21 MAY 2017
North Korea’s Unit 180, the cyber warfare cell that worries the West
North Korea’s main spy agency has a special cell called Unit 180 that is likely to have launched some of its most daring and successful cyber attacks, according to defectors, officials and internet security experts
http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/north-koreas-unit-180-the-cyber-warfare-cell-that-worries-the-west
North Korea fires another ballistic missile despite sanctions threats
North Korea on Sunday test-fired a ballistic missile, the latest in a series of launches which have sparked international condemnation and threats of tougher UN sanctions
http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/2095114/north-korea-fires-unidentified-projectile-seoul-says
https://japantoday.com/category/world/seoul-says-north-korea-fires-an-unidentified-projectile
18 MAY 2017
Russia launches ferry connection with North Korea
The first ever ferry service linking Russia and North Korea was launched on Thursday, the company operating it said, hoping to serve tourists and North Korean workers
http://eurasiadiary.com/en/news/politics/140803-russia-launches-ferry-connection-with-north-korea
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2017/05/103_229411.html
14 MAY 2017
North Korea test-fires what could be new kind of longer-range missile
Launch on day of China’s ‘belt and road’ summit reflects Pyongyang’s determination to push ahead with its nuclear ambitions, analysts say
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2094267/china-again-calls-restraint-after-north-korean-missile
http://www.euronews.com/2017/05/14/north-korea-has-fired-a-ballistic-missile-according-to-reports-from-south-korea
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/13/north-korea-test-fires-projectile-believed-to-be-ballistic-missile
13 MAY 2017
North Korea open for US talks under ‘right conditions’
Pyongyang would have a dialogue with the Trump administration if the « conditions are there », Yonhap news agency quoted a senior North Korean diplomat, who handles relations with the US, as saying
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/05/north-korea-open-talks-conditions-170513151959644.html
http://www.arirang.co.kr/News/News_View.asp?nseq=203966
5 MAY 2017
North Korea CIA plot to kill Kim Jong-un allegation – full text
North Korea is accusing the US and South Korea of plotting to kill its leader, Kim Jong-un. Here is the full statement from the North Korean ministry of state security
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-39819922
29 APRIL 2017
North Korea conducts second failed ballistic missile launch in two weeks
In strong defiance of sanctions placed against it, North Korea test-fired another ballistic missile on Saturday, its second failed launch in the past fortnight
http://www.asiapacificstar.com/news/253001658/north-korea-conducts-second-failed-ballistic-missile-launch-in-two-weeks
http://www.arirang.co.kr/News/News_View.asp?nseq=203481
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-39750240
11 APRIL 2017
North Korea tells America it’s ready for ‘war’ after the US Navy makes ‘reckless’ show of force
North Korea has denounced the US deployment of a naval strike group to the region, warning it is ready for « war » as Washington tightens the screws on the nuclear-armed state
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/11/south-korea-warns-north-provocations-us-navy-group-approaches/
http://www.dw.com/en/north-korea-denounces-us-naval-deployment-in-west-pacific/a-38376046
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/trump-says-us-ready-to-solve-n-korea-problem-without-china/3670130.html
5 APRIL 2017
North Korea launches ballistic missile ahead of Xi-Trump summit
North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan at 6:42 a.m. on Wednesday from the eastern coastal region of Sinpo. The missile flew about 60km before hitting the water, according to the South Korean military
http://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy/International-Relations/North-Korea-launches-ballistic-missile-ahead-of-Xi-Trump-summit
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/04/north-korea-fires-ballistic-missile-sea-japan-170405005900793.html
http://www.asiapacificstar.com/news/252690136/north-korea-makes-itself-heard-as-trump-xi-prepare-to-meet-reclusive-nation-fires-another-ballistic-missile
22 MARCH 2017
North Korean missile explodes seconds after launch
A North Korean missile fired Wednesday morning exploded within seconds of launch, the South Korean and U.S. militaries said, a reassuring sign for those worried about the speed at which North Korea’s weapons program has been progressing
http://www.dw.com/en/latest-north-korean-missile-test-fails-seoul/a-38060304
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/22/north-korea-missile-test-failure
19 MARCH 2017
North Korea tests new rocket engine, which can be repurposed for use in missiles
North Korea has tested a powerful new rocket engine, state media said Sunday, with leader Kim Jong-un hailing the successful test as a “new birth” for the nation’s rocket industry
http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/2080244/north-korea-tests-new-rocket-engine-which-can-be-repurposed-use
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20170319_12/
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/19/north-korea-rocket-test-overheated-relations-with-us-rex-tillerson-kim-jong-un
6 MARCH 2017
North Korea fires four ballistic missiles into Sea of Japan
North Korea launched four missiles Monday morning, a provocative barrage that coincided both with joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises on the southern half of the peninsula and with the opening of the annual National People’s Congress in China
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/north-korea-launches-another-missile-perhaps-one-that-can-reach-us/2017/03/05/943010ee-96e2-4ff4-83aa-2fe09cd65831_story.html?utm_term=.7eaf5c96a8f9
http://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/05/asia/north-korea-projectile/index.html
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/06/north-korea-fires-unidentified-projectile-into-sea-of-japan
25 FEBRUARY 2017
Plans for first post-Trump US contact with North Korea cancelled, says report
Plans for the first contact between North Korea and the United States after Donald Trump took office have reportedly been cancelled after the US state department denied a visa for the top envoy from Pyongyang
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/25/plans-for-first-post-trump-us-contact-with-north-korea-cancelled-says-report
https://asiancorrespondent.com/2017/02/n-korean-envoy-denied-visa-first-talks-trump-administration-cancelled/
14 FEBRUARY 2017
North Korean leader’s half-brother killed by ‘poison needles’ in Malaysia
Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, has been killed at an airport in Malaysia after being sprayed in the face by an unidentified liquid, police have said
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/02/14/kim-jong-uns-older-brother-killed-north-korean-spies-poison1/
https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2017/feb/14/north-korean-leader-kim-jong-uns-brother-dies-in-malaysia-video-report
http://www.atimes.com/kim-jong-nam-murdered-poisoned-needles/
13 FEBRUARY 2017
International community condemns DPRK’s missile test-firing
The international community has generally denounced the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) over its latest test-launch of a ballistic missile on Sunday
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-02/13/c_136053978.htm
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/02/korea-declares-ballistic-missile-test-success-170213085718539.html
12 FEBRUARY 2017
North Korea fires ballistic missile, challenging Trump
North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan on Sunday in what appeared to be a move timed to follow the first summit between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and US President Donald Trump in Washington
http://www.asiapacificstar.com/index.php/sid/251655179
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/12/north-korea-shoots-missile-500km-in-show-of-force-to-trump-says-south
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/north-korea-tests-ballistic-missile-does-not-appear-to-be-icbm/3512368.html
3 FEBRUARY 2017
North Korean spy chief sacked in latest purge, says South Korea
The head of North Korea’s spy agency has become the most senior victim of another round of apparent purges ordered by the country’s leader, Kim Jong-un, South Korean officials have said
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/03/north-korean-spy-chief-sacked-in-latest-purge-says-south-korea
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/02/03/kim-jong-un-dismisses-head-spy-agency-south-korea-says/
18 DECEMBER 2016
Successfully consolidating power, Kim Jong Un marks five years as leader of North Korea
Taking over from his father, whose demise was observed at monuments and center plazas across the the nation, Kim has consolidated power over the last five years, especially with the execution of his powerful uncle and the purges that ensued
http://www.asiapacificstar.com/index.php/sid/250283015
24 SEPTEMBER 2016
North Korea air show thumbs nose at sanctions
Just weeks after carrying out its fifth nuclear test, North Korea put on an unprecedented civilian and military air force display Saturday (Sep 24) at the country’s first ever public aviation show
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/north-korea-air-show-thumbs-nose-at-sanctions/3152704.html
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20160924_20/
24 AUGUST 2016
North Korea fires submarine-launched ballistic missile towards Japan
North Korea fired a submarine-launched missile on Wednesday that flew about 500 km (311 miles) towards Japan, a show of improving technological capability for the isolated country that has conducted a series of launches in defiance of UN sanctions
http://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/north-korea-fires-submarine-launched-ballistic-missile-towards-japan
http://www.dw.com/en/north-korea-launches-ballistic-missile-from-submarine/a-19496546
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/24/north-korea-tests-submarine-launched-ballistic-missile
17 AUGUST 2016
Top North Korean diplomat defects from London embassy
A top North Korean diplomat in London has defected because he is “sick and tired of Kim Jong-un’s regime”, according to a spokesman for the South Korean government
https://asiancorrespondent.com/2016/08/top-north-korean-diplomat-defects-london-embassy/
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/08/17/world/north-korea-diplomat-defects/index.html
3 AUGUST 2016
North Korea fires missile into Japan waters for first time
North Korea fired a ballistic missile directly into Japanese-controlled waters for the first time Wednesday (Aug 3), drawing an outraged response from Tokyo and ramping up tensions with the United States and South Korea
http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/north-korea-fires-ballistic-missile-report
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-36961395
http://www.asiapacificstar.com/index.php/sid/246385091
19 JULY 2016
Pyongyang fires 3 missiles in protest of Thaad
Pyongyang fired three ballistic missiles early Tuesday into the East Sea, possibly in protest against Seoul and Washington’s decision to deploying an advanced missile defense system to South Korea
http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=3021519
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2016/07/116_209821.html
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20160719_80/
9 JULY 2016
A North Korea’s submarine-launched missile test ‘fails’
North Korea fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) off its east coast on Saturday, but the missile failed in its initial flight stage, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said
http://www.chinadailyasia.com/asia/2016-07/09/content_15460516.html
https://www.nknews.org/2016/07/north-korea-fires-sub-launched-ballistic-missile/
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2016/07/09/86/0301000000AEN20160709002253315F.html
6 JULY 2016
US sanctions N. Korean leader Kim Jong Un for rights abuses
The United States has imposed sanctions on North Korea’s top officials, including its leader Kim Jong Un, for human rights abuses. It is the first time the US has held Kim directly responsible for extreme rights abuses
http://www.dw.com/en/us-sanctions-n-korean-leader-kim-jong-un-for-rights-abuses/a-19384516
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/northkorea/2016/07/06/0401000000AEN20160706013754315.html
23 JUNE 2016
North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un says new missile can strike US military bases in the Pacific
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened United States military bases across the Pacific after North Korea’s test of a powerful new missile triggered emergency United Nations Security Council talks late Wednesday (June 22) on curbing Pyongyang’s nuclear programme.
http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/north-koreas-leader-kim-jong-un-says-new-missile-can-strike-us-military-bases-in-the
22 JUNE 2016
North Korea carries out two banned mid-range ‘Musudan ballistic’ missile tests
North Korea conducted two back-to-back tests of a powerful new medium-range missile on Wednesday, with at least one launch ending in failure, South Korea’s Defence Ministry said.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/21/north-korea-test-fires-musudan-ballistic-missile/
http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/1979187/north-korea-fires-two-powerful-mid-range-missiles-extending
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/2016-06-22/north-korea-carries-out-two-backtoback-musudan-missile-tests-south-korea-says/1592454
7 JUNE 2016
The North Korea-Cuba Connection
Havana’s continued cooperation with Pyongyang is an alarming blow to the normalization process.
http://thediplomat.com/2016/06/the-north-korea-cuba-connection/
31 MAY 2016
North Korea’s fourth Musudan missile launch fails: South
North Korea launched a Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile early Tuesday morning, but the launch ended in failure, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) and military sources said
http://atimes.com/2016/05/japan-puts-military-on-alert-for-possible-north-korea-missile-launch-nhk/
21 MAY 2016
North Korea’s Complicated Relationship With the Gulf
North Korea has had a relatively short and somewhat complicated relationship with the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)http://www.fairobserver.com/region/middle_east_north_africa/north-koreas-complicated-relationship-gulf-99077/
Top North Korean diplomat Kang Sok-ju who forged 1994 nuclear deal with the U.S. dies
Kang Sok-ju, a senior official of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), has died of cancer at the age of 76, the official Korean Central News Agency reported Saturday.
http://www.asiapacificstar.com/index.php/sid/244265975
http://www.chinadailyasia.com/asia/2016-05/21/content_15436688.html
9 MAY 2016
Kim Jong-un is made chairman of Workers’ Party
North Korea on Monday 9 named Kim Jong-un as chairman of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK), in a move to further cement his grip on power. Kim’s appointment came on the last day of the Communist country’s biggest political gathering, held for the first time in 36 years, with over 3,000 participants unanimously supporting the motion
http://worldaffairsjournal.org/content/kim-jong-un-made-chairman-workers%E2%80%99-party
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/north-korea-stages-second/2773726.html
7 MAY 2016
Nobel laureates call for easing of sanctions on North Korea
During a week-long trip, three renowned scientists have seen for themselves the impact of international sanctions on North Korea. They say the quality of medical care and academic research has been weakened
http://www.dw.com/en/nobel-laureates-call-for-easing-of-sanctions-on-north-korea/a-19241661
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/nobel-laureates-call-easing-north-korea-sanctions-105940610.html?nhp=1
6 MAY 2016
North Korean leader trumpets nuclear program at congress
In the first congress of the ruling Workers’ Party in 36 years, he added that North Korea had had taken « magnificent » strides in its nuclear weapons program and would not be cowed by sanctions or international pressure
http://www.dw.com/en/north-korean-leader-trumpets-nuclear-program-at-congress/a-19240589
http://www.euronews.com/2016/05/06/north-korea-kicks-off-congress-but-foreign-invitees-refused-entry/
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/07/world/asia/north-korea-congress.html?ref=world&referer=http:/www.nytimes.com/pages/world/index.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage®ion=TopBar&module=HPMiniNav&contentCollection=World&WT.nav=page&nytmobile=0&_r=0
24 MARCH 2016
North Korea claims successful solid-fuel rocket engine test
North Korea said Thursday that it had successfully conducted a high-powered, solid-fuel rocket engine test, which if confirmed would be a major step forward in boosting its missile attack capability against South Korea and the United States.
https://www.yahoo.com/tech/north-korea-claims-more-progress-050215879.html
https://www.nknews.org/2016/03/north-korea-conducts-solid-missile-fuel-test/
19 MARCH 2016
U.N. Security Council condemns North Korea missile launches
The United Nations Security Council strongly condemned on Friday North Korea’s recent ballistic missile launches and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Pyongyang to « halt these inflammatory and escalatory actions. »
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/asia/korean_peninsula/AJ201603190010
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/03/17/asia/north-korea-missile-launch/index.html
16 MARCH 2016
White House demands release of US student sentenced to 15 years hard labour in North Korea
The White House has urged North Korea to release a US student who was condemned to 15 years hard labour after allegedly stealing a propaganda sign from a hotel.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/12196295/White-House-demands-release-of-US-student-sentenced-to-15-years-hard-labour-in-North-Korea.html
12 MARCH 2016
North Korea submarine ‘missing’ as US-South Korea drills continue
A North Korean People’s Navy submarine is missing and presumed sunk, a U.S. official told USNI News on Friday
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35793980
http://atimes.com/2016/03/us-official-north-korean-submarine-is-missing-presumed-sunk/
3 MARCH 2016
North Korea fires 6 short-range projectiles in wake of UN resolution
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) fired six short-range projectiles on Thursday morning in an apparent show of force after new tougher sanctions resolution on Pyongyang was passed at the UN Security Council
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/971652.shtml
http://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/north-korea-fires-short-range-missiles-after-new-un-sanctions
21 FEBRUARY 2016
North Korea new army chief after Ri Yong-gil ‘execution’
Ri Myong-su has been named army chief in North Korea, days after unconfirmed reports that his predecessor, Ri Yong-gil, had been executed.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35624820
http://atimes.com/2016/02/north-korea-confirms-new-military-chief-after-execution-of-top-official/
10 FEBRUARY 2016
South Korea halts joint venture after North’s tests
South Korea is to suspend operations at a jointly-run industrial park in North Korea following the North’s recent rocket launch and nuclear test.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35539346
http://news.yahoo.com/korea-suspend-operations-joint-kaesong-industrial-park-n-082439165.html
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/south-korean-firms-begin/2505228.html
Japan announces new sanctions on Pyongyang
Japan has decided to impose more sanctions against North Korea following the country’s launch of what it called a satellite-carrying rocket on Sunday. The launch is seen by the international community as a long-range ballistic missile test
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20160210_38.html
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/02/japan-slap-sanctions-north-korea-rocket-160210112644465.html
9 FEBRUARY 2016
North Korean satellite is in orbit, say Seoul and Washington
North Korea was successful in putting a satellite into orbit on Sunday, although it is not clear whether it is working, according to South Korea’s defence ministry
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/12147588/North-Korean-satellite-is-in-orbit-says-Seoul.html
http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20160209000046
7 FEBRUARY 2016
UN Security Council ‘strongly condemns’ N. Korea rocket launch
« The members of the Security Council strongly condemn this launch, » read a statement presented by Venezuela’s UN Ambassador Rafael Ramiriez, who sits as the council’s president for February.
http://www.dw.com/en/un-security-council-strongly-condemns-n-korea-rocket-launch/a-19032563
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35518058
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/02/hold-emergency-summit-korea-rocket-launch-160207144308489.html
4 FEBRUARY 2016
DPRK ruling party convenes meeting to rout corruption
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea leader Kim Jong-un presided over a meeting of senior ruling party officials aimed at rooting out corruption and abuses of power ahead of a major congress to be held in May, its state media reported Thursday, calling the gathering the first of its kind.
http://www.chinadailyasia.com/asia/2016-02/04/content_15382933.html
8 JANUARY 2016
North Korea releases video of ‘new’ submarine-launched missile test
North Korea has released video footage of a purportedly new submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) test, three days after it claimed it had successfully tested its first hydrogen bomb
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/2016-01-09/north-korea-releases-video-of-new-submarinelaunched-missile-test/1534114
http://www.euronews.com/2016/01/09/north-korea-releases-video-of-missile-test/
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20160109_24.html
7 JANUARY 2016
Why sanctions have failed to deter North Korea
As the UN considers imposing more sanctions on North Korea following its latest nuclear test, DW examines how effective such measures have been in deterring Pyongyang from advancing its nuclear arms program.
http://www.dw.com/en/why-sanctions-have-failed-to-deter-north-korea/a-18966019
30 DECEMBER 2015
Kim Yang-gon, North Korea’s top official in charge of relations with South dies in traffic accident
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s “most trustworthy” aide who oversaw ties with the South has died in a traffic accident, Pyongyang’s state media said Wednesday, a loss seen as a blow to efforts at reconciliation between the two rivals
http://www.arirang.co.kr/News/News_View.asp?nseq=186748
http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/1896510/north-koreas-top-official-charge-relations-south-dies-traffic
http://edition.cnn.com/2015/12/29/world/north-korean-official-kim-yang-gon-dies/index.html
16 DECEMBER 2015
N. Korea jails Canadian pastor for life with hard labour
An influential Canadian pastor was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison with hard labour by a North Korean court following his conviction on sedition charges, prompting Canada to slam the punishment as « unduly harsh ».
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/north-korea-sentences-canadian-pastor-life-imprisonment-053021074.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/12052845/North-Korea-sentences-Canadian-pastor-to-hard-labour-for-life.html
19 NOVEMBER 2015
North Korea releases detailed plan for Free Trade Zone
North Korea announced the adoption of a comprehensive plan to develop a free trade zone in Rason, which will focus on promoting the zone as a center of the MICE industry. MICE stands for meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions
http://worldaffairsjournal.org/content/north-korea-releases-detailed-plan-free-trade-zone
30 OCTOBER 2015
North Korea calls first ruling party congress for 35 years
North Korea announced Friday it would convene a congress of its ruling Workers’ Party for the first time in 35 years, reviving a forum last gathered under the rule of current leader Kim Jong-Un’s grandfather, Kim Il-Sung
http://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/north-korea-calls-first-ruling-party-congress-35-years
23 OCTOBER 2015
North Korea regime members defect from overseas postings
At least 20 senior members of the North Korean regime have defected to Seoul this year, up from eight in 2013, according to reports
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/11950568/North-Korea-regime-members-defect-from-overseas-postings.html
10 OCTOBER 2015
North Korea marks 70 years of ruling party with massive military parade
North Korea held a massive military parade in Pyongyang on Saturday to mark the 70th anniversary of its ruling Workers’ Party.It’s being seen as the biggest military parade ever held in North Korea broadcast live on its state-run Korean Central Television
http://www.arirang.co.kr/News/News_View.asp?nseq=184123 http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/2015-10-10/north-korea-ready-to-fight-any-war-with-us-kim-jongun-tells-major-military-parade-in-pyongyang/1502186
http://edition.cnn.com/2015/10/09/asia/north-korea-military-might/index.html
8 OCTOBER 2015
North Korean capital shows flashes of prosperity amid country’s isolation
Smartphones, traffic jams and modern, energy-saving lights casting a dim glow on the streets: North Korea’s capital shows signs of change even as it prepares for a pageant of military muscle and propaganda of the kind the country is known for
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/north-korean-capital-show/2178732.html
7 AUGUST 2015
North Korea sets up own time zone in snub to Japan
North Korea has announced that it is winding its clocks back by 30 minutes to create a new « Pyongyang Time » – breaking from a time standard imposed by what it called « wicked Japanese imperialists » more than a century ago.
http://www.france24.com/en/20150807-north-korea-sets-own-time-zone-snub-japan
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/08/north-korea-winds-clocks-pyongyang-time-150807014614051.html
11 JULY 2015
North Korea names new defence minister
The country’s KCNA news agency referred to General Pak Yong-sik as « head of the Ministry of the People’s Armed Forces », the country’s defence minister equivalent, in a report on military talks held with the government of Laos
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/620232/north-korea-names-new-defence-minister
17 JUNE 2015
North Korea hit by the worst drought in a century
The official Korean Central News Agency said on Wednesday that the drought has caused about 30 percent of its rice paddies to dry up. Young rice plants normally need to be partially submerged in water during the early summer
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/06/north-korea-hit-worst-drought-century-150617175703554.html
http://asiancorrespondent.com/133615/rice-fields-dry-up-as-north-korea-suffers-worst-drought-in-a-century/
13 MAY 2015
North Korea Defence Chief Hyon Yong-chol ‘executed’
North Korea’s Defence Minister Hyon Yong-chol has been executed for showing disloyalty to leader Kim Jong-un, South Korea’s spy agency has told parliament.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-32716749
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20150513_20.html
http://www.euronews.com/2015/05/13/north-korea-executes-defence-minister-for-dozing-off/
9 MAY 2015
North Korea tests underwater ballistic missile
North Korea has carried out a successful underwater test of a ballistic missile, the North Korean state news agency reported
http://www.arirang.co.kr/News/News_View.asp?nseq=179369
http://edition.cnn.com/2015/05/08/asia/north-korea-missile-test/index.html
http://www.euronews.com/2015/05/09/n-korea-claims-successful-ballistic-missile-launch-from-submarine/
30 APRIL 2015
North Korean diplomats cause chaos at UN event on rights
A U.S.-organized event on North Korea’s human rights briefly turned into chaos at the U.N. on Thursday as North Korean diplomats insisted on reading a statement of protest, amid shouts from defectors, and then stormed out
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/11575917/North-Korea-diplomats-storm-out-of-UN-rights-meeting.html
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/north-korean-diplomats-cause-chaos-un-event-rights-152711616.html
http://worldaffairsjournal.org/content/north-korean-diplomats-storm-out-un-rights-meeting
DPRK top leader cancels ‘planned visit to Russia’
Top leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong-un canceled his planned visit to Moscow for the Victory Day celebration on May 9, the Kremlin said Thursday
http://www.chinadailyasia.com/asia/2015-04/30/content_15258029.html
25 APRIL 2015
North Korea requests Asean ‘partnership’
North Korea has requested a formal partnership with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a top Malaysian Foreign Ministry official said Saturday.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/541371/n-korea-requests-asean-partnership
24 APRIL 2015
North Korea Looks for a New Friend, India
On April 13th, Ri Su Yong met his Indian counterpart, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, in New Delhi. The trip is thought to be the first time a North Korean foreign minister has visited India.
http://worldaffairsjournal.org/blog/gordon-g-chang/north-korea-looks-new-friend-india
8 APRIL 2015
North Korea to Mexico: Give us back our ship
North Korea accused Mexico of illegally holding one of its cargo ships Wednesday and demanded the release of the vessel and crew.
http://edition.cnn.com/2015/04/08/asia/north-korea-mexico-ship-seized/index.html
13 MARCH 2015
North Korea’s growing economy — and America’s misconceptions about it
The textile factories producing “made in China” goods from compounds just across the Yalu River from North Korea offer a glimpse into a hidden world that is helping North Korea’s economy to thrive
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/north-koreas-growing-economy-and-americas-misconceptions-about-it/2015/03/13/b551d2d0-c1a8-11e4-a188-8e4971d37a8d_story.html
9 MARCH 2015
N Korea official admits use of labour camps
A North Korean official has publicly acknowledged for the first time the existence of « reform through labour » camps, after a highly critical UN report into the country’s human rights record earlier this year, but dismissed the report’s accusations
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2014/10/n-korea-official-admits-use-labour-camps-20141080576899804.html
4 FEBRUARY 2015
North Korea strikes down U.S. talks, vows ‘final doom’
North Korea on Wednesday ruled out resuming dialogue with the « gangster-like » United States, and vowed to respond to any U.S. aggression with nuclear strikes and cyber warfare
http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20150204001086
10 JANUARY 2015
North Korea offers to suspend nuclear tests in return for end to US drills
North Korea said on Saturday (Jan 10) it had offered to « temporarily » suspend any future nuclear test if the United States cancels its annual joint military drills with South Korea this year.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/north-korea-offers-us/1581674.html
http://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/north-korea-offers-suspend-nuclear-tests-return-end-us-drills
19 DECEMBER 2014
Putin invites N. Korean leader to Moscow next year
Russian President Vladimir Putin has invited North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to Moscow next year, news report said Friday, in what would be the first overseas trip by Kim
http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20141220000041
18 DECEMBER 2014
UN General Assembly seeks North Korea ICC charges
The non-binding measure approved by a vote of 116 to 20 with 53 abstentions was hailed as a clear message about growing international concern over human rights violations in the reclusive communist country.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/450715/un-wants-north-korea-charged-at-icc
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30540379
27 NOVEMBER 2014
N Korean leader’s sister appointed in top job
North Korea has revealed that leader Kim Jong Un’s sister has been named as a senior official in the ruling Workers’ Party, strengthening analysts’ views that she is an increasingly important part of the family dynasty that runs the country.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2014/11/north-korea-leader-sister-appointed-top-job-20141127123414978909.html
http://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/n-korea-reveals-senior-rank-kim-jong-uns-little-sister
24 NOVEMBER 2014
Isolated N.K. boosts Russia ties
North Korea and Russia appear to be joining forces to ease their international isolation as the former strives to strengthen the bilateral relationship in a frantic search for outside economic assistance and diplomatic support
http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20141124001002
17 NOVEMBER 2014
Top North Korea envoy in Moscow for Putin talks
A special envoy of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived in Moscow on Monday for talks with President Vladimir Putin as Pyongyang seeks allies to fend off a UN resolution calling for a probe into crimes against humanity.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/443889/top-north-korea-envoy-in-moscow-for-putin-talks
15 NOVEMBER 2014
US spy chief’s rare insight into N.Korean diplomacy
The US intelligence chief who flew to North Korea on a secret mission to free two Americans said there is « the potential for change » in the secretive state, in a rare window into the murky world of Pyongyang diplomacy.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/443520/us-spy-chief-rare-insight-into-n-korean-diplomacy
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/11233191/US-spy-chief-reveals-inside-story-of-North-Korea-prisoner-release.html
8 NOVEMBER 2014
North Korea frees two detained US citizens
Two Americans serving lengthy prison sentences in North Korea were released on Saturday by the reclusive state following a secret mission to Pyongyang by US intelligence chief James Clapper, the State Department announced
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2014/11/north-korea-frees-two-detained-us-citizens-2014118152458586114.html
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/442191/n-korea-releases-two-detained-americans-state-dept
5 NOVEMBER 2014
World Bank chief calls on North Korea to open doors
World Bank chief Jim Yong Kim was adamant that the multilateral organisation could not support North Korea unless the country opened up its economy and joined the global community
http://www.asianewsnet.net/World-Bank-chief-calls-on-North-Korea-to-open-door-67087.html
27 OCTOBER 2014
Japan delegation arrives in N.Korea over kidnapping probe
A Japanese delegation arrived in North Korea on Monday for talks centred on Pyongyang’s investigation into the Cold War kidnappings of Japanese citizens, which has marred relations for years.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/439903/japan-delegation-arrives-in-n-korea-over-kidnapping-probe
http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/Article.aspx?aid=2996554
22 OCTOBER 2014
UN urged to refer North Korea to war crimes court
A judge who led an inquiry of North Korea’s dismal rights record urged the United Nations on Wednesday to reject a « charm offensive » from Pyongyang and seek war crimes prosecutions of the regime.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/439108/un-urged-to-refer-north-korea-to-war-crimes-court
21 OCTOBER 2014
North Korea releases one of three Americans held captive, US confirms
State Department says Jeffrey Fowle was home Tuesday after negotiators left Pyongyang, and that the US was working to free two others held by North Korea
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/21/north-korea-jeffrey-fowle-state-department
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/11178421/North-Korea-releases-American-detainee-Jeffrey-Fowle.html
17 OCTOBER 2014
North Korea in grip of leadership tension
We now know that Kim’s extended absence was mainly for medical reasons. But during his absence, interestingly, we witnessed a more open and conciliatory North Korea. The visit of Vice Marshall and National Defense Commission Vice Chairman Hwang Pyong-so and General Choe Ryong-hae to South Korea for the closing of the Asian Games was significant
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/KOR-01-171014.html
14 OCTOBER 2014
North Korea leader Kim Jong-un ‘appears in public’
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has made his first public appearance since 3 September, the country’s official news agency says. http://edition.cnn.com/2014/10/13/world/asia/north-korea-kim-jong-un/index.html?hpt=ias_c2
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-29608096
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2014/10/n-korea-leader-reappears-public-view-201410141928453666.html
8 OCTOBER 2014
N Korea official admits use of labour camps
A North Korean official has publicly acknowledged for the first time the existence of « reform through labour » camps, after a highly critical UN report into the country’s human rights record earlier this year, but dismissed the report’s accusations.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2014/10/n-korea-official-admits-use-labour-camps-20141080576899804.html
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/08/north-korea-admits-using-labour-camps
28 SEPTEMBER 2014
NKorea tells UN it’s ready to discuss human rights
North Korea says it willing to cooperate with the U.N. and other international organizations on human rights, but is bristling at what it views as politicization of the issue by its arch enemy, the United States.
http://asiancorrespondent.com/127040/nkorea-tells-un-its-ready-to-discuss-human-rights/
14 SEPTEMBER 2014
North Korea jails US man Matthew Miller for six years
A North Korean court has sentenced an American man to six years of hard labour for « hostile acts », the state-run KCNA news agency has said
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-29196644
http://www.aljazeera.com/video/asia-pacific/2014/09/north-korea-holds-trial-american-tourist-201491451857466396.html
11 SEPTEMBER 2014
North Korea ready to provide list of abducted Japanese
North Korea has declared that it is ready to hand over a list of Japanese nationals abducted by Pyongyang’s agents, but hinted that Tokyo is unlikely to be satisfied at the number of people its internal investigation has located.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/11088919/North-Korea-ready-to-provide-list-of-abducted-Japanese.html
8 SEPTEMBER 2014
Chongryon chief visits North Korea for first time in eight years
The head of the most influential pro-North Korea organization in Japan is back in Pyongyang for the first time in eight years and might end up meeting with leader Kim Jong Un.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/09/07/national/head-of-japans-top-pro-pyongyang-group-arrives-in-north-korea-for-the-first-time-in-eight-years/#.VA3FKL1OLmI
6 SEPTEMBER 2014
Key North Korean diplomat heads to Europe: report
Kang Sok-Ju, secretary of the central committee of the ruling Workers’ Party, is leading a delegation to Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy and also Mongolia, the North’s Korean Central News Agency reported.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/430849/key-north-korean-diplomat-heads-to-europe-report
4 SEPTEMBER 2014
North Korea’s suicide rate among worst in world, says WHO report
South Korea’s problem with suicide has been well documented. But a World Health Organisation report has found that the problem is even worse in its northerly neighbour, making the peninsula one of the most suicidal regions in the world.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/04/north-korea-suicide-rate-among-worst-world-who-report
19 AUGUST 2014
North Korea transfers tanks to Chinese border
North Korea has transferred one of its newest and most modern armoured units to the border with China, in the latest indication of the depth of the rift between the two erstwhile allies
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/11043980/North-Korea-transfers-tanks-to-Chinese-border.html
6 AUGUST 2014
North Korea rejects offer to attend mass given by Pope Francis in Seoul
North’s Korean Catholics Association said visit would be ‘agonising’ and cites Seoul’s refusal to cancel a joint military drill with US forces for its decision
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/06/north-korea-rejects-mass-pope-francis-seoul
30 JULY 2014
China-N.K. relations face bumpy road
Relations between North Korea and China face a bumpy road as Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions continue to chip away at their decades-long alliance while Beijing increasingly courts Seoul for greater strategic and economic cooperation
http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20140730000967
29 JULY 2014
North Korea denies reports of missile deal with Hamas
North Korea has accused the West of a « sinister » plot to drag it into the Middle East conflict by fabricating stories it has forged a deal to supply missiles to Hamas
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/10998755/North-Korea-denies-reports-of-missile-deal-with-Hamas.html
26 JULY 2014
Hamas and North Korea in secret arms deal
Exclusive: Hamas has paid North Korea for missiles and communications equipment in arms deal worth hundreds of thousands of dollars
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/palestinianauthority/10992921/Hamas-and-North-Korea-in-secret-arms-deal.html
10 JULY 2014
Five North Korean Weapons of War South Korea Should Fear
Be afraid: The Hermit Kingdom maintains a staggering arsenal, from tens of thousands of light infantry to heavy artillery all the way to nuclear weapons
http://nationalinterest.org/feature/five-north-korean-weapons-war-south-korea-should-fear-10841
9 JULY 2014
Chief architect of North Korea’s nuclear programme dies
A former North Korean missile expert who was sanctioned by the United Nations for his role in the North’s nuclear and missile weapons programmes has died, state media said on Wednesday
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/09/chief-architect-north-korea-nuclear-programme-dies
http://nkleadershipwatch.wordpress.com/leadership-biographies/jon-pyong-ho/
3 JULY 2014
Japan to lift some sanctions against North Korea after abductions decision
Japan is to lift some sanctions against North Korea after the regime in Pyongyang agreed to reinvestigate the fates of Japanese nationals abducted by its agents during the cold war
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/03/japan-to-lift-some-sanctions-against-north-korea-after-abductee-move
http://www.euronews.com/2014/07/03/japan-set-to-lift-sanctions-on-north-korea/
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/07/03/national/japan-outlines-sanctions-reward-for-n-koreas-action-on-abductions/#.U7WuNL1OLmI
27 JUNE 2014
North Korea claims to have tested precision guided missile
North Korea claims to have successfully tested a new precision guided missile, at the same time as its army threatens a « devastating » retaliation against South Korea for carrying out live fire drills near their maritime border
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/27/north-korea-claims-to-have-tested-precision-guided-missile
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/10929633/Kim-Jong-un-oversees-test-of-North-Koreas-breakthrough-guided-missile.html
26 JUNE 2014
North Koreans hold a rally to mark 64 years since the start of the Korean war
North Koreans march through the streets of Pyongyang with banners to commemorate the 64th anniversary of the beginning of the Korean war. State media shows crowds shouting slogans such as ‘Down with the US aggressor’. The war started in 1950 when North Korean troops launched a surprise attack into South Korea
http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2014/jun/26/north-korea-rally-64-years-since-start-korean-war-video
31 MAY 2014
North Korea Sentences South Korean ‘Spy’ to Life
North Korean media say a South Korean Christian missionary has been sentenced to life at hard labor after being convicted of several charges, including setting up an underground church and espionage
http://www.voanews.com/content/north-korea-sentences-south-korean-spy-to-life/1926700.html
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2014/05/n-korea-gives-missionary-hard-labour-life-20145311713951665.html
29 MAY 2014
North Korea agrees to reinvestigate all Japanese abductions: PM Abe
North Korea has agreed to reinvestigate all abductions of Japanese citizens, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Thursday, in what appeared to be a significant breakthrough on an issue that has long hampered Tokyo’s relations with Pyongyang
http://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/north-korea-agrees-reinvestigate-all-japanese-abductions-pm-abe
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/29/north-korea-reopen-inquiry-abductions-japanese-cold-war
http://www.aljazeera.com/video/asia-pacific/2014/05/north-korea-agrees-probe-japan-abductions-201452914815296839.html
17 MAY 2014
‘Executed’ Kim Jong-Un girlfriend reappears on North Korea television
A North Korean singer said to be Kim Jong-Un’s ex-girlfriend and reported to have been executed by firing squad last year has appeared on state television, apparently alive and well.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/10837897/Executed-Kim-Jong-Un-girlfriend-reappears-on-North-Korea-television.html
9 MAY 2014
US condemns North Korea’s Obama ‘monkey’ jibes
Pyongyang’s description of US leader as ‘crossbreed’ and ‘wicked black monkey’ dismissed as ‘ugly and disrespectful’ by White House
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/10818450/US-condemns-North-Koreas-Obama-monkey-jibes.html
Is China losing faith in North Korea?
Beijing’s contingency plans for the fall of Kim Jong-un have apparently been leaked to the media. What does this mean for Pyongyang’s relations with its only major ally?
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/09/is-china-losing-faith-in-north-korea
8 MAY 2014
North Korea agrees to ‘consider’ UN recommendations on human rights
The UH human rights council has presented North Korea with 268 recommendations to improve human rights in the country –185 of which the North has said it will consider.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/08/north-korea-un-human-rights
2 MAY 2014
North Korea military official Choe Ryong-hae replaced
Top North Korean military official Choe Ryong-hae has been replaced, the KCNA state news agency reports, fuelling speculation he has fallen out of favour with the country’s leadership
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-27256527
http://www.thanhniennews.com/world/north-korea-replaces-top-army-official-amid-nuclear-warnings-25898.html
1 MAY 2014
Would you travel to North Korea? – poll
Would you jump at the chance to visit the hermit kingdom? Or do accusations about the regime make it a no go?http://www.theguardian.com/world/poll/2014/may/01/north-korea-northkorea
23 APRIL 2014
Kim Jong-un’s Emmental envoys rejected by French cheese school
A French college has politely turned its nose up at a request to help three North Korean experts make top-notch cheese to satisfy the tastes of their Emmental-loving supreme leader, Kim Jong-un
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/10783278/Kim-Jong-uns-Emmental-envoys-rejected-by-French-cheese-school.html
15 APRIL 2014
Hwang Pyong-so may become Kim Jong-un’s right-hand man
Hwang Pyong-so, one of two senior deputy directors of North Korea’s Korean Workers’ Party, has been promoted to the rank of vice marshal of the Korean People’s Army on Apr. 15, reports the China Youth Daily, the official newspaper of the Communist Youth League
http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?cid=1101&MainCatID=11&id=20140428000092
9 APRIL 2014
Kim Jong-Un ‘re-elected’ as North Korean leader
Kim Jong-Un was Wednesday « re-elected » as North Korea’s leader, state media said, as parliament met in a session closely watched for power shifts in the secretive regime following the shock execution of his once-powerful uncle
http://koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2014/04/485_155016.html
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/404162/kim-jong-un-re-elected-as-north-korean-leader
30 MARCH 2014
Japan, North Korea diplomats seek thaw in ties
At their first formal talks since November 2012, senior Japanese and North Korean diplomats on Sunday agreed to work toward settling “outstanding issues” impeding bilateral ties
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/03/30/national/diplomats-seek-thaw-in-dealings-with-north/#.UzhnJ71OLIU
28 MARCH 2014
UN Security Council condemns North Korea missile launch
The UN Security Council has condemned North Korea’s launch of two ballistic missiles and said it was considering an « appropriate response »
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-26780542
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2014/03/un-condemns-n-korea-missile-launch-201432801813371104.html
26 MARCH 2014
North Korea test-fires ballistic missiles as Barack Obama holds Japan-South Korea summit
North Korea has fired two mid-range ballistic missiles into the sea off its east coast and towards Japan, South Korea’s military said as the leaders of South Korea, Japan and the United States discussed North Korea’s arms programmes.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2014/03/defiant-north-korea-test-fires-more-rockets-20143261549693141.html
20 MARCH 2014
Japan, N. Korea move to restart formal talks
Japan and North Korea are moving to restart formal government-level talks, a Japanese foreign ministry official said Thursday, after a shift over the contentious issue of Pyongyang’s past abductions of Japanese citizens http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/400850/japan-n-korea-move-to-restart-formal-talks
12 MARCH 2014
N. Korea adept at dodging sanctions: UN panel
North Korea is becoming more and more adept at dodging international sanctions, a panel of experts said in a report presented Tuesday to the United Nations.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/399510/n-korea-adept-at-dodging-sanctions-un-panel
10 MARCH 2014
N.K. leader’s younger sister debuts on political stage
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s younger sister appears to have made her debut on the political stage in what may be an attempt by the Kim family to cement its power.
http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20140310001400
10 MARCH 2014
Kim Jong-un secures unsurprising ‘100 per cent’ victory in North Korea election
North Korea’s state media has confirmed what was never in doubt – a 100 percent, no-abstention poll victory for leader Kim Jong-Un in the country’s stage-managed parliamentary election.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/10687009/Kim-Jong-un-secures-unsurprising-100-per-cent-victory-in-North-Korea-election.html
http://www.euronews.com/2014/03/10/north-korea-s-kim-jong-un-claims-100-percent-election-result/
9 MARCH 2014
North Koreans ‘vote’ in elections – singing, dancing and reciting poetry
North Korea’s cowed people were marched to the polls on Sunday for a pre-decided « election » to parliament – with only one candidate for each seat
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/10686188/North-Koreans-vote-in-elections-singing-dancing-and-reciting-poetry.html
http://www.euronews.com/2014/03/09/song-and-dance-in-north-korea-as-rubber-stamp-parliament-is-elected/
7 MARCH 2014
Japan: No N. Korea Aid Until Abduction Issue Resolved
Japan says it will not provide any aid to North Korea until the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by the North is resolved
http://www.voanews.com/content/japan-no-n-korea-aid-until-abduction-issue-resolved/1865975.html
N. Korean No. 2 reappears, quashing purge rumours
North Korea’s state media published photos Friday of Vice Marshall Choe Ryong-Hae, quashing intense speculation that the man seen as the number two to paramount leader Kim Jong-Un had been purged.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/398683/n-korean-no-2-reappears-quashing-purge-rumours
3 MARCH 2014
North Korea deports Australian missionary
North Korea on Monday deported an Australian missionary detained for spreading Christianity in the country, saying he apologized for his anti-state religious acts and requested forgiveness.
http://asiancorrespondent.com/120136/north-korea-deports-australian-missionary/
http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2014/mar/03/jailed-australian-missionary-reads-confession
27 FEBRUARY 2014
N Korea missiles test ‘in response’ to S Korea-US exercises
North Korea has fired four short-range missiles into the sea, South Korean defence ministry officials say, in a move widely seen as a response to South Korea’s military exercises with the US.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-26372311
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/10665031/North-Korea-test-fires-four-short-range-missiles.html
26 FEBRUARY 2014
North Korea defector: I saw dogs rip children to pieces in camp
Former prison guard has spoken of the horrors he saw in a North Korean camp, the most shocking of which was watching two dogs killing three children
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/10662786/North-Korea-defector-I-saw-dogs-rip-children-to-pieces-in-camp.html
24 FEBRUARY 2014
N.Korea to enter all events in Asian Games In South Korea
South Korea has invited North Korea to participate in the games, which will run from September 19 to October 4, through the Olympic Council of Asia, a body that governs all sports in Asia.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/396746/n-korea-to-enter-all-events-in-asian-games-reports
19 FEBRUARY 2014
North Korea Arrests Christian Missionary From Australia
The Australian, John Short, 75, was arrested in the capital, Pyongyang, on Sunday, according to his wife, Karen. She said the trip was her husband’s second to North Korea. He had religious materials that had been translated into Korean, according to a statement by his family.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/20/world/asia/north-korea-arrests-christian-missionary-from-australia.html?ref=asia&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=%2AMorning%20Brief&utm_campaign=MB%202.19.14
17 FEBRUARY 2014
North Korean human rights abuses systematic and unparalleled, says UN
North Korea’s leadership is committing systematic and appalling human rights abuses against its own citizens on a scale unparalleled in the modern world, including crimes against humanity, a United Nations report has concluded.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/17/north-korea-human-rights-abuses-united-nations?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=%2AMorning%20Brief&utm_campaign=MB%2002.17.14
http://edition.cnn.com/2014/02/17/world/asia/north-korea-un-report/index.html?hpt=ias_c1
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2014/02/n-korea-hits-out-at-un-abuses-report-2014217104927326115.html
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/CoIDPRK/Pages/ReportoftheCommissionofInquiryDPRK.aspx
16 FEBRUARY 2014
North Korea’s Kim Jong-un marks late father’s birthday
North Korean state television on Sunday broadcast footage of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visiting the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun to commemorate the birthday of his late father Kim Jong-il.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/10641994/North-Koreas-Kim-Jong-un-marks-late-fathers-birthday.html
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2014/02/north-korea-promotes-key-military-officials-201421644548629255.html
11 FEBRUARY 2014
Why North Korea Today Is Not East Germany 1989
Policy analysts and politicians have long predicted that the North Korean government will go the way of East German Communism. Just as the seemingly impregnable Honecker regime rapidly disintegrated along with the Berlin Wall, the Kim dynasty has been expected to collapse at any minute. This minute, of course, has lasted for more than two decades.
http://fpif.org/north-korea-today-east-germany-1989/
10 FEBRUARY 2014
Former US envoy visits N. Korea
A former US ambassador to South Korea arrived in Pyongyang on Monday, state media said, after North Korea cancelled a US envoy’s visit over a jailed Korean American
http://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/former-us-envoy-visits-n-korea-state-media
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/10/north-korea-withdraws-invitation-us-official-kenneth-bae
8 FEBRUARY 2014
NKorea pays hefty cash fine in Panama over Cuba arms case
North Korea paid a fine Saturday for trying to ship undeclared Cuban arms through the Panama Canal, possibly in violation of UN sanctions, authorities said
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-26103467
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/394052/nkorea-pays-hefty-cash-fine-in-panama-over-cuba-arms-case
7 FEBRUARY 2014
US missionary sent back to North Korean labour camp
A US missionary held captive in North Korea was moved from hospital back to a labour camp last month on the same day he appealed for help from Washington, the US State Department said on Friday.
http://www.france24.com/en/20140208-north-korea-bae-us-citizen-camp/
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/asia/korea/2014/02/08/400124/American-jailed.htm
4 FEBRUARY 2014
Sochi: No Olympics for North Korea
Athletes from the nation under the regime led by Kim Jong-un failed to qualify for the Winter Games which start on February 7. And the Olympic Committee denies Pyongyang the « wild card » facilitated entry for poor or developing countries.
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Sochi:-No-Olympics-for-North-Korea-30214.html
N. Korean leader to add ‘MP’ to his many titles
North Korea confirmed Tuesday that leader Kim Jong-Un will be a candidate in next month’s parliamentary elections, which will be closely watched for clues on power shifts in Pyongyang.
http://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/n-korean-leader-add-%E2%80%98mp%E2%80%99-his-many-titles
3 FEBRUARY 2014
Japan singer Hikaru Utada to wed Italian barman: reports
Songstress Hikaru Utada is to tie the knot, she announced on her website, with Japanese media saying her intended is an Italian barman eight years her junior.
http://www.divaasia.com/article/27981
30 JANUARY 2014
Imprisoned Kenneth Bae must serve his 15 years hard labor: North Korea envoy
North Korea will not release imprisoned American missionary Kenneth Bae until he finishes his sentence of 15 years hard labor, according to a rare interview with a Pyongyang diplomat
http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2014/01/30/22507799-imprisoned-kenneth-bae-must-serve-his-15-years-hard-labor-north-korea-envoy?lite
17 JANUARY 2014
Panama: North Korea to pay fine for release of ship found with weapons
North Korea will pay a fine of more than half a million dollars next week for the release of a ship that last year tried to cross the Panama Canal with weapons smuggled aboard, Panamanian authorities said.
http://edition.cnn.com/2014/01/17/world/americas/panama-north-korean-ship/index.html?hpt=ias_c2
8 JANUARY 2014
North Korea Announces Elections For March
North Korea will hold elections for its Supreme People’s Assembly on March 9, the state news agency reported Wednesday.
http://www.eurasiareview.com/08012014-north-korea-announces-elections-march/
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2014/01/north-korea-hold-parliamentary-elections-20141852450566991.html
3 JANUARY 2014
Kim Jong Un’s executed uncle was eaten alive by 120 hungry dogs: report
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s powerful uncle was stripped naked, thrown into a cage, and eaten alive by a pack of ravenous dogs, according to a newspaper with close ties to China’s ruling Communist Party.
http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2014/01/03/22156917-kim-jong-uns-executed-uncle-was-eaten-alive-by-120-hungry-dogs-report?lite
Did Kim Jong Un Feed His Uncle To 120 Dogs? Be Skeptical
No, Kim Jong Un probably didn’t feed his uncle to 120 hungry dogs
21 DECEMBER 2013
‘Hundreds’ of Jang’s relatives sent to gulags by North Korean regime
Several hundred relatives of Jang Song-thaek, executed recently on charges of plotting to overthrow the North Korean state, have been rounded up and sent to political prison camps.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/10532294/Hundreds-of-Jangs-relatives-sent-to-gulags-by-North-Korean-regime.html
17 DECEMBER 2013
North Korea marks Kim Jong-il death amid purge tensions
North Korea is marking the second anniversary of the death of leader Kim Jong-il, days after the dramatic purge of a top-level official.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-25411490
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/385263/n-korea-military-party-vow-loyalty-to-kim-jong-un
http://www.euronews.com/2013/12/17/north-korea-marks-anniversary-of-former-leader-s-death/
12 DECEMBER 2013
N Korea executes uncle of leader Kim Jong-un
North Korea has executed the uncle of its leader Kim Jong-un days after he was dismissed, state news agency KCNA announced, branding the once-powerful Jang Song-thaek a « traitor. »
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2013/12/n-korea-executes-uncle-leader-kim-jong-un-2013121221458939462.html
http://www.euronews.com/2013/12/13/north-korea-leader-kim-jong-un-s-uncle-executed-for-treason
Kim Jong-Un takes father’s title of Dear Leader
Kim Jong-un has adopted the title « Dear Leader » that was previously affected by his father as the North Korean propaganda machine builds up the cult of personality around the young dictator
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/10513244/Kim-Jong-Un-takes-fathers-title-of-Dear-Leader.html
China Tries to Harness North Korea
China has been playing a careful and relatively sophisticated strategic game with its unruly ally North Korea, attempting to harness Pyongyang’s determination to expand its nuclear capability while at the same time expanding its economic relations at an unprecedented pace, according to a new analysis by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
http://www.asiasentinel.com/politics/china-harness-north-korea/
6 DECEMBER 2013
Kim Jong-un ‘preparing to purge aunt’
The ailing aunt of Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, may be the next senior member of the regime to fall victim to the blood letting that is gripping Pyongyang’s « old guard »
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/10499642/Kim-Jong-un-preparing-to-purge-aunt.html
3 DECEMBER 2013
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ousts uncle, claims South Korea
Kim Jong-un may have purged his uncle and aide, South Korean legislators have said, in what would be the most significant ousting since the young leader took the helm in North Korea
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/03/north-korea-kim-jong-un-ousts-uncle-claims-south-korea
http://www.euronews.com/2013/12/03/mystery-exit-of-kim-jong-un-s-powerful-uncle-in-north-korea/
http://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/most-influential-adviser-kim-jong-un-now
29 NOVEMBER 2013
Accused of spying, American held in North Korea issues ‘apology’
An 85-year-old American man detained in North Korea has apologized for his actions, including for killing troops and civilians during the Korean War, North Korea’s state-run news agency reported Saturday.
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/29/world/asia/north-korea-american-detained/index.html?hpt=ias_c1
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-25165463
24 OCTOBER 2013
Is a change in the US’s North Korea Policy overdue ?
A recent study undertaken by RAND, titled Preparing for the Possibility of a North Korean Collapse, raises questions over how prepared the US is for regime change in the DPRK. It also highlights how the US needs to change its policy to better prepare for such an outcome.
http://conflictandsecurity.com/blog/is-a-change-in-the-uss-north-korea-policy-overdue-2/
North Korean ruler gets Malaysian university honor
A Malaysian university faced public criticism Thursday for awarding an honorary doctorate in economics to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, whose country is among the poorest in the world.
http://asiancorrespondent.com/114863/north-korean-ruler-gets-malaysian-university-honor/
http://news.asiaone.com/news/edvantage/malaysia-universitys-honour-n-korea-leader-draws-flak
23 OCTOBER 2013
The strange alliance between Mongolia and North Korea goes on stage in Pyongyang
Mongolian President Elbegdorj Tsakhiagiin is the first head of state to meet North Korea’s young dictator Kim Jong-un. Bilateral relations and the employment of North Korean workers in Mongolian mines are on the table. Tokyo blocks a Mongolian company from buying the Japanese headquarters of North Korea’s Workers’ Party.
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/The-strange-alliance-between-Mongolia-and-North-Korea-goes-on-stage-in-Pyongyang-29355.html
22 OCTOBER 2013
Tourism in North Korea: the secret state is opening up
All the hoo-ha that’s surrounded the recent opening of North Korea’s ski resort, framed as it’s been by the western press as the answer to chubby Kim Jong Un’s wont to indulge his Swiss ways, has overlooked the fact that every dollar spent on tourism is a dollar not spent on centrifuges or Mercedes.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/22/north-korea-ski-resort-tourism-good
14 OCTOBER 2013
North Korea ‘testing chemical weapons on political prisoners’
The allegations have been made in the most recent report on Pyongyang’s chemical weapons capabilities by 38 North, the respected web site operated by the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and are based on testimony from both prisoners and former guards who managed to defect.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/10376676/North-Korea-testing-chemical-weapons-on-political-prisoners.html
12 OCTOBER 2013
N. Korea warns of ‘all-out war’
North Korea on Saturday issued a fresh warning of an « all-out war », urging the United States to stop military drills and what it described as « nuclear blackmail ».
http://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/n-korea-warns-all-out-war
11 OCTOBER 2013
N. Korea warns of counter-attack on US warship
North Korea on Friday threatened to « bury in the sea » a US aircraft carrier, as it slammed a three-nation naval drill involving US, South Korean and Japanese warships.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/374209/n-korea-warns-of-counter-attack-on-us-warship
10 OCTOBER 2013
North Korea sanctions punish the whole population
http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2013/10/10/north-korea-sanctions-punish-the-whole-population/
8 OCTOBER 2013
Kim removes many key figures to cement leadership: S.Korea
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has replaced officials holding almost half of the nation’s key posts in an attempt to strengthen his control over the country, a South Korean report showed
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/373760/kim-removes-many-key-figures-to-cement-leadership-s-korea
24 SEPTEMBER 2013
North Korea’s rolling economic reforms
While missiles and nuclear weapons have dominated the headlines, North Korea’s economy under Kim Jong-un has been developing in promising ways on the domestic front.
http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2013/09/24/north-koreas-rolling-economic-reforms/
23 SEPTEMBER 2013
North Korea denies Kim Jong-un executed mistress to protect wife
North Korea has angrily denied reports that Kim Jong-un ordered the execution of a former mistress in August to protect the « dignity » of his wife.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/10328373/North-Korea-denies-Kim-Jong-un-executed-mistress-to-protect-wife.html
19 SEPTEMBER 2013
UN accuses North Korea of violence in state-run prison camps, including against newborns
The United Nations commission heard eyewitness accounts about the North Korea’s prison camp system where babies are drowned, vermin thrive and people accused of political and social crimes are executed. Pyongyang rejects the accusations.
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/UN-accuses-North-Korea-of-violence-in-state-run-prison-camps,-including-against-newborns-29050.html
UN Receives Evidence About Thai Woman Abducted by N. Korea
Officials from a U.N. human rights commission on Thursday met with family members of a Thai woman gone missing since allegedly being abducted by North Korean spies in Macau in 1978. Despite the passage of time, the family is still hopeful she can eventually return home. ars old.
http://www.voanews.com/content/un-commission-given-evidence-about-thai-abduction-by-nkorea-35-years-ago/1752873.html
5 SEPTEMBER 2013
Up to 20,000 North Korean prison camp inmates have ‘disappeared’ says human rights group
Thousands of North Korean inmates of Camp No 22, one of Kim Jong-un’s most brutal labour camps, have disappeared according to a human rights group.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/10288945/Up-to-20000-North-Korean-prison-camp-inmates-have-disappeared-says-human-rights-group.html
http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/09/06/20353287-human-rights-group-thousands-of-n-korean-prisoners-disappeared-from-gulag?lite
30 AUGUST 2013
Kim Jong-un’s approval rating higher than Barack Obama’s
Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, has a public approval rating of over 50 per cent, according to a poll of escapees living in South Korea.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/10276670/Kim-Jong-uns-approval-rating-higher-than-Barack-Obamas.html
Kim Jong-un purges North Korea’s army chief
Kim Kyok-sik, who is believed to have been behind the sinking of the South Korean corvette Cheonan and the bombardment of Yeonpyeong Island in late 2010, has disappeared from the list of senior regime officials attending public events in recent weeks.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/10275458/Kim-Jong-un-purges-North-Koreas-army-chief.html
North Korea withdraws US envoy’s invitation to visit Pyongyang
North Korea has rescinded its invitation for a senior US envoy to travel to Pyongyang to seek the release of a detained American, the state department has said.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/30/north-korea-us-envoy-pyongyang
http://www.voanews.com/content/us-envoy-seeks-freedom-for-jailed-american-in-north-korea/1740038.html
29 AUGUST 2013
Panama: North Korea arms shipment broke UN sanctions
A preliminary report by a team of United Nations experts has determined that a North Korean cargo ship seized in Panama for carrying weapons violated sanctions, the Panamanian government has said.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/29/panama-north-korea-ship-sanctions
Kim Jong-un ex-girlfriend “executed by firing squad”
South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo has reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s ex-girlfriend was among a group of North-Koreans executed by firing squad on August 20.
http://www.euronews.com/2013/08/29/kim-jong-uns-ex-girlfriend-executed-by-firing-squad/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/10273112/Kim-Jong-Uns-former-lover-starred-in-pop-video.html
28 AUGUST 2013
US envoy to ask North Korea for American prisoner’s release
A senior US envoy who is due to travel to North Korea later this week has said he plans to appeal for the release of an American sentenced to 15 years’ hard labour, but added that Washington had received no guarantees from Pyongyang that the man would be freed.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/28/us-envoy-north-korea-american-prisoner
27 AUGUST 2013
Envoy to visit N Korea over jailed American
The United States will send a human rights envoy to Pyongyang this week to seek the release of an imprisoned US Christian missionary, the State Department said.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2013/08/20138272226237207.html
N Korean leader’s estranged nephew to study at French university
Kim Han-Sol, 18, who studied in Macau and Bosnia, is due to start at Sciences-Po’s campus in the northern city of Le Havre in this year’s Europe-Asia undergraduate programme, university official Caroline Allain said.
http://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/n-korean-leaders-estranged-nephew-study-french-university
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/10268348/Kim-Jong-ils-grandson-to-study-at-French-university.html
N Korea tried to export gas masks to Syria: Sankei Shimbun
North Korea tried to export gas masks to Syria but they were seized in Turkey along with arms and ammunition, a Japanese daily said Tuesday, as the US threatened action over an alleged chemical weapons attack.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/n-korea-tried-to-export/791566.html
20 AUGUST 2013
Horror of North Korean prison camps exposed at UN inquiry
Harrowing accounts from defectors now living in South Korea related how North Korean prison guards chopped off a man’s finger, forced inmates to eat frogs and a mother to kill her own baby.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/10255270/Horror-of-North-Korean-prison-camps-exposed-at-UN-inquiry.html
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/20/north-korean-defectors-prison-abuses
19 AUGUST 2013
Swiss Ban ‘Inappropriate’ Ski Lifts for North Korea
Switzerland has banned the sale to North Korea of equipment for a luxury ski resort planned for the ruling elite in the widely impoverished state that is under U.N. sanctions, officials said on Monday.
http://www.voanews.com/content/swiss-ban-inappropriate-ski-lifts-for-north-korea/1732720.html
16 AUGUST 2013
Food aid to North Korea saves lives — it doesn’t change minds
Well-implemented humanitarian aid can save lives and build relationships between the giver and the receiver.
http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2013/08/16/food-aid-to-north-korea-saves-lives-it-doesnt-change-minds/
14 AUGUST 2013
Castro praises N.Korea for Cold War arms aid
Fidel Castro credited North Korea Wednesday with supplying Cuba with free weapons in the 1980s after the Soviet Union said it could no longer defend the island against a US invasion.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/364647/castro-praises-n-korea-for-cold-war-arms-aid
23 JULY 2013
No Work at North Korean Launch Site for 8 Months: Analysts
New satellite photos suggest construction work has been halted for the last eight months at a key North Korean launch site intended to test bigger and more advanced rockets.
http://www.voanews.com/content/no-work-at-nkorean-launch-site-for-8-months-analysts/1707280.html
http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/07/23/19630948-images-suggest-north-korea-long-range-rocket-plans-have-halted?lite
22 JULY 2013
North Korea Mass Games mark 60th anniversary of Korean War
North Korea launched a new run of its large-scale « Arirang » performance in Pyongyang on Monday to mark the 60th Anniversary of the end of hostilities during the Korean War.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/10196942/North-Korea-Mass-Games-mark-60th-anniversary-of-Korean-War.html
17 JULY 2013
Seized N Korean ship: Cuban weapons on board
The ship was seized by authorities in Panama after military cargo was found hidden in a shipment of sugar http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-23339020 http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2013/07/20137170581445650.html http://www.voanews.com/content/cuba-claims-missle-parts-found-on-north-korean-ship/1703367.html http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/17/world/americas/panama-north-korean-ship/index.html?hpt=ias_c2
16 JULY 2013
North Korean ship caught smuggling weapons and missile material through Panama Canal
Panama has launched a major investigation after drugs agents raided a ship travelling from Cuba to North Korea and discovered “missile components” stashed beneath a cargo of sugar. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/10181736/North-Korean-ship-caught-smuggling-weapons-and-missile-material-through-Panama-Canal.html http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2013/07/201371662915540217.html http://www.voanews.com/content/nkorean-ship-carrying-undeclared-weapons-seized-in-panama-canal/1702557.html
5 JULY 2013
NKorea refuses to cooperate with UN rights probe
UN experts tasked with probing human rights violations in North Korea said Friday Pyongyang has refused to cooperate with the investigation, but that they still hoped to travel to the country next month. http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/358535/nkorea-refuses-to-cooperate-with-un-rights-probe
4 JULY 2013
Kim Jong-il’s widow ‘purged from party posts by North Korea’s Kim Jong-un’
Kim Jong-il’s widow has reportedly been purged from all party positions by her stepson Kim Jong-un, North Korea’s dictator, because « she knows too many secrets ». http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/10156858/Kim-Jong-ils-widow-purged-from-party-posts-by-North-Koreas-Kim-Jong-un.html http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Kim-Jong-il’s-widow-purged-in-Pyongyang’s-dynastic-intrigue-28389.html
27 JUNE 2013
N. Korea tried to export 3,500 km-range ballistic missile: U.S. media
North Korea attempted to sell ballistic missiles with a range of 3,500 kilometers to a British arms dealer, an Internet media outlet based in the United States said Thursday. http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20130627000237
23 JUNE 2013
Sites in North Korea win World Heritage status
The remains of a fortress that once surrounded Kaesong, the ancient capital of Korea’s Koryo Dynasty, is among sites in North Korea that have made it onto UNESCO’s latest World Heritage list. http://asiancorrespondent.com/109724/sites-in-north-korea-win-world-heritage-status/
16 JUNE 2013
State news: North Korea proposes high-level talks with U.S.
The topics that « can be sincerely discussed » include easing military tensions, changing a truce treaty to a peace treaty and nuclear matters, according to a statement from the North’s National Defense Commission, as reported by the state-run Korean Central News Agency. It left some details — like where and when the talks might be held — up to Washington, and insisted U.S. officials should not lay out any preconditions for talks. http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/15/world/asia/north-korea-us-talks/index.html?hpt=ias_c1 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/16/white-house-north-korea-nuclear-talks
22 MAY 2012
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sends envoy to China
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has sent a special envoy to Beijing, state media has announced, amid cooling relations between the two neighbours. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22620600 http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia-pacific
20 MAY 2013
North Korea fires more missiles, condemns US and South for ‘war measures’
North Korea fired two short-range missiles on Monday, making six launches in three days, and condemned South Korea for criticizing what Pyongyang said were legitimate military drills. http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/20/18371122-north-korea-fires-more-missiles-condemns-us-and-south-for-war-measures?lite
15 MAY 2013
Japan PM Abe ‘would meet’ N Korea leader Kim over abductions
Japan’s PM has said he would consider meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to try to settle a row over Pyongyang’s kidnapping of Japanese nationals. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22536186
14 MAY 2013
Japan PM adviser arrives in North Korea
An adviser to Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe arrived in Pyongyang Tuesday, a report said, amid speculation North Korea may be trying to re-engage an old adversary amid frosty ties with China. http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20130514-422581.html http://ajw.asahi.com/article/asia/korean_peninsula/AJ201305140120
13 MAY 2013
North Korea axes hard-line defense chief
North Korea has replaced its hard-line defense chief with a little-known army general, according to a state media report Monday, in what outside analysts call an attempt to install a younger figure meant to solidify leader Kim Jong Un’s grip on the powerful military. http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/13/18224469-report-north-korea-axes-hard-line-defense-chief?lite http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/may/13/north-korean-defence-kim-jong-un
10 MAY 2013
China, N. Korea political, business ties grow: Report
North Korean visits to China have multiplied over recent years, a Chinese newspaper reported, underscoring growing political and business links between the isolated nuclear-armed state and its sole major ally. http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20130510-421771.html
6 MAY 2013
Pyongyang’s crimes lost in power plays
Tensions between North Korea and South Korea over the former’s brinkmanship have somewhat overshadowed the human-rights situation in the so-called « Hermit Kingdom ». It is a safe bet that few among the public took note of the call by the United Nations High Commissioner in January 2013 to step up http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/KOR-02-060513.html
27 APRIL 2013
North Korea to put American Kenneth Bae on trial
North Korea has announced the trial of an American citizen who was mysteriously arrested six months ago while leading a tour group into the country http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/10022366/North-Korea-to-put-American-Kenneth-Bae-on-trial.html http://www.euronews.com/2013/04/27/north-korea-indicts-us-korean-citizen/ http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/n-korea-says-detained-american-will-soon-face-trial/2013/04/27/47a48818-af12-11e2-8bf6-e70cb6ae066e_story.html
18 APRIL 2013
North Korea lists demands for talks
North Korea has demanded the withdrawal of UN sanctions and the end of US-South Korea military drills as conditions for resuming talks with Seoul and Washington. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2013/04/201341883956213774.html http://www.voanews.com/content/nkorea-to-us-no-talks-without-removal-of-sanctions/1643893.html http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/18/north-korea-conditions-us-talks
11 APRIL 2013
North Korea’s aggressive stance condemned by G8 in ‘strongest terms’
Foreign ministers from the G8 group of nations meeting in London have condemned North Korea’s aggressive rhetoric and its continued development of nuclear missile programmes before an anticipated ballistic missile test launch by Pyongyang within the next few days. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/11/north-korea-stance-condemned-g8
10 APRIL 2013
China and Russia urge North Korea to step back from missile launch
North Korea’s two closest allies, China and Russia, have put pressure on Pyongyang to step back from launching a missile, the South Korean Foreign minister has said. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/9984010/China-and-Russia-urge-North-Korea-to-step-back-from-missile-launch.html
8 APRIL 2013
N Korea pulls workers out of Kaesong industrial zone
North Korea said on Monday it was withdrawing all workers and suspending operations at its joint industrial zone with South Korea — the only surviving symbol of inter-Korean cooperation. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/n-korea-pulls-workers-out/631414.html http://www.france24.com/en/20130408-north-south-korea-suspend-cooperation-kaesong-complex http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22065348
6 APRIL 2013
North Korea has asked foreign countries to consider evacuating their embassies in Pyongyang, amid soaring tension on the Korean peninsula
From Wednesday, the safety of embassy staff will no longer be guaranteed by the communist state. This has raised global questions over just how far North Korea is willing to take the military rhetoric. http://www.euronews.com/2013/04/06/north-korea-advises-foreign-diplomats-to-leave/ http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2013/04/20134514143520678.html http://www.voanews.com/content/diplomats-in-north-korea-stay-put-despite-warning/1636121.html http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/evacuation-warnings-missile-fears-stoke-/629048.html
1 APRIL 2013
North Korea’s parliament meets amid nuclear tension
After weeks of war-like rhetoric, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gathered legislators Monday for an annual spring parliamentary session taking place one day after top party officials adopted a statement declaring building nuclear weapons and the economy the nation’s top priorities. http://asiancorrespondent.com/103956/nkoreas-parliament-meets-amid-nuclear-tension/
1 APRIL 2013
N. Korea names Kim clan associate to premiership
North Korea’s parliament named former premier Pak Pong-ju, who was sacked in 2007 for failing to implement economic reforms, as its prime minister in a move that cements the grip of the ruling Kim dynasty on key posts in the country. http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20130401-412813.html
29 MARCH 2013
N Korea ‘readies’ rockets to strike US bases
North Korea’s leader has responded to America’s use of nuclear-capable B-2 bombers in joint South Korean military drills with more angry rhetoric, saying his rocket forces are ready to attack US positions. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2013/03/2013328222926559483.html http://nwww.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20130329000137 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/9961077/North-Koreans-stage-mass-rally-in-support-of-Kim-Jong-uns-call-to-arms.html http://www.voanews.com/content/north-koreans-rally-to-support-threat-of-military-strike/1630983.html
North Korea tensions: Russia’s Lavrov fears ‘spiral’
Russia has warned of tensions in North Korea slipping out of control, after Pyongyang said it was placing its missile units on stand-by. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21974381 http://www.euronews.com/2013/03/29/russia-expresses-concern-over-military-activity-near-north-korea/
26 MARCH 2013
North Korea threatens to strike US mainland
North Korea has put its military on combat-ready status, with « strategic » rocket units ordered to prepare for possible strikes against the US mainland, Hawaii and Guam, state media reported. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2013/03/20133266419350867.html http://www.euronews.com/2013/03/26/north-korea-combat-ready-to-strike-us-mainland/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21935342
21 MARCH 2013
UN to launch probe into N.Korea rights abuses
The United Nations on Thursday said it will for the first time establish a commission of inquiry into grave human rights violations in North Korea that may amount to crimes against humanity http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/1261573/1/.html http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2013/03/2013322113345899921.html
North Korea threatens nuclear attack on US bases in Japan
North Korea has threatened to launch a nuclear attack on US bases in Japan and Guam after Washington used B-52 bombers in a joint military drill with the South. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/9945546/North-Korea-threatens-nuclear-attack-on-US-bases-in-Japan.html http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2013/mar/21/north-korea-us-bases-japan-video http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/1261409/1/.html
17 MARCH 2013
North Korea Threatens Japan with Attack
The North’s official Korean Central News Agency carried a statement from the Foreign Ministry Sunday saying that it would be a fatal mistake for Japan if it thinks it will be safe when a war breaks out on the Korean Peninsula. http://www.voanews.com/content/north-korea-threatens-japan-with-attack/1623026.html
15 MARCH 2013
What is the capacity of North Korea missiles ?
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/02/13/graphic-dprk-intentions/
14 MARCH 2013
Kim Jong-un’s Secret Billions
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has stashed away some US$4-5 billion in bank accounts in other people’s names in Austria, China, Lichtenstein, Luxembourg, Russia, Singapore and Switzerland, intelligence agencies believe http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2013/03/12/2013031201144.html?goback=%2Egde_1569157_member_222381598
5 MARCH 2013
North Korea vows to tear up Korean war ceasefire agreement
North Korea has said it will cancel the 1953 ceasefire that ended the Korean war, citing as reasons a US-led push for UN sanctions over Pyongyang’s recent nuclear test and continuing US-South Korean joint military drills. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/05/north-korea-korean-war-ceasefire http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/05/17194138-report-north-korea-threatens-to-scrap-truce-with-south?lite
27 FEBRUARY 2013
Foreigners granted 3G internet access in North Korea
Pyongyang has something to tweet about. North Korea has opened up internet access to visiting foreigners. Though locals still have restricted access. Journalists wasted no time in sending some of the first Instagrams from inside the country. http://www.euronews.com/2013/02/27/foreigners-granted-3g-internet-access-in-north-korea/
24 FEBRUARY 2013
China living in denial of NK’s status as an ally
There used to be some sympathy in Asia for North Korea and its striving defiance of the US and others that it sees as enemies. But now, even China, the long viewed ally of North Korea, sees North Korea’s defiance as a nuisance. http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/763728.shtml
9 FEBRUARY 2013
The new capitalists
Not long ago North Korea-watchers were speculating that the new leader, Kim Jong Un, might prove a moderniser. The path-breaking boy-dictator let himself be seen with his fashionable wife. He actually spoke in public, whereas his late father’s speeches were as rare as a well-stocked Pyongyang supermarket. Lately, though, Mr Kim has reverted to type by prophesying war. http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21571421-even-another-nuclear-provocation-looms-hope-glimmers-worlds-most-oppressed-people
2 FEBRUARY 2013
China and North Korea
China continues to fret over its troublesome neighbour http://www.economist.com/news/china/21571196-china-continues-fret-over-its-troublesome-neighbour-naughty-step?fsrc=scn/ln_ec/on_the_naughty_step
25 JANUARY 2013
N. Korea faces China aid cut over atomic test: Media
North Korea’s sole major ally China will decrease aid to Pyongyang if it goes ahead with a planned nuclear test state-run media said in an unusually frank warning on Friday. http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20130125-397957.htm http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/9827061/US-and-China-come-together-over-defiant-North-Korea.html http://thediplomat.com/china-power/china-changing-its-tune-on-north-korea/?goback=%2Egde_108552_member_207922736
24 JANUARY 2013
North Korea plans nuclear test and says rocket programme is targeted at US
North Korea has said it planned to carry out a third nuclear test and more rocket launches aimed at its « arch-enemy » the US, two days after the UN condemned its rocket launch. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2013/01/20131244504577116.html http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/24/north-korea-nuclear-rocket-us http://edition.cnn.com/2013/01/23/world/asia/north-korea-nuclear-test/index.html?hpt=ias_c1
22 JANUARY 2013
UN Security Council Rebukes N. Korea, Tightens Sanctions
The U.N. Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution expanding and strengthening sanctions against North Korea. Tuesday’s action was a response to Pyongyang’s launch of a long-range rocket last month – a violation of existing U.N. resolutions http://www.voanews.com/content/north-korea-sanctions-un-rocket-launch-reuters/1588988.html
China may block Korean unification, says US report
A recent report by US Senate Republican staff members warns that China, because of its deepening economic ties with North Korea as well as its ancient claims on Korean land, could attempt to « manage, and conceivably block » an eventual unification between the two Koreas, if ever the Kim family falls from power in Pyongyang. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/22/china-block-korean-unification-us
21 JANUARY 2013
North Korea’s Hidden Famine
http://asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5128&Itemid=198
North Korea allows foreigners in with their mobile phones
North Korea is loosening some restrictions on foreign mobile phones by allowing visitors to bring their own into the country. However, security regulations still prohibit mobile phone calls between foreigners and locals. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/21/north-korea-foreigners-mobile-phones
18 JANUARY 2013
North Korea changes but remains the same
A little over a year since the death of Kim Jong-il, how has Kim Jong-un fared in his first year in charge of North Korea? http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2013/01/18/north-korea-in-2012-and-future-challenges/
14 JANUARY 2013
UN urges probe of North Korea rights abuses
Rights chief says as many as 200,000 political prisoners suffer in « atrocious » camps rife with torture and hard labour. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2013/01/2013114162542619845.html
11 JANUARY 2013
China–North Korea relations under Xi Jinping
Is North Korea a Chinese strategic asset or just a burden to China’s foreign policy? http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2013/01/11/china-north-korea-relations-under-xi-jinping/
21 DECEMBER 2012
North Korea Confirms Arrest of US Citizen
North Korea says it has arrested a U.S. citizen for committing crimes against the state after he entered the reclusive communist country as a tourist. The official Korean Central News Agency said Friday the man, identified as Bae Jun Ho, has confessed to unspecified crimes that it said were « proven through evidence. »
http://www.voanews.com/content/north-korea-confirms-arrest-of-us-citizen/1569493.html http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20808344
19 DECEMBER 2012
North Korea’s Missile Launch: What Does it Mean in Practice?
18 DECEMBER 2012
North Korea: a year into the reign of Kim Jong-un
A year after the death of Kim Jong-il and the ascension of his son Kim Jong-un, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea appears to be more stable than many had predicted. The new leader has consolidated his authority and rebalanced power among key institutions, but his reforms have not gone nearly far enough if North Korea is to escape its poverty trap.
http://www.iiss.org/publications/strategic-comments/past-issues/volume-18-2012/december/north-korea-a-year-into-the-reign-of-kim-jong-un/?goback=%2Egde_108552_member_197169122
14 DECEMBER 2012
NKorea still years away from reliable missiles
After 14 years of painstaking labor, North Korea finally has a rocket that can put a satellite in orbit. But that doesn’t mean Pyongyang is close to having an intercontinental ballistic missile.
http://asiancorrespondent.com/93603/nkorea-still-years-away-from-reliable-missiles/
14 DECEMBER 2012
Pyongyang parades satellite “victory”
North Korea pulled out all the stops to celebrate its successful Wednesday rocket launch, and it is likely the capital Pyongyang will do it all again next week for the first anniversary of Kim Jong-Un’s taking over at the top.
http://www.euronews.com/2012/12/14/pyongyang-parades-satellite-victory/
12 DECEMBER 2012
UN Security Council condemns North Korea rocket launch
North Korea has, for the first time, successfully launched a rocket carrying a satellite – despite international condemnation. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20697922 http://www.euronews.com/2012/12/12/mixed-regional-reactions-to-n-korea-rocket-launch/
30 NOVEMBER 2012
Chinese Met With North Korean Leader
A delegation dispatched by China’s new leader, Xi Jinpin, met with the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Friday, North Korean state media reported, amid signs that North Korea is stepping up its nuclear and long-range missile programs.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/01/world/asia/chinese-delegation-said-to-meet-with-kim-jong-un.html?smid=li-share&goback=%2Egde_108552_member_191161190&_r=0
2 NOVEMBER 2012
Rumors suggest N.K. leader’s brother seeking asylum
Speculation is growing about the whereabouts of Kim Jong-nam, the elder brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, with one rumor suggesting that he is seeking asylum in Seoul in the face of an assassination threat
http://nwww.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20121101000729
24 OCTOBER 2012
North Korean army minister ‘executed with mortar round’
A North Korean army minister was executed with a mortar round for reportedly drinking and carousing during the official mourning period after Kim Jong-il’s death.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/9630509/North-Korean-army-minister-executed-with-mortar-round.html
15 OCTOBER 2012
Lenin and Karl Marx statues removed from North Korea’s Kim Il-sung Square
The larger-than-life portraits of Lenin and Karl Marx that once dominated Kim Il-sung Square have been removed, suggesting a change of direction within North Korea
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/9608048/Lenin-and-Karl-Marx-statues-removed-from-North-Koreas-Kim-Il-sung-Square.html
9 OCTOBER 2012
North Korea warns US on missiles after South deal
North Korea says it has missiles that can hit the US mainland, in a statement two days after South Korea unveiled a missile deal with the US
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19879935
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/10/world/asia/north-korea-says-its-missiles-can-reach-us-mainland.html?ref=asia
25 SEPTEMBER 2012
NKorean parliament holds second session this year
North Korea’s parliament convened Tuesday for the second time in six months, passing a law that adds one year of compulsory education for children in the socialist nation, the first publicly-announced policy change under leader Kim Jong Un
http://asiancorrespondent.com/89902/nkorean-parliament-holds-second-session-this-year/
24 SEPTEMBER 2012
North Korea ‘to allow farmers to keep half their produce’
North Korea plans to allow farmers to keep as much as half of their produce in an attempt to boost agricultural output, it has been claimed, in a move that would be a major economic reform for the beleaguered country
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/9561879/North-Korea-to-allow-farmers-to-keep-half-their-produce.html
29 AUGUST 2012
N. Korea wants seat at APEC summit: Report
North Korea has asked Moscow for permission to send a mission to next month’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Russia, Japan’s top-selling Yomiuri Shimbun reported Wednesday. http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20120829-368351.html
3 AUGUST 2012
Kim Jong Un promises ‘happy and civilized’ North Korea
North Korea’s new young leader has told chief backer China that his priority is to develop the decaying economy and improve living standards in one of the world’s poorest states, the latest sign that he may be planning economic reforms.
http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/03/13097711-kim-jong-un-promises-happy-and-civilized-north-korea?lite&__utma=238145375.1358836827.1333475157.1343935774.1344015551.116&__utmb=238145375.1.10.1344015551&__utmc=238145375&__utmx=-&__utmz=238145375.1343667468.113.5.utmcsr=google|utmccn=(organic)|utmcmd=organic|utmctr=(not%20provided)&__utmv=238145375.|8=Earned%20By=msnbc%7Cworld%20news%7Casia-pacific=1^12=Landing%20Content=Mixed=1^13=Landing%20Hostname=www.msnbc.msn.com=1^30=Visit%20Type%20to%20Content=Earned%20to%20Mixed=1&__utmk=89686744
25 JULY 2012
NK unveils Kim Jong-un ‘mystery’ marriage
North Korea has said its new leader is married, announcing the union for the first time in routine state TV report. The bulletin, which aired on Wednesday evening, ended weeks of speculation about a woman who accompanied Kim Jung-un to recent public events.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2012/07/2012725133251415525.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/9427323/Kim-Jong-un-is-married-and-may-have-a-child.html
18 JULY 2012
North Korea’s Kim promoted to marshal
North Korea says its leader Kim Jong-un has been promoted to marshal, cementing his status at the top of the nation’s military. North Korean state media made the announcement in a special bulletin. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2012/07/201271834458949728.html http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18881524
17 JULY 2012
North Korean military appointment masking leadership power struggle
The changes in personnel within the highest echelons of the North Korean military mask a power struggle that has concluded – for now – with Choe Ryong-hae emerging as the most powerful man in the regime and the « puppet-master » behind Kim Jong-un.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/9404672/North-Korean-military-appointment-masking-leadership-power-struggle.html
16 JULY 2012
North Korea’s army chief ‘relieved of duties’
Marking what may be the beginning of a purge of older officials, North Korean military chief Ri Yong-ho has been removed from his post
http://www.euronews.com/2012/07/16/north-korea-military-boss-removed-from-his-post/
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2012/07/201271601152925587.html
15 JULY 2012
North Korea Experts Can See a Lot in a Hemline
North Korea watchers have resorted to in trying to peer into one of the world’s most isolated countries and divine what its new young leader, Kim Jong-un, is thinking. For weeks now, those analysts have puzzled over photos of women sporting miniskirts and heels in downtown Pyongyang, a stunning change from the years when Western wear was mostly shunned in favor of billowy traditional dresses or drab Mao-style work uniforms.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/16/world/asia/experts-on-north-korea-can-see-a-lot-in-a-hemline.html?_r=1&ref=asia
4 JULY 2012
Pyongyang’s growing foreign trade
North Korea increased its shipment of natural resources to China as it suffered from international sanctions and isolation stemming from its weapons programs, South Korean data showed. The North’s external trade surged 51 percent last year to a 22-year high of $6.3 billion thanks to robust Chinese demand, according to the state-owned Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency
http://view.koreaherald.com/kh/view.php?ud=20120704001374&mod=skb
19 JUNE 2012
North Korea under growing pressure over human rights
The campaign for North Koreans’ human rights is receiving fresh impetus as South Korea, the U.S. and the international community are ratcheting up pressure on the repressive regime to address grave living conditions and cease punishment of repatriated defectors.
http://view.koreaherald.com/kh/view.php?ud=20120619000981&cpv=0
8 JUNE 2012
Chinese firms breaking UN embargo on North Korea
Chinese firms are breaking a United Nations embargo by supplying North Korea with key components for ballistic missiles including launch vehicles, according to evidence provided by an intelligence agency in the region.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/9320339/Chinese-firms-breaking-UN-embargo-on-North-Korea.html
29 MAY 2012
Defectors describe horror, heartbreak in North Korea’s labor camps
Watching the public execution of his mother and older brother, Shin Dong-Hyuk thought the punishment was just. They had planned to escape the North Korean labor camp they were being held in until Shin overheard them and reported them to the prison guards
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/05/27/world/asia/north-korea-labor-camps-hancocks/index.html?iid=article_sidebar
25 APRIL 2012
North Korea redefines ‘minimum’ wage
The official exchange rate of the North Korean won is now fixed at 135 won per US dollar, but few if any people use this rate in actual transactions. The market rate is far more indicative, and currently it fluctuates around the 3,400 won per a US dollar mark. Therefore, the official salary is between $0.5 and $1.50 a month. The above information is technically correct, but also quite meaningless because, in North Korea, wages have had a rather unusual role: they were merely one part of a compensation package given by the employer to its employees, and not the most significant part (until the early 1990s, there was only one employer in North Korea – that is, the North Korean state
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/ND25Dg03.html
20 APRIL 2012
N. Korea vows to continue ‘space program’
Despite U.N. Security Council condemnations, North Korea said it will continue launching satellites under its space program that outsiders see as a pretext to test long-range missiles http://www.koreaherald.com/pop/NewsFlashRight.jsp?newsMLId=20120420000728
16 APRIL 2012
UN Security Council Expands North Korea Sanctions
The U.N. Security Council has “strongly condemned” North Korea’s failed rocket launch and unanimously agreed to expand sanctions against the increasingly isolated nation http://www.voanews.com/english/news/asia/east-pacific/UN-Security-Council-Expands-North-Korea-Sanctions-147586665.html
15 APRIL 2012
North Korea’s Kim Jong-un in first major public speech
North Korean new leader Kim Jong-un has made his first televised public speech, as Pyongyang marks the centenary of the birth of the country’s founder.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2012/04/20124153576824453.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17718011
14 APRIL 2012
US suspends North Korea food aid
The United States has called off plans to send food aid to North Korea, after the impoverished state launched a rocket in defiance of international demands.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2012/04/20124140598594521.html
13 APRIL 2012
North Korea rocket launch fails
North Korea’s keenly-watched rocket launch has failed, Pyongyang has confirmed. The rocket – seen by many as a banned test of long-range missile technology – was launched from north-west North Korea http://edition.cnn.com/2012/04/13/world/asia/north-korea-launch/index.html?hpt=ias_c1 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17698438
http://www.koreaherald.com/national/Detail.jsp?newsMLId=20120413001143
11 APRIL 2012
Kim Jong Un named first secretary of the Workers’Party of North Korea
As North Korea made final preparations for a controversial rocket launch, its young new supreme leader, Kim Jong Un, was anointed with a new title Wednesday: He was named first secretary of the ruling Workers’ Party http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2012/04/kim-jong-un-named-to-new-post-as-launch-looms.html
10 APRIL 2012
Report sheds fresh light on North Korean gulag
It presents a detailed picture of torture, forced abortions and public executions in a vast network of secret political camps. The research backs previous evidence that more than 150,000 political prisoners are being held in North Korea
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17668076
4 APRIL 2012
All of Kim Jong-eun’s men
The top managers of North Korea’s clandestine nuclear and ballistic missile program have been methodically promoted and now dominate the inner circle of Kim Jong-eun’s new government, confidential foreign government documents and official media reports from Pyongyang show
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/ND04Dg01.html
25 MARCH 2012
Obama Warns North Korea to End ‘Bad Behavior’
President Obama on Sunday 25 warned North Korea that its threats and provocations would only deepen its international isolation and jeopardize the resumption of American food aid, and he called on the North to scrap its plans to launch a satellite next month
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/26/world/asia/president-obama-visits-south-korea.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=asia
16 MARCH 2012
US warns North Korea satellite launch could scrap nuclear, food deals
The United States warned North Korea on Friday its plan to launch a satellite with a long-range rocket could violate its February agreement on a nuclear moratorium and scuttle U.S. plans to resume food aid. http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/16/10715606-us-warns-north-korea-satellite-launch-could-scrap-nuclear-food-deals
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17400146 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17399847
16 FEBRUARY 2012
North Korea holds big parade on anniversary of dead leader’s 70th birthday
North Korea held a huge military parade in Pyongyang on Thursday, using the 70th anniversary of the birth of its late leader Kim Jong Il as an opportunity to try to invoke deeper reverence for his son and chosen successor, Kim Jong Un
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17053986
http://www.aljazeera.com/video/asia-pacific/2012/02/2012216143512223376.html
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/02/16/world/asia/north-korea-kim-birthday/index.html?hpt=ias_t2
15 FEBRUARY 2012
Giant Kim Jong-il statue unveiled for his 70th birthday
A giant statue of Kim Jong-il has been unveiled ahead of Thursday’s celebrations of the 70th anniversary of his birthday
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17037162
8 JANUARY 2012
On birthday, N. Korea leader called military ‘genius’
North Korea on Sunday praised its young new leader as “the genius among the geniuses” in military strategy in a film aired on his birthday, the first since he took command after his father’s death
http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20120108-320604.html http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16460279 http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/for-kim-jong-eun-a-choreographed-rise/2012/01/07/gIQAizmPhP_story.html
31 DECEMBER 2011
North Korea announced on Saturday 31 it has appointed Kim Jong Un, the anointed successor and youngest son of Kim Jong Il, as Supreme Commander of its 1.2 million-strong military, two days after official mourning for the late leader ended
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45833006/ns/world_news-asia_pacific/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16370671
30 DECEMBER 2011
Do ‘not expect any change from us’, warns North Korea
North Korea warned the world Friday that newly anointed leader Kim Jong-un would continue the tough stance against the South. The statement also said, “the world… including the puppet group in South Korea, should not expect any change from us”
http://www.france24.com/en/20111230-north-korea-warns-kim-jong-il-jong-un-south-asia-diplomacy-funeral-death http://edition.cnn.com/2011/12/30/world/asia/north-korea-policy/index.html?hpt=ias_c1
29 DECEMBER 2011
North Korea names new ‘supreme leader’
North Korea has staged a massive memorial service for Kim Jong-il, ending almost two weeks of official mourning, and has officially declared his son, Kim Jong-un, as the country’s new « supreme leader » http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/30/world/asia/north-korea-declares-kim-jong-un-as-supreme-leader.html?_r=1&ref=asia http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45813667/ns/world_news-asia_pacific/ http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2011/12/201112293411349872.html
28 DECEMBER 2011
Kim Jong-il funeral
25 DECEMBRE 2011
North Korean heir’s uncle shown in key role
North Korea on Sunday aired footage showing the uncle and key patron of anointed heir Kim Jong Un wearing a military uniform with a general’s insignia — a strong sign he’ll play a greater role in efforts to secure the young man’s rise to power after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, a week ago
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45782565/ns/world_news-asia_pacific/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16328758
21 DECEMBER 2011
Meet Kim Jong-un’s new team
North Korea-watchers have been anticipating this day for years. According to the state news agency, on December 17, at eight-thirty in the morning North Korea time, on a train somewhere on the outskirts of the Pyongyang, Kim Jong Il « suffered an advanced acute myocardial infarction, complicated with a serious heart shock. » Nearly 50 hours later, the North Korean propaganda apparatus sprung into action, informing the world of Kim’s passing and proclaiming his son, Kim Jong Un, the « great successor. »
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/136980/ken-gause/meet-kim-jong-uns-new-team
19 DECEMBER 2011
North Korea in mourning for Kim Jong-il
« It is the biggest loss for the party … and it is our people and nation’s biggest sadness, » a tearful presenter said as she announced the death on state television.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2011/12/201112193620221153.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16250499
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/ML20Dg02.html
17 DECEMBER 2011
Kim Jong-il dies of heart failure
Kim Jong-il, the North Korean leader who ruthlessly controlled his Stalinist nation and kept South Koreans on constant edge with his “military-first” politics, died of a heart attack Saturday 17. He was 69
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2011/12/116_101137.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16240096
2 DECEMBER 2011
North Korea’s new class system
It is often overlooked how much North Korea has changed over the past 20 years. Its Stalinist and militaristic facade is carefully maintained by the state, but in the new circumstances it is increasingly misleading. Behind this official veneer of militant posters and stepping soldiers, the society itself has changed much
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/ML03Dg01.html
25 NOVEMBER 2011
North Korea’s Children in Need of Food Aid, Agencies Warn
Harvests this fall were expected to increase by 8.5 percent compared with a year ago, but the most vulnerable segments of the population, especially young children, urgently need international aid, two United Nations agencies said on Friday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/26/world/asia/north-koreas-children-in-need-of-food-aid-agencies-warn.html?_r=1&ref=asia
16 NOVEMBER 2011
North Koreans still undergo hardships, recent visitor says
A British professor who recently visited North Korea said Pyongyang citizens are still impoverished, though North Korean media are pouring out reports on how their factories and companies have boosted production. The North Korean mouthpieces, including the North Korean Central Broadcasting Station, have been releasing news reports about how the communist state’s light industries and factories overachieved their initial production targets.
http://www.koreaherald.com/national/Detail.jsp?newsMLId=20111116000626
9 NOVEMBER 2011
Why North Korea won’t quit
The collapse of North Korea is a subject of immense international interest. Since the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the overthrow of Eastern European « people’s democracies », numerous scholars and research institutes have had their say about the fate of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). Now, in the wake of a power transition in Pyongyang, observers and followers of North Korea are again making predictions on the mortality of the world’s last Stalinist state.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/MK09Dg01.html
21 OCTOBER 2011
US and North Korea reach deal over missing troops
After three days of meetings in the Thai capital, Bangkok, the Pentagon said on Friday that officials from the US and North Korea had « reached an arrangement to resume recovering the remains of American servicemen missing from the Korean War ».
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2011/10/20111022101237641920.html
18 OCTOBER 2011
North Korea holds talks with US on war remains
North Korea and the US are holding talks on restarting efforts to recover the remains of US troops killed during the Korean War, after a six-year halt.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-15348707
13 OCTOBER 2011
Tending a Small Patch of Capitalism in North Korea
Grappling with an economy that has stagnated from decades of communist central planning, North Korean leaders are slowly opening
their isolated nation to foreign investment
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/13/world/asia/north-koreans-woo-business-to-rason-economic-zone.html?ref=asia
12 JULY 2011
France to open cooperation office in N. Korea
France will open a cooperation bureau in North Korea, Le Monde newspaper said Tuesday, but underscored that Paris was not launching
diplomatic relations with the reclusive Stalinist state. The proposed office will handle cultural cooperation
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/1140381/1/.html
25 MAY 2011
Kim’s China trip could revive economic shift
As North Korean leader Kim Jong Il apparently spent his sixth day in China on Wednesday, many speculated about his activities and
the purpose of another long, secretive trip to his nation’s only major ally.
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/news/article_1641389.php/ANALYSIS-Kim-s-China-trip-could-revive-economic-shift
15 MAY 2011
UN: North Korea, Iran Share Ballistic Missile Technology
A classified United Nations report says North Korea and Iran have routinely shared ballistic missile technology in violation of U.N. sanctions, and diplomats say China has sought to block release of the report.
The document, seen by Western journalists, says the illicit technology transfers passed through a neighboring third country, which diplomats identify as China, North Korea’s closest ally. Beijing has not commented on the report, which also includes accusations the technology was
transferred aboard regular air flights of Air Koryo and Iran Air – North Korea’s and Iran’s national airlines
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/middle-east/iran/UN–North-Korea-Iran-Share-Ballistic-Missile-Technology—121856789.html
China Delays Report Suggesting North Korea Violated Sanctions
China has tried to suppress a report at the United Nations suggesting that North Korea and Iran have been routinely sharing ballistic missile technology, United Nations diplomats said Saturday, expressing concern that Beijing was again working to shield the North.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/15/world/asia/15nations.html?_r=1&ref=asia
4 MAY 2011
North Korea ‘holding 200,000 prisoners’
Amnesty International says new satellite images and testimony from a former inmate show North Korea is holding about 200,000 people
in its huge network of political prison camps where torture is rampant and conditions near slavery.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2011/05/20115451045324644.html
18 APRIL 2011
Pyongyang, regime « princes » put Kim dictatorship at risk
Led by the two younger sons of Kim Jong-il, the « grandchildren » of the Revolution, trade in illegal drugs and use state funds to gamble in Macao or see a rock concert in Singapore. The « Dear Leader » can’t stand them but has to put up with them, as his heir is one of them
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Pyongyang,-regime-princes-put-Kim-dictatorship-at-risk-21337.html
6 FEBRUARY 2011
Artist exacts revenge on North Korea regime
Song Byeok once did the soulless work of drawing idyllic North Korean propaganda posters for Kim Jong Il’s totalitarian regime. Since defecting, he has turned his creative talents to skewering it.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-north-korea-artist-20110206,0,601364.story
11 DECEMBER 2010
North Korea’s First Family
The North Korean dictatorship established by Kim Il Sung after World War II was taken over by his son Kim Jong Il in the 1990s. Now
Kim Jong Il’s health is failing and a transfer of power appears imminent. Click here to learn about his heir-apparent, Kim Jung Un, and other members of the Kim family, who hold powerful positions throughout the North Korean
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39382760/ns/world_news-asiapacific
2 DECEMBER 2010
China ‘exasperated’ by ally North Korea, WikiLeaks reports
China may be rethinking its longtime ties with North Korea and may have less influence on Pyongyang than previously thought, according to US diplomatic documents released by the WikiLeaks website on Monday
http://www.france24.com/en/20101130-beijing-china-north-korea-rethinking-ties-pyongyang-wikileaks-strategic-alliance-us-documents-leak-diplomacy
29 NOVEMBER 2010
US secret documents on N. Korea revealed
Classified US diplomatic cables, leaked by WikiLeaks this day, indicate that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s health has been deteriorating and his power to control the communist nation is increasingly weakened.
http://www.koreaherald.com/national/Detail.jsp?newsMLId=20101130001021
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40422090/ns/world_news-the_new_york_times/
23 NOVEMBER 2010
North Korean shells aim to shock
The United States and South Korea now have to face what has become more than an abstract question: What is more troubling, the specter of North Korea as a growing nuclear power with a brand new uranium-enrichment facility almost ready to go into operation, or a nasty assault by « conventional » weapons on land?
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/LK24Dg02.html
10 OCTOBER 2010
Likely N Korea heir Kim Jong-un appears with father
State television in North Korea has for the first time showed live pictures of leader Kim Jong-il with his son and presumed heir, Kim Jong-un. Kim Jong-il’s youngest son accompanied him to a huge military parade the capital to mark the 65th anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2010/10/2010101022414425395.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11509166
http://english.aljazeera.net/video/asia-pacific/2010/10/20101010183525974226.html
North Korea leader’s eldest son ‘opposes dynasty’
The eldest son of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il says he opposes a dynastic succession that would see his younger half-brother take power.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11520566
30 SEPTEMBER 2010
North Korea Releases First Photo of Kim’s Heir
The photo was published in the September 30 issue of North Korea’s main newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, and showed him in a dark suit with
his father and a large group of senior Workers’ Party officials. He bore a strong resemblance to his father and, some thought, his grandfather, Kim
Il-sung, the founder of North Korea.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11441504
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/01/world/asia/01korea.html?ref=asia
29 SEPTEMBER 2010
Kim Jong-il’s son appointed to prominent party post
A day after he was named a four-star general, Kim Jong-un, the youngest son of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, has been appointed to a key party position, in the latest indication of a looming family succession.
http://www.france24.com/en/20100928-north-korea-kim-jong-il-son-jong-un-central-military-commission-workers-party
28 AUGUST 2010
Stalled talks get a boost from Carter visit…
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) has shown a lot of enthusiasm for getting back around the negotiating table for denuclearization talks by setting free an imprisoned United States citizen, but the US also has a big role to play if wheels are to be put in motion, according to Chinese experts.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2010-08/28/content_11217651.htm
…And Kim Jong-il visit to China
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/LH28Dg01.html
11 AUGUST 2010
N.K. power elite ready for successor
North Korea’s power elite is taking steps to make official the status of Kim Jong-un as the country’s next Dear Leader. The Workers’ Party is expected to put 26-year-old Jong-un and his supporters on key posts at the upcoming meeting of its top representatives in early September
http://www.koreaherald.com/national/Detail.jsp?newsMLId=20100811000745
21 JULY 2010
U.S. to Impose More Sanctions Against North Korea
The measures, announced here by Mrs. Clinton after high-level talks with South Korean officials, take aim at counterfeiting, money laundering and other dealings that she said the North Korean government used to generate hard currency to pay off cronies and cling to power
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/22/world/asia/22military.html?_r=1&ref=asia
26 JUNE 2010
North Korea to select new leaders
North Korea has announced it will elect new party leaders at a rare meeting in September, in what analysts are saying could be a move to
strengthen the hand of Kim Jong-il’s potential successor. Kim Jong-il, who reportedly suffered a stroke in 2008, is believed to have been grooming Kim Jong-un, his youngest son to succeed him as leader.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2010/06/201062654853137197.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/asia_pacific/10422809.stm
30 MAY 2010
Pressure on China to censure N.Korea fails
South Korea and Japan pressed China Sunday to censure North Korea over the sinking of a South Korean warship, but failed to win its
public support for the move after a three-way summit
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/1059905/1/.html
20 JANUARY 2010
South Korea think-tank warns of mass chaos if Kim dies
North Korea’s ailing leader Kim Jong-Il may die in two or three years and this could spark upheavals such as a coup, mass unrest or
massacres in the communist nation, a South Korean state think-tank says. In a rare report forecasting possible regime collapse in the North, the Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU) also warned that such internal unrest could prompt the North to start a limited war on the peninsula
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/1031894/1/.html
9 JANUARY 2009
N.Korea’s Kim admits failure
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has admitted failing to deliver an acceptable standard of living for the communist nation’s people, state media reported on Saturday 9 January
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Pyongyang-takes-lessons-in-capitalism-17301.html
21 NOVEMBER 2009
N Korea grilled over rights record
North Korean diplomats have sought to defend the country’s human rights record during a rare appearance before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2009/12/200912841117790858.html
2 FEBRUARY 2009
Military officials from North Korea and the U.S.-led U.N. Command held their first high-level talks in nearly seven years
The talks inside the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea lasted just 32 minutes. But the U.N. command deemed them
a positive step toward reducing tensions that have been escalating in the region in recent months
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/03/02/nkorea.talks/index.html