The U.S. Justice Department (DoJ) on Friday announced the seizure of a 2,734-ton tanker it said was owned and operated by a Singaporean national and used to make shipments of petroleum products to North Korea in violation of international sanctions. A DoJ statement said the M/T Courageous was seized by …
Read More »North, South Korea in talks over summit, reopening liaison office
North and South Korea are in talks to reopen a joint liaison office that Pyongyang demolished last year and hold a summit as part of efforts to restore relations, three South Korean government sources with knowledge of the matter said. South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim …
Read More »North and South Korea have announced the restoration of cross-border communications, which had been severed amid rising tensions more than a year ago
South Korea’s presidential Blue House announced on Tuesday that the two countries’ leaders had agreed to rebuild trust, while revealing that they had also been exchanging a series of letters since April. It said South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un had both agreed to improve ties and to …
Read More »North Korea dismisses US humanitarian aid as ‘sinister scheme’
U.S. humanitarian aid is a “sinister political scheme” to put pressure on other countries, a North Korean researcher said, after suggestions from U.S. allies such as South Korea that coronavirus vaccines or other help could promote cooperation. North Korea’s foreign ministry published the criticism of U.S. aid on an official …
Read More »Seoul working for pope visit to North Korea, Vatican agency says
South Korea’s intelligence chief has said he is working on a possible visit by Pope Francis to North Korea, a Catholic news agency associated with the Vatican says.
Read More »North Korea’s Kim fumes about ‘grave lapses’ in pandemic defences
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the failure to implement measures to tackle the coronavirus had caused a “great crisis” and he chastised ruling party officials for risking the safety of the country and people, state media reported on Wednesday. The report by state news agency KCNA did not …
Read More »North Koreans worry over ’emaciated’ Kim Jong Un, state media says
Everyone in North Korea is heartbroken over leader Kim Jong Un’s apparent weight loss, said an unidentified resident of Pyongyang quoted on the country’s tightly controlled state media, after watching recent video footage of Kim.
Read More »US has ‘wrong’ expectations for dialogue with North Korea: Kim’s sister
The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Tuesday that Washington had “wrong” expectations for dialogue with Pyongyang and was facing “greater disappointment,” state media reported.
Read More »South Korean Navy submarine-builder hit by hackers, investigation underway – government
Unidentified hackers have attacked one of South Korea’s largest shipbuilders, the government has confirmed. Media reports earlier said that cybercriminals from Pyongyang were hunting for information on navy submarines.
Read More »N.Korea’s Kim says food situation ‘tense’ due to pandemic, typhoons
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said the country’s economy improved this year but called for measures to tackle the “tense” food situation caused by the coronavirus pandemic and last year’s typhoons, state media said on Wednesday. Kim chaired a plenary meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party’s central committee …
Read More »N.Korea’s Kim calls for boosting military power -KCNA
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un chaired a Central Military Commission meeting, state media KCNA said on Saturday, where he called for boosting military power, but KCNA did not have details of any military activities planned. The meeting on Friday called for a “high-alert posture” against the “recent fast-changing” situation …
Read More »N.Korea’s ruling party sets up new post under leader Kim -Yonhap
North Korea’s ruling party has amended its rules to create a de facto second-in-command under leader Kim Jong Un as he looks to revamp domestic politics, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said on Tuesday. Citing an unidentified source familiar with North Korea, the agency said the holder of the new …
Read More »North Korea Orders Extermination of Cats and Pigeons to Prevent COVID Outbreak, Reports Suggest
Pyongyang has declared North Korea coronavirus-free, with zero confirmed cases since the outbreak of the global pandemic, while the authorities have imposed severe restrictions to stop the disease from entering the country. North Korean authorities have ordered the elimination of cats and pigeons in border areas due to pandemic fears, …
Read More »US waiting to see if North Korea wants to engage in diplomacy
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday the United States is waiting to see if North Korea wants to engage in diplomacy over the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. U.S. President Joe Biden and South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Friday injected fresh urgency into attempts to engage …
Read More »Biden, South Korea’s Moon express willingness to engage North Korea
US President Joe Biden and South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Friday injected fresh urgency into attempts to engage North Korea in dialogue over its nuclear weapons, with Biden saying he would meet its leader Kim Jong Un under the right conditions. Biden and Moon said the complete denuclearization of …
Read More »North Korea floods kill 22, approach nuclear reactor
Flooding caused by weeks of unusually heavy monsoon rains has killed at least 22 people in North Korea, with four others missing, and even approached the country’s main nuclear reactor, but leader Kim Jong Un says he is too worried about coronavirus to accept outside help. The International Federation of …
Read More »North Korea likely developed miniature nuclear devices fitting into ballistic warheads: UN report
A confidential United Nations (UN) report purportedly says several countries believe that North Korea may have developed “miniaturized nuclear devices to fit into the warheads of its ballistic missiles.” The report, prepared by an independent panel of experts monitoring UN sanctions and seen by Reuters, said several countries, which it …
Read More »North Korea’s Kim marks war anniversary amid virus concerns
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has visited a national cemetery and handed out commemorative pistols to army officers, state media reported Monday, as he pushes to muster public support for efforts to contain a potential coronavirus outbreak. On Sunday, North Korea said that Kim had put a city near …
Read More »South Korea launches first military satellite
Private operator Space X has launched South Korea’s first military communications satellite into space as Seoul looks to build up its defence capabilities against its nuclear-armed neighbour, North Korea. South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), in a statement on Tuesday, said the ANASIS-II satellite lifted off from the Cape …
Read More »China: US holds key to breaking stalemate in North Korea talks
China says the United States holds the key to breaking the stalemate in negotiations with North Korea, amid renewed tensions on the Korean Peninsula due to stalled demilitarization talks. “North Korea and the US are major conflicting parties in regards to the Korean Peninsula issue. The US holds the key …
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