Korea
Economy Seen as Key to Kim Jong Un’s Long-term Rule
This week North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un capped years of political maneuvers, purges and executions by assuming the post of party chairman, declaring it the start of the "Kim Jong Un era." The event was widely seen as cementing his leadership role, but analysts in Washington and Seoul say that revitalizing the...
North Korea reportedly puts mid-range missile on standby for launch
North Korea is believed to have placed a new, powerful mid-range missile on standby for an impending launch, a news report said Tuesday. The reported launch plans came two days after North Korea claimed to have successfully test-fired a ballistic missile from a submarine in a continuation of its weapons tests amid ongoing South...
North Korean interiors: A rare glimpse inside the candy-colored ‘socialist fairyland’
"Let us turn the whole country into a socialist fairyland!" declares one of North Korea's 310 official patriotic slogans published this year on behalf of the country's young leader, Marshall Kim Jong-un. It's an unlikely sentiment to be found alongside mottos urging a stronger army, better harvests and the...
Obama dismisses N Korea proposal to ‘halt’ nuclear tests
US President Barack Obama has dismissed North Korea's proposal to suspend nuclear tests if the US ends its annual military exercises with the South. On Sunday Mr Obama told reporters that the US did not take such a proposal seriously and that Pyongyang would "have to do better than that". The North's foreign...
North Korea ‘tests long-range missile engine’
North Korea says it has successfully tested an engine designed for an intercontinental ballistic missile. The new type of engine would "guarantee" the ability to launch a nuclear strike on the US mainland, the KCNA news agency said. The test was conducted at the country's long-range missile launch site near its...
North Korea Sanctions Pose Human Rights Dilemma
Human rights organizations are supporting the new international sanctions imposed on North Korea to restrict its nuclear program, even though the economic measures could make life more difficult for many people in the country who already live on the margins of poverty. “I think the whole idea of pressure on North Korea is...
North Korea nuclear tests: US and China to co-operate
China and the United States will work together to try to prevent further missile tests by North Korea, US President Barack Obama says. In recent weeks, North Korea has carried out a hydrogen bomb test and repeatedly test-fired missiles. Mr Obama met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of a nuclear summit in Washington...
North Korea propaganda video depicts nuclear attack on Washington
North Korea released a dramatic propaganda video Saturday called "Last Chance" that depicts a nuclear strike on Washington, complete with animation of a missile slamming into the earth near the Lincoln Memorial. The four-minute video, backed by a hyper musical score reminiscent of TV Westerns of the 1960s, includes a...
North Korea fires ballistic missile into sea
North Korea has fired a ballistic missile into the sea, South Korean and US officials say. They say the missile, launched off the east coast, flew about 800km (500 miles) and fell into the water. North Korea has not commented on the report. A US defence spokesperson later said a second missile was launched. US President Barack...
US student Otto Warmbier given hard labour in North Korea
US student Otto Warmbier has been given 15 years hard labour in North Korea for crimes against the state. Warmbier, 21, was arrested for trying to steal a propaganda sign from a hotel while visiting North Korea in January. He later appeared on state TV apparently confessing and saying a church group had asked him to bring back...
North Korea submarine ‘missing’ as US-South Korea drills continue
A North Korean submarine is missing and presumed sunk, according to reports in the US media. The vessel was operating off the North Korean coast for several days when it disappeared, a paper with close links to the US military says. The accident comes at a time of heightened tension in the region as South Korea and the US...
North Korea ‘fires short-range missiles’
North Korea has fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea, South Korea's military has said. It said the missiles, launched off the east coast, flew some 500km (310 miles) and fell into the water. Shortly after the launch, Pyongyang announced it "nullifies" all inter-Korean cooperative projects and will...