N. Korea imposes 30-day quarantine to fight coronavirus North Korea is making all-out efforts to prevent the new coronavirus from reaching the country, including extending the quarantine period for higher-risk people to 30 days, Pyongyang's ambassador to Geneva was quoted as saying.Ambassador Han Tae-song made the remarks in an interview with Reuters, stressing that the communist nation has not seen any confirmed case yet of the deadly virus that has killed more than 2,000 people in neighboring China alone."I was informed that we extended the quarantine, actually it was 14 days, but according to scientific results, coronavirus could break out even three weeks later. That is why we extended to 30 days quarantine," he was quoted as saying by Reuters. "Prevention is less cost than cure."It was the first time that a North Korean official has confirmed the stricter quarantine's implementation after the North's state media recently announced that the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly adopted "emergency" measures to double the isolation period to 30 days.Han said there has been no case of new coronavirus infection in North Korea. Asked Feb 20, 2020
Average monthly wage of North Korean defectors hits record high GettyimagesbankThe average monthly wage of North Korean defectors living in South Korea exceeded 2 million won (US$1,684) for the first time last year, the unification ministry said Tuesday.Defectors earned 2.04 million won (US$1,720) per month on average in 2019, compared with 1.89 million won in 2018, according to a report released by the unification ministry.It was the first time that defectors' average wages had topped the 2 million-won mark."The level of North Korean defectors' participation in the economy has improved continuously in the past nine years," the report said.Defectors' satisfaction with their quality of life in the South increased to 74.2 percent in 2019, up 1.7 percent from the previous year.The percentage of defectors who responded that they have experienced discrimination or being ignored here slipped to 17.2 percent, down from 20.2 percent the previous year.Currently, about 33,500 North Korean defectors are living in South Korea. (Yonhap)Feb 18, 2020
North Korea reaffirms no new coronavirus infection In this undated photo distributed on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020, workers in protective suits disinfect a facility against a new virus at an undisclosed place in North Korea. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. APNorth Korea's official newspaper reaffirmed Tuesday that there has been no confirmed case of the new coronavirus on its soil amid speculation that Pyongyang might be concealing an outbreak.The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the North's ruling party, carried an article in which a public health official emphasized that there has been "no single confirmed case" of COVID-19 infection.He said the nationwide preventive measures, including the swift implementation of an emergency quarantine system launched immediately after the outbreak in China have paid off in blocking the flow of the highly contagious virus. "As a result, we have no confirmed case of the new coronavirus so far," he was quoted as saying.North Korea has repeatedly emphasized that there has been no confirmed outbreFeb 18, 2020
Former North Korean diplomat's smartphone hacked presumably by North Korean group Former North Korean diplomat Thae Yong-ho speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly, Sunday, to announce his election strategies. Earlier last week, Thae declared his bid for the April 15 general election as a member of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP). YonhapBy Jung Da-min The phone of former North Korean diplomat Thae Yong-ho, who defected to the South in 2016, has been hacked into by an unknown group that is suspected of being North Korean, according to a Seoul-based security group ESTsecurity, Monday.An official of the company said they found the name of Thae Gu-min, the new name used by Thae to evade tracking by Pyeongyang after his defection, in the second half of last year while investigating other related hacking incidents. They confirmed that he had been hacked.The company suspects his text conversations, photos and other information on the phone were stolen through a hacking attack called “spear phishing” which targets a certain individual or business.“There are other cases of personal information leaks as well, but we cannot sFeb 17, 2020
Railcars seen at Yongbyon, inbound shipment of radioactive material unlikely: US think tank Recent satellite imagery shows the presence of specialized railcars at North Korea's main nuclear complex, a U.S. think tank said, downplaying any association with the inbound shipment of radioactive material.In an article published earlier this week, the Center for Strategic and International Studies said there were three specialized railcars at the Yongbyon nuclear facility in satellite imagery it obtained Monday.Those railcars have previously been associated with the movement of radioactive material and were last spotted by the think tank in November, it said."The size and number of the casks observed on the railcars suggest the outbound shipment of irradiated liquid or solid waste, disassembled but contaminated equipment or, potentially, the movement of fissile materials," the article said. "A less likely alternative is the inbound shipment of radioactive material."What the image does suggest is that the facility remains active and would need to be part of any denuclearization agreement between the United States and North Korea, the think tank added.North Korea offered to dismantFeb 15, 2020
No report of coronavirus in North Korea: WHO People wearing face masks walk on a street at the Munsu-dong diplomatic compound in Pyongyang Feb. 5, amid the outbreak of the new coronavirus. TASSIn this Feb. 1 photo, a State Commission of Quality Management staff member disinfects a ground transportation area at North Korea's Pyongyang Airport. APBy Jung Min-hoNorth Korea has not reported any confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, a World Health Organization (WHO) official told The Korea Times Wednesday.“WHO has not received any report of coronavirus cases from the Ministry of Public Health,” Edwin Ceniza Salvador, the U.N. agency's representative to North Korea, said. “DPR Korea, like other countries, is taking measures to protect the health of its people.”Salvador said the WHO is working with all member states, including North Korea, to respond to the virus, which has killed more than 1,300 people and infected 60,000 in 29 countries in the past few weeks. Most of the victims are in China.At North Korea's request, the WHO is providing laboratory reagents and personal protective equipment ― goggles, gloveFeb 13, 2020By Jung Min-ho
North Korea denounces South Korea's opposition party for scouting defector for elections Thae Yong-ho, left, and Ji Seong-ho / YonhapA North Korean propaganda outlet lashed out at South Korea's main opposition party on Thursday over its decision to scout a North Korean defector, known for his appearance at a U.S. State of the Union address, ahead of April's general elections.Last month, the Liberty Korea Party (LKP) announced its decision to recruit Ji Seong-ho as one of the new faces who will run for the April 15 parliamentary elections. Ji is known for his surprise appearance at U.S. President Donald Trump's State of the Union speech in 2018.As Trump introduced Ji during the address, Ji triumphantly held up his crutches, drawing a standing ovation. He is believed to have lost an arm and a leg in a train accident in 1996 when he passed out over a railway due to starvation after attempting to steal coal. He defected to the South in 2006.Uriminzokkiri, a North Korean propaganda outlet, denounced his recruitment, calling him a "shameful person" who is trying to deceive and profit by smearing his mother country."(He) is running amok deceiving his past dirty deeds to extractFeb 13, 2020
NK-US nuclear talks expected to be dragged out By Kang Seung-wooConcerns are rising that the deadlock in the denuclearization talks between the United States and North Korea is likely to be prolonged as key American officials involved in the bilateral negotiations have been leaving their jobs.Alex Wong, U.S. deputy special representative for North Korea, leaves Korea from Incheon International Airport, Wednesday, after talks with South Korean officials. He has been named as U.S. representative to the United Nations, raising concerns that the nuclear talks between North Korea and the United States could prolong. / YonhapTo make the situation worse, U.S. President Donald Trump is determined not to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un before the president election in November.Since the collapse of the second summit between Kim and Trump in Vietnam in February 2019, there have been no signs of bilateral relations bouncing back, with both sides resuming their harsh stance against each other. The latest figure to leave the U.S. State Department's North Korea negotiating team is Alex Wong, the deputy assistant secretary for North KFeb 12, 2020By Kang Seung-woo
How I learned to stop worrying and love North Korean elevators Inside Yanggakdo Hotel in September 2018 Korea Times photos by Jon DunbarBy Jon DunbarI used to be afraid of elevators. They took away my sense of control, and once they were moving I couldn't stop them. To cope with this, if I were on a long elevator trip sometimes I would press a few extra buttons so the elevator would stop at more floors, giving me a chance to breathe. I especially hated glass elevators, high-speed elevators and express elevators. I often experienced vertigo for minutes after particularly traumatizing rides. And sometimes at the top of buildings, I had an alarming sensation that the whole building was about to tip over. My first trip to North Korea in 2010 somehow allayed me of that fear, and then a return trip in 2018 reignited it. North Korea doubtlessly has the least safe elevators I've ever ridden. Perhaps that's what temporarily cured me, like how going skydiving must cure anyone of a fear of flying. Some of the most memorable elevators I rode included the elevator to the top of the Juche Tower and the Yanggakdo Hotel elevators. It was common for the elevatorFeb 11, 2020By Jon Dunbar
Trump does not want another summit with Kim before election: CNN U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a rally in Manchester, New Hampshire on Feb. 10, 2020. AFPU.S. President Donald Trump told his advisers that he does not want another summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un before the November presidential election, CNN quoted two sources as saying Monday.The report comes as denuclearization negotiations between the two countries have stalled since the unfruitful second summit between Trump and Kim in February 2019."And as Trump focuses on his re-election campaign his appetite to engage on the issue has waned," CNN reported, citing the sources.Members of Trump's reelection campaign also do not believe North Korea is a crucial factor in the vote, it said.One official familiar with the Trump administration's efforts with North Korea told CNN that the negotiations are now "dead." An official added there is little appetite within the president's inner circle to pursue a denuclearization deal with North Korea before the election, with the risks of restarting talks greatly outweighing the potential benefits.Meanwhile, North Korea appears unintFeb 11, 2020
