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☆ North Korea is blowing stuff up and making threats, but it's unlikely to go further
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-15 | by ( Hannah Abraham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

North Korea destroyed parts of roads and rail lines connecting it with South Korea. It comes after North Korea last week accused South Korea of flying drones over its capital. In response, South Korea fired warning shots within its own border, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. The detonations come after North Korea last week accused South Korea of flying drones over its capital Pyongyang. Howell added that historically, North Korea has stepped up provocations during US election years.

Persons: —, Jim Hoare, Kim Jong, Kim Yo Jong, Edward Howell, Howell, ", Hoare, Peter Ward Organizations: North, Service, South Korea's, Chiefs, Staff, Inter, Korean, Office, Bloomberg, Korea, Chatham House, Bloomberg Economics, Sejong Institute, Financial Times Locations: Korea, South Korea, North Korea, South, British, Kaesong, Korean, Pyongyang, North, Seoul

Seoul, South Korea CNN —North Korea blew up parts of two major roads connected to the southern part of the peninsula on Tuesday, South Korean authorities said, after Pyongyang warned it would take steps to completely cut off its territory from the South. South Korea's Defense MinistryOn Monday, South Korea said it had detected signs that North Korea was preparing to demolish roads that connect the two countries, warning that the explosions could occur imminently. The blasts come a few days after North Korea accused South Korea of flying propaganda-filled drones over its capital Pyongyang and threatened “retaliation,” in the latest tit-for-tat exchange following months of Pyongyang sending trash-laden balloons to the South. North and South Korea have been separated since the Korean War ended in 1953 with an armistice agreement. Since January, Pyongyang has fortified its border defenses, laying land mines, building anti-tank traps and removing railway infrastructure, according to the South Korean military.

Persons: Lee Sung, joon, Kim Jong, Kim, ” KCNA, KCNA, ”, Leif, Eric Easley, “ Kim Jong Un Organizations: South Korea CNN, Seoul’s, Chiefs of Staff, South Korean Defense Ministry, South Korean, South Korea's Defense Ministry, Korea's Defense, Defense Ministry, North, Korean People’s Army, DPRK, Democratic People’s, US, South, Ewha Womans University Locations: Seoul, South Korea, North Korea, Pyongyang, West, East, Korean, Korea, North, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Russia

Seoul, South Korea CNN —North Korea’s army said it will take the “substantial military step” of completely cutting off its territory from South Korea on Wednesday, after months of fortifying its heavily armed border. Since January, Pyongyang has fortified its border defenses, laying land mines, building anti-tank traps and removing railway infrastructure, according to the South Korean military. Over the past year, a US aircraft carrier, amphibious assault ships, long-range bombers and submarines have visited South Korea, drawing angry rebukes from Pyongyang. “North Korea’s threats, both real and rhetorical, reflect the regime survival strategy of a hereditary dictatorship.”North and South Korea have been separated since the Korean War ended in 1953 with an armistice agreement. In January, Kim said North Korea would no longer seek reconciliation and reunification with South Korea, calling inter-Korean relations “a relationship between two hostile countries and two belligerents at war,” KCNA reported at the time.

Persons: Kim Jong, Kim, ”, Hong Min, ” Hong, Yoon Suk Yeol, Leif, Eric Easley, “ Kim Jong Un, ” Easley, ” KCNA Organizations: South Korea CNN, North, South, DPRK, Staff, Korean People’s Army, Democratic People’s, South Korean, General Staff, US, Korea’s, Chiefs, Korea Institute for National Unification, CNN, Inter, Korean, Armed Forces, Ewha Womans University, North Korean, United Nations Command Locations: Seoul, South Korea, North Korea, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Pyongyang, Hong, Russia, West

☆ North Korea’s Kim Jong Un threatens to destroy the South with nuclear weapons if provoked
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-04 | by ( Yoonjung Seo | Lex Harvey | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened to use nuclear weapons to destroy South Korea if attacked, state media reported Friday, after South Korea’s president warned that if the North used nuclear weapons it would “face the end of its regime.”The fiery rhetoric isn’t new, but comes at a time of tension on the Korean Peninsula and just weeks after North Korean state media released images of Kim visiting a uranium enrichment facility, which produces weapons-grade nuclear materials. “If such situation comes, the permanent existence of Seoul and the Republic of Korea would be impossible,” Kim added, using the proper name for South Korea. North Korea could revoke a key agreement which enshrines the potential for reunification of the Koreas as soon as Monday, when its legislature is expected to meet, Seoul’s Unification Ministry told CNN. Last month, North Korean state media released photos of Kim purportedly touring a nuclear facility in a rare glimpse of the nation’s closely guarded weapons program. On Tuesday, Yoon unveiled the Hyunmoo-5 ballistic missile, which is reportedly capable of penetrating North Korean underground bunkers.

Persons: Kim Jong, Kim, ” Kim, Yoon Suk Yeol, Jung Yeon, Yoon, ” Yoon, KCNA Organizations: South Korea CNN — North, South, North, Korean Central News Agency, Armed Forces Day, Unification Ministry, CNN, Korea Armed Forces, Seoul Air Base, Getty, SK, US, Armed Forces Locations: Seoul, South Korea, North Korean, Pyongyang, Republic of Korea, Korea, Russia, West, Korean, Seongnam, North Korea, United States

☆ Russia and North Korea’s Defense Pact Is a Told-You-So Moment in Asia
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-20 | by ( Motoko Rich | Choe Sang-Hun | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

With ballistic missiles regularly flying nearby, Japan and South Korea need little reminder of the threat that North Korea and its nuclear arsenal poses to its neighbors. But the pledge, along with indications that Russia could help bolster North Korea’s continuing quest to build its nuclear capabilities, rattled officials in Tokyo and Seoul. Mr. Kim has grown increasingly hostile toward South Korea and this year abandoned a longtime goal of reunifying with the South, however unlikely that might have been. Now he describes the South solely as an enemy that must be subjugated, if necessary, through a nuclear war. And he has often tested his ballistic missiles by flying them toward Japan, demonstrating North Korea’s provocative stance toward its former colonizer.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, Kim Jong, Kim Organizations: Korean Central News Agency, Analysts Locations: Japan, South Korea, Korea, Russia, Pyongyang, Ukraine, Tokyo, Seoul

☆ ‘Friendly Father’: Why South Korea is banning a song that recently went viral on TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | Gawon Bae | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The song was unveiled in April during a nighttime concert to mark the completion of a housing project in the capital Pyongyang, according to North Korean state-run Korean Central News Agency. “This isn’t Gen Z suddenly declaring allegiance for the regime,” said Alexandra Leonzini, a Cambridge University scholar conducting research on North Korean music. “They’re laughing at the regime not with the regime.”Nonetheless, South Korean security officials came down on the parodies. The music video of "Friendly Father" went viral on TikTok. North and South Korea have been cut off from each other since the Korean War in 1953 ended with an armistice.

Persons: Kim Jong, Kim –, Kim “, ”, TikTok, Z, Alexandra Leonzini, “ They’re, Kim, “, Ha Seung, it’s, ” Ha Organizations: CNN, Korean Central News Agency, North, Cambridge University, Korea Communications Standards, Seoul’s National Intelligence Service, country’s National, Dongguk University, North Koreans Locations: Korea, Pyongyang, Korean, South Korean, South Korea, North Korea, KCTV

☆ China is untangling its economy from the West. It could be preparing for long-term tensions — and an invasion of Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

What's more, Xi Jinping has told the Chinese military to prepare for war and said that reunification with Taiwan is inevitable. But not everyone thinks a Chinese military move is necessarily imminent. If China was actively preparing for a near-term invasion of Taiwan, Kennedy said there are a few things he might expect to see first. AdvertisementIf China does invade, the global economic impact would be huge, and despite its efforts to secure its economy, China would likely be far from unscathed. "Any action against Taiwan would be disastrous for China's economy," Chilukuri said.

Persons: —, Vivek Chilukuri, Scott Kennedy, It's, Chilukuri, Xi Jinping, China's, Jinping, Kennedy, he'd Organizations: Service, Business, West, Center, New, New American Security, Center for Strategic, International Studies Locations: China, Southeast Asia, Europe, US, Taiwan, New American, United States, Russia, Ukraine, Hong Kong

☆ Prince Harry and Meghan found out about Kate Middleton's cancer diagnosis on TV like everyone else, report says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewPrince Harry and Meghan Markle didn't know about Kate Middleton's cancer diagnosis before the public announcement, according to The Sunday Times. Shortly after the video was broadcast, representatives for Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, released a short statement. Prince William, Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle, and Prince Harry visiting Sandringham in 2018. Harry and Meghan have spoken publicly about their rift with the royal family, including William and Kate, in recent years. When asked if Charles' diagnosis could have a "reunifying effect" on the royal family, he said, "Yeah, I'm sure."

Persons: —, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle didn't, Kate Middleton's, Harry, Meghan, Duke, Duchess of Sussex, Kate, Roya, Duchess of, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle, Samir Hussein, cancer, Blake Lively, William, we're, we'll, We're, Oprah Winfrey, King Charles, I'm, Charles Organizations: Service, Sunday Times, Business, Sandringham Locations: Wales, Kensington, Duchess of Sussex

☆ Opinion: The world’s dangerous place has only gotten more dangerous
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-10 | by ( Fareed Zakaria | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Editor’s Note: Fareed Zakaria is the host of Fareed Zakaria GPS, airing at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. ET and PT tonight on CNN, Fareed’s latest special report, “Taiwan: Unfinished Business,” will examine the complicated history and present dangers surrounding Taiwan. The backdrop to the tensions over Taiwan is, of course, the expanding geopolitical rivalry between China and the United States. Washington has been willing to accept China’s claims on Taiwan as long as it did not use coercion to achieve them. This is one place on Earth where there should be little room for macho rhetoric and provocative actions.

Persons: Fareed Zakaria, Fareed, Read, Fareed’s, ”, —, Xi Jinping, Donald Trump, Graham Allison, “, Joe Biden, Brendan Smialowski, Mao Zedong Organizations: CNN, Fareed’s, Unfinished, Harvard, Economic Cooperation, APEC, Getty, America Locations: Taiwan, China, United States, Soviet, Asia, Woodside , Calif, AFP, Soviet Union, Pakistan, India, People’s Republic of China, Communist China, Washington, Beijing

☆ Prince Harry says King Charles III's cancer diagnosis could bring the royal family closer together
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Samantha Grindell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Prince Harry opened up about King Charles III's cancer diagnosis publicly for the first time. AdvertisementPrince Harry publicly discussed King Charles III's cancer diagnosis for the first time. EXCLUSIVE: Prince Harry to @ReeveWill on visiting King Charles after cancer diagnosis: “I love my family. Prince Harry, King Charles, and Queen Camilla. He did not specify which royal family members he intended to see when he traveled back to the UK.

Persons: Prince Harry, King Charles III's, Harry, —, ABC's Will Reeve, Charles, Buckingham, @ReeveWill, King Charles, I’m, yDp82WU7Bk, I'm, Reeve, gesturing, Queen Camilla, ISABEL INFANTES, Meghan Markle, Queen Elizabeth II's, Duke, Duchess of Sussex, Meghan, Prince William Organizations: Service, Invictus Games, GMA, America, Clarence House, BBC, Getty, Queen, Netflix Locations: Whistler, Buckingham

☆ 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, “

☆ US raises concerns about cozying relations between Russia and North Korea
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Katie Bo Lillis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

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 Russian President Vladimir Putin himself — his first in more than 20 years. Trade with Russia could also further weaken the sanctions regime the US has placed on North Korea, also accelerating its economy and potentially bolstering its arms development program. As always with North Korea, deciphering how the hermit kingdom may respond is like reading chicken bones. For weeks, a blog post on an influential North Korea watchers website written by two former analysts circulated within the US government. 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.

Persons: Kim Jong, Vladimir Putin, —, Biden, Jake Sullivan, Kim, ”, “, ” Jeffrey Lewis, Lewis, ” Lewis, Sydney Seiler, Seiler, ” Kim doesn’t, “ That’s, “ Kim, it’s, We’re, ” Seiler, we’ll Organizations: CNN, North, Russia, Intelligence, White House, DPRK, Democratic People’s, Middlebury Institute of International Studies, North Korean, National Intelligence Council, US Locations: North Korea, Washington, South Korea, Russia, Moscow, Pyongyang, Russian, Korea, Democratic People’s Republic, Soviet Union, United States, North, China, Beijing, Japan, Korean

☆ Analysis: The 2024 campaign gets grimmer, with Trump’s extremism on full display alongside concerns over Biden’s age
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

Trump is giving every impression that his second term would be even more aberrant than his first, as he vows to use presidential power to exact retribution against his enemies. While a Biden vs. Trump race would be a rematch of 2020, it would not necessarily be the same. In Trump, voters can pick an ex-president facing 91 criminal charges who has been found liable for fraud, sexual battery and defamation in court. It also offered a potential roadmap to the substance and character of his possible second term. Why the 2020 election lineup may be locked inThe renewed focus on Biden’s age is likely to open another round of speculation about whether he could be replaced on the Democratic ticket.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Biden, Trump, he’s, Vladimir Putin, Nikki Haley’s, crave, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, —, “ Donald Trump’s, Putin, ” Biden, Trump’s, ”, Florida GOP Sen, Marco Rubio, “ Donald Trump, ” Rubio, Charles Michel, Russia, Tucker Carlson, Manuel Balce Ceneta, Michael, He’s, Michael Haley, Nikki Haley, Arizona Sen, John McCain, Robert Hur’s, parry, Mandel Ngan, gaffes —, “, Ro Khanna, Jake Tapper, Biden’s missteps, Haley, Nancy Pelosi, he’d, Dean Phillips, Kamala Harris, Harris Organizations: CNN, Oval, Biden, Trump, NATO, White, Florida GOP, Foreign Relations, Union, European Council, GOP, ABC, Getty, ” Democratic, Democratic, Democratic Party Locations: South Carolina, Russia, NATO, Europe, miscalculations, Moscow, Ukraine, Poland, Baltic States, Florida, “ State, Russian, Conway , South Carolina, Africa, Arizona, Vietnam, Egypt, Mexico, AFP, California, reunifying

☆ North Korea claims to test underwater nuclear-capable drone after US, South Korea and Japan show off naval might
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Brad Lendon | Gawon Bae | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —North Korea on Friday claimed it had successfully tested an underwater nuclear weapons system earlier this week in response to naval drills by the United States, South Korea and Japan. North Korean state media on Friday did not show evidence for the success of the latest test, but warned the US, South Korea and Japan of the “catastrophic consequences” of their actions. Warships from South Korea, the US and Japan perform a trilateral exercise in the waters south of Jeju between January 15 and 17, 2024. South Korea's Defence MinistryAnalysts say it all points to an even more intractable North Korea. “If North Korea’s artillery fire near the inter-Korean maritime border was just part of routine training, it would be less concerning.

Persons: ”, Carl Vinson, KCNA, Kim Jong Un, Kim, Kim Jong, Kim ramped, Staff Kim Myung, Leif, Eric Easley, Easley Organizations: South Korea CNN, Korea Central News Agency, JS Hyūga, Korea’s, Chiefs, Staff, Warships, Korea's Defence, US Navy, Fleet, People’s Assembly, CNN Relations, South Korean Joint Chiefs, Korea's Defence Ministry Analysts, Ehwa University Locations: Seoul, South Korea, North Korea, United States, Japan, Korean, Pyongyang, Jeju, U.S, Republic of Korea, Korea, KCNA, North, “ Pyongyang

☆ North Korea Says It Is No Longer Interested in Reunifying With the South
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Choe Sang-Hun | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

North Korea’s approach toward South Korea has swayed widely over the past decades. But, according to state media reports on Tuesday, North Korea has formally abandoned peaceful reunification as a key policy goal. In announcing the drastic shift, the North’s leader, Kim Jong-un, said the North no longer saw the South as “the partner of reconciliation and reunification” but instead as an enemy that must be subjugated, if necessary, through a nuclear war. In recent decades, the reunification of the two Koreas has become increasingly unlikely as the economic gap between them widened and mutual enmity deepened. Mr. Kim unveiled his new stance on South Korea in a party meeting at the end of last month and in a speech he gave to the North’s rubber-stamp parliament, the Supreme People’s Assembly, on Monday.

Persons: Kim Jong, Kim Organizations: Supreme Locations: South Korea, North Korea

☆ North Korea’s Kim vows to dismantle father’s unification arch as he declares South Korea ‘principal enemy’
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Brad Lendon | Gawon Bae | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The Kim family, beginning with Kim Il Sung, has ruled North Korea since its post-World War II founding in 1948. It symbolizes the efforts of Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung to set guidelines for uniting North and South Korea. South Korea not backing offOn Tuesday, South Korean leader Yoon Suk Yeol said his government will not be cowed by Kim’s latest threats. “If North Korea provokes, we will punish them multiple times as hard,” Yoon said at a Cabinet meeting in Seoul. Yoon, who has taken a much harder line on North Korea than his predecessors, said the South’s quarrel was with the Kim regime, not the people of North Korea.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, ”, Kim, Kim Jong Il, Kim Il, Kim Il Sung, “, Kim Jong, Jeong Eun, National Reunification ’ …, ’, ” Kim, KCNA, Leif, Eric Easley, “ Kim, ” KCNA, Yoon Suk Yeol, ” Yoon, Yoon Organizations: South Korea CNN — North, People’s Assembly, North Korean, Korea Institute for National Unification, National Reunification, Ehwa University, Democratic People’s, North, CNN, National Economic Cooperation Bureau, Kumgangsan, Tourism Administration, ROK, DPRK, United Nations, NLL Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Pyongyang, North Korea, North, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, DPRK, North Korea’s, Republic of Korea, Korean, Korea, South

Qin said US actions and words had undermined “hard-won positive momentum” following Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s meeting with US President Joe Biden in Indonesia last year. Under the Taiwan Relations Act, Washington is also bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself. ‘Better channels’Monday’s meeting was Qin’s first with Burns since the former Chinese ambassador to the US was promoted to foreign minister in December. The two sides resumed climate talks following Xi and Biden’s meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia last November. He reiterated Blinken’s visit to China would be rescheduled “when conditions are appropriate.”

Here are some of the ways that China has changed under Xi. The taming of once-unruly borderlandsThe regions of Tibet, Xinjiang and Hong Kong, all far from Beijing, have long created headaches for China's ruling Communist Party. Average particulate matter, a common measure of air pollution, has gradually declined in China since 2017, when Xi Jinping began his second term in office. Extreme poverty eliminated, inequality persistsXi describes elimination of extreme poverty in China as one of the key Communist Party achievements of the past decade. Reuters GraphicsIn 2021, Xi Jinping declared victory over extreme poverty, currently measured as people living on less than $1.25 a day.

☆ What is China's Communist Party Congress and will it cement Xi Jinping's rule?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

What is the Party Congress? The Congress itself, typically held in October or November, convenes nearly 2,300 carefully selected Communist Party members, called delegates, from around the country. Delegates attend the opening of the Chinese Communist Party's 19th National Congress in October 2017. While votes are held at the Party Congress, this is widely viewed as a formality – not a true election process. Video Ad Feedback 02:46 - Source: CNN Watch CNN's report of last party congress of the Chinese Communist Party in 2017Why is this Congress different from those in the past?

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