Thinner, energetic Kim stands out at North Korean parade North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in a Sept. 9 photo, left, looks thinner compared with this 2020 October file photo, right. Yonhap At an unusual North Korean parade showcasing military dogs and virus workers in orange hazmat suits, leader Kim Jong-un still stood out by looking thinner and more energetic than he has in years.During the event that started late Wednesday, Kim, wearing a cream suit and a shiny white tie, emerged as the clock struck midnight. He beamed in response to thunderous applause from performers and spectators filling Pyongyang's brightly illuminated Kim Il Sung Square, named after his grandfather and founder of the nation, on its 73rd anniversary.He smiled widely, waved to the crowd and kissed children who presented him with flowers before taking his spot on a balcony to observe the parade. He laughed vigorously and applauded the marchers throughout the event, while chatting animatedly with senior officials. It was a stark change from 2018, when TSep 11, 2021
US envoy for North Korea Sung Kim to visit Tokyo next week U.S. special envoy for North Korea Sung Kim / Yonhap U.S. special envoy for North Korea Sung Kim will visit Japan next week to meet with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts and discuss various issues that will include ways to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, the State Department said Friday.Kim's trip to Tokyo follows his meetings with South Korea's Noh Kyu-duk in Seoul and Washington last month. The department said Kim will again be joined by Noh in Tokyo."U.S. Special Representative for the DPRK Ambassador Sung Kim will travel to Tokyo, Japan from September 13―15, 2021," it said in a press release, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea."Special Representative Kim will join a trilateral meeting with Japanese Director-General for Asian and Oceanian Affairs Funakoshi Takehiro and Republic of Korea (ROK) Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Noh Kyu-duk," it added.The three enSep 11, 2021
North Korean leader visits mausoleum of late leaders to mark founding anniversary In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center, waves to participants as they gather for a group photo, in a celebration of the nation's 73rd anniversary at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea, Sept. 9. AP-Yonhap North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited a mausoleum of his late grandfather and national founder Kim Il-sung, and late father and former leader Kim Jong-il to mark the 73rd anniversary of the country's founding, state media reported Friday.Kim and his wife, Ri Sol-ju, paid tribute at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the bodies of the late leaders lie in state, the Korean Central News Agency said."At the halls where the President and the Chairman lie in state, the General Secretary and his wife extended the best wishes of immortality to the great leaders who built the genuine people's country, the prosperous socialist country, and bequeathed it down to the future generations by dedicating all their lives," the KCNA said.Ri's public appearance is believed to be the first in nearly four months since she attendedSep 10, 2021
Moon's hopes for talks with North Korea at Beijing Games dashed by IOC decision International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach attends the Executive Board virtual meeting at the Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland, Sept. 8, in this handout photo by the IOC. Reuters-YonhapPyongyang holds military parade in scaled-down mannerBy Nam Hyun-wooPresident Moon Jae-in's hopes of improving inter-Korean relations at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics has hit a major setback, after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended North Korea from participation. “The National Olympic Committee of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is suspended until the end of the year 2022 as a result of its unilateral decision not to participate (in Tokyo),” IOC President Thomas Bach said during a press conference streamed online Wednesday (local time). DPRK is the official name of North Korea.In April, North Korea announced that its athletes would not compete at the Tokyo Olympics, citing the risks of COVID-19 infections. Though the IOC reserved the right to make decisions on individual North Korean athlete's participation, and to reconsider how Sep 9, 2021By Nam Hyun-woo
North Korea suspended from Beijing Olympics for Tokyo no-show Chinese President Xi Jinping is seen on a screen at a booth promoting winter sports ahead of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics during the China International Fair for Trade in Services in Beijing, Sept. 5. AP-YonhapNorth Korea was formally suspended from the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics by the IOC on Wednesday as punishment for refusing to send a team to the Tokyo Games citing the COVID-19 pandemic.IOC president Thomas Bach said the North Korean national Olympic body will also now forfeit money it was due from previous Olympics. The unspecified amount ― potentially millions of dollars ― had been withheld because of international sanctions.Individual athletes from North Korea who qualify to compete in Beijing could still be accepted by a separate decision in the future, Bach said.The suspension marks a steep drop in North Korea's Olympic status since the 2018 Winter Games in South Korea, where the International Olympic Committee tried to aid a diplomatic breakthrough.Athletes from the Korean neighbors marched together in the opening ceremony at Pyeongchang and joined together in a womeSep 9, 2021
Xi, Putin vow efforts to advance relations with North Korea Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping / EPA-YonhapChinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed efforts to advance relations with North Korea in messages sent to leader Kim Jong-un to congratulate him on his country's 73rd founding anniversary Thursday, Pyongyang's state media reported."I and Comrade General Secretary have maintained close communication and led the bilateral relations for them to develop in a stable way and, thus steadily made good success, which further enriched the traditional bilateral friendship," Xi was quoted as saying by the Korean Central News Agency."I highly value the development of the China-DPRK relations and intend to develop these ties of friendship and cooperation on a long-term basis and in a stable way," he added, using the acronym of the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.The KCNA said Putin also sent a congratulatory message to Kim and expressed hope to advance their bilateral relations "based on the good traditions of friendship and mutual respect.""ExpressSep 9, 2021
North Korea holds midnight military parade In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean solders parade during a celebration of the nation's 73rd anniversary that was overseen by leader Kim Jong-un at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea, Sept. 9. AP-YonhapNorth Korea held a midnight military parade to mark the 73rd anniversary of its founding with leader Kim Jong-un in attendance, but he did not deliver an address and no new strategic weapons were displayed, according to state media and South Korean officials.The parade, which began at midnight Thursday, was watched closely by South Korea and others because the North could show off state-of-the-art weapons systems or leader Kim could make a speech about inter-Korean relations or nuclear talks with the United States.Kim attended the event but did not deliver an address, according to the Korean Central News Agency. The KCNA also said that the parade at Pyongyang's Kim Il-sung Square was mostly led not by regular troops but by the Worker-Peasant Red Guards (WPRG), a civilian defense organization in North Korea composed of around 5.7 million workersSep 9, 2021
Foreign ministry, presidential office slammed for defending North Korea's suspected nuke program First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Choi Jong-kun speaks during a National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee meeting at the Assembly in Seoul, Tuesday. Joint Press CorpsGov't urged not to put the cart before the horse in North Korea policyBy Nam Hyun-wooThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs has come under fire for defending North Korea's suspected resumption of its nuclear development program in Yongbyon after the vice minister stated that it would not be in violation of a series of inter-Korean agreements which contain Pyongyang's promise to abandon such a program.Cheong Wa Dae also said it agreed with the vice minister's remarks, sparking criticism that the government is pandering to the North for the sake of pursuing President Moon Jae-in's peace initiative.During a National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee meeting Tuesday, First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Choi Jong-kun said he did not think North Korea's suspected restart of a nuclear reactor in Yongbyon, which was reported by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), would be a violatioSep 8, 2021By Nam Hyun-woo
North Korea boosts celebratory mood for founding anniversary In this Aug. 31 file photo, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center, meets the participants in Youth Day celebrations during a photo session at an undisclosed place in North Korea. North Korea is ramping up the celebratory mood ahead of its founding anniversary this week amid speculation that Pyongyang is preparing a military parade. AP-YonhapNorth Korea on Wednesday ramped up the celebratory mood ahead of its founding anniversary this week amid speculation that Pyongyang is preparing a military parade.Earlier, the official Rodong Sinmun reported on greetings delivered to leader Kim Jong-un from heads of foreign states on its front page, along with articles on flowers sent from foreign embassies stationed in Pyongyang to celebrate the state founding anniversary that falls on Thursday.The paper also reported on concerts, forums, photo exhibitions and other events organized in Pyongyang and overseas to mark the upcoming anniversary.North Korea appears to be bolstering the celebratory mood and national solidarity ahead of Thursday's anniversary at a time when it is struggling with the fSep 8, 2021
North Korea's trade with China plunges 82% amid pandemic: unification minister A health official conducts anti-epidemic work at the entrance of Phyongsong city in south Phyongan Province, North Korea, Sept. 1. AP-YonhapNorth Korea's trade with China plunged 82.1 percent on-year amid prolonged border closures due to the coronavirus pandemic, the unification minister said Tuesday.Minister Lee In-young made the remarks during a plenary session of the foreign affairs and unification committee at the National Assembly, saying that the North is focused on addressing internal challenges, including protracted sanctions, the COVID-19 pandemic and recent flood damage.The North's trade with China from January to July this year stood at around US$86.66 million, 82.1 percent of the trade during the same period last year.The figure is also less than one-fifteenth of the trade before the coronavirus pandemic, Lee said."As the inflow of grain and other necessities dropped sharply from the decrease in North Korea-China trade, it is faced with continued instability in supply and demand in rice, food and medicine," he said.He added that the North is currently building a quarantinSep 7, 2021
