N. Korea appears to release border dam water without prior notice: official

North Korea appears to be releasing water from a dam near the inter-Korean border without giving prior notice to the South, a South Korean government official said Monday, as the North is drenched by heavy downpours. 　 　“As rain has fallen heavily in North Korea, the North is repeatedly opening and closing the floodgates of Hwanggang Dam,” the unification ministry official said. “It seems (the North) is adjusting the Hwanggang Dam‘s water level based on the rainfall sit

Aug. 8, 2022

N. Korea’s parliament revises outer space law, plans key meeting before Foundation Day

North Korea’s rubber-stamp parliament has revised and supplemented the space development act while announcing its plan to hold a full-scale meeting in early September in the run-up to its National Foundation Day. The decisions were made at the plenary meeting of the Standing Committee of the 14th Supreme People’s Assembly, held at the Mansudae Assembly Hall in Pyongyang on Sunday. Choe Ryong-hae, chairman of the Standing Committee of the SPA, presided over the meeting, the state-run

Aug. 8, 2022

N. Korea to hold meeting to review antivirus measures this month amid no new reported cases

North Korea will hold a national meeting this month to review anti-epidemic measures, state media said Monday, as its health authorities have reported no additional suspected COVID-19 cases for over a week. The North's Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party and the Cabinet decided to hold the session "early in August to review the successes, experience and lessons in the state emergency anti-epidemic work in a comprehensively way and confirm the new orientation of the anti

Aug. 8, 2022

North Korea says Yoon’s ‘audacious plan’ is rehashed ‘waste’

North Korea bashed the Yoon Suk-yeol administration’s North Korea policy, likening the “audacious plan” which offers economic benefits in exchange for denuclearization as rehashed “trash” on Sunday. The Tongil Shinbo, a weekly North Korean publication, said Yoon’s “audacious plan” to offer significant economic benefits to the North if it abandons its nuclear program is only rehashing former president Lee Myung-bak’s North Korea policy, whi

Aug. 7, 2022

N. Korea reports no new suspected COVID-19 cases

North Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases remained at zero for more than a week, according to its state media Sunday. No new fever cases were reported over a 24-hour period until 6 p.m. the previous day, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, citing data from the state emergency anti-epidemic headquarters. With regard to an outbreak of six "fever cases" in Jongju City, North Phyongan Province and Sinhung County, South Hamgyong Province on Friday evening, the KCNA sa

Aug. 7, 2022

N. Korea reports no new suspected COVID-19 cases for 1 week: state media

North Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases remained at zero for one week, with efforts under way for returning to normalcy amid ongoing antivirus measures, according to state media Friday. No new fever cases were reported over a 24-hour period until 6 p.m. the previous day, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, citing data from the state emergency anti-epidemic headquarters. It did not provide any other information in the report. In a separate article, the KCNA said all fev

Aug. 5, 2022

Defense ministry asks UN Command to share surveillance footage in NK fishermen repatriation case

The defense ministry has requested the United Nations Command to provide its surveillance camera footage showing two North Korean fishermen being repatriated across the inter-Korean border in 2019, a lawmaker's office said Thursday. The footage is said to show the North Koreans being taken back to the North Korean side of the truce village of Panmunjom, which was taken from a different angle from that of a video released by the unification ministry last month. The ministry's video show

Aug. 4, 2022

N. Korea slams Pelosi's Taiwan visit, backs China's position

North Korea strongly denounced Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan on Wednesday, calling it an "impudent interference" by Washington into another nation's internal affairs. The speaker of the US House of Representatives arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday night despite fierce protests from China, becoming the highest-level official to make a formal trip there in decades. In a statement, she said her move "honors America's unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan's vibran

Aug. 3, 2022

N. Korea reports no new suspected COVID-19 cases for 5th day: state media

North Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases remained at zero for the fifth consecutive day with only five fever patients under treatment, according to its state media Wednesday. No new fever cases were reported over a 24-hour period until 6 p.m. the previous day, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, citing data from the state emergency anti-epidemic headquarters. It did not provide information on whether additional deaths have been reported. As of July 5, the death toll stood

Aug. 3, 2022

[Graphic News] N. Korean economy shrinks for 2nd year in 2021 on sanctions, pandemic: BOK

　North Korea‘s economy is estimated to have contracted for the second straight year in 2021 on global sanctions and the coronavirus pandemic, according to South Korea’s central bank. 　The North’s economy, which has been hit by tightened UN sanctions over its nuclear and missile programs, shrank 0.1 percent last year from the previous year, the Bank of Korea said in a report. 　Still, last year’s contraction slowed from a negative growth rate of 4.5 percent recorded a ye

Aug. 2, 2022

N. Korea reports no new suspected COVID-19 cases for 4th day: state media

North Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases remained at zero for the fourth consecutive day, according to its state media Tuesday. No new fever cases were reported over a 24-hour period until 6 p.m. the previous day, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, citing data from the state emergency anti-epidemic headquarters. It did not provide information on whether additional deaths have been reported. As of July 5, the death toll stood at 74, with the fatality rate at 0.002 percent

Aug. 2, 2022

N. Korea's defense minister congratulates China on its military's founding anniversary

North Korea's defense minister has sent to his Chinese counterpart a message touting the Chinese military's achievements on the occasion of the 95th anniversary of its founding, Pyongyang's state media said. Ri Yong-gil's message to Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe came as China commemorated Monday's anniversary for the inception of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA). In the message, Ri congratulated the Chinese PLA for safeguarding its country's so

Aug. 1, 2022

N. Korea reports no new suspected COVID-19 cases for 3rd day: state media

North Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases remained at zero for the third consecutive day, according to its state media Monday. No new fever cases were reported over a 24-hour period until 6 p.m. the previous day, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, citing data from the state emergency anti-epidemic headquarters. It did not provide information on whether additional deaths have been reported. As of July 5, the death toll stood at 74, with the fatality rate at 0.002 percent.

Aug. 1, 2022

N. Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases remain at zero: state media

North Korea had no additional suspected COVID-19 cases for the second consecutive day, according to its state media Sunday, as the country is redoubling efforts to "completely end" its virus crisis. "No new fever cases were reported" over a 24-hour period until 6 p.m. the previous day, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, citing data from the state emergency epidemic headquarters. It did not provide information on whether additional deaths have been reported.

July 31, 2022

N. Korea reports no new cases for first time since Covid outbreak

AFP -- North Korea reported zero fever cases on Saturday for the first time in more than two months since it confirmed its first Covid-19 infections in May. "There were no new fever patients reported" over a 24-hour period from Thursday evening, the state-run Korean Central News Agency said, marking the first time the isolated country had reported no new cases since it began tallying numbers in May. While it has maintained a rigid coronavirus blockade since the start of the pandemic,

July 30, 2022

NK leader says blood-sealed ties with China will develop for generations

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said his country's ties with China, "sealed in blood," will further develop for generations to come as he marked the anniversary of the armistice that halted the 1950-53 Korean War, state media said Friday. On Thursday, Kim visited the Friendship Tower in Pyongyang and paid tribute to the fallen Chinese soldiers that fought in the war, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The Korean War armistice was signed July 27, 1953, a little over three years

July 29, 2022

N. Korea reports 3 new suspected COVID-19 cases: state media

North Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases fell to a low single-digit figure, according to its state media Friday. The number of people who newly showed symptoms of fever over a 24-hour period until 6 p.m. the previous day stood at 3, the state-run Korean Central Broadcasting Station said, citing data from the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters. It did not provide information on whether additional deaths have been reported. The total number of fever cases since late April had

July 29, 2022

N.Korean leader warns of annihilation if Seoul attempts preemptive strike

The North Korean leader warned that the country will “annihilate” South Korea’s conventional forces should they seek preemptive military action and confrontation against North Korea, lambasting the Yoon Suk-yeol government’s defense strategy and military buildup. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Wednesday delivered a speech at an outdoor event in front of the Monument to the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War in Pyongyang to mark “Victory Day” in the Kor

July 28, 2022

N. Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases under 20 for 2nd day: state media

North Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases remained below 20 for the second consecutive day, according to its state media Thursday. The number of people who newly showed symptoms of fever over a 24-hour period until 6 p.m. the previous day stood at 11, the state-run Korean Central Broadcasting Station said, citing data from the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters. It did not provide information on whether additional deaths have been reported. As of July 5, the death toll stood

July 28, 2022

North Korea seeks to strengthen power grip among youth

North Korea appears to be ratcheting up efforts to strengthen its power grip on the young, as it celebrated the anniversary of the Korean War armistice signed in 1953. In an editorial, Pyongyang’s state-run daily Rodong Sinmun urged young people to learn from their predecessors, highlighting the value of patriotism as the North celebrated the 69th anniversary of the signing of the armistice on Wednesday. “The youth should learn from the excellent minds and ethos of their past ge

July 27, 2022