INSIDER
North Korea threatens to respond to anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets with a 'shower of shells'
Read full article: North Korea threatens to respond to anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets with a 'shower of shells'North Korea has criticized rival South Korea for removing a law that banned private activists from sending anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets to the North, insisting that such activities amount to psychological warfare and threatening to respond with a โshower of shells.โ.
Russia's foreign minister thanks North Korea for 'unwavering' support of its war in Ukraine
Read full article: Russia's foreign minister thanks North Korea for 'unwavering' support of its war in UkraineRussian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has thanked North Korea for its support for Russiaโs war on Ukraine as he arrived in Pyongyang.
US says North Korea delivered 1,000 containers of equipment and munitions to Russia for Ukraine war
Read full article: US says North Korea delivered 1,000 containers of equipment and munitions to Russia for Ukraine warThe White House says that North Korea has delivered more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Russia for its ongoing war in Ukraine.
With Russia isolated on the world stage, Putin turns to old friend North Korea for help
Read full article: With Russia isolated on the world stage, Putin turns to old friend North Korea for helpBy meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at Russiaโs Far East spaceport, President Vladimir Putin signaled his readiness to share rocket technology with Pyongyang.
Ex-US intelligence officer for North Korea points to growing concern on nuclear threat toward South
Read full article: Ex-US intelligence officer for North Korea points to growing concern on nuclear threat toward SouthAmerica's newly retired national intelligence officer for North Korea points to growing concern the North is building up its nuclear capabilities with neighboring South Korea in mind.
The Ukraine war, propaganda-style, is coming to Russian movie screens. Will people watch?
Read full article: The Ukraine war, propaganda-style, is coming to Russian movie screens. Will people watch?The Russian authorities have announced an endeavor to boost production of movies glorifying Moscowโs actions in Ukraine this year.
Thousands of North Koreans march in anti-US rallies as country marks Korean War anniversary
Read full article: Thousands of North Koreans march in anti-US rallies as country marks Korean War anniversaryTens of thousands of North Koreans marched in anti-U.S. rallies in the nationโs capital over the weekend, pledging โmercilessโ revenge against โU.S. imperialists,โ as the country marked the 73rd anniversary of the start of the Korean War.
North Korea warns 'offensive action' over allies' drills
Read full article: North Korea warns 'offensive action' over allies' drillsNorth Korea has threatened unspecified โoffensive actionโ over the expansion of U.S. military exercises with rival South Korea as President Joe Bidenโs special representative for North Korea flew to Seoul for talks with allies over the Northโs growing nuclear threat.
North Korea takes inspiration from Putin's nuke threats
Read full article: North Korea takes inspiration from Putin's nuke threatsFor decades North Korea has threatened to turn enemy cities into a โsea of fire,โ even as it doggedly worked on building a nuclear weapons program that could back up its belligerent words.
EXPLAINER: What North Korea wants from recent weapons tests
Read full article: EXPLAINER: What North Korea wants from recent weapons testsA day after a North Korean missile exploded after takeoff, there's speculation that the failed launch is related to the Northโs push for its first intercontinental ballistic missile test in years.
US rolls out more sanctions after North Korea missile tests
Read full article: US rolls out more sanctions after North Korea missile testsThe U.S. Treasury Department is placing new sanctions on three Russian companies after North Korea tested parts of its biggest intercontinental ballistic missile in two recent launches.
NKorea calls for unity on anniversary of Kim Jong Il's death
Read full article: NKorea calls for unity on anniversary of Kim Jong Il's deathNorth Korea is commemorating the 10th anniversary of former leader Kim Jong Il's death with calls for greater public loyalty toward his son and current leader Kim Jong Un, who is facing pandemic-related hardships and long-dormant nuclear diplomacy with the U.S. North Korean state newspapers published articles Friday venerating the late leader.
Thinner, energetic Kim stands out at North Korean parade
Read full article: Thinner, energetic Kim stands out at North Korean paradeIn an unusual North Korean parade that showcased military animals and virus workers in hazmat suits instead of ballistic missiles, leader Kim Jong Un still managed to seize the spotlight by looking thinner and more energetic than he has in years.
N. Korea shows off civil defense units in toned-down parade
Read full article: N. Korea shows off civil defense units in toned-down paradeCivil defense forces carrying rifles and health workers wearing gas masks and red hazmat suits have paraded in North Koreaโs capital in a celebration of the nationโs 73rd anniversary that was a marked departure from past militaristic displays.
Seoul spy agency: No sign NKorean leader has been vaccinated
Read full article: Seoul spy agency: No sign NKorean leader has been vaccinatedSouth Korea's spy agency has told lawmakers that there is no sign that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been inoculated against the coronavirus and his country hasnโt received any foreign vaccines.
EXPLAINER: NKorea's anger to US may actually be an overture
Read full article: EXPLAINER: NKorea's anger to US may actually be an overtureThe frustration and belligerence, however, may actually be an overture. AdWhether any negotiations happen may depend on the Biden administration's policy review on North Korea, which is expected to be completed in coming weeks. ___WHAT NORTH KOREA IS SAYINGOn Tuesday, Kim Jong Unโs powerful sister berated the latest U.S.-South Korean military exercises, which were scheduled to end a nine-day run on Thursday. โThereโs probably going to be serious opposition from the Northโ over Blinken's human rights comments, said Park Won Gon, a professor of North Korea studies at Seoulโs Ewha Womans University. But, Shin said, โthey will keep any dramatic action on hold at least until the Biden administrationโs North Korea policy review is out."
Demoted? Pushed aside? Fate of Kim Jong Un's sister unclear
Read full article: Demoted? Pushed aside? Fate of Kim Jong Un's sister unclear(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, Pool, File)SEOUL โ What has happened to Kim Yo Jong, the North Korean leaderโs influential sister? Some say Kim Jong Un may have demoted his sister over general policy failures. Kim Yo Jong hasn't been purged or forced to quit politics, a fate that some officials have met under Kim Jong Un, and she still retains her membership in the partyโs Central Committee, also a high-level body. Previously little known to outsiders, Kim Yo Jong has soared politically since her brother inherited power after their father, Kim Jong Il, died in late 2011. โKim Yo Jong can meet and talk to Kim Jong Un freely anytime ... so we canโt help saying that she has a tremendous influence,โ Oh said.
N. Korea's Kim adds title: General secretary of ruling party
Read full article: N. Korea's Kim adds title: General secretary of ruling partyDuring the meeting, Kim also vowed to build more sophisticated nuclear weapons, disclosed economic developmental goals and reshuffled party officials. During a 2016 party congress, he was named party chairman and before that had led the party with the title of first secretary. But general secretary has important symbolism in the country led by dynastic rule since it was the title held by his father, Kim Jong Il, and grandfather, Kim Il Sung. When Kim Jong Un inherited the countryโs leadership upon his fatherโs death in late 2011, some foreign experts initially questioned his grip on power. Cheong Seong-Chang, a fellow at the Wilson Centerโs Asia Program, said Kim likely restored the old general secretary title after determining that it would further benefit his dictatorship.
EXPLAINER: What's behind N. Korea's biggest political event
Read full article: EXPLAINER: What's behind N. Korea's biggest political eventNorth Korea has opened its biggest political event in five years amid what some experts see as the most fraught moment of leader Kim Jong Uns nine-year rule. Here are a few things to know about the biggest political event of the year in North Korea:___WHAT IS IT? Some experts say Kim Jong Ilโs โmilitary-firstโ policy helped undermine the influence of the Workersโ Party during his 17-year rule. During this monthโs congress, North Korea has said it will announce new economic developmental goals for the next five years. Others says North Korea, which recently completed an 80-day โproductivity campaign,โ might call for more such campaigns to squeeze its people for increased labor.
North Korea waging propaganda-heavy, 80-day labor campaign
Read full article: North Korea waging propaganda-heavy, 80-day labor campaignNorth Korean defector Kang Mi-Jin speaks during an interview in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. โNorth Korean people have gotten used to providing such (free labor) for so long. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un faces his share of trouble: crippling U.S.-led economic sanctions, the coronavirus pandemic and damage from devastating typhoons and summer floods. โNorth Korea is staging (this campaign) as it doesnโt have any other available option. โIn North Korea, complaining about the government could get your family sent to a political prison camp,โ he said.
North Korea celebrates party anniversary amid economic woes
Read full article: North Korea celebrates party anniversary amid economic woesPeople wearing face masks watch a TV screen during a news program reporting about the ceremony to mark the 75th founding anniversary of the North Korea's ruling Workers' party, at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2020. A part of letters read on the top "A military parade to mark the 75th founding anniversary of the North Korea's ruling Workers' party." (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
North Korea unveils new weapons at military parade
Read full article: North Korea unveils new weapons at military paradeA part of letters read on the top "A military parade to mark the 75th founding anniversary of the North Korea's ruling Workers' party." Kim's speech was punctuated by thousands of goose-stepping troops, tanks, armored vehicles, rocket launchers and a broad range of ballistic missiles rolled out in Pyongyangโs Kim Il Sung Square. The missiles highlighted how the North has continued to expand its military capabilities during a stalemate in nuclear negotiations with the Trump administration. Earlier Saturday, masked citizens lined up to lay flowers at the statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, the father of the current ruler, at Pyongyangโs Mansu Hill. But many analysts believe North Korea will avoid serious negotiations or provocations before the U.S. presidential election because of the chance that the U.S. government could change.
North Korea may show new missiles at weekend military parade
Read full article: North Korea may show new missiles at weekend military paradeFILE - In this Oct. 10, 2015, file photo, warheads are paraded during a military parade during celebrations to mark the 70th anniversary of North Korea's Workers' Party in Pyongyang, North Korea. For months, North Korea has been relatively uncombative, as leader Kim Jong Un grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, a string of natural disasters and the deepening economic pain from years of tough U.S.-led sanctions. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File)
North Korea may show new missiles at weekend military parade
Read full article: North Korea may show new missiles at weekend military paradeFILE - In this Oct. 10, 2015, file photo, warheads are paraded during a military parade during celebrations to mark the 70th anniversary of North Korea's Workers' Party in Pyongyang, North Korea. But ahead of the 75th founding anniversary of his ruling party this weekend, speculation has risen that Kim may hold a massive military parade and unveil newly developed, powerful missiles. South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook told lawmakers Wednesday that North Korea is expected to unveil unspecified โstrategic weaponsโ during a military parade marking the Oct. 10 anniversary. North Korea typically celebrates major state anniversaries with big military parades during years that end in zero and five. North Korea has steadfastly argued it hasnโt had a single coronavirus case, a claim widely disputed by foreign experts.
History on screen: East Germany through its filmmakers' eyes
Read full article: History on screen: East Germany through its filmmakers' eyesIn this Wednesday, June 17, 2020 photo Gunnar Dedio, German film producer and managing director of PROGRESS Film GmbH poses for a photo between rolls of film in the archive of PROGRESS Film, in Leipzig, Germany. A new project is underway to digitize thousands of East German newsreels, documentaries and feature films 30 years after Germanys reunification. The East German Augenzeuge, or Eyewitness, newsreel on the Kennedy visit trumpeted the prank as a triumph, scoffing that the American president got an โunexpected surprise instead of the great view into the East German capital promised by his Secret Serviceโ and allegedly had to cut his visit from โ20 minutes to five." Germany was divided into four occupation zones after World War II, the Soviet-influenced East Germany and West Germany's American, British and French sectors. In 1950, the year after East Germany was established as a country, the authorities formed another company, Progress, as a state monopoly to distribute DEFA films and to import foreign productions.
Satellite images show N. Korea preparing for military parade
Read full article: Satellite images show N. Korea preparing for military paradeSEOUL โ North Korea is preparing for a massive military parade in its capital to mark the 75th anniversary of its ruling party next month, satellite images indicated Friday, even as the country strengthens its anti-coronavirus measures. The images, provided by Maxar, a Colorado-based satellite imagery company, show thousands of people assembled in formation near Pyongyangโs Kim Il Sung Square and rehearsing for a military parade. The anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workersโ Party is on Oct. 10. North Korea often holds military parades featuring goose-stepping soldiers and new weapons systems on state anniversaries to bolster unity and intimidate enemies. North Korea insists it hasn't had any coronavirus cases, a claim widely disputed by many foreign experts.
N Korea's Kim boasts of his nukes amid stalled talks with US
Read full article: N Korea's Kim boasts of his nukes amid stalled talks with US(AP Photo/Jon Chol Jin)SEOUL North Korea leader Kim Jong Un said his countrys hard-won nuclear weapons were a solid security guarantee and a reliable, effective deterrent that could prevent a second Korean War, state media reported Tuesday. Kim Jong Un and Trump met three times since Kim in 2018 abruptly reached out to Washington and Seoul for talks after expressing his intent to deal away his advancing nuclear arsenals. The nuclear diplomacy remains largely stalled since a second Kim-Trump meeting in February 2019 in Vietnam collapsed without reaching any agreement because Trump Kim rejected Kims proposal to get extensive sanctions relief in return for a limited denuclearization step. Kim entered this year with a vow to bolster his nuclear program and threatened to unveil a new strategic weapon. Kim hasnt performed such high-profile weapons tests, which some analysts say could completely derail diplomacy with the United States.
US envoy meets officials in Seoul as Kim honors grandfather
Read full article: US envoy meets officials in Seoul as Kim honors grandfatherU.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun, left, is greeted by his South Korean counterpart Lee Do-hoon during their meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul Wednesday, July 8, 2020. Biegun is in Seoul to hold talks with South Korean officials about allied cooperation on issues including North Korea. (Kim Hong-ji/Pool Photo via AP)
US envoy meets officials in Seoul as Kim honors grandfather
Read full article: US envoy meets officials in Seoul as Kim honors grandfatherU.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun, left, is greeted by his South Korean counterpart Lee Do-hoon during their meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul Wednesday, July 8, 2020. Biegun is in Seoul to hold talks with South Korean officials about allied cooperation on issues including North Korea. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Bieguns meetings in Seoul came hours after the Norths state media reported that leader Kim Jong Un visited a mausoleum in Pyongyang to pay tribute to his late grandfather and state founder Kim Il Sung on the anniversary of his death. I do not take direction from (North Korean) Vice Minister Choe Son Hui, Biegun said. They say North Korea likely doesnt want to make any major commitments or concessions when there is a chance U.S. leadership could change.
New film tells tale of North Korean orphans sent to Europe
Read full article: New film tells tale of North Korean orphans sent to Europe(AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)SEOUL Six decades after they returned to their homeland, traces of thousands of North Korean children orphaned by the Korean War linger for the elderly Europeans whose lives they briefly touched. At the same time the North Koreans were being sent for education in Eastern Europe, thousands of South Korean orphans were being adopted by families in North America and Western Europe. When the North Koreans started arriving in Europe, the countries were still reeling from the devastation of World War II. The film shows Bulgarians giving flowers to North Korean children, clad in identical dark hats and jackets, upon their arrival in 1952. Haesung Lee, chief of Korean studies at Poland's University of Wroclaw, said three former North Korean diplomats dispatched to Poland and a fourth who taught Polish at a Pyongyang university were orphans sent to Poland.