Free Republic

Increased activity monitored at N. Korea nuke test site: allies 2016/07/17 14:10 SEOUL, July 17 (Yonhap) -- South Korean and U.S. intelligence sources on Sunday said they have detected increased activity at the North Korean nuclear test site in Punggye-ri and have beefed up surveillance. The allies said there has been an increase in activity particularly after Seoul and Washington on July 8 announced they planned to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea. "There has been a noticeable increase in truck and personnel movement around the site in Kilju county," said an insider, who...

Myth or Reality? Russian Missiles on Kurils in Response to THAAD in S Korea Military & Intelligence 16:03 09.07.2016(updated 12:48 10.07.2016) Russia may deploy additional missile systems to the Far East, including on the Kuril Islands, in response to the plans of the United States to deploy missile defense complexes in South Korea, Leonid Ivashov, president of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems, told RIA Novosti. The expert commented on recent reports citing a source in the Russian Foreign Minister. In particular, the source said that Russian military planning will take into account Seoul’s decision to deploy US THAAD missile systems...

North Korea Unsuccessfully Fires Ballistic Missile From Submarine, Seoul Says Test launch comes a day after U.S. and South Korea said they would deploy a new missile-defense system By Kwanwoo Jun Updated July 9, 2016 1:57 a.m. ET 34 COMMENTS SEOUL—North Korea appeared to have unsuccessfully fired a missile from a submarine Saturday, just a day after Washington and Seoul agreed to deploy an advanced missile-defense system in South Korea to counter Pyongyang’s threats. South Korea’s defense ministry said North Korea test-fired what it views as a submarine-launched ballistic missile​off the eastern coastal city of Sinpo about 11:30 a.m. local...

South Korea, U.S. to deploy THAAD missile defense, drawing China rebuke South Korea and the United States said on Friday they will deploy an advanced missile defense system in South Korea to counter a threat from North Korea, drawing sharp and swift protest from neighboring China. The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system will be used only as protection against North Korea's growing nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities, the South's Defence Ministry and the U.S. Defence Department said in a joint statement. Beijing said on Friday it lodged complaints with the U.S. and South Korean ambassadors over the...

On July 6, the Obama administration imposed sanctions on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and other senior North Korean individuals and organizations for human rights violations. This is the first time that the U.S. has designated North Korean entities for human rights abuses. The administration should be commended for finally acting upon the February 2014 U.N. Commission of Inquiry report which concluded that North Korea’s human rights violations were so widespread and systemic as to constitute “crimes against humanity.” That said, the Obama administration’s action, like its designation last month of North Korea as a primary money-laundering concern, was likely...

Bingeing Kim Jong-Un piling on the pounds: Seoul's spies Posted 01 Jul 2016 18:36 Updated 01 Jul 2016 18:40 SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has piled on around 40 kilos (90 pounds) since he took power four years ago, bingeing on food and drink, South Korea's spy agency said Friday (Jul 1). The young leader is also suffering from insomnia and is paranoid about his personal safety, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) reported to a parliamentary committee behind closed doors. When he took over from his late father in 2012, Kim's weight was believed to be 90 kilograms. He...

Facebook is like North Korea, says ex-Facebooker Technically Incorrect: In his new book, former Facebook product manager Antonio García Martinez says Facebook management got upset if women's skirts were too short. Technically Incorrect offers a slightly twisted take on the tech that's taken over our lives. Many younger types imagine Facebook as a nirvana where you skateboard down corridors, code all night long and wait for the money to start rolling in. Antonio García Martinez thinks it's a little more like North Korea. The former (and fired) Facebook product manager today released a book called "Chaos Monkeys: Obscene Fortune and...

North Korea printing massive amounts of fake Chinese currency, defectors say The illicit project has Kim Jong Un’s approval. By Elizabeth Shim Contact the Author | June 23, 2016 at 11:19 AM Follow @upi SEOUL, June 23 (UPI) -- North Korea has been printing large amounts of counterfeit Chinese currency under the supervision of Kim Jong Un, a defector group said Thursday. The South Korea-based organization North Korea Intellectuals Solidarity said the information is from a source based in North Korea, local news service Newsis reported. According to the source, a mint in the North Korean city of Pyongsong in...

Kim Jong Un orders abduction of S.Koreans: local media Experts point to North Korean precedent, though say chances of abduction low JH Ahn June 24th, 2016 Kim Jong Un reportedly ordered the abduction of South Korean citizens, local newspapers wrote on Friday. While dubious of the original report, three experts told NK News said that while chances the odds of seeing an abduction are low, there is some precedent. “It would be very hard to officially confirm (the report’s claim). We are in the process of confirming it but do believe the chance exists,” a spokesperson from Ministry of Unification...

June 25, 1950: When North Korea invaded South Korea by Dennis Jamison - Jun 25, 2016 Not so much a conflict as a global War, Korea had the United Nation allies fighting the Soviet Union, North Korea (D.P.R.K.), and People’s Republic of China (P.R.C.) all for control of South Korea. SAN JOSE, Calif., June 24, 2016 — To many Americans under the age of 50, the Korean War (previously known as the “Korean Conflict” in politically sanitized language) may not be viewed as a major military confrontation like the involvement of the United States in Vietnam. Nevertheless, this conflict was...

Joe Biden to China: Curb North Korea or Japan Can Go Nuclear ‘Virtually Overnight’ Vice President Joe Biden warned China that the Japanese government may acquire nuclear weapons “virtually overnight” if the threat from North Korea becomes too grave, urging Beijing to do more to curb Pyongyang’s belligerence. The Vice President’s comments echo those of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who warned that Japan and South Korea acquiring nuclear weapons “is going to happen anyway” in controversial remarks issued in March. Japanese government officials and media responded to Trump’s comments much more severely than they have to Biden’s. “What...

> > > > > > > > > > > > > > >

North Korea's Musudan Missile Test Actually Succeeded. What Now? North Korea claims its sixth Musudan missile test this year was a success. Why does that matter? By Ankit Panda June 23, 2016 Yesterday, North Korea launched two liquid-fueled Musudan (Hwasong-10) intermediate-range ballistic missiles. As I wrote then, the tests marked the fifth and sixth test launches of the missile this year. Testing began in mid-April, to coincide with the birth anniversary of Kim Il-sung, North Korea’s founder and grandfather to current leader Kim Jong-un. Sadly for Kim, all four tests prior to yesterday had failed either at launch or shortly...

(5th LD) N. Korea fires off 2 Musudan IRBM missiles 2016/06/22 10:27 SEOUL, June 22 (Yonhap) -- North Korea launched what appeared to be two Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) from its east coast early Wednesday morning, but the first test-firing is assumed to have been unsuccessful, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. At around 5:58 a.m., North Korea fired off what is presumed to be a Musudan missile from near Wonsan along the east coast, but the launch seems to have ended in failure, the JCS said, providing no further details. About two hours later at 8:05 a.m., the...

N.K. leader orders crackdown on those leaking intelligence to S. Korea 2016/06/19 09:39 SEOUL, June 19 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered his public security staff to hunt down and punish those who leak the reclusive state's internal information to South Korea, multiple sources said Sunday. In a directive sent to the security agencies and the people, Kim warned that those who leak any information to South Koreans will be labeled as "spies" and face harsh punishments, including execution by firing squad. "I understand that (Kim) has sent a directive to the security agencies and the people,...

U.N. agency assisting North Korea with pro-environmental practices By Elizabeth Shim Contact the Author | June 17, 2016 at 9:22 PM SEOUL, June 17 (UPI) -- The United Nations Industrial Development Organization is to assist North Korea develop environmentally sound enterprises. UNIDO, the Vienna-based U.N. agency that aims to promote and accelerate industrial development in developing countries, said it is pursuing four different environmentally friendly projects in the country, Radio Free Asia reported. According to a UNIDO official, since March 2015, $123,700 has been allocated toward progressively reducing the discharge of hydrochlorofluorocarbons in North Korea. In 2015, $57,290 was spent...

Debris likely from N. Korean missile washes ashore in Japan By HAYASHI YANAGAWA/ Staff Writer June 18, 2016 at 13:10 JST Metallic casing found on the shores of Yurihama, Tottori Prefecture, is believed to be part of a North Korean missile. (Provided by the Tottori prefectural government) TOTTORI--What appears to be part of the casing of a ballistic missile launched by North Korea has washed ashore in Tottori Prefecture facing the Sea of Japan. Authorities in the western prefecture said June 17 that an employee of an affiliated agency of the prefectural government came across the metallic part around 2...

Seoul denies rumor on NK leader's suicide-bomb death By Choi Sung-jin The Defense Ministry denied a rumor Friday that a suicide bomber has killed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. A foreign Internet site spread the rumor. "As far as we know, that is not true," a ministry spokesman said during a press briefing. "The intelligence authorities believe the rumor has low credibility." Asked whether Kim is alive, the official said: "We presume so." A Unification Ministry official also said, "You can judge it by comments about the reliability of the Internet media company (the East Asia Tribune)," presuming it has...

N.K. leader orders theme park closure to erase executed uncle's legacy: source 2016/06/14 16:25 SEOUL, June 14 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's leader has ordered the dismantling of a folklore theme park in Pyongyang in a bid to erase the remaining legacy of his uncle Jang Song-thaek who was executed in 2013 for treason, a source familiar with the reclusive country's affairs said Tuesday. The North's leader Kim Jong-un is believed to have ordered his officials to close the Pyongyang Folklore Park which opened in April 2012, the observer said. Work on the park began late 2008 under the instruction of...

N. Korea summons workers from Kuwait after mass strike: report North Korea has summoned dozens of workers from Kuwait for staging a mass strike in protest of their working conditions, a U.S.-based media outlet said Wednesday. According to Radio Free Asia, dozens of North Korean construction workers in Kuwait went on strike in December after their North Korean employer offered to pay them with checks cashable in the North instead of wages. "As people began to disobey orders and desert their workplaces, North Korean authorities belatedly took steps to tackle the issue," RFA said. "On May 17, they quickly summoned...