Laura Ling

France's special envoy on North Korea, Jack Lang, arrived in Pyongyang on Monday, state media reported, on a five-day mission expected to include talks on the North's disputed nuclear programme. Lang told AFP last week he hoped to "start a dialogue" with the reclusive state's leaders, adding that Pyongyang's nuclear drive and the establishment of French diplomatic ties with North Korea would be on the agenda. France is the only major European country not to have formal relations with Pyongyang. The North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) announced the arrival of Lang, a former Socialist culture minister who has also served as French ... Read Full Story

French President Nicolas Sarkozy's special envoy began talks Monday with North Korea on establishing diplomatic relations and the international standoff over Pyongyang's nuclear programs. Envoy Jack Lang's trip to the isolated North represents Sarkozy's bid to raise France's diplomatic profile and mark another spot on the globe where French influence is felt. Untainted by ties to the bloodshed of the 1950-53 Korean War, France hopes to be seen as a neutral, trustworthy player. North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kung Sok Ung, who is in charge of European affairs, welcomed Lang at the airport in Pyongyang and the two later held talks, according to footage ... Read Full Story

Activists in South Korea staged a rally Monday near the border with North Korea, which has long been accused of having one of the world's worst human rights records. Organizers said the rally is aimed at calling for greater global attention to the plight of North Koreans on the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. About two dozen participants called for ending all political prisons in North Korea and bringing authoritarian leader Kim Jong Il to justice during the demonstration at the South Korean border town of Imjingak. They also sent thousands of leaflets condemning the regime in Pyongyang aboard a ... Read Full Story

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il — known for shunning air travel — has six luxurious special trains equipped with conference rooms, bedrooms and high-tech communication facilities, a South Korean newspaper reported Monday. There are also 19 stations across North Korea exclusively for Kim's trains, which have a total of some 90 carriages, the mass-circulation Chosun Ilbo newspaper said, citing an analysis by South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities. It said the intelligence was obtained by U.S. spy satellites and U-2 reconnaissance planes and the testimonies of North Korean defectors. The National Intelligence Service — South Korea's main spy agency — and the U.S. ... Read Full Story

France's special envoy on North Korea, Jack Lang, left China for Pyongyang on Monday on a five-day mission expected to include talks on the North's disputed nuclear programme, French diplomats said. Lang told AFP last week he hoped to "start a dialogue" with the reclusive state's leaders, adding that Pyongyang's nuclear drive and the establishment of French diplomatic ties with North Korea would be on the agenda. France is the only major European country not to have diplomatic relations with Pyongyang. Lang, a former Socialist culture minister, refused to comment directly when asked if talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il were on the ... Read Full Story