Biden says North Korea has more 'lethal' missiles because of Trump This image provided by CBSNews/60 MINUTES shows former Vice President Joe Biden, Monday, Oct. 19, 2020, in an interview conducted by Norah O'Donnell in Wilmington, Del. APU.S. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said Sunday that North Korea now possesses a greater number of missiles that are also more dangerous than before because of U.S. President Donald Trump.He also accused Trump of embracing dictators, such as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, while undermining the country's relationship with its traditional allies."He embraces every dictator in sight, and he pokes his finger in the eye of all our friends," the former vice president said in an interview with U.S. TV network CBS News' "60 Minutes.""And so what's happening now is you have the situation in (North) Korea where they have more lethal missiles, and they have more capacity than they had before," Biden added.His remarks come after the communist state unveiled a new longer-range intercontinental ballistic missile in a military parade staged Oct. 10 to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of its ruling Workers' Oct 26, 2020
North Korea says China dust could spread COVID-19, warns people to stay inside A quarantine official measures a bus driver's temperature with an infrared thermometer in Pyongyang amid the regime's strengthened anti-COVID-19 efforts, Sept. 7. YonhapNorth Korea has warned its citizens to stay indoors, saying seasonal yellow dust blowing in from China might carry the new coronavirus into the country."As the new coronavirus infections continue to spread around the world, the need to deal with the yellow dust and take thorough measures has become more critical," North Korea's official party newspaper Rodong Sinmun said on Thursday.The claim that the virus that causes COVID-19 could spread to North Korea from the Gobi desert, 1,900 km (1,200 miles) away, appears unsupported. Two metres (6 feet) is a common social distancing metric, although the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says droplets containing the virus can sometimes linger in the air for hours.The North Korean newspaper said citizens should refrain from outdoor activities and must follow prevention guidelines such as wearing masks when they go outside.North Korea has reported no confirmed caseOct 25, 2020
UN rights official slams North Korea over killing of South Korean at sea This photo released by EPA shows Tomas Ojea Quintana, the U.N. special rapporteur on North Korea's human rights situation, during a news conference in 2018. EPA-YonhapA U.N. human rights official has denounced North Korea's killing of a South Korean official last month as a violation of international human rights law during a meeting of the U.N. General Assembly. Tomas Ojea Quintana, the U.N. special rapporteur on North Korea's human rights situation, raised the issue at the U.N. Committee on Social, Humanitarian and Cultural issues Friday (local time). The 47-year-old fisheries official was fatally shot by the North Korean military Sept. 22 while adrift in its waters. The North has apologized but has yet to respond to Seoul's call for a joint investigation.In his report, Quintana said North Korea broke the law with the unlawful and arbitrary killing of a civilian who was not exhibiting any imminent threat.He urged the North to change its policy that allows its soldiers to shoot at intruders on its borders to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Quintana also called for the international Oct 24, 2020
Repairs under way for flood damage at Yongbyon reactor sites: 38 North This satellite image, taken by Airbus Defence & Space, Oct. 17, and published by 38 North, Oct. 22, shows repair work at a reservoir overflow dam used to maintain a constant source of water for the cooling systems of North Korea's nuclear reactors in Yongbyon. YonhapRecent satellite imagery indicates North Korea has begun repairing flood damage to a reservoir overflow dam used to maintain a constant source of water for the cooling systems of its nuclear reactors in Yongbyon, according to 38 North, a U.S. website monitoring the reclusive state. In a report posted Thursday (local time), 38 North said between Sept. 22 and Oct. 17, repair work began on the dam in the Kuryong River, which was breached by flood waters in August.Imagery from Sept. 22 showed a dramatic drop in the water level of the reservoir due to a breach at the east end of the overflow dam, 38 North said."Had the reactors been running, this would have prevented sufficient cooling water from being available via the pumps and cistern network," the report added.There have been no signs this year that the 5 MWe reactor aOct 24, 2020
US on the same page with South Korea over end-of-war declaration U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at a news conference at the State Department in Washington, D.C., Wednesday. Reuters-YonhapBy Do Je-hae South Korea and the U.S. have appeared to be at odds over President Moon Jae-in's proposal for a declaration to end the 1950-53 Korean War, made during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly in September. However, key officials in the Donald Trump administration are now starting to assuage the rising concerns about a discrepancy in the two countries' positions, saying the declaration was not a separate issue from the denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington.U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the declaration ending the war was a part of the process of denuclearization and called on North Korea to return to negotiations. “So our position on that set of issues, that suite of issues with respect to the denuclearization of North Korea, a brighter future for the North Korean people, which would obviously include documents that would change the status between North and South Korea. There's been no change in tOct 22, 2020By Do Je-hae
North Korea rejects COVID-19 aid from South A quarantine official measures a bus driver's temperature with an infrared thermometer in Pyongyang amid the regime's strengthened anti-COVID-19 efforts, Sept. 7. / YonhapBy Park Han-solThe South Korean government has approved private organizations' plans to send COVID-19 quarantine supplies to North Korea on six occasions, but actual delivery has not been made due to the North's rejection, according to the Ministry of Unification.As part of its measures to provide COVID-19 aid to the North, the unification ministry approved a total of six requests to send supplies worth 1.76 billion won ($1.5 million) from South Korean nongovernmental organizations between March 31 and Aug. 12, Rep. Jeon Hae-cheol of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea said, Thursday, based on the ministry's report.The items planned for provision include quarantine supplies such as disinfectants, face masks and test kits as well as thermal imaging cameras which were granted a temporary sanctions waiver by the United Nations.However, despite winning approval, no supplies have actually made it across the border due tOct 22, 2020By Park Han-sol
Declaration of Korean War's end 'obvious' part of North Korean denuclearization process: Pompeo U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at a news conference at the State Department in Washington, DC, U.S. Oct. 21, 2020. ReutersDeclaring a formal end to the Korean War would "obviously" be part of efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday, calling for North Korea's return to denuclearization talks.Pompeo's remarks come after South Korean President Moon Jae-in urged international support for declaring the war's end in his speech before the United Nations General Assembly last month."So our position on that set of issues, that suite of issues with respect to the denuclearization of North Korea ― a brighter future for the North Korean people, which would obviously include documents that would change the status between North and South Korea ― there's been no change in the way the United States thinks about this," Pompeo told a press briefing, referring to the declaration of the war's end as documents.South and North Korea technically remain at war as the 1950-53 war ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.Moon had said theOct 22, 2020
North Korean leader pays respects to fallen Chinese soldiers North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his officials visit "the martyrs of the Chinese People's Volunteers" in Hoechang County, South Pyongan Province, state media said Thursday. YonhapNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the cemetery of Chinese soldiers who fell during the 1950-53 Korean War to mark the anniversary of their participation in the conflict, state media said Thursday.It appears be in line with Kim's push to further strengthen bilateral ties with China at a time when the North is in need of support from the ally amid stagnant economic growth and stalled nuclear negotiations with the United States. Kim visited "the martyrs of the Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) in Hoechang County, South Pyongan Province, and paid a high tribute to them on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the entry of the Chinese People's Volunteers into the Korean front," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.Hoechang is where the headquarters of the Chinese soldiers was located during the war."He said with deep emotion that even though 70 years have passed since the excellent sons and daughOct 22, 2020
North Koreans exposed to gruesome human rights abuses in pretrial detention: rights group Thousands rally to welcome the 8th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea, Oct. 12, 2020. APNorth Koreans under pretrial detention experience extreme human rights abuses by corrupt law enforcement, from confinement in dirty and overcrowded cells to coerced confession and sexual assault, a report claimed Monday. The Human Rights Watch, the international nongovernment organization, shed further light on the rights conditions in the North with the report titled "Worth Less Than an Animal: Abuses and Due Process Violations in Pretrial Detention in North Korea."It found that the investigation and judicial procedures in the reclusive regime are so "arbitrary and opaque," and bribing officials have become rife as a way to avoid detention or reduce charges. The report is based on interviews conducted with victims and eyewitnesses, including 22 North Koreans who were detained and interrogated sometime after 2011, when leader Kim Jong-un came to power, and eight former North Korean officials who fled their home country. "The experiences of thoseOct 19, 2020
North Korea expected to test new ICBM after US election: experts A new intercontinental ballistic missile on a 22-wheeler transporter erector launcher is displayed during a military parade in Pyongyang, Oct. 10, to mark the 75th founding anniversary of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party. / YonhapBy Kang Seung-wooAs expected, North Korea showcased a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), presumably a Hwasong-16, and a new submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), the Pukguksong-4, during a military parade for the 75th founding anniversary of its ruling Workers' Party, Oct. 10, leaving government officials and experts in South Korea and the United States scrambling to analyze if and when Pyongyang will test its new weapons systems.Given the upcoming U.S. presidential election, Nov. 3, and Pyongyang's past record of staging a military provocation around the event, speculation has been rising that a missile launch may be impending. However, many experts buy into the idea that the North will refrain from testing its missiles until after the election for various reasons including helping U.S. President Donald Trump's reelection chances.TrumpOct 16, 2020By Kang Seung-woo
