US needs to be more strategic but less patient in dealing with N. Korea; lawmaker

WASHINGTON -- The United States needs to be more strategic when dealing with North Korea but move as quickly as possible to help denuclearize the communist state and reunify the divided Koreas, a US lawmaker said Thursday. The remarks from Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) came one day after the House of Representatives unanimously adopted a resolution, submitted by Suozzi in April, highlighting the importance of the South Korea-US alliance and urging US efforts to further strengthen it. "I think th

Nov. 20, 2020

US Treasury adds 2 new companies to N. Korea sanctions list

WASHINGTON -- The US Department of Treasury on Thursday added two new companies to its list of entities subject to sanctions on North Korea that seek to prevent the communist state's weapons programs. They include Korea Cholsan General Trading Corp., a North Korean enterprise based in Pyongyang that operates in Russia, according to the latest update posted on the department website. The company is also known as Chkholsan, Cholsan Trading Co. or Cholson LLC. The other is Mokran LLC, a Russian

Nov. 20, 2020

Scrapping NK nukes should not be prerequisite for peacebuilding: Yun

Acknowledging that the US policy of “maximum pressure” and its focus on North Korea’s denuclearization have failed to change the reclusive regime, Joseph Yun, former US special representative for North Korea policy, said the incoming Joe Biden administration should steer both denuclearization and peace building in tandem in dealing with the North. 　 Yun, who served as Washington’s point man on North Korea during the early Trump administration, stressed that Biden needs

Nov. 19, 2020

[Newsmaker] UN committee passes NK human rights resolution

A UN committee adopted a North Korean human rights resolution on Wednesday in the US for the 16th consecutive year. For the second consecutive year, South Korea participated in the resolution’s consensus passage but did not co-sponsor the resolution. The resolution, adopted by the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly, is expected to be put to the General Assembly next month. The resolution, drafted by the European Union, highlights human rights violations in North Korea, saying

Nov. 19, 2020

More verification needed over NK ICBM's reentry capability: defense ministry

More verification is necessary to determine whether North Korea has atmospheric reentry technology for its intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), the defense ministry said Thursday, following a US think tank report suggesting Pyongyang has already mastered the technology. In the 2021 Index of US Military Strength report, the Heritage Foundation said Pyongyang's ICBM reentry vehicles "would likely perform adequately if flown to a normal trajectory to continental US targets," citin

Nov. 19, 2020

UN rapporteur sends letters to two Koreas calling for info provision on fisheries official killing

The UN special rapporteur on North Korea's human rights situation has sent the two Koreas letters calling for sufficient information on the North's killing of a South Korean fisheries official in September, a diplomatic source said Thursday. On Tuesday, Tomas Ojea Quintana handed the "joint communication" letters to the diplomatic missions of the two Koreas in Geneva, Switzerland, as Pyongyang has yet to respond to Seoul's call for a joint probe into the official's death, with his fam

Nov. 19, 2020

NK paper urges tight antivirus efforts without expecting outside help

North Korea's official newspaper said Thursday the country should intensify antivirus efforts on its own without any outside help that could increase the risk of the spread of COVID-19 in the country. North Korea has recently intensified calls for tightened preventive measures against the coronavirus after leader Kim Jong-un held a politburo meeting of the Workers' Party and stressed the need to "keep a high alert, build a tight blocking wall and further intensify the anti-epidemic work.&q

Nov. 19, 2020

Minister discusses NK’s denuclearization with former US Defense Secretary Perry

Unification Minister Lee In-young held a videoconference with former US Defense Secretary William Perry on Wednesday to discuss ways to achieve the denuclearization of North Korea under the future administration of US President-elect Joe Biden. 　 Jeong Se-hyun, a former unification minister and current executive vice chairperson of the presidential National Unification Advisory Council, also attended the hourlong session. 　 During the three-way meeting, Perry said using a “diplomatic so

Nov. 18, 2020

[Newsmaker] ‘CIA took North Korea leader’s nephew’

The US Central Intelligence Agency took the family of Kim Jong-nam, the half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, after Kim Jong-nam was murdered in February 2017, although it is unclear where the family resides now, said a Korean American writer. The activist group that helped the bereaved family get out of Macao shortly after Kim Jong-nam was killed in Kuala Lumpur reportedly lost them to people who identified themselves as CIA officers at the Taipei airport. In an article in the New

Nov. 18, 2020

China's policy on NK denuclearization consistent regardless of US leadership change: Amb. Xing

China's commitment to peace and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula will remain consistent regardless of the leadership change in the United States, Chinese Ambassador Xing Haiming said Wednesday. Xing also said during a forum hosted by his embassy that Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit South Korea first ahead of any other country once the coronavirus pandemic situation stabilizes. "That remains unchanged," he said. Asked about the prospects of Beijing's cooperation wit

Nov. 18, 2020

N. Korea poses major threats to 'vital interests' of US: think tank

North Korea poses major threats to "vital interests" of the United States as it continues to advance its missile and nuclear capabilities, a Washington-based think tank report showed Wednesday. According to the "2021 Index of US Military Strength," an annual report published by the Heritage Foundation, North Korea was ranked as "high" in terms of threat level, the second highest out of its five-tier threat assessment scale. It came in the same category with Russia,

Nov. 18, 2020

Biegun notes need for 'top-down' and 'bottom-up' approaches toward N. Korea: lawmakers

WASHINGTON -- US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun stressed the need for a mixture of "top-down" and "bottom-up" approaches to rid North Korea of its nuclear ambition in a meeting with a group of visiting South Korean lawmakers on Tuesday. The top US negotiator in talks with North Korea also promised efforts to make sure his experience and lessons from dealing with the communist state will be transferred to the next US administration, according to the South Korean law

Nov. 18, 2020

N. Korea seen following social distancing measures at theaters

North Koreans left every other seat empty at theaters this week in an apparent social distancing measure against the coronavirus pandemic, according to state media photos. Photos released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Tuesday showed several performances in Pyongyang marking Mother's Day on Nov. 16, with empty seats in between audience members as part of social distancing measures. A performance at the Pyongyang Circus Theatre showed every other seat empty at the center of the the

Nov. 17, 2020

6,000 N. Koreans suspected to have COVID-19: WHO

The number of North Koreans suspected of having contracted the new coronavirus reached 6,173 as of Oct. 29, up by 805 from a week earlier, the World Health Organization said Tuesday in its weekly COVID-19 update. The regime still claims zero cases. The WHO added the North had quarantined 32,182 people and tested 10,272 residents. Meanwhile, Pyongyang again urged people to remain on the highest alert and to obey all precautions to stem the coronavirus outbreak. The state newspaper highlighted p

Nov. 17, 2020

NK paper demands Japan's apology, compensation for colonial-era atrocities

North Korea's official newspaper on Tuesday demanded Tokyo apologize for its colonial-era atrocities and compensate victims, as it marked the 115th anniversary of the signing of a treaty that led to Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. The treaty, which was signed on Nov. 17, 1905, deprived the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) of its diplomatic sovereignty and made the country a protectorate of imperial Japan. Japan has been criticized for various atrocities during the period, incl

Nov. 17, 2020

Unification minister to discuss denuclearization with ex-US defense secretary

Unification Minister Lee In-young will hold a video call with former US Defense Secretary William Perry this week, the ministry said Tuesday, as the incoming US administration of President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take over. The videoconference, set for Wednesday, comes amid uncertainty over Biden's policy on North Korea. "We also need to explore ways to find a solution to denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula with the new US administration, so we decided to hold the meeting so that

Nov. 17, 2020

[Graphic News] Over 60% of N. Koreans live in urban areas

　North Korea’s urban population increased this year compared with five years ago, with more than 60 percent of its total population now living in urban areas, though the figure is still one of the lowest in the region, a UN report showed. 　According to the “World Cities Report” by UN-Habitat, the number of North Koreans living in urban areas, including the capital city of Pyongyang, came to 16.12 million as of midyear, accounting for 62.4 percent of the total population, u

Nov. 17, 2020

2.6 magnitude natural quake hits N. Korea's northeastern region: KMA

A 2.6 magnitude natural earthquake struck North Korea's northeastern region early Tuesday, South Korea's state weather agency said. The quake was detected around 3:10 a.m., 38 kilometers northwest of Kilju, North Hamgyong Province, and 8 km away from the site of North Korea's sixth nuclear test in 2017, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. "This area used to be solid terrain without the occurrence of earthquakes, but there have been frequent natural earthquakes since the

Nov. 17, 2020

8 members of voice phishing ring arrested amid suspicions of link to NK hacker

Eight members of a voice phishing ring have been arrested in South Korea and China and investigators are looking into suspected links to a North Korean hacker, officials said Monday. Police and the National Intelligence Service worked together to arrest the members for allegedly stealing around 2 billion won ($1.8 million) from about 200 South Koreans by operating a phishing scam from China. All of them are South Koreans in their 20s and 30s. Four of them were arrested between January and June

Nov. 16, 2020

NK’s Kim chairs politburo meeting in first public appearance in weeks

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presided over a Politburo meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party on Sunday to discuss COVID-19 measures, marking his first public appearance in 25 days, its state media said Monday. 　 During the meeting, Kim evaluated the country’s coronavirus situation and ordered that the emergency antivirus system be tightened in preparation for the worsening global public health crisis, the Korea Central News Agency said. 　 Kim stressed the “need to keep a h

Nov. 16, 2020