SEOUL, Sept. 13 (UPI) -- North and South Korea opened a liaison office on Friday in the border city of Kaesong to facilitate cross-border communications.

The opening of the liaison office comes as a follow-up measure of the April summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

North and South Korean officials will be based at the office to assist communications between the North and South for ongoing inter-Korean projects and future exchanges.

According to South Korean media Chosun Ilbo, Seoul plans to have 25 to 30 staff members stationed at the office.

The liaison office is located in the joint factory complex in Kaesong, 37 miles north of Seoul. The South Korean government closed the joint factory complex in 2016, amid intensifying military tensions due to the North's nuclear and missile tests.

The office will enable face-to-face communication between the North and South in implementing a series of inter-Korean projects, including the ongoing railway project to connect disjointed railroads and restore old and damaged railways in the North, according to the Unification Ministry.</s>The rival Koreas have opened their first liaison office near their tense border to facilitate better communication and exchanges ahead of their leaders’ summit in Pyongyang next week. The office’s opening at the North Korean border town of Kaesong is the latest in a series of reconciliatory steps the Koreas have taken this year. The office is the first of its kind since the Koreas were divided at the end of the Second World War. The Koreas so far have been using telephone and fax-like communication channels when they want to arrange talks and exchange messages. But those channels have been often suspended when tensions rose over North Korea’s nuclear programme.

In an opening ceremony at Kaesong, South Korea’s Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon said the office will become the “cradle of Korean co-prosperity”. “We’ll sit face to face, exchange our thoughts fast and accurately and put our heads together to resolve difficult matters,” he said in remarks distributed by his office. About 15-20 South Korean officials are expected to stay at the office and a nearby lodging facility in Kaesong during the weekdays and take turns staffing the office on weekends, according to Seoul’s Unification Ministry. They will deal with North Korean officials stationed at the office to discuss various inter-Korean issues, exchange messages from their capitals and facilitate civilian exchange programmes, the ministry said in a statement. Kaesong is where the Koreas’ now-stalled jointly run factory complex is located.

The park, which combined South Korean initiatives, capital and technology with North Korea’s cheap labour, was seen as a test case for unification of the Koreas. But its operation was suspended in 2016 amid an escalating standoff over North Korea’s long-range rocket launch. The resumption of the Kaesong park and other dormant inter-Korean cooperation projects will not likely happen anytime soon because US-led international sanctions on North Korea remain in place. Seoul officials said workers renovated some of the buildings used in the complex to use as the liaison office and the lodging facility. The liaison office’s opening came before South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meet for the third time this year next week to discuss denuclearisation of the peninsula and other issues. During the previous meetings with Moon and a separate historic summit with President Donald Trump, Mr Kim has expressed his vague commitment to complete denuclearisation of the peninsula. He has also dismantled his nuclear and rocket-engine testing sites. But nuclear diplomacy was later stalemated as US officials demanded Mr Kim take more significant steps before receiving concessions like a joint declaration to end the Korean War. Mr Moon is to fly to Pyongyang next Tuesday for a three-day trip that he says will focus on facilitating talks between the United States and North Korea and finding ways to ease a military standoff along the Koreas’ heavily fortified border.</s>The rival Koreas have opened their first liaison office near their tense border to facilitate better communication and exchanges ahead of their leaders’ summit in Pyongyang next week.

The office’s opening at the North Korean border town of Kaesong is the latest in a series of reconciliatory steps the Koreas have taken this year.

The office is the first of its kind since the Koreas were divided at the end of the Second World War.

The Koreas so far have been using telephone and fax-like communication channels when they want to arrange talks and exchange messages. But those channels have been often suspended when tensions rose over North Korea’s nuclear programme.

There was an opening ceremony for the two Koreas’ first liaison office in Kaesong, North Korea (Korea Pool/Yonhap/AP)

In an opening ceremony at Kaesong, South Korea’s Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon said the office will become the “cradle of Korean co-prosperity”.

“We’ll sit face to face, exchange our thoughts fast and accurately and put our heads together to resolve difficult matters,” he said in remarks distributed by his office.

About 15-20 South Korean officials are expected to stay at the office and a nearby lodging facility in Kaesong during the weekdays and take turns staffing the office on weekends, according to Seoul’s Unification Ministry.

They will deal with North Korean officials stationed at the office to discuss various inter-Korean issues, exchange messages from their capitals and facilitate civilian exchange programmes, the ministry said in a statement.

Kaesong is where the Koreas’ now-stalled jointly run factory complex is located.

The rival Koreas have launched their first liaison office near their tense border (Korea Pool/Yonhap/AP)

The park, which combined South Korean initiatives, capital and technology with North Korea’s cheap labour, was seen as a test case for unification of the Koreas. But its operation was suspended in 2016 amid an escalating standoff over North Korea’s long-range rocket launch.

The resumption of the Kaesong park and other dormant inter-Korean cooperation projects will not likely happen anytime soon because US-led international sanctions on North Korea remain in place.

Seoul officials said workers renovated some of the buildings used in the complex to use as the liaison office and the lodging facility.

The liaison office’s opening came before South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meet for the third time this year next week to discuss denuclearisation of the peninsula and other issues.

During the previous meetings with Moon and a separate historic summit with President Donald Trump, Mr Kim has expressed his vague commitment to complete denuclearisation of the peninsula.

He has also dismantled his nuclear and rocket-engine testing sites. But nuclear diplomacy was later stalemated as US officials demanded Mr Kim take more significant steps before receiving concessions like a joint declaration to end the Korean War.

Mr Moon is to fly to Pyongyang next Tuesday for a three-day trip that he says will focus on facilitating talks between the United States and North Korea and finding ways to ease a military standoff along the Koreas’ heavily fortified border.</s>North Korea has formally named Kim Song as its new ambassador to the United Nations, a position that has been vacant for more than a month, state media reported Thursday.

The appointment came after he recently received his visa to begin work at his post in New York.

Because his visa was not issued soon after his application in late May, there was talk that the United States was intentionally delaying the process amid slow progress in denuclearisation talks with North Korea.

Kim had previously been posted in New York as a counsellor with the country’s mission.

His predecessor, Ja Song-nam, left at the end of July after having served as North Korea’s top representative at the UN headquarters since February 2014.

The White House said Monday that Washington is looking at a second summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after the latter made a written request for such a meeting.

US says envoy’s trip shows progress toward revival of North Korea﻿ talks

In the first-ever US-North Korea summit, Kim committed to “complete” denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. But Pyongyang has yet to provide a full inventory of its nuclear weapons and fissile materials, as Washington has demanded.

Nor has North Korea presented a road map for denuclearisation, except for Kim saying recently he hopes to achieve denuclearisation before the end of Trump’s first term in January 2021.

The North, for its part, has insisted that the United States first declare a formal end to the Korean war, which was halted with an armistice rather than a peace treaty in 1953.</s>PYONGYANG: At the Kim Jong Suk cosmetics factory in Pyongyang, a North Korean tour guide dressed in traditional costume gestured to a wall of photos framed in brass and red velvet.

“On that day, the beloved supreme leader gave us a valuable lesson that he will make our country’s cosmetics industry world-class level,” she told a group of international journalists visiting for the 70th anniversary of North Korea's foundation.

Besides photos of leader Kim Jong Un surrounded by smiling workers, the rooms were full of signs listing the guidance provided by Kim during visits in 2015 and 2017.

Glass cases preserve chairs, books, and lotion bottles he touched during his visit, while diagrams record every spot the leader stepped.

At model factories, schools and other facilities shown off to foreign visitors in Pyongyang, a common feature is several rooms devoted exclusively to memorialising previous visits by members of the North’s ruling Kim dynasty.

“The little museums displaying sacred objects touched by the leader are an integral part of the cult of personality that Kim Il Sung and his crew first developed along Soviet lines,” said Bradley Martin, a journalist who wrote a book chronicling the Kim dynasty, referring to Kim Jong Un’s grandfather and the country's founding leader.

“Those efforts intensified as Kim Jong Il, before taking full power himself and while he was in charge of propaganda, made Kimilsungism into a veritable religion.”

At their core, the memorials are meant to underscore the supreme leader’s personal hand in guiding success at the given facility, analysts say.

Kim has intensified visits to economic and infrastructure projects this year as part of his new emphasis on economic development after saying North Korea had achieved its goal of becoming a nuclear-armed nation.

He has publicly criticised unfinished power plants and the healthcare sector, praised new rail bridges, and provided advice at a bag factory. In every case, he appeared to portray himself as personally indispensable in the well-being of North Korea.

Visits to facilities usually correspond with an increase in resources, a move analysts say is key to the Kims showing themselves as fatherly leaders who personally provide for their citizens.

North Korea’s state media has not mentioned what happened to the officials publicly rebuked by Kim, although a recent report by the defector-run website Daily NK said some officials scolded by Kim during his visit to a medical appliances factory last month have been fired and exiled.

But even those facilities Kim found faults with were likely to receive a boost in resources, said Hong Min, senior researcher of Korea Institute for National Unification.

“It’s inevitable that the facilities be given resource increases once Kim visit, regardless of whether they were rebuked or praised, because performance must be improved going forward,” Hong said.

At the cosmetics factory, the guide credited a visit by former leader Kim Jong Il with doubling soap production. Kim Jong Un’s first visit in 2015, meanwhile, led to the construction of a new wing of the factory, she said.

A school for training teachers in Pyongyang also featured rooms packed with memorabilia from the Kims’ visits, and plaques were placed over the doors of each classroom the leaders entered, including during a tour by Kim Jong Un in January.

“Thanks to our beloved leader’s love and care, our university was wonderfully reformed,” said a guide at the school.

Despite the growth in private markets, Kim Jong Un’s visits so far show he still envisions an economy with him at the centre, which may limit the true extent of any reforms, Martin said.

At the model cosmetics factory in downtown Pyongyang, meanwhile, the guide reminds visitors that North Korea revolves around Kim.

“All of our workers and staff thank the beloved supreme leader who loves and takes care (of the people), creating miracles and renovation every day with the robust idea to carry on the task of modernisation to the end,” she said.</s>SEOUL: The rival Koreas on Friday opened their first liaison office near their tense border to facilitate better communication and exchanges ahead of their leaders' summit in Pyongyang next week.

The office's opening in the North Korean border town of Kaesong is the latest in a series of reconciliatory steps the Koreas have taken this year. The office is the first of its kind since the Koreas were divided at the end of World War II in 1945.

The Koreas so far have been using telephone and fax-like communication channels when they want to arrange talks and exchange messages. But those channels have often been suspended when tensions rose over North Korea's nuclear program.

In an opening ceremony at Kaesong, South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon said the office will become the "cradle of Korean co-prosperity."

"We'll sit face to face, exchange our thoughts fast and accurately and put our heads together to resolve difficult matters," he said in remarks distributed by his office.

Ri Son Gwon, chairman of North Koreas's Committee for Peaceful Reunification, said during the ceremony that the office would help the Koreas have "candid conversations" and further build their ties, according to South Korean media pool reports from the site.

About 15-20 South Korean officials will work at the office from 9 to 5, sleep at nearby lodgings in Kaesong on weekdays and take turns staffing the office on weekends. They will deal with an equal number of North Korean officials stationed at the office to discuss various inter-Korean issues, exchange messages from their capitals and facilitate civilian exchange programs, according to Seoul's Unification Ministry.

The office will be co-headed by Vice South Korean Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung and a deputy head of Ri's committee. They will hold an official meeting once a week, a ministry statement said.

Kaesong is where the Koreas' now-stalled jointly run factory complex is located. The park, which combined South Korean initiatives, capital and technology with North Korea's cheap labor, was seen as a test case for unification of the Koreas. But its operation was suspended in 2016 amid an escalating standoff over North Korea's long-range rocket launches.

The resumption of the Kaesong park and other dormant inter-Korean cooperation projects aren't likely to happen anytime soon because U.S.-led international sanctions on North Korea remain in place. Seoul officials said workers renovated some of the buildings used in the complex to use as the liaison office and the lodging facility.

The liaison office's opening came before South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meet next week for the third time this year to discuss denuclearization of the peninsula and other issues.

During the previous meetings with Moon and a separate summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, Kim has expressed a vague commitment to complete denuclearization of the peninsula. He has also dismantled his nuclear and rocket-engine testing sites. But nuclear diplomacy later became stalemated as U.S. officials demanded Kim take more significant steps before receiving concessions such as a joint declaration to end the Korean War.

Moon is to fly to Pyongyang next Tuesday for a three-day trip. He said he will focus on facilitating talks between the United States and North Korea and finding ways to ease the military standoff along the Koreas' heavily fortified border.

In a working-level meeting on Friday, the Koreas agreed to allow live television broadcasts of parts of the summit, Moon's office said. It said the live coverage will include key moments such as when the leaders greet each other in Pyongyang on Tuesday. It did not specify which other parts of the event would be broadcast live.</s>This looks set to include six P-8A Poseidon maritime reconnaissance aircraft and 64 Patriot anti-ballistic missile weapons, the Pentagon said today. The Boeing-made Poseidon aircraft, which are used for hunting submarines and conducting maritime reconnaissance, are worth up to $2.1 (£1.60) billion, the Pentagon's Defence Security Cooperation Agency said. It comes amid mounting concern North Korea is not going to live up to its promise to US president Donald Trump to work towards denuclearisation. Japan is also worried about the rogue state, led by erratic despot Kim Jong-un.

Military officials revealed yesterday that the US and Japan had successfully tested Japan's upgraded missile defence system off the coast of Hawaii. The Far East nation reportedly made the decision to expand its ballistic missile defence capabilities, in response to what it considers to ongoing fears about North Korean rockets. A spokesperson for its defence ministry said: “We cannot avert our eyes from the harsh fact that several hundred ballistic missiles whose range covers our country still exist in reality.” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said on Monday that the US president is open to another meeting to discuss denuclearisation - following on from their landmark June summit - with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.

This is despite national security adviser John Bolton's assertion that the US is still waiting for Pyongyang to take steps towards putting a stop to its nuclear threat. Mr Trump announced this week that he still thought North Korea had taken some steps, and that he would “most likely” meet again with the dictator. South Korea, which is a key US ally in the region, is still taking precautions. Its procurement agency Defense Acquisition Program Administration said in June that it had decided to buy the P-8 Poseidon aircraft.

The Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency this week said that the planned sales will help South Korea improve its missile defense capability and support US national security objectives by enhancing Seoul's naval capabilities. That was two months after the North Korean leader and South Korea's president Moon Jaein held their own historic meeting. They met at the line that separates the divided Koreas. Kim then stepped over the raised Military Demarcation Line, entering territory controlled by the South for the very first time. After posing for the cameras, he grasped Mr Moon's hand and they briefly crossed into the northern side. They then signed the Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Unification on the Korean Peninsula. The document committed the two countries to a nuclear-free peninsula and talks to bring a formal end to the Korean War.</s>Nestled in the Han River in the middle of South Korea’s bustling capital of Seoul, Yeoui Island is hardly where one would expect to find the largest mega-church in the world. Home to the city’s business and financial district, its skyline dotted with skyscrapers, the island boasts some of the country’s most powerful institutions, such as the Korean stock exchange and the headquarters of LG, the international conglomerate.

Yet amid all the dynamic economic activity sits a large complex of buildings comprising the Yoido Full Gospel Church which is adjacent to the National Assembly and draws upwards of 200,000 worshipers to services each Sunday. Affiliated with the Assemblies of God, Yoido is a Pentecostalist and Evangelical congregation that was founded in 1958 by Pastor David Yonggi Cho in his mother-in-law’s apartment. It grew swiftly, and its main sanctuary can now seat 12,000 people, with overflow crowds directed to neighboring buildings where they can watch a live-feed of the service on giant video screens. All told, its membership throughout Korea numbers over half a million people.

For the past decade, Pastor Young Hoon Lee has presided over Yoido, serving as its senior pastor. Aged 63, Lee is a charismatic figure with firm convictions and impressive educational credentials. In addition to two master’s degrees in theology from Korean and US seminaries, he holds a PhD in religion and philosophy from Temple University in Philadelphia. In an exclusive interview with the Magazine in a conference room at his office, Lee explained whyIsrael has a special place in the hearts of his congregants.

 

 Pastor Young Hoon Lee, we are sitting here in Seoul, more than 8,000 kilometers away from Jerusalem. Why is Israel important to Korean Christians?

 

 Although it is located on the other side of the globe from Korea, Israel is important for Korean Christians. It is where God’s revelation took place. It is the land of the Bible. Most of all, Israel is where Jesus was born and lived. This is why Korean Christians, just like any other Christians in the world, are very much interested in Israel. Psalm 122:6 says, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May those who love you be secure.” In keeping with this command, Korean Christians pray for the peace of Israel and Jerusalem.

When and how did you personally develop a “heart for Israel”?

 

 My “heart for Israel” has always been a result of my love of the Bible, which I started to develop from the very early years of my life. To me, Israel has never been “another” foreign country in the world, because it is the land of the Bible. I think all Bible-believing Christians have a special place in their hearts for Israel. My theological studies and pastoral experiences have also deepened and broadened my interest in Israel.

 

 How do other Korean Christians who don’t necessarily support Israel view those who do?

 

 That is rarely discussed in Korean churches. Many Korean Christians pray for the peace of Israel. But you do not have to have a certain political standpoint to pray. We are biblically and spiritually motivated to pray for your country and partisanship or international politics has little to do with our prayer life. Korean Christians have never turned prayer for Israel into a reason for political conflicts. We will continue to hope and pray for the peace of Israel without worrying about diverse political perspectives among us.

 

 Does the fact that many Korean Christians love Israel and pray for her well-being affect the South Korean government’s policies toward the Jewish state?

The Korean government understands that Korean Christians have contributed much to the development of this country in many different ways including foreign relationships. So, there is this Christian factor, although I think it is tricky to quantify this kind of impact. But I know that Korean Christians will continue to pray for Israel and the Korean government will carry forward many policies beneficial for both countries.

Israel and South Korea share some interesting historical circumstances. Both our nations regained sovereignty in 1948, have hostile neighbors and few natural resources, yet have emerged as technological powerhouses despite the adversity they faced. Do you think Koreans have greater sympathy for Israel because of these similarities?

Yes. That is another connection between our countries in addition to the Christian factor. It is very interesting when you compare those historical circumstances we have in common! We survived and we prospered against all odds. I believe God’s special favor is on both countries along with our God-given mission for the whole world. Israel was chosen for the glory of God. And I believe God chose Korea as a missional country.

You recently visited Israel for the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast in June to mark the Jewish state’s 70th anniversary. As a religious Christian, how do you feel when you visit the Land of the Bible?

It has been on my prayer list over the years to visit Israel. So I felt greatly blessed to finally have an opportunity to visit the Holy Land. I also was very grateful that God had me preach in the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast. I thank God, and I want to thank all the people who worked hard to make that trip possible. Every moment I spent in Israel was precious and unforgettable.

What theological and historical significance do you attribute to the rebirth of the Jewish state and the return of the Jewish people to their Land?

 

 70 years has a special meaning in the Bible. The Southern Kingdom of Judah was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE; 70 years later, captives returned safely to Jerusalem from their Babylonian captivity.

 It was done by the grace of God.

Theologian Karl Barth considered the foundation of modern Israel to be one of the visible traces of God’s providence in history. I agree with Barth. The rebirth of the Jewish state in 1948 was a miracle of God. There is no question about that. And return of a people to their original land after 2,000 years of Diaspora history? I believe it testifies that God is the sovereign Lord over history who keeps His promises. So the country of Israel has not only historical significance. It has revelatory and theological value.

Over the past year, North and South Korea have gone from the brink of conflict to a new round of diplomacy. Many in the West are skeptical about Pyongyang’s intentions, given the brutal nature of its regime. What do you think the future holds for relations with North Korea?

At this time last year, the North Korean crisis was at its highest point. The North Korean leader has appalled the whole world with his nuclear program and brutal oppression against his own people. The South Korean government closed off the Kaesong Industrial Complex and had Korean business people pull back from the northern city. The US-North Korean tension was riddled with verbal threats exchanged between the two leaders.

After many talks between the relevant parties, however, the imminent prospect for war, at least, has gone. Now, how do I see this situation? I myself am from a family that gave up all its wealth to escape the tyranny of the Communist North Korea and found freedom of faith in the South. So I fully understand the skepticism and worries about Pyongyang. But human despair is the starting point of God’s hope. I just rely on the hope God gives us.

Among its many human rights violations, the North Korean government has prohibited its citizens from owning Bibles and has arrested and imprisoned foreign pastors for promoting religion. Do you think the international community is doing enough to pressure the regime of Kim Jong-un on matters of personal freedom?

I regret that all the international efforts have not yet stopped North Korea from violating the human rights of its own people and their foreign visitors. We are especially appalled by the horrible persecutions against Christians there. Apparently, neither stick nor carrot has changed the brutal nature of the regime. However, I firmly believe that one day God will open the door to North Korea. So we do not despair by the current difficulties. Neither are we deceived by false hope. We pray hard and we work hard to bring peace and freedom to North Korea.

Do you believe that the reunification of the Korean Peninsula is something that will happen in your lifetime?

 

 The Bible says in Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) that there is a time of God for everything (Eccl. 3:1). I believe there is God’s time for unification of South and North Korea, although we do not know when it will be. I feel it is not far from now. But there is no point in guessing further than that. I just pray that God’s time will come and God’s will be done in Korean peninsula. I just know that when the time comes, God will heal the wounds and bring peace to this country.

Your church is reportedly the largest one in the world. How many members do you have?

 

 Yoido Full Gospel Church began with five members in 1958 and became the world’s largest church. At the highest point, we had about 780,000 members. In 2010, when we decided to have our 20 regional chapels with 330,000 members operate independently, our membership decreased to 450,000. Since then, there has been another wave of revival and as of 2018, we have about 560,000 members.

In many Western countries, the younger generation seems less attached to traditional values and beliefs, and many religious institutions – Jewish and Christian alike – are finding it difficult to attract young people. Is the same true in Korea?

According to the 2015 Population and Housing Census issued by the Korean National Statistical Office, the total number of Korean Christians is 13,570,000, which accounts for about 28% of the whole Korean population. When we focus on the younger generation, however, there is much less of a Christian population. So the answer is yes. Korea is not an exception in this global secularism. We, as the messenger of the gospel of God’s love, are doing our utmost to invite younger generations to the love of God.

 

 South Korea has undergone rapid industrialization and modernization over the past few decades and is now the fourth largest economy in Asia and the 11th largest in the world. What challenges does prosperity pose to a society?

 

 The Korean economy is an exceptionally great success story. However, it also has left many problems we are struggling to solve. For instance, rapid economic growth has created materialism and broadened the social chasm. Korean churches have been fighting this spiritual barrenness and the decay of community spirit. The solution Yoido Full Gospel Church presents is the model of the early churches recorded in the Book of Acts. The fullness of the Holy Spirit and the act of love overcame selfishness and class conflict. Evangelism and charity are the only solution to Korea’s social problems.

Israel and the Jewish people are preparing to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the start of the new Jewish year. Is there any message that you would like to send them on this occasion?

On behalf of Korean Christians and the members of Yoido Full Gospel Church, I wish God’s grace and peace be upon Israel and all the Jewish people around the world in this new year. Shalom and Happy Rosh Hashanah!

Reprinted with author’s permission from The Jerusalem Post</s>SEOUL—North Korea warned of “negative consequences” from U.S. criminal charges against an operative linked to the 2014 Sony Pictures hack, suggesting the case could further hinder stalled diplomatic efforts toward disarmament.

Pyongyang, in an unusually detailed rebuke in North Korea’s state-run media Friday, called the cyberattack allegations false and said the U.S. “should control itself.”

The U.S. Justice Department has charged Park Jin Hyok in connection with the Sony hack and other cyberattacks.

The U.S. Justice Department has charged Park Jin Hyok in connection with the Sony hack and other cyberattacks. Photo: Yonhap News/Zuma Press

“The U.S. is totally mistaken if it seeks to gain anything from us through preposterous falsehoods and highhandedness,” it said.

Pyongyang’s denial heightens tensions ahead of planned talks next week between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, their third meeting. The U.S.-North Korea relationship has also appeared precarious in recent weeks after the two countries in June agreed to pursue denuclearization during a bilateral summit in Singapore.

The U.S. Justice Department last week announced charges against Park Jin Hyok, linking him with the Sony hack, 2016’s cybertheft of $81 million from Bangladesh’s central bank and last year’s global ransomware attack dubbed WannaCry.

North Korea’s state-run media called Mr. Park “a nonexistent entity.” It denied any involvement in the attacks listed by the Justice Department, calling the charges a “smear campaign.”

The rogue nation has generally remained silent or tersely denied involvement in hacking attacks previously. But Friday’s statement, issued by the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency, was particularly comprehensive and direct.

With the Sony attack, the North said a group called Guardians of Peace had acknowledged being involved, and it was “as clear as day that we had nothing to do with it.” For WannaCry, Pyongyang pointed out that cyber researchers, including one U.S. firm, contend the culprit wasn’t the North.

In both cases, many governments and hacking experts have determined that North Korea was behind the attacks.

Pyongyang has amassed a cyberarmy of roughly 7,000 hackers and support staff, becoming one of the world’s most sophisticated outfits.

Its global campaigns have escalated over the past 18 months, and haven’t stopped even as economic sanctions have tightened and the North has agreed to warmer relations with the U.S. and South Korea, according to cybersecurity researchers who follow Pyongyang’s activity.</s>South Korea launched its first ever missile-capable attack submarine on Friday, despite a recent diplomatic thaw with the nuclear-armed North, AFP reports. The $700 million, 3,000-ton Dosan Ahn Chang-ho is capable of firing both cruise and ballistic missiles. It is the first of three planned diesel-electric boats to go into service in the next five years. The submarine represented a “leap forward” in the country’s defense industry, President Moon Jae-in told a launch ceremony at the Daewoo shipyard. “Peace through power is the unwavering security strategy of this government.” Moon will head to Pyongyang next week for a third summit with the North’s leader Kim Jong-un.
North Korea and South Korea open their first liaison office near Kaesong ahead of third third summit meeting between Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong-un in 2018.