North Korea stays mum on Biden's election victory North Korean leader Kim Jong-un / APNorth Korea has stayed mum for more than a week on Joe Biden's election as U.S. president, an uncommonly long silence on the results of such a major political event that could have ramifications on its relations with Washington.Observers say the North appears to be careful in making any response to the election results as President Donald Trump, who has boasted of friendly relations with leader Kim Jong-un, has yet to concede defeat.As of early Sunday morning, North Korea's media outlets have not mentioned the U.S. presidential election, nor have they reported on its results or carried any message toward Washington.The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the North's ruling party, carried several stories, including one calling for stepped-up efforts to carry out an 80-day campaign until the end of this year in the face of the global coronavirus pandemic. However, it did not run any stories about the U.S. election.The Korean Central News Agency, Pyongyang's state news agency, also did not run any stories on the U.S. election. It carried stories Nov 15, 2020
Microsoft says North Korean, Russian hackers attacking COVID-19 vaccine makers An image capture shows a blog posted by Tom Burt, corporate vice president for customer security and trust, Nov. 13, that explains recent cyberattacks by Russian and North Korean actors against pharmaceutical companies and researchers racing to develop a COVID-19 vaccine. From Microsoft websiteU.S. tech giant Microsoft has detected cyberattacks from three foreign entities, including two from North Korea, against companies and research institutes working to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, a company official said Friday, urging government action to protect such facilities."In recent months, we've detected cyberattacks from three nation-state actors targeting seven prominent companies directly involved in researching vaccines and treatments for COVID-19," Tom Burt, vice president for customer security and trust, wrote in a blog posted on the Microsoft website.Burt said the seven companies included "leading pharmaceutical companies and vaccine researchers in Canada, France, India, South Korea and the United States.""The attacks came from Strontium, an actor originating from Russia, and two aNov 14, 2020
North Koreans' Twitter accounts 'rare propaganda move'? Twitter accounts of Kim Myong-il, top, and Han Song-il. According to those social network pages, Kim is a director of North Korea's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland and Han a director at an institute for unification in the country. Screen capture from TwitterNorth Korean individuals have taken to Twitter to post about their daily lives and domestic news, in a rare move by the reclusive country presumed to be aimed at reaching a broader audience through a more approachable style.It also appears to be in line with North Korea's recent stepped-up efforts to embrace social media, including a YouTube channel, as new propaganda vehicles.Two accounts appeared in October on Twitter, including one signed up as Kim Myong-il, who claims to be a director of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland that handles inter-Korean relations.Another account was signed up under the name Han Song-il, a director at an institute for unification in the North. "I hope to deliver the good news within North Korea or on inter-Korean relations, as well as informationNov 13, 2020
Seoul renews calls for Pyongyang to act in 'discreet, wise, flexible' manner after Biden's election South Korean Unification Minister Lee In-youngThe unification ministry on Friday renewed calls for North Korea to refrain from provocations, urging Pyongyang to act in a "discreet, wise and flexible" manner during the heightened uncertainty following the U.S. presidential election earlier this month. The calls came amid uncertainty over what policy the incoming Joe Biden administration of the U.S. will take on North Korea and concerns Pyongyang could carry out provocations to draw attention and set the tone for future negotiations. "What we want to emphasize, among other things, is that the two Koreas should first resume talks at a time when fluidity in situations remains high and build trust to make time for South and North Korea," Cho Hey-sil, the ministry's deputy spokesperson, said during a regular press briefing. "In this sense, we renewed the calls for the North to act in a discreet, wise and flexible manner in coping with this era of tradition," she added. South Korea has repeatedly urged Pyongyang to stay away from raising tensions by carrying out provocations, including missNov 13, 2020
North Korean informants risk lives to provide 'real' news A scene from “North Korea VJ” (2011) directed by journalist Jiro Ishimaru showing a 23-year-old North Korean woman named Hyang-ran. Courtesy of ASIAPRESSJapanese journalist-documentary filmmaker hires North Korean 'stringers' for fact-based N. Korea coverage By Park Ji-wonJournalist Jiro IshimaruReporting on North Korea has been one of the most difficult tasks for journalists. Sources are hard to come by as the secretive state controls information and people living under government surveillance. Anyone caught sharing information with outsiders may face execution. But, ironically, these factors make the country worth reporting because too little is known about it.Many reporters fail to report real news about North Korea and some just spread clickbait rumors as sources cannot be tracked anyway. But this is not the case for Jiro Ishimaru, a 58-year-old freelance journalist from Japan who leads the independent news outlet ASIAPRESS's Osaka bureau and is team leader of its North Korea coverage. He has been able to provide “fact-based” news about North Korea over thNov 12, 2020By Park Ji-won
North Korea highlights hazards of smoking after adopting anti-smoking law North Korea's state news agency on Wednesday highlighted the hazards of smoking, saying the habit could increase the chances of getting infected with the new coronavirus.North Korea's media outlets have intensified calls for people to stop smoking since Pyongyang held a parliamentary meeting and adopted an anti-smoking law earlier this month."Smoking has taken more lives than natural disasters and traffic accidents," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. "Since the new coronavirus comes mostly through the airway and lung, smokers have more likelihoods of getting infected with the viciously infectious disease."The KCNA pointed out the hazards of secondhand smoking as well, saying that it is killing around 1 million kids across the world every year. Cigarette butts were also cited as a major environmental concern since they take up to 10 years to decompose and can cause forest fires.The KCNA said North Korea has taken a series of anti-smoking measures recently, which it said is in line with a global trend.On Nov. 4, North Korea held a meeting of the Presidium of the Supreme PeoplNov 11, 2020
North Korea estimated to have up to 60 nuclear warheads: think tank North Korean leader Kim Jong-un / APNorth Korea is believed to have up to 60 nuclear warheads that can threaten regional stability, according to a recent estimate by a research institute affiliated with the U.S. National Defense University.The Institute for National Strategic Studies said in its Strategic Assessment 2020 report that the North is assumed to have between 15 and 60 nuclear warheads and approximately 650 ballistic missiles capable of threatening cities in South Korea, as well as in Japan and eastern China."Through the development of weapons of mass destruction, use of chemical weapons, and aggressive posturing of its conventional forces, the DPRK threatens regional stability and global norms," the report said, referring to the North by its official name."It has also tested intercontinental ballistic missiles that could be capable of striking the United States," it added.The report pointed out that an overwhelming estimate of 1.2 million North Korean soldiers are "forward-deployed toward the Demilitarized Zone in an offensive posture" and continue to pose a conventional tNov 11, 2020
North Korea keeps silent on Biden win On left is North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un, and on right is Joe Biden, the president-elect of the United States. YonhapBy Jung Da-minNorth Korea has yet to report on the election of Joe Biden as the 46th president of the United States.North Korea watchers said Pyongyang is expected to keep a prudent stance over Biden’s election and his new administration, as it could take some time for his administration to draw up its North Korea policy.They said North Korea will first want to see who the new U.S. administration appoints to handle issues with the reclusive state.“North Korea has deliberately shown an indifferent attitude toward the U.S. presidential election, hardly making any comments on the election in its state media reports,” said Cheong Seong-chang, a fellow with the Washington, D.C.-based think tank the Wilson Center and a senior research fellow with the Seoul-based Sejong Institute. “However, I presume that the North Korean leadership has an extraordinary interest in this election internally, as a change in the U.S. administration could greatly affectNov 9, 2020
Half of South Koreans expect no major change in inter-Korean ties after US election Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden gestures while referencing President Donald Trump at a campaign event at the William "Hicks" Anderson Community Center in Wilmington, Del., Tuesday, July 28, 2020. APNearly half of South Koreans believe that there will be no major impact on inter-Korean relations when U.S. President-elect Joe Biden takes office early next year, a poll showed Monday.In the Realmeter survey of 500 people nationwide, aged 18 or older, conducted last Friday on prospects for Seoul-Pyongyang relations during Biden's term, 48.8 percent said there would be "little difference."Only 16.4 percent betted on an improvement in relations, while 26.5 percent said relations are likely to worsen.Many observers say Biden will likely take a more prudent and step-by-step approach toward Pyongyang, as the Moon Jae-in administration of South Korea seeks to advance the Korea peace process and create a "virtuous cycle" of improving relations with the North.The poll was commissioned by a local broadcaster YTN and the margin of error is plus and minus 4.4 percenNov 9, 2020
'Biden may order review of policy on North Korea' A TV screen at Seoul Station shows news coverage of the U.S. presidential election, Wednesday. AP-YonhapBy Do Je-hae Experts have widely speculated that Joe Biden, who served eight years as vice president under former President Barack Obama, may return to Obama's “strategic patience” in dealing with North Korea when the two countries did not engage in diplomacy. One of the biggest concerns about the post-election period is the possibility of a provocative weapons test from North Korea to get Biden's attention amid myriad issues that will take top priority in the new U.S. leader's agenda, such as the economy, racial conflict and COVID-19. “If Biden is elected, the (North Korean leader) Kim Jong-un regime could conduct a provocative test as a 'welcome gift' and demand economic benefits to reduce military tensions,” Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, told The Korea Times. Donald Kirk, an authority on Korean Peninsula issues, told The Korea Times: “Biden for sure would have to order a review of policy toward North Korea. That might taNov 5, 2020By Do Je-hae
