North Korean defector says abuse by South Korean spies broke her trust and her dream GettyimagesbankWhen she first met a mysterious South Korean man who introduced himself as Dr Seong, the woman thought she had found a father figure to help her start a new life after fleeing from her home in North Korea. It seemed a positive relationship, with Seong paying her for information and reconnecting her with her brother still in North Korea. But things went bad when Seong and a colleague, identified by his surname Kim, began to sexually abuse her, according to the woman and military prosecutors who indicted Seong, a Defence Intelligence Command (DIC) lieutenant colonel, and Kim, a master sergeant, this month on charges of sexually assaulting and raping the woman. More than 72% of the 33,700 North Koreans resettled in the South are women and at least a quarter of them encountered sexual violence in the South but less than 10% sought help, the gender equality ministry found in a 2017 survey. Defectors have complained recently that the government of President Moon Jae-in, who has made improving ties with North Korea a priority, is failing to provide refuge by ignoring rights, Oct 1, 2020
North Korea will not sell off 'dignity' for development, security: UN ambassador Kim Song, the head of the North's diplomatic mission to the United Nations. Capture from United Nations Web TV, YonhapNorth Korea will not sell off its dignity for its economic development while it will also safeguard its own security with "absolute strength" it has built, the head of the North's diplomatic mission to the United Nations said Tuesday."It is a matter of fact that we badly need an external environment favorable for economic construction. But we cannot sell off our dignity, just in the hope of a brilliant transformation ― the dignity which we have defended as valuable as our own life. This is our steadfast position," Kim Song said in a speech at the U.N. General Debate.The North Korean diplomat noted his country's leader, Kim Jong-un, has already ordered his country to break through the difficulties by "confronting them head-on by dint of self-reliance.""The maneuvers of hostile forces to stifle the DPRK and other numerous difficulties will continue impeding our advance. However, the struggle of the people to overcome them and open up a road to prosperity by its ownSep 30, 2020
North Korean defectors irked by repeated human rights investigations Hanawon. Korea Times fileBy Kang Seung-wooNorth Korean defectors are plagued by repeated questioning by South Korean organizations into human rights conditions in their former country. When those who defect from the totalitarian state arrive in South Korea, they have to face three rounds of interrogation, being forced to answer almost identical questions repeatedly and suffering emotional distress in the process.The three interrogations are made by the unification ministry's Center for North Korean Human Rights Records, the state-run Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU) and the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Seoul.Until last year, there were four institutes investigating into the human rights situation in the North.According to the ministry, the Center for North Korean Human Rights Records researches the overall human rights situation in addition to specific cases of human rights violations in the North through questionnaire surveys and in-depth interviews with the defectors two weeks after they enter the state-run Settlement Support CenteSep 30, 2020By Kang Seung-woo
Two Koreas at odds over maritime border Marines conduct maritime reconnaissance, Sunday, off the coast of Yeonpyeong Island near the inter-Korean maritime border where a South Korean official was shot dead by North Korean troops last week after floating into the North's territorial waters. YonhapBy Jung Da-min Disputes may rise again over the inter-Korean maritime border in the West Sea, following last week’s killing of a South Korean official by North Korean troops in the North’s territorial waters.While the South Korean military is continuing search operations for the body on this side of the Northern Limit Line (NLL), the de facto inter-Korean sea boundary, Pyongyang warned Seoul against “trespassing” into North Korean waters and creating tensions that could lead to another unsavory event.The North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) carried the warning, Sunday, calling for the South to immediately stop trespassing across what it called the “West Sea Maritime Military Demarcation Line.”The South Korean military, however, flatly refuted the North’s claim, saying tSep 29, 2020
Pyongyang keeps violating UN sanctions via illicit means: UN An interim report by UN Security Council Committee on North Korea's Panel of Experts, released on Sept. 28, shows a photo of Audi's luxury SUV Q7 at Masikryong resort in North Korea taken in December 2019. YonhapNorth Korea continues to violate U.N. Security Council (UNSC) sanctions through illicit means of importing and exporting prohibited items, including oil and coal, while it may also be keeping its workers in other countries to earn hard currency, a U.N. panel of experts said in a report published Monday."The Democratic People's Republic of Korea has continued to violate Security Council resolutions through the illicit import of refined petroleum products through ship-to-ship transfers and direct deliveries," said the report, posted on the website of the world body.Under UNSC sanctions, the North is banned from importing more than 500,000 barrels of refined petroleum products a year.The panel noted the communist state appears to have already exceeded the limit, citing "imagery, data and calculations" covering just the first five months of the year from 43 U.N. member states."ThSep 29, 2020
Moon criticized for subdued message toward North Korea President Moon Jae-in speaks during a meeting with his senior aides at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday. YonhapBy Do Je-hae The opposition bloc and the public are becoming increasingly frustrated by President Moon Jae-in's subdued message toward Pyongyang following the suspected killing of a South Korean national by North Korean troops in the North's territorial waters. Critics say Moon, as head of state and therefore the person responsible for citizens' lives and security, should take a stronger stance toward the North instead of trying to play down the issue for fear of harming inter-Korean relations.The South Korean leader reiterated his desire to work with the North on a thorough investigation into the case during a weekly meeting with his senior aides at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday, six days after the incident. In particular, he underlined his appreciation for the apology from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un contained in a notice issued Sept. 25 by Pyongyang's United Front Department, which deals with inter-Korean relations. The notice arrived at Cheong Wa Dae just one day after President Moon, Sep 28, 2020By Do Je-hae
Moon expresses condolences over death of South Korean official President Moon Jae-in speaks during a meeting with his secretaries at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday. YonhapPresident Moon Jae-in expressed his condolences Monday and offered a public apology over the death of a South Korean civil servant in a shooting by North Korean troops, calling it a "regrettable and unfortunate" incident."Regardless of how the victim went to the North Korean waters, I offer words of deep condolences and consolation to the bereaved family members over their grief," he said.The tragedy should have not occurred despite the peninsula being divided, he added.Moon was speaking in front of pool reporters and cameras during a weekly meeting with his senior Cheong Wa Dae aides.The remarks represented Moon's first public statement he made in person in connection with the case that happened just north of the western sea border, known as the Northern Limit Line (NLL), last week. The 47-year-old fisheries official was killed by the North's troops after crossing the border on a floating object.Moon also apologized to the South Korean people over their "shock and fury," noting that thSep 28, 2020
Joint probe on North Korea shooting incident should be conducted swiftly: PM Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun / YonhapA joint inter-Korean investigation into a recent killing of a South Korean fisheries official by North Korean soldiers should be carried out as soon as possible, the South's prime minister said Monday. "Like it or not, (the two Koreas) cannot but foster peace through communication. In order to prevent this incident from developing into a serious hindrance, a fact-finding probe must be conducted as soon as possible," Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said in a radio interview.On Tuesday, North Korean troops shot a 47-year-old South Korean fisheries official who was adrift in its waters and incinerated his body, according to the South Korean military. He went missing the previous day while on duty near the Yellow Sea border island of Yeonpyeong. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un apologized for the incident Friday in a message sent by the United Front Department, a key espionage agency handling inter-Korean affairs. The North, however, claimed that what it set on fire was not his body but an object he was using to stay afloat.South Korea's presidential ofSep 28, 2020
Seoul, Washington to discuss North Korea's killing of South Korean official People watch a screen showing a file image of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, Sept. 25, 2020. APSouth Korea's top nuclear envoy Lee Do-hoon said Sunday he will discuss joint efforts with the United States to deal with the recent killing of a South Korean official by North Korea.Lee also said upon arriving in Washington that his talks with his U.S. counterpart, Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun, will also include President Moon Jae-in's recent call for efforts to declare a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War."The reason I came this time is to discuss all related current issues and therefore I certainly plan to discuss the possibility of declaring an end to the war," he said while speaking to reporters after arriving at Washington's Dulles International Airport.His trip came just days after North Korea shot and killed a South Korean fisheries official who drifted into North Korean waters. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has since apologized for the killing, and South Korea is demanding a joint investigation.The U.S. hSep 28, 2020
North Korea warns South against violating sea border to search for missing official Members of South Korean Marine Corps patrol the country's inter-Korean border region on western waters near Yeonpyeong-do Island of Incheon, Sunday. YonhapNorth Korea warned South Korea Sunday to stop violating its western sea border in searching for the body of a missing citizen shot and killed in North Korean waters, saying it will search for the body on its own and hand it over if it's found.South Korea has been searching for the body of the 47-year-old fisheries official shot and killed by North Korean soldiers earlier last week after he drifted into their waters near the Yellow Sea border between the two sides. South Korea claims the North shot him to death and burned the body, while the North claims that it was lost in the sea after he was shot."According to a report by the western fleet of our navy, the south side has mobilized many vessels including warships to an action presumed to be a search operation and let them intrude into our territorial waters since September 25. It arouses our due vigilance as it may lead to another awful incident," the Korean Central News Agency saSep 27, 2020
