N. Korea to hold key party meeting this week to discuss 'increasing fighting efficiency'

North Korea said Tuesday it will hold a plenary Central Committee meeting of the Workers' Party (WKP) this week to "discuss and decide on an issue of crucial significance in developing the Korean revolution and increasing the fighting efficiency of the party." The official Korean Central News Agency didn't provide further details on the meeting set for Wednesday, including what exactly will be discussed, but observers expect that the session could deal with organizational issues giv

Aug. 18, 2020

N. Korean, Russian leaders pledge stronger ties on Liberation Day exchange

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin exchanged greetings Saturday to mark the 75th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan, Pyongyang's state media reported. In their messages, the two men expressed their desire to further deepen bilateral ties based on the agreement for cooperation reached during their first summit in Russia's Far Eastern city of Vladivostok in April of last year, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Acco

Aug. 15, 2020

New book reveals Kim Jong-un’s deep bond with Trump

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un described his friendship with US President Donald Trump as something out of a “fantasy film” in one of 25 letters they exchanged, American publisher Simon & Schuster said Wednesday, adding that the letters will be disclosed in an upcoming book by veteran journalist Bob Woodward. The book titled “Rage,” due out next month, will reveal details of the Trump-Kim letters that have never been made public before, and offer insights into the T

Aug. 14, 2020

Flood-battered NK rules out outside aid

North Korean leader Kim Jon-un said Thursday his country will make efforts to rebuild homes and rice fields damaged by the recent downpours but would do so on its own, without outside help due to COVID-19. “In the wake of the worsening coronavirus pandemic, outside help in carrying out those recovery efforts is not an option and stronger border lockdown is demanded,” Kim was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the Korean Central News Agency. “It is imperative that we fu

Aug. 14, 2020

NK leader warns against accepting outside assistance over flood damage due to virus risk

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said the country suffered serious damage from recent heavy downpours, but it should not accept any outside assistance due to the coronavirus risk, state media reported Friday. Kim made the remark while presiding over a politburo meeting of the ruling Workers' Party on Thursday to discuss measures to recover from the flood, stressing the importance of concentrating on COVID-19 prevention efforts and maintaining the "state emergency anti-epidemic system,"

Aug. 14, 2020

Significant flooding in NK may have damaged Yongbyon nuclear complex: 38 North

Flooding in North Korea may have damaged the facilities at the Yongbyon nuclear complex, the communist regime’s main nuclear facility, a US-based North Korean monitoring website said Thursday. 　 Comparing satellite images of the region taken July 22 and Aug. 6, the website, 38 North, said they show a dramatic rise in the water level of the Kuryong River, which runs alongside the Yongbyon complex, and that the flooding appears to be the worst the North has seen in several years. 　 &ldquo

Aug. 13, 2020

6 in 10 N. Koreans undernourished: report

About six out of ten North Koreans or the country’s 15.3 million population are estimated to suffer undernutrition this year, as the poor economy has been ravaged by the coronavirus, the US Agriculture Department’s Economic Research Service said in its latest report on food security worldwide. Last year, 14.6 million North Koreans, 57 percent of the total, did not have enough food. The food crisis there showed no immediate signs of abating, as 45 percent of the population was f

Aug. 13, 2020

[Herald Interview] UN expert questions political decision behind NGO audits

A UN expert on human rights in North Korea says he has not yet received a satisfactory response from the South Korean government as to why only human rights and defectors’ organizations are being targeted for office inspections and audits. Tomas Ojea Quintana, UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in North Korea, told The Korea Herald that he wants to understand the political decision behind the Unification Ministry’s plan to inspect 25 nongovernmental groups advocati

Aug. 13, 2020

NK defector-turned-lawmaker says US-NK summit unlikely before Nov. election

WASHINGTON -- A North Korean defector-turned-lawmaker said Wednesday that he doesn't believe a US-North Korea is summit is likely before the US presidential election in November. Thae Yong-ho, former North Korean deputy ambassador to Britain and now a member of South Korea's National Assembly, also questioned the likelihood of a major provocation by the North within that timeframe. "I don't think an October surprise summit or any summit between the US and North Korea is likely," he

Aug. 13, 2020

UN ready to provide flood relief to North Korea

The United Nations said it is willing to help North Korea recover from severe flood damage, and is in contact with authorities there. 　 “In the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the unusually heavy rains this month have resulted in flooding,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters during a regular briefing on Tuesday (US time), referring to North Korea by its formal name. 　 “The UN team is in contact with authorities and stands ready to support its response

Aug. 12, 2020

Ministry mulls inter-Korean barter proposal

The Unification Ministry looks set to approve an inter-Korean barter trade of South Korea’s sugar for North Korea’s liquor and food products. Before taking office late last month, then Unification Minister nominee Lee In-young said small-scale barter exchanges could pave the way for a resumption of stalled inter-Korean exchanges, as they bypass UN sanctions banning cash transfers. A South Korean farmers’ cooperative in June sealed a deal with five North Korean trading firms,

Aug. 11, 2020

N. Korea's border dam remains partially open amid heavy rains: JCS

Floodgates of a North Korean dam near the border with South Korea remain partially open amid heavy rains, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Tuesday, amid concerns the release of dam water could pose threats to South Korean regions downstream. Whether the North opens the floodgates of Hwanggang Dam has been something to watch for in the South since an abrupt release of dam water in 2009 raised the water levels of the Imjin River downstream and left six campers dead. The North has since agre

Aug. 11, 2020

NK believed to have received more rain in August than in 2007 major flooding: unification ministry

North Korea appears to have received more rainfall this month than the corresponding period of 2007 when the communist nation was hit by some of the worst flooding, the unification ministry said Monday. "We expect North Korea to be affected by the flood in the entire region and have problems in controlling the water flow," Yoh Sang-key, the ministry's spokesperson, said in a regular press briefing. When North Korea faced the worst flood damage in 2007, 500 to 700 millimeters of rain

Aug. 10, 2020

NK leader's reserve grain arrives at flood-hit village to help victims

A shipment of grain that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un promised to provide for flood victims has reached those in need, state media reported Monday, stressing that the aid shows the leader's "great loving care" for his people. Kim promised to release grain from his own special stock for flood victims during a visit last week to the Taechong-ri area of Unpha County in North Hwanghae Province, where more than 900 homes and 600 hectares of rice fields were inundated after a dyke broke

Aug. 10, 2020

Flood-battered N. Korea braces for more rain

North Korea is gearing up for another deluge of torrential rain this week, with its houses and rice fields already severely flooded, in another blow to the regime grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic and a flailing economy under international sanctions. “Heavy rain is expected through Sunday and Monday, with mid-level flood warnings issued for the Hwanghae provinces, Kaesong City and Kangwon Province,” the official Korea Central News Agency said Saturday, just a day after reporting

Aug. 9, 2020

N. Korea sends relief supplies to Kaesong under virus lockdown

North Korea's ruling party has delivered relief supplies including rice to Kaesong, the North's city near the western inter-Korean border under lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the country's main news outlet said Sunday. A train carrying special supplies such as rice provided by the Workers' Party of Korea arrived at Kaesong station late Friday, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported The provision was made two days after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered special aid t

Aug. 9, 2020

[Herald Interview] Flying leaflets into NK was against basic rule of democracy: senior official

The Seoul government’s ban on nongovernmental groups’ flying of leaflets into North Korea was based on the basic principle of a democratic society that people should not risk the safety of others to pursue their own freedom, a senior Unification Ministry official said. “The floating of leaflets and other items posed serious risks to the lives of residents in the border regions by raising inter-Korean tensions; dealt a blow to the regional economy by resulting in a (local gove

Aug. 9, 2020

Trump says he will make deals with NK very quickly if reelected

WASHINGTION -- US President Donald Trump said Friday he will make deals with North Korea "very quickly" if reelected in November. Trump was referring to his administration's stalled efforts to get North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons program in exchange for concessions. "If and when we win, we will make deals with Iran very quickly. We'll make deals with North Korea very quickly," he said during a press conference in Bedminster, New Jersey. "Now whatever happ

Aug. 8, 2020

[Newsmaker] North Korea battles severe flood damage

Days of torrential downpours have flooded hundreds of houses and vast rice fields in North Korea, with damage expected to grow further, dealing a blow to a regime already grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic and a flailing economy under international sanctions.  Nearly 730 homes and 600 hectares of rice fields have been flooded. Some 179 houses were destroyed in Taechong-ri, Unpha County, northwest of capital Pyongyang, after a water levee broke due to the heavy rains, according to the No

Aug. 7, 2020

NK continues to develop missile capability beyond limits: Pentagon official

North Korea continues to work aggressively to develop long-range nuclear missiles capable of threatening the US mainland through a “very deliberate testing program” for systems improvement, a senior Pentagon official said. Victorino Mercado, US assistant secretary of defense for strategy, plans and capabilities, made the remarks during the 2020 Space and Missile Defense Symposium held virtually Tuesday, Washington time, according to the transcript posted on the Pentagon website on

Aug. 7, 2020