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Former President Donald Trump on Monday continued a streak of appearances with controversial influencers, this time in a 90-minute livestream with Adin Ross. During the interview, Trump told Ross that his sons introduced the idea of the collaboration to him, touting how “big” of an influencer he was. In December 2022, Jewish and anti-hate organizations spoke out against Ross’ plans to interview Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West. Ross canceled the interview after a phone call with Ye, during which Ross said that Ye made anti-Jewish comments. Gavin Newsom, who Trump called “New-scum,” and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., whose “spark” Trump praised and Ross referred to as "Alexandra Cortez."

Persons: Donald Trump, Adin Ross, Trump, Ross, YouTuber Logan Paul, JD, influencers, Kamala Harris ’, Kick’s, Ross ’, Ye, Kanye West, influencer Andrew Tate, Paul, Kim Jong, Xi, Gavin Newsom, Alexandria Ocasio, Alexandra Cortez, Elon Musk, ”, Joe Biden Organizations: Mar, YouTube, Nelk Boys, Republican, National Association of Black Journalists, Kanye, California Gov, “, X, Rolex Locations: Venezuela, Romania, North, Alexandria, Cortez, ”

Seoul, South Korea CNN —North Korea claims it is sending 250 new tactical ballistic missile launchers toward its border with South Korea, in the latest bellicose declaration by leader Kim Jong Un against its neighbor. Photographs published by the North Korean state newspaper Rodong Sinmun showed what appears to be vehicle-based missile launchers, with dozens of large green military trucks lined up in neat rows before Kim. Kim personally oversaw the transfer of equipment to military commanders and chiefs of staff, and delivered a speech claiming the new missile launchers were built with North Korean technology, state media reported. In response to the North Korean buildup, the US and South Korea – along with Japan – have stepped up their military cooperation via exercises and deployments that Pyongyang sees as a threat. There have been at least three incidents of South Korea firing warning shots since May after North Korean military personnel crossed the demarcation line, the midpoint of the Demilitarized Zone between the two countries.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, Sinmun, Kim, ” Kim, Joseph Dempsey, “ Organizations: South Korea CNN, North, International Institute for Strategic Studies, South Korea –, North Korean Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Korea, North Korean, Korean, North Korea, North, Pyongyang, Russia, Washington, Japan

In India and China, torrential rains have killed more than 200 people in the past week. Widespread flooding has been reported in North Korea near the border with China with no word on whether anyone died. North Korea: Damage, but no information on deathsThe tropical storm also generated heavy rain in northeast China on the border with North Korea, overflowing the Yalu River, which divides the two countries. In North Korea, the rain flooded 4,100 houses, 7,400 acres of farmland and many public buildings, roads and railways. One city near North Korea asked people living below the third floor to move higher as the Yalu River rose.

Persons: ”, “, Gaemi, KCNA, Kim Jong Un, Kim Organizations: China Meteorological Administration, Rescue, ”, Ministry of Water Resources, AP, State TV Locations: India, China, Pakistan, North Korea, Asia, Kerala, ” India, Philippines, Taiwan, Pacific, Hunan, Zixing, Shanghai . China, North Korea’s, Phyongan, Jilin province, Lahore, Punjab province

☆ North Korea is looking for medicine overseas to treat Kim Jong Un's obesity, spy agency says
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-30 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

North Korea is seeking medicine for Kim Jong Un's obesity, a South Korean spy agency said. Kim, 40, is said to weigh 308 pounds and have high blood pressure and diabetes. Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementNorth Korean officials are looking to find new drugs to treat Kim Jong Un's obesity-related health issues, South Korea's spy agency said.

Persons: Kim Jong, Kim, —, Kim —, Lee Seong Kweun Organizations: Service, National Intelligence Service, AP News, Business Locations: Korea, South Korean

☆ Video: Intel reveals new details about Kim Jong Un’s succession plan
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-29 | by ( Monica Haider | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

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☆ North Korea’s Kim ‘inspects’ flood response as thousands evacuated from China border region after heavy rains
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-29 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | Gawon Bae | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Some 5,000 people were rescued from flood-hit areas along North Korea’s border with China over the weekend in efforts supervised by leader Kim Jong Un, the country’s state media reported Monday. A flooded area in North Korea's North Pyongan province on July 28, pictured in a photo released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency. At least 15 people died following a rain-triggered landslide in central China’s Hunan Province, Chinese state media Xinhua said Sunday. China’s northeast – a key food-growing region which traditionally had been less effected by frequent flooding – is also grappling with heavy rains. In China’s Liaoning province, across the border from North Korea’s North Pyongan, more than 45,000 people were evacuated from their homes as of Sunday morning as heavy rains hit the region, according to Xinhua.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, KCNA, Kim –, Gaemi Organizations: CNN, North Korean, North, Korean Central News Agency, KCNA, Xinhua Locations: China, North Pyongan, Yalu, North Korea, Sinuiju City, Dandong, Asia, North Korea's, Pyongan province, Philippines, Taiwan, China’s Fujian Province, China’s Hunan Province, –, China’s Liaoning, North Korea’s, Xinhua, Southwest Liaoning

☆ North Korea’s trash balloons fall near South’s presidential office
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-24 | by ( Yoonjung Seo | Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The discovery at the presidential office Wednesday came after South Korean authorities warned the public to beware of falling objects as suspected North Korean trash balloons moved south toward the northern area of Gyeonggi province. “While monitoring trash balloons sent by North Korea in cooperation with the Joint Chiefs of Staff today, we identified trash that fell in the presidential office area in Yongsan,” the presidential security service said later in a statement. “North Korea’s actions clearly violate international law and seriously threaten the safety of our citizens,” JCS said in a statement after an earlier balloon incident. Despite repeated North Korean warnings, the South Korean activists were “not stopping this crude and dirty play” she said. The South Korean Defense Ministry said the US planes will join with South Korean F-15, F-16 and FA-50 fighters in exercises that will end August 8.

Persons: –, Kim Jong, Kim Yo Jong, ” Kim Yo Jong, “, Washington Organizations: South Korea CNN, South, North, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Korea’s, Chiefs of Staff, South Korean, North Korean, Korean Central News Agency, US Marine Corps, Suwon Air Base, South Korean Defense Ministry, US Defense Department, Marine Corps, ” Locations: Seoul, South Korea, South, Gyeonggi province, North Korea, Yongsan, Pyongyang, South Korean, North Korean, North Korea’s, United States, ” North Korea, North

☆ North Korea finally set to open a deserted beach town resort next door to a missile test site
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-21 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

North Korea's Wonsan-Kalma beach resort is set to open in May 2025. Kim Jong Un visited the beach earlier this week to finalize plans for the resort's completion. The resort is situated next to a missile test site. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementA long-awaited North Korean beach resort is set to open in May 2025 as part of the country's plans to "boost tourism," North Korean state news agency KCNA reported.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, —, KCNA Organizations: Service, Business Locations: Korea's Wonsan, Korean, Wonsan

☆ A North Korean defector was made a minister in South Korea, likely irking Kim Jong Un, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-18 | by ( Joshua Nelken-Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Tae made a high-profile defection to South Korea in 2016, and was previously an ambassador at the North Korean Embassy in London. The appointment makes him the first North Korean defector to be given a vice-ministerial job in South Korea, according to AP. Related stories"He's definitely considered a traitor of the current North Korean regime and I think that's how they'll paint it," she said. But "North Korea doesn't consider the Council to be particularly relevant," Pardo, the KF-VUB Korea Chair, told BI. Smith added: "He has been and will continue to be actively involved in campaigns that expose the North Korean government and the problems of the North Korean population."

Persons: —, Yoon Suk, Yongho, Tae, Ramon Pacheco Pardo, Sarah A ., Kim Jong, He's, Pardo, Hazel Smith, Smith, It's Organizations: Service, Korea, Advisory Council, North Korean Embassy, Business, North, KF, VUB, Brussels School, Governance, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, National Assembly, CNN, Korean Studies, University of Sheffield, South Korea's National Assembly, Korea doesn't, SOAS University of London, South Korean, Korean Locations: North Korean, South Korea, London, VUB Korea, Vrije, North, Korea, North Korea

The echoes of well-known North Korean songs celebrating friendship spilled into nearby neighborhoods, as families filled booths serving both North and South Korean treats such as the deep-fried confection yakgwa, and fruit punch, or hwachae. A booth at the Defectors' Day festival sells North Korean styles of traditional treats, including watermelon punch (hwachae) and the deep-fried sweet yakgwa. Maybe there (are) many thousands of thousands of North Korean defectors who want to come to (South) Korea and have a prosperous life. “We express our respect and applause to the 34,000 North Korean defectors who are pioneering new lives every day (in South Korea), he said. “I didn’t know that a day like Defectors’ Day would happen, but now that it has been established, I feel like I have to work harder,” she said.

Persons: ’, Kim Jong Un, Mike Valerio, ”, resettling, –, Daeheyon, ‘, ’ ”, “, Kwon Ji, Yoonjung Seo, Yoon Suk Yeol, ” Yoon, “ It’s, Han Bong, he’d Organizations: South Korea CNN —, North, South, CNN, ”, Sunday, Blue House Locations: Seoul, South Korea, North Korea, Pyongyang, North, South, Korean, China, Asia, South Koreans, Korea, North Koreans

☆ Japan warns of rising tensions over China's military drills near Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Anti-aircraft artilleries at a military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II on Sept. 3, 2015 in Beijing, China. "Because of that increase in military activity we cannot discount the possibility of heightened tensions," Japan said for the first time in its annual Defense White Paper. With its westernmost island only 68 miles from Taiwan, Japan hosts more than 50,000 American troops, hundreds of U.S. military aircraft, and an aircraft carrier strike group that Washington could deploy to defend Taiwan. Japan's 548-page assessment also highlighted China's plans to double its nuclear arsenal to more than 1,000 warheads by 2030. It mentioned attempts by neighboring North Korea to boost its nuclear strike capability with surveillance satellites and new, more advanced missiles, some with sufficient range to strike the United States.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Organizations: NATO, Taiwan, North Locations: Beijing, China, Japan, Taiwan, readying, North Korea, Russia, U.S, Washington, Ukraine, Europe, United States, Moscow, Pyongyang

☆ North Korea executed 30 teenagers for watching South Korean dramas: reports
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-12 | by ( Hannah Abraham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewIn North Korea, watching your favorite Korean dramas could end in tragedy. According to reports from South Korean news outlets Chosun TV and Korea JoongAng Daily, around 30 middle schoolers were publicly shot last week for watching South Korean dramas. Despite eyewitness accounts compiled by Amnesty International, the North Korean government has denied that public executions take place in the country. Recently, experts have speculated that North Korean military personnel could be sent to aid Russian efforts in Ukraine, following closer ties between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russia's President Vladimir Putin. AdvertisementRepresentatives from North Korea and the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea didn't immediately reply to requests for comment.

Persons: —, Kim Jong, Vladimir Putin, North Korea didn't Organizations: Service, South, Chosun, Business, Korean Unification Ministry, Korean, Rights, South Korea's Ministry of Unification, Amnesty International, North Korean, North, Korea Herald, Human Rights Locations: Korea, South Korean, North, South Korea, Japan, UN, Kangwon Province, North Korea, Ukraine

☆ NATO allies call China a ‘decisive enabler’ of Russia in Ukraine war as bloc eyes Asia security threats
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-11 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Hong Kong CNN —China is a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s war against Ukraine, NATO leaders said Wednesday, as the defense alliance hardens its stance on Beijing and the “systemic challenges” they say it poses to their countries’ security. For the third consecutive year, leaders of New Zealand, Japan and South Korea attended the NATO leaders’ summit in another sign of closer ties between the bloc and those countries, as well as Australia. NATO’s increasing focus on AsiaThe NATO leaders’ declaration is the latest step in what has been the bloc’s gradual hardening of tone on China in recent years. NATO leaders first mentioned the need to jointly address “opportunities and challenges” posed by China in a 2019 declaration, before moving to refer to “systemic challenges” the country poses in 2021. “The Indo-Pacific is important for NATO, given that developments in that region directly affect Euro-Atlantic security,” the leaders said in their declaration.

Persons: ”, Joe Biden, China’s, “, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Bobylov, –, Putin, Kim Jong Un Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, NATO, US, ’, Getty Images China, Union, European Union, EU, Wednesday, North Locations: China, Hong Kong, Ukraine, Beijing, Washington, Russia, Moscow, North America, Europe, Asia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Russian, ”, North Korea, Iran, Pyongyang, Tehran, North, Pacific

☆ South Korea: Flying aboard the AC-130J Ghostrider, carrying America’s biggest gun in the sky
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Brad Lendon | Mike Valerio | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

AC-130 gunners Joe Gipson (back) and Isaac Dowell tend the 105mm cannon aboard a US Air Force AC-130J during a live-fire exercise over South Korea. A 105mm howitzer is seen at the rear of a US Air Force AC-130J at Osan Air Base, South Korea, in early June 2024. ‘Spooky’ historyUS Air Force gunships trace their lineage back to the Vietnam War, when the service set up 7.62 mm guns to fire out one side of a C-47 transport aircraft. With the AC-130J model, introduced in 2017, the Air Force removed the machine guns in favor of the more precision-guided munitions. The AC-130’s crew acknowledges the dangers of ground fire to their aircraft, and some analysts question its usefulness in any potential conflict with North Korea.

Persons: Ghostrider, Joe Gipson, Isaac Dowell, Brad Lendon, John Ikenberry, Kim Jong Un, ” Ikenberry, Heath Curtis, Mike Valerio, Curtis, ”, Justin Burris, Peter Layton, Layton, Maj, Christopher Mesnard, CNN’s Yoonjung Seo, Gawon Bae Organizations: Korean Peninsula CNN, US Air Force AC, CNN, Air Force Special Operations Command, US Air Force, Osan Air Base, South, Air Force, National Museum of, Operation, US, Griffith Asia Institute, Royal Australian Air Force, Operations Command Locations: Hurlburt Field, Florida, South Korea, Seoul, North Korea, Washington, Korea, Maj, New Mexico, United States, Vietnam, Asia, Grenada, Panama, Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Kunduz, Iraqi, Persian, Khafji, Saudi Arabia, Korean, Australia, Operations Command Korea

☆ North Korean troops could be sent to Ukraine due to their sheer numbers, not their effectiveness, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-07 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewSpeculation has been growing that North Korea could send troops to Ukraine. As of now, the prospect of North Korean soldiers being deployed to Ukraine is speculative and unlikely, experts told Business Insider. "Given what we know about nutrition in North Korea, even in the army, they might have issues," he told BI. But if it does, he added that North Korean soldiers may "simply" be helping rebuild a destroyed city like Mariupol. Bennett, from RAND, said he thinks it is "fairly likely" that North Korea will send troops to Ukraine, without elaborating further.

Persons: —, Pat Ryder, Edward Howell, John Hardie, Evans Revere, Albright, Revere, George W, Bush, Bruce Bennett, Kim Jong Un, Bennett, Kim, Wallace Gregson, Benjamin Young, Young, Guns, Hardie, Howell Organizations: Service, South Korea's, Chosun, Korean, Business, Pentagon, Military Commission, Institute, North, Korea, Chatham, Programme, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Korean People's Army, Group, East, RAND, US Marine Corps, Pacific Security Affairs, Chatham House, Virginia Commonwealth University, Great Locations: Korea, Ukraine, Russia, North Korea, South, Chatham House's Asia, Korean, East Asia, Pacific, South Korea, Koreans, Howell, Chatham, Europe, Mariupol

☆ North Koreans have a new fashion accessory — Kim Jong Un lapel pins. Here's what they mean for the supreme leader's legacy.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-06 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewNorth Korean officials have been spotted wearing lapel pins featuring the image of the country's supreme leader, Kim Jong Un. A pin on a North Korean state cameraman showing Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. While Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il have been immortalized by national holidays marking their birthdays, statues, and portraits across North Korea, relatively few images featuring Kim Jong Un have been found in public since he came to power in 2011. North Korea, Kim, and PutinNorth Korea was founded in 1948 under Kim Il Sung as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. In recent years, the country's current leader, Kim Jong Un, has sought to develop increasingly strong ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Persons: —, Kim Jong Un, Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un's, Jorge Silva, Kim Jong, he's, Edward Howell, Howell, Kim, Peter Moody, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Service, Workers, Party, North, Associated Press, Business, REUTERS, Workers ' Party, Sungkyunkwan University, Telegraph, Putin, Democratic People's Locations: Korean, North Korea, Korea, Putin North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, South Korea, Moscow, Ukraine, Pyongyang

☆ Demands in the Middle East risk leaving an aircraft carrier-sized hole in US naval power in the Western Pacific
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-05 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The only US carrier in the area is on its way to the Middle East following a series of military drills in the Pacific. Sailors conduct flight operations on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt near Indonesia. The Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is anchored in Busan, South Korea. The aircraft carrier Shandong and a Chinese amphibious assault ship conducted an exercise in the South China Sea earlier this week. AdvertisementLately, China has also ramped up altercations with the Philippines in contested waters in the South China Sea.

Persons: —, Theodore Roosevelt Carrier, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Roosevelt, Gerald R, Dwight D, Eisenhower, Theodore Roosevelt, Navy Petty, Andrew Benvie, Ronald Reagan, Carl Vinson, Song Kyung Organizations: Service, US Navy, Business, Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group, North, South Korean, Nimitz, Ford, Navy, Pentagon, Western Pacific, USNI News, Information, AP, South China, Coast Guard Locations: China, South Korea, Japan, North Korea, Gulf of Aden, Israel, Indonesia, Pacific, Russia, Philippines, Western, Eastern Pacific, Hawaii, Philippine, Busan, Shandong, South, Soviet, Liaoning, China's, Fujian, Beijing, South China

☆ Putin and Kim Jong Un are getting alarmingly close, and it's put US ally South Korea in a predicament
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-04 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read previewRussia and North Korea's newfound friendship has left key US ally South Korea in a predicament with few good options. Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Pyongyang, where he and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un further strengthened their partnership. SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA: A TV at Yongsan Railway Station shows North Korea's fired Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un drive a Russian Aurus limousine during their meeting in Pyongyang, North Korea. With Putin supporting North Korea, tensions are higher between Pyongyang and Seoul, and the two could find themselves on the brink.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong, Korea's, KIM Jae, Sue Mi Terry, Putin, he's, Victor Cha, they've, Cha, Terry, what's, Caesar, LIONEL BONAVENTURE, Kim Organizations: Service, North, Business, SOUTH, Getty, Council, Foreign Relations, South Korean, Ukraine, KCNA, Reuters, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Putin Locations: Russia, North, South Korea, Seoul, Ukraine, North Korea, Russian, Pyongyang, SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA, Yongsan, Korea, North Korean, Moscow, Asia, Poland, Ukrainian, Tarbes, France, Kyiv, China, United States

☆ Modi to visit Moscow next week as Kremlin says ‘all issues on the agenda’
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-04 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Moscow next week for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine, a sign of the growing relationship between the two countries even as New Delhi maintains strong ties with the United States. Modi’s visit is widely seen as the latest dent in efforts by Western leaders to cast Putin aside. India’s ties with Russia date back decades to the Cold War and have remained strong despite repeated sanctions on Moscow from Western governments. Confirmation of Modi’s visit comes as Russia draws ever closer to China, potentially making New Delhi uncomfortable due to its longstanding Himalayan border dispute with Beijing that has simmered in recent years. But Modi’s visit is set against the backdrop of India’s growing relations with the US, as both countries share concerns over China’s assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Modi, Vladimir Putin, ” Modi’s, China –, Modi’s, Putin, Xi Jinping, ”, Dmitry Peskov, Kim Jong Un, China’s, Joe Biden, Gan Organizations: CNN, Indian, India’s Ministry, External Affairs, Kremlin, Russia, United Nations Security Council, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, SCO, US, North Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Delhi, United States, India, China, Western, New Delhi, Beijing, Kazakhstan, Pyongyang, Brazil, South Africa, Washington, Japan, Australia, ’

☆ Putin getting tight with Kim Jong Un could be as big of a problem for China as it is for the US
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-30 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Last week, Putin visited North Korea for the first time in 24 years. AdvertisementSouth Korea's 24-hour Yonhapnews TV shows a file image of North Korea's missile launch during a news program on a TV at Yongsan Railroad Station in Seoul. The closeness of Russia and North Korea leaves Chinese leader Xi Jinping in a rather odd spot as well. AdvertisementNow, that's seemingly only going to grow as the US and its allies watch North Korea and Russia more closely. Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un pose for a photo during a signing ceremony of the new partnership in Pyongyang, North Korea.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong, it's, Putin, Kim Jae, Joe Biden isn't, Xi Jinping, Victor Cha, Joe Biden, SAUL LOEB, Kim, Donald Trump, Cha, they'll, Li Jian, Kristina Kormilitsyna, Kurt Campbell, Campbell Organizations: Service, North, Business, Getty, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Getty Images, UN, South, KCNA, REUTERS, Democratic People's, Council, Foreign Relations Locations: Ukraine, China, Korea, North Korea, Pyongyang, Russia, North, Yongsan, Seoul, North Korea's, United States, Asia, Nusa Dua, Bali, Getty Images Beijing, People's Republic of China, Beijing, Korean, South Korea, Japan, DPRK, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Russian, Sputnik, Northeast Asia

For many years, South Korean activists and North Korean defectors have sent balloons to the North, loaded with propaganda material criticizing dictator Kim Jong Un and USB sticks filled with K-pop songs and South Korean television shows – all strictly prohibited in the impoverished, highly isolated nation. Choi, co-founder of the Committee for Reforming and Opening North Korea, is among the North Korean defectors who have vowed to continue sending balloons to their homeland. The leaflets include declarations of freedom for the North Korean people, and propaganda messages against dictator Kim Jong Un. Charles Miller/CNNFitted with GPS trackers, the activists can monitor these next generation “smart” balloons in real time on journeys that often span hundreds of kilometers. Relations between the two countries thawed somewhat in 2017 and 2018, allowing some South Korean elements, including parts of its pop culture, to seep into the hermit nation.

Persons: Choi, Kim Jong, Kim Yo Jong, North, Yoonjung Seo, Kim Jong Un, Charles Miller, ” Choi, “ It’s, ‘, ’ ”, Kim ramped, Vladimir Putin, ” Organizations: South Korea CNN, CNN, South, North, South Korean, North Korean, GPS, Workers ’ Party, Nations, Chiefs of Staff Locations: Seoul, South Korea, North Korea, South Korea’s, South Korean, Korean, Pyongyang, Korea, China, “ North Korea, North Korean, Japan, United States

☆ Biden aims to paint Trump as a man whose foreign policy makes him too dangerous to be in the Oval Office
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-26 | by ( Mj Lee | Kevin Liptak | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Washington CNN —President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump’s foreign policy positions have sometimes seemed like an afterthought in an election with domestic concerns at its heart. One campaign official told CNN that if and when foreign policy issues come up Thursday night, the contrast that Biden will try to paint could not be starker. “President Biden stands up to dictators and defends freedom – Trump is a loser who is too dangerous and reckless to ever be anywhere close to the Oval Office again,” the official said. One potential difficulty for Biden and his advisers might be identifying Trump’s positions on several foreign policy areas. And on Trump, Biden is expected to deploy a broad accusation: That Trump abandoned US allies, cozied up to dictators and generally made the world less safe.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump’s, –, Trump, Biden, Jake Sullivan, David, “, – Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu, Vladimir Putin’s, Kim Jong, Donald Trump, ”, he’s, Netanyahu, Volodymyr Zelensky, ‘ Organizations: Washington CNN, Biden, Republican, Democratic, CNN, Oval, North, Trump, ”, NATO, Republican Party, Ukrainian, Group Locations: Atlanta, Europe, Gaza, Ukraine, China, Beijing, North Korean, ” Russia, “, Israel, Kyiv, Italy, United States

☆ Italian animation company agrees to $538,000 penalty for ‘apparent violations’ of US sanctions on North Korea
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-26 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —An Italian animation company has agreed to pay the US Treasury Department $538,000 for “apparent violations” of US sanctions against North Korea by doing business with a North Korean state-owned animation studio, the department said Wednesday. The outsourcing contract made explicit reference to North Korea, the department said. Mondo’s use of the US financial system to send money to North Korea triggered the Treasury investigation and the threat of fines. Along with Russia, North Korea is among the most heavily sanctioned governments in the world. But the North Korean animation industry has provided an important source of revenue for Pyongyang, according to experts.

Persons: It’s, Mondo, Matteo Corradi, Kim Jong Un, “ It’s, Jenny Town, CNN’s Gianluca Mezzofiore Organizations: CNN, US Treasury, North, Treasury, Mondo TV, Tigers, Treasury Department, Stimson, United Nations Locations: Italian, North Korea, Korean, Rome, China, Italy, London, North Korean, Korea, ”, Russia, Pyongyang

☆ North Korea's Kim Jong Un could get his hands on some worrying military tech in exchange for throwing Russia a war lifeline
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-26 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Support from North Korea — in the form of weapons and ammunition — helps Russia keep up the pressure. KCNA via REUTERSOne of the biggest asks from Kim could be technology for nuclear-powered submarines, which North Korea is trying to build. North Korea currently maintains one of the world's largest fleets, with estimates ranging from 64 to 86 total subs. Much of the country's stockpiles date back decades, and US and South Korean officials have raised doubts about the effectiveness of these weapons. AdvertisementBut how this plays out is not all about what North Korea wants.

Persons: —, Kim Jong, Kim, Putin, Victor Cha, Kim Jae, Getty Images Putin, Cha, JUNG YEON, Kurt Campbell, There's, Scott Snyder, he's Organizations: Service, Business, Center for Strategic, International Studies, East, SOUTH, Getty Images, North Korea —, KCNA, REUTERS, Korean, Fighter, Korean People's Army, Reuters, Korea's Air Force, North, CSIS, Korea Economic Institute of America Locations: Korea, Ukraine, Moscow, Pyongyang, Russia, Asia, East Asia, North Korea, SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA, Yongsan, Seoul, Russian, South Korea

☆ The Biden-Trump debate will lay bare a fateful national crossroads
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-25 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The country is confronting a perilous moment, internally estranged over politics and culture and as multiple foreign policy crises deepen. Biden has dedicated his term to expanding NATO to counter the Kremlin’s onslaught on Ukraine and threat to wider Europe. This leaves Biden badly needing to use Thursday night’s debate to convince voters that he can make their lives better — and soon. Post-game coverage of Thursday’s debate is certain to zero in on the best verbal jabs, soundbites and the stamina and energy of the rival candidates. But the most meaningful impact of the clash between Trump and Biden will only begin to unfold after noon on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2025.

Persons: Al, George H.W, Richard Nixon’s, Donald Trump’s, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Trump, Robert Frost’s, Biden, he’s, “, he’d, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Nikoletta Stoyanova, didn’t, they’ve, Trump’s, Jerome Powell, Kamala Harris, Lyndon Johnson, He’s Organizations: CNN, White, GOP, NATO, Trump, North, America, 57th Motorized Brigade, Republican Party, Federal, ABC Locations: America, Russia, China, Ukraine, Europe, Beijing, Gaza, United States, Vovchansk, Kharkiv Region, Nevada

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