North Korea foreign ministry accuses US of using humanitarian aid for 'sinister purpose' In this 2020 September file photo released by the Korean Central News Agency, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un examines rice paddy that was damaged by flood in North Hwanghae Province, North Korea. YonhapNorth Korea's foreign ministry on Monday accused the United States of using humanitarian aid as a political tool for interfering in internal affairs and taking issue with human rights.Kang Hyon-chol, a senior researcher at the Association for the Promotion of International Economic and Technological Exchange, made the case in an article published on the website of the North's foreign ministry."In actual practice, many countries have undergone bitter tastes as a result of pinning much hope on the American 'aid' and 'humanitarian assistance,'" Kang said."This vividly reveals that the American ulterior intention of linking 'humanitarian assistance' with 'human rights issue' is to legitimize their pressure on the sovereign states and achieve their sinister political scheme," he added.Kang said the world is now facing severe economic difficulties because of the COVID-19 pandemic and accuseJul 12, 2021
Leaders of North Korea, China vow greater cooperation in face of foreign hostility In this June 2019 file photo, Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sit in a meeting in Pyongyang. The two leaders traded messages vowing to strengthen cooperation on the anniversary of their treaty of friendship, North Korea's state news agency reported Sunday. YohnapThe leaders of North Korea and China traded messages vowing to strengthen cooperation on the anniversary of their treaty of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance between the two countries, North Korea's KCNA news agency reported on Sunday.In a message to China's Xi Jinping, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said their relationship is vital in the face of hostile foreign forces, while Xi promised to bring cooperation "to a new stage", KCNA said.China has been North Korea's only major ally since the two signed the treaty in 1961, and international sanctions imposed over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes have made it more dependent than ever on Beijing for trade and other support."Despite the unprecedentedly complicated international situation in recent yeaJul 11, 2021
Seoul rebuts UN special rapporteurs' concerns over anti-leaflet law In this April 2016 file photo, a group of defectors fly balloons containing anti-North Korea leaflets at a border village of Paju, Gyeonggi Province. South Korea has rebutted concerns expressed by a group of U.N. special rapporteurs that a new law that bans the launching of anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets across the inter-Korean border could restrict freedom of expression, documents show. YonhapSouth Korea has rebutted concerns expressed by a group of U.N. special rapporteurs that a new law that bans the launching of anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets across the inter-Korean border could restrict freedom of expression, a government document showed Saturday.In April, Tomas Ojea Quintana, special rapporteur on North Korea's human rights situation, along with three other rapporteurs, voiced concerns in a letter towards South Korea's so-called anti-leafleting law passed late last year. They expressed concerns that the ban may "negatively impact the enjoyment of the right to freedom of expression" and the "legitimate activities" of nongovernmental organizations in Seoul.The law prohibiJul 11, 2021
Seoul spy agency: NK could return to dialogue with US People bow before a mosaic of portraits of late North Korean leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-Il, at the Dongmun Crossroads in the Daedonggang District of Pyongyang on the occasion of 27th anniversary of the death of Kim Il-sung, Thursday. AFP-YonhapKorea's spy agency has told lawmakers that North Korea could return to nuclear dialogue with the United States as it is intent on ending hostile relations with the country, a source said Friday. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) made the comment Thursday while debriefing the National Assembly's intelligence committee on the recent remarks from Pyongyang, the source with knowledge of the matter said. "North Korea's consistent position is to end its hostile relations with the United States," the source quoted the NIS as reporting to the lawmakers. The NIS said that the North appears to want an easing of sanctions to allow exports of its minerals and imports of refined oil and other daily necessities, according to the source. "The NIS judges that if the U.S. could mention this at least verbally, the North can come out to the dialogue tJul 9, 2021
North Korea rejects AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine: think tank In this June 30 file photo, staff of the Pyongyang Primary School No. 4 clean stairwells in Pyongyang, North Korea. AP-YonhapNorth Korea has rejected AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine that was to be delivered through the COVAX facility due to concerns about potential side effects, and appears instead to be reaching out to Moscow for Russian-made vaccines, a state-run think tank said Friday. The North also appears to be reluctant to receive Chinese-made vaccines as it does not trust their efficacy and safety, according to the Institute for National Security Strategy (INSS) associated with the National Intelligence Agency. "As North Korea has rejected the vaccines planned to be supplied through COVAX due to worries over side effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine, it has explored possibilities of securing alternatives drugs," the INSS said in a report. "North Korea stays reluctant with regard to Chinese-made vaccines due to distrust over the drugs," it added. "It appears to have positive assessments of Russian-made products but be asking for their supplies free of charge."The INSS said thaJul 9, 2021
Seoul spy agency: No sign North Korean leader has been vaccinated North Korean leader Kim Jong-un / Yonhap There is no sign that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been inoculated against the coronavirus and his country hasn't received any foreign vaccines, South Korea's spy agency said Thursday.The National Intelligence Service told lawmakers in a closed-door briefing that it hasn't detected any information that North Korea has acquired vaccines, according to Ha Tae-keung, one of the legislators who attended the session. He quoted the NIS as saying there were no signs that Kim has been inoculated. COVAX, the U.N.-backed program to ship COVID-19 vaccines worldwide, said in February that North Korea could receive 1.9 million doses in the first half of the year. But the shipment hasn't been made, and there have been no reports that North Korea has tried to secure vaccines elsewhere for its 26 million people.The NIS has a mixed record in reporting developments in North Korea, one of the world's most secretive countries. Some non-govJul 9, 2021
North Korea issue ignored by presidential hopefuls Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, left, and Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung / Korea Times fileBy Nam Hyun-wooThe issues of handling North Korea's nuclear program and improving inter-Korean relations are losing prominence among presidential hopefuls in South Korea, as heavyweight candidates have not offered specific policy roadmaps in their bids to run in the election slated for next March.Experts said Thursday this is because inter-Korean relations are currently at an uneasy moment for contenders to roll out their policies, and the South Korean public's interest in North Korea has been drained as the Moon Jae-in administration has shown no concrete outcomes lately despite multiple inter-Korean summits and Washington-Pyongyang talks during its tenure. In his official declaration to run in the presidential race, Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung addressed the North Korea issue only in a single sentence under a subcategory of his economic pledges. He said: “The establishment of the Korean Peninsula Peace Economy System and revitalization of the northern ecoJul 8, 2021By Nam Hyun-woo
South Korea's atomic energy think tank exposed to North Korean hacking: spy agency gettyimagesbankSouth Korea's national think tank on nuclear power has been exposed to a hacking attack presumably launched by North Korea, but no major data was leaked, the state spy agency said Thursday. "An investigation is underway after receiving a damage report from the Atomic Energy Research Institute on June 1. ... It was exposed (possibly) to North Korea for about 12 days," Rep. Ha Tae-keung, a member of the parliamentary intelligence committee, told reporters, citing a briefing from the National Intelligence Service (NIS)."It is presumed to be done by North Korea via an organization affiliated with a third country," other officials also said, adding, "No core technology data was leaked."According to Ha and another committee member, Rep. Kim Byung-kee, the country's damage caused by hacking groups backed by national entities rose by 9 percent in the first half of the year from the second half of last year. Ha said there were also signs showing the Korea Aerospace Industries, South Korea's sole aircraft manufacturer, may have been hacked, and currently an investigation is undeJul 8, 2021
North Korean leader visits mausoleum to mark late grandfather's death anniversary People prepare to pay their respects to the statues of late North Korean leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il ahead of the 27th anniversary of the death of Kim Il-sung, at Mansu Hill in Pyongyang, July 7. AFP-YonhapNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited a mausoleum for his late grandfather and national founder Kim Il-sung to mark the anniversary of his death, state media reported Thursday, dismissing rumors about his health.Kim paid tribute at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where Kim Il-sung's body lies in state, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, a day after rumors surfaced in South Korea that Kim fell unconscious after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage and his uncle Kim Pyong-il had forced him from power."Kim Jong-un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun at 0:00 on Thursday," the KCNA said."At the halls where Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il lie in state the General Secretary made a bow of best wishes to the President and the Chairman who performed Jul 8, 2021
North Korea faces food shortage of 860,000 tons: UN agency gettyimagesbankNorth Korea is expected to face a food shortage of around 860,000 tons this year, a U.N. agency said Wednesday, raising worries that its people could go through a "harsh lean period" in the coming months.According to a report posted by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on the webpage of its Global Information and Early Warning System, North Korea is projected to produce a "near-average level" of 5.6 million tons of grains this year. The North still needs an additional 1.1 million tons of grains to feed its population, and given the "commercial imports officially planned at 205,000 tons," the North will likely face a food shortage of around 860,000 tons, the report said. "If this gap is not adequately covered through commercial imports and/or food aid, households could experience a harsh lean period from August to October, when the 2021 main season crops will be available for consumption," the report said.North Korea is known for chronic food shortages, which appear to have been aggravated last year due to back-to-back typhoons and flooding in key farming areaJul 7, 2021
