Under decade of Kim's rule, North Korea makes strides in nuke, missile capabilities This photo, released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency, Oct. 20, shows a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) being fired in waters off the east coast the previous day. YonhapA decade after taking power, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un boasts significant progress in menacing nuclear and missile programs ― a pivotal element of his regime's security in the face of the close-knit South Korea-U.S. alliance, analysts said.Since rising to power right after the death of his father Kim Jong-il in late 2011, Kim has pushed for a full-throttled security drive that has culminated in refined nuclear capabilities, long-range missiles and other formidable weapons like submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and a hypersonic one.His focus on the military front, however, could come with a caveat: the pursuit of security against external threats ― at the expense of people's livelihoods ― could fuel public discontent and internal instability, the analysts pointed out.With the North's weapons programs in high gear, Seoul and Washington have been striving to chart a diploNov 21, 2021
How Kim Jong-un, once a young political novice, cemented power in North Korea in 10 years In this file photo released by the Korean Central News Agency in 2019 December, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un rides a white horse up a snow-covered Mount Paektu. YonhapMany North Korea watchers were doubtful when Kim Jong-un, then 27, took over the Hermit Kingdom in December 2011 following the sudden death of his father, Kim Jong-il.A decade later, apparently, few question Kim's grip on power, despite a host of challenges, such as its moribund economy, amid a wide web of sanctions led by the U.N. and the U.S. against his regime.Through the past 10 years, Kim has effectively established his own leadership style using an extensive range of strategies, from building an image of a figure who cares about the lives of the people to the brutal killings of his own uncle and brother, outside watchers say.Kim formally rose to power on Dec. 30, 2011, with the North's ruling Workers' Party announcing he "assumed the supreme commandership of the Korean People's Army." It was just 13 days after Kim Jong-il died of a heart attack.Months later in April 2012, the party named him its "first secretarNov 21, 2021
North Korea bashes UN human rights council over 'arbitrary' standard people bow to the portrait of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang, Nov. 18, in this image captured from North Korea's official Korean Central Television. Yonhap The North Korean Foreign Ministry criticized the U.N. Human Rights Council, Saturday, for adopting "arbitrary" Western standards to attack its human rights conditions. The ministry said the U.N. council's adoption of human rights resolutions "targets particular countries," which is against its purpose of treating human rights issues in a "fair, equal" manner. "The U.N. Human Rights Council has become a stage for pinpointing independent, developing nations under the arbitrary Western standard," the ministry said in a statement posted on its website.The remarks came after the U.N. General Assembly's Third Committee passed a resolution Wednesday condemning North Korea's human rights violations for the 17th consecutive year.The ministry claimed the special rapporteurs on North Korean human rights situatNov 20, 2021
North Korea begins promoting the 2022 Pyongyang Marathon A participant in the Pyongyang Marathon reaches the finish line at Kim Il-sung Stadium, Pyongyang, in this April 7, 2019 photo. Captured from Koryo Tours websiteBy Lee Hae-rinWith North Korea showing signs of lifting its ongoing restrictions against COVID-19, a tour agency has begun promoting the reclusive state's annual international marathon event, the Pyongyang Marathon, which is scheduled to take place next year. According to Koryo Tours, a Beijing-based operator specializing in North Korea tours, the event, officially known as the Mangyongdae Prize International Marathon, will be held April 10, 2022. The tour agency is an official event partner of the marathon. The North has held the Pyongyang Marathon since 1981 to celebrate the anniversary of the birth of North Korea's founder, Kim Il-sung, in April. It has allowed the participation of foreign nationals since 2014, but participation by South Koreans has been prohibited.In 2020, North Korea officially canceled the annual marathon to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. This year, the event was to be held virtually from April Nov 19, 2021By Lee Hae-rin
North Korean leader calls for boosting self-reliance at conference North Korean officials attend the 5th Conference of the Frontrunners of the Three Revolutions in Pyongyang, its state media reported Friday. YonhapNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called for strengthening the country's self-reliance despite "immediate challenges," including economic difficulties, during a conference on a mass movement aimed at developing its ideology, technology and culture, Pyongyang's state media reported Friday.Kim delivered the message in a letter to the participants at the 5th Conference of the Frontrunners of the Three Revolutions that kicked off in Pyongyang on Thursday, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA)."The meaning of the three-revolution lies in strengthening independent power in the path to carrying out socialist tasks, breaking through unexpected challenges and hurdles," he stressed. The conference was attended by senior party officials and people "who are taking the lead in implementing the revolutions" to "share the successes and experience, and analyze and review the mistakes and lessons drawn in the course of the mass movement." InNov 19, 2021
UN adopts resolution on North Korean human rights for 17th consecutive year gettyimagesbankThe United Nations on Wednesday adopted a resolution on North Korean human rights, condemning what it called "systematic" and "gross" violations of human rights in the reclusive state.The resolution was adopted unanimously by the U.N. General Assembly Third Committee, which has now adopted a North Korea-specific human rights resolution for the 17th consecutive year since 2005.The resolution said the U.N. "condemns in the strongest terms the long-standing and ongoing systematic, widespread and gross violations of human rights in and by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, including those that may amount to crimes against humanity."It also expressed serious concerns over "the persistence of continuing reports of violations of human rights" that include "torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment."The resolution calls on the North Korean government to "immediately put an end to the systematic, widespread and grave violations and abuses of human rights" and "close the political prison camps and to release all political prisoners unconditionNov 18, 2021
US designates North Korea as state violator of religious freedom U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken / AFP-YonhapThe United States has designated North Korea as a state violator of religious freedom, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.North Korea is one of 10 countries designated as "country of particular concern.""I am designating Burma, the People's Republic of China, Eritrea, Iran, the DPRK, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan as Countries of Particular Concern for having engaged in or tolerated "systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom," Blinken said in a released statement.DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's official name. It marks the 20th consecutive year the North was designated a state violator of religious freedom.Blinken vowed efforts to end what he called 'structural, systematic and deeply entrenched" challenges to religious freedom, also calling on the international community to do the same."The challenges to religious freedom in the world today are structural, systemic, and deeply entrenched," he said. "They demand sustained global Nov 18, 2021
North Korea warns of 'catastrophic' COVID-19 crisis as other countries ease restrictions In this file photo, released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Aug. 31, a quarantine official disinfects a school in Pyongyang. YonhapNorth Korea has expressed concerns over the spread of the coronavirus and a "catastrophic public health crisis," after countries across the globe eased a set of antivirus rules as part of efforts to gradually get back to pre-pandemic normalcy. The North's official radio broadcaster Korean Central Broadcasting Station reported Tuesday the virus situation is at a serious stage, citing "premature" decisions to lift social distancing measures against COVID-19."Countries that have eased most of their antivirus restrictions with expectations on vaccine inoculation are especially getting into a catastrophic public health crisis," the report said.North Korea has been urging its people to stay on high alert against the virus outbreak as Pyongyang prepares to reopen its land border with China, which has remained closed for nearly two years to stave off the virus. The recent resurgence in virus cases could delay the North's plan to open its Nov 17, 2021
Korean Peninsula issue neglected in titans' showdown U.S. President Joe Biden meets virtually with Chinese President Xi Jinping from the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., Monday (local time). AP-YonhapUS-Sino cooperation on North Korea's denuclearization unlikely: experts By Kang Seung-wooThe highly-touted virtual summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping revealed that issues regarding the Korean Peninsula, specifically the denuclearization of North Korea, were not a priority between the two superpowers that have a large influence on the matter. Biden and Xi held the remote talks for three-and-a-half hours, which mainly featured the topics of trade, Chinese aggression toward Taiwan and human rights, leaving diplomatic observers to surmise that the North Korean issue has been put on the back burner for the time being.The White House's post-summit statement mentioned North Korea only briefly, noting the two leaders “also exchanged views on key regional challenges, including DPRK, Afghanistan, and Iran.” DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea'sNov 16, 2021By Kang Seung-woo
UN rapporteur raps China over repatriation of North Korean defectors: report YonhapA U.N. official on the human rights situation in North Korea has criticized China for sending back North Korean defectors, describing the practice as a serious challenge to international law, according to a news report Tuesday."The issue is very serious and the government is challenging international law," Tomas Ojea Quintana, the special rapporteur on North Korea human rights, was quoted as saying by the Voice of America (VOA).He added, "I urge once again the People's Republic of China to contemplate the application of the principle of 'non-refoulement' to North Koreans who may face torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment upon repatriation."The Chinese government earlier stated that those North Koreans had "entered China for economic reasons using illegal channels." So, they are "illegal immigrants, not refugees," it added.The U.N. official, a lawyer from Argentina, expressed regret that the Chinese authorities take such a stance and "dodge the application of this critical principle that protects every human being from torture and ill-treatment, thNov 16, 2021
