NK stole up to $2b by hacking financial networks: report

North Korea is estimated to have collected up to $2 billion in illegal funds through hacking cryptocurrency exchanges, international financial networks and automated teller machine systems, Voice of America reported on Friday. Citing documents from US law enforcement agencies and experts, the US government-funded broadcaster said North Korean hackers abuse the incomplete regulatory system of the nascent industry, the anonymity of cryptocurrency, and use methods known as “mixer” and

Sept. 4, 2020

Top nuclear envoys of S. Korea, Japan hold phone talks on NK nuclear issue

The top nuclear envoys of South Korea and Japan held telephone talks Friday to discuss bilateral cooperation on North Korea's nuclear issue and other issues, the foreign ministry said. The talks between Lee Do-hoon and his Japanese counterpart, Shigeki Takizaki, came as Seoul pushes to bring Pyongyang back to dialogue and find momentum for its lackluster drive to foster lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula. "The two sides shared their assessments of the recent situation on the Korean P

Sept. 4, 2020

Gangwon Province governor calls for support for co-hosting Youth Olympics with N. Korea

The governor of Gangwon Province bordering North Korea asked on Friday for active state support for his efforts to share the right to host the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics with the communist nation. Gangwon Province is where the venue of the 2018 Winter Olympics, PyeongChang, is located. Earlier this year, the province won the right to host the quadrennial 2024 Winter Youth Olympics, and Gov. Choi Moon-soon hopes to co-host the event with North Korea. "It would be a huge honor if (you) tak

Sept. 4, 2020

UN investigator urges NK to free political prisoners

A UN investigator on North Korea has urged Pyongyang to free political prisoners, saying that the country should “follow suit” after Venezuela, which pardoned such people recently.  Tomas Ojea Quintana, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in North Korea, made an appeal on his Twitter Wednesday (local time), by retweeting a post from the United Nations Human Rights welcoming the decision of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to pardon over 100 political prisoners and act

Sept. 4, 2020

Russian energy company Rosneft denies supplying oil products to N. Korea

Rosneft, a Russian energy company, has denied supplying oil products to North Korea."Rosneft does not supply North Korea and does not conduct any commercial activity in that country," the company said in a statement. "As a public company and one of the leaders in the global energy industry, Rosneft operates in strict compliance with Russian and international law, corporate standards, and in the interests of its shareholders." The company also said that a media report about

Sept. 4, 2020

UN special rapporteur calls for N. Korea's release of political prisoners

The UN special rapporteur on North Korea's human rights situation has renewed calls for North Korea to release political prisoners, saying that Pyongyang should "follow suit" after Venezuela recently let such people free. Tomas Ojea Quintana made the appeal in a tweet following Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's decision earlier this week to pardon over 100 political prisoners and activists who had been exiled or imprisoned. "The Democratic People's Republic of Korea should

Sept. 4, 2020

NK unlikely to seek engagement with Seoul until next year's campaign season: ex-USFK commander

North Korea is unlikely to seek engagement with South Korea until next year as the regime believes it would have better leverage to deal with Seoul after the country's presidential election season kicks off, former US Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Vincent Brooks said Thursday. During the third and the final session of the annual Seoul Defense Dialogue (SDD), Brooks also called for both maximum pressure on and engagement with North Korea while moving away from classic views about what step

Sept. 3, 2020

[News Focus] US officials, experts raise concern on NK's ramping up in ICBMs

Senior US officials and experts on North Korea are increasingly concerned that Pyongyang is ramping up its long-range missile capabilities, with the possibility of introducing a new solid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile at the upcoming military parade in October. 　 “We know that North Korea is trying to increase the size of its ICBM capabilities, maybe even move to a submarine launched ballistic missile, but we don’t know the extent of that,” said Rob Soofer, deputy

Sept. 3, 2020

S. Korea mulls redeeming money given to WFP for stalled NK rice provision project

The unification ministry said Thursday that it is considering redeeming the money it sent to the World Food Programme (WFP) for a plan to provide rice assistance to North Korea if there is no progress in the stalled project by the end of this year. In June last year, the ministry announced the plan to provide 50,000 tons of rice to North Korea through the WFP and sent the organization 13.8 billion won ($11.6 million) to cover transportation, equipment and monitoring costs. The plan, however,

Sept. 3, 2020

[Newsmaker] NK gearing up for massive military parade: 38 North

North Korea appears to be preparing a huge military parade to mark the 75th anniversary of the Workers’ Party next month despite coronavirus fears, a US-based North Korea monitoring website said Wednesday. 　 Satellite images of Mirim airfield in Pyongyang taken Aug. 31 provide the first evidence that rehearsals for a massive military parade to be held Oct. 10 are underway, according to 38 North. The images show hundreds of vehicles parked in the parking lots adjacent to the parade ground

Sept. 2, 2020

Top S. Korean, US nuclear envoys stress need to resume dialogue with NK

Seoul and Washington’s top nuclear envoys spoke on the phone Wednesday, reiterating the need to resume the stalled dialogue with Pyongyang as soon as possible. 　 Lee Do-hoon, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, and his US counterpart -- Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun, who doubles as Washington’s chief nuclear envoy -- shared their assessment of the situation on the Korean Peninsula and reaffirmed the need for an early resumption of talk

Sept. 2, 2020

Top nuclear envoys of S. Korea, US hold phone talks on stalled NK dialogue

The top nuclear envoys of South Korea and the United States held phone talks Wednesday on joint efforts to resume stalled dialogue with North Korea, the foreign ministry said. Lee Do-hoon and his US counterpart, Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun, who doubles as Washington's chief nuclear envoy, shared the view that an early resumption of dialogue with Pyongyang is "necessary" to make substantive progress in efforts to achieve complete denuclearization and lasting peace on the

Sept. 2, 2020

UN says only 5% of funds to tackle COVID-19 in NK

The UN said it has secured only about 5 percent of the funds necessary to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic in North Korea. In its July update for Global Humanitarian Response Plan COVID-19, published Monday, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs disclosed the financial requirements to assist in responding to COVID-19 in each country and the funding status. According to the report, the UN needs $39.7 million to help tackle COVID-19 in North Korea, but has so far re

Sept. 1, 2020

Kim Jong-un did not delegate power: ex-US commander

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has not passed down his key posts and that means Kim has not delegated power, retired Gen. Vincent Brooks, who was commander of the 28,500-strong United States Forces Korea between 2016 and 2018, said in response to a South Korean intelligence analysis. The National Intelligence Service told lawmakers on Aug. 20 that while Kim holds absolute power, he has delegated some of it to key aides including his sister Kim Yo-jong, who, the agency added, is the de facto No

Aug. 31, 2020

NK puts all-out efforts to minimize crop damage from typhoon

North Korea is making every effort to minimize crop damage from Typhoon Bavi and record rainfall this season, its state media said Monday, calling it an urgent matter affecting the country’s self-reliance and prosperity. 　 “Minimizing crop damage is an urgent demand necessary to open the path toward self-reliance and self-prosperity,” the North’s official Rodong Sinmun said in an article, stressing that it is a pressing priority. 　 “Fight to minimize crop damage

Aug. 31, 2020

N. Korea broadcasts encrypted spy message on YouTube for first time

North Korea on Saturday broadcast a series of mysterious numbers, presumed to be an encrypted message to its spies in the South, for the first time on YouTube. A video clip was posted on the state-run Radio Pyongyang's YouTube account, in which a female announcer read what she described as "an information technology review assignment of the remote education university for No. 719 expedition agents." She repeated phrases such as "No. 23 on Page 564, No. 19 on Page 479" fo

Aug. 29, 2020

US seeks to seize 280 cryptocurrency accounts tied to NK

The US government on Thursday sought to seize 280 cryptocurrency accounts believed to have ties to North Korean hackers who stole cryptocurrencies worth millions of dollars from two virtual exchanges and tried to launder the funds through Chinese traders. In a civil forfeiture complaint, the US Justice Department linked the cybertheft to North Korea and referred as well to a UN Panel of Experts report that the state-backed North Korean hackers stole about $500 million from at least five exchang

Aug. 28, 2020

N. Korea has yet to report infection: WHO

The World Health Organization said it has been informed of zero coronavirus infection in North Korea so far, since the pandemic outbreak late last year. “As of 20 August, 2,767 people have been tested for COVID-19 in the country and all have tested negative. WHO is yet to get details about the suspected case that was reported in Kaesong,” said Edwin Salvador, WHO representative to North Korea, referring to a city near the inter-Korean border. He told Voice of America in an email th

Aug. 28, 2020

US warns N. Korean hackers resumed bank raids

North Korean hackers have resumed robbing banks across the globe by draining cash from ATMs on fraudulent money transfers, multiple US federal agencies warned Wednesday. A technical alert on hacker group BeagleBoyz, jointly written by four different agencies including the Treasury Department and FBI, said North Korea resumed the bank heist campaign in February, ending a hiatus in activity from late last year. North Korea is believed to be funding its nuclear and missile programs with the

Aug. 27, 2020

NK meets on typhoon, coronavirus responses

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un convened a politburo meeting of the ruling Worker’s Party on Tuesday to discuss measures in response to Typhoon Bavi and the coronavirus outbreak, the North‘s Korean Central News Agency said Wednesday. “It is imperative to minimize casualties and crop damage. A good harvest depends on it,” Kim was quoted as saying at the meeting, urging aides to keep people informed of the latest on Typhoon Bavi, which is set to hit the country Wednesday a

Aug. 26, 2020