N. Korea maps out emergency measures to prevent flood damage amid pandemic: state media

North Korea is taking emergency measures to prevent damage from flooding as it braces for the summer rainy season amid the coronavirus fight, according to its state media Wednesday. The country's "central emergency anti-epidemic sector" took steps to ensure medical supplies in thousands of emergency medical units set up at hospitals across the country and urged disinfection work in evacuation centers to prevent the outbreak of an "enteric illness," the official Korean Ce

June 29, 2022

N. Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases under 10,000 for 5th day: state media

North Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases have remained below 10,000 for the fifth consecutive day, its state media said Wednesday. More than 5,980 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 total number of fever cases since late April came to

June 29, 2022

Lee Dae-jun’s family to reach out to UN expert on extrajudicial killings

The family of Lee Dae-jun, a South Korean fisheries official who was killed by North Korean troops at sea in 2020, and their lawyer said Tuesday they plan on reaching out to a United Nations expert on extrajudicial killings for help. The official’s older brother, Lee Rae-jin, and his lawyer Kim Ki-yun met with Tomas Ojea Quintana, the UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in North Korea, on Tuesday morning to discuss challenges facing the family’s pursuit of acco

June 28, 2022

N. Korean leader discusses tightening party control, reorganizing party departments

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un convened a key party meeting to discuss how to reorganize party departments and strengthen party control over intelligence, surveillance and judicial apparatus, the state media reported on Tuesday. Kim on Monday presided over an enlarged meeting of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea at the party headquarters in Pyongyang, the Rodong Sinmun, a party organ, said. The secretariat discussed reorganizing some departments of

June 28, 2022

NK denounces Japan, US over ‘false’ charges of Japanese abductions

North Korea on Tuesday slammed Japan for raising the issue of abducted Japanese nationals that it maintains has been resolved and accused Tokyo and Washington of making false charges to apply political pressure on the regime. Pyongyang’s Foreign Ministry issued a document accusing Japan of holding an “anti-North Korea” teleconference with the United States, Australia and the European Union as part of a UN session on June 16. “Japan is conspiring with the US to make t

June 28, 2022

CTBTO chief urges N. Korea to renew moratorium on nuclear testing

The chief of an international group campaigning for an end to all nuclear testing has called on North Korea to reinstate its related moratorium, as speculation is rampant that the secretive regime may soon carry out an underground nuclear experiment. "While I can assure you of the readiness of our verification regime to detect any nuclear test, I wish to take this opportunity to call on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to renew the commitment it made in 2018 to suspend nuclear

June 28, 2022

N. Korean leader discusses reorganization of departments in party meeting: state media

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held a ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) meeting to discuss issues related to the reorganization and restructuring of its departments, state media said Tuesday. Kim presided over a meeting of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the WPK the previous day in Pyongyang to discuss issues related to "improving and readjusting the work system of Party guiding organs at all levels and strengthening their political activities" and reorganizing the

June 28, 2022

N. Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases under 10,000 for 4th day: state media

North Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases have remained below 10,000 for the fourth consecutive day, its state media said Tuesday. More than 6,710 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. It did not provide information on whether additional deaths have been reported. The total number of fever cases since late April came to o

June 28, 2022

N. Korea issues nationwide heavy rain alert for this week

North Korea's state weather agency issued a heavy rain alert Monday for most of the country's regions this week, as state-controlled media have called for thorough measures to prevent damage from summer downpours. The State Hydro-Meteorological Administration issued the warning, effective from Monday afternoon through Thursday, in all areas across the nation, except for the northeastern provinces of Ryanggang and North Hamgyong and the northern border city of Rason, according to the Ko

June 27, 2022

N. Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases under 10,000 for 3rd day: state media

North Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases have remained below 10,000 for the third consecutive day, its state media said Monday. More than 7,300 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 total number of fever cases since late April came to ove

June 27, 2022

Lee Dae-jun’s family questions Moon’s missing six hours

The family of Lee Dae-jun, a fisheries official who was killed by North Korean troops in 2020, is seeking disclosure of what former President Moon Jae-in did in the time from when he was alerted of Lee’s capture by the North until he was shot dead six hours later. “President Moon had about six hours to take action and possibly save him,” the slain official’s older brother, Lee Rae-jin, told The Korea Herald. “We want to know what the Moon administration was

June 26, 2022

N. Korea holds anti-American rally to mark war anniversary

North Korea has held an anti-American rally for the third day in a row to mark the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War, with participants vowing to "mercilessly annihilate" the United States if it provokes the North, state media reported Sunday. The North has held anti-US rallies since Thursday to mark the war anniversary for the first time in five years. Pyongyang skipped such rallies in 2018 amid a thaw in relations with the United States and had not resumed them amid the COVID-19 pan

June 26, 2022

N. Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases under 10,000 for 2nd day: state media

North Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases have remained below 10,000 for the second consecutive day, its state media said Sunday. More than 8,920 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 total number of fever cases since late April came to ov

June 26, 2022

NSC intervened in ministry decision on South Korean killed by NK: lawmaker

South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense flip-flopped on its announcement in regards to the case of a South Korean man killed by North Korean troops in 2020, in response to orders from a top official from the National Security Council, a lawmaker claimed Thursday. Rep. Ha Tae-keung of the People Power Party told reporters Thursday that Suh Choo-suk, former first deputy director of the NSC under the Moon Jae-in administration, had an official document sent to the Defense Ministry with in

June 24, 2022

N. Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases under 20,000 for 6th day: state media

North Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases remained below 20,000 for the sixth consecutive day, according to its state media Friday. More than 11,010 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 did not provide information on whether additional deaths have been reported. As of June 15, the death toll stood at 73, with a fatali

June 24, 2022

In key party meeting, N. Korea approves strengthening 'war deterrent,' state media says

 North Korea approved an "important issue" to strengthen its "war deterrent" during a three-day high-profile party session on defense policies and strategies earlier this week, state media said Friday. Also decided was to "supplement the operation duties" of frontline troops with an "important military action plan," according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), which carried a report on the results of the third enlarged meeting of the eighth Cen

June 24, 2022

North Korea’s COVID-19 crisis: How bad is it and what’s next after May wave

South Korean public health experts said in a forum Wednesday the true scale of North Korea’s COVID-19 outbreak could be double the numbers reported, with possibly 100 times more deaths, even in an optimistic scenario. The forum was co-organized by the Korean Sharing Movement and other organizations in the health care sector including the Korea Medical Association. Counting from late April, North Korea’s cumulative “fever” cases are 4,685,560, while deaths are just 73,

June 23, 2022

N. Korea discusses revising operational plans of its front-line military units

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and other top officials had discussions on adding missions and revising operational plans of front-line military units during a major party meeting, according to state media Thursday. The news came two months after the Kim regime openly hinted at deploying tactical nuclear weapons in front-line artillery units. The secretive nation has reportedly completed preparations for a nuclear test seen as part of efforts to develop smaller nuclear warheads to fit on tactica

June 23, 2022

N. Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases stay below 20,000 for 5th day

North Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases remained below 20,000 for the fifth consecutive day, according to its state media Thursday. More than 13,100 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. Since June 15, the death toll has remained at 73, with

June 23, 2022

N. Korea discusses revising operation plans of its frontline units, reorganization of military: state media

North Korea held a rare military meeting to change the operational plan of military frontline units with leader Kim Jong-un in attendance, state media said Thursday, amid heightening tensions in the region. Kim also discussed the reorganization of key military formations as he convened the second-day sitting of the third enlarged meeting of the eighth Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) on Wednesday, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (K

June 23, 2022