NK enters '80-day battle' for post-disaster restoration, economy

North Korea said on Friday it has embarked on an "80-day battle" to see progress in recovery from COVID-19, floods and typhoons, as well as better economy. The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the North Korean Workers’ Party, said in an editorial that the country "cannot successfully seize the extensive and pressing goals ahead of us by the year-end with the usual level of supervision and working attitude." "(We) must robustly fight on to achieve a glorio

Oct. 16, 2020

NK paper warns against global hunger crisis

A North Korean newspaper on Friday warned against a global hunger crisis in commemoration of World Food Day as the impoverished country continues to struggle with its own chronic food shortage. The Minju Joson, the North's cabinet newspaper, said that at least 820 million people around the globe were suffering from starvation as of June this year, among which 244 million are children under the age of 5. The paper pointed out that production levels in agriculture across the world dropped sharpl

Oct. 16, 2020

S. Korea to launch annual defense drill to deter N. Korea

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Friday it will kick off an annual military exercise next week amid persistent nuclear and missile threats from North Korea. The Hoguk exercise, set to run from Monday through Oct. 30 across the country, will involve the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps, and diverse programs will be staged, such as joint landing drills and those to defend northwestern islands in the Yellow Sea. "As an annual drill, the Hoguk exercise is defensive in nature, an

Oct. 16, 2020

N. Korea's new SLBM labeled 'Pukguksong-4ㅅ,' not 'Pukguksong-4A: Navy chief

A new submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) that North Korea unveiled last week is believed to be labeled "Pukguksong-4ㅅ," featuring a Korean letter, not "Pukguksong-4A," which indicates that it is a sea-based system. On Saturday, the communist country unveiled a new SLBM during a massive military parade held in Pyongyang to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of its Workers' Party, along with a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and other advanced con

Oct. 15, 2020

UN rapporteur urges NK to punish those responsible for killing of S. Korean citizen at sea

The UN special rapporteur on North Korea's human rights situation has urged Pyongyang to punish those responsible for the killing of a South Korean fisheries official, compensate the official's family and ensure no such incident happens again. Tomas Ojea Quintana made the appeal, denouncing the killing as a "violation of international human rights law" in his latest report on the North's human rights situation. The document was released by the UN human rights office in Seoul, and Qui

Oct. 15, 2020

Reopening of tours to inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom to be announced as early as next week

The resumption of a civilian tour program to the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom is likely to be announced as early as next week, a unification ministry official said Thursday. Since September last year, tours to the Joint Security Area (JSA) and other sites inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) have been suspended as part of an effort to stem the spread of the highly contagious African swine fever. "We are in the final stages of coordinating the resumption of the Panmunjom tour am

Oct. 15, 2020

N. Korea upgrades surface-to-air weapons: Air Force chief

North Korea has upgraded its surface-to-air weapons to augment its air power considered way weaker than that of South Korea, the South's Air Force chief said Thursday, vowing to boost missile defense capabilities against the North's nuclear and missile threats. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Lee Seong-yong made the remark during a parliamentary audit session, saying around 10 new weapons have been identified from the North's military parade held last week. "We are analyzing the newly iden

Oct. 15, 2020

[Newsmaker] Human rights groups call for UN resolution to include N. Korea's killing of S. Korean citizen

More than 30 human rights groups from seven countries urged the United Nations to include North Korea's recent killing of a South Korean official adrift in its waters in its annual human rights resolution on the communist state. The groups said they made the request in a joint public letter to the UN after learning of the "shocking news" that North Korea killed the South Korean official and burned his body last month "in accordance with Pyongyang's shoot-to-kill order to prevent

Oct. 15, 2020

Close aide to NK leader appointed as party committee chief in typhoon-hit province

North Korea's state media on Thursday confirmed that a close aide to leader Kim Jong-un has been appointed as new chairman of a party provincial committee after its previous head was dismissed last month over a failure in handling typhoon preparations. While reporting on a local army-civilian rally, the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the Workers' Party, referred to Ri Jong-nam, a vice director of the Organization and Guidance Department, as the "chairman of the party committee in

Oct. 15, 2020

Pompeo says US diplomacy toward N. Korea 'successful'

WASHINGTON -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday that his country's efforts to reduce threats from North Korea have proven successful, noting the communist state conducted "zero" missile tests over the past two years. The top US diplomat insisted the US would not be where it is now without its diplomatic efforts toward the communist state. "Am I confident that our diplomacy has proven successful? Yes, absolutely," he told a press briefing. His remarks came da

Oct. 15, 2020

NK leader visits typhoon recovery area again

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un once again visited a typhoon-hit region in the country's east and urged officials to redouble recovery efforts, state media said Thursday, in an apparent effort to rally public support and unity. Kim visited the country's eastern area, including Sinpo City and Hongwon County in South Hamgyong Province to inspect recovery efforts and encourage division members, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "He said that the division members and service

Oct. 15, 2020

NK says it is recovering from typhoon damage on its own

North Korea is recovering from recent back-to-back typhoons on its own, without any external help, the country's chief delegate said during a meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), according to state media Wednesday. The North also said during the ministerial meeting held on the margins of the UN General Assembly Friday that the country is maintaining a stable posture against the coronavirus, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "We are putting all-out efforts to recov

Oct. 14, 2020

US general vows ‘extended deterrence’ against NK

Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, reaffirmed his country’s continued commitment to providing extended deterrence to South Korea against a nuclear-armed North Korea, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said Wednesday. The top US general discussed the defense strategy involving the US nuclear umbrella and strategic assets with Gen. Won In-choul, chairman of the JCS here, at an annual military committee meeting held online. The two allies also discussed 

Oct. 14, 2020

NK’s Kim visits typhoon-hit village, pledges 25,000 new homes

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited a typhoon-hit mining town in the eastern part of the country and pledged to build at least 25,000 new homes over the next five years, state media reported Wednesday. 　 Kim visited the Komdok area in South Hamgyong Province, one of the regions where Typhoon Maysak hit hardest last month, to inspect the recovery efforts underway, according to the Korea Central News Agency. 　 Kim said the damage to the area was more severe than he thought. He also applaud

Oct. 14, 2020

[Newsmaker] N. Korea appears to have 'no appetite' for provocation until after US election: Seoul official

North Korea seems to have no appetite for provocation until after the US presidential election in November, a foreign ministry official said Wednesday, citing "no explicit agitation" toward Washington during Pyongyang's recent military parade. Park Jang-ho, deputy director-general at the foreign ministry's North Korean nuclear affairs bureau, made the remarks during a webinar hosted jointly by the Sejong Institute and Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "It seems to us t

Oct. 14, 2020

NK appoints new Strategic Force commander overseeing missiles

North Korean state media has confirmed the replacement of the commander of the country's Strategic Force in charge of missile units and the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles. The Korean Central TV Broadcasting Station introduced Kim Jong-gil, a three-star general, as the Strategic Force commander while airing video clips of a military parade that the North held Saturday to mark the founding anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party. Kim Jong-gil was promoted to a three-star col

Oct. 14, 2020

NK establishes university named after leader Kim

North Korea has been confirmed to have established a university named after Kim Jong-un for the first time. While reporting on a military parade Saturday, the North's official Korean Central News Agency said that students of "Kim Jong Un University of National Defense" marched in columns. It also said the school has "produced a number of talented persons in national defense and technology." It was believed to be the first time that the North has established a university nam

Oct. 14, 2020

NK leader visits mining town under recovery from typhoon damage

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited a typhoon-hit mining town in the country's eastern province and lauded ongoing efforts to rebuild the area, state media reported Wednesday. Kim visited the Komdok region of South Hamkyong Province hard-hit by typhoons in recent months and reviewed recovery efforts under way, according to the Korean Central News Agency. "He said he could see the damage done to the area was more severe than he thought. He highly appreciated the labor feats of the serv

Oct. 14, 2020

S. Korea capable of intercepting NK's new multiple rocket launchers: defense ministry

South Korea's military can "immediately respond to and incapacitate" North Korean artillery and missiles if they are used to attack the South, the defense ministry said Tuesday, after the North unveiled new weapons during a parade last week. On Saturday, North Korea held a massive military parade in Pyongyang to mark the 75th founding anniversary of its ruling Workers' Party, unveiling a new intercontinental missile (ICBM) and submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), along with re

Oct. 13, 2020

Top NK technocrat urges all-out efforts to carry out Kim's call for '80-day campaign'

North Korea's top economic technocrat called for all-out efforts to successfully carry out leader Kim Jong-un's call for an "80-day campaign" to recover from flood damage and make as much progress as possible in the country's economic development project by year's end. Pak Pong-ju, vice chairman of the State Affairs Commission, made the appeal during a military-civilian rally held in Pyongyang, days after the North staged a massive military parade over the weekend to mark the 75th fou

Oct. 13, 2020