Pyongyang North Korea

SEOUL (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Wednesday North Korea had become a more deadly threat to the region and Washington would never tolerate a nuclear-armed Pyongyang. North Korea in recent weeks has indicated it could return to dormant international talks on ending its nuclear arms program after raising alarm in the economically vital North Asian region with an atomic test in May and threats to attack the South. "America's long-term military commitment here recognizes that the peril posed by the North Korean regime remains, and in many ways has become even more lethal and destabilizing," Gates told U.S. and South ... Read Full Story

You want more fries with that, Mr. Kim? How about a hotdog, Miss Park? Once condemned as evil "US imperialist" fare, western-style fast food is now available in North Korea thanks to a Singaporean entrepreneur who is already drawing up expansion plans just months after opening his first outlet. "There is a potential to develop this business over there," said Patrick Soh, who is bullish on the prospects of fast food in the isolated Stalinist state better known for famines than deep-fried delights. Soh, 56, holds the franchise in several Asian countries for Waffletown USA, a relatively obscure brand in the region compared to ... Read Full Story

PYONGYANG: North Korea’s Foreign Ministry has said the country is ready to return to stalled six-party negotiations about its nuclear programme. It has also repeated its call for direct talks with its avowed enemy the United States. Last month, leader Kim Jong-il said he might consider a return to the nuclear talks he had previously declared dead – after direct talks with Washington. “The conclusion we have reached is that the direct parties, which are the North and the United States, must first sit down and find a rational solution,” the foreign ministry spokesman said in comments . “Now that we have shown the ... Read Full Story

North Korean officials quietly visited Los Angeles last week to talk about resuming food aid, which the impoverished state cut off five months ago during a standoff, participants have said. The move comes as tensions gradually ease with North Korea, which stunned the world by conducting a nuclear test earlier this year but in recent weeks has made overtures for dialogue. Five North Korean officials received special US permission to visit Los Angeles where they met representatives of non-governmental organizations that provide relief worldwide, according to the groups. Richard Walden, president of Operation USA, said the charity picked up the North Koreans at the ... Read Full Story

North Korean officials quietly visited Los Angeles last week to talk about resuming food aid, which the impoverished state cut off five months ago during a standoff, participants said Thursday. The move comes as tensions gradually ease with North Korea, which stunned the world by conducting a nuclear test earlier this year but in recent weeks has made overtures for dialogue. Five North Korean officials received special US permission to visit Los Angeles where they met representatives of non-governmental organizations that provide relief worldwide, according to the groups. Richard Walden, president of Operation USA, said the charity picked up the North Koreans at the ... Read Full Story