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☆ North Korean TV censors British gardening show host’s jeans
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —North Korea’s state broadcaster, KCTV, has blurred out a pair of jeans worn by veteran British TV host Alan Titchmarsh as part of the country’s censorship of foreign fashion and culture. Nam Sung-wook, a professor of North Korean Studies at Korea University in Seoul, told CNN that the censorship shows North Korea is strictly implementing the newly adopted Reactionary Ideology and Culture Rejection Act. “The act aims to prohibit North Korean residents from imitating foreign countries in various aspects, including how they’re dressed and speak,” he said. “They have had campaigns against anti-socialist culture since at least the early 1990s,” said Ward. Foreign materials like books and movies are banned, often with severe punishments for those caught with black market contraband.

Persons: Alan Titchmarsh, KCTV, ”, Titchmarsh, “ I’ve, Nam Sung, Peter Ward, Kim Jong Il, “ Organizations: CNN, BBC, North Korean Studies, Korea University, Sejong Institute, “, Korean Central News Agency, United Nations Locations: Korea’s, British, Seoul, Korea, South Korea, Soviet Union, North Korea

☆ Kim Jong Un has broken with decades of North Korean policy – does it mean he’s planning for war?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

The two sides have been cut off from each other since 1953, when an armistice ended the Korean War, and remain technically at war. Yoon and Biden have sharpened their countries’ deterrence plans and coordination in the face of North Korea’s threats and weapons development. If anything, some analysts believe, North Korea’s public statements signal that North Korea is abandoning its reunification policy in pursuit of peace on the peninsula. Vladimir Smirnov/AFP/Getty ImagesAn ‘emboldened’ KimThe North Korean leader may also feel more confident about his arsenal and his options as he watches a shifting global landscape. “Kim Jong Un is wary of a full-scale provocation by the South Korean military disguised as a military exercise and has vowed to occupy South Korean territory without hesitation,” said Lim in Changwon.

Persons: Kim Jong, South Korea –, ” Kim, ”, Kim, ’, Robert Carlin, Siegfred Heckler, Chul Lim, “, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Edward Howell, Yoon Suk Yeol, Ayse, ” He’s, Yoon, Biden, Seoul . Kim, Trump, Lim, “ That’s, Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin, Vladimir Smirnov, ’ Kim, “ Kim Jong, …, Rachel Minyoung Lee, Howell, “ Kim Jong Un, Lee, Japan – Organizations: CNN, South, Korean Central News Agency, Reuters, North Korea Research Center, University’s Institute, Far Eastern, University of Oxford, Japan, Ewha Womans University, US, North, Russia's Vostochny, Getty, Stimson, –, White, United Nations Security Council, West, South Korean Defense Ministry, ”, Trump, North Korean Locations: Ukraine, Gaza, North Korea, South Korea, Korea, Republic of Korea, Kim, Washington, Seoul, Tokyo, United States, Korea’s, Changwon, Pyongyang, Russia, United Kingdom, Japan, Guam, Gon, Seoul ., Russian, Russia's, China, Iran, denuclearization, Western, North, Moscow, Beijing, Oxford, Jeju, South, “

[1/4] The 9th Session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is held at the Mansudae Assembly Hall, in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this picture obtained by Reuters on September 28, 2023. KCNA via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Sept 28 (Reuters) - North Korea has adopted a constitutional amendment to enshrine its policy on nuclear force, state media reported on Thursday, as the country's leader pledged to accelerate production of nuclear weapons to deter what he called U.S. provocations. "The DPRK's nuclear force-building policy has been made permanent as the basic law of the state, which no one is allowed to flout with anything," North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said, addressing the parliament. The amendment comes a year after North Korea officially enshrined in law the right to use preemptive nuclear strikes to protect itself, a move Kim had said would make its nuclear status "irreversible". The announcement by parliament also comes after North Korean state media said on Wednesday Pyongyang had decided to expel Private Travis King, the U.S. soldier who ran into North Korea in July.

Persons: KCNA, Kim Jong Un, Kim, Vladimir Putin, Yang Moo, Yoon Suk Yeol, Travis King, Soo, hyang Choi, Hyonhee, Ed Davies, Josie Kao, Lincoln Organizations: Supreme People's Assembly, Democratic People's, Reuters, KCNA, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Supreme, Assembly, North, U.S, NATO, Moscow, Analysts, University of North Korean Studies, South, Wednesday Pyongyang, Thomson Locations: Democratic People's Republic, Korea, Mansudae, Pyongyang, North Korea, Rights SEOUL, DPRK, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, U.S, United States, South Korea, Japan, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Northeast Asia, Seoul, North Korean, China

SEOUL, Aug 24 (Reuters) - North Korea appears to have made progress in its space program, despite a second rocket failure on Thursday, but its unusually quick launch pace may be causing problems, analysts said. North Korea's second attempt to place a spy satellite in orbit failed after the booster experienced a problem with its third stage, state media reported. South Korea scheduled nearly a year between each of the three launches of its new Nuri rocket, none of which failed as spectacularly as the North Korean attempts. North Korea plans to launch the Chollima-1 three times in less than six months. "I am not sure if North Korean leadership knows the characteristics of large-scale science," he said.

Persons: Jeffrey Lewis, James Martin, Chang Young, Kim Jong, Yang Uk, Nuri, Yang Moo, Kim, Lee Choon, Hyonhee Shin, hyang Choi, Josh Smith, Gerry Doyle Organizations: James, James Martin Center, Nonproliferation, Korea Aerospace University, Asan Institute, Policy Studies, University of North Korean Studies, South Korea's Science, Technology Policy Institute, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, North Korea, South Korea, Pyongyang, Seoul, Korea, Korean

☆ North Korea's Kim blasts 'irresponsible' top officials for flood damage
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/6] North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gives a field guidance in South Pyongan Province, North Korea, in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on August 21, 2023. KCNA via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Aug 22 (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has lashed out at top officials for their "irresponsible" response to flood damage, saying they had "spoiled" the national economy, state media reported on Tuesday. Such irresponsibility and lack of discipline from officials is "mainly attributable to the feeble work attitude and wrong viewpoint of the premier of the cabinet," Kim said. This week's visit is the latest in a series of inspections the North Korean leader has made of flood-hit farmlands amid mounting concerns over a food crisis in the reclusive country. Lim Eul-chul, a professor of North Korean studies at South Korea's Kyungnam University, said Kim's harsh criticism could herald a cabinet reshuffle.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, Kim Jong, Kim, KCNA, Kim Tok Hun, Kim Tok, Lim Eul, Lim, Soo, hyang Choi, Miral Organizations: North, Korean Central News Agency, KCNA, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, North Korean, Korea's Kyungnam University, Thomson Locations: South Pyongan Province, North Korea, Rights SEOUL

SEOUL, Aug 16 (Reuters) - North Korea's claim on Wednesday that U.S. soldier Travis King fled racism and abuse in America comes as Pyongyang pushes back on Washington's criticism of the North's human rights record. King has not been directly heard from, but an uncle in United States told media this month his nephew said he experienced racism during his military service. During the protests after the police killing of George Floyd in 2020, North Korean officials cited "extreme racists" in America and criticised authorities' response for threatening to "unleash even dogs for suppression". North Korean state media has its own history of issuing racially charged statements. A landmark 2014 U.N. report on North Korean human rights concluded that North Korean security chiefs - and possibly leader Kim Jong Un himself - should face justice for overseeing a state-controlled system of Nazi-style atrocities.

Persons: Travis King, King, Lim Eul, Donald Trump, George Floyd, Harrison Kim, Eldridge Cleaver, ”, Barack Obama, gaunt, Obama, Kim Jong Un, Josh Smith, Soo, hyang Choi, Gerry Doyle Organizations: U.S . Army, United Nations Security, U.S, North, Korea's Kyungnam University, University of Hawaii, NK News, Black Panther Party, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, America, Pyongyang, Korea, United States, North Korea, U.S, Charlottesville , Virginia, Seoul, North Korean, African, China

☆ North Korea to welcome China and Russia with military display after pandemic isolation
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Josh Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

MILITARY DISPLAYSImages from Russia's defence ministry and North Korean media showed Shoigu being greeted by North Korean defence minister Kang Sun Nam and Russian ambassador Alexander Matsegora at the airport, and rows of North Korean and Russia troops. The only defence treaty China and North Korea have is with each other. Amid international sanctions over North Korea's missile and nuclear programmes - which both Moscow and Beijing voted to impose - China has become by far North Korea's largest trading partner. Russia and China have rebuffed recent attempts by the United States and some European countries to impose new sanctions on North Korea. "If North Korea also sends a high-level delegation to China for the upcoming Hangzhou Asian Games, it means the resumption of high-level 'shuttle diplomacy' between North Korea and China since the COVID-19 pandemic," he said.

Persons: Sergei Shoigu, Li Hongzhong, Anthony Rinna, Travis King, Rinna, Shoigu, Kang Sun Nam, Alexander Matsegora, Wagner, Kim, Yang Moo, Dave Schmerler, James Martin, Schmerler, Kim Jong Un, KCNA, denuclearisation, Yang, Josh Smith, Michael Perry Organizations: Korean People's Army, North, Korean Central News Agency, KCNA, Russian, Communist Party, United Nations Security Council, Washington, U.S, Sino, NK, United, University of North Korean Studies, James, James Martin Center, Nonproliferation Studies, Reuters, Fatherland, Thomson Locations: Pyongyang, North Korea, China, U.S, SEOUL, United States, Russia, Beijing, Moscow, Korea, North Korean, Washington, Russian, Korean, Ukraine, Seoul, North, Hangzhou

SEOUL, July 25 (Reuters) - Tourists should expect far stricter supervision if visits to the border between North and South Korea resume, analysts said, after U.S. soldier Travis King used an organised tour to get close enough to dash across to North Korea last week. The U.S.-led United Nations Command (UNC), which oversees the area, has indefinitely suspended all JSA tours after King's unauthorised crossing. Not all DMZ tours stop at the JSA, which is the only spot where visitors can step up to and even briefly over the border into the North. Visiting JSA is free of charge for South Korean nationals, but the tour King was on started at $180, according to a Tripadvisor listing. King's case would be the first successful border crossing by a JSA tourist ever, Zwetsloot said.

Persons: Travis King, King, Andrew Harrison, I've, Jacco Zwetsloot, Zwetsloot, we'll, Lim Eul, Banning, Lim, Harrison, Soo, hyang Choi, Josh Smith, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: U.S . Army, Joint Security Area, United Nations Command, UNC, JSA, NK, South, North, Kyungnam University, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, North, South Korea, Korea, Panmunjom, Washington, The U.S, Seoul

SEOUL/TOKYO, July 12 (Reuters) - North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) off its east coast on Wednesday, prompting U.S. condemnation, as well as from the leaders of South Korea and Japan who met on the sidelines of a NATO summit. The White House condemned the launch and said it would take all necessary measures to ensure its security and that of South Korea and Japan. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, in Lithuania for the NATO summit, convened an emergency national security council meeting and vowed to use the summit to call for strong international solidarity to confront such threats. [1/3]Passengers wait for their train in front of a TV broadcasting a news report on North Korea firing a ballistic missile off its east coast, at a railway station in Seoul, South Korea, July 12, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Hong-JiThe top military generals of the United States, Japan and South Korea gathered for a rare trilateral meeting in Hawaii just before the missile launch.

Persons: Hirokazu Matsuno, Adam Hodge, Yoon Suk Yeol, Yoon, Fumio Kishida, Kishida, Kim Hong, Ji, Kim Dong, Yang, Leif, Eric Easley, Josh Smith, Soo, hyang Choi, Hyunsu Yim, Hyonhee, Rami Ayyub, David Brunnstrom, Elaine Lies, Tom Hogue, Lincoln, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: NATO, House, National Security, REUTERS, University of North Korean Studies, Analysts, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Asan Institute, Policy Studies, Ewha Womans University, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, TOKYO, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Korean, American, Pyongyang, Lithuania, Japanese, United States, Australia, New Zealand, Seoul, Hawaii, Japan's, U.S, Washington, Tokyo

☆ Kim Jong Un inspected North Korea's first military spy satellite, says its launch is an 'urgent requirement' for the defense of his country
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Kim Jong Un inspected North Korea's first finished military spy satellite on Tuesday, per reports. Photos show Kim and his daughter, Kim Ju Ae, inspecting what appears to be components of the military spy satellite. Beforehand, Kim met with the non-permanent satellite-launching preparatory committee, a group tasked with launching the satellite, Reuters reported, citing North Korean media. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae meet with members of the non-permanent satellite-launching preparatory committee on May 16, 2023. KCNA via REUTERSTensions between North Korea and its southern neighbor, as well as with the US, continue to be frought.

☆ North Korea Marks Weapons Advance With Launch of Solid-Fueled ICBM
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Jiyoung Sohn | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

On Friday, North Korea said the ICBM, which it called the Hwasongpho-18, would “radically promote the effectiveness of its nuclear counterattack posture,” according to state media. A South Korean military official said on Thursday that Seoul suspected North Korea had fired a new type of ballistic missile that uses solid fuel. Pyongyang has been developing solid-fueled ICBMs—which require less preparation time to launch and are easier to conceal—but hadn’t previously fired one. “North Korea has continuously stressed the development of new war deterrence capabilities. The country’s test of an apparent solid-fuel ICBM is likely meant to show that North Korea will carry through with its warnings,” said Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.

☆ North Korean Parade Puts Missile Production Prowess on Display
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Dasl Yoon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

North Korea has never showcased that many nuclear missiles at one time. The Wednesday parade suggested North Korea was expanding its stockpile of nuclear missiles that threaten the U.S. and its allies’ missile defense systems. North Korea has been developing solid-fueled ICBMs that require less preparation time to launch. North Korean state media didn’t report on any remarks by Mr. Kim, who has skipped speeches at previous military parades. “The main objective of Wednesday’s military parade is to show North Korea’s growing missile capability to strike the U.S. mainland,” said Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University.

☆ North Korea says its new spy satellite hit a major milestone, but it may be 'too crude' to be useful
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Park Chan-Kyong | South China Morning Post | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

North Korea launched a rocket carrying a test satellite was launched on Sunday. The rocket carrying the test satellite was launched on Sunday to assess its photography and data transmission systems, state media said. North Korea launched Hwasong-17 ICBMs in February and March, claiming they were spy satellite test launches. South Korea, Japan and US authorities on Sunday said they detected a pair of ballistic-missile launches by North Korea from its northwestern Tongchang-ri area, where the North's satellite launch pad is located. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter with what North Korean media called a Hwasong-17 ICBM in Pyongyang on November 18.

☆ North Korea says it tested 'high-thrust solid-fuel motor' for apparent ICBM development
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] A view of a "high-thrust solid-fuel motor" test to develop a new strategic weapon, at the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground in Tongchang-ri, North Korea, December 15, 2022, in this photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). KCNA via REUTERSSEOUL, Dec 16 (Reuters) - North Korea has tested a "high-thrust solid-fuel motor", state media reported on Friday, as the isolated country seeks to develop a new strategic weapon and speeds up its nuclear and missile programmes. The static firing test proved the motor's reliability and stability, providing a "guarantee for the development of another new-type strategic weapon system", KCNA added. North Korea has been working to build more solid-fuel missiles, which are more stable and can be launched with almost no warning or preparation time. North Korea has conducted an unprecedented number of missile tests this year, including an ICBM capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, despite international bans and sanctions.

North Korea accused the United States and South Korea of provoking tensions on the peninsula. “I think we should focus on the facts not on what North Korea claims.”North Korea didn't release information about the specific missile models test fired last week. North Korea missile launches, unknown location, North Korea, November 2022. “What if North Korea conducted tests to obtain certain data it wanted to verify during the missile development?” Kim asked. Shin said the multiple launches could be a sign that North Korea is racing to prove its capabilities.

☆ Analysis: Why is North Korea testing so many missiles?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Josh Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Analysts say North Korean leader Kim Jong Un seems to genuinely dislike the allied drills, and particularly the involvement of U.S. stealth fighters. After North Korea conducted an apparent intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test on Thursday, the allies announced they would be extending Vigilant Storm past Friday. "North Korea is aiming to increase its deterrence capabilities," he said. If North Korea prefers to conduct a nuclear test in a crisis, it is well on its way to manufacturing one." North Korea has completed all the technical preparations for a nuclear test - its first since 2017 - according to South Korean and U.S. officials.

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