NK threatens to end military agreement over activists' leaflets Kim Yo-jong, first vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, issued the warning in a statement, adding that good faith and reconciliation can never go together with such hostile activities. Korea Times fileNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un's powerful sister threatened Thursday to scrap a military tension reduction agreement with South Korea and shut down major exchange projects unless Seoul stops defectors from sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets into the communist nation.Kim Yo-jong, first vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, issued the warning in a statement, adding that good faith and reconciliation can never go together with such hostile activities."Clearly speaking, the South Korean authorities will be forced to pay a dear price if they let this situation go on while making sort of excuses," she said in the statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency."If they fail to take corresponding steps for the senseless act against the fellow countrymen, they had better get themselves ready for possibiliJun 4, 2020
North Korea to open schools amid signs of relaxation of virus rules People wearing protective face masks walk amid concerns over the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in front of Pyongyang Station in Pyongyang, North Korea, April 27, 2020, in this photo released by Kyodo. Kyodo via ReutersNorth Korea will open schools this month after delays over concern about the novel coronavirus, state media has reported, the latest sign of opening up even though the isolated country has said it has had no confirmed cases of the disease.North Korean schools usually begin their spring term on April 1, but it was postponed as the government took various steps to ward off the virus, including sealing its borders.State media has said high schools and universities started classes on April 20.All other schools, kindergartens, day-care centres and nursing homes will reopen early this month, state radio reported late on Monday."Teachers and helpers will thoroughly follow hygiene rules, with thermometers and hand sanitizers installed at entrances of all classrooms and offices, while parents are advised to educate their children," the official Korean Central Broadcasting CJun 2, 2020
N. Korea encourages non-face-to-face services amid coronavirus fears North Korea is encouraging non-face-to-face services at restaurants and grocery stores, such as picking up to-go orders, as part of precautions against the new coronavirus, according to Pyongyang's state media on Monday.Korean Central Broadcasting Station, the North's radio broadcaster, said the country is trying to improve customer services "to provide more convenience in accordance with the virus prevention measures in many districts including Pyongyang." "We are also guaranteeing convenient lifestyles to our people such as encouraging 'order services' in restaurants and grocery stores," it said.An "order service" refers to a pick-up service in which customers can request products in advance, allowing them to avoid crowds. Such services in North Korea are known to be more common in libraries.The outlet also called on sales assistants to follow anti-virus regulations and stricter health checkups. It also warned against the inflow of the virus through workers at ports, cargo stations and in the fishing industry and urged all employees, including those at sea, to abide by strict regulJun 1, 2020
North Korea to reopen schools as virus fears ease In this file photo taken in April, 2012, North Korea's elementary school students take a Korean language class. YonhapNorth Korea plans to begin reopening schools nationwide in phases early this month after months of delay due to the coronavirus pandemic, state media reported Monday.Schools in North Korea were supposed to start new semesters in early April, but the vacation period has been extended repeatedly due to the coronavirus pandemic, though some colleges and high schools were allowed to open in mid-April."Preventive measures have been enforced in a way that elementary, middle and high schools start their semesters, and nurseries and kindergartens can begin resuming their operations in early June," according to the North's state radio."Education authorities have been asked to furnish thermometers and hand sanitizers at every gate of schools and classrooms and offices, while workers at schools and nurseries have been advised to stick to antivirus principles," it added. It noted the North will also place top priority on testing kids at nurseries and kindergartens for the coronavJun 1, 2020
Object visible at NK shipyard linked to new submarine: US monitor An unidentified object is visible in recent satellite imagery of a North Korean shipyard where construction of a new ballistic missile submarine is under way, a U.S. monitor said Friday.The linear object is approximately 16 meters long and situated on the quay of the secure boat basin at the Sinpo shipyard on North Korea's east coast, 38 North said, citing May 27 imagery."Its purpose is unknown, and there are no vehicles or equipment around it," the monitor said, noting that recent news reports have indicated South Korean intelligence is looking closely at the shipyard for the possible launch of a new ballistic missile submarine.The report it pointed to was a recent Yonhap News Agency story about the next steps North Korea could take to bolster its nuclear deterrence, a topic discussed during a Central Military Commission meeting presided over by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un over the weekend.The Yonhap story quoted a military source as saying that the new 3,000-ton submarine, capable of carrying three submarine-launched ballistic missiles, appears almost ready to be deployed, withMay 30, 2020
Key NK uranium plant continues to be updated: US monitor A major North Korean uranium plant remains operational and continues to be updated, a U.S. think tank said Friday, citing recent satellite imagery.The Pyongsan Uranium Concentrate Plant, 45 kilometers from the demilitarized zone dividing the Koreas, is critical because it is the only known source of material used for production of highly enriched uranium for North Korea's nuclear weapons program, the Center for Strategic and International Studies said in a preview of a report to be published next month.It said that based on activity observed in the March 22 images, the plant is "highly likely to remain active for the foreseeable future."According to CSIS, the facility has produced uranium concentrate, or yellowcake, since the mid-1990s and holds significance for the North Korean leadership and the country's nuclear weapons program.That, it said, "is attested to by the fact that scarce human and financial resources have been consistently allocated to actively maintain, refurbish or modernize the plant since 2003, and probably since its construction."The plant's "production tempo" has May 30, 2020
N. Korea slams US over cybercrime accusation North Korea on Friday lashed out at the United States for issuing an advisory last month over the communist regime's cyber threats."To put it clearly, our state has nothing to do at all with what is claimed by the U.S. to be a cyber threat," Pyongyang's foreign ministry said in an English statement on its website."The U.S. should be clearly aware that worthless and worn-out plots and fabrications invented continuously by themselves will no longer work against the international community," it added.On April 15, four U.S. government agencies issued a joint advisory highlighting the cyber threat posed by North Korea."The DPRK's malicious cyber activities threaten the United States and the broader international community and, in particular, pose a significant threat to the integrity and stability of the international financial system," the advisory said, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.The advisory also said that North Korea has relied on cybercrimes to raise funds to develop weapons of mass destruction and carry out ballistic missMay 30, 2020
N. Korea backs China's Hong Kong security legislation as 'legitimate step' A spokesperson of North Korea's foreign ministry backed China's controversial security legislation for Hong Kong Saturday, calling it a "legitimate step" and voicing opposition to "outside interference."In an answer to a question from the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the spokesperson also said that any country has no right to "say this or that" about the issue concerning the semiautonomous Chinese territory.On Thursday, China's legislature approved a proposal for the security law legislation, which critics fear could pave the way for Beijing to tighten its grip on Hong Kong and weaken the territory's autonomy by bolstering security operations there."It is a legitimate step that China has adopted a decision for establishing and perfecting a legal system and an enforcement mechanism based on the Constitution of China and the Basic Law of Hong Kong," the spokesperson was quoted by KCNA as saying."Since Hong Kong issue is an issue pertaining thoroughly to the internal affairs of China, any country or force has no rights to say this or that about the issue. We categMay 30, 2020
S. Korea to provide $4.9 million for UN aid project for N. Korea A North Korean school. YonhapSouth Korea will provide US$4.9 million for a U.N. aid project for North Korea aimed at enhancing understanding of global statistical principles in the communist nation, the unification ministry said Wednesday.A civilian-government committee on inter-Korean exchanges approved the plan to fund the project of the U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), according to the ministry. The money will be spent over the next six years, with $720,000 set aside for this year.The fund will be used mostly in improving North Korean people's understanding of international principles on statistics and usability of data as part of efforts to enhance the country's sustainable development capacity, the ministry said.North Korea lags far behind other countries in generating and using trustworthy statistics. The North rarely discloses economic statistics and other data on its society.The ministry expects such education efforts on statistics will make it easier for North Korea to be integrated into the international community in the future and posMay 27, 2020
Moon's inter-Korean initiative put to test President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un / Korea Times fileBy Kang Seung-wooPresident Moon Jae-in's proposal to deal with inter-Korean projects separately from the North's denuclearization negotiations with the United States seems to be losing steam, with Pyongyang still shunning Seoul while seeking dialog with Washington.According to the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Sunday, leader Kim Jong-un presided over an undated key defense meeting of the ruling Workers' Party and laid out “new policies for further increasing” its nuclear war deterrence and putting its “strategic armed forces on high alert operation.” However, there was no reference to Seoul's suggestion for cooperation on inter-Korean quarantine measures amid the COVID-19 pandemic.Kim's remarks are seen as part of his efforts to get the U.S. to return to their nuclear disarmament dialogue, hinting that the North may try to affect the U.S. presidential election in November as the matter has been put on the back burner by President Donald Trump who is seeking reelection. MorMay 25, 2020By Kang Seung-woo
