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☆ Kim Jong Un tested a new rocket that could hit Seoul — and may aid Russia against Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Kim Jong Un oversaw tests for a rocket capable of hitting Seoul in South Korea, Bloomberg reported. Russia and North Korea have previously denied reports of an arms deal between the two nations. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Vladivostok on April 25, 2019. Russia and North Korea have previously denied an arms deal exists between the two countries. Business Insider reported in October that North Korea was on track to become "one of Russia's most significant foreign arms suppliers."

Persons: Kim Jong Un, —, Yang, Vladimir Putin, Alexander Zemlianichenko, Simon Miles, Miles, Kelly Grieco, it's Organizations: Bloomberg, Service, Ukraine, Korean People's Army, Korean Central News Agency, Asan Institute, Policy Studies, NK News, North Korean, Duke University's Sanford School of Public, Kremlin, Soviet Union, AP News, Business, pushback, US, Stimson Center Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Russia, Ukraine, North Korea, Korea, Russian, Vladivostok, Soviet

☆ Trump meets with foreign leaders looking to boost their relationships with GOP leader ahead of election
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Alayna Treene | Steve Contorno | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

In recent weeks, Trump, seizing the role of both an erstwhile diplomat and ascending opposition party leader, has extended welcomes to a series of foreign leaders at his homes in Florida and New York. It’s not unusual for foreign leaders to meet with the leader of the party that doesn’t control the White House – especially one with a serious chance of becoming commander in chief. Biden and his top envoys have also met and spoken with opposition leaders, something that has been a longstanding practice for US officials. Last week, Trump met with Poland’s Duda at Trump Tower, where the two discussed NATO spending over dinner. Trump, both while president and during his 2024 campaign, has called on NATO countries to spend more on defense.

Persons: Donald Trump, hasn’t, Trump, Andrzej Duda, David Cameron, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Taro Aso, It’s, Sen, Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, Biden, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Antony Blinken, Keir Starmer, Joe Biden, “ They’re, he’s, “, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, ” Biden, ”, Kim Jong Un, ” Trump, Brian Hughes, Viktor Orban, Putin, Javier Milei, Orban, Viktor Orbán, Orbán, Aso, Fumio Kishida, Kishida, Lindsey Graham, Salman, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Poland’s Duda, Duda, meanwhile, Cameron, Karen Pierce, Cameron’s, Pierce didn’t, Queen Elizabeth II Organizations: CNN, Air Force, British, Saudi Crown, Middle East, Republican, UK Labour Party, US State Department, Biden, Trump, NATO, Conservative Political, Japanese, White, Liberal Democratic Party, Saudi, New York Times, South Carolina Republican, Hamas, The New York Times, Trump Tower, Republicans, Democrats, UK Locations: House, huddling, Florida, New York, Lago, Manhattan, Japan, China, North Korea, Berlin, United Kingdom, Israel, Poland, Belarus, Munich, Europe, America, Ukraine, Korean, United States, Palm, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, American, Russia, British, Washington

☆ North Korea claims it tested new command-and-control system in simulated nuclear counterstrike
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —North Korea claims it tested a new nuclear weapons command-and-control system Monday, with the firing of projectiles carrying simulated nuclear warheads from multiple rocket launcher units. North Korea has tested both the rocket launcher system and a simulated nuclear counterstrike before, according to analysts, but KCNA said Monday’s exercise was the first time the “Haekbangashoe” – or nuclear trigger – command-and-control system was used, demonstrating what it claimed was an ability to switch rocket launchers from conventional to nuclear weapons. Though the regime’s true capabilities have not been independently verified, a 2017 report from the US Defense Intelligence Agency concluded North Korea had likely achieved its key goal of miniaturization. Images supplied by North Korea Monday showed four rockets being launched, with KCNA saying they hit targets on an island 352 kilometers (218 miles) away. The US-South Korea exercise has “incited extreme war fever” and cannot be classified as defense or deterrence, the KCNA report said.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, KCNA, Kim, ”, Jeffrey Lewis, James Martin, Joseph Dempsey, ” Dempsey, Kim ramped Organizations: South Korea CNN, Korean Central News Agency, James, James Martin Center, Nonproliferation Studies, International Institute for Strategic Studies, US Defense Intelligence Agency, miniaturization, North Korea, Korea’s, Chiefs, Staff, Korea, US Air Force Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Korea, United States, North Korea, denuclearization, Washington, U.S

☆ Sketches from US animation studios found on North Korean computer server
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

The revelation comes from a trove of documents recently discovered by US researchers inside a computer server housed in North Korea. Logs from the North Korean computer server showed multiple visits from internet connections in northeast China, the US cybersecurity firm Mandiant told CNN. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects an artillery firing drill of the Korean People's Army on March 7, 2024. Barnhart, the Mandiant researcher, said any company that hires a North Korean IT worker runs the risk of being targeted by North Korean hackers because of the close relationship between the two. Heinz Insu Fenkl, an expert in North Korean comics, said that animation and comics have been prominent in North Korean society since the country’s founding in 1948.

Persons: “, Nick Roy, Roy, Mandiant, Michael Barnhart, ”, Max ., Hannah Cosgrove, ” Cosgrove, Max, Lion Forge, Martyn Williams, Williams, ” Williams, Kim Jong Un, KCNA, Barnhart, ” Barnhart, CNN wouldn’t, Heinz Insu Fenkl, ” Fenkl, CNN’s Alex Marquardt, Mike Conte Organizations: CNN, North, US, Amazon Prime, Max, Warner Bros ., Korean, Stimson, FBI, Treasury, North Korean, Entertainment, Amazon, ”, Skybound, YouNeek Studios, Forge Entertainment, Lion Forge Entertainment, South Korean, South, US Treasury Department, Treasury Department, Korean People's Army, State, United Nations, North Korean Embassy Locations: North Korea, Korean, Boston, Washington, State, North Korean, China, CNN , California, Maryland, South Korea, Koreans, Pyongyang, Korea, California, New York, London, cybercrime

Kishida made the remarks days ahead of his Wednesday meeting with Biden in Washington, where he will also address a joint session of Congress and participate in the very first trilateral summit between Japan, the United States and the Philippines. Partnership with Japan has long been central to US strategy in the Indo-Pacific, but the defense relationship has expanded under Kishida, who has raised Japan’s profile in global and regional security. That move is not without controversy, especially in China and other parts of Asia that suffered hugely under Japan’s World War II era militarism. Building Japan’s deterrence and response capability is also “essential” for the alliance with the United States, he argued. Since taking office, Kishida has also positioned Japan as a partner to the US not only in Asia, but more globally.

Persons: Fumio Kishida, Joe Biden, ” Kishida, ”, Kishida, “, Biden, Donald Trump, White, Trump, Kim Jong Organizations: Tokyo CNN, CNN, Biden, Partnership, East China, South Korea –, North, South Locations: Japan, Ukraine, East Asia, Tokyo, United States, Washington, Philippines, Russia, South, Taiwan, China, Asia, East, South China, South Korea, America’s, Europe, North Korea, Moscow, Pyongyang

☆ North Korea tests missile, Seoul says, ahead of vote seen as gauge of support for hardline South Korean leader
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —North Korea test-fired a presumed intermediate-range ballistic missile on Tuesday, South Korean officials said, its latest military maneuver since leader Kim Jong Un’s New Year declaration that he was ending a policy seeking reconciliation with the South. Pyongyang’s shows of power included long-range artillery and multiple rocket launchers, which pose a threat to the South Korean capital Seoul and other key areas near the border. But Leif-Eric Easley, professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, said Tuesday’s suspected missile test by North Korea won’t have much effect on the vote. North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui last week quashed recent speculation that Kishida could meet with North Korea’s Kim. North Korea “will not allow any attempt of Japan to contact” Pyongyang, he said, according to KCNA.

Persons: Kim Jong, Yoon Suk Yeol, Kim, Yoon’s, Democratic Party –, Yoon, Leif, Eric Easley, ” Easley, Easley, Tuesday’s, Fumio Kishida, Joe Biden, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Choe Son Hui, North Korea’s Kim, CNN’s Yoonjung Seo Organizations: South Korea CNN, North, South, Korean Central News Agency, CNN, Yoon’s People Power Party, Democratic Party, Ewha Womans University, Assembly, Korean, Philippine, North Korean Foreign, North Korea “ Locations: Seoul, South Korea, North Korea, Pyongyang, United States, North, Japan, Washington, China

☆ Russian veto points to 'grim future' for North Korea sanctions enforcement
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during their meeting at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Amur region on Sept. 13, 2023. Russia's move to effectively disband the panel of experts monitoring longstanding United Nations sanctions against North Korea points to a "grim future" for the sanctions enforcement, three former members of the panel told Reuters. Russia vetoed the annual renewal of the multinational panel of experts on Thursday, which has spent the last 15 years monitoring U.N. sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. Beijing and Moscow have denied breaking sanctions but have blocked new measures at the UN Security Council and advocated lifting some existing sanctions on North Korea, blaming the West and its allies for exacerbating tensions. "Russia's vote, along with its blatant violation of sanctions by buying conventional arms from North Korea, years long history of ignoring their obligations, and at least tacit support from China suggest that the future is grim for the DPRK sanctions regime," he said, using the initials of North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Russia's, Aaron Arnold Organizations: North, Vostochny, United Nations, Reuters, UN Security Council, West, Diplomats, Korean, Britain's Royal United Services Institute, Democratic People's Locations: Amur, North Korea, Russia, China, North, Beijing, Moscow, Pyongyang, Ukraine, DPRK, Democratic People's Republic of Korea

International sanctions and UN investigations into North Korea’s illegal weapons program have previously been backed by Russia. North Korea has also gained a powerful backer at the UN which wields veto power. While UN sanctions prohibit arms transfers to or from North Korea, the Kim regime has become a big supplier of weapons to Putin’s war effort in Ukraine. The vote in the 15-member Security Council on Thursday was 13 in favor, Russia opposed and China abstaining. But as Russia holds veto power, the resolution to continue the panel of experts’ work failed.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin, Nebenzia, Kim, Barbara Woodward, “, ” Woodward, ”, Robert Wood, ” Wood Organizations: United Nations CNN, United Nations, Korean, UN, Security Council, CNN, North, Security, South Korea’s Foreign Locations: Russia, Pyongyang, Ukraine, United States, Moscow, Korea, Russian, North Korea, South, Korean, China, ”

☆ See Kim Jong Un showing off a new tank
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Lauren Frias | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was seen riding in a tank during military exercises this month. North Korea held exercises involving tanks and air and amphibious combat units. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un was seen riding in a tank during military exercises earlier this month in a show of force likely meant to counter the US-South Korea military exercises his regime has repeatedly denounced. Kim talked tough after the photo ops and brought along the person speculated to be a likely successor in North Korea's authoritarian dynasty.

Persons: Kim Jong, —, Kim Organizations: Service, South Locations: North Korea, South Korea, North

☆ Biden to host Japan PM Kishida, Philippines President Marcos for White House summit
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

President Joe Biden will host Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for a White House summit next month amid growing concerns about North Korea's nuclear program, provocative Chinese action in the South China Sea and differences over a Japanese company's plan to buy an iconic American steel company. Eugene Hoshiko | AFP | Getty ImagesPresident Joe Biden will host Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for a White House summit next month amid growing concerns about North Korea's nuclear program, provocative Chinese action in the South China Sea and differences over a Japanese company's plan to buy an iconic American steel company. The announcement came as North Korea's state media reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised a live-fire drill of nuclear-capable "super-large" multiple rocket launchers designed to target South Korea's capital. Biden argued in announcing his opposition that the U.S. needs to "maintain strong American steel companies powered by American steelworkers." Meanwhile, long-running Philippines-Chinese tensions have come back into focus this month after Chinese and Philippine coast guard vessels collided in the disputed South China Sea.

Persons: Joe Biden, Fumio Kishida, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Eugene Hoshiko, Karine Jean, Pierre, Kim Jong Un, Biden, Thomas Shoal, Thomas Organizations: AFP, Getty, White, Steel, Nippon Steel of, American steelworkers, " Nippon Steel, BRP, BRP Sierra Madre Locations: Philippines, South, American, Japan, North, Korea, U.S, Pittsburgh, Nippon Steel of Japan, Philippine, China, BRP Sierra, Thomas Shoal, Sierra

☆ North Korea fires ballistic missiles as Blinken visits Seoul
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

People are seen watching television at Seoul's Yongsan Railway Station showing North Korea's first test-firing of the new strategic cruise missile Pulhwasal-3-31. North Korea fired ballistic missiles into the sea on Monday for the first time in two months, as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Seoul for a conference hosted by President Yoon Suk Yeol on advancing democracy. North Korea fired ballistic missiles into the sea on Monday for the first time in two months, as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Seoul for a conference hosted by President Yoon Suk Yeol on advancing democracy. Japan later said that it had detected what appeared to be a second ballistic missile launch by the North, and that both fell outside its exclusive economic zone area. North Korea's military has been conducting exercises using conventional weapons in recent weeks, often personally overseen by the isolated state's leader, Kim Jong Un.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Yoon Suk, Fumio Kishida, Kishida, Kim Jong Un Locations: Yongsan, Korea, Seoul, North Korea, Pyongyang, United States, Japan, Japanese

☆ Putin scores a resounding win, but what’s next for Russia?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

Sovfoto/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Putin poses for a picture with his wife, Lyudmila, and daughters, Yekaterina and Maria. Brooks Kraft LLC/Corbis via Getty Images Putin rides a horse during a vacation in Southern Siberia in August 2009. Dmitry Astakhov/RIA Novosti/AFP via Getty Images Putin plays with his dogs Yume, left, and Buffy at his home in Novo-Ogaryovo, Russia, in March 2013. Chris McGrath/Getty Images Putin and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attend the G20 summit in Buenos Aires in November 2018. Getty Images Putin speaks with American right-wing pundit Tucker Carlson during an interview in February 2024.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, ”, Dmitry Kiselyov, Mikhail Mishustin, Ukraine –, Kiselyov, “, Maria Putina, Archivio GBB, ZUMA Press Wire Putin, Laski, Maria, Vladimir, Anatoly Sobchak, Lyudmila, Yekaterina, Boris Yeltsin, Yeltsin, Fidel Castro, Reuters Putin, George W, Bush, Stephen Jaffe, Camp David, Brooks Kraft, Alexey Druzhinin, Alexey Nikolsky, Mikhail Metzel, Ivan Sekretarev, AP Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, Dmitry Astakhov, Buffy, Angela Merkel, Jochen Lübke, Thomas Bach, Medvedev, Vladimir Konstantinov, Alexei Chalyi, Sergei Aksyonov, Sergei Ilnitsky, Kirill Kudryavtsev, Alexander Lukashenko, Merkel, Francois Hollande, Petro Poroshenko, Mykola Lazarenko, Barack Obama, Ban, Chip Somodevilla, Turkey Andrei Karlov, Karlov, Donald Trump, Chris McGrath, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, LUDOVIC MARIN, Emmanuel Macron, Volodymyr Zelensky, Eliot Blondet, Joe Biden, Antony Blinken, Biden, Sergey Lavrov, Denis Balibouse, Macron, Sergey Ponomarev, Mikhail Gorbachev, —, Alexander Nemenov, Alexey Danichev, Xi Jinping, Pavel Byrkin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Prigozhin, Pavel Bednyakov, Kim Jong Un, Kim, Tucker Carlson, Zuma Press Putin, Maxim Shemetov, – what’s, Alexey Navalny, Navalny, ” Putin Organizations: CNN, coy, Kremlin, Getty, Russian, ZUMA Press, Putin, KGB, ZUMA Press Wire, Getty Images, Reuters, US, White House, Camp, Brooks, Brooks Kraft LLC, RIA Novosti, AP, AFP, International Olympic, Crimean, Ukrainian, United Nations, UN, Assembly, Russian Foreign Ministry, Sputnik, World, Saudi Arabia's Crown, Macron, SPUTNIK, New York Times, Central Clinical Hospital, AP Putin, Belarus, State Russian Museum, AP North Korean, Vostochny, Tucker Carlson Network, Zuma Press Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Putin Russia, Russian, Bakhmut, St . Petersburg, Leningrad, Germany, Moscow, AFP, Kazan, Cuba, Soviet Union, Southern Siberia, Russia's Tver, Novo, Ogaryovo, Hanover, Sevastopol, Crimea, Belarusian, Minsk, Belarus, France, Turkey, Helsinki, Finland, Buenos Aires, Ukrainian, Paris, Geneva, Switzerland, Taganrog, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Tsiolkovsky, Russia's, North Korea, United States

☆ Six more years of Putin will worry many countries. But not China
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

A stable relationship with Moscow, too, allows Beijing to focus on other areas of concern such as Taiwan and the South China Sea. “Xi sees Putin as a genuine strategic partner,” said Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute at the University of London, ahead of the Russian election results, adding that anything less than a landslide win for Putin would be “a disappointment” for Beijing. The Russian leader has weathered an apparent miscalculation that what his government still calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine would be a swift success. Jose Colon/Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesWatchful BeijingBut that doesn’t mean countries tied to Moscow aren’t also watching the conflict in Ukraine carefully. That may be especially true for China, Russia’s most powerful strategic partner.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, Vladimir Putin’s, Xi Jinping, Xi, Putin, Jens Stoltenberg, ”, Steve Tsang, Mao Zedong, won’t, Putin’s, Kim Jong Un, Kim, Kim Jong, Sergei Shoigu, Yevgeny Prigozhin, he’s, Alexey Navalny, –, BRICS, Jose Colon, Moscow aren’t, “, Eurasia Li Hui, Wang Yiwei, Putin –, Li Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Ukraine grinds, Kremlin, NATO, Washington, SOAS China Institute, University of London, Putin, Russia's, KCNA, Reuters, United Arab Emirates, Russian, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Moscow, Renmin University, Beijing, CNN Locations: China, Hong Kong, Russia, Taiwan, Beijing, Moscow, South China, North Korea, Russia’s Far, Washington, Pyongyang, South Korea, Iran, India, Ukraine, Vladivostok, Russian, United States, Brazil, South Africa, UAE, Ethiopia, Egypt, Russia’s Kazan, Crimea, Sochi, West, Israel, Gaza, Ukrainian, Eurasia, Europe, Beijing –

☆ Kim Jong Un enjoys a Russian luxury limousine gifted by Putin as the two nations expand ties
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un waves as he attends the opening ceremony of the Gangdong Greenhouse in this picture released on March 16, 2024. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un used a Russian luxury limousine gifted by President Vladimir Putin, Kim's sister said Saturday, praising the car's "special function" and the two countries' deepening bilateral ties. In February, Putin sent Kim a high-end Aurus Senat limousine, which he had shown to the North Korean leader when they met for a summit in Russia in September. "The special function of the private car is perfect and can be thoroughly trusted," Kim Yo Jong said, without specifying. According to Russian state media, Aurus was the first Russian luxury car brand, and it's been used in motorcades of top officials since Putin first used an Aurus limousine during his inauguration ceremony in 2018.

Persons: Kim Jong, Vladimir Putin, Kim's, Putin, Kim, Kim Yo Jong, Aurus, it's Organizations: North Korean, Observers, United, Russian Federation Locations: Russia, United Nations, North Korea, Russian

☆ How Fake Eyelashes Help Fund Kim Jong Un's Regime
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Lilian Manansala | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

North Koreans making false eyelashes generate millions for their country. The cheap, high-quality product is lucrative for the secretive country. Here's how it's sidestepping international sanctions.

☆ Trump former advisers sound the alarm that he praises despots in private and on the campaign trail
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Jim Sciutto | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

“He views himself as a big guy,” John Bolton, who served as national security adviser under Trump, told me. Trump lamented that Hitler, as Kelly recounted, maintained his senior staff’s “loyalty,” while Trump himself often did not. “He truly believed, when he brought us generals in, that we would be loyal — that we would do anything he wanted us to do,” Kelly told me. ‘Shocked that he didn’t have dictatorial-type powers’Trump’s former advisers say he most consistently lavished praise on Russian President Vladimir Putin. At a town hall organized by Fox News in July 2023, Trump said, “Think of President Xi: central casting, brilliant guy.

Persons: Donald Trump, Viktor Orbán, Xi Jinping, Kim Jong, Adolf Hitler “, Putin, Kim, ”, John Kelly, “, Putin wouldn’t, Orbán, CNN's Jim Sciutto, ” Trump, he’s, autocrats, Trump, Powers, Kelly, ” John Bolton, Erdogan, anybody’s, ” Kelly, Hitler Trump, Hitler, ’, ‘, ’ ” Kelly, Mussolini, Hitler’s, Steven Cheung, “ John Kelly, John Bolton, Vladimir Putin, Bolton, ’ ”, Xi, Reuters “ Trump, Matthew Pottinger, Xi —, authoritarians, Joe Biden, ” Bolton, Biden Organizations: CNN, NATO, Hungarian, Mar, Republican, Trump, Nazi, North, KCNA, Reuters, Fox News, Fox, Russian, Anadolu, Getty Locations: Hungarian, North Korea, Europe, Turkey, Nazi Germany, Panmunjom, South Korea, Hollywood, France, Osaka, Japan, Anadolu, NATO, Ukraine

☆ North Korea showcases artillery that poses a deadly threat to the South
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —North Korea on Thursday showed off its long-range artillery systems, thousands of weapons that it could use to strike the South with little warning while causing tens of thousands of casualties, according to experts. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observed both drills and was seen in photos provided by state media. North Korean artillery fires during large-scales exercises on March 7. Even retaliatory strikes by South Korea and the US would be difficult to execute, the report said. In January, Kim called the South the North’s “primary foe and invariable principal enemy” and ordered a reunification monument in the North Korean capital to be demolished.

Persons: Kim Jong, Kim Jong Un, Kim, “, KCNA Kim, ” Organizations: South Korea CNN, South Korean, Korea’s Defense, Monday, North, Korean Central News Agency, Korean People's Army, South Korean Defense Ministry, Peninsula . Artillery, RAND Corp, RAND, ROK, DPRK, U.S, South Locations: Seoul, South Korea, North Korea, United States, Pyongyang, Ukraine, Russia, Korean, Republic of Korea

☆ South Korea and US begin large annual military drills with eye on North Korea
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Brad Lendon | Gawon Bae | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —South Korea and the United States began their annual Freedom Shield joint military drills on Monday to bolster readiness against North Korea. The 11-day drills will integrate elements of “live exercises” with constructive simulations, according to United States Forces Korea (USFK) and South Korea’s Defense Ministry. North Korea has previously condemned US and South Korea joint military drills, but it has not yet made any official comment or response to the current exercises. In January, Kim called the South the North’s “primary foe and invariable principal enemy” and ordered a reunification monument in the North Korean capital to be demolished. Meanwhile, North Korea has fostered closer ties with Russia, providing Moscow with arms for its war in Ukraine.

Persons: Seoul’s, Lee Sung, jun, USFK, Kim Jong, Kim, ” Organizations: South Korea CNN, United States, North, United States Forces, Korea’s Defense Ministry, Chiefs, Staff, South, CNN North Korean Locations: Seoul, South Korea, North Korea, United States Forces Korea, Northeast Asia, Korea, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, East Asia, United States

☆ The US mocked Russia for its motley cast of allies in Ukraine. It's not laughing any more.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

They didn't have the defensive positions prepared," RAND defense researcher Bruce W. Bennett told Business Insider. To work with North Korea, Putin has contravened UN Security Council resolutions he himself signed onto. "If Russia failed to achieve success in Ukraine, meaning it got pushed out of Ukraine, is Putin going to survive physically?" Operating like this "really emboldens North Korea, Iran, and any other autocratic state," said Sanner. AdvertisementIn supplying weapons, Kim Jong Un's regime is unlikely to be driven by a dislike of Ukraine, Bennett said.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, Bruce W, Bennett, Putin, State Anthony Blinken, Mark Milley, Grant Shapps, Beth Sanner, that's, Joseph Byrne, Kim Jong Un, John Herbst, Byrne, ALEXANDER KAZAKOV, Kim, Sergei Lavrov, Kim Jong, would've, Russia's, it's, we're Organizations: Service, RAND, Business, State, Joint Chiefs of Staff, UK Defence, Trump, Biden, Atlantic, Royal United Services Institute, REUTERS, Atlantic Council, Putin, Ukraine —, US, UN, New York Times, North Locations: Ukraine, Iran, North Korea, Pyongyang, Russia, Komsomolsk, Khabarovsk Region, South Korea, Korea, Moscow, KCNA

☆ North Korea's arms factories are going full-tilt making weapons and ammo for Russia's war, says South Korea
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewNorth Korean weapons factories are "operating at full capacity" making arms and ammunition for Russia, South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said on Monday. That's enough cargo space for 3 million rounds of 152 mm artillery shells or 500,000 rounds of 122 mm artillery shells, Shin said. AdvertisementIn exchange, Russia has been sending North Korea food and raw materials needed to create munitions, Shin said. Overall, Moscow is shipping about 30% more goods to Pyongyang than it's receiving from North Korea, Shin added. Meanwhile, the US State Department estimates that North Korea has sent some 10,000 container shipments to Russia since September.

Persons: —, South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won, sik, Shin, it's, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Grant Shapps, Russia's, Kyiv's, Kyrylo Budanov Organizations: Service, South Korean Defense Minister, Yonhap News Agency, Business, US State Department, State Department, UK, GOP Locations: Russia, North Korea, Moscow, Pyongyang, Korea, Vostochny, Ukraine, Russian, Korean

☆ North Korean factories making arms for Russia are ‘operating at full capacity,’ South Korea says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Yoonjung Seo | Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —North Korea’s munitions factories are “operating at full capacity” to produce weapons and shells for Russia, according to South Korea’s defense minister, as Moscow’s devastating war in Ukraine grinds into a third year. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits a munitions factory at an undisclosed location on January 10, 2024. CNN has reached out to South Korea’s defense ministry for comment on the US’ estimate but has not yet received a response. The White House confirmed last month that Russia has been firing North Korean missiles at Ukrainian cities. The US and its allies are also concerned about the technology North Korea is seeking from Russia in return for weaponry.

Persons: Korean Defense Minister Shin Won, sik, Kim Jong Un, ” Shin, Volodymyr Zelensky, Avdiivka, Zelensky, Joe Biden’s, Vladimir Putin Organizations: South Korea CNN, South, Korean Defense Minister, KCNA, Reuters, US State Department, CNN, Ukraine, Kyiv, West, North, Intelligence, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, White House, Korean Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Russia, South, Ukraine, Korea, Washington, Pyongyang, North, Russian, North Korea, Avdiivka, Moscow, Russia’s

☆ Tourists have returned to North Korea for the first time since the pandemic
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Lilit Marcus | Mayumi Maruyama | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

American college student Otto Warmbier was detained on a North Korea trip in 2016, allegedly for stealing a propaganda poster. Courtesy Elena BychcovaRussia and North Korea’s relationshipBefore the pandemic, the largest source of inbound tourists to North Korea wasn’t Russia – it was China. The Russian ski trippers were the first tourists allowed into the hermit kingdom since the pandemic, a sign of Russia’s increasing popularity in North Korea. Now, both say they would consider going to North Korea again someday – but only if the political situation changes. “I hope traveling will save the world.”Another Russian ski trip in North Korea is slated for March 2024.

Persons: Lena Bychcova couldn’t, —, kingdom’s, Kim Jong Un, Otto Warmbier, Bychcova, Ilya Voskresensky, grandpa, Voskresensky, “, KIM, JIN, Kim Won Jin, Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, ” Bychcova, Lena Bychcova, Elena Bychcova, Vladimir Putin, –, Bychcova doesn’t, ”, Kim, Putin, Anna Chernova, Mariya Knight Organizations: CNN, Koryo, ”, Getty, Intelligence, Ukraine, Korean, United, Russia, North Locations: Korea, Russian, North Korea, Tourism, United States, Pyongyang, Korean, Vladivostok, Soviet Russia, AFP, Elena Bychcova Russia, North, Russia, China, United Nations, Ukraine, Yekaterinburg, Ukrainian

☆ Putin looms over a third successive US election
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —“Russia, Russia, Russia.”Ex-President Donald Trump’s scathing catch phrase for a torrent of investigations during his administration also serves as an apt catch-all for the current meltdown over Moscow roiling US politics. But Russia and its leader, whom President Joe Biden described as a “crazy S.O.B.” at a Wednesday fundraiser, won’t go away. All the ways Putin is playing in US politicsPutin is advancing Russian interests against the US on multiple fronts. Putin recently formalized his warming ties with North Korean tyrant Kim Jong Un by presenting him with a new limousine. The Russian leader was particularly incensed by the US-led operation to topple Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Donald Trump’s, Joe Biden, won’t, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Ukraine –, –, Alexander Smirnov, “, Trump, Smirnov, Biden, it’s, Putin can’t, ” Douglas, Alexey Navalny, Biden lambasts Trump, ” Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ronald Reagan, Mikhail Gorbachev, he’s, he’d, Mike Turner, Ksenia, Paul Whelan –, Evan Gershkovich, Geopolitically, Kim Jong Un, George W, Bush, Barack Obama, Moammar Gadhafi, Hillary Clinton, Robert Mueller, “ We’ll, Mueller Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, United States, European NATO, ”, Moscow, House Republicans, GOP, CIA, NATO, Republican Party, Republicans, Republican, Trump, Marine, Wall Street, Putin, Biden, US, Democratic Locations: Russia, Moscow, United States, China, Soviet, East Germany, United, Ukraine, Russian, European, Washington, Asia, Sweden, Finland, Berlin –, Europe, Ukrainian, California, North Korea, Iran, Crimea, Helsinki, Geneva

☆ Putin gave Kim Jong Un a luxury Russian car, deepening their war bromance and ignoring sanctions to do it
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Putin gifted Kim Jong Un a luxury Russian car, defying UN sanctions. AdvertisementRussian President Vladimir Putin gifted North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un a luxury Russian car, openly defying UN sanctions and strengthening the two leaders' close bond. "North Korea is our neighbor, our close neighbor, and we intend, and will continue, to develop our relations with all neighbors, including North Korea." AdvertisementWPK officials, including Kim Jong Un's sister, Kim Yo Jong, accepted the car on his behalf on Sunday, state news outlet KCNA reported. This wouldn't be the first time Kim Jong Un has gotten around the sanctions.

Persons: Putin, Kim Jong, —, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Kim, Mikhail Svetlov, Peskov, Kim Yo Jong, Kamala Harris Organizations: Service, North, Reuters, Russia's Vostochny, Royce, Maybach, Lexus, Ukraine, Norway's Intelligence Service, US Army, Africa Command, NATO, Munich Locations: North Korea, Russia's, Russia's Vostochny Cosmodrome, Korea, Russia, China, Belarus, Iran, Europe, Ukraine, Africa, Germany

☆ Putin gifts car to Kim Jong Un in sign of ‘special personal relations,’ North Korean state media reports
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Yoonjung Seo | Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The Russian-made car for Kim’s personal use was delivered Sunday by a Russian delegation, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian state news agency TASS the car was an Aurus, the luxury automaker founded in 2018 to produce Russia’s official state cars. In January, high-ranking North Korean and Russian diplomats met in Moscow in advance of what North Korean state media says is a forthcoming visit to Pyongyang by Putin — his first in more than 20 years. The North Korean leader is often seen being chauffeured in what’s believed to be a Mercedes-Maybach Pullman Guard armored limousine, worth upwards of $1 million. During Kim’s visit to Russia last September, Putin showed his Aurus limousine to the North Korean leader.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Dmitry Peskov, –, Kim Yo Jong, Putin, Putin —, Kim, “, ”, what’s, Royce, Donald Trump Organizations: South Korea CNN —, Korean, Korean Central News Agency, TASS, Pyongyang, CNN, Putin, North, Maybach Pullman Guard, Maybach S600 Guard, Washington -, Advanced Defense Locations: Seoul, South Korea, United States, Russian, North Korea, Russia, Moscow, Pyongyang, Ukraine, Netherlands, Washington, Singapore

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