ANALYSIS N. Korea's threats against US spy plane aimed at boosting internal cohesion: analysts A U.S. U-2S reconnaissance aircraft flies over Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. YonhapPyongyang refers to Seoul by official name, signaling major shift in inter-Korean policiesBy Lee Hyo-jinA series of verbal threats by North Korea accusing a U.S. spy plane of intruding into its airspace appears to be a part of Pyongyang's efforts to consolidate internal cohesion ahead of a major military parade scheduled for later this month, defense analysts said, Tuesday.Although experts viewed the intrusion claim to be groundless, they said the latest statements issued by the North may signal a major shift in its perception of South Korea, not as the other side of a divided nation, but a foreign country.Earlier in the day, Kim Yo-jong, the younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, issued a statement through Pyongyang's official mouthpiece, Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), accusing a U.S. reconnaissance plane of intruding into its exclusive economic zone the previous day.“The strategic reconnaissance plane of the U.S. Air Force illegally intruded into the ecJul 11, 2023By Lee Hyo-jin
US urges NK to halt escalatory actions following EEZ violation accusation Department of State Press Secretary Matthew Miller is seen speaking during a daily press briefing at the department in Washington on July 10 in this captured image. YonhapA U.S. state department spokesperson called on North Korea to refrain from escalatory actions on Monday, hours after North Korea accused the United States of violating North Korean airspace within their exclusive economic zone (EEZ).The department spokesperson, Matthew Miller, also reiterated that the U.S. remains open to dialogue with Pyongyang."I would just say that we would urge the DPRK to refrain from escalatory actions, and again, calling it to engage in serious and sustained diplomacy," he told a press briefing when asked about the North's accusation, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea."We remain committed to diplomacy and reiterate our interest in dialogue with Pyongyang without preconditions. We've made that clear on a number of occasions and, unfortunately, they have refused to engage in a meaning way," he added.North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister,Jul 11, 2023
More North Koreans find freedom as China eases border restrictions North Korean defectors attend a bakery class at Hanawon, a government-run adjustment and education center for North Koreans, in Anseong, Gyeonggi province, Monday. Joint Press Corps'If there was safe route to South Korea, everyone would come here,' escapee saysBy Jung Min-hoANSEONG, Gyeonggi Province ― As the COVID-19 pandemic prompted countries around the world to tighten their borders, the number of North Korean escapees arriving in South Korea plummeted from more than 1,000 a year to 63 in 2021 and has remained at that level since. The number is expected to swell this year as the world, particularly China, emerges from the health crisis. According to three North Korean women who shared their stories on Monday, leaving China became imaginable only because it started easing draconian virus restrictions, which had largely kept them away from public places over the past three years.Life was tough for everyone during the pandemic, but it was especially so for North Koreans living in China, where officials can deport them back to North Korea against their will. The women ― who all arrivJul 10, 2023By Jung Min-ho
NK slams US plan to send strategic nuclear submarine to Korean Peninsula This file photo, taken Jan. 4, shows the U.S. U-2S reconnaissance aircraft flying over Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 60 kilometers south of Seoul. YonhapNorth Korea denounced on Monday a plan by the United States to send a strategic nuclear submarine to South Korea, warning it "may incite the worst crisis of nuclear conflict in practice." The U.S. had pledged to send a nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarine to South Korea in the Washington Declaration issued by President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden during their summit in Washington in April to further enhance the "regular visibility" of strategic assets on the Korean Peninsula."The deployment of the U.S. strategic nuclear submarine carrying nuclear warheads in the Korean peninsula means that the U.S. strategic nuclear weapons will appear in the peninsula for the first time since 1981," a spokesperson of the North's defense ministry said in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA)."This is a very dangerous situation as it will bring the regional military tension to a more critical state and may iJul 10, 2023
N. Korea slams IAEA for Fukushima water approval The International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi attends a meeting with South Korean lawmakers at National Assembly in Seoul, Sunday, July 9. YonhapNorth Korea on Sunday slammed the United Nations' nuclear watchdog for approving Japan's plan to discharge treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant.The International Atomic Energy Agency approved Tokyo's plan to release treated water from the tsunami-hit nuclear plant into the sea over the next few decades.The plan has raised concerns in neighbouring countries, prompting China to ban some food imports and sparking protests in South Korea.The release of the treated water will have a "fatal adverse impact on the human lives and security and ecological environment," an official from Pyongyang's environmental protection ministry said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency."What matters is the unreasonable behaviour of IAEA actively patronizing and facilitating Japan's projected discharge of nuclear-polluted water, which is unimaginable," the statement added.Some 1.33 million cubic metres of groundwateJul 9, 2023
N. Korea's mask imports from China plunge 78% in May North Korean youths gather at the Central Youth Hall in Pyongyang to remember and praise North Korea's founder, Kim Il-sung, before the 29th anniversary of the former leader's death in this July 5 photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency. YonhapNorth Korea's mask imports from China tumbled 78 percent in May from a month earlier, trade data showed Sunday, as it appears to have recently eased strict COVID-19 restrictions.The North's mask imports from China stood at $28,746 in May, the lowest level in seven months, according to the trade data by China Customs Statistics. Pyongyang's mask imports from China began at $523 in August 2022 and peaked at $385,887 in October, but the trade volume has steadily decreased to $198,960 in January and $129,795 in April.North Korea shut down its borders with China in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 amid lack of vaccines, and placed mask mandates on its people. Last week, news footage from the North's Korean Central TV showed hundreds of young people sitting close together at a theater without masks, in a sign Jul 9, 2023
Blinken to raise N. Korea issues at upcoming ARF meetings: official Daniel Kritenbrink, the U.S. State Department's assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific affairs / YonhapU.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will raise issues with regard to nuclear and missile threats posed by North Korea when he attends a regional forum next week but has no immediate plans to meet with North Korean officials there, a ranking State Department official said Friday.Daniel Kritenbrink, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, reiterated that the U.S. remains open to dialogue with North Korea but that Pyongyang has ignored U.S. overtures."I am confident that the secretary will reiterate our stance on the DPRK," Kritenbrink said in a telephoned press briefing when asked if Blinken plans to meet with North Korea officials during his trip to Indonesia where he will take part in the annual ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), to be hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Thursday.DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name. North Korea is also a member of the ARF."He (Blinken) will underscore tJul 8, 2023
S. Korea publishes hard copies of English report on NK's human rights Koo Byoung-sam, a spokesperson for the unification ministry, speaks at a press conference at the government complex in Seoul, June 14. YonhapSouth Korea's unification ministry said Friday it has published hard copy prints of an English version of its report on North Korea's human rights situation as part of efforts to raise global awareness on the issue.The publication is a printed version of the government's annual report on North Korea's human rights violations, which was first made public in late March in line with President Yoon Suk Yeol's hard-line policy toward the North.Based on the testimonies of more than 500 North Korean defectors, the report highlights widespread abuses by state authorities, including murder, torture and public execution.The report said North Koreans' right to life appears to be "seriously" threatened due to North Korean authorities' "arbitrary" use of power for human rights violations."The Ministry of Unification sincerely hopes that the publication of the English version of the 2023 report on their human rights will spread the understanding of promoting Jul 7, 2023
ANALYSIS What is Seoul aiming for by prioritizing human rights in North Korea? People bow to portraits of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang, in this November 2021 photo. YonhapPeaceful unity impossible without 'revolutionary change' in Pyongyang first: US expertsBy Jung Min-hoAfter his decision to replace three key figures in charge of handling inter-Korean relations, President Yoon Suk Yeol called on the unification ministry to fundamentally change the way it operates, saying its unification efforts should be based on the Constitution.Article 4 of the Constitution says that Korea should “formulate and carry out a policy of peaceful unification based on the principles of freedom and democracy.” What does that mean for the ministry's future role and the prospects of unification?According to U.S. analysts, it would mean achieving freedom and democracy in North Korea first before pursuing peaceful unification. Without a “revolutionary change” in Pyongyang, unification is impractical to attain or maintain, they said. In other words, if the North regime remains as it has always been ― trampling on the freedom of its citizens as a mJul 6, 2023By Jung Min-ho
NK discusses economic plans in follow-up measures after key party meeting This photo shows North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un attending a key party meeting, June 19. YonhapNorth Korea held a Cabinet meeting earlier this week to review economic plans in the first half of the year and discuss follow-up measures for policy goals put forth in a recent key party meeting, state media said Thursday.Last month, Pyongyang held a plenary meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, attended by leader Kim Jong-un, to discuss key agenda items, including economic policy.Premier Kim Tok-hun presided over the videoconference meeting Wednesday, also attended by Vice Premier Pak Jong-gun, Cabinet officials, and officials from major factories and companies, according to the state-run radio network Korean Central Broadcasting Station.Summarizing the first half, Pak noted how a nationwide irrigation project has bolstered the foundation for agriculture production and the harvest of certain types of grain took place.Pak also called for achieving "grand goals of national revival," and participants vowed to thoroughly carry out the decisions made by tJul 6, 2023
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