US reconnaissance drone spotted amid speculation North Korea preparing for military parade North Korea's town is seen behind a North Korean military guard post, bottom, from the unification observatory in Paju in Seoul, Sept. 3. AP-YonhapA U.S. reconnaissance aircraft was spotted Sunday over the Korean Peninsula, a flight tracker said, amid speculation that North Korea might be preparing for a military parade to mark major national anniversaries.The Global Hawk plane was seen flying in the skies along the border with North Korea, such as the greater Seoul area and the country's northeastern Gangwon Province, according to Flightradar24 and other sources. The Global Hawk is a high-tech unmanned drone that can perform tasks to a range of up to 3,000 km and distinguish objects on the ground as small as 30 centimeters in diameter.Its detection came after a large number of troops were reportedly seen gathering in Pyongyang, a sign that North Korea might be preparing for a military parade ahead of its state and ruling party founding anniversaries on Thursday and Oct. 10, respectively.The possibility of a military parade in North Korea draws attention as North Korea recently warneSep 5, 2021
North Korea steps up efforts to draw attention from US A commercial satellite image by 38 North shows North Korean troops preparing for a military parade in Pyongyang. YonhapPyongyang anxious about no action from USBy Kang Seung-wooNorth Korea appears to have increased its provocative military activities on purpose in a bid to get the attention of the Joe Biden administration, according to Pyongyang watchers.According to 38 North, a U.S.-based website specializing in the North Korean regime, troop formations were observed earlier last week at Mirim Airport in Pyongyang, raising speculation that the country is preparing for a military parade ahead of its state and ruling party founding anniversaries on Sept. 9 and Oct. 10, respectively. The airfield has served as a rehearsal ground for large-scale military parades.“This could indicate an upcoming military parade in Oct, as we saw in 2020,” it said on Twitter, Thursday.“The unification ministry will closely watch any signs, without prematurely determining, for the possibility of the North holding a military parade,” Cha Deok-cheol, deputy spokesperson of the unificaSep 3, 2021By Kang Seung-woo
North Korean leader chairs politburo meeting to discuss antivirus efforts, food shortage In this photo released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks during an enlarged politburo meeting of the Workers' Party in Pyongyang, Sept. 2. YonhapNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un presided over a politburo meeting to discuss a series of key issues, such as nationwide anti-coronavirus measures and farm production, state media reported Friday.Kim also discussed measures to thoroughly boost production of consumer goods and implement a land management policy, during the enlarged politburo session of the Workers' Party held Thursday, according to the Korean Central News Agency."Saying that the present dangerous situation of the worldwide pandemic which keeps spiraling out of control demands tighter nationwide epidemic prevention, he emphasized that all the party organizations and officials should reexamine the national epidemic prevention system and the work in this field, and conduct an intense political offensive to strain and awaken the epidemic prevention front once again," the KCNA said.He stressed that tightening epidemic preveSep 3, 2021
Phased approach to North Korea's nuclear program gaining traction South Korean nuclear envoy Noh Kyu-duk, left, speaks in front of the U.S. Department of State building in Washington, Monday, after meeting with his U.S. counterpart Sung Kim on North Korea. YonhapInterim deal may recognize Pyongyang as nuclear powerBy Kang Seung-wooGrappling with the fallout from its withdrawal from Afghanistan, the United States is weighing the possibility of shifting its tone on North Korea's nuclear program ― in other words, seeking to maintain the status quo on the Korean Peninsula rather than aggressively pursuing complete denuclearization. Under the circumstances, diplomatic observers believe that the Biden administration is open to reaching an interim deal, which means that the two sides would take simultaneous steps that could lead to the denuclearization of North Korea and they believe are more practical and realistic. Last week, when Sung Kim, the U.S. special representative for North Korea, visited Seoul, he indicated that Washington would want to stably manage the situation on the Peninsula due to the crisis in Afghanistan. According to Rep. Tae Yong-ho,Sep 3, 2021By Kang Seung-woo
7 newborn puppies of 'peace gift' dog from North Korea adoptable by local governments President Moon Jae-in spends his time with the newborn puppies of a dog from North Korea at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Sept. 1. Courtesy of Cheong Wa DaePresident Moon Jae-in has made public the names of seven newborn puppies of a dog from North Korea, saying that local government authorities in South Korea can adopt them if they want.Moon received two Pungsan hunting dogs from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as a "peace gift" when they had summit talks in Pyongyang in 2018. Moon has since been raising the dogs at the Cheong Wa Dae presidential compound in Seoul.In June, one of the dogs, named Gomi, gave birth to seven puppies, sired by another Pungsan dog, Maru, which Moon had been raising since before becoming president.Moon wrote on his social media accounts Wednesday that all seven of the puppies "have grown healthily." He unveiled their names ― "Areum," "Daun" and "Gangsan," which mean "beautiful rivers and mountains" in Korean.The four others are named ""Bom," "Yeoreum," "Gaeul" and "Gyeoul," which stand for spring, summer, autumn and winter in Korean, respectively.Moon added thatSep 2, 2021
US extends travel ban on North Korea for one year: report In this Feb. 27, 2019, file photo a woman holds American and North Korean flags as she walks along Sword Lake in Hanoi, Vietnam. The Biden administration has extended for one year a Trump-era ban on the use of U.S. passports for travel to North Korea. AP-YonhapThe United States has extended its travel ban on North Korea for one year, marking the first extension of the travel restrictions under the Joe Biden administration, a report said Wednesday.The State Department announced the extension of the ban until Aug. 31, 2022 in a Federal Register notice set to be published Thursday, according to the report by the Associated Press."The Department of State has determined there continues to be serious risk to U.S. citizens and nationals of arrest and long-term detention constituting imminent danger to their physical safety," the department said in the notice, according to the report."Accordingly, all U.S. passports shall remain invalid for travel to, in, or through the DPRK unless specially validated for such travel under the authority of the secretary of state." DPRK stands for the DemocraSep 2, 2021
North Korea turns down Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine doses: WSJ A nurse handles a package of refrigerated COVID-19 vaccine doses from Chinese company Sinovac, in Hangzhou in east China's Zhejiang province in this March 15 file photo. AP-YonhapNorth Korea has rejected roughly three million COVID-19 vaccine doses developed by China's Sinovac Biotech, saying the shots should be sent to harder-hit countries, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing UNICEF.The agency, which helps deliver COVID-19 shots on behalf of the COVAX scheme, told WSJ that North Korea's public health ministry declined the shipment, citing the limited global supply for vaccines and continuing virus surges elsewhere.North Korea had in July rejected shipments of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine due to concerns over side effects, according to a South Korean think-tank.The reclusive country has not reported any COVID-19 cases and has imposed strict anti-virus measures, including border closures and domestic travel curbs.UNICEF did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment."We continue to work with DPRK authorities to help respond to the COVID-19 pandemic," aSep 1, 2021
September: An important month for inter-Korean relations North Koreans pay respect to statues of former North Korea leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang in this Sept. 9, 2019 photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency. Sept. 9 is North Korea's Foundation Day. YonhapEvents marking joint UN admission, North Korea foundation scheduledBy Nam Hyun-wooThis September will mark an important month for the Moon Jae-in administration, as it is making its final efforts to improve inter-Korean relations before the President's term ends in May. A series of key events are scheduled, including the 30th anniversary of the simultaneous admission of South and North Korea into the United Nations on Sept. 18, and the third anniversary of the Sept. 19 Pyongyang Declaration, signed by Moon and North Korea leader Kim Jong-un. These occasions may open opportunities for Moon to send another peace message toward the Kim regime and to expect corresponding responses.On the other hand, there are chances for the Kim regime to showcase its military strength or heighten bellicose rhetoric in another series of key events, such as North Korea's FSep 1, 2021By Nam Hyun-woo
Door remains open for dialogue with North Korea: White House Jen Psaki, a White House press secretary, speaks during a news conference in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, Aug. 31. UPI-YonhapThe U.S. remains willing to meet with North Korea anywhere and anytime, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Tuesday.The spokeswoman noted the North, however, remains unresponsive to U.S. overtures."Well, we have left the door open and obviously reached out through our channels. I don't have an update for you in terms of any response to our offer," Psaki said in a daily press briefing, adding "(The) offer remains to meet anywhere, anytime without preconditions."U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Sung Kim had initially made the offer in June to meet "anywhere, anytime without preconditions" with North Korean officials.North Korea has ignored the U.S. outreach, along with several other overtures made by the Joe Biden administration since its inauguration in January.Psaki's remark also comes after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a report to its board of governors that the North appears toSep 1, 2021
North Korean leader urges young ex-convicts to become 'kindling spark' for national development In this photo released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un holds a photo session with young ex-convicts, Aug. 30. YonhapNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un met and held a photo session with young ex-convicts volunteering to work in "difficult and challenging sectors," and urged them to become a "kindling spark" for national development, state media said Tuesday. Kim "held hands of each of the young people who volunteered to work at difficult and challenging sectors with high awareness and enthusiasm to glorify their youth in the van of the worthwhile era, highly estimating their deeds and mental world," according to the Korean Central News Agency. "Those young people, who had been lagging behind others, realized the gratitude of the mother party and the socialist system that embraced and brought them up and started with a clean slate by volunteering to work at the most difficult and challenging posts," the KCNA said.Those "lagging behind others" refer to ex-convicts who are now working for the ruling Workers' Party after repenting for theAug 31, 2021
