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Lao foreign minister in N. Korea

Lao Foreign Minister Thongsavanh Phomvihane (front, L) arrives in Pyongyang on Nov. 11, 2025, for a five-day trip at the invitation of the North Korean Foreign Ministry.

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US: Unoccupied Homes in Buxton, NC Collapse Amid Rough Seas From Offshore Hurricanes 2

On Tuesday, September 30, at least five unoccupied oceanfront homes in Buxton, North Carolina, collapsed into the Atlantic due to rough surf driven by offshore hurricanes Humberto and Imelda. Another home fell the following morning, bringing the total to six this week and 18 on Hatteras Island since 2020. No injuries were reported, but authorities closed parts of Cape Hatteras National Seashore due to dangerous debris.

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Japan, U.S., S. Korea envoys

(From L) Takehiro Funakoshi, director general of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, Kim Gunn, South Korea's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, and Sung Kim, U.S. special representative for North Korea, pose for photos in Seoul on April 7, 2023.

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Japan, N. Korea divided but agree to meet more often

ULAN BATOR, Mongolia - Kim Chol Ho, vice director of the North Korean Foreign Ministry's Asian Affairs Department, speaks at a news conference in Ulan Bator on Sept. 6 after the end of two days of talks on the normalization of ties with Japan.

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Envoys begin gathering in Shenyang for N. Korea working group talks

SHENYANG, China - Ri Gun (far left), director general of the North Korean Foreign Ministry's American affairs bureau, arrives at Shenyang airport in northeastern China to represent his country in a two-day working group meeting to discuss the specifics of the next stage toward Pyongyang's nuclear abandonment.

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N. Korea envoy meets with reporters

BEIJING, China, June 23 Kyodo - Choe Son Hui, deputy chief for North American affairs at North Korean's Foreign Ministry, meets with reporters in Beijing on June 23, 2016, a day after what Pyongyang claimed was a "successful" test-firing of an intermediate-range ballistic missile. "What we are doing is trying to cope with the current situation where the U.S. is trying to threaten (our country) with nuclear weapons," Choe said.

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U.S. senior diplomat Kim meets with reporters in Tokyo

TOKYO, Japan - Sung Kim (R), U.S. special representative for North Korea policy, speaks to reporters at the Japanese Foreign Ministry in Tokyo on Dec. 8, 2014, after meeting with Junichi Ihara, head of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau. Kim visited Tokyo after meeting with his South Korean counterpart in Seoul, South Korea.

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Japan, U.S. senior diplomats meet in Tokyo

TOKYO, Japan - Junichi Ihara (R), head of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, shakes hands with Sung Kim, U.S. special representative for North Korea policy, on Dec. 8, 2014, at the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo. Kim visited Tokyo after meeting with his South Korean counterpart in Seoul, South Korea. (Pool photo)

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U.S. urges N. Korea to show commitment to denuclearization

SEOUL, South Korea - Sung Kim, U.S. special representative for North Korea policy, meets with reporters at South Korea's Foreign Ministry in Seoul on Dec. 5, 2014, after holding talks with his South Korean counterpart Hwang Joon Kook, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs. Kim said, "North Korea needs to demonstrate very serious commitment to denuclearization before we can resume any negotiation."

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N. Korean diplomat with rich Japan experience to leave for new job

TOKYO, Japan - Photo shows Kim Chol Ho, vice director of the North Korean Foreign Ministry's Asian Affairs Department. Kim, who has long experience in dealing with Japan, is expected to leave Pyongyang soon and to become ambassador to Ethiopia, a source familiar with the situation said Dec. 3, 2014.

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PM Abe receives reports from Ihara about talks with N. Korea

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks to reporters at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Oct. 30, 2014, after being briefed by Junichi Ihara, director general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of Japan's Foreign Ministry. Ihara returned to Tokyo earlier in the day from North Korea, where he met for two days with North Korean officials about Pyongyang's investigation into the fate of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea decades ago.

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PM Abe receives reports from Ihara about talks with N. Korea

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks to reporters at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Oct. 30, 2014, after being briefed by Junichi Ihara, director general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of Japan's Foreign Ministry. Ihara returned to Tokyo earlier in the day from North Korea, where he met for two days with North Korean officials about Pyongyang's investigation into the fate of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea decades ago.

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Foreign Ministry's Ihara returns from N. Korea

NARITA, Japan - Junichi Ihara, director general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of Japan's Foreign Ministry, arrives at Narita International Airport, northeast of Tokyo, on Oct. 30, 2014, after two-day talks with North Korean officials about Pyongyang's investigation into the fate of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea decades ago.

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Japan, N. Korea hold talks on 2nd day

PYONGYANG, North Korea - Junichi Ihara (C), director general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of the Japanese Foreign Ministry, attends talks on the second of two days of discussions with North Korean officials on Oct. 29, 2014, in Pyongyang, to hear about the remains of Japanese who died around the end of World War II in what is now North Korea. (Pool photo by Kyodo News)

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Japan urges N. Korea to advance probe into abductees

PYONGYANG, North Korea - Junichi Ihara, director general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of Japan's Foreign Ministry, meets with reporters in Pyongyang on Oct. 28, 2014, following the first round of talks with North Korean officials. Tokyo demanded that Pyongyang put the highest priority on advancing its investigation into the fates of Japanese abductees. (Pool photo by Kyodo News)

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Japan, N. Korea begin talks on abduction probe

PYONGYANG, North Korea - Junichi Ihara (R), director general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of the Japanese Foreign Ministry, and So Tae Ha (C), chairman of North Korea's special investigation committee into the whereabouts of Japanese nationals abducted by Pyongyang decades ago, head for their meeting in Pyongyang on Oct. 28, 2014, as the two countries launched two days of talks in the North Korean capital on the abduction issue. Ihara leads a Japanese government mission dispatched to North Korea for the first time since November 2004. (Pool photo by Kyodo News)

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Japan, N. Korea begin talks on abduction probe

PYONGYANG, North Korea - Junichi Ihara (C), director general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of the Japanese Foreign Ministry, holds talks with North Korean officials in Pyongyang on Oct. 28, 2014, on the North's investigation into Japanese nationals abducted decades ago. At the outset of a two-day meeting, Ihara said, "The abduction issue is the most important issue for Japan."

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Japan, N. Korea begin talks on abduction probe

PYONGYANG, North Korea - Junichi Ihara (R), director general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of the Japanese Foreign Ministry, and So Tae Ha (C), chairman of North Korea's special investigation committee into the whereabouts of Japanese nationals abducted by Pyongyang decades ago, head for their meeting in Pyongyang on Oct. 28, 2014, as the two countries launched two days of talks in the North Korean capital on the abduction issue. Ihara leads a Japanese government mission dispatched to North Korea for the first time since November 2004. (Pool photo by Kyodo News)

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Japan, N. Korea begin talks on abduction probe

PYONGYANG, North Korea - Junichi Ihara (R), director general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of the Japanese Foreign Ministry, shakes hands with So Tae Ha, chairman of North Korea's special investigation committee into the whereabouts of Japanese nationals abducted by Pyongyang decades ago, in Pyongyang on Oct. 28, 2014, as the two countries launched two days of talks in the North Korean capital on the abduction issue. Ihara leads a Japanese government mission dispatched to North Korea for the first time since November 2004. (Pool photo by Kyodo News)

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Japan, N. Korea begin talks on abduction probe

PYONGYANG, North Korea - Junichi Ihara, director general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of the Japanese Foreign Ministry, holds talks with North Korean officials in Pyongyang on Oct. 28, 2014, on the North's investigation into Japanese nationals abducted decades ago. At the outset of a two-day meeting, Ihara said, "The abduction issue is the most important issue for Japan." (Pool photo by Kyodo News)

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Japan, N. Korea begin talks on abduction probe

PYONGYANG, North Korea - Members of a Japanese government delegation led by Junichi Ihara (far R), director general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of the Japanese Foreign Ministry, hold talks with So Tae Ha (far L), chairman of North Korea's special investigation committee into the whereabouts of Japanese nationals abducted by Pyongyang decades ago, and other North Korean officials in Pyongyang on Oct. 28, 2014. So, who also serves as vice minister of state security, is expected to explain Pyongyang's investigation during a two-day meeting until the following day. (Pool photo by Kyodo News)

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Japan mission in N. Korea to scrutinize abduction probe

PYONGYANG, North Korea - Junichi Ihara (L), director general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of the Japanese Foreign Ministry, is welcomed by a senior North Korean official as he arrives in Pyongyang on Oct. 27, 2014. During its four-day visit, a Japanese delegation led by Ihara aims to assess North Korea's investigation into the fates of Japanese nationals abducted decades ago.

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Japanese delegation leaves for Pyongyang

NARITA, Japan - Junichi Ihara, director of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of Japan's Foreign Ministry, leaves Narita International Airport, northeast of Tokyo, on Oct. 26, 2014, for talks with North Korean officials to assess Pyongyang's investigation into the fate of Japanese nationals it abducted decades ago. A Japanese delegation led by Ihara will hold discussions with North Korea's special investigation committee in Pyongyang on Oct. 28 and 29.

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N. Korea slams U.N. rights resolution eyed by Japan, EU

NEW YORK, United States - Choe Myong Nam, a senior North Korean Foreign Ministry official in charge of U.N. affairs, slams a draft resolution on Pyongyang's human rights situation being worked out by Japan and the European Union at the U.N. headquarters in New York on Oct. 7, 2014.

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Japan diplomat leaves Tokyo for talks with N. Korea

TOKYO, Japan - Junichi Ihara, head of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of Japan's Foreign Ministry, leaves Narita International Airport, northeast of Tokyo, on Sept. 28, 2014, for talks with Song Il Ho, North Korean ambassador for negotiations to normalize relations with Japan, in Shenyang, China.

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Cohen discusses issues on DPRK with S. Korean officials

SEOUL, South Korea - David Cohen, U.S. Treasury's under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, responds to reporters' questions at South Korea's Foreign Ministry on Aug. 21, 2014, after holding talks with South Korean officials on sanctions imposed on North Korea for its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

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Japan, S. Korea vow cooperation on N. Korea nuclear programs

TOKYO, Japan - Hwang Joon Kook (L), South Korea's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, and Junichi Ihara, director general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau at the Japanese Foreign Ministry, shake hands at the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo on July 16, 2014, prior to their talks. They agreed to strengthen bilateral and trilateral coordination with the United States on reining in North Korea's missile and nuclear weapons programs. (Pool photo by Jiji Press)

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Japan-N. Korea talks

BEIJING, China - Junichi Ihara (2nd from L), the head of Asian affairs at the Japanese Foreign Ministry, and Song Il Ho (3rd from R), the North Korean ambassador in charge of normalizing diplomatic ties with Tokyo, hold talks at the North Korean Embassy in Beijing on July 1, 2014. Japan and North Korea discussed the specifics of a major deal struck in May, under which Pyongyang promised to investigate its past abductions of Japanese nationals.

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Japan-N. Korea talks

BEIJING, China - Junichi Ihara (R), the head of Asian affairs at the Japanese Foreign Ministry, and Song Il Ho (C), the North Korean ambassador in charge of normalizing diplomatic ties with Tokyo, head for their meeting at the North Korean Embassy in Beijing on July 1, 2014. Japan and North Korea discussed the specifics of a major deal struck in May, under which Pyongyang promised to investigate its past abductions of Japanese nationals.

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Japan-N. Korea talks

BEIJING, China - Junichi Ihara (R), the head of Asian affairs at the Japanese Foreign Ministry, shakes hands with Song Il Ho, the North Korean ambassador in charge of normalizing diplomatic ties with Tokyo, ahead of their talks at the North Korean Embassy in Beijing on July 1, 2014. Japan and North Korea discussed the specifics of a major deal struck in May, under which Pyongyang promised to investigate its past abductions of Japanese nationals.

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Japan-N. Korea talks

BEIJING, China - Junichi Ihara (R), the head of Asian affairs at the Japanese Foreign Ministry, and Song Il Ho, the North Korean ambassador in charge of normalizing diplomatic ties with Tokyo, head for their meeting at the North Korean Embassy in Beijing on July 1, 2014. Japan and North Korea discussed the specifics of a major deal struck in May, under which Pyongyang promised to investigate its past abductions of Japanese nationals.

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Japan-N. Korea talks

BEIJING, China - Junichi Ihara (R), the head of Asian affairs at the Japanese Foreign Ministry, and Song Il Ho, the North Korean ambassador in charge of normalizing diplomatic ties with Tokyo, head for their meeting at the North Korean Embassy in Beijing on July 1, 2014. Japan and North Korea discussed the specifics of a major deal struck in May, under which Pyongyang promised to investigate its past abductions of Japanese nationals.

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Japan diplomat arrives in Beijing for talks with N. Korea

BEIJING, China - Junichi Ihara, head of Asian issues at the Japanese Foreign Ministry, arrives in Beijing, China, on June 30, 2014, for talks with a senior North Korean official the next day. After the arrival, Ihara met with Wu Dawei, Chinese special representative for Korean Peninsula affairs.

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Japan, N. Korea envoys mull abduction issue in Stockholm

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Junichi Ihara (extreme R), director general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau at the Japanese Foreign Ministry, and Song Il Ho (L), North Korea's ambassador for talks to normalize relations with Japan, meet in Stockholm, Sweden, on May 26, 2014, to discuss the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korean agents.

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Japanese diplomat Ihara

NARITA, Japan - Junichi Ihara, director general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau at the Japanese Foreign Ministry, is seen at Narita airport, near Tokyo, on May 29, 2014, after returning from Sweden where he held talks with North Korean officials.

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Japan-N. Korea talks

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Ryu Song Il, chief of the Japanese affairs section at the North Korean Foreign Ministry, is surrounded by reporters before the second day of talks with Japan in Stockholm, Sweden, on May 27, 2014.

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Japan, U.S., S. Korea meet in Washington

WASHINGTON, United States - Junichi Ihara, the director general for Asian and Oceanian affairs at Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, speaks to reporters at the Japanese Embassy in Washington on April 7, 2014, after a meeting with Glyn Davies, the U.S. special representative for North Korea policy, and Hwang Joon Kook, South Korea's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs. The three countries restated their commitment to peacefully removing nuclear weapons from the Korean Peninsula and pledged to continue working tightly with each other and with their allies and partners in the international community to focus international attention on the human rights situation in North Korea, according to the U.S. State Department.

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Japan-N. Korea talks

BEIJING, China - Junichi Ihara, director general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau at the Japanese Foreign Ministry, listens to a reporter's question after the second day of talks with his North Korean counterpart at the Japanese Embassy in Beijing on March 31, 2014.

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Japan-N. Korea talks

BEIJING, China - Junichi Ihara, director general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau at the Japanese Foreign Ministry, answers reporters' questions after the second day of talks with his North Korean counterpart at the Japanese Embassy in Beijing on March 31, 2014.

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Japan-N. Korea talks

BEIJING, China - Song Il Ho (front), North Korea's ambassador for talks to normalize relations with Japan, is pictured ahead of a meeting with Junichi Ihara (back), director general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau at the Japanese Foreign Ministry, at the North Korean Embassy in Beijing on March 30, 2014. The Japanese and North Korean senior diplomats agreed to work toward the settlement of "outstanding issues" as the two governments held formal talks for the first time since November 2012.

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Japan-N. Korea talks

BEIJING, China - Junichi Ihara (front), director general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau at the Japanese Foreign Ministry, answers reporters' questions at the Japanese Embassy in Beijing after holding talks with Song Il Ho, North Korea's ambassador for talks to normalize relations with Japan, on March 30, 2014. The Japanese and North Korean senior diplomats agreed to work toward the settlement of "outstanding issues" as the two governments held formal talks for the first time since November 2012.

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Japan-N. Korea talks

BEIJING, China - Song Il Ho (R), North Korea's ambassador for talks to normalize relations with Japan, speaks during a meeting with Junichi Ihara, director general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau at the Japanese Foreign Ministry, at the North Korean Embassy in Beijing on March 30, 2014. The Japanese and North Korean senior diplomats agreed to work toward the settlement of "outstanding issues" as the two governments held formal talks for the first time since November 2012.

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Japan-N. Korea talks

BEIJING, China - Junichi Ihara (front), director general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau at the Japanese Foreign Ministry, leaves the North Korean Embassy in Beijing after holding talks with Song Il Ho, North Korea's ambassador for talks to normalize relations with Japan, on March 30, 2014. The Japanese and North Korean senior diplomats agreed to work toward the settlement of "outstanding issues" as the two governments held formal talks for the first time since November 2012.

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Japan-N. Korea talks

BEIJING, China - Song Il Ho (R back), North Korea's ambassador for talks to normalize relations with Japan, and Junichi Ihara (L front), director general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau at the Japanese Foreign Ministry, hold talks at the North Korean Embassy in Beijing on March 30, 2014. The Japanese and North Korean senior diplomats agreed to work toward the settlement of "outstanding issues" as the two governments held formal talks for the first time since November 2012.

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Japan-N. Korea talks

BEIJING, China - Song Il Ho (C), North Korea's ambassador for talks to normalize relations with Japan, and Junichi Ihara (L), director general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau at the Japanese Foreign Ministry, are pictured ahead of their talks at the North Korean Embassy in Beijing on March 30, 2014. The Japanese and North Korean senior diplomats agreed to work toward the settlement of "outstanding issues" as the two governments held formal talks for the first time since November 2012.

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Japan-N. Korea talks

BEIJING, China - Song Il Ho (R front), North Korea's ambassador for talks to normalize relations with Japan, and Junichi Ihara (L front), director general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau at the Japanese Foreign Ministry, are pictured ahead of their talks at the North Korean Embassy in Beijing on March 30, 2014. The Japanese and North Korean senior diplomats agreed to work toward the settlement of "outstanding issues" as the two governments held formal talks for the first time since November 2012.

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Japan-N. Korea talks

BEIJING, China - Song Il Ho (3rd from R), North Korea's ambassador for talks to normalize relations with Japan, and Junichi Ihara (2nd from L), director general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau at the Japanese Foreign Ministry, hold talks at the North Korean Embassy in Beijing on March 30, 2014. The Japanese and North Korean senior diplomats agreed to work toward the settlement of "outstanding issues" as the two governments held formal talks for the first time since November 2012.

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Japan-N. Korea talks

BEIJING, China - Song Il Ho (L), North Korea's ambassador for talks to normalize relations with Japan, and Junichi Ihara, director general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau at the Japanese Foreign Ministry, are pictured ahead of their talks at the North Korean Embassy in Beijing on March 30, 2014. The Japanese and North Korean senior diplomats agreed to work toward the settlement of "outstanding issues" as the two governments held formal talks for the first time since November 2012.

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N. Korea official in China

SHENYANG, China - Ryu Song Il, chief of the Japanese affairs section at the North Korean Foreign Ministry, answers a reporter's question at Shenyang airport in northeastern China on March 22, 2014.

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Japan-N. Korea talks

SHENYANG, China - Photo shows Ryu Song Il (R), chief of the Japanese affairs section at the North Korean Foreign Ministry, in Shenyang, China, on March 20, 2014, after attending informal talks between Japanese and North Korean diplomats on the sidelines of a two-day meeting of the countries' Red Cross societies. At left is Ri Ho Rim, secretary general of the North Korean Red Cross Society.