As unification euphoria builds, Pyongyang-watchers brace for ‘something really scary’

As unification euphoria builds, Pyongyang-watchers brace for ‘something really scary’

Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk WASHINGTON – U.S. officials and so-called “Korea experts” look with clearly mixed feelings on the prospects of North Korea sending hundreds of performers, artists and officials to the upcoming PyeongChang Olympics. Conservative forces in Washington share the misgivings of Korean conservatives over athletes from the two Koreas parading together […]

Has it been 50 years? Remembering the Tet, the Blue House raid and North Korea’s capture of the Pueblo

Has it been 50 years? Remembering the Tet, the Blue House raid and North Korea’s capture of the Pueblo

Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk VIRGINIA BEACH, Virginia ― How quickly we forget. Memories, dates and events fade away, only to be revived on anniversaries. A lot of historical events are barely recalled. I was in a country named “South” Vietnam 50 years ago when North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces attacked almost every […]

UN Secretary General calls for ‘bold leadership’ in a world facing ‘calamity’

UN Secretary General calls for ‘bold leadership’ in a world facing ‘calamity’

Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — In a sweeping and sobering tour of the world crises and trouble spots, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned of a dire global situation plagued with “protracted conflicts and the spread of terrorism.” Stressing that, “We face a Gordian knot in the Middle East and […]

North Korean cheerleaders to lead charm offensive at winter games

North Korean cheerleaders to lead charm offensive at winter games

by WorldTribune Staff, January 17, 2018 North Korea announced on Jan. 17 that it would send a 230-member “army of beauties” cheering squad to the 2018 Winter Olympics at PyeongChang South Korea. The announcement was made during working-level talks between the two Koreas at the border village of Panmunjom. “The North has yet to disclose […]

UNC and 100 U.S. campuses take China government funds for ‘Confucius Institutes’

UNC and 100 U.S. campuses take China government funds for ‘Confucius Institutes’

by WorldTribune Staff, January 17, 2018 The University of North Carolina Charlotte said its new Confucius Institute will fill a “growing demand for Chinese language instruction and cultural activities to better understand China.” Critics say the institutes, which are present on more than 100 U.S. college campuses, are merely propaganda outlets which follow a strict […]

Trump to Xi: U.S. trade deficit with China ‘not sustainable’

Trump to Xi: U.S. trade deficit with China ‘not sustainable’

by WorldTribune Staff, January 17, 2018 The Commerce Department reported in November that the U.S. trade deficit with China has ballooned to $33.5 billion. In a phone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Jan. 15, U.S. President Donald Trump said the deficit “is not sustainable.” “President Trump expressed disappointment that the United States’ trade […]

N. Korea warns of Olympics pullout after South’s praise of Trump

N. Korea warns of Olympics pullout after South’s praise of Trump

by WorldTribune Staff, January 15, 2018 North Korea is threatening to withdraw its contingent from the 2018 Winter Olympics after South Korea lauded U.S. President Donald Trump for his role in bringing about last week’s talks between the North and South. South Korean President Moon Jae-In on Jan. 10 said Trump deserved “big credit for […]

‘Surprised’? Trump suggests he and Kim Jong-Un could be friends

‘Surprised’? Trump suggests he and Kim Jong-Un could be friends

by WorldTribune Staff, January 12, 2018 U.S. President Donald Trump indicated that he actually has a “good relationship” with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, who the president has referred to in the past as “Little Rocket Man.” “I probably have a very good relationship with Kim Jong-Un,” Trump said in an interview with the Wall […]

In apparent signal to South, Pyongyang slams Trump’s conciliatory statement

In apparent signal to South, Pyongyang slams Trump’s conciliatory statement

by WorldTribune Staff, January 8, 2018 North Korea has shrugged off U.S. President Donald Trump’s willingness for direct talks with Kim Jong-Un and ramped up its harsh rhetoric in a clear signal to the leftist government in Seoul. “The U.S.-led unequal international order is now shaken by the roots by our Republic (the North) which […]

Pyongyang, Trump scramble for leverage in North-South talks

Pyongyang, Trump scramble for leverage in North-South talks

by WorldTribune Staff, January 7, 2018 U.S. President Donald Trump and the North Korean regime led by Kim Jong-Un are jockeying for position ahead of rare high-level talks this week between South and North Korea. The two Koreas agreed to hold talks at the border village of Panmunjom on Jan. 9 to discuss the North’s […]