N.Korea continues operating main nuclear reactor at Yongbyon: CSIS

North Korea is operating its main plutonium-producing nuclear reactor at the Yongbyon complex, a Washington-based think tank revealed Wednesday, citing thermal infrared imagery. The CSIS Korea Chair said in a report it found the “clear and conclusive evidence” that the 5-megawatt reactor was operating based on thermal image analysis. The 5-megawatt nuclear reactor at the Yongbyon Nuclear Complex is the core of Pyongyang’s proliferation efforts given that the reactor has been

Dec. 9, 2021

Most S. Koreans with families in N. Korea have no information on their fate: poll

Eight out of 10 families divided by the 1950-53 Korean War have yet to confirm the fate of their parents and siblings in North Korea, a government survey showed Thursday. According to the unification ministry's poll on 5,354 separated family members living in South Korea and abroad, 82 percent said they do not know whether their family members in the reclusive neighbor are still alive. Among those who are aware of the fate and whereabouts of their dispersed family members, half of them obtaine

Dec. 9, 2021

Advisers to rival presidential candidates clash over NK policy

Advisers to South Korea’s two leading presidential candidates agreed during a forum in Washington that the alliance with the US needs to be strengthened, but opinions diverged on how to denuclearize North Korea. 　 Former South Korean Ambassador Wi Sung-lac, who advises Lee Jae-myung of the liberal ruling Democratic Party of Korea, and Kim Sung-han, a professor at the Korea University Graduate School of International Studies who advises Yoon Suk-yeol of the conservative opposition People

Dec. 8, 2021

Politics or misguided conviction? Is Moon obsessed with ending the Korean War?

With the clock ticking on his term in office, President Moon Jae-in is taking every opportunity to push his agenda to declare the end of the Korean War. But experts are raising questions about his motivations and about the validity of his goal. “The declaration of an end to the war is the first step toward peace and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula,” Moon said in a congratulatory video speech at the 2021 Seoul UN Peacekeeping Ministerial in Seoul on Tuesday night. He urge

Dec. 8, 2021

Kim Jong-un urges to nurture ‘absolutely loyal’ military officers, improve education

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un urged the military to improve its education system and nurture commanding officers with “absolute loyalty” to the ruling party, in a move in line with the regime’s ongoing ideological campaigns. According to the North’s state media on Tuesday, Kim made instructions at the Eighth Conference of Military Educationists of the Korean People’s Army, which was held at the April 25 House of Culture in Pyongyang over the weekend. North Kore

Dec. 7, 2021

NK leader Kim urges nurturing people with 'absolute fidelity' to party

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has presided over a gathering of military educators and called on them to nurture people with "absolute fidelity" to the ruling Workers' Party, the country's state media reported Tuesday. The party's Central Committee and Central Military Commission convened the gathering at the April 25 House of Culture in Pyongyang on Saturday and Sunday to make a "groundbreaking" change in education projects in line with the "shifting times," acco

Dec. 7, 2021

Seoul to step up monitoring fake news on N. Korea

The South Korean government will beef up efforts to monitor fake news on North Korea that "distort the policy environment" for inter-Korean relations, officials said Monday. On Friday, the National Assembly approved a 1.5 trillion won ($1.27 billion) budget for the unification ministry handling inter-Korean affairs next year, including 200 million won to launch the new monitoring program. The program was suggested following "needs for a more systematic monitoring due to the fre

Dec. 6, 2021

N.Korea ranked 17th for relative power among 26 Asia-Pacific countries

North Korea was ranked 17th for its relative power among 26 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, Australia’s Lowy Institute said in an annual report. The foreign policy think tank on Sunday released its 2021 Asia Power Index report, which comprehensively gauges the power of Asia-Pacific countries by using 131 indicators across eight thematic measures. The index assessed a wide range of country‘s capacities, including military and economic capabilities, diplomatic and cultural inf

Dec. 6, 2021

Cyberattacks targeting S. Korea’s security strategies will increase during elections: NIS

Hackers with the backing of foreign governments will aggressively target information on Seoul’s national security strategies in the runup to the presidential election next March, the South Korean spy agency warned in its recent annual report. The National Cyber Security Center, under the auspices of the National Intelligence Service, last week released the annual report entailing cyber threat assessments and predictions, as well as its countermeasures. In the report, the NCSC predicted

Dec. 5, 2021

Unification ministry budget for inter-Korean cooperation rises 2% in 2022

The unification ministry's next year budget for inter-Korean cooperation slightly increased despite chilled cross-border exchanges in the face of deadlocked nuclear negotiations and the North's prolonged border lockdown, according to officials. Under the budget plan approved by the National Assembly earlier in the day, the 2022 budget for the ministry handling inter-Korean relations was set at 1.5 trillion won ($1.3 billion), up from this year's 1.48 trillion won. Of the total, 1.27 trillion w

Dec. 3, 2021

UN excludes N. Korea from humanitarian aid plans for two straight years

The United Nations has excluded North Korea from its global humanitarian assistance plan for 2022, its recent report showed, apparently due to the impoverished country's prolonged border lockdown against the COVID-19 pandemic. The Global Humanitarian Overview 2022 released by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said, "Afghanistan, DPR Korea and Myanmar are facing acute food insecurity situations, which are likely to deteriorate further by the year's end."

Dec. 3, 2021

Moon’s end of war proposal faces multitude of challenges

President Moon Jae-in hopes to declare the end of the Korean War during his term, but such a declaration without corresponding denuclearization does not guarantee peace on the Korean Peninsula and time is too short to untangle complicated interests of all involved parties, experts say. Moon revived the issue, which had remained dormant since the failed 2019 US-North Korea summit -- at the United Nations in September. Since then, Seoul and Washington have discussed the issue, and are reportedly

Dec. 2, 2021

NK to hold key party meeting as Kim’s 10-year leadership anniversary approaches

North Korea will hold a key party meeting later this month as leader Kim Jong-un is set to mark 10 years in office, North Korean media said Thursday, with growing speculation that Pyongyang could unveil its policy toward Washington and Seoul for the next year.  The decision to hold a plenary session was made during a politburo meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea held on Wednesday, presided by leader Kim, according to the Korea Central News Agency. 　 The 4th plenary meetin

Dec. 2, 2021

N. Korea to hold key party meeting as leader Kim set to mark 10 years in power

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has presided over a politburo session of the ruling party and decided to convene a key party meeting later this month, Pyongyang's state media reported Thursday. During the meeting held the previous day, Kim called 2021 a year of "victory" for "the stable management of the state economy and big successes made in the agricultural and construction sectors," and decided to discuss plans for the new year at the plenary session, according to the Ko

Dec. 2, 2021

N. Korea kicks up commemorative mood for late leader Kim Jong-il

North Korea's main newspaper on Wednesday published a series of stories lauding late leader Kim Jong-il ahead of the 10th anniversary of his death this month. Kim Jong-il, father of current leader Kim Jong-un, died on Dec. 17, 2011, having ruled the reclusive regime since the death of his father and national founder, Kim Il-sung, in 1994. Kim Jong-un, the third son of the late leader, took over the helm of the North in another hereditary succession of power. In an editorial, the North's Rodon

Dec. 1, 2021

COVAX allocates 4.7 million more COVID-19 vaccines to N. Korea

The COVAX Facility, a global vaccine distribution platform, has assigned 4.7 million doses of additional COVID-19 vaccines to North Korea in its latest distribution plan, its report showed Tuesday. According to the program's 12th vaccine allocation decision, AstraZeneca's vaccines will be provided to North Korea, though Pyongyang remains unresponsive to the proposed vaccine assistance. When added to the 2 million doses of vaccines COVAX earlier allocated to the North, the amount is enough to i

Nov. 30, 2021

Heat waves, tropical nights increase in N. Korea due to global warming: weather agency

North Korea has seen an increase in heat waves and tropical nights and a decline in cold spells over the past three decades as global warming has driven up temperatures, South Korea's state weather agency said Tuesday. The average annual temperature in North Korea rose by 0.4 degree Celsius to 8.9 C for the 1991-2020 period in comparison with the 1981-2010 period, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). The agency used temperature and precipitation data collected from 27 ob

Nov. 30, 2021

Delving into presidential hopefuls’ N. Korea policy: What’s in the box?

North Korea policy is one of the main dividers between progressives and conservatives in South Korean politics, and the two leading presidential candidates -- Lee Jae-myung and Yoon Seok-youl -- are poles apart on how to secure stability and peace on the Korean Peninsula. They also disagree on the fundamental causes of the current strained inter-Korean relations. But Yoon and Lee both dismiss the redeployment of tactical nuclear weapons as an impractical option and endorse the idea of providin

Nov. 29, 2021

N. Korea urges full vigilance against Omicron coronavirus variant

North Korea said Monday it has strengthened preventive measures against COVID-19 in response to growing concern about the Omicron variant, a move that heralds a further delay in easing its stringent border control. The reclusive nation had been seen preparing to reopen its land border with China and Russia, at least partially, before the end of this year. But the emergence of a new variant of the coronavirus has put the country and many other parts of the world on high alert. In a report, the

Nov. 29, 2021

Seoul monitoring N. Korea's nuclear, missile activities: unification ministry

South Korea is monitoring North Korea's nuclear and missile activities in close cooperation with the United States, the unification ministry said Friday, following reports the North appears to be continuing the operation of a nuclear reactor at its mainstay Yongbyon complex. 38 North, a US monitoring website, said Wednesday steam was detected emanating from the 5-megawatt reactor in an indication at least one generator is in operation, citing recent satellite imagery. Asked to comment on the r

Nov. 26, 2021