S. Korea decides to spend W1.95b to transform DMZ guard post into museum

The government decided Monday to spend 1.95 billion won ($1.76 million) to transform a guard post on the border with North Korea into a museum underscoring inter-Korean reconciliation efforts and honoring soldiers killed during the Korean War. The guard post at Arrowhead Ridge inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) has since been used as a place to display items unearthed from the former battlefield under a project to uncover remains of soldiers killed in the 1950-53 war. On Monday, a civilian-go

Nov. 16, 2020

NK leader presides over politburo meeting in first public appearance in 25 days

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presided over a politburo meeting of the Workers' Party in his first public appearance in 25 days and discussed nationwide anti-coronavirus measures, state media said Monday. During the enlarged politburo meeting held Sunday, Kim discussed "COVID-19 and the state anti-epidemic situation and clarified the tasks for the Party, military and economic fields to further tighten the emergency anti-epidemic front," according to the Korean Central News Agency.

Nov. 16, 2020

[Newsmaker] N. Korea unusually quiet after Biden elected president

North Korea has yet to address the outcome of the US election, let alone engage in anti-US rhetoric, more than a week after Joe Biden became president-elect on Nov. 7. Its silence stands in sharp contrast with its quick responses to past US elections. Previously Pyongyang has responded within a week, except in 2000 when it released a statement only after the US Supreme Court handed former President George W. Bush victory over former Vice President Al Gore in a vote recount dispute. Speculation

Nov. 15, 2020

Twitter accounts for individual North Koreans appear in rare propaganda move

North Korean individuals have taken to Twitter to post about their daily lives and domestic news, in a rare move by the reclusive country presumed to be aimed at reaching a broader audience through a more approachable style. It also appears to be in line with North Korea's recent stepped-up efforts to embrace social media, including a YouTube channel, as new propaganda vehicles. Two accounts appeared in October on Twitter, including one signed up as Kim Myong-il, who claims to be a director of

Nov. 13, 2020

Ministry renews calls for N. Korea to act in 'discreet, wise and flexible' manner after Biden's election

The unification ministry on Friday renewed calls for North Korea to refrain from provocations, urging Pyongyang to act in a "discreet, wise and flexible" manner during the heightened uncertainty following the US presidential election earlier this month. The calls came amid uncertainty over what policy the incoming Joe Biden administration of the US will take on North Korea and concerns Pyongyang could carry out provocations to draw attention and set the tone for future negotiations.

Nov. 13, 2020

NK leader out of public eye for 23rd straight day

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has not made any public appearances for the past 23 days, but his absence is nothing unusual, a unification ministry official said Thursday. Kim was last seen in public on Oct. 21 when he visited a cemetery in the North's South Pyongyang Province for fallen Chinese soldiers that participated in the 1950-53 Korean War. "We do not attach any special meaning to it as he has gone absent from public view for more than 20 days several times based on past records,

Nov. 12, 2020

Court rules for N. Korean defector in damages lawsuit over false accusation

A Seoul court on Thursday ruled that a North Korean defector and his family should be compensated for suffering sustained by having been falsely accused of being a spy. The Seoul Central District Court ordered the government to pay 120 million won ($107,900), 80 million won and 30 million won, respectively, to Yoo Woo-seong, his sister, Ga-ryeo, and his father, in compensation. Yoo, an ethnic Chinese who defected to the South in 2004, was indicted in February 2013 on the charge of espionage, l

Nov. 12, 2020

Canadian aid group helps provide soy milk to 80,000 kids in N. Korea

A Canadian aid group has provided soy milk to around 80,000 children in North Korea as part of efforts to ease malnutrition among kids in the impoverished state, its website showed Thursday. First Steps Health Society said that 100 tons of soybeans have recently been shipped to "eight of our soymilk partner sites in three provinces, reaching more than 80,000 children with much needed soymilk at exactly the right time." The recently-delivered soybeans are part of 400 tons the group pr

Nov. 12, 2020

N. Korea highlights hazards of smoking after adopting anti-smoking law

North Korea's state news agency on Wednesday highlighted the hazards of smoking, saying the habit could increase the chances of getting infected with the new coronavirus. North Korea's media outlets have intensified calls for people to stop smoking since Pyongyang held a parliamentary meeting and adopted an anti-smoking law earlier this month. "Smoking has taken more lives than natural disasters and traffic accidents," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. "Since the new

Nov. 11, 2020

N. Korea estimated to have up to 60 nuclear warheads: US think tank

North Korea is believed to have up to 60 nuclear warheads that can threaten regional stability, according to a recent estimate by a research institute affiliated with the US National Defense University. The Institute for National Strategic Studies said in its Strategic Assessment 2020 report that the North is assumed to have between 15 and 60 nuclear warheads and approximately 650 ballistic missiles capable of threatening cities in South Korea, as well as in Japan and eastern China. "Thro

Nov. 11, 2020

N. Korea calls for efforts to prevent wildfire amid dry weather

North Korea is making all-out efforts to prevent forest fires, state media said Wednesday, as the dry weather puts the country's deforestation problem at greater risk. "Efforts to protect forests, including forest fire prevention, are under way as part of nationwide patriotic efforts," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The North has strengthened patrol in the forest areas and tightened rules for visitors during the fall season, the KCNA added. It then called on all cities

Nov. 11, 2020

Western DMZ hiking trail to reopen after year of closure

A western border hiking trail along the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Korea will reopen to the public later this month after more than a year of closure due to the outbreak of African swine fever. The hiking trail in Paju, about 30 kilometers northwest of Seoul, will begin accepting visitors starting Nov. 28, after all three DMZ hiking trails closed in September last year amid concerns over the spread of African swine fever. "Even after the reopening of the Paju hiking trail

Nov. 11, 2020

S. Korea proposes co-hosting youth sports competition with N. Korea

CHUNCHEON -- South Korea has made its first formal proposal to North Korea to co-host an upcoming international youth sports competition. The province of Gangwon on the east coast of South Korea said Tuesday it sent a letter to Pyongyang in August, with the help of civic organizations that provide aid to the North, seeking an opportunity to stage the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics together. Gangwon was named the host of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) event in January this year. Though t

Nov. 10, 2020

‘Squeezing’ N. Korea could backfire: experts

US President-elect Joe Biden’s potential national security advisers may recommend ratcheting up pressure on North Korea, but such moves, if pushed to the extreme, could backfire and a new strategy may be necessary. With the new Biden national security team yet to take shape, experts said prospective advisers understand the importance of sanctions to engage Pyongyang in talks. “These advisers believe Trump squandered the reputational weight of the presidency by meeting Kim Jong-un

Nov. 10, 2020

Military to improve border security system following N. Korean's unhindered crossing

The military will take steps to improve the border security system after a North Korean man crossed the heavily guarded border into the South unhindered last week, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Tuesday. The man, whose identity was withheld, was captured Wednesday, 14 hours after he crossed the border in a suspected defection attempt. The military came under heavy fire in the wake of the security failure. JCS spokesperson Col. Kim Jun-rak said during a press briefing Tuesday that the mil

Nov. 10, 2020

Over 60% of N. Koreans live in urban areas this year: UN-Habitat

North Korea's urban population increased this year compared with five years ago, with more than 60 percent of the total population living in urban areas, though the figure is still one of the lowest in the region, a UN report showed Tuesday. 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 mid-year, accounting for 62.4 percent of the total population, up from 15

Nov. 10, 2020

Unification Minister calls North for cautious response on new Biden administration

Stressing the latest US presidential election as an important turning point, Unification Minister Lee In-young on Monday called on North Korea to act cautiously and refrain from provocations to make this period a time for peace between the two Koreas.  Noting it could take several months for the incoming Joe Biden administration to review and come up with policy on Pyongyang, Lee underlined that this period of uncertainty could in turn become an opportunity to obtain peace on the Korean P

Nov. 9, 2020

Unification minister urges NK to act in 'discreet, wise and flexible' manner during US leadership change

Unification Minister Lee In-young called for North Korea on Monday to act in a "discreet, wise and flexible" manner and refrain from provocations during the US leadership transition so as to keep chances of progress in nuclear negotiations alive. During a press meeting held at the ministry's inter-Korean dialogue office in Seoul, Lee also urged the North to carry out existing peace deals concluded with the United States and the South and demonstrate its denuclearization commitment to

Nov. 9, 2020

Biden favors step-by-step approach on NK: experts

The incoming Biden administration in the US would seek a bottom-up, step-by-step approach to disarming nuclear North Korea, and the policy could expand into a synergistic alliance with South Korea to bring lasting peace on the peninsula if Seoul adjusts its tune, experts here and abroad said Monday. Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump has employed an unconventional, top-down style, dealing directly with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and often touting a special relationship with Kim th

Nov. 9, 2020

North Korea yet to react to Biden victory

Now that Democrat Joe Biden has won the US presidential election, how the new president-elect and his administration will cope with North Korea is attracting keen attention here. During his election campaign rallies, Biden called North Korean leader Kim Jong-un a “dictator” and a “thug,” and criticized his rival President Donald Trump for befriending Kim. But Biden left the door open for a possible summit, with the condition being that Pyongyang work to make the Kor

Nov. 8, 2020