UN set to address NK human rights issues

The United Nations will discuss human rights conditions in North Korea at the coming General Assembly scheduled to open Sept. 15, the Secretariat said. It added that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will report on the latest developments while Tomas Ojea Quintana, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the North, will make recommendations at the UN Third Committee dealing with human rights. The committee has usually looked at human rights abuses in the North in Oct

Aug. 25, 2020

N. Korea's No. 3 leader, new premier make rare joint 'field guidance' visit

North Korea’s No. 3 leader and the country’s new premier visited a construction site related to a coal gasification project, state media reported Tuesday, a rare “joint field guidance” trip seen as a case of the top economic technocrats sharing expertise. Pak Pong-ju, vice chairman of the State Affairs Commission, and Premier Kim Tok-hun “inspected the construction site of the project for establishing the C1 chemical industry,” according to the Korean Centra

Aug. 25, 2020

Ministry’s push for barter deal with NK hits wall

A barter exchange where South Korea trades sugar for North Korea’s liquor and food products as part of efforts to improve ties could not take place, despite Seoul’s strong push to do so, as the project involves a UN-sanctioned North Korean trading firm, lawmakers said Monday. Earlier in the day, the parliamentary intelligence was briefed on the latest finding by the Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs. Vice Unification Minister Suh Ho held the briefing himself.

Aug. 24, 2020

North Korea vows to overcome hurdles at congress next year

North Korea said Monday that it will move to correct its “deficiencies” at a congress scheduled for January, referring to a ruling Workers’ Party plenary meeting a week earlier where leader Kim Jong-un vowed to set a five-year economic plan because “unforeseen hurdles” had hampered economic growth. The state newspaper said in a commentary that the ruling party aims to use the congress to meet challenges here and abroad and to advance the country’s “revo

Aug. 24, 2020

NK urges Japan to pay for wartime killing of Koreans on ship

North Korea on Monday urged Japan to apologize and compensate for killing at least 524 Koreans returning home in 1945 by allegedly blowing up the ship they were on. A spokesman for the North Korean association of families of the deceased victims who were sent abroad against their will by the Japanese colonial government to work for its military during World War II said in a statement that Japan must “close the books” for its past crimes, and we will make them pay (for the crimes),

Aug. 24, 2020

Delegation of power by Kim Jong-un a show of confidence: experts

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s reported decision to delegate part of his authority to his younger sister Kim Yo-jong and other key aides should be seen as a show of confidence, affirming the leader’s grip on the country, rather than a sign that he has health problems or has chosen his sister as his successor, experts here said Friday. The National Intelligence Service on Thursday told lawmakers in a closed-door meeting that Kim Jong-un appears to have transferred some of his res

Aug. 21, 2020

NK officials blame themselves for economic failure

Senior officials of the North Korean Workers’ Party blamed themselves on Friday for the country’s failure to meet economic growth targets after a general meeting Wednesday. It was a rare occasion for a party that seldom admits failure. In commentaries published on the front page of the Rodong Sinmun, the party’s official newspaper that most North Koreans see, the officials said it was their fault the North Korean economy did not grow. Jang Kil-ryong, the minister in charge

Aug. 21, 2020

[Newsmaker] Former aide to ex-president claims NK leader in coma

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is in a coma, and his decision to delegate some of his power to his aides is proof, a former aide to the late President Kim Dae-jung claimed Friday.  Jang Sung-min, who served Kim Dae-jung as a political affairs secretary and as head of the state affairs monitoring office, insisted that Kim Jong-un is comatose but his sister Kim Yo-jong is not his successor despite the power restructuring. On Friday, Seoul’s spy agency briefed lawmakers in a cl

Aug. 21, 2020

NK leader’s decision confirms Kim Yo-jong’s No. 2 status

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has transferred some of his powers to others, entrusting oversight of different aspects of state affairs to his closest aides, according to Seoul’s National Intelligence Service. Among them, his sister Kim Yo-jong is said to have been recognized as second in command within the North’s power structure. Although the North has traditionally recognized no authority other than the supreme ruler, currently Kim Jong-un, Kim Yo-jong’s rising status h

Aug. 21, 2020

[Breaking] North Korea partly ruled by leader’s sister Kim Yo-jong: NIS

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has delegated some of his authority to his younger sister Yo-jong, allowing her to manage South Korean and US affairs, South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers Thursday. 　 The move appears to be intended to lighten Kim Jong-un’s burden, the National Intelligence Service said, denying that the leader has any serious health issues. 　 “In regards to Kim Jong-un’s circumstances, ‘delegation of power’ was mentioned,” Rep. Ha

Aug. 20, 2020

NK to present new economic road map at congress next year

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said the ruling Workers’ Party will convene a congress next year to unveil a new five-year economic plan, admitting, “unexpected challenges” this year have hampered economic growth, the Korean Central News Agency said Thursday. “To learn lessons from failed policies (from the last congress) and set a fresh strategy to power through hurdles ahead,” Kim said at the party’s plenary meeting on Wednesday, explaining its purpose

Aug. 20, 2020

NK to unveil new 5-year economic development plan at rare party congress next year

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un acknowledged that his five-year economic development plan failed to achieve intended goals and pledged to unveil a new scheme at a Workers' Party congress to be held in January, according to state media Thursday. The timing of the rare party congress also suggests that Kim could use the session to announce a new policy line on the United States after watching who wins November's presidential election between President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Bi

Aug. 20, 2020

Unification minister calls for China's 'constructive' role in resumption of inter-Korean talks

Unification Minister Lee In-young called Wednesday for China to play a “constructive” role in the resumption of inter-Korean dialogue and to help bring permanent peace and stability to the Korean Peninsula. Lee made the remark during his first meeting with Chinese Ambassador to Seoul Xing Haiming after his inauguration last month, underlining the need for the two countries to cooperate with North Korea in tackling the coronavirus pandemic. 　 “Now, inter-Korean relations have b

Aug. 19, 2020

‘Time to send aged NK spies, POWs back to North’

A group of civic and religious organizations here urged the Seoul government to send 14 aged North Korean spies and prisoners of war back to the North this year. 2020 marks the 20th anniversary of the first and last such large-scale repatriation. 　 The 14 North Koreans have been held in South Korean prisons for decades for refusing to abjure communism. Most are now in their 80s, and the majority of North Koreans held for similar reasons were released in the early 2000s. 　 Local organizations i

Aug. 19, 2020

Ministry doubles down after court suspends revocation of defector group’s permit

Seoul’s Unification Ministry said Wednesday that it will justify its decision to revoke the operating permit of a defector-led group that sent anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border, in response to a recent court ruling suspending the government action. 　 “We respect the judiciary’s decision, which approved suspension of the ministry’s action,” Yoh Sang-key, the ministry’s spokesperson, said during a regular briefing Wednesday. “During the main laws

Aug. 19, 2020

Swedish diplomats leave N. Korea, but embassy remains open

Swedish staff have left the country's embassy in North Korea but the diplomatic mission in Pyongyang remains open and is being staffed by local employees, officials said Tuesday. "The main reason is that we have temporarily relocated our diplomats who are either on holiday or are part of a (scheduled) rotation," Foreign Ministry spokesman Anton Dahlquist said. "Let me stress that we maintain our diplomatic relations with North Korea." But Dahlquist added that "the situ

Aug. 18, 2020

Unification minister calls for adjustments to working group in meeting with US envoy

Unification Minister Lee In-young met with US Ambassador Harry Harris on Tuesday, seeking support from the US for South Korea’s push for inter-Korean cooperation projects, and called for adjustments to the South Korea-US working group that coordinates North Korea policy.  It was the first time the minister had met with a foreign envoy since he took office last month.  During the meeting, Lee reiterated his stance of wanting to start with humanitarian cooperation and small-sca

Aug. 18, 2020

NK estimated to possess up to 60 nuclear bombs: US Army

North Korea is estimated to have between 20 and 60 nuclear bombs, as well as the capacity to produce six new ones every year, the US Army said in its latest report, adding that the communist country pursues its nuclear weapons program to prevent a forcible regime change from outside. “External powers intervened in Libya when the domestic revolts began in 2011. The Kim family does not want something similar to happen in North Korea,” said the report, titled “North Korean Tacti

Aug. 18, 2020

N. Korea to hold key party meeting to discuss ‘crucial’ matter

North Korea is set to convene a key meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party on Wednesday to discuss a “crucial” matter as the reclusive regime is grappling with severe flood damage and the COVID-19 pandemic amid a failing economy under international sanctions.  Top party officials will decide on the issue of “crucial significance in developing the Korean revolution and increasing the party’s fighting efficiency” during the plenary meeting of its central c

Aug. 18, 2020

Unification minister to meet US ambassador to discuss inter-Korean cooperation

Unification Minister Lee In-young was set to meet the US Ambassador to Seoul Harry Harris on Tuesday, the ministry said. Lee is likely to discuss South Korea's policies for inter-Korean cooperation during the meeting with Harris. It will mark the minister's first meeting with a foreign envoy since he took office last month. "(Lee) will explain our government's stance for improving inter-Korean relations, and I believe the US will show support for inter-Korean cooperation, but there are n

Aug. 18, 2020