N. Korea shut down Chinese Taipei to kick off men's football tournament Ri Jo-guk of North Korea, second from right, is congratulated by teammates after scoring a goal against the Asian Games at Zhejiang Normal University East Stadium in Jinhua, on Sept. 19. YonhapNorth Korea defeated Chinese Taipei 2-0 to kick off the Asian Games men's football competition in China on Tuesday, marking the reclusive country's return to the international sporting scene with an easy win.Ri Jo-guk and Kim Kuk-jin scored a goal apiece for North Korea in Group F action at Zhejiang Normal University East Stadium in Jinhua, just southwest of the main Asiad host city of Hangzhou.This is North Korea's first appearance at a multisport competition since the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia.North Korea skipped the Tokyo Summer Olympics in 2021, citing COVID-19 concerns. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended North Korea from competitions, and North Korea was not eligible for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.The ban was lifted at the end of last year, and with the Hangzhou Asiad having been postponed by a year due to the pandemic, North Korea was eligible to compete in CSep 19, 2023
North Korea's communism gives rise to ruthless capitalism: defectors This Sept. 22, 2020, file photo shows a “jangmadang,” or local market, crowded with people in Hyesan, a North Korean city near its border with China. North Korea's communist system has ironically given rise to a ruthless capitalist model where only the strong survive, according to North Korean escapees, Tuesday. YonhapSecond jobs have become essential for survival after distribution system collapseBy Jung Min-hoNorth Korea's political system that claims to guarantee “equal rights” for everyone has given rise to one of the most oppressive dictatorships in the modern world. The same paradox also pervades its economy: After the collapse of its distribution system for “common ownership,” all but a small number of the powerful elite there have been driven into a ruthless capitalist competition for survival, according to North Korean escapees, Tuesday.After witnessing her grandmother's death from hunger during North Korea's great famine in the mid-1990s, Kim Yoo-a, who was just 13 years old then, woke up to the fact that the state would not feed her.&ldqSep 19, 2023By Jung Min-ho
N. Korea's food shortages probably improved on crop harvest, imports: unification ministry North Korea's food situations may have improved, compared with the first half of the year, on the back of an increase in crop harvest and imports, South Korea's unification ministry said Tuesday.Sep 19, 2023
Mosaic of N. Korean leader erected in Pyongyang as part of personality cult A mosaic mural depicting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was erected in Pyongyang, state media reported Tuesday, as North Korea has been bolstering its leader's personality cult.Sep 19, 2023
Allies nearing completion to revise joint deterrence strategy against N. Korea threats Deputy Defense Minister for Policy Heo Tae-keun, right, and Cara Allison Marshall, acting deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia, pose for a photo as they attend the Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue at Seoul's defense ministry compound in central Seoul on Monday in this photo provided by the ministry. YonhapSouth Korea and the United States are nearing completion to revise their joint deterrence strategy document against North Korea's military threats, Seoul's defense officials said Monday, as the allies held regular defense talks here.The two sides evaluated progress in the ongoing efforts to revise the "Tailored Deterrence Strategy" (TDS) during the biannual Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD) earlier in the day, officials said, with the revision set to be complete by the end of this year.The allies have been seeking to revise the key document ― adopted in 2013 to cope with North Korea's threats ― since late 2021 to better reflect evolving threats from the recalcitrant regime."Under a shared understanding, South Korea and the U.S. aim to revise the TDS Sep 18, 2023
EXCLUSIVE 'Free North Korean detainees': Activists target Hangzhou Asian Games A security official stands near a sign promoting the Asian Games at Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, China, Sunday. Human rights advocates said on Monday that they are joining international efforts to step up pressure on Beijing to cease the forced repatriations North Korean escapees, ahead of the opening of the event on Sept. 23. YonhapEx-UN rapporteurs, international groups in talks to join campaign to stop deportationsBy Jung Min-hoHuman rights advocates are joining international efforts to step up pressure on Beijing ahead of the Asian Games in Hangzhou to cease its practice of forcibly repatriating North Korean escapees. They hope to use the sports event as a platform to raise awareness about the issue. Two former U.N. rapporteurs on the situation of North Korea's human rights ― Tomas Ojea Quintana and Marzuki Darusman ― and international groups including Human Rights Watch are among those expected to join the campaign, activists told The Korea Times on Monday.The campaign is taking place as North Korean escapees detained in China ― up to 2,000 according to an estimate bSep 18, 2023By Jung Min-ho
N. Korea's Kim heads home after 'successful' visit to Russia: state media North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attends a send-off ceremony before departing the eastern Russian city of Vladivostok, Sept. 17, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency the next day. Yonhap North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has left the Far Eastern city of Vladivostok for home after "successfully" completing a visit to Russia that will open up a "new chapter" in their bilateral relations, Pyongyang's state media reported Monday.During the six-day trip, Kim held a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday and toured a series of key military sites amid growing concern about possible military cooperation between the two countries. "Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, left Vladivostok City on September 17 after successfully completing the schedule of his official goodwill visit to the Russian Federation," the North's oSep 18, 2023
Kim given gift of drones on Russian trip A photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, shaking hands with Minister of Defense of Russia Sergei Shoigu during a visit to Vladivostok, Russia, Sept. 16. EPA-YonhapNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un received five explosive drones, a reconnaissance drone and a bulletproof vest as gifts from a regional governor on his visit to Russia, official TASS news agency said Sunday.Kim's first official visit abroad since the coronavirus pandemic has fanned Western fears that Moscow and Pyongyang will defy sanctions and strike an arms deal.On Saturday he met the Russian defence minister in Vladivostok, where he inspected state-of-the-art weapons including a hypersonic missile system.TASS said the "leader of the DPRK received five kamikaze drones and a 'Geran-25' reconnaissance drone with vertical takeoff," using the official name of North Korea.TASS said the governor of the Primorye region, which borders China and North Korea, also "offered Kim Jong-un a set of bulletproof protection" and "special clothing not detectable by thermaSep 17, 2023
Russia unlikely to provide high-level arms tech to North Korea North Korean leader Kim Jong-un waves as he boards his private train bound to Pyongyang from Primorsky-1 railway station in Artyom, 40 kilometers northeast of Vladivostok, Sunday. Tass-YonhapKim Jong-un wraps up six-day trip to RussiaBy Lee Hyo-jin The recent burgeoning military cooperation between North Korea and Russia has sparked concerns about the potential transfer of nuclear weapons technologies from Moscow to Pyongyang, but that is unlikely to happen, according to analysts, Sunday.Later in the day, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un departed from the Russian Far East city of Artyom, completing his six-day visit to Russia, during which the two nations vowed to bolster partnerships focusing on military cooperation. A bulletproof train carrying Kim at the Primorsky-1 railway station was seen off by an honor guard of the Eastern Military District and the military band of the headquarters of the Pacific Fleet, according to Russia's state-run Tass news agency. Since entering Russia last Tuesday for his first trip abroad in more than four years, Kim had met Russian President Vladimir PuSep 17, 2023By Lee Hyo-jin
NK's Kim holds talks with Russian defense minister on strengthening military cooperation North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, left, shakes hands with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu during his visit to Vladivostok, Saturday, in this photo provided by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency. YonhapNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has held talks with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on strengthening bilateral military cooperation and exchange, state media reported Sunday.Kim held the talks in Vladivostok on Saturday as he is on a tour of Russia's Far East after holding a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin last Wednesday, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).They "exchanged their constructive opinions on the practical issues arising in further strengthening the strategic and tactical coordination, cooperation and mutual exchange between the armed forces of the two countries and in the fields of their national defence and security," the KCNA said.Earlier Saturday, Kim also visited the Knevichi Airbase, where he inspected strategic bombers, multi-role fighter jets and other warplanes, as well as Russia's Pacific Sea Fleet to Sep 17, 2023
