US tells its citizens not to visit North Korea The U.S. Department of State has issued a new North Korea travel advisory for its nationals, according to its website."Do not travel to North Korea due to the serious risk of arrest and long-term detention of U.S. nationals," it said Friday (Washington D.C. time) in a message posted by the bureau of consular affairs.It stated that individuals can't use a U.S. passport to travel to or through the communist nation without a "special validation" from the department.Special validations are granted in very limited circumstances, including for diplomatic or humanitarian activities.The state department calls on those with a special validation to "draft a will and designate appropriate insurance beneficiaries and/or power of attorney."It also calls for them to create a plan for loved ones regarding the care and custody of children, pets, property, belongings, non-liquid assets and funeral wishes.It noted the United States is unable to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in North Korea as it does not have diplomatic or consular relations with North KoreaSweden has served as the protecSep 1, 2018
Documentary on North Korea's TB to be aired Monday A still from the documentary film “Out of Breath.” Courtesy of MBCBy Jung Da-minA documentary on international volunteers helping North Korea to fight multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) will be aired on MBC at 11:10 p.m. Monday. The film titled “Out of Breath” presents the journey of U.S. doctor Stephen Linton and Korean-American doctor KJ Seung, who have been visiting the North every six month to help North Korean doctors fight the spread of MDR-TB. They have been working with the Eugene Bell Foundation.The film was directed by Korean-American Hein S. Seok. NHK WORLD aired it in July and September last year. The Japanese broadcaster will re-air the film on Sept. 10 this year.Dr. Stephen Linton, right, is seen in this still from the film “Out of Breath.” Courtesy of MBCDr. KJ Seung, second from right, is seen in this still from the film “Out of Breath.” Courtesy of MBCA still from the documentary film “Out of Breath.” Courtesy of MBCAug 31, 2018
Moon to send envoys to Pyongyang on Sept. 5 By Kim Bo-eun, Kim Yoo-chulPresident Moon Jae-in will send special envoys to Pyongyang on Sept. 5 to discuss plans to hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and nuclear disarmament, Cheong Wa Dae said late Friday.“The special envoys will discuss a wide range of issues, including the date for the upcoming summit and possible ways to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula, as well as means to develop inter-Korean relations,” Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom said in a media briefing.The presidential office initially offered the proposal early Friday. Chung Eui-yong, national security adviser to President Moon, may lead the South's delegation, while South Korea's spy chief Suh Hoon would also be included in the team, according to Cheong Wa Dae sources.Spokesman Kim said it had not been decided yet who would be part of the envoys team and who in the North the envoys will meet. The spokesman said it was unlikely the envoys would stay through till Sept. 9, which is the 70th anniversary of the regime's founding.“Since the delay of U.S. Secretary of State MAug 31, 2018By Kim Bo-eun
North Korea highlights incentive system in agriculture A panoramic view of North Korea's "socialist rural cultural village" at Sohung County in North Hwanghae Province. Yonhap.By Jung Da-minNorth Korea is offering incentives to encourage farmers to produce more ahead of the harvest. Workers' Party's mouthpiece Rodong Sinmun Thursday ran interviews with agriculture ministry officials, highlighting a “field responsibility system within sub-work team system” for improved output.Since he took power, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been emphasizing this system, in which workers in a group of three to five may take home surplus output from the field in which they work. “Maximizing the spiritual power of agricultural workers is a preliminary problem in winning the last farming battle,” Ju Chol-kyu a ministry official, told the newspaper. “One way of doing this is to make sure the field responsibility system produces actual results.”He said “equalitarianism” in distribution hampers the country's agriculture growth, emphasizing that all agricultural workers should take full responsibility for thAug 31, 2018
Information Center on North Korea brings scholars from abroad Inside the Ministry of Unification's Information Center on North Korea. Korea Times photo by Jung Da-minBy Jung Da-minRussian scholar Fyodor Tertitskiy, who came to South Korea in 2008 to study North Korea, is one of the regular visitors to the Information Center on North Korea run independently by the Ministry of Unification since its foundation in 1989. “The center hosts probably the world's largest collection of North Korean documents and publications outside the DPRK,” said Tertitskiy, who holds a Ph.D. from Seoul National University. “It is an enormous asset for anyone who studies the country.Located on the 5th floor of the National Library of Korea's main building in Banpo 4-dong, near the Express Bus Terminal Station in Seoul, the center offers a broad range of material about North Korea ― including major newspapers, literary works, textbooks, movies, animation and periodicals in various fields.Apart from 40,000 to 50,000 items on display, there are 60,000 to 70,000 more in storage, according to librarian Kim Tae-min.Inside the Ministry of Unification's InforAug 31, 2018
North Korea accuses US of hostile steps North Korea's media accused the United States of taking "hostile" measures against Pyongyang on Friday, calling on Washington to faithfully implement the agreement that the two countries reached in their historic June 12 summit."The U.S. is taking grave and hostile actions behind the curtain of the dialogue taking place," said Uriminjokkiri, the North's external propaganda website, claiming as evidence a recent dispatch of U.S. special units to Japan, the Philippines and South Korea for a covert exercise targeting North Korea."If the relations between the North and the U.S. worsen again like last year and the Korean Peninsula is facing the worst war crisis, it would be those conspiring for such military plots who should take full responsibility," it added.The accusation came days after U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis hinted that there could be a resumption of joint military drills with South Korea.Right after his Singapore summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in June, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a plan to stop "expensive" war games with the South. The allies hAug 31, 2018
US extends travel ban on North Korea U.S. President Donald Trump / AFPThe U.S. government said Thursday it has decided to keep a ban on its nationals traveling to North Korea amid what officials in Washington describe as a "slow and tough" denuclearization process."The safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas is one of our highest priorities," the Department of State said in a statement. "The travel warning for North Korea remains in place."It "strongly" warned U.S. citizens not to travel to North Korea," citing "continued concerns about the threat of arrest and long-term detention" of them there.The department introduced the rules to prevent Americans from visiting the communist nation following the death of a U.S. citizen, Otto Warmbier.Violators may face criminal penalties and have their passports revoked.Warmbier was arrested and jailed in 2016 after Pyongyang accused him of attempting to take a propaganda sign from a hotel while visiting there.He was released in June last year, but he was in a coma. He died shortly after returning to his family in the U.S.The ban was set to expire Friday, but it will be extendAug 31, 2018
North Korean players seen in sanctioned Nike shoes North Korean basketball player Ro Suk-yong, right, wears Nike shoes in a match with Chinese Taipei during the Jakarta Palembang 2018 Asian Games, Thursday. YonhapBy Jung Da-minAlthough North Korean basketballers are banned from wearing Nike-sponsored uniforms, they have been spotted wearing Nike basketball shoes.U.S. sporting goods brand Nike recently said it did not provide uniforms for the unified Korean women's basketball team in the Jakarta Palembang 2018 Asian Games because of international sanctions on North Korea."We have worked closely with the (South) Korea Basketball Association to support the women's team,” Nike official Kate Meyers recently told U.S. media Radio Free Asia (RFA). Nike sponsors the association. "Due to government requirements, the team will not compete in Nike uniforms during the Asian Games."According to United Nations Security Council sanctions Resolution 2270, providing recreational sports equipment is in breach as it is one of the items defined as “luxury goods.”But North Korean players have been spotted wearing Nike basketball shoes dAug 30, 2018
US-controlled UNC puts brakes on inter-Korean railway inspections By Kim Bo-eunThe United Nations Command (UNC) for the first time disapproved plans for an inter-Korean railway inspection, amid a deadlock in denuclearization talks between North Korea and the U.S.The plan was for a South Korean train to travel up to the North's northwestern city of Sinuiju so officials of the Koreas could inspect the condition of the tracks in the North from Aug. 22 to 27.The UNC holds authority to approve personnel and supplies crossing the Military Demarcation Line (MDL).The government has stated the inspections do not go against sanctions imposed on the North by the U.N. and the U.S.The UNC initially cited the reason for disapproval as South Korea not notifying it of its plan 48 hours in advance.A unification ministry official said this was likely not the issue.“There were many instances in which plans that were announced less than 48 hours in advance were approved,” he told reporters, Thursday.The UNC, in an official statement, said it “required South Korea to submit details of the planned visit.” Calling for additional details is seen asAug 30, 2018
North Korea seeks bitcoin mining to finance regime By Park Hyong-kiNorth Korea is highly likely deploying malicious software that enables its army of cyber hackers to “illicitly” mine and gain bitcoins without a trace, analysts claimed. Given Pyongyang does not have the computer firepower, it is most likely targeting bitcoins as a means to finance the Kim Jong-un regime amid U.N. sanctions, they added. “In general, there are two main ways to mine bitcoins. One involves custom hardware, cheap electricity and a fast internet. The other is to develop malicious bitcoin mining software, which is deployed onto victims' computers,” said Tara O, an adjunct fellow at the Pacific Forum, a Hawaii-based foreign policy research institute.“We know that North Korea lacks electricity and a fast internet. So it is probably the latter method.”A report by the state-run Korea Development Bank (KDB) economic research center said that the general public in North Korea is not very knowledgeable about cryptocurrency trading.Therefore, it added only a few with “special computer skills” can mine and trade bitcoiAug 29, 2018
