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Second Canadian citizen detained in China | South China Morning Post

A second Canadian has been detained in China on accusations of “endangering national security”. China confirmed on December 13 that Michael Spavor, a businessman who runs tours from China to North Korea, is being held for investigation. Chinese authorities detained Michael Kovrig, another Canadian and former diploma…

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Miss Singapore shakes off ridicule to wear Trump-Kim dress at Miss Universe event | South China Morning Post

Miss Singapore Zahra Khanum has braved online criticism to appear at the annual Miss Universe National Costume Show wearing an outfit inspired by the US-North Korea talks her homeland recently hosted. But the 23-year-old was not the only one with a wild national costume among the 93 Miss Universe contestants on stag…

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North Korean children sing ode to Kim Jong-Un | South China Morning Post

Children in vividly-coloured costumes, make-up and bright smiles have belted out the finale of their show, ‘We Cannot Live without You, Father’, an ode to the supreme leader Kim Jong-un at the Sinuiju City Kindergarten in North Pyongyang, North Korea. The hour-long performance featured singing footballing girls -- t…

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Chinese magician performs world’s best magic trick | South China Morning Post

Eric Chien, based in Beijing and raised in the US, has won an International Federation of Magic Societies world championship title. The 26-year-old performed his magic trick “Ribbon”, mesmerising the audience and judges with the illusion. The contest runs every three years and is considered the “Olympics for magicia…

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Death and destruction: Veterans remember the Korean War | South China Morning Post

Bombs so powerful they lit up the night sky. Countless bodies strewn on the battlefields. They are memories from more than six decades ago that are still crystal clear in the minds of the men and women who served in the Korean war. An estimated 2.8 million people were killed during the three years of fighting. Sixty…

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South Korea’s Kim Jong-yang elected Interpol’s new chief in blow to Russia | South China Morning Post

South Korea’s Kim Jong-yang has been elected as Interpol’s new president. Kim, supported by the US, beat Kremlin-backed candidate Alexander Prokopchuk to be the new chief. He will replace Meng Hongwei from China, who went missing in September. It was later revealed that he was detained by Beijing and accused of brib…

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Second Kim Jong-un summit coming soon, Donald Trump says | South China Morning Post

A second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will happen “in the not-too-distant future”, US President Donald Trump said. Security experts and veteran diplomats are divided, with some supporting the plan and others saying Kim has not done enough to “earn” a second meeting with Trump.

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Korean leaders pledge to ‘end the history of tragic conflict’ in historic summit | South China Morning Post

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has concluded a three-day summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang. Moon was the first South Korean leader to visit North Korea in 11 years. The leaders worked to salvage nuclear talks, reduce military tensions and begin discussions on a plan to co-host the 2032 Sum…

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Moon and Kim agree to make Korean peninsula “a region without nuclear weapons” | South China Morning Post

South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed to make the Korean peninsula “a region without nuclear weapons” on the second day of their landmark summit in Pyongyang. Kim promised to permanently close his missile facilities at the Sohae launching station in Tongchang-ri. He also prom…

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Kim and Moon begin landmark summit in Pyongyang to save nuclear talks | South China Morning Post

South Korean President Moon Jae-in is in Pyongyang for the first time. Moon is meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for the third time this year to revive nuclear talks. Kim had earlier promised to denuclearise the Korean peninsula, but was criticised by US President Donald Trump for slow progress.

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North Korea drops missiles from military parade in sign of denuclearisation | South China Morning Post

North Korea held a military parade on September 9 to mark the 70th anniversary of the country’s founding, but something was noticeably absent: intercontinental ballistic missiles. Long displayed in previous similar events, the lack of ICBMs was seen as a signal of the country’s commitment to denuclearisation. The mo…

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Trump’s gamble on Kim and denuclearisation looks shaky | South China Morning Post

US President Donald Trump's bet on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is looking increasingly shaky, with analysts doubting that Pyongyang will really denuclearise. Trump called off Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s North Korea trip after Pompeo received a belligerent letter from a senior North Korean official just hour…

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Foreign tourists hike on North Korea’s Mount Paektu volcano for first time | South China Morning Post

Mount Paektu, a huge volcano that sits on the border between China and North Korea, saw its first group of foreign visitors last week. Two Australians, two Norwegians and one New Zealander spent six days and five nights hiking around the remote area near the mountain. Hike organiser Roger Shepherd said he hopes to o…

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65 years after the armistice, veterans recall Korean war's horrors | South China Morning Post

Bombs so powerful they lit up the night sky. Countless bodies strewn on the battlefields. They are memories from more than six decades ago that are still crystal clear in the minds of the men and women who served in the Korean war. An estimated 2.8 million people were killed during the three years of fighting. Sixty…

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Chinese man becomes second in history to achieve mountain climber grand slam | South China Morning Post

When Zhang Liang reached the top of Alaska’s Mt Denali, the highest peak in North America, he achieved his climbing ambition - the “14+7+2” explorer’s grand slam. It requires a mountaineer to climb the world’s top 14 peaks over 8,000 metres - known as the ‘eight thousanders’, to scale the highest mountain on each of…

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An aid worker’s collection of North Korean propaganda | South China Morning Post

Known for their saturated hues and forceful slogans, North Korean propaganda posters are a rare burst of colour in the country’s otherwise relatively drab streets. They are designed to inform North Korean citizens of the Communist government’s economic and social policies. Katharina Zellweger, an aid worker from Swi…

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North Korea’s new attitude can reduce tensions in Asia, Malaysia’s Mahathir says | South China Morning Post

As the Trump-Kim summit in Singapore gets underway, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said the world should not be cynical about North Korea’s new attitude to denuclearisation and should take advantage of it to reduce tensions in southeast Asia. Speaking at the 24th International Conference on the Future of …

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The historic moment Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un met | South China Morning Post

The leaders of the United States and North Korea are meeting for the first time in the city state of Singapore. Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un are having face-to-face talks on the resort island of Sentosa. The world’s attention is focused on the highly anticipated meeting, where denuclearisation of the Korean peninsul…

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Singapore steps up security ahead of Donald Trump’s meeting with Kim Jong-un | South China Morning Post

Singapore is carrying out one of the biggest security operations in its history as the city state hosts a meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The leaders arrived in Singapore on Sunday and security has been stepped up in the area where their hotels are, as well as on the re…

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Families of US soldiers missing since Korean War hope Trump-Kim talks will bring loved ones home | South China Morning Post

Irene Mandra has spent more than 65 years seeking answers about the fate of her brother, Marine Sergeant Philip Mandra, who went missing while taking part in a combat operation in North Korea in 1952. She hopes that the Trump-Kim talks will help bringing her brother home.

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The story of Sentosa: the island that will host the historic Trump-Kim meeting | South China Morning Post

The Singaporean island of Sentosa has been selected as the meeting place for Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un on June 12. Playing host to the first meeting between a US President and North Korean leader will be a historic move, but there is more to Sentosa’s rich and diverse history. (Photo: Roy Issa)

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Singapore summit back on: is Trump ignoring Kim’s history? | South China Morning Post

US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un are set to meet in a historic summit in Singapore on June 12 - the first face-to-face meeting between the leaders of the two countries. But by agreeing to the meeting, is the Trump administration ignoring - or forgiving - North Korea’s history, including …

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Trump reassures, then warns North Korea | South China Morning Post

US President Donald Trump says he will continue to plan his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to strike a deal for North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons programme. Trump also stressed that he would not seek a “Libya model” for denuclearisation which would force Pyongyang to give up its arms and lead t…

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Kim Jong-un tries to mend fences with China | South China Morning Post

North Korea has vowed to deepen its strategic relations with China as the two allies sought to mend fences ahead of an unprecedented meeting between Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump. In a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday, Kim reaffirmed that a strong relationship with China was “a f…

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North and South Korea remove loudspeakers that blasted propaganda at the demilitarised zone | South China Morning Post

North and South Korea on May 1 began to remove loudspeakers set up at the demilitarised zone, their de facto border, that had been used to broadcast propaganda messages from one side into the other. It is one of the steps the countries are taking to mend relations and work towards officially ending the Korean War. T…

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Are the world's most famous photobombers these snappers at the inter-Korean summit? | South China Morning Post

The historic summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean president Moon Jae-in was broadcast live around the world. But an entourage of photographers, who were all clamouring for the best shot, inadvertently photobombed the main camera that was filming the live video.

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North and South Korean leaders pledge peace and denuclearisation | South China Morning Post

The leaders of North and South Korean made a joint statement at the end of their historic summit, pledging to officially end the Korean war, improve inter-Korean relations and denuclearise the Korean peninsula. Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in said both countries are working towards permanent peace and eventually reunifi…

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Kim and Moon plant 'peace and prosperity' | South China Morning Post

After holding their first meeting in the morning and breaking for separate lunches, North Korea's Kim Jong-un returned to the South Korean side of the demilitarised zone to meet South Korean President Moon Jae-in. The pair shovelled soil onto the roots of a small tree that was first planted in 1953, when hostilities…

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32 Chinese tourists killed in bus crash in North Korea | South China Morning Post

Thirty-two Chinese tourists have been killed in a bus crash in North Korea, China’s foreign ministry said. The accident happened on Sunday night in North Hwanghae province. Chinese state television has broadcast images of the crashed coach in North Korea and the injured receiving treatment in hospital.

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World leaders line up to meet North Korea’s Kim Jong-un | South China Morning Post

World leaders including South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump are lining up to meet North Korea’s Kim Jong-un. CIA Director Mike Pompeo secretly met with Kim earlier this month. Although most analysts say the isolated regime is unlikely to abandon its nuclear …

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Demons do not make compromises, says top South Korean adviser about North Korea peace talks | South China Morning Post

In an exclusive interview with the South China Morning Post, Moon Chung-in, special adviser to the South Korean president on foreign affairs and national security, talks about the upcoming peace talks between North and South Korea. The landmark meeting will be the first face-to-face encounter between the leaders of …

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Dandong: China's border city with North Korea | South China Morning Post

Dandong is a city on China’s border with North Korea. It has been the main route for China and North Korea to conduct trade and a barometer of Sino-North Korean relations. However, trade has been suspended due to the implementation of UN sanctions against Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programmes. Some of the busin…

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Former South Korean president Park Geun-hye jailed for 24 years for bribery | South China Morning Post

Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye has been sentenced for 24 years in jail for corruption-related charges by a court in Seoul. Prosecutors said Park accepted or was promised US$110 million in bribes from three South Korean companies in exchange for policy favours. The scandal exposed the shady links between…

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