INTERVIEW North Korean defector paints dream as contemporary artist Artist An Su-min poses with her recent work "The Recovery of Home" at her studio in Seoul, April 27. The painting depicts the house where she used to live in North Korea. Courtesy of An Su-minBy Jung Min-hoIt is difficult to live as a painter in North Korea. There is no Photoshop, Affinity or other technology for producing sophisticated artwork; almost everything is done manually.Moreover, there is little room for creativity. Certain subjects must be ― or must not be ― expressed. When finished, there are few people willing to buy their work in a country where even the basic necessities of life are in short supply.Nevertheless, many North Koreans want to learn how to paint because, with such a skill, they can avoid hard labor such as construction work in school and the military.That was how Ah Su-min, 26, decided to take an artistic path as a teenager. She was fascinated by the works of her father, also a painter, talented and tired of the “unbearable” manual labor.“I had no idea that that decision would eventually lead me to becoming a contemporary painter in South May 17, 2022By Jung Min-ho
US warns against hiring North Korean IT workers posing as non-North Korean A North Korean flag flies on a mast at the Permanent Mission of North Korea in Geneva, Oct., 2014. According to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, North Korea is dispatching thousands of skilled IT workers overseas to seek employment while posing as U.S.-based or non-North Korean nationals. Reuters-YonhapNorth Korea is dispatching thousands of skilled IT workers overseas to seek employment while posing as U.S.-based or non-North Korean nationals, the U.S. Department of the Treasury said Monday.The revenue raised from such illicit employment may be funneled into North Korea's weapons of mass destruction programs, the department said in the advisory jointly issued by the State Department and FBI.They said the advisory was to warn of "attempts by Democratic People's Republic of Korea information technology (IT) workers to obtain employment while posing as non-North Korean nationals," adding the North Korean workers often "represent themselves as U.S.-based and/or non-North Korean teleworkers.""The DPRK dispatches thousands of highly skilled IT workers around the world to generate reveMay 17, 2022
North Korea reports 6 additional deaths amid COVID-19 People watch a TV screen at a train station in Seoul showing a news report about the COVID-19 outbreak in North Korea, May 14. The North reported six additional deaths Tuesday amid a surge in suspected infections. AP-Yonhap Military mobilized for drug supplyNorth Korea reported six additional deaths Tuesday amid a surge in suspected COVID-19 cases, as it deployed its military to supply medicine to pharmacies in Pyongyang.According to information from the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters, over 269,510 people showed symptoms of fever and six deaths were reported as of 6 p.m. Monday, raising the total number of fatalities to 56 amid the epidemic, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.The North has stepped up efforts to immediately fix "deviations" in the supply of medicine and mobilized its military to stabilize supplies in the capital as ordered by leader Kim Jong-un earlier this week."On the special orders of the WPK Central MilitaryMay 17, 2022
S. Korean, U.S. nuke envoys agree on close consultations over N.K. aid issue Kim Gunn, the special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, speaks over the phone with his American counterpart Sung Kim, Monday. Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign AffairsThe chief nuclear envoys of South Korea and the United States had discussions Monday by phone on North Korea's coronavirus crisis, according to Seoul's foreign ministry.Kim Gunn, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs who took office last week, and his American counterpart Sung Kim expressed concerns about the matter and agreed to have close consultations on ways for providing humanitarian assistance along with the international community, it added.During the talks, the U.S. envoy reaffirmed support for Seoul's push for the provision of vaccines and medical supplies to the North, it added. (Yonhap)May 16, 2022
COVID-19 may spread rapidly in North Korea, WHO warns People watch a TV screen showing a news program reporting with an image of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, at a train station in Seoul, Monday. AP-YonhapThe World Health Organization warned on Monday that COVID-19 may spread rapidly in North Korea, where it said vaccination programs had yet to begin."With the country yet to initiate COVID-19 vaccination, there is risk that the virus may spread rapidly among the masses unless curtailed with immediate and appropriate measures," said Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO's regional director for South-East Asia, in a statement sent to journalists.In the same statement, the WHO said it had yet to receive information about the reported outbreak directly from local authorities. (Reuters) May 16, 2022
North Korea wrestles with worst health crisis North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspects a pharmacy in Pyongyang as the country grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, in this photo released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Sunday. KCNA-YonhapKim Jong-un orders military to stabilize medicine suppliesBy Lee Hyo-jin The situation in North Korea has gone from bad to worse since the reclusive country confirmed its first official case of BA.2, the “stealth” variant of Omicron, on May 12. The country added 392,920 new cases of fever on Sunday, with eight new deaths. The aggregate number of suspected cases of the coronavirus now stands at 1,213,550, with 50 deaths, according to North Korea's emergency epidemic prevention headquarters.North Korean leader Kim Jong-un issued an order mobilizing military resources to stabilize medicine supplies, three days after declaring the implementation of a “maximum emergency prevention system.” Kim reportedly criticized officials of the public health sector that the medicines procured by the state are not reaching people in a timely and accurate manner. But the current wavMay 16, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
North Korea nuke test possible in 'short period': South Korean military official The Punggye-ri nuclear test site in North Korea is seen in this May 14, 2018, satellite photo. / Korea Times fileThe South Korean military is not ruling out the possibility of North Korea conducting a nuclear test in a "short period of time," an official here said Monday.The defense official's remarks came amid concerns the North could conduct what would be its seventh nuclear test around the time when South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and his U.S. counterpart, Joe Biden, meet in Seoul for a summit set for Saturday, or shortly afterward. "Our military is bracing for the worst-case scenario of the North conducing a nuclear test in a short period of time, and it is maintaining a firm readiness posture," the official told reporters on condition of anonymity.The military authorities here believe that the reclusive regime has made "considerable" preparations for a nuclear test at its Punggye-ri nuclear test site, a source said, noting they have detected signs of such preparations since March.Uncertainty remains over the timing of the nuclear test, observers said, as Pyongyang has been May 16, 2022
UNICEF set for coronavirus-related aid to North Korea, if it asks North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, wears a face mask while inspecting a pharmacy in Pyongyang, May 15, in this photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Kim held an emergency consultative meeting of the political bureau of the Workers' Party at the headquarters of the party's Central Committee in Pyongyang, the same day, to discuss the COVID-19 outbreak in the North. YonhapThe U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) voiced concerns Monday over the news of a COVID-19 outbreak in North Korea and said it stands ready to provide it with necessary support."UNICEF is concerned at the reported cases of COVID-19 in the DPRK and is ready to provide support to the government should it be requested," Shima Islam, a spokesperson for the organization, told Yonhap News Agency, using the acronym for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.Last Thursday, North Korea made public its first COVID-19 cases after claiming to be coronavirus-free for over two years. Pyongyang has reported 50 deaths so far from what it formally describes as an "epidemic," with May 16, 2022
Yoon offers unlimited COVID-19 aid to North Korea President Yoon Suk-yeol / YonhapPresident Yoon Suk-yeol said Monday he will spare no effort to help North Korea cope with a massive outbreak of COVID-19, offering to send vaccines and other necessary supplies if Pyongyang agrees to accept them."We must not hold back on providing necessary assistance to the North Korean people, who are exposed to the threat of the coronavirus," Yoon said during his first budget speech at the National Assembly."If the North Korean authorities accept, we will not spare any necessary support, such as medicine, including COVID-19 vaccines, medical equipment and healthcare personnel," he said.Yoon also said he will discuss economic security issues with U.S. President Joe Biden during their summit in Seoul this week, including strengthening cooperation on global supply chains through the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. (Yonhap) May 16, 2022
Coordinated efforts, continued pressure keys to denuclearization of North Korea: experts President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, left, and U.S. President Joe Biden / Yonhap and EPA-YonhapThe United States and South Korea must send a clear and strong message to North Korea that the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is their goal in order to succeed, a group of South Korean and U.S. experts said in a book soon to be released.The experts also underscored the importance of maintaining pressure on Pyongyang while helping to address humanitarian issues, such as the recent outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the impoverished country."First, the two sides should continue to affirm to North Korea (and to China) that complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization (CVID) remains the goal on the Korean Peninsula," Victor Cha wrote, according to a copy of the book obtained by Yonhap News Agency."Despite the advanced state of North Korea's nuclear program, giving up on denuclearization as a long-term aim is not a viable option, as it would both undermine the global nonproliferation regime and create incentives for neighboring countries to initiate their own nuclear weaponMay 16, 2022
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