New infectious disease outbreak reported in N. Korea; leader Kim sends medicine: KCNA

North Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases recorded remained below 30,000, while the country reported an outbreak of an "acute enteric epidemic" in its southwestern region Thursday. More than 26,010 people showed symptoms of fever 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 prevention headquarters. It reported one additional death, with the death toll rising to 73. The count

June 16, 2022

N. Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases under 30,000 for 2nd day: state media

North Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases remained under 30,000 for the second consecutive day, its state media said Thursday. More than 26,010 people showed symptoms of fever 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 prevention headquarters. It reported one additional death, with the death toll standing at 73. The total number of fever cases since late April came to over 4.55 mill

June 16, 2022

N. Korea slams US-led security pacts, upcoming RIMPAC exercise as tools for hegemony

North Korea on Wednesday accused the United States of campaigning to maintain its hegemony in the Indo-Pacific region and putting it in jeopardy of conflicts via its regional security initiatives and upcoming multinational maritime training. In a post on the foreign ministry's website, Ri Myong-hak, a researcher at the ministry-affiliated Institute for Disarmament and Peace, took aim particularly at the US-led Quad forum involving India, Australia and Japan, as well as AUKUS, a trilateral s

June 15, 2022

US extends North Korea national emergency declaration

US President Joe Biden on Monday continued to declare a national emergency concerning North Korea on the grounds of its nuclear and missile threats, extending sanctions against the regime. Separately the same day, the United Nations called for relaxing sanctions on Pyongyang to enable COVID-related assistance. In a message sent to Congress, Biden said the risk posed by North Korea of proliferation of weapons-usable fissile material on the Korean Peninsula “continue to constitute an unusu

June 14, 2022

N. Korea's suspected COVID-19 cases below 40,000 for 2nd day: state media

North Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases stayed below 40,000 for the second consecutive day, its state media said Tuesday. More than 32,810 people showed symptoms of fever 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 prevention headquarters. It did not provide information on whether additional deaths have been reported. The death toll stood at just 72 as of June 11. The total number

June 14, 2022

Kim tightens discipline, calls for officials to root out ‘unrevolutionary acts’

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for officials to root out “unrevolutionary acts” such as bureaucratic behavior in a party meeting, Pyongyang’s state media said Monday, a day after North Korea fired artillery into the West Sea. Pyongyang’s state-operated Korean Central News Agency said Kim presided over a secretariat meeting of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers’ Party on Sunday to discuss national tasks that were decided upon at a key party meeting

June 13, 2022

N. Korea's suspected COVID-19 cases below 40,000: state media

North Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases dropped to below 40,000, its state media said Monday. More than 36,710 people showed symptoms of fever 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 prevention headquarters. The total number of fever cases since late April came to over 4.46 million as of 6 p.m. Sunday, of which more than 4.4 million have recovered, and at least 65,230 are being

June 13, 2022

Presidential office holds security meeting amid NK artillery shots

The presidential National Security Office has held a meeting to discuss North Korea's firing of artillery shots presumably from a multiple rocket launcher, the presidential office said. The shots were detected between 8:07 a.m. and 11:03 a.m. on Sunday morning, and the NSO meeting was convened at 10:30 a.m. the same day to check the military's readiness posture, the office said in a notice to reporters late Sunday night. During the meeting, presided over by First Deputy National Security Adviser

June 13, 2022

N. Korea's suspected COVID-19 cases close to 40,000: state media

North Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases dropped to near 40,000, while another death was reported, according to its state media Sunday. More than 40,060 people showed symptoms of fever 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 prevention headquarters. One additional death was confirmed, bringing the total toll to 72, it added. The total number of fever cases since late April came

June 12, 2022

S. Korean, US defense chiefs discuss stronger deterrence against NK threats

The defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States held talks on the margins of a security forum in Singapore on Saturday to discuss joint deterrence against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, Seoul's defense ministry said. Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup and his U.S. counterpart, Lloyd Austin, met on the margins of the annual Shangri-La Dialogue amid concerns about the possibility of Pyongyang conducting what would be its seventh nuclear test. "Basically, we discussed variou

June 11, 2022

N. Korean leader urges stronger national defense; no new direct message toward US, S. Korea

  North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for stronger "self-defense" measures to tackle "very serious" security challenges as he presided over a key ruling party session earlier this week, Pyongyang's state media reported Saturday. But there was no specific message issued from the fifth enlarged plenary meeting of the party's eighth Central Committee with regard to the possibility of the secretive regime carrying out another nuclear test. The North stopped short of

June 11, 2022

North Korean media keep silent over key party meeting

North Korea’s state-run media outlets on Friday kept silent to withhold reporting on the second day of a key Workers‘ Party meeting, which authorities here assessed as “very unusual.” Pyongyang’s Korean Central News Agency had revealed its leader Kim Jong-un presided over the fifth enlarged plenary meeting of the party’s eighth Central Committee, which kicked off on Wednesday. But while the session is likely to have run into its second day on Thursday, state

June 10, 2022

North Korea holds key party meeting amid high expectations on nuclear test

North Korea opened a key Workers’ Party meeting with its leader Kim Jong-un in attendance to discuss a “series of important issues,” its state-run media said Thursday, amid rampant speculation the country may conduct a nuclear test soon. According to the Korean Central News Agency, Kim presided over the fifth enlarged plenary meeting of the party’s eighth Central Committee, which kicked off Wednesday. “It began the agenda discussion amid high political enthusias

June 9, 2022

NK leader presides over plenary session of ruling party's central committee: state media

North Korea held a key Worker's Party meeting earlier this week with leader Kim Jong-un in attendance to discuss state policies, state media said Thursday. On Wednesday, Kim presided over the 5th enlarged plenary meeting of the party's 8th Central Committee, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). It was not immediately known what the agenda was, though the KCNA reported earlier that the meeting will be held to make an interim review of state policies for 2022 and

June 9, 2022

N. Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases below 60,000 for 2nd day

North Korea's new fever cases stayed below 60,000 for the second consecutive day, its state media reported Thursday, nearly a month after the reclusive nation announced a COVID-19 outbreak. Over 50,860 more people showed symptoms of fever 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 prevention headquarters. The total number of fever cases since late April came to over 4.3 million as of

June 9, 2022

N. Korea holds politburo session without leader Kim's attendance

North Korea held a ruling Workers' Party politburo meeting and decided on the agenda to be discussed at a key party meeting set for early this month, state media said Wednesday. Jo Yong-won, secretary for organizational affairs of the ruling Workers' Party's Central Committee, presided over the political bureau meeting on Tuesday, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). North Korean leader Kim Jong-un did not attend the meeting. The politburo meeting comes ahe

June 8, 2022

Defector group claims to have sent balloons carrying COVID-19 medicine to N. Korea

A North Korean defector group said Tuesday it sent balloons carrying masks and COVID-19 medicines across the border earlier this week to help people there, while the Seoul government asked activists to refrain from such a campaign that may have a negative impact on regional stability. 　 　Twenty big balloons filled with 20,000 pieces of masks, 15,000 Tylenol pills and 30,000 vitamin C pills were floated between 10 and 11 p.m. Sunday from Pocheon, north of Seoul, Fighters for a Free North Korea

June 7, 2022

N. Korea reports 61,730 new suspected COVID-19 cases

North Korea reported more than 61,000 new fever cases Tuesday, with the daily count remaining under 70,000 for the second consecutive day. Over 61,730 more people showed symptoms of fever 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 prevention headquarters. It provided no further information regarding additional deaths. The total number of fever cases since late April came to over 4.19 mill

June 7, 2022

South Korea and US fire 8 missiles as response to North Korea’s provocations

South Korean and US forces fired eight missiles Monday in response to North Korea firing the same number of missiles a day earlier, the allies said Monday. For about 10 minutes from 4:45 a.m. Monday, the South Korean military and the US Forces Korea fired eight surface-to-surface Army Tactical Missile System missiles into the East Sea as a response to North Korea’s military provocation made Sunday. The exercise used one missile from the US Army and seven from the South Korean military.

June 6, 2022

NK media outlets remain silent about missile launches

North Korea's official news agency and other state media outlets remained silent Monday about a barrage of missile tests that the country carried out a day earlier in its third show of force since South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol took office last month. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Pyongyang's official mouthpiece, usually begins its morning news cycle with reports on major events that happened the previous day, such as leader Kim Jong-un's activities or major weapons

June 6, 2022