North Korea's trade with China jumps year-on-year in April gettyimagesbankNorth Korea's trade with China jumped year-on-year in April as the two nations had resumed railroad freight traffic, according to Chinese customs data on Wednesday.North Korea's trade volume with China stood at $102 million in April, compared with some 30 million for the same month a year ago, according to the data.Railroad freight traffic between North Korea and China halted in August 2020 due to outbreaks of COVID-19 in China, and resumed in January this year.Trade between North Korea and China is expected to decline in May as railroad freight traffic was suspended again on April 29 due to tightened border controls put in place to ward off a COVID-19 outbreak in China's border city of Dandong.Last Thursday, North Korea reported its first COVID-19 case after claiming to be coronavirus-free for over two years. In response, Pyongyang declared the implementation of the "maximum emergency" virus control system.So far, North Korea, with a population of 24 million, has reported more than 1.72 million fever cases and 62 fatalities. (Yonhap) May 18, 2022
North Korea asks China, Russia for help amid COVID crisis: reports A worker disinfects a dining room at a sanitary supplies factory amid growing fears over the spread of COVID-19 in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this photo taken May 16. Reuters-YonhapCountry reports 232,880 'fever' cases, 6 more deaths, WednesdayBy Jung Min-hoNorth Korea has reportedly asked China and Russia for help amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, which may well become its worst health catastrophe in decades.After refusing to accept aid offers from South Korea and international organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), North Korea appears to have turned to its key allies ― China and Russia ― while keeping its request for help secret.According to South Korean broadcaster YTN, China is preparing to send doctors, nurses and medical supplies “in large numbers” to North Korea as early as this week. This comes after reports that the North started bringing in emergency supplies from China by using three large Air Koryo cargo planes.Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said in a media release Tuesday that Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov had aMay 18, 2022By Jung Min-ho
South Korea, US on alert for possible North Korean ICBM test: official North Korea's state media reported that the country conducted a test-firing of a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), March 24. South Korea and the United States are keeping close tabs on the possibility of another long-range missile launch by North Korea. Yonhap South Korea and the United States are keeping close tabs on the possibility of another long-range missile launch by North Korea, a Seoul official said Wednesday, amid a news report that the recalcitrant regime may be preparing some kind a provocation before or during President Joe Biden's upcoming trip to Northeast Asia.Citing a U.S. official, CNN reported Tuesday that the North appears to be preparing for a possible intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test within the "next 48 to 96 hours" as U.S. President Joe Biden is set to begin a five-day trip to South Korea and Japan, Friday."The intelligence authorities of South Korea and the U.S. are paying close attention to related movementsMay 18, 2022
Noth Korea's Kim faces 'huge dilemma' on aid as virus surges An employee of Pyongyang Dental Hygiene Products Factory disinfects the floor of a dining room after North Korea increased measures to stop the spread of illness in Pyongyang, North Korea, May 16. AP-Yonhap During more than a decade as North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un has made ``self-reliance'' his governing lynchpin, shunning international help and striving instead for domestic strategies to fix his battered economy. But as an illness suspected to be COVID-19 sickens hundreds of thousands of his people, Kim stands at a critical crossroad: Either swallow his pride and receive foreign help to fight the disease, or go it alone, enduring potential huge fatalities that may undermine his leadership. ``Kim Jong-un is in a dilemma, a really huge dilemma,'' said Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University's Institute for Far Eastern Studies in Seoul. ``If he accepts U.S. or Western assistance, that can shake the self-reliance stance that he has steadfastly maintained May 18, 2022
North Korea silent on South Korea's offer for COVID-19 talks for 3rd day: official North Korean leader Kim Jong-un / Yonhap North Korea has remained unresponsive to South Korea's proposal for working-level consultations on helping the neighboring country in its fight against a COVID-19 outbreak for the third straight day, a ministry official here said Wednesday.The Ministry of Unification had sought to deliver a message to Pyongyang, Monday, through its liaison office calling for the talks and offering assistance with medical supplies for the North, known for its dilapidated medical system. The two Koreas held a routine phone call at 9 a.m. Wednesday, but the North did not say whether it would accept the message, according to the official who spoke on condition of anonymity."Nothing noteworthy was exchanged (during the call)," the official said.As of 6 p.m. Tuesday, North Korea, with a population of 24 million, had reported more than 1.72 million “fever cases” and 62 fatalities. (Yonhap)May 18, 2022
US concerned about COVID outbreak in North Korea, no delay in nuclear test expected: State Dept. U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price speaks during a news conference in Washington, March 10. The U.S. is deeply concerned about the COVID-19 outbreak in North Korea and supports providing humanitarian assistance, including COVID-19 vaccines, to the impoverished country. Reuters-Yonhap The United States is deeply concerned about the COVID-19 outbreak in North Korea and supports providing humanitarian assistance, including COVID-19 vaccines, to the impoverished country, a State Department spokesperson said Tuesday.Ned Price, however, noted Pyongyang may still go ahead with its widely anticipated nuclear test."Unfortunately, to date the DPRK has refused all vaccine donations from COVAX," the department press secretary said when asked in a daily briefing if the U.S. would support the international vaccine-sharing program if it decided to provide vaccines to the North."I say it is unfortunate because we are deeply concerned about the apparent COVID outbreak withMay 18, 2022
North Korean leader criticizes problem in early response to COVID-19 crisis North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center, presides over a meeting of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party at the headquarters of the Central Committee in Pyongyang, May 17, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency. In the meeting to discuss nationwide antivirus measures, Kim urged officials to stabilize the pandemic situation after North Korea reported its first COVID-19 case last week. YonhapNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un rebuked officials for failing to respond properly to the COVID-19 outbreak in its early stages as he presided over a ruling Workers' Party meeting, state media said Wednesday.His message came as the country reported more than 232,880 people with fever symptoms nationwide and six additional deaths, raising total fatalities to 62, as of 6 p.m. the previous day.At the meeting of the presidium of the political bureau held Tuesday, Kim said that "immaturity" in coping with the crisis from the early stages and the slack response of the country's leading officials has fully revealed the "vulnMay 18, 2022
Fear of deadliest famine in 1990s haunts North Korea amid national lockdown Employees of the Medicament Management Office of the Daesong District in Pyongyang provide medicine to residents as the state increases measures to stop the spread of illness in Pyongyang, North Korea, on May 16. AP-YonhapPandemic stokes fear among North Koreans about natural calamity-driven mass starvationBy Kang Hyun-kyungNorth Koreans call it the Arduous March, also known as the March of Suffering, one of the deadliest famines which took the lives of countless people in the impoverished state. Starting in 1995, the mass starvation ― which was the combined result of the North Korean regime's mismanagement of its economy at the time, the suspension of economic assistance from the Soviet Union following its collapse and a series of floods and droughts that led to a drastic decline in crop production ― continued until 1999. There's no official data accounting for the exact death toll from starvation during that period, but experts have estimated that it ranged from the hundreds of thousands to the millions. The famine was a game-changer for North Korea, as it reshaped ways of life insMay 18, 2022By Kang Hyun-kyung
North Korea still unresponsive to South Korea's outreach for talks on COVID-19: official North Korean leader Kim Jong-un / YonhapNorth Korea has remained unresponsive for the second day to South Korea's attempt to offer dialogue on COVID-19 medical supplies and healthcare cooperation, a ministry official here said Tuesday.The Ministry of Unification had sought to deliver a related fax message to the North, Monday, through their liaison office. It is seeking to hold working-level consultations on the ongoing epidemic in the impoverished country and assistance in medical supplies, including vaccines, masks and test kits.The two Koreas held their routine phone call at 9 a.m. Tuesday, but Pyongyang has not expressed its intention to accept the fax yet, according to the unification ministry official who spoke on the condition of anonymity."As North Korea is aware of our stance on cooperation in disease prevention, our government will wait for the North's response without pressing it," he said, stressing that Pyongyang will need time to review whether to accept the message.If it receives a response from Pyongyang, the ministry will take a "practical and realistic" approach to May 17, 2022
Biden to stress US security commitment at DMZ: experts Then-U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and his granddaughter, Finnegan Biden, visit the DMZ in this Dec. 7, 2013 photo. YonhapUS president considers visiting heavily armed border amid continued North Korean provocations By Kang Seung-wooU.S. President Joe Biden is expected to issue a message of Washington's commitment to defending South Korea from escalating North Korean nuclear and missile threats during a possible trip to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), according to diplomatic observers, Tuesday. Biden is scheduled to arrive in South Korea, Friday, for a three-day visit that will include a summit with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol as well as a meeting with Yoon's predecessor, Moon Jae-in. The allies are coordinating the American leader's third trip to the DMZ, according to government sources. Biden already traveled twice to the most heavily armed border in the world, which separates the two Koreas, in 2001 as the chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, and again in 2013 when he was the vice president.Last week, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki also proposed BidMay 17, 2022By Kang Seung-woo
