Category: Pyongyang, North Korea

The Latest: Malaysia wants Interpol help on tracing suspects

The Latest on the investigation into the killing of Kim Jong Nam, Kim Jong Un’s half brother, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia : Malaysia’s national police chief Khalid Abu Bakar says help has been sought from Interpol to issue an alert for the four North Korean suspects who left Malaysia on the same day Kim Jong Nam, a half brother of North Korea’s leader, was killed. It is not known what Interpol can do, as the four are believed to be back in Pyongyang and North Koreas is not a member of Interpol.

US muscle flexing not a cure to DPRK issue

A surface-to-surface medium- and long-range ballistic missile Pukguksong-2 is test-fired by DPRK on Jan 12, 2017. [Photo/VCG] China will not import coal from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea for the rest of 2017, the Ministry of Commerce said on Saturday.

Analysis: As China ups heat on NKorea, US faces questions

China’s surprising suspension of North Korean coal imports puts pressure not only on Pyongyang, but also on President Donald Trump. The question for him: Should the U.S. respond with new North Korea negotiations? Years of failed efforts to stem North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs have followed a usual pattern.

Kim Jong-nam death: North Korean embassy diplomat suspected in case

Malaysia has summoned the North Korean ambassador for accusations he made over the investigation into the killing of Kim Jong-NamMore The Malaysian government viewed the criticism as baseless, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement after the summon meeting, which was called upon by the ministry’s Deputy Secretary General for Bilateral Affairs Nushirwan Zainal Abidin. Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, was killed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport last week while preparing to board a flight to Macau.

Police: Suspects in N. Korean death coated hands with poison

The two women suspected of fatally poisoning a scion of North Korea’s ruling family were trained to coat their hands with toxic chemicals, then wipe them on his face, police in Malaysia said Wednesday, announcing they were seeking a North Korean diplomat in connection with the attack. But the North Korean Embassy ridiculed the police account of Kim Jong Nam’s death, demanding the immediate release of the two “innocent women” and saying there was no way they could have poisoned him.

Police: Suspects in N. Korean death coated hands with poison

The women suspected of fatally poisoning a scion of North Korea’s ruling family were trained to coat their hands with toxic chemicals then wipe them on his face, police said Wednesday, announcing they were now seeking a North Korean diplomat in connection with the attack. Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar told reporters that authorities are searching for two new North Korean suspects, including the second secretary of North Korea’s embassy in Kuala Lumpur and an employee of North Korea’s state-owned airline Air Koryo.

Why is China keeping mum about Kim Jong Nam’s murder?

Kim Jong Nam, left, half-brother of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un, in Narita, Japan, on May 4, 2001, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on May 9, 2016, in Pyongyang, North Korea. Source: AP Photos/Shizuo Kambayashi, Wong Maye-E BEIJING’s terse response last week that China has been closely monitoring developments in the Cold War-style assassination of Kim Jong-un’ estranged half brother will likely be the extent of its response to the matter.

Malaysia recalls ambassador to North Korea

Malaysia’s ambassador to North Korea has been recalled from Pyongyang amid rising tensions between the countries over the death in Kuala Lumpur of an estranged scion of North Korea’s ruling family. The Malaysian foreign ministry said in a Monday statement that it had recalled its ambassador “for consultations” and had summoned Kang Chol, North Korea’s ambassador to Kuala Lumpur, “to seek an explanation on the accusations he made against the Government of Malaysia.”

Beijing likely to steer clear of Kim killing

Wading into the killing of Kim Jong-nam would only antagonise North Korea, at a time when its missile programme is the leading concern, experts say Beijing will maintain its distance from the murky saga of the murder of the estranged elder brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, in a bid to avoid further complicating its relations with its volatile neighbour, diplomatic sources and Chinese observers said. It is not known whether the head of the reclusive state was involved in the killing of Kim Jong-nam, but even if the younger Kim was linked to the death, Beijing was expected to stay silent as any accusations would only drive Pyongyang further into isolation.

China suspends coal imports from North Korea over missiles

China on Sunday began a suspension of all coal imports from North Korea for the rest of the year as it increases pressure on its communist neighbor to give up its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. The ban is in line with U.N. Security Council sanctions imposed in November in response to North Korea’s fifth nuclear test two months earlier, the Commerce Ministry said in an online statement Saturday.

North Korea, Malaysia tussle over corpse; 4th suspect nabbed

A police officer closes the main gate to the forensic department at Kuala Lumpur Hospital in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017. Malaysia performed a second autopsy on the estranged half brother of North Korea’s leader because the first procedure was inconclusive, piling on the intrigue surrounding what appeared to be a well-executed assassination at an airport in Kuala Lumpur, an official said Saturday.

Was it brother? Lover? Or crime gang? Rumors abound in North Korea

As Malaysian police continue their inquiry into the death of Kim Jong Nam, the outcast half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, there’s plenty of speculation surrounding what seems as one of the stranger killings the world has recently seen. North Korea killed Kim Jong Nam because he planned to create an exile government around defectors, says one rumor.

More questions than answers in assassination of Jim Jong Un’s half brother

It looks like a perfectly staged assassination, straight out of the pages of a spy novel: Kim Jong Nam, the estranged, exiled half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, falls ill at a Malaysian airport, complains of being sprayed with some sort of chemical, and drops dead. A look at what officials are trying to piece together as they work to reconstruct what appears to be one of the most audacious, mysterious assassinations in recent Asian history: Kim Jong Nam, a jovial, overweight gambler and playboy, had embarrassed Pyongyang before – he tried to sneak into Tokyo Disneyland; he criticized his half brother – but he’s been generally seen more as an annoyance than an existential threat to North Korea’s stability.

Woman held over Kim Jong-un’s half-brother killing

Kim Jong-Nam fell out of favour with the North Korean hierarchy following a botched attempt in 2001 to enter Japan on a forged passport. Photo: AFP Malaysian police probing the killing of the half-brother of North Korea’s leader arrested a woman Wednesday as they tried to unravel a Cold War-style assassination the South said was carried out by Pyongyang’s agents.

North Korea claims missile launches were ‘self-defence,’ rejects UN criticism

North Korea said on Tuesday its missile launches were “self-defence measures”, rejecting U.N. Security Council criticism of its weekend test, but the United States demanded international action against Pyongyang’s weapons programs. North Korea’s ballistic missile firing on Sunday was its first direct challenge to the international community since U.S. President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20. The missile had a range of more than 2,000 kms , according to South Korea’s intelligence agency.

UN denounces North Korea, but no sign of any action

The U.N. Security Council denounced North Korea’s weekend missile launch, urging members to “redouble efforts” to enforce sanctions against the reclusive state, but gave no indications of any action it might take. Pyongyang’s test of the intermediate-range ballistic missile on Feb. 12 was its first direct challenge to the international community since U.S. President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20. At a news conference on Feb. 13, Trump said: “Obviously North Korea is a big, big problem and we will deal with that very strongly.”

China holds the key

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un guides the test-fire of Pukguksong-2 on the spot, in this undated photo released by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency in Pyongyang February 13, 2017. KCNA/Handout via Reuters ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY.

UN chief condemns NKorea missile test ahead of UN meeting

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned North Korea’s latest ballistic missile launch Monday ahead of an urgent meeting of the Security Council. Guterres called the launch “a further troubling violation of Security Council resolutions” and urged North Korea to comply with its international obligations, U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said.

UN Security Council meeting sought over NKorea missile test

A man watches a TV news program showing photos published in North Korea’s Rodong Sinmun newspaper of North Korea’s “Pukguksong-2” missile launch and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Feb. 13, 2017. In an implicit challenge to President Donald Trump, North Korea fired a ballistic missile early Sunday in its first such test of the year.

At Mar-a-Lago, Trump tackles crisis diplomacy at close range

The iceberg wedge salads, dripping with blue cheese dressing, had just been served on the terrace of Mar-a-Lago Saturday when the call to President Donald Trump came in: North Korea had launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile, its first challenge to international rules since Trump was sworn in three weeks ago. The launch, which wasn’t expected, presented Trump with one of the first breaking national security incidents of his presidency.

North Korea test-fires missile, apparently challenging Trump

PYONGYANG, Korea, Democratic People’s Republic Of – In an implicit challenge to President Donald Trump, North Korea appeared to fire a ballistic missile early Sunday in what would be its first such test of the year. After receiving word of the launch, Trump stood at his south Florida estate with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who called the move “intolerable.”

Trump Adviser Doubles Down on Claims of Voter Fraud and of…

From Pennsylvania to Tennessee to California, hundreds of protests of varying size against Planned Parenthood and counterprotests in support of the nonprofit hea… — North Korea fired off a ballistic missile into the East Sea from Banghyeon North Pyongan Province early Sunday, according to South Korean officials… For the first time, the Dawson County Cattlemen inducted a woman into their Hall-of-Fame. Three of them in fact.

US ‘stands behind Japan’ after North Korea’s missile launch

It said the action was Pyongyang’s attempt at a “show of force” against the Trump administration’s hard-line stance against the country. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is currently on visit to the US, said the latest nuclear test is “absolutely intolerable”, and urged the country to comply with international rules.

Rockets Hit Baghdad’s Green Zone After Deadly Protests

From Pennsylvania to Tennessee to California, hundreds of protests of varying size against Planned Parenthood and counterprotests in support of the nonprofit hea… — North Korea fired off a ballistic missile into the East Sea from Banghyeon North Pyongan Province early Sunday, according to South Korean officials… Farmers in the Klamath Basin, located along the southern Oregon and northern California coasts, are challenging the federal government’s decision to cut off irrigation w… Lexington- 3rd Ranked Scottsbluff held off Lexington on Saturday afternoon 73-65 in the final day of the East/West Shootout.

new North Korea reportedly test fires missile, challenging US

In this Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017 file photo, South Koreans watch a TV news program showing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s New Year’s speech, at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea. North Korea reportedly fired a ballistic missile early Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017, in what would be its first such test of the year and an implicit challenge to President Donald Trump’s new administration.

North Korea child labor to be discussed at U.N. meeting

The issue of North Korea child labor is to be discussed at the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva on Friday, following multiple reports of child exploitation in the relatively isolated country. According to Human Rights Watch and three other South Korean organizations on Wednesday, rights advocates are planning to hold a preliminary meeting with U.N. officials to address the dire situation of North Korean children and adolescents.

North Korea Threatens ‘Pre-emptive’ Attacks On Enemies

North Korea marked the 69th anniversary of its armed forces Wednesday with a threat to launch pre-emptive strikes against its “enemies,” according to state media, Turkey’s Anadolu Agency reported. The warning came from Hwang Pyong-so, director of the Korean People’s Army’s General Political Bureau.

North Korea ‘fires security chief’ in new Kim Jong Un purge

North Korea’s state security minister was sacked last month, presumably over corruption, abuse of power and torture committed by his agency, Seoul has said. A vehicle loaded with North Korean missiles during a mass military parade in Pyongyang, as it was reported that the country’s security chief has been sacked North Korea’s state security minister was sacked last month, presumably over corruption, abuse of power and torture committed by his agency, Seoul has said.

US Defense Secretary Mattis: Only North Korea need fear missile defense

There’s only one reason the US will deploy the THAAD missile defense system in South Korea, Defense Secretary James Mattis said Thursday as he arrived in the country on his first overseas trip as Pentagon chief. “THAAD is for defense of our allies’ people, of our troops who are committed to their defense and were it not for the provocative behavior of North Korea we would have no need for THAAD out here,” Mattis said, referring to the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system.

Defector: North Korean Regime Crumbling

Declaring that “Kim Jong Un’s days are numbered,” one of the highest-ranking North Korean officials to ever defect to South Korea shared rare firsthand knowledge and insight into the what he describes as the deteriorating situation inside the secretive and repressive Kim Jong Un regime. “The elite class, which had supported North Korean society, has turned their backs on Kim Jong Un.

China releases new list of items banned for export to NKorea

China has released a new list of items banned for export to North Korea, following a new round of United Nations sanctions and complaints from President Donald Trump that Beijing was not doing enough to pressure its communist neighbor. A statement from the Commerce Ministry late Wednesday said the items included dual-use technologies that could aid the North’s programs to develop nuclear, chemical and biological weapons as well as the missiles to deliver them.

Little is known on status of US student held in North Korea

In this March 16, 2016, file photo, American student Otto Warmbier, center, is escorted at the Supreme Court in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korea announced Warmbier’s detention Jan. 22, 2016, and the University of Virginia student from suburban Cincinnati was sentenced in March 2016 to 15 years in prison at hard labor after a televised confession that he tried to steal a propaganda banner.

US could have a surprise deal with NK’

US President Donald Trump could strike a surprise deal with North Korea over its nuclear program, while adopting a more hawkish policy toward China, Pyongyang’s main ally, said Park Hwee-rhak, the dean of the graduate school of politics and leadership at Kookmin University. The most concerning situation, he said, is that Washington might acknowledge Pyongyang’s current nuclear capability in exchange for getting the reclusive regime to agree to stop building nukes capable of hitting the US continent.

Trump reportedly wanted tanks and missile launchers at his inaugural…

Missiles are taken on trucks past a stand with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during the parade celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, in Pyongyang President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team reportedly wanted to include tanks and missile launchers during the inaugural parade Friday, sources told The Huffington Post . According to the report, Trump’s team wanted to have the military featured front and center, typically seen in parades in Russia and North Korea.