From Pyongyang to Gangnam: the ex-N. Korean diplomat on the ballot in Seoul Thae Yong-yo, a former North Korean diplomat who fled to the South in 2016, holds his book while speaking to journalists during a press conference in Tokyo Thursday, June 20, 2019 file photo. /AP-YonhapFor decades, Thae Yong Ho served the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, rising to become Pyongyang's deputy ambassador to London before defecting. Now he is standing for election in South Korea's multi-party democracy.If he wins his constituency in Gangnam, the wealthy Seoul district made famous by rapper Psy, Thae will become the first former Northern official ever to be directly elected to South Korea's parliament.And he believes it would send an unmistakable message to the upper echelons of which he was once part ― that abandoning Kim Jong-n's regime could open up a different path for the country."I want to tell them that there is a new way for their future," Thae said. The general assumption in Pyongyang, he explained, is that "if Korea is reunited under the concept of freedom or democracy", those who have previously served the Kim family "must be the target of the purge"."I'm Apr 9, 2020
North Korea still says no COVID-19 cases: WHO representative North Korea has said that it continues testing and has more than 500 people in quarantine, the World Health Organization (WHO) told Reuters on Tuesday. YonhapNorth Korea, one of only a handful of countries not to have reported confirmed cases of COVID-19, has said that it continues testing and has more than 500 people in quarantine, the World Health Organization (WHO) told Reuters on Tuesday. The WHO, which said it had been receiving "weekly updates" from the health ministry, said that the reclusive country had the capacity to test coronaviruses in its national reference laboratory in the capital Pyongyang. "As of 2 April, 709 people - 11 foreigners and 698 nationals - have been tested for COVID-19. There is no report of a COVID-19 case. There are 509 people in quarantine ? two foreigners and 507 nationals," Dr. Edwin Salvador, the WHO Representative to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), said in an email reply. "Since 31 December, 24,842 people have been released from quarantine, which includes 380 foreigners," he said. The WHO has been informed that North Korea receivApr 8, 2020
US senators urge Trump administration to strengthen NK sanctions enforcement Two U.S. senators have urged Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to step up enforcement of sanctions on North Korea.In a letter dated March 31, Sens. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Cory Gardner (R-CO) said North Korea poses a "growing threat" amid stalled denuclearization talks between Washington and Pyongyang.Menendez, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Gardner, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy, asked that the secretaries "urgently prioritize resources" to strengthen enforcement of U.S. and U.N. sanctions on North Korea while ensuring that humanitarian aid can reach the North Korean people."We note with regret that nearly two years since Trump-Kim 'summit diplomacy' began, North Korea continues to refuse to enter working level talks with the United States while nevertheless continuing to test missiles and produce fissile material," said the letter posted on the senators' respective websites."Yet, U.S. engagement and leadership at the UnitedApr 4, 2020
NK propaganda outlet calls recent launches 'self-defensive' A North Korean propaganda outlet lashed out at South Korea on Friday for what it called an attempt to mislead the public over its recent "self-defensive" firing drills.North Korea fired two projectiles, which Seoul said were short-range ballistic missiles, toward the East Sea on Sunday, marking the fourth major weapons test this year. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the launches were "very inappropriate" and called for an immediate halt.In an interview with Uriminzokkiri TV, an editor of the North's main newspaper, the Rodong Sinmun, sharply criticized the South Korean military."The more the South Korean military misleads the public over our self-defensive exercises, the more its identity as the main culprit who aggravated the situation on the Korean Peninsula will be highlighted," he said.Last month, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister, Kim Yo-jong, issued a statement calling President Moon Jae-in's office "gangster-like" and "foolish" for complaining about Pyongyang's projectile launches.She said the firings were an "action for self-defense" that was "not aimed to thrApr 4, 2020
USFK commander strongly disputes North Korea's claim of no coronavirus cases Pedestrians wear face masks to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Wednesday, April 1, in Pyongyang, North Korea. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death. AP-YonhapWASHINGTON ― The commander of U.S. Forces Korea said Thursday he does not believe North Korea's claim that it has no coronavirus cases, according to CNN and Voice of America."That is an impossible claim based on all of the intel we have seen," Gen. Robert Abrams said in a joint interview with the two U.S. outlets in Seoul. "We're not going to reveal our sources and methods. (But) that is untrue. How many, I couldn't tell you." North Korea has said it has no cases of COVID-19 and boasted about the steps it has taken to prevent an outbreak, including cutting off cross-border travel and quarantining people.Abrams said North Korea's military was on lockdown for about 30 days in February and early March."They took draconian measures at their border crossings and inside tApr 3, 2020
WHO to spend $900,000 to help North Korea's fight against COVID-19 In this Feb. 6, 2020, photo, doctors wear masks and protective suits at the Munsu-dong diplomatic compound amid an outbreak of the COVID-19. TASSThe World Health Organization will spend $900,000 to support North Korea's efforts to prevent the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, data showed Wednesday.According to the data posted on the website of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the WHO will spend the money on COVID-19 response activities in North Korea.The money was allocated to the agency through the U.N. Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) as part of an "early action response" to global containment of the coronavirus, the website showed.The North has not reported any confirmed coronavirus infections, but the country has intensified anti-virus efforts by shutting down its border and toughening quarantine criteria amid speculation that it might be concealing an outbreak. (Yonhap)Apr 1, 2020
Pompeo: US looks forward to meeting North Korea's leadership for nuclear talks Mike Pompeo. AP-YonhapThe United States looks forward to sitting down with North Korea's leadership for nuclear talks, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday, shortly after Pyongyang accused him of slandering the regime and said it will "go our own way."Pompeo was responding to an official North Korean statement that condemned his earlier call on the Group of Seven major economies to continue diplomatic and economic pressure on Pyongyang.In a telephone briefing with Yonhap News Agency and other Asian news outlets, the secretary said President Donald Trump has made clear that international sanctions on North Korea must continue until it takes steps to denuclearize."The president's position on North Korea and mine has been in lockstep since the very first day I became secretary of state," he said, responding to North Korea's complaint that Pompeo was going against the will of Trump, who recently offered assistance with the coronavirus pandemic in a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un."We have been trying very diligently from the American side since (the June 2018 Singapore suMar 31, 2020
North Korea slams Pompeo and says will 'walk our way' U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo YonhapNorth Korea on Monday warned it could cut off dialogue with the United States and slammed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for urging the international community to maintain sanctions on its regime.Pompeo last week told nations to "stay committed to applying diplomatic and economic pressure" over the North's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes while calling on the nuclear-armed state to return to talks.A string of weapons drills by Pyongyang has come during a prolonged hiatus in disarmament talks with the United States and despite recent overtures from Washington offering help to contain the coronavirus pandemic.In a statement released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency, an unnamed official in charge of negotiations with the US called Pompeo's remarks "ludicrous"."Listening to Pompeo's ludicrous language made us give up on any hopes for dialogue," the official said, adding: "We will walk our way." The American diplomat had "unleashed insult at a country with which his president was willing to forge a good relationship", theMar 30, 2020
N. Korea fires 2 short-range ballistic missiles into East Sea This photo provided by the North Korean government shows military exercise at an undisclosed location in North Korea on Saturday, March 21, 2020. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)North Korea fired what appeared to be two short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Sunday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, the latest in a series of projectile launches even as the country is on high alert against the coronavirus.Both were fired northeastward from the eastern coastal city of Wonsan at 6:10 a.m. and flew around 230 kilometers at a maximum altitude of around 30 km, the JCS said, adding that South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities are analyzing other specifics."In a situation where the entire world is expMar 29, 2020
North Korea seeks international help for virus testing, newspaper says North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un sits in his vehicle after arriving at a railway station in Dong Dang, Vietnam, at the border with China, Feb. 26, 2019 file photo. /Reuters-YonhapBy Jon HerskovitzNorth Korean officials have sought urgent help from international contacts to increase coronavirus testing in a nation that could see its dilapidated health care system be crushed by an outbreak, the Financial Times reported.People familiar with the matter said the requests have come in over the past few weeks, the newspaper reported Thursday, saying it had seen one of the documents requesting aid. At least 590 people have been tested, all of whom arrived from overseas in January and had negative results, it reported, citing one person directly familiar with the situation inside North Korea.Bordered by China, where the virus originated, and South Korea, which has been among the hardest hit, North Korea claims it has evaded the pandemic with no cases of infection. But diplomats and experts piecing together the clues and who have previously spoken to Bloomberg News see a different picture.A woMar 26, 2020
