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☆ South Korea's Yoon heading to New York next week for UN General Assembly
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol attends the ASEAN-South Korea Summit at the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, September 6, 2023. Tatan Syuflana/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Sept 14 (Reuters) - South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will visit New York next week to attend the United Nations General Assembly, Yoon's office said on Thursday. Yoon is scheduled to depart on Sept. 18 for the five-day trip during which he is expected to give a keynote speech on Sept. 20, Yoon's deputy national security advisor, Kim Tae-hyo, said. The trip would follow North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's rare summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week where they discussed military matters and possible Russian help for the North's satellite programme. Yoon will deliver a message on possible military exchanges between Pyongyang and Moscow at the General Assembly, South Korean news agency Newsis said, citing the presidential office.

Persons: Yoon Suk, yeol, Tatan, Yoon, Kim Tae, Antonio Guterres, Kim, Kim Jong, Vladimir Putin, Newsis, Soo, hyang Choi, Hyunsu Yim, Clarence Fernandez, Lincoln Organizations: South, ASEAN, South Korea Summit, Association of, Southeast Asian Nations, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, New, United Nations General Assembly, U.N, North, General Assembly, Thomson Locations: Jakarta, Indonesia, Rights SEOUL, New York, Ukraine, North, Pyongyang, Moscow, South Korean

☆ Live updates: Russia's war in Ukraine, Kim Jong Un's meeting with Vladimir Putin
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Jessie Yeung | Andrew Raine | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

While speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on Tuesday, Putin was asked by a moderator if he had plans to visit the space center. North Korea and Russia have both confirmed Kim Jong Un has entered Russia on his heavily armored private green train. Analysts also warn that North Korea could seek improved launch capabilities for submarine-launched ballistic missiles, satellite reconnaissance capabilities, and even help with launching satellites. North Korea has attempted two satellite launches this year; both ended in failure. These are areas where analysts say North Korea has strong production capabilities.

Persons: Junko Ogura, Brad Lendon, Mitchell McCluskey, Heather Law, Josh Pennington, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong, Putin, “, ” Putin, Yonhap, Kim Organizations: Vostochny, North, Eastern Economic, South Locations: Tokyo, Seoul, Atlanta, Josh Pennington Russian, Amur, Russia's, Vladivostok, South Korean, Khabarovsk, China, Khabarovsk province . North Korea, Russia, Korean, Pyongyang, Korea, North Korea, West, Moscow, Ukraine

☆ North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrives in Russia before an expected meeting with Putin
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

A file photo of Russian President Vladimir Putin meets North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un on April 25, 2019 in Vladivostok, Russia. Citing unidentified Russian regional officials, Japanese broadcaster TBS reported that Kim's train crossed the border and arrived in the border town of Khasan. North Korea has possibly tens of millions of artillery shells and rockets based on Soviet designs that could potentially give a huge boost to the Russian army, analysts say. Based on North Korean state media photos, Kim's delegation possibly includes Pak Thae Song, chairman of North Korea's space science and technology committee, and Navy Admiral Kim Myong Sik, who are linked with North Korean efforts to acquire spy satellites and nuclear-capable submarines. After decades of a complicated, hot-and-cold relationship, Russia and North Korea have been drawing closer since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong, Mikhail Svetlov, Kim Jong Un, Kim, Jeon Ha Gyu, Choe Sun Hui, Ri, Pak Jong Chon, KCNA, Dmitry Peskov, Putin, Peskov, Xi Jinping, Donald Trump, Defense Ministry and National Intelligence Service didn't, Adrienne Watson, Matthew Miller, Song, Kim Myong Sik, Jo Chun Ryong, China — Organizations: North Korean, Getty, Korea's Defense Ministry, Korean People's, Korean Central News Agency, TBS, TASS, Associated Press, Chosun Ilbo, South, South Korea's Presidential, Defense Ministry and National Intelligence Service, White, National Security, North, Democratic People's, Department, Washington, Ukraine — Donetsk, Luhansk —, . Security Locations: Vladivostok, Russia, Ukraine, North, Pyongyang, Korean, Japanese, Khasan, Russian, North Korea, South Korea's, Korea, United States, Ukrainian, DPRK, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Washington, South Korea, Japan, Moscow, Beijing, Syria, China

☆ Inside North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's armoured train
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Ju-Min Park | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un waves from a private train as he departs Pyongyang, North Korea, to visit Russia, September 10, 2023, in this image released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency on September 12, 2023. It is unclear how many trains North Korean leaders have used over the years, but Ahn Byung-min, a South Korean expert on North Korean transportation, said multiple trains were needed for security reasons. "Even if it is slow, train is safer and more comfortable than anything else for a North Korean leader," Ahn said. In the 2002 book "Orient Express", Russian official Konstantin Pulikovsky described a three-week journey to Moscow by Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un's father and predecessor. The wheels of Kim Jong Un's train must be changed in Russia or a North Korean station bordering Russia, because the two countries use different rail gauges, Ahn said.

Persons: Kim Jong, Kim, Putin, Ahn Byung, Ahn, " Ahn, Konstantin Pulikovsky, Kim Jong Il, Georgy Toloraya, Toloraya, Kim Il Sung, Kim's, Kim family's, Josh Smith, Gerry Doyle Organizations: North, Korean Central News Agency, KCNA, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, NK News, WHO, THE, Thomson Locations: Pyongyang, North Korea, Russia, Rights SEOUL, China, Vietnam, Korean, North Korean, Moscow, Bordeaux, Beaujolais, Paris, Russian, Koreans

☆ Putin signals potential willingness to assist Kim as two leaders meet for expected weapons talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Helen Regan Gawon Bae Larry Register Simone Mccarthy Anna Chernova | Helen Regan | Gawon Bae | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin shake hands as they begin their talks at the Vostochny Cosmodrome, Amur region, Russia, on September 13. Providing this technology to North Korea would be in violation of international sanctions, aimed at hampering Pyongyang’s ability to build a fully functioning nuclear weapons and ballistic missile force. After the talks, Kremlin spokesperson Peskov said “North Korea is our close neighbor,” according to state media. The two ballistic missiles fired by North Korea Wednesday morning each traveled about 650 kilometers (400 miles) before falling into the sea, according to the JCS. North Korea may be intending “to show that the military maintains readiness with uninterrupted command and control,” Easley said.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong, Putin, “, ” Putin, ”, Kim Jong Un, Kim, Kim Jong Un's, Dmitry Peskov, ” Peskov, ” Leif, Eric Easley, John Bolton, ” Bolton, Peskov, Kim Yo Jong, Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu “, ” Kim Jong Un's, ” Easley, Ankit, ” Panda, we’ve Organizations: CNN, Vostochny, Kremlin, Ewha Womans University, North, Russian, US National Security, of, Munitions Industry, Russian Defense, South Korea’s, Chiefs of Staff, North Korea Wednesday, Kremlin Analysts, Security, Nuclear, Carnegie Endowment, International Locations: Korea, Russia, North Korea, Russia’s, Pyongyang, Ukraine, Vostochny Cosmodrome, Amur, Kremlin North Korea, North Korean, Moscow, Seoul, Cosmodrome, Soviet Union, “ North Korea, South

☆ Explainer-Inside North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un's Armoured Train
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

It is unclear how many trains North Korean leaders have used over the years, but Ahn Byung-min, a South Korean expert on North Korean transportation, said multiple trains were needed for security reasons. "Even if it is slow, train is safer and more comfortable than anything else for a North Korean leader," Ahn said. In the 2002 book "Orient Express", Russian official Konstantin Pulikovsky described a three-week journey to Moscow by Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un's father and predecessor. The wheels of Kim Jong Un's train must be changed in Russia or a North Korean station bordering Russia, because the two countries use different rail gauges, Ahn said. The train was "a sweet home and an office," for Kim Jong Il, state television has said.

Persons: Kim Jong, Kim, Putin, Ahn Byung, Ahn, " Ahn, Konstantin Pulikovsky, Kim Jong Il, Georgy Toloraya, Toloraya, Kim Il Sung, Kim's, Kim family's, Josh Smith, Gerry Doyle Organizations: North, NK News, WHO, THE Locations: SEOUL, Russia, China, Vietnam, Korean, North Korean, Moscow, Bordeaux, Beaujolais, Paris, Russian, North Korea, Koreans

☆ Kim Jong Un's latest alliance with Putin could make him a formidable force
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

North Korea's Kim Jong Un and Russia's Vladimir Putin are meeting in Vladivostok. But this time, it's Kim who has the upper hand, and many fear his new alliance with Putin will make him a formidable force. "If Russia pays in oil and food, it can revive the North Korea economy, which in turn could then also strengthen North Korea's weapons system. AdvertisementAdvertisementBut Putin, at this stage, likely sees challenging US influence in Asia, by bolstering North Korea, as a bigger priority. In the tumult that's resulted from the Ukraine war, Kim, a canny and ruthless player, could yet emerge as one of the big winners.

Persons: Kim Jong, Russia's Vladimir Putin, Putin, Kim, Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, it's Kim, Victor Cha, Ellen Kim, Sergei Shoigu, JUNG YEON, Yang, Sergey Radchenk, Henry, Kissinger Organizations: Service, North, New York Times, Analysts, CSIS, Russian, Korean, Getty, Asian Institute for Policy Studies, BBC, UN Security Council, Guardian, China, US Locations: Vladivostok, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, North Korean, North Korea, Russia, Washington, Seoul, North, Asia

☆ Putin and Kim's meeting will be full-scale visit, Kremlin says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] FILE PHOTO: Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un pose for a photo during their meeting in Vladivostok, Russia, April 25, 2019. Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Sept 11 (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's trip to Russia and meeting with President Vladimir Putin will be a full-scale visit, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Kim has set off for Russia aboard a special train, a South Korean source said, as Pyongyang and Moscow on Monday confirmed a summit with President Vladimir Putin amid Russia's deepening isolation over its actions in Ukraine. Video of his remarks were posted to social media by a Kremlin journalist Pavel Zarubin. According to Peskov, the main topic of the talks will be bilateral relations between the neighbouring countries.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong, Alexander Zemlianichenko, Dmitry Peskov, Kim, Peskov, Pavel Zarubin, Vladimir Soldatkin, Maxim Rodionov Organizations: Rights, Kremlin, Thomson Locations: Vladivostok, Russia, Korean, Pyongyang, Moscow, Ukraine

While China has sent a delegation led by Vice Premier Liu Guozhong to the North Korea's anniversary celebrations, Russia sent a military song and dance group. KCNA said Kim received letters from Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the anniversary, where both leaders said that their countries’ strengthening ties with North Korea would contribute to the region’s peace and stability. State media did not mention whether Kim made a speech during the parade, indicating that he likely didn't. A day before the parade, Kim took Shoigu on a tour of a domestic arms exhibition, which demonstrated North Korea’s support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and added to suspicions the North was willing to supply arms to Russia. In exchange for providing Russia with artillery shells and other ammunition, North Korea could seek badly needed energy and food aid and advanced weapons technologies, analysts say.

Persons: Kim Jong, Kim, Vladimir Putin, Liu Guozhong, Putin, KCNA, Xi Jinping, Kim Il, —, Liu, United States ’, Sergei Shoigu, Li Hongzhong Organizations: North, Washington, Guards, Red Guards, Analysts, United, Russian Defense, Communist Party Locations: SEOUL, South Korea, North Korea, Moscow, Beijing, Washington, Pyongyang, Russia, Ukraine, China, Kim, Vladivostok, Korea, Koreans, United States, Japan, Seoul, Tokyo

☆ Photos show Kim Jong Un celebrating the launch of North Korea's new 'nuclear attack' submarine wearing a dapper cream suit, a sun hat, and really a big smile
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( Katie Hawkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended a celebration for a new 'nuclear attack' submarine on Friday. He watched the event and gave an address while wearing a cream suit, sun hat, and huge smile. North Korea state media reported that the submarine is meant to patrol the waters between Korea and Japan. Kim told event attendees that giving the North Korean Navy access to nuclear weapons was a priority. "Still, the design reflects Kim Jong Un's policy of increasing his nuclear force 'exponentially,'" Yang said.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, Kim, David Schmerler, James Martin, Schmerler, Joseph Dempsey, Yang Uk, Kim Jong, Yang Organizations: Service, North, North Korean Navy, James, James Martin Center, Nonproliferation Studies, Washington, Korean Central News Agency, Reuters, International Institute for Strategic Studies, BBC, Asian Institute for Policy Studies, New York Times Locations: Wall, Silicon, North Korea, Korea, Japan

☆ Kim Jong Un feasted at a lavish banquet with gaudy lighting and a showstopping scale model of a nuclear missile
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

North Korean media released a video showing Kim Jong Un at a lavish banquet on Sunday. Four different moments of Kim Jong-Un and his daughter at a banquet table on August, 27, 2023. Kim Yo Jong was identified by NK News as the woman in a jacket standing center of picture, facing Kim Jong Un, below. A row of sailors look joyful as they serenade Kim Jong Un at a banquet in Pyongyang on August 27, 2023. A general view of the banquet in Pyongyang on August 27, 2023, attended by Kim Jong Un.

Persons: Kim Jong, Kim, Ri Sol Ju, Kim Ju, Kim Jong Un, Ri, —, Kim Ju Ae, Kim's, Kim Yo Jong Organizations: Navy, Service, NK News, North Korea's, Air Koryo, DPRK NK News, Guardian Locations: Wall, Silicon, North, Pyongyang, DPRK, North Korea, Koryo, Serrano

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

☆ US slams North Korea for using repression to build nuclear weapons
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A North Korean flag flutters at the propaganda village of Gijungdong in North Korea, in this picture taken near the truce village of Panmunjom inside the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, South Korea, July 19, 2022. North Korea (DPRK) has repeatedly rejected accusations of abuses and blames sanctions for a dire humanitarian situation. U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk said that there had been decades of chronic human rights violations in North Korea, and that many "stem directly from, or support, the increasing militarization of the DPRK." North Korea did not address the meeting. Ilhyeok Kim fled North Korea when he was 17.

Persons: Kim Hong, Kim Jong Un, Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Kim Jong, –, Geng Shuang, Kim, Volker Turk, Travis King, Thomas, Ilhyeok Kim, Michelle Nichols, Alistair Bell Organizations: REUTERS, UNITED NATIONS, North, United Nations, U.S, Security Council, China, South, DPRK, State, U.S ., Thomson Locations: Gijungdong, North Korea, Panmunjom, South Korea, United States, China, Albania, Japan, DPRK, Pyongyang, U.S, Korea, Greenfield

☆ Kim Jong Un has plastered his walls with bizarre, giant portraits of Putin, images from North Korean state media reveal
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Photos released by North Korean state media show Kim Jong Un's huge portraits of Vladimir Putin. The images show the leader giving Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu a personal tour. The portraits were visible as the North Korean leader gave a personal tour to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. In the bizarre images, Kim and Shoigu can be seen walking down a corridor while huge portraits of Putin and Kim loom over them from either side. Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu attends a reception for the Russian military delegation hosted by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on July 27, 2023.

Persons: Kim Jong, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu, Kim Jong Un, Kim, Putin, Simon Miles, Miles, Biden Organizations: North, Russian, Service, North Korean, Russian Defense, Central Committee of, Workers ' Party, Daily, Russia's, Reuters, Mail, Korean Central News Agency, Associated Press, Duke University's Sanford School of Public, Soviet Union, AP Locations: North Korean, Wall, Silicon, Pyongyang, Vladivostok, Russia, North Korea, Soviet, North Koreans, Ukraine, Moscow, Russian

King, an active-duty U.S. Army soldier serving in South Korea, sprinted into North Korea while on a civilian tour of the Demilitarized Zone on the border between the two Koreas. Washington is fully mobilized in trying to contact Pyongyang about him, U.S. Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said on Thursday, but North Korea had yet to respond. At that time, U.S. officials had just concluded an initial nuclear agreement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's father, Kim Jong Il. Warmbier was eventually returned to the United States in a coma in 2017, but died days later. "Here's the response we got: one missile launch after another," referring to repeated North Korean missile tests.

Persons: Travis King, Christine Wormuth, Joe Biden, Trump, It's, Thomas Hubbard, Bobby Hall, Kim Jong Un's, Kim Jong Il, Hubbard, King, Mickey Bergman, Bill Richardson, Bergman, Jenny Town, Charles Robert Jenkins, ‘, Tae Yong, Otto Warmbier, Warmbier, Otto’s, Fred, He’s, Antony Blinken, Biden, Blinken, Simon Lewis, David Brunnstrom, Idrees Ali, Don Durfee, Stephen Coates Organizations: Army, U.S . Army, U.S, North, Koreans, United Nations Command, Richardson, . Army, Reuters, Aspen Security, Korean, Thomson Locations: United States, North Korea, South Korea, . Washington, Pyongyang, U.S, Washington, North, Korea, Koreans, Sweden, New York, Jenny, Korean, Korea's

☆ South Korea's Yoon tells unification ministry to be less soft on North
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, July 2 (Reuters) - Having appointed a new unification minister days earlier, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Sunday that the ministry had focused too much on providing aid for North Korea in the past and needed to change. "The Unification Ministry has been acting like the ministry of North Korea aid and it is wrong," Yoon was quoted as telling staff in a statement issued by his press secretary. "It's time for the unification ministry to change." Yoon also urged the ministry to stand up for liberal democratic values and said unification should bring a "better and more human life" to people in the South and North. In 2019, Kim wrote in an online column that the path to unification would open once North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's "regime is overthrown and North Korea is liberated."

Persons: Yoon Suk Yeol, Kim Yung, Yoon, Kim, Kim Jong, Hyunsu Yim, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Thomson Locations: SEOUL, North Korea, Korea, South, Korean

REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File PhotoSEOUL, June 29 (Reuters) - South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday picked a conservative scholar and an outspoken critic of North Korea's human rights record as the country's new unification minister handling relations with Pyongyang in a cabinet reshuffle. Kim, 63, served as a presidential secretary for unification and a human rights envoy under the conservative Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye administrations. North Korea has long rejected criticism of its rights conditions as part of a plot to overthrow its rulers. Kim is the right person to pursue a "principle-based" and consistent North Korea policy, said Yoon's chief of staff, Kim Dae-ki. The unification ministry's role ranges from cross-border dialogue and exchanges to studying human rights abuses in North Korea and helping defectors resettle in the South.

Persons: Kim Hong, Yoon Suk, Kim Yung, Yoon, Kim, Lee Myung, Kim Jong, Kim Dae, Jang Mi, Soo, hyang Choi, Hyunsu Yim, Jack Kim, Ed Davies, Gerry Doyle Organizations: South, REUTERS, Sungshin Women's University, North, Thomson Locations: Korean, South Korean, Paju, South Korea, SEOUL, Pyongyang, North Korea, North Korean, Korea, United States

☆ North Korea's Kim Yo Jong promises more spy satellite launches -KCNA
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Hyunsu Yim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, June 1 (Reuters) - North Korea's Kim Yo Jong, leader Kim Jong Un's sister, has said her country's military spy satellite will soon enter into orbit and promised Pyongyang will increase military surveillance, state media KCNA reported on Thursday. Her remarks follow the failure of a North Korean satellite launch on Wednesday. In her statement, Kim said the criticisms of Wednesday's test were "self-contradiction" as the U.S. and other countries have already launched "thousands of satellites." In a separate statement carried by KCNA, North Korea's vice foreign minister Kim Son Gyong criticized U.S.-led military drills in the region including a multinational anti-proliferation naval drill. "However, activity at the main launch pad is consistent with post-launch assessment and clean-up efforts."

Persons: Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong, Kim, KCNA, Antonio Guterres, Kim Son Gyong, Hyunsu Yim, Josh Smith, Chris Reese, Grant McCool Organizations: South, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, Pyongyang, Korean, South Korean, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, United States, North, U.S

☆ North Korea spent the pandemic building a huge border wall
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

As the pandemic began, North Korea moved to seal its northern borders, tightening control over informal trade routes and making escape harder for defectors. Nov. 16, 2019 Minimal security features visible along North Korea’s border with Russia. Food shortages in North Korea have worsened in recent months, due in part to the border closures, according to international experts. Still, he said, there were reports of foreign shows such as the South Korean hit “Squid Game” finding their way into North Korea. “It's all the more reason for the international community to step up efforts to support North Korean rights,” he said.

☆ Kim Jong Un's powerful sister calls Biden as 'old man with no future' and attacks US nuclear defense pact with Seoul
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Kim Jong Un's sister attacked a defense agreement between South Korea and the US. Kim Yo Jong criticized the Biden administration, calling the president an "old man with no future." Kim is a powerful figure in North Korea and plays a key role in her brother's regime. A tv screen shows a file image of Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul. Kim Jong Un's sister is considered his right-hand woman and crucial to his administration.

☆ U.S. to send nuclear submarines in new pledge to protect South Korea from North's threats
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Alexander Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The United States will deploy nuclear-armed submarines to South Korea for the first time in decades — part of a new agreement that will signal Washington's commitment to defend Seoul against rising nuclear threats from North Korea, U.S. officials said. The plan to dock the ballistic missile submarines in South Korea, which hasn't happened since the 1980's, headlines an effort to make U.S. deterrence against Kim Jong Un's regime "more visible," according to senior administration officials. President Joe Biden and his counterpart, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, will unveil the new agreement in Washington on Wednesday, the officials said. In return, an official added, South Korea would reaffirm its commitment to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, known as the NPT, which bars countries from seeking nuclear weapons. Yoon's visit follows the largest U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises in years, aimed largely at countering the North Korean nuclear threat.

☆ North Korea's next nuke test a matter of 'when,' not 'if,' US Army general says, warning its on the way to a key nuclear capability
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A top US Army general warned that North Korea is on its way to developing a key nuclear capability. Gen. Paul LaCamera also said this week that Pyongyang's next nuclear test is only a matter of time. LaCamera also said North Korea is slated to carry out a seventh nuclear test at some point in the future. North Korea conducted six nuclear tests between 2006 and 2017, and each underground test produced explosive yields progressively larger than the one before it. Ju Ae has become a regular figure at North Korea's military-oriented events in recent months after spending years cloaked in mystery.

☆ Kim Jong Un digitally erased an actor he doesn't like from the re-run of a popular North Korean TV show
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

North Korea has wiped all record of an out-of-favor actor from a popular TV show, per NK News. The actor was digitally replaced with another actor in the re-run of the series, per the outlet. Choe Ung Chol, an actor known for his good looks, has been digitally replaced with actor Pak Jong Taek in the show "The Taehongdang Party Secretary." The series was otherwise completely unchanged, per Prof. Tatiana Gabroussenko, a North Korea specialist writing for the outlet. Jang, once considered the most powerful person in North Korea beyond Kim himself, was denounced as "despicable human scum."

☆ High activity spotted at North Korea nuclear complex after Kim's bomb-fuel order, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Washington-based 38 North North Korea monitoring project said the activity it had spotted, based on images from March 3 and 17, could indicate that an Experimental Light Water Reactor (ELWR) at the Yongbyon site was nearing completion and transition to operational status. On Tuesday, North Korea unveiled new, smaller nuclear warheads and vowed to produce more weapons-grade nuclear material to expand its arsenal, while denouncing stepped up military exercises by South Korea and the United States. Its state media said Kim had ordered the production of weapons-grade materials in a "far-sighted way" to boost the country's nuclear arsenal "exponentially." South Korea and the United States have warned since early 2022 that North Korea may resume nuclear testing at any time. In a report last year, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) estimated North Korea had assembled up to 20 nuclear warheads, and probably possessed sufficient fissile material for approximately 45–55 nuclear devices.

☆ North Korea says it tested new nuclear underwater attack drone -KCNA
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, March 24 (Reuters) - North Korean state news agency KCNA said on Friday it tested a new nuclear underwater attack drone under leader Kim Jong Un's guidance this week, as a U.S. amphibious assault ship arrived in South Korea for joint drills. During the drill, the North Korean drone cruised underwater for over 59 hours and detonated in waters off its east coast on Thursday, the KCNA said. "This nuclear underwater attack drone can be deployed at any coast and port or towed by a surface ship for operation," the news agency said. In a separate firing drill, North Korea also confirmed it fired four cruise missiles on Wednesday to practice carrying out tactical nuclear attack missions. The South Korean military has said North Korea fired four cruise missiles off its east coast on Wednesday.

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