Featured News
Pointing the world's largest bomb at North Korea
The U.S. made bunker busting Massive Ordnance Penetrator developed with N. Korean, Iranian targets in mind
Pointing the world's largest bomb at North Korea
In 1991, during the first Gulf War, the U.S. military recognized a need for weapons that could pierce underground concrete bunkers and hardened facilities. In three weeks military researchers fashioned a hardened steel bomb made from an artillery casing that could be dropped from a high altitude,The U.S. made bunker busting Massive Ordnance Penetrator developed with N. Korean, Iranian targets in mind
S. Korean student detained in N. Korea says he's uncertain about future
Prisoner, detained since April, reveals he has had no opportunity to contact family
S. Korean student detained in N. Korea says he's uncertain about future
A U.S. university student from South Korea currently detained in Pyongyang said he is uncertain about his future and will accept any judgment against him, a press conference publicized by international media revealed on Friday. Joo Won-moon, a 21-year-old college student from New York University Prisoner, detained since April, reveals he has had no opportunity to contact family
Analysis
Kim Jong Un’s popularity, explain
A survey of North Korean refugees attracted some attention several weeks ago. According to the survey, a full 63 percent of recently arrived refugees believed t
Kim Jong Un’s popularity, explain
A survey of North Korean refugees attracted some attention several weeks ago. According to the survey, a full 63 percent of recently arrived refugees believed that Kim Jong Un enjoys support amongst a majority of the North Korean public. Such findings are not all that surprising for people who inDespite purges, third generation of Kim rule maintains approval
Pointing the world's largest bomb at North Korea
In 1991, during the first Gulf War, the U.S. military recognized a need for weapons that could pierce underground concrete bunkers and hardened facilities. In three weeks military researchers fashioned a hardened steel bomb made from an artillery casing that could be dropped from a high altitude,The U.S. made bunker busting Massive Ordnance Penetrator developed with N. Korean, Iranian targets in mind
Digital TV recorder showcased at North Korean trade show
A digital TV recorder which also groups North Korean television broadcasts into different categories was showcased at the ongoing Pyongyang trade fair, according to a Korean Central Television (KCTV) broadcast published yesterday. The report shows the device attached to a TV with a wire, althoughThe device allows North Koreans to record TV, watch it at later times, and classifies KCTV broadcasts
China can’t solve Seoul’s N. Korea problem
The South Korean media was very enthusiastic about the fact that, during the military parade in Beijing on September 3, the Republic of (South) Korea’s president was sitting in the first row with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Meanwhile, North Korea’s “second in command,” Choe Ryong-hae, secrSimilar effort with the Soviet Union 25 years ago show flaws of circumvention strategy
Interviews
Defenseless: Lawmaker, experts decry South Korean body armor shortage
More than 58,000 South Korean soldiers lack gear sufficient to protect them from the threat of shrapnel and North Korean bullets, a South Korean lawmaker recent
Defenseless: Lawmaker, experts decry South Korean body armor shortage
More than 58,000 South Korean soldiers lack gear sufficient to protect them from the threat of shrapnel and North Korean bullets, a South Korean lawmaker recently revealed. Lawmaker Baek Kun-ki of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy stated that there are 100,549 South Korean sIn addition to providing more suits, experts say protective gear needs modifying according to Korean geography
Opening up about North Korean defection
Disclosure: David Tian, the author of this piece and interviewer, is also the translator for Eunsun Kim's book: 'A Thousand Miles to Freedom: My Escape from North Korea'. At the height of the Arduous March – the great North Korean famine of the 1990s – Eunsun Kim watched her relatives lose Hand-picked to tell her defection story, Eunsun Kim weighs what details are too painful to share
Reviving the fallen: Former MAKRI agent shares memories
This is the second in a two-part series on MAKRI's work recovering remains, particularly from the Korean War. For part one click here. Kim Seong-hun, former agent of the Department of Recovery, Ministry of National Defense Agency for KIA Recovery & Identification (MAKRI), compares his work tRecovering remains for their proper recognition is grueling, taxing and ultimately rewarding
Until they are home: The unit that scours for Korean War remains
This is the first in a two-part series on MAKRI's work recovering remains, particularly from the Korean War. For part two click here. At the end of August the South Korean Ministry of National Defense Agency for KIA Recovery & Identification (MAKRI) announced that it will launch a new set oEducated, elite unit fights ravages of time, deteriorating DNA information to recover Korean War remains
Opinion
Is Bill Clinton North Korea’s favorite president?
Recent news reports on Hillary Clinton’s emails indicate that former President Bill Clinton sought permission from the State Department for a paid speaking en
Is Bill Clinton North Korea’s favorite president?
Recent news reports on Hillary Clinton’s emails indicate that former President Bill Clinton sought permission from the State Department for a paid speaking engagement in North Korea while his spouse was secretary of state. ABC News reported on August 28th that it “obtained State Department e-maiSince 1994 the 42nd president has gone from adversary to Pyongyang propaganda prop
'The North will rise again!': Anticipating Korea's post-unification attitudes
“A geographical line has been drawn across the Union, and all the States north of that line have united in the election of a man to the high office of President of the United States whose opinions and purposes are hostile to slavery," the statement began. "He is to be entrusted with the administraThe persistence of Confederate nostalgia in the U.S. may have lessons for a united Korea
N. Korea’s 1980s nuclear-free rhetoric
On September 6,1986, delegates from more than 80 different countries gathered in North Korea for the three-day “Pyongyang International Conference for Denuclearization and Peace on the Korean Peninsula.” Hung on the walls of the conference hall were banners with slogans such as “Let’s turn tKim Il Sung regime fostered sympathies with 'no-nukes' stance even as scientists sought the bomb
Why some N. Korean defectors’ stories fall apart
In its report released in February 2014, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry accused North Korean leader Kim Jong Un of committing crimes against humanity and called for the case to be referred to the International Criminal Court. For its report the COI, having been denied access to North KoreaFrom cash incentives to suspicion of NIS backing, it doesn’t always pay to tell the truth
NK Voices
In North Korea, sometimes the dead come back
Every week we ask a North Korean your questions, giving you the chance to learn more about the country we know so little about. This week Espen Arnesen in Ky
In North Korea, sometimes the dead come back
Every week we ask a North Korean your questions, giving you the chance to learn more about the country we know so little about. This week Espen Arnesen in Kyoto asks: Where are people in North Korea buried? What do people do when their loved ones die? I know there are many funeral halls in No, not zombies – absence of medical care, standard funeral homes means some are declared dead prematurely
Teatime in North Korea – or the lack thereof
Every week we ask a North Korean your questions, giving you the chance to learn more about the country we know so little about. This week's question is: Do North Koreans still follow traditional Korean tea production methods? Do they still follow traditional tea ceremony rites? When I was gNortherners in the provinces don't have the luxury – literally – of tea
Trying not to starve in the N. Korean army
Every week we ask a North Korean your questions, giving you the chance to learn more about the country we know so little about. This week’s question is: Tell me about military service in North Korea. For one thing, how long is military service in North Korea? In North Korea, most soldiersFor soldier serving north of the DMZ, the primary enemy is malnourishment
Is coffee popular in North Korea?
Every week we ask a North Korean your questions, giving you the chance to learn more about the country we know so little about. This week's question is: Cafes are overflowing in South Korea. Are there many cafes in North Korea? Do North Koreans enjoy coffee as often as South Koreans do? To Coffee was once a luxury item in the capital Pyongyang – and even rarer everywhere else in the country
Investigation
S. Korean sailors' lifejackets don't pass inspection
From August 2012 to March 2013, sailors deployed on South Korean Aegis ship DDG-993 were reliant on lifejackets that, unbeknownst to them, might not have saved
S. Korean sailors' lifejackets don't pass inspection
From August 2012 to March 2013, sailors deployed on South Korean Aegis ship DDG-993 were reliant on lifejackets that, unbeknownst to them, might not have saved them in case of emergency. Lawmaker Kim Kwang-jin of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy raised this issue in a reporMonopoly, ageist hierarchy intertwine to ensure rash of poor-quality products
Court case reveals Chinpo Shipping's ties to North Korea
The ongoing trial in Singapore of Chinpo Shipping and its director Tan Cheng Hoe for making payments to a now sanctioned North Korean shipping company currently awaits a verdict after a two-month, often-delayed court battle. The court proceedings have shed a little light on North Korea’s usualOngoing legal proceedings highlight extent of North Korean involvement with trusted foreign partners
Upgrades to N. Korean farm complex include spa, theater, pool
Recent articles in North Korean media and satellite imagery indicate that large-scale upgrades to a vegetable cooperative farm near Pyongyang – which include swimming pools and a theater – were completed in recent months. The Jangchon Cooperative farm, in the capital’s Sadong district, has Speed of construction and state media promotion signals import of new facilities
Two ships crewed by N. Koreans arrested in South Africa
A recent series of articles in the shipping business journal Trade Winds outlined the seizure and court ordered auctioning of two vessels in the South African port of Durban. According to the articles the ships were not paying their mortgage bills, but given the lack of demand for small, aging buOwners had defaulted on mortgage payments, crew only recently able to go back to North Korea
Intelligence
Inter-Korean tensions top N. Korean leadership agenda in August
For the North Korean leadership the month of August was largely dominated by inter-Korean tensions and talks which took place during the latter part of the mont
Inter-Korean tensions top N. Korean leadership agenda in August
For the North Korean leadership the month of August was largely dominated by inter-Korean tensions and talks which took place during the latter part of the month. The inter-Korean military confrontation and resulting dialogue assumed top priority on the regime leadership’s agenda, to that extent tKim Jong Un makes relatively few appearances, inter-Korean affairs dominate latter part of month
Singapore firm building major new commercial building in N. Korea
A Singaporean-linked company is building a major new commercial building in Pyongyang, which will incorporate a large department store and office space, sources in North Korea have told NK News. The building, which recent photos show to be at least 24 floors high, is located near Tongil stNew building will contain largest department store in Pyongyang, source says
U.S., South Korea display overwhelming firepower during exercise
"Oh, I have never seen things like this before," said former ROK Marine Captain Kim Jung-kyu, 70, Friday’s 150-minute U.S.-ROK Integrated Firepower Exercise. Kim, who served during the Vietnam War and who has received the ROK Distinguished Military Service Medal, has clearly seen his share of Massive show of force sends message to South Korean public, North Korea following recent standoff
Analysis: Exchange of fire shows neither Korea wants war
Military forces of North and South Korea exchanged fire across the 4 kilometer (2.5 mile)-wide Korean Demilitarized Zone on Thursday afternoon. The incident was a North Korean provocation resulting from a recent chain of events involving a landmine explosion in the DMZ – which the South blames on Thursday's incident results from increasing tensions, but escalation effectively limited
Real Life
Promises, pitfalls on the North Korea-China border
Sino-Korean relations are very important to us, to the North Koreans, even to the Chinese. As any reader of NK News will no doubt be aware, North Korea is a hig
Promises, pitfalls on the North Korea-China border
Sino-Korean relations are very important to us, to the North Koreans, even to the Chinese. As any reader of NK News will no doubt be aware, North Korea is a highly unusual place in this part of the world, a place without much external trade, and its only truly important trading partner is China. TheBorder between long-time allies sees plenty of trade, despite shortcomings caused by mutual distrust
How N. Korean defectors define 'freedom'
As tensions repeatedly rise and fall on the Korean Peninsula, there may be an unwillingness among North Korean defectors to talk about their incredible journey to South Korea and their new lives as South Korean citizens. Some fear retribution from the North Korean government. Some don’t want toTNKR-hosted speech contest reveals continued challenges for escapees
Laibach rocks N. Korea: Scenes from a historic concert
August 19-20 saw the situation on the Korean Peninsula ramped up to its highest tensions since 2013. In the aftermath of the serious injury of two South Korean soldiers by a landmine allegedly planted by the DPRK, loudspeakers broadcasting pro-democracy propaganda messages were placed on the DMZ What kind of impression did Pyongyang’s first ever rock concert make? Could there be another?
S. Korean photographer reveals most recent photos of PY
Hong Sung-kyu, the former designated photographer of South Korea’s Blue House who went to Pyongyang with the widow of President Kim Dae Jung, has revealed nine recent photos of the city of Pyongyang. “It has been 11 years since I've been to Pyongyang” said Hong on his website. “Back thenStreets of Pyongyang brighter than ever, says former designated photographer of Blue House
Academia
China, not U.S., seeks peace in North Korea: scholar
SEOUL — China seeks peace and opening in North Korea for its own sustained economic development while the U.S. would rather have "controllable, moderate tensi
China, not U.S., seeks peace in North Korea: scholar
SEOUL — China seeks peace and opening in North Korea for its own sustained economic development while the U.S. would rather have "controllable, moderate tension" on the Korean Peninsula, a scholar said Tuesday. "There are a lot of people who say that China does not want Korean unification and wKorean unification would be bonanza not only for Koreans but for all Northeast Asia, academic says
Why North Korea attracts so much sensational media coverage
With the growth of the Internet and social media, the way news is both produced and consumed has changed rapidly in recent years. Demand for traditional print and broadcast media is continually decreasing, with the knock-on effect that for many outlets, the financial resources required to maintaiNorth Korea attracts more nonsense reporting than any other country – but why? And will things ever improve?
Childhood dreams, education and loyalty in North Korea
For many of us, the idea of people living happily in North Korea doesn’t seem possible. Even less likely is the idea of North Koreans having an emotional connection to the country’s leader. But things look different on the other side. In the DPRK, the notion of an “evil leader in an evil coVisual/text project on North Korea analyzes media excerpts captured on instant film
N. Korea awards honorary degree to Korean-American professor
North Korea on Tuesday awarded an honorary doctorate degree in socio-political science to Chung Kiyul, a Korean resident of the United States recognized by Pyongyang for his “information service.” Chung (whose name is romanized as Jong Ki Ryol in North Korean media) was born in South Korea inScholar & journalist honored by Pyongyang for media work, views of the West
Travel
Promises, pitfalls on the North Korea-China border
Border between long-time allies sees plenty of trade, despite shortcomings caused by mutual distrust
Promises, pitfalls on the North Korea-China border
Sino-Korean relations are very important to us, to the North Koreans, even to the Chinese. As any reader of NK News will no doubt be aware, North Korea is a highly unusual place in this part of the world, a place without much external trade, and its only truly important trading partner is China. TheBorder between long-time allies sees plenty of trade, despite shortcomings caused by mutual distrust
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