Free Republic

(2nd LD) S. Korea holds live-fire drill despite North's warning 2014/01/28 18:23 By Kim Eun-jung SEOUL, Jan. 28 (Yonhap) -- South Korea on Tuesday carried out a live-fire drill on its northwestern islands despite North Korea's warning of "grave consequences," but the closely-watched exercise ended without clashes with the communist state. South Korea has carried out live-fire exercises on the frontline islands every two or three months to improve Marine Corps' readiness. The drills have often been met by protest from Pyongyang. Ahead of Tuesday's exercise, the North's National Defense Commission sent a fax through the western military hotline to...

Competition between North Korean Elites over Jang’s Treasure Following the sudden arrest and execution of Jang Song Taek as a result of a bloody fight among North Korea’s leadership over rights and interests, North Korean elites are now climbing over each other to pledge their allegiance to Kim Jong Un as they compete to grab Jang’s secret funds, foreign currency stashes and control over organizations tasked with earning foreign currency, according to a NKIS source in Sinuiju. Kim Jong Un is said to have benefited the most from Jang’s purge because he has become the sole recipient of a one...

Yonhap News Agency January 27, 2014 9:00am With Jang executed, 'internal unrest' possible in N. Korea: CRS By Lee Chi-dong WASHINGTON, Jan. 26 (Yonhap) -- Uncertainty about North Korea's regime has grown since the downfall of Jang Song-thaek, who was the country's second most powerful figure, a U.S. congressional think tank said. Jang's demise in December indicates the "boldness" of young ruler Kim Jong-un, which could lead to more provocative and unpredictable actions in the future, according to the Congressional Research Service (CRS). "The chilling effect on the elite in Pyongyang could lead to internal unrest as those who considered...

All relatives of Jang executed too: sources 2014/01/26 10:37 SEOUL, Jan. 26 (Yonhap) -- All relatives of the executed uncle of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, including children and the country's ambassadors to Cuba and Malaysia, have also been put to death at the leader's instruction, multiple sources said Sunday. Jang Song-thaek, the once-powerful uncle, was executed last month on charges of attempting to overthrow the communist regime, including contemplating a military-backed coup. All direct relatives of Jang have also been executed, the sources said. "Extensive executions have been carried out for relatives of Jang Song-thaek," one source said on...

American intelligence and security agencies are not currently capable of detecting when foreign nations are building nuclear weapons or ramping up their existing programs, according to a newly released Pentagon report that faults a range of U.S. agencies. “The nation is not yet organized or fully equipped” to detect clandestine nuclear activities across the globe, and in most cases “current solutions are either inadequate, or more often, do not exist,” according to the report, which was compiled over three years by the Pentagon’s Defense Science Board.

PLA mobilizes 100,000 troops for N Korean border exercise Staff Reporter 2014-01-15 10:20 (GMT+8) Nearly 100,000 Chinese soldiers and thousands of vehicles from the 16th and 39th Army Groups of the Shenyang Military Region have been mobilized for a winter exercise near the North Korean border to prepare for a potential crisis over the Korean peninsula, reports the Seoul-based Chosun Ilbo. The exercise launched on Jan. 10 is being held in the border region between the Changbai mountain and Heilongjiang river, the paper said. The drill is a normal military exercise to train soldiers to fight in winter and long-range...

Kim Jong-un's Sister Put in Charge of Regime's Coffers North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has put his younger sister Yeo-jong in charge of the regime's coffers since the execution of his uncle Jang Song-taek on Dec. 12 last year. Kim Jong-un ordered the restructuring of hard-currency earners, which used to be controlled by Jang, North Korea Intellectuals Solidarity, a group of North Korean activists in South Korea, quoted a North Korean source as saying. The source said Kim Yeo-jong has taken charge of Department 54 and other currency-earning agencies in the Workers Party. Department 54 supplies electricity, coal, fuel, clothes...

US and China discuss North Korea contingency plan Countries discussed courses of action if North Korea implodes By Julian Ryall, Tokyo 11:20AM GMT 14 Jan 2014 Washington and Beijing are discussing potential courses of action should the North Korea regime implode and have previously come up with contingency plans before Kim Jong-il's death. Washington and Beijing discussed possible scenarios in North Korea when it appeared that Kim Jong-il was close to death it is believe they are again discussing potential courses of action should the present regime implode. In a recent report by the US Congressional Research Service, Kurt Campbell,...

Mike Tyson: ‘Dennis Rodman Is Guilty Of Treason’ January 10, 2014 3:09 PM PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – It takes a lot to shock and outrage Mike Tyson. Sounds like a job for Dennis Rodman. As if Rodman’s recent trip to North Korea, for an exhibition game with several former NBA players, didn’t raise enough eyebrows, Rodman’s appearance on CNN with Chris Cuomo raised just about all of them. Rodman’s interview turned into an outburst, as he seemed to defend policies of North Korea while yelling at Cuomo. The other players that were along for the ride with Rodman sat silently and...

Kim Kyong-hui in coma, says intelligence source Jan 09,2014 WASHINGTON - Kim Kyong-hui, aunt of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and wife of the purged and executed Jang Song-thaek, is in a vegetative state after undergoing brain surgery, a source told the JoongAng Ilbo. An intelligence official in the United States said on condition of anonymity yesterday that Kim Kyong-hui had surgery for a brain tumor in 2013 in Paris. After the surgery, she lost a lot of weight, dropping to 35 kilograms (77 pounds), the official said. The official denied some Korean reports alleging she committed suicide and maintained...

Rodman Brings Bread and Circuses to Pyongyang 8:16 AM, Jan 7, 2014 • By DENNIS P. HALPIN .... The bread being brought by Rodman to accompany the circus is allegedly in the form of luxury birthday gifts for the North Korean dictator and his wife. Rodman seems oblivous to North Korea’s near starvation of its people, human rights atrocities, gulags, and nuclear and missile adventurism, and appears equally unconcerned that providing Pyongyang with any luxury goods is a violation of the sanctions imposed by United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution 2094, adopted on March 7, 2013, and previous resolutions .....

Former Knick Charles Smith regrets trip to North Korea with Dennis Rodman By Kevin Manahan/NJ.com January 07, 2014 Former Knicks star Charles Smith is second-guessing his decision to travel to North Korea with Dennis Rodman to stage an exhibition basketball game to celebrate the country's leader, Kim Jong Un. Smith apparently thought that, with Rodman as the organizer, the goodwill tour of the communist country -- where human rights are abused and Kim recently executed his own uncle -- would go smoothly and without controversy. To which we say: Really? Smith's comments came after Rodman's latest circus -- a meltdown...

S. Korea says N. Korean leader's aunt likely in critical condition 2014/01/08 16:48 SEOUL, Jan. 8 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's aunt appears to be in a critical condition due to a heart problem, a senior South Korean official said Wednesday. Kim Kyong-hui, 67, a senior party secretary and wife of the recently executed Jang Song-thaek, visited Russia between September and October last year for medical treatment, the official said. "We believe (she) is in a critical condition," the official said, noting that her heart problems appeared to have worsened due to alcoholism. She also visited Singapore in...

The U.S. is sending an additional Army combat force of 800 soldiers to South Korea with tanks and armored troop carriers. A brief Pentagon announcement said the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment from the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas, will deploy to two locations in South Korea on Feb. 1....

Is Kim Jong-un's Aunt Dead? North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's aunt and widow of executed eminence grise Jang Song-taek is believed to have died, possibly by her own hand. A government source here on Sunday said Kim Kyong-hui, who has been out of the public eye either committed suicide or died from a heart attack. The source said intelligence services here believe Kim is dead but have not been able to confirm this, though they are also trying to find out whether she went abroad for medical treatment. Another government official said, "There are many rumors going around about Kim...

Lee Seol-ju forgot to wear ‘the pin‘? 01-02 Kim Jong-un and Lee Seol-ju started the new year visiting Keumsusan Sun Palace where their father and grandfather rested. Lee appeared in North Korean media in a long time, but it seems that there's something she missed before coming in front of her people. Lee Seol-ju on New Year's Day visiting Sun Palace without a pin on her chest unlike others including her husband, Kim Jong-un FNKR's source in Sinuiju said on 2nd that "people are wondering why Lee doesn't put the 'portrait pin' on her jacket which is required for everyone...

Drug Trade Continues to Prove Lucrative Oh Hyun Oo | 2014-01-03 15:51 Drugs manufactured in North Korea are entering Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia by way of Chinese brokers, with North Korea's Escort Command overseeing sales and distribution, a Daily NK source has alleged. Escort Command is the agency responsible for the protection of Kim Jong Eun and his family. Kim Mo (pseudonym), a former employee of North Korea’s Ministry of State Security, spoke with Daily NK on the 2nd: “Escort Command was tasked with managing the illicit drug trade by Kim Jong Il, so that he could maintain...

Luxury ski equipment at North Korean resort breaches sanctions North Korea's new ski resort is Kim Jong-un's pride and joy, but how did the country evade United Nations sanctions to buy state-of-the-art ski equipment from Canada, Sweden and Italy? By Chad O'Carroll, NK News 5:47PM GMT 02 Jan 2014 As North Korea opened its first ski resort, questions have arisen over how it managed to obtain new Canadian snowmobiles, Swedish snow-blowers and Italian and German snow ploughs despite United Nations sanctions. The resort at Masik Pass is a pet project of North Korea's young leader, who ordered the North Korean...

It's sweetness, light and fervent desires for peace and love all the way down. Right.According to a report from The Week First Post, Initial reports suggested Jang Song-thaek, the No.2 man in North Korea, had been shot by a firing squad after being found guilty of treason. But an account in Wen Wei Po – China's official mouthpiece – suggests the reality was even more disturbing.According to the report, Jang was stripped naked and thrown into a cage, along with his five closest aides, the Straits Times reports. They were joined by 120 hounds who had been "starved for three days", the paper...

This photo of Kim Jong Un riding a ski lift is North Korea’s way of flipping off Europe By Max Fisher December 31, 2013 at 11:51 am North Korean leader Kim Jong Un takes a solemn ski lift ride during his inspection tour at the Masik Pass ski resort, near Wonsan, North Korea. (EPA/RODONG SINMUN) This photo of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sitting alone on a ski lift might not look like North Korea flipping Europe a giant middle finger. But that's exactly what it is.