Amid Rumors of His Demise, Photos Show Train at Kim Jong-Un’s Compound in Resort Town

New photos obtained via satellite show North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s train at his “vacation compound” in a resort town on the eastern coast of North Korea.

38 North – a foreign affairs news and information website that focuses on North Korea – released the photos, reporting the images were captured between Tuesday, April 21 and Thursday April 23.

The news comes amid a flood of rumors recently that the reclusive leader has suffered a catastrophic injury during a heart procedure.

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US-Seized North Korean Ship Arrives in American Samoa

  A North Korean cargo ship seized by the U.S. because of suspicions it was used to violate international sanctions arrived Saturday at the capital of this American territory. The Wise Honest was slowly towed to the port of Pago Pago Saturday morning and docked at the main docking section of the port that afternoon. The trip from Indonesia took about three weeks, and American Samoa, in the South Pacific, was chosen because of “its central strategic location,” U.S. Coast Guard public affairs officer Amanda Wyrick said. “We also have a good strong relationship and partnership with the American Samoan government,” Wyrick said. “With that being said, we also already have the resources that are able to ensure the security of the vessel but most importantly the Port of Pago Pago.” Detained near Indonesia The ship was detained in April as it traveled toward Indonesia. Justice Department officials announced Thursday that the U.S. had seized the ship. Asked as to how long the ship will be in the territory, Wyrick said the U.S. Department of Justice is “leading the investigation so they will be conducting that. Upon the conclusion of the investigation, the ship will be moved.” But the next…

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Pompeo: North Korea Can Replicate Vietnam’s Ties with US

Mike Pompeo, Kim Jong Un

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged North Korea on Sunday to replicate Vietnam in forging a new relationship with the United States, much like Hanoi has done five decades after the Vietnam War against the U.S. ended. The top U.S. diplomat, visiting the Vietnamese capital after two days of talks in Pyongyang aimed at dismantling North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, said 23 years of normalized U.S. relations with Vietnam should be proof to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that the U.S. can create new ties with former foes. “We know it is a real possibility because we see how Vietnam has traveled this remarkable path,” Pompeo said. Pompeo downplayed North Korea’s accusation that the U.S. had made “gangster-like” demands that it abandon its nuclear program and that their talks were “regrettable.” “If those requests were gangster-like, the world is a gangster,” Pompeo said, as he noted that the U.N. Security Council has demanded numerous times that the North dispose of its nuclear weapons and end its ballistic missile program. He said the fact that the U.S. is “cooperating— and not fighting” with Vietnam “is proof that when a country decides to create a brighter future for itself alongside…

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Commentary: No One on Earth Is More Prepared to Meet Kim Jong Un Than President Trump

Trump - Kim Summit

by Jeffery Rendall   It’s always curious to watch the lead-up to a high-profile boxing match; the more you see the respective camps maneuver the more you recognize the “show” isn’t really about the fight itself. After all, two guys roped into a ring beating the stuffing out of each other isn’t all that interesting (except maybe in a morbid way) — it’s more like the media and fans are sizing up the opponents to determine who might best use his tools and technique to gain an advantage. Regardless, in the end it doesn’t matter. All the pre-event hype invariably leads to one of the participants laying on the canvas receiving the ten-count. Hours in the gym, skill and experience no doubt guided the winner. But let’s face it – it boils down to whomever was the tougher guy. The establishment media lead-up to President Donald Trump’s meeting with NORK dictator Kim Jong-un this week sounded a lot like a boxing match promotion. Trump threw the talkers into a tizzy last week when he said he wasn’t doing much preparation for his face-to-face with Kim. Essentially Trump suggested he’ll go with his instincts when the time comes. Trump’s hostile critics were…

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President Trump Feeling ‘Very Good’ About Upcoming Summit with Kim

New Sanctions on North Korea

by Steve Herman   President Donald Trump is in Singapore for his upcoming summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, a meeting the U.S leader says he is feeling “very good” about. After stepping down from Air Force One Sunday, Trump was greeted by Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan. Asked by reporters on the tarmac who shouted, “is the summit going to be a success?” and “how are you feeling?” Trump replied: “very good.” Ahead of his arrival, Trump acknowledged he is heading into “unknown territory” for the meeting Tuesday. WATCH: William Gallo’s video report from Singapore In response to a question from VOA News just before heading to Asia from the Group of Seven summit in Canada, Trump said “I really feel confident” about the unprecedented encounter between a sitting American president and a member of the family dynasty that has maintained iron-fist control over one of the world’s most reclusive countries for three generations. Trump added that he believed Kim, half the age of the American president, “wants to do something great for his people.” But he cautioned that Kim “won’t have that opportunity again” if the talks do not go well — describing this opportunity for…

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Trump-Kim Singapore Summit is Back On

Kim Jong Un, President Donald Trump

President Donald Trump announced Friday afternoon that the on-again-off-again summit between the United States and North Korea is back on for June 12 in Singapore. The surprise announcement came after an hour-long meeting with top North Korean official, Kim Yong Chol, who arrived in the United States Thursday with a letter in hand from Kim Jong Un. The Associated Press reported: “Now we’re going to deal,” Trump told reporters moments after the meeting ended. He also said it was likely that more than one meeting would be necessary. He concluded, “I think you’re going to have a very positive result in the end. We will see what we will see.” Trump told reporters he hadn’t read the letter yet and added with a smile, “I may be in for a big surprise, folks.” Although President Trump sent a letter calling off the talks last Thursday, he kept the option to go ahead with the Singapore talks on the table. “We can be successful in the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, that would be a great thing for North Korea, it would be a great thing for South Korea, it would be great for Japan, it would be great for the world,…

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Officials: Trump, Japan’s Abe to Meet Ahead of Possible US-North Korea Summit

Trump and Abe

by Steve Herman President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are to meet before a planned summit between Trump and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un, according to Japanese officials. Trump and Abe spoke Monday as American officials were in North Korea and Singapore to discuss arrangements for the prospective talks. The White House has not responded to VOA queries about the details of the Trump-Abe discussion, however. The phone conversation took place before Trump went to Arlington National Cemetery for a Memorial Day ceremony. There the president made no reference to the situation on the Korean peninsula in his 22-minute scripted remarks. Nearly 34,000 Americans died as a result of hostile action in the three-year war on the peninsula. Hostilities ceased in 1953 with an armistice but no peace treaty has ever been signed. It is unclear when or where Trump and Abe will meet before the anticipated Singapore summit, which the U.S. president has said in recent days is likely to occur on June 12 after he declared last Thursday that the summit would not be held on that day. Both Trump and Abe are set to attend the Group of Seven economic summit June 8-9…

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U.S. Officials Arrive in North Korea to Hold Talks on Possible Trump-Kim Summit

Tennessee Star

In a new twist to the ‘will they or won’t they’ saga of President Trump’s summit with North Korea–originally planned for next month–the Commander-in-Chief tweeted Sunday afternoon that a US team arrived in North Korea to plan for a possible meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jung Un. Our United States team has arrived in North Korea to make arrangements for the Summit between Kim Jong Un and myself. I truly believe North Korea has brilliant potential and will be a great economic and financial Nation one day. Kim Jong Un agrees with me on this. It will happen! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 27, 2018 Although President Trump sent a letter calling off the talks Thursday, he kept the option to go ahead with the Signapore talks on the table. “We can be successful in the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, that would be a great thing for North Korea, it would be a great thing for South Korea, it would be great for Japan, it would be great for the world, it would be great for the United States, it would be great for China. A lot of people are working on it. It’s moving along very nicely,” Trump said. Shortly…

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Trump: We’ll Know Fate of N. Korea Summit by Next Week

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the U.S. would know by next week whether he will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on June 12 in Singapore as scheduled. “It could very well be June 12th,” Trump said.”If we go, it’ll be a great thing for North Korea.” Trump had earlier said that if the June 12 date did not work out, the summit could be held later. North Korea has hinted it may call off the summit because of U.S. demands that it unilaterally give up its nuclear weapons. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday that he was “very hopeful” there would be talks, but said that whether they happened would be”ultimately up to Chairman Kim.” Pompeo, who has already met with Kim twice, told the lawmakers the U.S. position had not changed and there would be no easing of sanctions on North Korea “until we see credible steps taken toward the complete, verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” He said the U.S. would not hesitate to walk away from the talks if a bad deal was on the table. But visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters at…

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Trump, Moon Discuss Keeping US-N.Korean Summit on Track

The leaders of the U.S. and South Korea have discussed ways to keep the upcoming U.S.- North Korea summit on track. During a 20-minute telephone conversation, Moon Jae-in and Donald Trump exchanged views about how best to deal with the seeming roadblocks the North has thrown into what would be historic talks between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on June 12 in Singapore. The June meeting would be a first for the leaders of the two countries. Yoon Young-chan, President Moon’s senior press secretary said in a statement that “The two leaders exchanged opinions of various actions taken by North Korea recently.” A White House statement said the two leaders will “continue their close coordination ahead” of the Trump-Kim summit. Trump and Moon are scheduled to meet Tuesday in Washington. North Korea threatened last week to pull out of the June summit because of South Korea’s ongoing military exercises with the U.S., calling the exercises an invasion rehearsal. In addition, the North’s Red Cross is now demanding the return of 12 North Korean restaurant workers who have been in the South since 2016. The North says the return of the women would demonstrate the South’s willingness to…

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North Korea’s Rich History of Backing Out of Talks

Kim Jong Un

by Robert Romano   For now, the date is set for June 12, when President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will meet for a summit in Singapore to discuss nuclear disarmament of Pyongyang. The summit was set to follow the historic meeting last month between Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, where the two agreed in principle to finally end the Korean War after 68 years and to pursue denuclearization of the peninsula. But now North Korea appears to be backing away, canceling planned talks with South Korea over routine military training exercises between the U.S. and South Korea. According to the state-run media outlet, KCNA, “The United States will also have to undertake careful deliberations about the fate of the planned North Korea-U.S. summit in light of this provocative military ruckus jointly conducted with the South Korean authorities.” This, after the resumption of military exercises had already been announced in mid-March by the U.S. and South Korea. That was before any summit had even been agreed by the Trump administration. There was no thought that a summit had been predicated on a cessation of such exercises. The appearance, then, is that Kim is moving the goal posts. If…

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What Trump Calls ‘Right Message’ to North Korea After Evidence Iran Cheats on Nukes

by Fred Lucas   President Donald Trump, without saying he would pull out of the Iran nuclear deal, said Monday that he is open to signing a better agreement with the Islamist regime. Commenting after Israel accused Iran of cheating on the deal, Trump also rejected the premise that by pulling out the U.S. would jeopardize a separate nuclear deal with North Korea. “No. I think it sends the right message,” Trump said of his possible move during a joint press conference with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in the Rose Garden of the White House. [ The liberal Left continue to push their radical agenda against American values. The good news is there is a solution. Find out more ] The month of May could prove to be monumental for the Trump administration and global politics. The United States has until May 12 to decide whether it will remain in the 2015 multilateral deal, led by the Obama administration, to temporarily delay Iran’s development of nuclear weapons. The president said he will meet with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un in late May or early June. “I’m not telling you what I’m doing, but a lot of people think they know,” Trump said…

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North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un Says He’ll Stop Testing Nukes and Missiles

North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un announced Friday that he no longer wants to test nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, reported South Korea’s official Yonhap News Agency. The statement would mark a major concession as the young leader prepares for his country’s first direct meeting with a sitting U.S. president, reportedly set to take place late next month or in early June. The announcement came via state media, which said a total freeze for nuclear tests would come into effect immediately local time.

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New South Korean Trade Deal and Progress on Denuclearization in North Korea Proves Tariffs, Sanctions and Pressure Work

By Robert Romano   In “The Art of the Deal,” President Donald Trump wrote: “Leverage: don’t make deals without it.” Three developments in the past week prove that President Trump’s approach to foreign affairs where he utilizes all the tools in his arsenal including tariffs, sanctions, and overall pressure — are yielding dividends in the Asia Pacific region because they exerted significant leverage by the U.S. South Korea and the U.S. have agreed to new amendments to the U.S.-South Korean trade agreement, where South Korea agreed to reduce its steel export quota by 30 percent and to double the amount of American-made cars that are imported. In exchange, the U.S. will grant South Korea an exemption to President Trump’s 25 percent tariff on steel imports. Senior administration officials have also hinted that a new currency agreement is in the works that would address exchange rate and Treasury markets manipulation. These were all things Trump had spoken of last June when South Korean President Moon Jae-In visited the White House. Now they’re actually being delivered. All because of Trump’s tough stance on trade, including the tariffs but also his call for trade to be fair and reciprocal. The discussions were ongoing, South Korea was…

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North Korea Nuclear Talks – Approach With Caution, Analysts Say

North Korea’s agreement to enter into talks with the United States could be a diplomatic breakthrough to reach a peaceful resolution to the nuclear crisis, or a ruse to weaken sanctions, or both. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s willingness to engage with the United States in negotiations to end his country’s nuclear weapons program, and his promise to suspend nuclear and missile tests while talks are under way, was reported on Tuesday by Chung Eui-yong, the head of South Korea’s National Security Office, following his meeting with Kim in Pyongyang.

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US Seeks UN Ban on 33 ships, 27 Firms over North Korea Smuggling

The United States is seeking to have the United Nations ban 33 vessels from ports worldwide and blacklist 27 shipping businesses for helping North Korea circumvent sanctions. The US request to a UN sanctions committee, a copy of which was obtained by AFP, came as President Donald Trump announced Friday the “heaviest sanctions ever” on North Korea over its nuclear and ballistic missile tests.

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South Korea Seizes Hong Kong-flagged Ship Suspected of Sending Oil to North Korea

South Korea’s foreign ministry says the country has seized a Hong Kong-flagged ship that transferred oil to a North Korean vessel in international waters despite United Nations Security Council sanctions. Yonhap, the South Korean news agency, reports South Korean custom officials say the Lighthouse Winmore vessel transferred “600 tons of refined petroleum” to a North Korean ship October 19. South Korea seized the Lighthouse Winmore on November 24 when it sailed into South Korea’s Yeosu Port, the news agency says.

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President Donald Trump Calls China President Xi Jinping Over North Korea’s Missile Test

President Donald Trump, President Xi Jinping, Kim Jong Un

President Trump urged China’s president in a phone call Wednesday to use “all available levers” to pressure North Korea to halt its “provocations,” a day after Pyongyang tested a new intercontinental ballistic missile. Mr. Trump emphasized to Chinese President Xi Jinping “the determination of the United States to defend ourselves and our allies from the growing…

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A North Korean Soldier Risked Everything to Escape Kim Jong-un, But He’s Not Out of the Woods Yet

Kim Jong-un If you happened to be looking for concrete examples of North Korea attempting to crush dissent this Monday morning, look no further than this story of a soldier being shot while defecting to South Korea. RELATED: Kellyanne Conway responds to Trump’s “short and fat” tweet South Korea has announced that an unnamed soldier defecting…

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Trump Says Japan Will Shoot Down North Korean Missiles with Purchase of More U.S. Military Equipment

President Trump said Monday the U.S. and Japan “will not stand” for North Korea’s threatening missile tests, and predicted that Japan will shoot down Pyongyang’s missiles with help of American military hardware. “The regime continues development of its unlawful weapons programs, including its illegal nuclear tests and outrageous launches of ballistic missiles directly overly Japanese territory,”…

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North Korea’s Kim Calls Nuclear Weapons Program a ‘Treasured Sword’

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is defiantly calling his country’s nuclear weapons program a “treasured sword” to protect it against aggression, even as U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe continue to pressure his regime. Pyongyang’s state media reported that Kim on Saturday told the powerful Central Committee of the ruling Workers’…

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A Brief History of North Korean Diplomatic Name Calling

Tennessee Star

by George Rasley, CHQ Editor   The Leftwing media and the failed DC foreign policy establishment have been having a meltdown over President Trump’s reference to North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un as “Rocket Man,” and have spent the past two days suggesting that giving Kim a demeaning nickname is somehow indicative of a lack of diplomatic acumen, or maybe even mental imbalance, on Trump’s part. Former Secretary of State John Kerry said President Donald Trump’s United Nations speech may have put America in isolation and danger. Appearing on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” show Wednesday, Kerry criticized Trump’s harsh rhetoric against North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Kerry said, “You have to ask yourself: Is America safer because of ‘rocket man?” He was referring to Trump’s characterization of Kim. Kerry said that kind of harsh language will make it harder for the United States to engage in diplomacy on North Korea and other international issues. Kerry seems to have forgotten that back in 2014 the North Koreans once referred to him as, “A wolf with a hideous lantern jaw,” and also described Kerry as a “wolf donning the mask of sheep.” The trigger for these insults was then-Secretary of State Kerry’s statement…

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Gorka: Trump’s ‘Rocket Man’ Rhetoric Helps Shove North Korea ‘Back in its Box’

Tennessee Star

Dr. Sebastian Gorka, former deputy assistant to President Donald Trump, said that the president’s decision to refer to North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un as “Rocket Man” in front of the United Nations General Assembly Tuesday “gets us halfway” to shoving the regime “back in its box” where it belongs, during an interview Tuesday on “The…

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