UN rights official slams N. Korea over killing of S. Korean at sea

A UN human rights official has denounced North Korea's killing of a South Korean official last month as a violation of international human rights law during a meeting of the UN General Assembly. Tomas Ojea Quintana, the UN special rapporteur on North Korea's human rights situation, raised the issue at the UN committee on social, humanitarian and cultural issues on Friday (local time). The 47-year-old fisheries official was fatally shot by the North Korean military on Sept. 22 while adrift in it

Oct. 24, 2020

Repairs under way for flood damage at Yongbyon reactor sites: 38 North

Recent satellite imagery indicates North Korea has begun repairing flood damage to a reservoir overflow dam used to maintain a constant source of water for the cooling systems of its nuclear reactors in Yongbyon, according to 38 North, a US website monitoring the North. In a report posted Thursday (local time), 38 North said between Sept. 22 and Oct. 17, repair work began on the dam in the Kuryong River, which was breached by the flood waters of August. Imagery from Sept. 22 showed a dramatic

Oct. 24, 2020

S. Korea can deter NK threats based on combined defense posture: defense minister

South Korea can deter and respond to threats from North Korea based on its combined defense posture with the United States, the defense chief said Friday, weeks after the North unveiled new weapons in a recent military parade. Defense Minister Suh Wook made the remark during a parliamentary audit session, referring to North Korea's tension-raising moves such as the unveiling of a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) during a recent military parade. "Based on the South Korea-US

Oct. 23, 2020

N. Koreans upset by shoddy typhoon recovery: RFA

Displaced North Koreans hit by this year’s typhoons said new homes built by the government were still uninhabitable, Radio Free Asia said Wednesday, citing anonymous sources in North Korea. “Except the ones Kim personally directed recovery for, most homes were barely inhabitable because it was a job half done,” one anonymous source said, referring to leader Kim Jong-un’s personal inspection of the August recovery effort in the hardest-hit North Hwanghae Province. The so

Oct. 23, 2020

NK cyberattacks mainly target bank raids: US official

North Korea engages in cyberattacks to primarily steal money from banks, a senior US Justice Department official said Thursday. “They’ve used it really to steal banks and money. That’s not really the behavior we see from China or Russia or even Iran despite the Iran sanctions,” John Demers, assistant attorney general for national security, told a webinar hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He added China supports the cash-strapped North th

Oct. 23, 2020

Biden says will meet NK leader if he agrees to draw down nuclear capacity

WASHINGTON -- US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said Thursday he would meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un only on the condition that the latter agrees to reduce his country's nuclear capabilities. "On the condition that (Kim) would agree that he would be drawing down his nuclear capacity. To get that," Biden said when asked on what preconditions that he would agree to meet the North Korean leader. "The Korean Peninsula should be a nuclear-free zone," he

Oct. 23, 2020

S. Korea to keep seeking dialogue with N. Korea over slain official: minister

Unification Minister Lee In-young said Friday that South Korea will keep seeking "dialogue" with North Korea to figure out exactly what happened to a South Korean official shot and killed by the North last month. Lee made the remark during a parliamentary audit session in response to a lawmaker's question as to how the government will draw cooperation from the North on the deadly incident at a time when Pyongyang remains unresponsive to Seoul's calls for a joint probe. "We wil

Oct. 23, 2020

Opposition lawmakers boycott defense committee's on-site inspection of Panmunjom

A group of main opposition party lawmakers boycotted an on-site inspection of Panmunjom on Friday in protest against the government's plan to reopen the inter-Korean border village for tourists next month. The People Power Party members of the National Assembly committee on national defense accused the Moon Jae-in administration of rushing to resume the tour program, although North Korea has yet to come clean on its recent gunshot killing of a South Korean maritime official. They argued that th

Oct. 23, 2020

NK leader sends floral basket to cemetery in China in honor of fallen soldiers

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent floral baskets to China to pay tribute to fallen soldiers from the 1950-53 Korean War, state media said Friday, in an apparent effort to highlight his strong and friendly relations with the ally. This came a day after Kim visited the cemetery of fallen Chinese soldiers in the North's South Pyongan Province and paid his respects to mark the anniversary of their participation in the conflict. Kim sent floral baskets to the cemetery of "the martyrs falle

Oct. 23, 2020

N. Korea's pursuit of money makes it 'unique' state actor of cyber attacks: US official

WASHINGTON -- North Korea is one of a few nations that pose a threat to cyber security but stands out as an "unique" country that steals money, a senior official from the US Department of Justice said Thursday. John Demers, assistant attorney general for national security, also noted the communist state may be getting support for its illicit cyber activities from China, in terms of know-how and protection. "A lot of it is getting money, getting cash. So on the cyber side very, y

Oct. 23, 2020

Slain S. Korean official tried to defect to NK: Coast Guard

The South Korean fisheries official who was shot dead by North Korea in the West Sea near the maritime border in late September was making defection, the Korea Coast Guard reaffirmed Thursday. “The missing official was a heavy gambler. We judge that he may have been mentally disturbed and attempted defection to the North to escape reality,” the Coast Guard told a press briefing, concluding its investigation into the case. The Coast Guard said, the official, who was in his 40s, mad

Oct. 22, 2020

NK leader pays respect to fallen Chinese soldiers in Korean War

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the graves of Chinese soldiers who joined the Korean War 70 years ago, Pyongyang’s state media said on Thursday in an apparent show of reverence for the historical ties between the two communist allies. “Comrade Kim Jong-un visited the cemetery of Chinese soldiers in Hoechang County of South Pyongyan Province around the 70th anniversary of their participation in the war and paid tribute to the patriots,” the North’s Korean Central

Oct. 22, 2020

[Newsmaker] N. Korea denuclearization a step toward end-of-war declaration: Pompeo

North Korea’s denuclearization would ultimately lead to the declaration of an official end to the Korean War, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday. The two Koreas are still at war, having signed no peace treaty to end the 1950-53 conflict. Pompeo was addressing questions about whether ending the war would be feasible without the North’s disarmament. President Moon Jae-in has repeatedly called for an end-of-war declaration. The top US diplomat again urged Pyongyang to c

Oct. 22, 2020

N. Korea suspends scheduled mass gymnastic shows this month: official

North Korea appears to have suspended its signature mass gymnastic shows scheduled to be held until the end of this month after leader Kim Jong-un recently attended its performance, a unification ministry official said Thursday. North Korea's media earlier reported that the propaganda shows would be put on stage from early last week to the end of this month at the May Day Stadium in Pyongyang on the occasion of the ruling party's 75th founding anniversary on Oct. 10. Kim attended its performa

Oct. 22, 2020

Declaration of Korean War's end 'obvious' part of N. Korean denuclearization process: Pompeo

WASHINGTON -- Declaring a formal end to the Korean War would "obviously" be part of efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday, calling for North Korea's return to denuclearization talks. Pompeo's remarks come after South Korean President Moon Jae-in urged international support for declaring the war's end in his speech before the United Nations General Assembly last month. "So our position on that set of issues, that suite of i

Oct. 22, 2020

N. Korean nukes highlight importance of strategic deterrence: US commander

WASHINGTON -- The United States must reinvigorate its discussion on strategic deterrence against continued and growing threats from other countries, including North Korea, the chief of the US Strategic Command said Wednesday. "Given Russia and China's expanding capabilities and increasingly aggressive behavior and those posed by nuclear North Korea and possibly Iran, we must reinvigorate the national conversation on the importance of strategic deterrence," said Adm. Charles Richard,

Oct. 22, 2020

NK leader pays respects to fallen Chinese soldiers

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the cemetery of Chinese soldiers who fell during the 1950-53 Korean War to mark the anniversary of their participation in the conflict, state media said Thursday. It appears be in line with Kim's push to further strengthen bilateral ties with China at a time when the North is in need of support from the ally amid stagnant economic growth and stalled nuclear negotiations with the United States. Kim visited "the martyrs of the Chinese People's Volunt

Oct. 22, 2020

Minister renews calls for inter-Korean cooperation in railway linking, tourism

Unification Minister Lee In-young vowed Wednesday to push ahead with inter-Korean cooperation projects to reconnect railways and allow for travel to North Korea, saying that it is the way that the two Koreas should go no matter what. Lee made the remark during a speech at a forum of the Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU), stressing the need to seek practical inter-Korean cooperation amid several challenges. "We are faced with the task of moving the US-North Korea nuclear talk

Oct. 21, 2020

NK's Kim vows to further develop ties with China

North Korean state media said Wednesday that the country’s leader Kim Jong-un expressed his intent to improve ties with China in his reply to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s congratulatory message for the North’s Workers’ Party anniversary. “Together with Comrade General Secretary (Xi), I will further develop the traditional friendly relations between Choson (North Korea) and China, which have entered a new phase of vitality, in line with the demands of the times an

Oct. 21, 2020

N. Korea develops mobile payment service: propaganda outlet

North Korea has introduced a payment service that allows people to purchase goods on mobile phones without having to carry around cash or plastic cards, a propaganda outlet said Wednesday. Meari, one of the North's propaganda websites, said that a joint research team from the central bank and a government agency in charge of information technology has "developed a mobile payment service and is introducing it in everyday lives." "The mobile phone electronics payment system is a n

Oct. 21, 2020