Kim Jong-un’s sister lashes out at S. Korea

Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, denounced the South Korean government for its “grave concerns” over the North’s recent rocket launches, saying they were part of routine self-defense exercises. It was the first time she had publicly addressed the South. She called Cheong Wa Dae “mentally challenged” and likened it to a “frightened dog” in a statement carried by the North’s Korean Central News Agency on Tuesday. Cheong Wa Dae

March 4, 2020

Pyongyang calls fans of hit TV drama ‘Crash Landing’ ‘immoral’

Pyongyang’s propaganda media outlets lashed out at South Korea’s latest hit TV drama series and a film dealing with North Korea, calling them an “unacceptable and atrocious provocation.”   　 “Recently, South Korean authorities and film producers are releasing anti-republic films and TV dramas that are deceptive, fabricated, absurd and impure, putting all their efforts on making strategic propaganda,” the North said via an editorial published by online p

March 4, 2020

NK hails advanced rocket test

The two short-range projectiles North Korea fired into the East Sea on Monday were super-large-caliber rockets, a test Kim Jong-un oversaw with “great satisfaction,” the North’s Korean Central News Agency said Tuesday, releasing the launch photos. In Monday’s launch, the North revealed improved rockets in its fifth run since an initial test in September the previous year. The two projectiles were fired some 20 seconds apart, as compared with 17 minutes in September. 

March 3, 2020

North Korea fires two short-range projectiles into East Sea

North Korea fired two short-range projectiles into the East Sea between South Korea and Japan on Monday afternoon, the Ministry of National Defense said. They flew approximately 240 kilometers at a maximum altitude of 35 kilometers from Wonsan, along the North’s eastern coast. Pending further analysis, the projectiles could be ballistic missiles. The launches were an extension of the annual strike drills Pyongyang conducted Friday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. “We

March 2, 2020

N. Korea fires two unidentified projectiles into East Sea: JCS

North Korea fired two unidentified projectiles into the East Sea on Monday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, the first such launches since it warned of "a new strategic weapon" earlier this year. The projectiles were fired from areas near its eastern coast city of Wonsan on Monday afternoon, the JCS said in a brief release. Other details, including their type, flight range and altitude, were not immediately available. "Our military is monitoring the situation in

March 2, 2020

N. Korean newspaper warns officials against corruption

North Korea's main newspaper warned senior officials against corruption Monday, just days after leader Kim Jong-un fired a top Workers' Party official in a move seen as aimed in part at allaying public grievances amid deepening economic woes. On Saturday, state media reported that Kim had presided over an expanded politburo meeting and dismissed Ri Man-gon and another official from the vice chairman posts of the Party Central Committee while disbanding the committee's cadre training base over

March 2, 2020

Nearly 7,000 being monitored in N. Korea for apparent coronavirus symptoms

North Korea has placed an additional 3,900 people under medical monitoring for apparently showing symptoms of the novel coronavirus, its official newspaper said Sunday, raising the number of suspected patients to nearly 7,000 in the country that has yet to confirm a case. The Rodong Sinmun said about 2,420 people in South Pyongan Province and 1,500 more in Gangwon Province are being medically monitored to prevent an outbreak of COVID-19 in the country. Last Monday, the Korean Central Broadcas

March 1, 2020

NK leader supervises joint strike drill: KCNA

  North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has supervised a joint strike drill of his military, expressing his firm conviction that the armed forces will steadily develop its combat capability, state media said Friday. Kim attended the drill held Friday "to judge the mobility and the fire power strike ability of the defense units on the front and in the eastern area," according to the Korean Central News Agency. Kim expressed "his admiration for the combat capability of the units

Feb. 29, 2020

NK leader oversees politburo meeting on coronavirus response

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presided over a politburo meeting of the ruling Workers' Party and discussed coronavirus prevention measures, including strengthening testing and quarantine efforts, state media said Saturday. North Korea has yet to report a case of COVID-19 but has intensified its preventive efforts across the country, calling its fight against the virus is a "political matter" that will determine the fate of the country. "In case the infectious disease spreadin

Feb. 29, 2020

‘NK could stage military provocation in Oct.’

Provided the COVID-19 outbreak is under control by October, North Korea could stage a military provocation, such as a satellite launch, to mark the founding anniversary of its Workers’ Party, said Ankit Panda, a senior editor at The Diplomat. Speaking on Radio Free Asia on Thursday, Panda said October would be a critical moment for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who appears eager to insert himself onto the US political agenda ahead of the 2020 US presidential election in November. Pan

Feb. 28, 2020

Esper says N. Korea seeks legitimacy with nuclear weapons

WASHINGTON -- US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Wednesday that North Korea seeks to attain legitimacy by developing its nuclear and ballistic missile capability. Esper made the remarks in a written statement to the House Armed Services Committee ahead of a hearing on the Pentagon's 2021 budget request. "North Korea seeks to build legitimacy through the development of a variety of nuclear, conventional, and unconventional weapons, and by growing its ballistic missile capabilities,"

Feb. 27, 2020

[Graphic News] Average monthly wage of NK defectors hits record high of 2 million won

　The average monthly wage of North Korean defectors living in South Korea exceeded 2 million won ($1,684) for the first time last year, the Unification Ministry said. 　Defectors earned 2.04 million won ($1,720) per month on average in 2019, compared with 1.89 million won in 2018, according to a report released by the Unification Ministry. (Yonhap)

Feb. 23, 2020

N. Korea tightens quarantine inspection on imported materials amid virus concerns

North Korea has tightened its customs-related quarantine measures amid the cross-border proliferation of the new coronavirus that originated from China, its top trading partner, according to Pyongyang's state newspaper. All goods arriving at North Korea's ports or passing through border bridges should be kept at isolated areas for 10 days without exception, fully disinfected and then delivered in accordance with relevant procedures, the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the North's ruli

Feb. 23, 2020

N. Korea cancels int'l marathon over coronavirus: tour agencies

North Korea has canceled its annual Pyongyang Marathon to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, tour agencies said Friday. The international marathon event, also known as the Mangyongdae Prize International Marathon, was scheduled to take place on April 12. Young Pioneer Tours, a travel company specializing in North Korea tours, said in a Facebook post that it has received confirmation from North Korea that the Pyongyang Marathon has been cancelled due to the border closure over coron

Feb. 21, 2020

Red Cross requests sanctions exemption for Pyongyang to fight COVID-19

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has requested the UN exempt sanctions on Pyongyang to help prevent a coronavirus outbreak, a US radio station reported Friday.  The world’s largest humanitarian organization made the request Thursday, quoting the IFRC’s permanent observer to the UN, Richard Blewitt, Radio Free Asia reported. The UN’s decision will be announced by Wednesday at the latest, he added.  The sanction waiver was reques

Feb. 21, 2020

China, Russia supply combined 53,000 tons of refined oil to N. Korea last year

China and Russia supplied around 53,000 tons of refined oil to North Korea last year despite tough sanctions restricting trade with Pyongyang, a United Nations report showed Friday. According to the report disclosed by the UN Security Council (UNSC) on its website, China and Russia shipped 22,730 tons and 30,180 tons of refined oil, respectively, to the North last year. Their combined 53,000 tons, or 418,000 barrels, represented about 83 percent of the UNSC-imposed maximum annual ceiling of

Feb. 21, 2020

Bolton makes no apology for hardline stance on N. Korea: report

WASHINGTON -- Former US National Security Adviser John Bolton has stood by his hardline stance on North Korea, saying softer positions have failed to make the regime give up its nuclear weapons program. In an interview this week with The Vanderbilt Hustler, the official student newspaper of Vanderbilt University, Bolton also defended his suggestions that North Korea follow the "Libya model" and hand over its nuclear program before receiving any concessions in return. "I think t

Feb. 21, 2020

US flies surveillance aircraft over Korean Peninsula to monitor N. Korea

The United States again flew a surveillance aircraft over South Korea on Thursday, an aviation tracker said, on an apparent mission to monitor North Korea. The US Air Force's RC-135W Rivet Joint was spotted in the skies above South Korea at 31,000 feet, Aircraft Spots tweeted. This type of aircraft was detected four times here last month. The latest flight came just a couple of days after the Air Force's E-8C, or JSTARS, flew over the Korean Peninsula, according to the tracker. US spy plan

Feb. 20, 2020

US Senate panel to hold hearing on N. Korea policy

WASHINGTON -- A US Senate subcommittee will hold a hearing next week with former US government officials to discuss North Korea policy, the panel's website showed Wednesday. The hearing, titled "North Korea Policy One Year After Hanoi," will be held Tuesday by the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific and International Cybersecurity Policy. The witnesses are Robert King, who served as special envoy for North Korean human rights issues from 2009-2017; Bruce

Feb. 20, 2020

US flies surveillance aircraft to monitor N. Korea

A US surveillance aircraft has flown over South Korea on an apparent mission to monitor North Korea, an aviation tracker said Wednesday. The US Air Force's E-8C, or JSTARS, was spotted in the skies over South Korea at 29,000 feet the previous day, Aircraft Spots tweeted. As a platform for airborne command and control, surveillance and reconnaissance, the E-8C is known to be capable of closely monitoring North Korea's troops and equipment movements, including missiles and artillery guns. It

Feb. 19, 2020