Feb 27, 2020

Esper says N. Korea seeks legitimacy with nuclear weapons

WASHINGTON -- US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Wednesday that North Korea seeks to attain legitimacy by developing its nuclear and ballistic missile capability. Esper made the remarks in a written statement to the House Armed Services Committee ahead of a hearing on the Pentagon's 2021 budget request. "North Korea seeks to build legitimacy through the development of a variety of nuclear, conventional, and unconventional weapons, and by growing its ballistic missile capabilities,"

Feb 23, 2020

[Graphic News] Average monthly wage of NK defectors hits record high of 2 million won

　The average monthly wage of North Korean defectors living in South Korea exceeded 2 million won ($1,684) for the first time last year, the Unification Ministry said. 　Defectors earned 2.04 million won ($1,720) per month on average in 2019, compared with 1.89 million won in 2018, according to a report released by the Unification Ministry. (Yonhap)

Feb 23, 2020

N. Korea tightens quarantine inspection on imported materials amid virus concerns

North Korea has tightened its customs-related quarantine measures amid the cross-border proliferation of the new coronavirus that originated from China, its top trading partner, according to Pyongyang's state newspaper. All goods arriving at North Korea's ports or passing through border bridges should be kept at isolated areas for 10 days without exception, fully disinfected and then delivered in accordance with relevant procedures, the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the North's ruli

Feb 21, 2020

N. Korea cancels int'l marathon over coronavirus: tour agencies

North Korea has canceled its annual Pyongyang Marathon to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, tour agencies said Friday. The international marathon event, also known as the Mangyongdae Prize International Marathon, was scheduled to take place on April 12. Young Pioneer Tours, a travel company specializing in North Korea tours, said in a Facebook post that it has received confirmation from North Korea that the Pyongyang Marathon has been cancelled due to the border closure over coron

Feb 21, 2020

Red Cross requests sanctions exemption for Pyongyang to fight COVID-19

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has requested the UN exempt sanctions on Pyongyang to help prevent a coronavirus outbreak, a US radio station reported Friday.  The world’s largest humanitarian organization made the request Thursday, quoting the IFRC’s permanent observer to the UN, Richard Blewitt, Radio Free Asia reported. The UN’s decision will be announced by Wednesday at the latest, he added.  The sanction waiver was reques

Feb 21, 2020

China, Russia supply combined 53,000 tons of refined oil to N. Korea last year

China and Russia supplied around 53,000 tons of refined oil to North Korea last year despite tough sanctions restricting trade with Pyongyang, a United Nations report showed Friday. According to the report disclosed by the UN Security Council (UNSC) on its website, China and Russia shipped 22,730 tons and 30,180 tons of refined oil, respectively, to the North last year. Their combined 53,000 tons, or 418,000 barrels, represented about 83 percent of the UNSC-imposed maximum annual ceiling of

Feb 21, 2020

Bolton makes no apology for hardline stance on N. Korea: report

WASHINGTON -- Former US National Security Adviser John Bolton has stood by his hardline stance on North Korea, saying softer positions have failed to make the regime give up its nuclear weapons program. In an interview this week with The Vanderbilt Hustler, the official student newspaper of Vanderbilt University, Bolton also defended his suggestions that North Korea follow the "Libya model" and hand over its nuclear program before receiving any concessions in return. "I think t

Feb 20, 2020

US flies surveillance aircraft over Korean Peninsula to monitor N. Korea

The United States again flew a surveillance aircraft over South Korea on Thursday, an aviation tracker said, on an apparent mission to monitor North Korea. The US Air Force's RC-135W Rivet Joint was spotted in the skies above South Korea at 31,000 feet, Aircraft Spots tweeted. This type of aircraft was detected four times here last month. The latest flight came just a couple of days after the Air Force's E-8C, or JSTARS, flew over the Korean Peninsula, according to the tracker. US spy plan

Feb 20, 2020

US Senate panel to hold hearing on N. Korea policy

WASHINGTON -- A US Senate subcommittee will hold a hearing next week with former US government officials to discuss North Korea policy, the panel's website showed Wednesday. The hearing, titled "North Korea Policy One Year After Hanoi," will be held Tuesday by the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific and International Cybersecurity Policy. The witnesses are Robert King, who served as special envoy for North Korean human rights issues from 2009-2017; Bruce

Feb 19, 2020

US flies surveillance aircraft to monitor N. Korea

A US surveillance aircraft has flown over South Korea on an apparent mission to monitor North Korea, an aviation tracker said Wednesday. The US Air Force's E-8C, or JSTARS, was spotted in the skies over South Korea at 29,000 feet the previous day, Aircraft Spots tweeted. As a platform for airborne command and control, surveillance and reconnaissance, the E-8C is known to be capable of closely monitoring North Korea's troops and equipment movements, including missiles and artillery guns. It

Feb 18, 2020

NK reiterates it has no virus patients

North Korea has yet to see its people infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, which has left over 1,800 dead and 72,000 infected in neighboring China, its state-run newspaper reported Tuesday. “So far, we have not seen a single patient infected with the virus,” the newspaper said quoting a senior official in charge of the matter. The report did not mention whether the country has any suspicious cases or people under quarantine. However, the official cautioned that authorit

Feb 16, 2020

Kim Jong-un honors father’s birthday with first appearance in three weeks

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un marked the birthday of his late father at a national mausoleum in Pyongyang, in his first public appearance in 22 days amid the coronavirus outbreak, the North’s state media reported Sunday. 　 Kim paid tribute at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the embalmed bodies of his father, former leader Kim Jong-il, and his grandfather, founding leader Kim Il-sung, lie, according to the Korean Central News Agency. 　 “Kim visited the Kumsusan Palace of th

Feb 15, 2020

Railcars seen at Yongbyon, inbound shipment of radioactive material unlikely: US think tank

WASHINGTON -- Recent satellite imagery shows the presence of specialized railcars at North Korea's main nuclear complex, a US think tank said, downplaying any association with the inbound shipment of radioactive material. In an article published earlier this week, the Center for Strategic and International Studies said there were three specialized railcars at the Yongbyon nuclear facility in satellite imagery it obtained Monday.   Those railcars have previously been associated with the mov

Feb 14, 2020

NK played US in denuke talks: Ex-White House official

John Kelly, former White House chief of staff for US President Donald Trump, said Wednesday that the two denuclearization summits between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un were futile. “I never did think Kim would do anything other than play us for a while, and he did that fairly effectively,” Kelly said at a Drew University event. “He will never give his nuclear weapons up.” Kelly acknowledged that President Trump tried to make North Korea give up its nuclear a