between the North and the US, so there was "no...
Drugs and forgery 'sustain North Korean economy'
The threat from North Korea may be more insidious than the mere possibility of a nuclear attack, it was claimed yesterday. The regime is shoring up what remains of its economy by racketeering, according to US officials quoted in the magazine US News and World Report.
North Korea Threatens to Resume Missile Tests
Pyongyang has escalated the stand-off with the US by resuming tests of weapons which could reach California.
North Korea Pulls Out of Nuclear Treaty
Pyongyang raises the stakes with Washington as the world struggles to understand an erratic dictator's tactics.
North Korea Walks Out of Nuclear Treaty
· Pyongyang denies weapons plans
· Japan condemns decision
· Diplomatic efforts continue
North Korea Adds Fuel to Nuclear Crisis
George Bush's decision to go easy on Kim Jong Il leaves his plans to invade Iraq looking ever more inconsistent and ill-considered, writes Julian Borger.
UN Gives North Korea One Last Chance
The International Atomic Energy Agency has warned Pyongyang that it had one last chance to allow the return of nuclear inspectors or face sanctions by the United Nations security council.
North Korea Puts Army on Heightened Alert
US calls allies to key strategy meeting over nuclear crisis.
North Korea: From famine to rat race
When Kim Hee-sun fled her North Korean home in the dead of night with only the clothes on her back and a bag of salt to ward off evil spirits, she and her family could only dream of the new year they have just passed in Seoul.
North Korea Expels Un Inspectors
Nuclear crisis escalates as Pyongyang defies west over plans to start up plutonium-producing reactor.
US Seizes North Korean Ship Taking Missiles to Yemen
A North Korean ship carrying a dozen concealed Scud missiles was intercepted in the Arabian Sea yesterday, US officials said. The ship was blocked by two Spanish patrol boats about 600 miles off the coast of the horn of Africa, and was searched by American explo sives experts, Pentagon...
North Korea Shuts Door on Nuclear Inspectors
North Korea ratcheted up the tension with the US yesterday by barring international inspectors from checking that aid deliveries of oil are helping the freezing population rather than the army. The move comes a week after the US, Japan and South Korea decided to suspend oil shipments to...
US Leaves Options Open Over North Korea
A senior US diplomat said today that Washington has not yet decided to abandon a 1994 agreement with North Korea to control nuclear weapons development, despite revelations that Pyongyang was violating the pact.
North Korea's kidnap victims return home after 25 years
Five Japanese citizens who were abducted by North Korean spies at the height of the cold war returned to Japan yesterday to be reunited with relatives they have not seen for almost a quarter of a century.
North Koreans Face Rations Cut
Three million people in North Korea will face a cut in much-needed grain rations as donations to a UN body - working to end starvation in the country - fall off, it was announced today. The cuts will take effect over the next two months - with a further 1.5 million people threatened early...
US envoy to visit North Korea for security talks
A US envoy is expected to travel to North Korea in the days ahead to discuss Washington's concerns about Pyongyang's possession of ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction.
The Thawing of North Korea
The compromises agreed to this week by the North Korean leader, Kim Jung-il, show he may prefer to be a Mikhail Gorbachev than a Nicolae Ceausescu, says Jonathan Watts.
A 13-year-old Japanese girl disappeared in 1977. Did North Korea snatch her?
Tears still well up in the eyes of Sakie Yokota when she recalls the day her 13-year-old daughter Megumi failed to come home, a failure which put her into Japan's most emotionally and politically charged missing persons' case.
Were 11 Japanese Citizens Abducted By North Korea?
Family tells of grief and hopes on eve of summit.
Japanese Leader to Make Historic North Korean Visit
In a surprising move, the first official visit by a Japanese prime minister to North Korea in 57 years was announced.
Japanese Pm Plans First Visit to North Korea
The normalisation of North Korea's relations with its neighbours came a step closer today, with two landmark developments emerging from recent talks with Japan and the South. The reconnection of the road and rail links across the world's most heavily armed border, revealed in a joint...
North Koreans Flee By Boat
The first boatload of North Korean refugees for five years landed in the South yesterday, raising the fear that the recent trickle of defectors could become a flood as the North is once again threatened by food shortages. After almost two days at sea, including passage through the...
Reform is last hope for hungry North Korea
UN gives warning as children eat weeds. Economic reforms begun by North Korea last week may be the country's last chance to solve its long-running and now accelerating food crisis, but will need to go farther than appears to be the case.
Witness Reveals Horror of North Korean Gulag
Tens of thousands of political prisoners face starvation, torture and summary execution in prison camps in North Korea, according to the testimony of a prisoner to a US Senate inquiry. In a detailed, frequently harrowing first-hand description of conditions inside Kaechon camp and other...
Surreal North Korean Party Opens Isolated State to the World
Demonised, hungry and impoverished, North Korea has taken a characteristically surreal response to being lumped inside the "axis of evil" by the US president George Bush: it has invited the world to a spectacular birthday party for the dead man who remains its president At the centrepiece...
Scuffle Highlights Plight of North Korean Refugees
Old animosities emerged from last week's scuffle outside the Japanese consulate in north-east China, writes John Gittings
North Korea Resumes Search for Missing Japanese
North Korea has grudgingly agreed to search for at least a dozen Japanese allegedly kidnapped by its agents in the 70s and 80s, in the hope of securing food aid, writes Jonathan Watts.
North Korea Will Talk If It is Not Labelled Evil
North Korea has challenged President Bush to stop calling it part of the "axis of evil" by agreeing to resume dialogue with the US on the condition that it is not "slandered" again. It said yesterday that it was responding to a proposal US officials made during recent meetings at the UN...
UK opens door to North Korea
Britain is to welcome North Korea, described by President George Bush as part of the 'axis of evil', back into the international fold. An ambassador will go there there for the first time in nearly 50 years.
US 'disappointed' as authorities eject UN inspectors and vow to resume plutonium processing
North Korea Rebuilding Reactor
Reconstruction at complex where North Koreans are believed to have produced plutonium for six bombs
US to Keep North Korea on Terrorism List
Today was earliest US could have removed Pyongyang from list in exchange for its disclosure of nuclear programs
North Korea on Brink of Food Crisis, Say Aid Agencies
Floods and poor harvests are putting millions at risk of malnutrition, says the UN World Food Program
US Tells North Korea to Prove It Has Abandoned Nuclear Ambitions
Condoleezza Rice says world cannot afford more delays on nuclear issue after six-party talks in Singapore
South Korean Tourist Shot By Soldier in North
Bilateral talks and food aid plans endangered after restriction zone patrol kills 53-year-old female
South Korean Tourist Shot Dead in North Korea
Death of tourist who wandered into restricted zone coincides with offer from Seoul to resume direct talks and provide food aid
North Korea Blows Up Cooling Tower in Nuclear Concession
Media reports say 20-meter cooling tower at main nuclear reactor complex has been destroyed
US to Take North Korea Off Rogue States List and Lift Sanctions
US move follows Pyongyang's declaration of its inventory of nuclear activities
North Korea Nuclear Programme: Pyongyang Hands Over Key Data
North Korea declares inventory of nuclear activities, paving way for it to be dropped from US terrorism list for first time in 21 years
South Korea President Praises North Over Nuclear Talks
Lee Myung-bak says North Korea is cooperating with denuclearisation in speech which signals softer approach to neighbor
US Unveils Plan to End North Korean Nuclear Ambitions
The US is considering offering North Korea a formal guarantee it will not come under attack from its military in return for the dismantling of nuclear programs, it was reported today.
US Claims North Korea Helped Build Syria Reactor Plant
Damascus dismisses video of unit bombed by Israel but US congress told site was set up to produce plutonium
US Claims North Korean Link to Israeli Bombing of Syria
The mystery over the Israeli bombing of Syria took a new twist today when US intelligence agencies showed a video claiming that the target had been a nuclear plant being built with North Korean help
US Claims Video Shows North Korea Helped Build Syrian Reactor
White House set to reveal video images it claims support allegations that North Korea was helping Syria build nuclear reactor
UN Fears Tragedy Over North Korean Food Shortage
An estimated 6.5 million people are short of food as price for a kilogram of rice rises to around one-third of a typical worker's monthly salary
North Korea Slams Aid Conditions
Worries about renewed friction as Pyongyang launches rhetorical tirade against South Korea
Don't Betray Abductees, Tokyo Warned
As talks with North Korea progress, families fear Japanese citizens snatched 30 years ago are being forgotten
New York Philharmonic to Play in North Korea
New York Philharmonic Orchestra to play in North Korea as US administration strikes chord with former 'axis of evil' nation
US Orchestra to Perform in North Korea
New York Philharmonic will visit capital next year· Trip hailed as a cultural and political breakthrough
Bush Makes Overtures to North Korean Leader
US president writes to Kim Jong il, who he once dismissed as a "pygmy"
North Korea Insists It is Off Us Blacklist
America has yet to confirm North Korean claims that it has been removed from a list of nations the US claims sponsor terrorism, after Pyongyang agreed to a nuclear deal.
North Korea Agrees to Deadline on Nuclear Weapons
Peace hopes as peninsula leaders hold further talks· Economic deal expected at Pyongyang summit
Sunny South Meets Frosty North As Two Koreas Try to Bridge 50-year Gap
Low key welcome raises fears over Kim's health · Pyongyang meeting aimed at hastening reconciliation
Bush Offers North Korea a Deal to End the World's Oldest Cold War
· South Korea's president forces promise at summit · Kim Jong-il told to give up nuclear program
North Korea 'still on Us Terror Blacklist'
Washington official denies end of sanctions despite Pyongyang's announcement after Geneva talks.
Not So Much a Policy Line As a Turn Full Circle
Pyongyang and Washington have signed an agreement after two days of talks in Geneva between North Korean officials and the assistant secretary of state for east Asian and Pacific affairs, Christopher Hill.
Pyongyang Claims End of 'pariah' Status
· Lifting of US sanctions will open up trade and aid · Washington still to confirm Geneva deal
Red Cross Issues $5.5m Appeal for North Korea Flood Victims
North Korea's worst flooding in more than 30 years threatens to turn into a health disaster as survivors fall prey to waterborne diseases, the Red Cross warned today.
Flooding Devastates North Korea
North Korea is appealing for international aid after at least 200,000 people were displaced and vast swaths of farmland submerged by what one official described as the worst flooding since the 1970s.
North Korea Shuts Nuclear Plant in Disarmament Deal With Us
Marking a significant step towards resolving a four-and-a-half-year stand-off with the US, North Korea has shut down its only operating nuclear reactor, the country's state-run media announced yesterday.
UN Inspectors Allowed Into North Korea Nuclear Plant
UN inspectors today visted a nuclear plant in North Korea for the first time since they were expelled from the country in 2002.
Nuclear Watchdog Might Not Cope in Atomic Crisis
IAEA chief warns states to choose cash or security - US envoy in North Korea after Bush U-turn on talks
North Korea Tests Missiles in Sea of Japan
North Korea today reportedly fired several short-range missiles towards the Sea of Japan in the latest provocative act from the unpredictable regime.
North Korea Resists Nuclear Shutdown Deadline
The shutdown of North Korea's main nuclear reactor by tomorrow's deadline appeared increasingly unlikely today as the Pyongyang government claimed it was still confirming the release of funds unfrozen at a Macau bank.
Frozen North Korean Funds to Be Released
Millions of dollars of North Korean funds, frozen for two years amid allegations of money laundering, are to be released, the US said today.
North Korea Talks Break Down Over Frozen Funds
North Korean negotiators walked out of nuclear disarmament talks today, leaving no prospect of a return unless $25m of frozen funds are remitted into their country's bank accounts.
N Korea Holds Its Tongue Until Funds Released
Negotiators today made little headway in nuclear disarmament talks with North Korea as the country stuck to its "show me the money" demand on $25m (£12.7m) previously frozen by the US.
N Korea Talks Resume After Funds Released
Nuclear disarmament talks resumed today in Beijing after the US resolved a financial dispute by agreeing to release frozen North Korean funds. The US treasury said the funds frozen in Macau's Banco Delta Asia (BDA) would be returned to Pyongyang via a Chinese bank, but a ban on US...
Nuclear Agency Says North Korea Ready to Negotiate.
Pyongyang is willing to enter discussions over shutting down its nuclear programme once financial sanctions against it are lifted, the head of the UN atomic watchdog said today.
North Korea Cancels Meeting With Un Inspector
The chief UN nuclear inspector has been snubbed by North Korea's deputy foreign minister during the International Atomic Energy Agency's first trip to Pyongyang in four years.
North Korea to Close Nuclear Reactor in Return for Aid
North Korea promised today to close its nuclear reactor and readmit international inspectors in exchange for fuel aid as the first step towards disarming its atomic arsenal.
North Korea to Shut Down Nuclear Reactor in Arms for Energy Deal
After three years, US makes major concessions - Agreement is example to Iran, says Rice
North Korea Agrees to Nuclear Deal
North Korea today agreed to take the first steps towards nuclear disarmament in exchange for energy aid, marking a diplomatic breakthrough after years of confrontation.
US Set for North Korea Climbdown
The US was set for embarrassing climbdown as a new round of six-nation talks over North Korea opened today, offering the best hope of a breakthrough since the standoff over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme began in 2002.
US Claims Credit As North Korea Softens Line on Nuclear Talks
Hopes were rising yesterday that North Korea would return to the negotiating table next month to discuss its nuclear programme, but the US maintained a tough line, accusing the Pyongyang government of siphoning off millions from UN development aid.
North Korea Nuclear Talks End Without Agreement
Talks on North Korea's nuclear programme today broke up without agreement as Pyongyang refused to drop its demands for the US to lift financial restrictions.
US Warns North Korea Not to Divert Nuclear Talks
The US has urged North Korea to focus more on dismantling its nuclear weapons rather than on the financial sanctions imposed upon it.
North Korea Demands End to Sanctions As Nuclear Talks Resume
North Korea will not dismantle its atomic weapons program until sanctions are lifted and it is provided with a new nuclear reactor, the country's negotiators insisted today at the opening of a new round of six-nation arms talks.
Seoul Charges Five With Spying for North Korea
Five suspected North Korean agents were indicted in Seoul today in what South Korean prosecutors are calling the biggest espionage case in more than five years.
Sanctions Target Dear Leader's Taste for Bling
US uses luxury goods ban to punish North Korea - President's favourite toys targeted by embargo
Death Toll in North Korea Typhoon Questioned
A typhoon in North Korea killed thousands more people than the country has officially admitted, an analysis by a British scientist suggests.
Asian Leaders Fail to Back Bush's Strategy to Curb North Korea's Nuclear Ambitions
President loses battle for united anti-nuclear stance - Trip to Indonesia curtailed over security concerns
North Korea Today Agreed to Resume Talks
North Korea today agreed to resume talks about ending its nuclear programme, three weeks after being universally condemned for carrying out its first nuclear test.
North Korea to Resume Talks on Nuclear Disarmament
· Pyongyang may come back to table this month · Bush thanks China for persuading its ally
How China Exerts Pressure on North Korea
Beijing may have drifted apart from Pyongyang in recent years, but it retains more influence than any other nation, says Jonathan Watts.
Chinese Pressure Forces North Korea to Apologise and Promise No More Tests
· Kim said to be ready for compromise with US · Rice flies into Beijing as nuclear row recedes
Rice Pledge to Protect Japan Cools North Korea Fears
The US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, yesterday called for the 'swift and effective' implementation of UN sanctions against North Korea and vowed that Washington would continue to protect its allies in the region amid growing fears of an arms race in the far east.
World Briefing
North Korea's nuclear test and its rumoured preparations for a sequel have set a chill wind blowing across Asia that shows no sign of abating. By Simon Tisdall
North Korea 'preparing Second Nuclear Test'
North Korea could be preparing to conduct a second nuclear test, Japan and South Korea said today, although neither country believed it was imminent.
US Tests Confirm North Korea Nuclear Blast
Air samples confirmed today that North Korea did conduct a small nuclear explosion last week, according to research from the US that puts an end to any lingering doubts.
Rush for Deal As Tests Point to Genuine Nuclear Test
The US last night refused to confirm that North Korea had joined the nuclear club, despite the discovery of a gas consistent with a nuclear blast in the atmosphere close to where Pyongyang claimed it had detonated a device on Monday.
North Korea's Nuclear Test Claim Highlights How Far Removed It Has Become From China
Rifles slung over their olive green uniforms, the North Korean border guards watch warily as the Chinese speedboat surges towards them across the Yalu river. The boatman ignores them, drawing his craft within half a dozen metres of the bank and then, turning parallel, reduces speed so his passengers can photograph the dismal promenade of rusting hulks...
Security Council to Vote on North Korea Sanctions
The United Nations security council will vote tomorrow on imposing sweeping economic and trade sanctions against North Korea after council members reached tentative agreement on how to respond to the isolated communist state's nuclear test.
Rush for Deal As Doubts Grow Over Nuclear Test
Uncertainty over North Korea's claim to have joined the nuclear club deepened last night when a US intelligence official said tests on air samples had found no evidence of radiation.
Price of a Broken Deal
Twelve months ago it seemed the west's nuclear confrontation with North Korea had reached an unexpectedly happy ending. Then the US treasury department stuck its oar in. By Simon Tisdall
Dangerous Times: North Korea and the Neocons
No one should be surprised that North Korea possesses nuclear weapons. The immediate question, however, is not how North Korea, China, Japan or South Korea will respond. The immediate question is: Are the necons in Washington insane?
How to Get Back at North Korea
What's the best way to condemn North Korea's nuclear testing? A hardline synchronised swimming ban, says Harry Pearson.
North Korea Warns of Retaliation Against Japanese Sanctions Over Nuclear Test
North Korea today threatened "strong" retaliation against Japanese sanctions as UN security council members tried to work out a compromise deal on a response to Pyongyang's nuclear test.
Japan Bans All Trade With North Korea
· Angry Tokyo closes ports to ships in unilateral move · Pyongyang threatens US with new nuclear test
North Korea – Yes, you have our attention
North Korea's big bang shakes the world. North Korea has tested a low yield nuclear device with 4% of the destructive power of the bomb that the...
North Korea Threatens Second Nuclear Test
North Korea warned today that it would conduct a second nuclear test unless the United States softens its stance.
Pyongyang Threatens More Nuclear Tests
North Korea today warned it would conduct further nuclear tests if the US continued its "hostile attitude" towards Pyongyang.
North Korea Nuclear Test: China Reluctant to Impose Sanctions
The international response to North Korea's nuclear test was in the balance today after China appeared to hint that it opposes immediate sanctions against the reclusive Stalinist state.
Democrats Seize on Crisis As Election Issue
Democrats have seized on the North Korean nuclear test as another stick with which to beat the Bush administration ahead of crucial mid-term elections less than a month away.
US Not to Blame for North Korea Nuclear Test, Says Bolton
The United States has defended branding North Korea part of the "axis of evil" and said it now fears that it could supply nuclear weapons to terrorists.
North Korea Becomes a Nuclear Player
· Regime hails 'happy bomb' · UN condemns test blast · Fears of new arms race
North Korea Vs Rest of the World - History repeating itself?
The North Korea move could not have come at a worse moment for the world...
Testing Times Ahead for North Korea
If anyone is likely to suffer as a result of the nuclear test, it will be the already impoverished population of the world's most isolated nation, says Jonathan Watts.
Bush Urges Un Action on North Korea
The UN security council was today set to discuss ways to punish North Korea after the reclusive communist state conducted a nuclear test.
The Moment North Korea Became a Nuclear Player
International efforts to curb the spread of nuclear weapons suffered a severe setback yesterday when North Korea claimed it had successfully conducted its first nuclear weapons explosion.
Big Powers Huff and Puff Over North Korea
World briefing: North Korea's nuclear test has been met with strong words, but there is little the international community can do, says Simon Tisdall.
Nuclear Test Sparks International Condemnation
North Korea announced the successful conclusion of its first nuclear test this morning, escalating tension in north-east Asia and sparking a wave of international condemnation from old enemies and traditional allies alike.
North Korean Nuclear Test Unnerves Asian Stockmarkets
South Korean stocks plunged today as Asian markets wobbled in the wake of North Korea's announcement that it had detonated a nuclear bomb in defiance of world opinion. By Justin McCurry in Tokyo.
North Korea Claims First Nuclear Test
North Korea said today it had performed its first-ever nuclear weapons test, a move that prompted swift international condemnation, with the prime minister, Tony Blair, describing it as a "completely irresponsible act".
Japan and China Unite to Denounce North Korea's Nuclear Ambitions
Japan and China set aside their historical differences yesterday to condemn North Korean plans for a nuclear bomb test and agreed to work to prevent a further escalation of hostilities in north-east Asia.
Pyongyang Defiant Over Nuclear Test
North Korea today stood firm against international pressure to abandon its plans to carry out a nuclear test.
North Korea Says It Will Carry Out Nuclear Test
North Korea announced today that it planned to conduct a nuclear test, prompting calls from senior officials around the world for it to renounce the plans or face serious consequences.
North Korea Announces Plans to Test Nuclear Weapon
North Korea announced plans today to test a nuclear weapon in a move aimed at ratcheting up tension in east Asia and forcing the US to halt financial sanctions.
North Korea Threatens to Carry Out Nuclear Weapons Test
· Move aimed at stalling financial sanctions · US and Japan lead protest against 'reckless action'
Paranoia and Provocation in Pyongyang
Concerns about North Korea's nuclear intentions are ratcheting up again, writes Simon Tisdall.
North Korea Makes Us Bomb Claim
North Korea's political paranoia has spilled into the open, writes Simon Tisdall.
North Korea Flood Deaths 'in Thousands'
Fears of a fresh humanitarian crisis in North Korea were heightened today by reports that recent flooding in the reclusive state may have killed thousands more people than originally thought.
Famine Fear As North Korea Plays Down Flood Crisis
Fears of a fresh humanitarian crisis in North Korea were heightened yesterday by reports that recent flooding may have killed thousands more people than originally thought.
Hundreds Killed in North Korean Floods
North Korea admitted today that hundreds of people are dead or missing after torrential rains swept the country, but international aid agencies say they are struggling to gauge the true extent of the damage.
Hundreds Dead or Missing in North Korea
North Korea admitted yesterday that hundreds of people are dead or missing after torrential rains swept the country, but international aid agencies say they are struggling to gauge the level of fatalities.
Bunkers Mentality
North Korea's missile tests may have been a flop but that hasn't blunted the ambition of a hawkish Japanese politician, writes Justin McCurry.
North Korea Shuns Chinese Diplomacy
Hopes for an early end to the North Korean missile crisis were dashed today after China reportedly failed to persuade its ally to stop test-firing missiles and return to six-party talks on its nuclear weapons programme.
North Korea Rebuffs China Over Missiles
· Spotlight back on UN as Beijing's envoy goes home · Japan ups stakes with talk of pre-emptive strikes
North Korea Talks 'at Pivotal Stage'
Cracks growing in coalition of nations tackling Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.
North Korea Forfeits Aid After Missile Launches
South Korean ministers today announced they were halting food aid to North Korea and the Japanese government threatened "severe measures" following the communist regime's missile tests earlier this week.
Defiant North Korea Vows to Test More Missiles
· Pyongyang says its critics face 'physical actions' · US and allies insist they will make no concessions
North Korea Defies Critics Over Missiles
North Korea rounded on its critics in dramatic fashion on Thursday, warning the US and Japan that it planned to test-launch more missiles and would resort to "physical actions" against any country that continued to pressure it to abandon its missile programme.
Defiant North Korea Fires Seventh Test Missile
North Korea ignored international condemnation of its missile tests by launching a seventh missile today, insisting it was its sovereign right to do so.
North Korean 'fireworks Display' Irritates Us But Falls Short of Target
The United Nations security council was expected to meet today to try to craft a response to the provocative firing of up to six missiles by the North Korean regime.
North Korean Missile Unlikely to Be Fired
Reports that North Korea has fuelled a long-range missile and was preparing to carry out its first test in eight years were called into question yesterday after more than a week went by without a launch.
US Deploys Missiles As N Korea Plans Test Launch
The US will deploy advanced Patriot interceptor missiles on Japanese soil this year for the first time as the region braces itself for a possible test launch by North Korea of an intercontinental ballistic missile, local media reports said yesterday.
North Korea's Threat of a Missile Test
North Korea is tweaking the American tail with its threat of a missile test. But the US need not bite. By John Gittings
US Claims It is 'ready' for Korean Missile Test
International tensions over the testing of a long-range North Korean missile continued to escalate today with the Bush administration making plans to shoot it down.
Yen Slides Amid Reports of North Korea Preparing to Test Missile
The yen fell to a record low against the euro, and an eight-year low against the pound, amid reports that North Korea was about to test-launch a long-distance ballistic missile.
North Korea Warned Over Weapons Test
North Korea was warned yesterday not to go ahead with a "provocative" weapons test amid growing concern about reports that it had fuelled a long-range missile that could be capable of reaching America's west coast.
North Korea Warned Over Missile Test
Countries fearing that North Korea is about to test a long-range missile capable of reaching the US threatened retaliatory action and further isolation of the regime today.
North Korea 'to Test Long-range Missile'
Speculation mounted on Thursday that North Korea is preparing to test-launch a long-range ballistic missile capable of hitting the US mainland.
Rice Leads Push for Us to Open Talks on Peace Deal With North Korea
· Bush to back away from nuclear confrontation · White House fears policy failure will encourage Iran
US 'to Soften North Korea Approach'
The US is considering a major u-turn in its approach to North Korea that would see a push for regime change replaced by peace talks, it was reported today.
N Korea Tops Censorship League
North Korea heads a league table of the 10 most censored countries, according to a survey by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists.
Kim-spotters Hunt Elusive Leader
· North Korean dictator makes rare trip abroad · Link made to China hosting nuclear talks
North Korea to Start Nuclear Dismantling 'soon'
North Korea did not return to international talks about its nuclear programmes today, but released a joint statement with South Korea saying the dismantling process would be "implemented soon". The latest round of talks between the two Koreas began on Tuesday in a bid to prevent North...
North Korea Makes New Nuclear Weapons Offer
North Korea today sent mixed messages to the United States, accusing it of being the 'world's worst human rights abuser' but offering to dismantle its nuclear weapons programme in return for better relations with Washington.
North and South Korea to Join Forces in Fight for Olympic Gold
· Team for Beijing 2008 represents breakthrough · Lack of food and facilities hinder northern athletes.
Last Orders at the Pyongyang Social Club
Wary of foreigners, North Korea may be about to close the only expat watering hole in the country. Jonathan Watts orders one last drink.
North Korea Turns Away Western Aid
North Korea has begun to reverse market reforms by kicking out international relief workers and choking off supplies of food and medical aid in a crackdown that puts millions of the country's children and elderly at risk.
North Korea: Genocide
North Koreans are Committing Genocide In Prison Camps - A grim picture of horror in the gulags of North Korea, near the Russian border, particularly prison camp 22, is beginning to…
Nuclear Reaction
North Korea's apparent volte-face following negotiations in Beijing highlights the need for some straight talking between Pyongyang and Tokyo, writes Justin McCurry
Nuclear Deal at Risk After North Korea Demands Reactor
· Six nation pact starts to unravel after just 24 hours · America and Japan reject call for civil project
North Korea Vows to Abandon Nuclear Weapons Project
North Korea has agreed in principle to end its nuclear weapons programme and rejoin the international non-proliferation treaty, marking the biggest breakthrough in its three-year stand-off with the US.
North Korea 'to End Nuclear Programmes'
North Korea has agreed to drop its nuclear weapons development and rejoin non-proliferation treaties in a breakthrough after two years of talks.
Good start to North Korea talks
Unusually positive signs emerged yesterday from the new round of six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear ambitions, as Washington indicated that it had no intention of attacking the North.
Hopes Grow for North Korea Talks
Six-nation talks aimed at resolving the nuclear standoff between North Korea and the United States to resume amid highest hopes of breakthrough since process began two years ago.
North Korea to Resume Nuclear Talks
North Korea will resume international nuclear arms talks in Beijing next week after a gap of more than a year, the South Korean foreign ministry announced today.
North Korea to Rejoin Nuclear Talks
North Korea yesterday raised hopes for a peaceful end to its nuclear weapons programme by agreeing to return to six-party talks after a year's absence.
US Sergeant Who Fled to North Korea Returns Home for First Visit in 40 Years
Less than a year ago Charles Jenkins would not have dared to contemplate a trip to his homeland. To do so could have meant arrest, court martial and several years in prison for the former staff sergeant, who abandoned his army unit and fled to North Korea in 1965.
Pressure to Restart N Korea Nuclear Talks
China, South Korea and the UN's nuclear watchdog yesterday pleaded with North Korea and the US to resume talks as the IAEA estimated that Pyongyang already had enough material for up to six bombs.
North Korean Missile Fired Towards Japan
International efforts to persuade North Korea to abandon its suspected nuclear weapons programme were in danger of unravelling yesterday amid reports that it has launched a short-range conventional missile into the Sea of Japan.
Bomb Fear As North Korea Halts Reactor
North Korea has halted operations at its nuclear reactor, prompting the fear that it may be extracting fuel rods for processing into weapons-grade plutonium.
World Briefing
Simon Tisdall: Reports last autumn of defecting generals, anti-regime graffiti, and disappearing portraits of the Dear Leader, Kim Jong-il, provoked excited speculation about insurrection in North Korea.
We Have the Bomb, Say North Koreans
Pyongyang claims to have nuclear weapon for self-defence against US, and pulls out of international talks to resolve crisis.
North Korea: We Have Nuclear Weapons to Defend From Us
North Korea today publicly acknowledged for the first time that it has nuclear weapons and rejected recent attempts to restart disarmament talks soon.
DNA Riddle Deepens Kidnap Row
Japanese sanction threat to North Korea in dispute over girl's remains. It was one of the century's most bizarre state crimes: dozens of Japanese were kidnapped by North Korea in the 1970s and made to live in the world's most secretive nation.
World Briefing
Simon Tisdall: The prospect of renewed conflict in the Korean peninsula receded yesterday after President George Bush eschewed further hostile rhetoric against North Korea in his State of the Union address.
Get a Socialist Haircut, North Korea Tells Men
North Korean men hoping to emulate their 'dear leader' Kim Jong-il by sporting a bouffant have been instructed to do their bit for socialism by cutting it off.
Tremors That May Signal Political Earthquake in North Korea
European policymakers have been advised to prepare for 'sudden change' in North Korea amid growing speculation among diplomats and observers that Kim Jong-il is losing his grip on power.
Into the Hornet's Nest
The government is under increasing domestic pressure to force North Korea to break its silence over the fate of kidnapped Japanese citizens, writes Justin McCurry
Korean Whispers
Jonathan Watts sorts through the speculation to assess recent moves within the North Korean government.
Experts Rebel Over Us Stance on N Korea
A group of senior US policymakers has called on the Bush administration to change its stance towards North Korea, with its chairman accusing the White House of 'distorting' intelligence about Pyongyang's uranium weapons programme.
Remains Not Cold War Woman
Officials in Tokyo said yesterday that human remains which North Korea claimed were those of a Japanese woman kidnapped by Pyongyang agents almost three decades ago are not hers.
After 40 Years, Us Soldier Who Defected to North Korea Begins New Life in Japan
Japanese wife's home town welcomes soldier who defected to North Korea.
After 40 Years, American Deserter Takes His Punishment and Begins New Life With Family
Japanese wife's home town welcomes soldier who defected to North Korea.
North Korea is Failing to Meet Growth Target
Sixty years of North Korean communism have had a grim and unexpected impact on its citizens: it has paralysed their growth.
North Korea's Kim Cult Begins to Fade From View
The world's last major political personality cult could be fading, according to reports from North Korea.
Token Sentence for Us Sergeant Who Defected to N Korea
An American soldier who spent nearly 40 years in North Korea was given a 30-day prison sentence and a dishonourable discharge after pleading guilty to defecting to the communist state and aiding the enemy - charges that carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
North Korea in Mushroom Cloud Riddle
UK minister demands explanation of apparent blast.
US Deserter to Turn Himself in
Nearly 40 years after he defected to communist North Korea, US army staff sergeant Charles Robert Jenkins is today expected to surrender to American military authorities to face a court martial on desertion charges. Mr Jenkins, 64, will arrive at the headquarters of the US army in Japan,...
Minister's Mission to North Korea
The junior Foreign Office minister Bill Rammell said yesterday that he believed North Korea could already have one or two nuclear weapons.
'Deserter' to Give Himself Up
Charles Jenkins, 64, an American soldier accused of defecting to North Korea nearly 40 years ago, said yesterday he would soon give himself up to US military authorities. "I will soon voluntarily face the charges that have been filed against me by the US army," he said in a statement from...
Minister to Visit North Korea
In a small softening of relations between North Korea and the west, it was announced yesterday that Bill Rammell of the Foreign Office is to become the first British minister to visit the communist state. The breakthrough came after North Korea agreed that Mr Rammell would be entitled to...
UN tells North Korea to protect its environment
North Korea must take urgent action to protect its environment, the UN environment programme said yesterday, publishing its first report on the deforestation and pollution caused by more than a decade of famine and economic hardship.
North Korean Nuclear Missile 'could Reach Us'
North Korea is deploying a new missile which may be able to strike the US mainland with a nuclear warhead, a report in Jane's Defence Weekly says today. In the most alarming and detailed picture yet painted of Pyongyang's deterrent force, the authoritative military publication said the...
Flight From North Korea Gains Pace
220 fly into Seoul, completing a 4,000-mile loop to defect from Stalinist state.
Alleged Us Deserter's Family Back Together
Thirty-nine years after he mysteriously disappeared into North Korea, American army sergeant Charles Robert Jenkins yesterday emerged from the reclusive Stalinist state for an emotional reunion with his wife. Travelling with Mr Jenkins, who both the American and the North Korean...
Family Reunion for Victims of the Cold War
Alleged US deserter and kidnapped Japanese wife face uncertain future outside North Korea.
Mutual Distrust Clouds Us-korea Negotiations
North Korea said yesterday it did not trust the US after the two sides' foreign ministers held their highest-level talks since Washington described Pyongyang as part of an "axis of evil". Colin Powell, the US secretary of state, said after meeting his North Korean counterpart Paek Nam-sun...
North Korean Nuclear Trade Exposed
IAEA team finds Pyonyang sold uranium to Libya for bomb.
'Train Blast Victims Died Saving Leaders' Portraits'
North Korea's state-run media today claimed that many of the 161 people who died in last week's train explosion in the town of Ryongchon had struggled heroically in the last moments of their lives to save portraits of the ruling family. The claims - from a country that enforces leader...
Railway Blast Triggered North Korean Paranoia
Huge explosions as 154 were killed made people think they were under nuclear attack from US.
North Korea Admits Hundreds Died and Asks for Help
North Korea made a rare appeal to the international community for help yesterday as details began to emerge of the huge train explosion on Thursday which killed hundreds of people, injured thousands, and flattened more than 1,800 homes. The usually secretive government in Pyongyang...
150 Killed in North Korea Blast
· 8,000 homes damaged
· Explosives-laden train causes fireball
· Pyongyang accepts UN help
54 Dead in North Korea Blast
· 8,000 homes damaged
· Explosives-laden train causes fireball
· Pyongyang accepts UN help
'54 Dead' in North Korea Blast
At least 54 people have been killed in an explosion that damaged more than 8,000 homes around a train station in North Korea, the Red Cross told Reuters today. Speaking in Beijing, John Sparrow, a regional delegation spokesman for the International Federation of the Red Cross, gave the...
3,000 Feared Dead or Hurt in N Korea Train Blast
More than 3,000 people may have been killed or injured in a collision and explosion at a railway station in North Korea, the South Korean media said yesterday. The fireball at Ryongchon station, about 10 miles from the border with China, is said to have taken place only hours after North...
North Korea 'had Nuclear Bombs Five Years Ago'
In what may prove to be the first sighting of Pyongyang's atomic arsenal, Abdul Qadeer Khan - the father of Pakistan's uranium weapons programme - has told investigators he saw three nuclear bombs in North Korea five years ago, the New York Times reported yesterday. The details of Mr...
Aid Programme Runs Out of Food for North Korea
The World Food Programme has run out of grain and rice to feed 6 million undernourished North Koreans as the standoff between Pyongyang and Washington takes an increasingly dire human toll. Once the world's biggest aid recipient, North Korea is suffering a sharp decline in donations as...
Nuclear Sale Inquiry Urged
Pakistan's opposition parties demanded a public investigation yesterday into the sale of nuclear secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea on the grounds that senior army officers must have known of the deals. President Pervez Musharraf signalled his intention to draw a line under the...
North Korea and Us Agree New Talks
North Korea and the US announced yesterday that they will take part this month in a second round of talks with four other countries aimed at resolving the world's last cold war conflict. The negotiations, to begin in Beijing on February 25, will address Washington's demand that Pyongyang...
Nuclear Expert 'admits Selling Secrets'
Abdul Qadeer Khan, the father of Pakistan's nuclear bomb, has admitted selling nuclear technology to Iran, North Korea and Libya, government officials said yesterday. They said Mr Khan had given a detailed account of his dealings with the three countries last week, as a two-month...
Revealed: the Gas Chamber Horror of North Korea's Gulag
A series of shocking personal testimonies is now shedding light on Camp 22 - one of the country's most horrific secrets.
North Korea Could Soon Be Making 13 Nuclear Bombs a Year
North Korea could be producing nuclear weapons at the rate of eight to 13 a year in the next year or two, the International Institute of Strategic Studies predicted yesterday. The US claims that North Korea is engaged in a covert programme to build nuclear weapons, and has entered into...
North Korea 'using Food As Weapon'
Amnesty International warned yesterday that food was being used as a political weapon in North Korea, where hundreds of thousands of people have starved to death in the past 10 years. In a report the human rights organisation urged the government in Pyongyang to lift restrictions on aid...
Lifeline for Isolated North Koreans
The smugglers' signal comes shortly after midnight. From the darkness of the North Korean houses on the "opposite" bank of the icy Yalu river, a torchlight flashes twice. It stirs a Chinese woman, wrapped in thick winter clothing, to leave her ramshackle home and trudge across the snow towards the...
US Delegation to Visit North Korean Nuclear Plant
Hopes for a resolution of the standoff in North Korea rose yesterday when Pyongyang offered to suspend atomic power activities and welcomed its first visiting US delegation since the crisis blew up.
North Korea Offers Arms for Aid Deal
North Korea has offered to freeze its nuclear weapons programme if the US lifts economic sanctions, provides fuel aid and removes its name from a list of state sponsors of terrorism. The proposal, outlined by Pyongyang's official news agency, comes as the major powers in north-east Asia...
North Korea is Slowly Starving. Yet It Won't Reveal All Its Pain
Shortages are worsened by reforms and pursuit of a nuclear programme.
How North Korea is Embracing Capitalism By Any Other Name
Market forces are reshaping the world's last Orwellian state.
North Korea Urges Eu to Keep Bush at Bay
North Korea called on Europe to prevent the peninsula from becoming a "second Iraq" yesterday, as Pyongyang's scepticism grows about the credibility of six-party talks aimed at resolving its year-long nuclear standoff with the US. In a rare interview with the overseas media, the foreign...
Beijing Celtic Fc Chase the Craic in Pyongyang
A team of Irish and British footballers will set off for Pyongyang tomorrow to achieve on the pitch what diplomats have failed to do in conference halls: to bring isolated North Korea and the outside world a little closer. Beijing Celtic will embark on the first amateur football tour of...
Pyongyang Derides Us Treaty Offer
Diplomatic tension between the US and North Korea worsened today, after the Pyongyang government dismissed President George Bush's offer of a nuclear treaty as a "laughing matter". Mr Bush, who is on a five day tour of south-east Asia, called on the communist state to abandon its nuclear...
Bush Offers Deal to End North Korea Crisis
President promises Pyongyang security guarantees as he takes anti-terror message to east Asia.
North Korea boasts of growing plutonium stock
North Korea boasted yesterday that its nuclear arsenal is being strengthened with plutonium extracted from 8,000 reprocessed fuel rods, and said it was ready to start an assembly line for atomic weapons.
N Korea in nuclear concession
North Korea reportedly agreed yesterday to keep working with its neighbours for a nuclear-free peninsula - a concession which could conceivably pave the way for a settlement to its standoff with the US.
US-N Korea Talks Hit Obstacles
The US and North Korea were accused of holding up efforts to resolve their 10-month-old nuclear standoff as north-east Asia's six main players began talks in Beijing.
Japan detains North Korean ferry
Relations between Japan and North Korea were tested yesterday ahead of crucial talks on Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions, as Japanese authorities refused to release a North Korean ferry allegedly used to smuggle missile parts, drugs and illicit funds.
North Korea 'wants cash to reunite families'
North Korea has risked angering Japan just days before crucial talks by reportedly demanding cash and aid in return for allowing the children of five Japanese nationals who were abducted by Pyongyang agents in the late 1970s to be reunited with their parents.
The Us is Starting a Nuclear Fight That Will Be Hard to Stop
The hawks are gunning for a showdown with North Korea and Iran. John Bolton might be termed an old hand. The US under-secretary of state for arms control and international security, a Yale-educated lawyer, has held a string of senior posts in the state and justice departments.
North Korea Agrees to Fresh Talks
North Korea conceded ground in its nuclear stand-off with the US yesterday by agreeing to a new round of multilateral talks that could pave the way for a solution to the world's last cold war stand-off. Since the start of the crisis last October, the nation has held out for one-to-one...
North Korean bank is 'front for arms trade'
North Korea's only bank in Europe is at the centre of a vast spying and criminal network funding its weapons programme, according to Austrian authorities.
Secret Nuclear Plant Detected in North Korea
North Korea may have secretly built a second nuclear reprocessing plant to produce weapons-grade plutonium, according to evidence found by US intelligence agencies. The installation may be hidden inside a mountain. The news, reported in yesterday's New York Times, complicates...
Remembering the 'forgotten' Conflict
With the 50th anniversary of the Korean war armistice looming, tensions surrounding North Korea are evoking thoughts of half a century ago, says Jonathan Watts.
The Two Faces of Rumsfeld
2000: director of a company which wins $200m contract to sell nuclear reactors to North Korea
2002: declares North Korea a terrorist state, part of the axis of evil and a target for regime change
US 'shifts Stance' on North Korean Arms
The Bush administration has accepted it might not be able to stop North Korea developing nuclear weapons and has shifted its policy towards preventing it selling them abroad, it was reported yesterday. Any such change would be a significant retreat for the administration, which had told...
North Korea Offers New Peace Deal
US to study nuclear weapons proposal.
North Korea Refuses to Discuss Weapons With South
North Korea today told South Korea not to meddle in a standoff over the North's suspected nuclear weapons programme, insisting it would only discuss the issue with the US. In the second of three days of cabinet-level talks in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, South Korean delegates...
North Korea's Nuclear Boast Defies Belief
Bush cries blackmail as dismayed neighbours await confirmation of Pyongyang's corridor comment.
America's Goofy plan
This week another dangerous dictatorship has been added to the axis of evil. Forget Syria, North Korea and Iran, the next rogue state on the United States' hit list appears to be France.
Straw Plays Down N Korea Threat
The foreign secretary, Jack Straw, urged the world today to be 'very patient' in dealing with the threat posed by North Korea.
North Korean 'threat' Over Weaponry
North Korea admitted for the first time yesterday that it had nuclear weapons and issued an apparent threat to test them at a meeting with American diplomats in Beijing, according to US officials. Colin Powell, US secretary of state, said America would not be intimidated by "bellicose...
North Korea Issues War Warning to Us
Even as North Korean negotiators met today with US officials to seek a solution to the standoff over the communist state's nuclear ambitions, Pyongyang warned that war could break out on the Korean peninsula. The North's Korean people's army (KPA) vowed to "put all people under arms and...
North Korea Nuclear Talks Begin
US negotiators today met North Korean and Chinese representatives for talks in Beijing aimed at securing a peaceful end to North Korea's alleged effort to build nuclear weapons. No details of what was discussed, or how long the meeting lasted, were available. The talks, which are set to...
North Korea Clears Path for Diplomacy
Weapons talks back on after statement is amended.
North Korea Steps Up Nuclear Programme
North Korea stepped into the nuclear danger zone yesterday by declaring it had begun reprocessing 8,000 spent fuel rods from the reactor at the heart of its confrontation with the United States. The dramatic escalation of the six-month crisis means that Pyongyang is one or two months away...
North Korea 'reprocessing nuclear fuel'
North Korea said today it was in the final stages of reprocessing more than 8,000 spent nuclear fuel rods, which intelligence experts say could allow it to build several atomic bombs within months.
Beijing Brokers North Korea Talks With Us
Seoul backs strategy to defuse nuclear stand-off.
North Korea willing to talk to 'a sincere US'
North Korea has made a significant move towards dialogue with the US after an apparently successful attempt by China to break the deadlock between Washington and Pyongyang.
North Korea to Put Faith in Deterrence
North Korea appeared to abandon diplomatic negotiation as a means of settling its nuclear dispute with the US yesterday, with a warning that only "tremendous military deterrence" could prevent Pyongyang suffering the same fate as Baghdad. Backtracking from its central negotiating demand ...
North Korea and the Us 'on a Slide Towards Conflict'
War in North Korea is now almost inevitable because of the country's diplomatic stalemate with America, a senior UN official claims. Ahead of this week's crucial talks between members of the UN Security Council, Maurice Strong, special adviser to the Secretary General Kofi Annan, was...
China Cuts Oil Supply to North Korea
China cut off oil supplies to North Korea for three days last month to punish its oldest ally for the nuclear standoff with the United States, diplomats said yesterday. The decision could mark a major shift in north-east Asia, where Beijing and Pyongyang once boasted they were "as close...
North Korea Cuts Link With Armistice Body
North Korea today cut off the only regular military contact with the US-led UN command that monitors the Korean war armistice, accusing the US of trying to attack the communist state. The move will further isolate the North amid heightened tension over its suspected nuclear...
North Korean missile test renews tension
Tensions have flared up again in the far east following a test firing of a North Korean cruise missile into the Sea of Japan earlier today. Japan and South Korea immediately condemned the test. But both countries, as well as the US, attempted to play down its significance. The US is anxious to avoid becoming embroiled in a confrontation with North Korea while its attention is focused on Iraq.
North Korea Prepares for New Missile Test
North Korea today signalled its intention of holding a new missile test by declaring a maritime exclusion zone off its coast in the Sea of Japan. The US defence department said that it was aware of a three-day exclusion warning for March 8-11 declared by Pyongyang in virtually the same...
North Korea: Us Intends to Attack Us
North Korea today said that the US president, George Bush, signalled his intention to attack its nuclear facilities by saying he had not ruled out military force. KCNA, the North's state-run news agency, said Mr Bush's remarks to US newspaper journalists on Monday were "little short of a...
IAEA Condemns North Korea for Reviving Reactor
The International Atomic Energy Agency condemned North Korea yesterday for resuming the operation of its Yongbyon reactor earlier this week, which added to the suspicion that it is pursuing a programme of plutonium production for nuclear weapons. At the same time the British minister for...
North Korea Restarts Nuclear Reactor
North Korea has restarted a reactor at its main nuclear complex, possibly laying the groundwork for additional atomic weapons to the one or two it is already believed to possess, US officials said last night. The disclosure comes as a blow to the Bush administration's reliance on...
Minister Warns Crisis With North Korea Will Worsen
Britain warned yesterday that the nuclear standoff in North Korea was likely to get worse before it got better. The foreign office minister Bill Rammell said that the UK, in its role as a guarantor of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, strongly backed the American refusal to strike a...
US Fears North Korea Could Nuke California
Long-range missile ready for testing, Senate told.
Starving North Korea Pleads for Aid Amid Nuclear Standoff
With millions of its people facing starvation, the world's most isolated nation has made a rare entreaty, writes Jonathan Watts from Pyongyang.
Daily drills, nightly blackouts: North Korea is certain it's next on the US list
The dress rehearsal for the apocalypse begins at 10am sharp in Kim il-sung Square with a terrifying wail of sirens. As a cacophony of loudspeaker warnings of enemy attack echoes from revolutionary war murals, Pyongyang citizens flee for cover.
Blair: North Korea is Next
Tony Blair today pledged that after dealing with Iraq, the UN would confront North Korea about its nuclear weapons programme. The prime minister was giving an impassioned defence of the government's position on Iraq during his weekly question time when an anti-war MP shouted: "Who's...
US Warns North Korea Strike is Possible
Pyongyang's breach of faith means all options are open to deal with 'blackmailing' state, says envoy.
North Korea Rebuffs South's Mediation Efforts
North Korea today insisted that it would deal only with the United States over its suspected nuclear weapons programmes. In a blow to the South, Pyongyang's state-run Rodong newspaper said that the "nuclear issue on the Korean peninsular" was between the North and the US, so there was "no...
Drugs and forgery 'sustain North Korean economy'
The threat from North Korea may be more insidious than the mere possibility of a nuclear attack, it was claimed yesterday. The regime is shoring up what remains of its economy by racketeering, according to US officials quoted in the magazine US News and World Report.
North Korea Threatens to Resume Missile Tests
Pyongyang has escalated the stand-off with the US by resuming tests of weapons which could reach California.
North Korea Pulls Out of Nuclear Treaty
Pyongyang raises the stakes with Washington as the world struggles to understand an erratic dictator's tactics.
North Korea Walks Out of Nuclear Treaty
· Pyongyang denies weapons plans
· Japan condemns decision
· Diplomatic efforts continue
North Korea Adds Fuel to Nuclear Crisis
George Bush's decision to go easy on Kim Jong Il leaves his plans to invade Iraq looking ever more inconsistent and ill-considered, writes Julian Borger.
UN Gives North Korea One Last Chance
The International Atomic Energy Agency has warned Pyongyang that it had one last chance to allow the return of nuclear inspectors or face sanctions by the United Nations security council.
North Korea Puts Army on Heightened Alert
US calls allies to key strategy meeting over nuclear crisis.
North Korea: From famine to rat race
When Kim Hee-sun fled her North Korean home in the dead of night with only the clothes on her back and a bag of salt to ward off evil spirits, she and her family could only dream of the new year they have just passed in Seoul.
North Korea Expels Un Inspectors
Nuclear crisis escalates as Pyongyang defies west over plans to start up plutonium-producing reactor.
US Seizes North Korean Ship Taking Missiles to Yemen
A North Korean ship carrying a dozen concealed Scud missiles was intercepted in the Arabian Sea yesterday, US officials said. The ship was blocked by two Spanish patrol boats about 600 miles off the coast of the horn of Africa, and was searched by American explo sives experts, Pentagon...
North Korea Shuts Door on Nuclear Inspectors
North Korea ratcheted up the tension with the US yesterday by barring international inspectors from checking that aid deliveries of oil are helping the freezing population rather than the army. The move comes a week after the US, Japan and South Korea decided to suspend oil shipments to...
US Leaves Options Open Over North Korea
A senior US diplomat said today that Washington has not yet decided to abandon a 1994 agreement with North Korea to control nuclear weapons development, despite revelations that Pyongyang was violating the pact.
North Korea's kidnap victims return home after 25 years
Five Japanese citizens who were abducted by North Korean spies at the height of the cold war returned to Japan yesterday to be reunited with relatives they have not seen for almost a quarter of a century.
North Koreans Face Rations Cut
Three million people in North Korea will face a cut in much-needed grain rations as donations to a UN body - working to end starvation in the country - fall off, it was announced today. The cuts will take effect over the next two months - with a further 1.5 million people threatened early...
US envoy to visit North Korea for security talks
A US envoy is expected to travel to North Korea in the days ahead to discuss Washington's concerns about Pyongyang's possession of ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction.
The Thawing of North Korea
The compromises agreed to this week by the North Korean leader, Kim Jung-il, show he may prefer to be a Mikhail Gorbachev than a Nicolae Ceausescu, says Jonathan Watts.
A 13-year-old Japanese girl disappeared in 1977. Did North Korea snatch her?
Tears still well up in the eyes of Sakie Yokota when she recalls the day her 13-year-old daughter Megumi failed to come home, a failure which put her into Japan's most emotionally and politically charged missing persons' case.
Were 11 Japanese Citizens Abducted By North Korea?
Family tells of grief and hopes on eve of summit.
Japanese Leader to Make Historic North Korean Visit
In a surprising move, the first official visit by a Japanese prime minister to North Korea in 57 years was announced.
Japanese Pm Plans First Visit to North Korea
The normalisation of North Korea's relations with its neighbours came a step closer today, with two landmark developments emerging from recent talks with Japan and the South. The reconnection of the road and rail links across the world's most heavily armed border, revealed in a joint...
North Koreans Flee By Boat
The first boatload of North Korean refugees for five years landed in the South yesterday, raising the fear that the recent trickle of defectors could become a flood as the North is once again threatened by food shortages. After almost two days at sea, including passage through the...
Reform is last hope for hungry North Korea
UN gives warning as children eat weeds. Economic reforms begun by North Korea last week may be the country's last chance to solve its long-running and now accelerating food crisis, but will need to go farther than appears to be the case.
Witness Reveals Horror of North Korean Gulag
Tens of thousands of political prisoners face starvation, torture and summary execution in prison camps in North Korea, according to the testimony of a prisoner to a US Senate inquiry. In a detailed, frequently harrowing first-hand description of conditions inside Kaechon camp and other...
Surreal North Korean Party Opens Isolated State to the World
Demonised, hungry and impoverished, North Korea has taken a characteristically surreal response to being lumped inside the "axis of evil" by the US president George Bush: it has invited the world to a spectacular birthday party for the dead man who remains its president At the centrepiece...
Scuffle Highlights Plight of North Korean Refugees
Old animosities emerged from last week's scuffle outside the Japanese consulate in north-east China, writes John Gittings
North Korea Resumes Search for Missing Japanese
North Korea has grudgingly agreed to search for at least a dozen Japanese allegedly kidnapped by its agents in the 70s and 80s, in the hope of securing food aid, writes Jonathan Watts.
North Korea Will Talk If It is Not Labelled Evil
North Korea has challenged President Bush to stop calling it part of the "axis of evil" by agreeing to resume dialogue with the US on the condition that it is not "slandered" again. It said yesterday that it was responding to a proposal US officials made during recent meetings at the UN...
UK opens door to North Korea
Britain is to welcome North Korea, described by President George Bush as part of the 'axis of evil', back into the international fold. An ambassador will go there there for the first time in nearly 50 years.