Family has 'right to know': UN rights expert calls for transparency in official's death Tomas Ojea Quintana, the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in North Korea, moves to the U.N. Human Rights Office in Seoul, Tuesday. NewsisBy Jung Min-hoA United Nations human rights expert on Tuesday called for the release of more information about the incident in which a government official was killed in North Korean waters. He was quoted by the victim's brother as saying that his family has “the right to know.” At a meeting in Seoul with Lee Rae-jin, the elder brother of the fisheries official shot dead by the North two years ago, Tomas Ojea Quintana, the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in North Korea, also said that Pyongyang should help the family uncover the whole truth, discipline those who were responsible and compensate the family for the loss.“He expressed support for our fact-finding efforts, including the attempt to get access to the information kept in the presidential archives,” Lee told The Korea Times. His support comes at a time when the family members are demanding that the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, which holds aJun 28, 2022By Jung Min-ho
South Korea asks North Korea to give prior notice of dam discharges Cho Joong-hoon, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Unification, speaks during a press briefing at the Government Complex in Seoul, June 28. The South Korean government formally asked North Korea, Tuesday, to give it notification before releasing water from dams near their border. YonhapThe South Korean government publicly asked North Korea, Tuesday, to give notification before releasing water from dams near their border during the current rainy season, as their daily hotline communication was disrupted presumably due to technical reasons.The Ministry of Unification made the request in a statement, describing it as a "basic measure" to protect the lives and property of the South Korean residents just south of the border."We attempted to reach North Korea several times through our regular call via the inter-Korean liaison office at 9 a.m. this morning, but we failed to make a connection, as the North remained unresponsive," a unification ministry official told reporters.The official cited the possibility of technical glitches in Pyongyang's communication lines caused by heavy rainfall Jun 28, 2022
CTBTO chief urges North Korea to renew moratorium on nuclear testing Smoke and debris rise in the air as an observation post next to the entrance of the north tunnel of North Korea's nuclear test site at Punggye-ri, North Hamgyong Province, is blown up, May 24, 2018. YonhapThe chief of an international group campaigning for an end to all nuclear testing has called on North Korea to reinstate its related moratorium, as speculation is rampant that the secretive regime may soon carry out an underground nuclear weapon test."While I can assure you of the readiness of our verification regime to detect any nuclear test, I wish to take this opportunity to call on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to renew the commitment it made in 2018 to suspend nuclear testing," Robert Floyd, executive secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), said in a statement during a meeting of its governing body in Vienna, Monday (local time).He also urged Pyongyang to sign and ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).The North announced a self-imposed moratorium on nuclear weapon and intercontinental ballistic missile tests inJun 28, 2022
NK leader discusses reorganization of Workers' Party departments in meeting: state media North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presides over a meeting of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang, June 27, in this photo released by the Korean Central News Agency the following day. YonhapNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un held a ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) meeting to discuss issues related to the reorganization and restructuring of its departments, state media said Tuesday.Kim presided over a meeting of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the WPK the previous day in Pyongyang to discuss issues related to "improving and readjusting the work system of Party guiding organs at all levels and strengthening their political activities" and reorganizing the structure of some departments of the Central Committee, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.He also discussed issues of strengthening "policy-oriented guidance regarding the work of state and public security, judiciary and prosecution fields" and organizing the necessary work within this year, it added. (Yonhap)Jun 28, 2022
Seoul offered to repatriate North Koreans against their will before Pyongyang demanded it, lawmaker says In this Nov. 8, 2019, file photo, South Korea's Navy tows a boat used by two North Korean fishermen before handing it over to North Korean authorities. Courtesy of Unification MinistryBy Jung Min-hoThe previous Moon Jae-in administration offered to repatriate two North Korean fishermen in 2019 even before Pyongyang made such a request, because “their intention to defect (to the South) was not sincere,” according to intelligence documents.The information was revealed Monday by Rep. Tae Yong-ho of the ruling People Power Party (PPP).After the deportation decision ― the first such case since the end of the Korean War (1950-53) ― the fishermen were probably executed soon afterward, and the previous administration knew that would be the consequence, Tae claimed.On Nov. 2, 2019, South Korea's Navy captured the men in their 20s in waters off the nation's east coast. After just three days of investigation, the South Korean government proposed sending them and their boat back to the North. Pyongyang accepted the offer the next day (Nov. 6). It was all completed in the two days thaJun 27, 2022By Jung Min-ho
Ex-NSO chief denies allegation he 'fled' to US In this Feb. 1, 2021, file photo, then National Security Adviser Suh Hoon attends a meeting at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul. Suh has been accused of having played a role in pressuring the Ministry of Defense to change its official position on the killing of a South Korean official by the North Korean military in North Korean waters two years ago. Korea Times photo by Wang Tae-sukFamily of official killed by North Korea demands disclosure of classified documents, threatens legal action against MoonBy Jung Min-hoSuh Hoon, the former chief of the National Security Office (NSO) accused of having pressured the Ministry of Defense to obfuscate the facts behind the killing of a fisheries official in North Korea's waters two years ago, said Monday that he will cooperate with investigators if necessary.In a statement he sent to Yonhap News Agency, Suh said that he had no intention of avoiding an investigation to find out the truth behind the case, claiming he had followed government principles in handling it. “At the time of the incident, I did everything to take necessary measures in accordaJun 27, 2022By Jung Min-ho
South Korean minister says North Korea all set for nuke test, timing to come as 'no surprise' Unification Minister Kwon Young-se / YonhapUnification Minister Kwon Young-se said Monday it would be "no surprise" to see North Korea carry out a nuclear weapon test anytime soon.His remarks came amid reports the secretive nation has completed related preparations and is waiting for leader Kim Jong-un's call.Speaking to members of the Seoul Foreign Correspondents' Club, Kwon cited the North's emphasis it placed on taking a hardline approach of "power for power and head-on contest" during a plenary session of the Workers' Party earlier this month."It will not come as a surprise, even if North Korea conducts a nuclear test at any time," he said, raising the need to closely monitor Pyongyang's activities in comprehensive consideration of various situations, including its COVID-19 handling and response to an "acute enteric epidemic" outbreak. The minister also said the North is seeking to exploit the growing rivalry between the U.S. and China, as well as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in an attempt to alter "the status quo" in regional security via its nuclear weapons development."SucJun 27, 2022
North Korea issues nationwide heavy rain alert for this week A truck drives on a flooded road, as North Korean state media reports heavy rains pounding the country's western regions, including Sariwon and Nampo cities, June 26. YonhapNorth Korea's state weather agency issued a heavy rain alert Monday for most regions this week, and state-controlled media called for thorough measures to prevent damage from summer downpours.The State Hydro-Meteorological Administration issued the warning, effective from Monday afternoon through Thursday, for all areas nationwide, except for the northeastern provinces of Ryanggang and North Hamgyong and the northern border city of Rason, according to the Korean Central Broadcasting Station.It added the western provinces of South and North Hwanghae and the city of Gaeseong near the inter-Korean border are forecast to see up to 300 millimeters of rain until Thursday.The previous day, the North's media reported that heavy rains and strong winds had pounded Pyongyang and other western parts of the nation. Heavy rains in impoverished North Korea often cause huge damage to its agricultural and other sectors largely dueJun 27, 2022
Ex-NSC members accused of burying truth behind killing of fisheries official Lee Rae-jin, right, the elder brother of the South Korean fisheries official shot dead by North Korea armed forces two years ago, speaks during a press conference with ruling People Power Party leaders at the National Assembly in Seoul, Friday. NewsisFamily of official shot dead by North Korea to meet UN rights expertBy Jung Min-hoThe National Security Council (NSC) under the previous government is accused of having told the Ministry of National Defense to change its official position on the death of a South Korean official two years ago so as to obfuscate the facts behind the incident with North Korea. The ministry's documents, which were obtained by Rep. Ha Tae-keung, head of the ruling People Power Party's special committee on the issue, show that it shifted its position from “(North Korea's) brutality of burning the body confirmed” to “a joint probe needed for what is speculated as the burning of the body” after the presidential advisory body's request to review it on Sept. 27, 2020.Only three days ago, the ministry said it confirmed ― via military surveilJun 26, 2022By Jung Min-ho
Pyongyang pounded by heavy rain, strong winds Uprooted trees caused by heavy rain and strong winds in North Korea's capital city of Pyongyang, are seen in this footage captured from Korean Central Television, June 26. YonhapHeavy rain accompanied by strong wind pounded Pyongyang and western parts of North Korea overnight, prompting the authorities to prepare for the upcoming rainy season, state media reported Sunday. Pyongyang's central district received 58 millimeters of rain per hour, while areas around the Taedong River, which runs through the capital city, had 67 mm of rain per hour Saturday night, the North's weather agency was quoted as saying by Korean Central Television.The western port city of Nampo was hit by strong winds of more than 20 meters per second. Video footage showed uprooted and broken trees in downtown Pyongyang, while the water level of the Taedong River had risen to near warning level.The State Hydro-Meteorological Administration said this year's rainy season is expected to begin Monday, forecasting up to 300 mm of rain in western parts of the nation from Tuesday to Thursday.Authorities called for thorougJun 26, 2022
