North Korean missile tests signal return to brinkmanship
Grappling with pandemic difficulties and U.S.-led sanctions over his nuclear ambitions, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un could be reviving his 2017 playbook of nuclear and missile brinkmanship to wrest concessions from Washington and his neighbors. North Korea’s short-range missile launches on Monday were its fourth round of missile tests this month and signaled a […]
North Korea’s Kim sends aid to city locked down over coronavirus
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered the distribution of aid to the border city of Kaesong after the area was locked down last month to fight the coronavirus, state media said Sunday. Authorities raised the state of emergency to the maximum level for the city in July, saying they had discovered the country’s […]
Chinese vessels fishing illegally in North Korea waters ― Study
A huge fleet of Chinese fishing boats has been operating illegally in North Korean waters catching hundreds of millions of dollars worth of squid, a study showed Wednesday. The competition from hundreds of larger, better-equipped Chinese vessels was forcing North Korean fishermen to poach in Russian waters, according to a group of international researchers involved […]
North Korea’s Kim berates officials over troubled flagship hospital
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un berated officials for their “careless” construction of a flagship hospital in Pyongyang and ordered those responsible to be sacked, state media reported Monday. The North has long used giant infrastructure projects to try to burnish the government’s credibility, including housing developments in Pyongyang and the continuing Wonsan-Kalma tourism development, […]
North Korea says no need for talks with US
North Korea does “not feel any need” to resume talks with Washington, a senior diplomat for the country said Saturday, days after Seoul called for a summit as it seeks improved ties with Pyongyang. The statement by the North’s vice foreign minister Choe Son Hui came after former US national security advisor John Bolton on […]
Kim signals North Korea to keep border closed
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned against the “hasty” relaxation of anti-coronavirus measures, state media reported Friday, indicating the country will keep its borders closed for the forseeable future. The nuclear-armed North closed its borders in late January as the virus spread in neighbouring China and imposed tough restrictions that put thousands of its […]
