South Korea stands fully capable of countering the latest short-range missiles that North Korea has test-fired, South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook said Wednesday. Speaking at a New Year’s press conference, Suh highlighted Seoul’s missile defense, saying it could bring down even some of Pyongyang’s untested new missiles. The military is seeking a foolproof shield against the remaining missiles, Suh said. “Our defense is airtight and we’re superior. We hav

North Korea, which has often been criticized by the United Nations for recurring human rights abuses, condemned Australia at a UN meeting for committing human rights violations, UN Watch said Tuesday. The group is a Geneva-based organization that follows UN activities. “The deep-rooted racial discrimination and xenophobia rampant in the Australian public sector must come to an end,” North Korea’s UN ambassador said at a United Nations Human Rights Council session Jan. 20. He

North Korea’s former acting ambassador to Kuwait has been living with his family in South Korea for at least a year, a local newspaper reported Monday. The diplomat, Ryu Hyun-woo, was the North’s acting chief of mission in Kuwait in 2019, when he defected to the South with his family, who the source said had motivated him to defect in hopes of a “better future.” If true, it is the third time a ranking official from Pyongyang has defected to Seoul since 2012, when leade

It all began in June. North Korea threatened retaliation over the cross-border launch of anti-North propaganda leaflets. Municipal leaders representing residents of border towns demanded a halt to the leafleting. A lawmaker drafted legislation that would ban the practice. The fate of the law, which was approved in the National Assembly in December and is set to take effect in late March, is hanging in the balance as critics have petitioned the Constitutional Court to review it, saying it infrin

Nearly five out of ten North Koreans were undernourished from 2017 to 2019, the highest in the Asia-Pacific region, the UN said in an inter-agency report. East Timor and Afghanistan followed. In the same period, seven out of ten North Korean children aged two or below did not have minimum acceptable diet. In the report released Wednesday by the Food and Agriculture Organization, World Food Program, World Health Organization and UNICEF, seven out of ten infants younger than six months old i

North Korean experts said Thursday it would be a mistake for US President Joe Biden to build on the 2018 Singapore agreement to address North Korea’s denuclearization. President Moon Jae-in has suggested Washington start re-engaging with Pyongyang based on the deal. “What the administration should strive for instead is a comprehensive, well-crafted agreement such as the arms control agreements we had with the Soviet Union,” Bruce Klingner, a senior research fellow for Northe

President Moon Jae-in reaffirmed his commitment to reviving the stalled nuclear talks with North Korea at a meeting Thursday, where he was briefed by his security aides on major initiatives this year to improve inter-Korean relations and South Korea’s ties with the outside world. At the briefing, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it would work closely with the Biden administration in the US to help restart nuclear negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang. Senior-level talks w

North Koreans are growing skeptical of the so-called “self-sufficient” economy that their leader Kim Jong-un champions, Radio Free Asia said Monday, citing anonymous sources there. North Koreans complained that they had yet to get their usual New Year’s gifts, calendars, and that put things in perspective. “For the first time, we celebrated the New Year without the calendar. As trivial as this looks, I think this is just evidence of how empty the economic plans are -- th

South Korea pulled its anti-piracy Cheonghae Unit from the Strait of Hormuz near Iran in a show of good faith in the negotiation to release a South Korea-flagged tanker seized by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps for polluting the sea, Seoul officials said Monday. Tehran lodged a strong complaint with Seoul on Jan. 5, a day after it seized the tanker, when South Korea deployed the unit to the strait off the Iranian coast. South Korea withdrew the destroyer in a sign of goodwill before fi

North Korea experts are divided over the seriousness of the threat posed by the missiles revealed Thursday at North Korea’s latest military parade attended by leader Kim Jong-un. North Korea showcased what appeared to be new ballistic missiles -- a submarine-launched missile, the Pukguksong-5-siot and a short-range missile akin to Russia’s Iskander, the KN-23. The Korean letter “siot” refers to it being sea-based, and the previous fourth version was displayed at a parade

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un consolidated his grip on power at the party congress Sunday, where he was elected general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea. His predecessors all held the title, while his late father, Kim Jong-il, was named “eternal general secretary” in 2012 when Kim Jong-un succeeded him. “Leader Kim Jong-un has reshaped the party leadership, as guided by ideologies shared by Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, and put forward policies for North Korean

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Thursday examined ties with South Korea and decided to expand foreign relations, on the third day of his second party congress since coming to power in 2012. Kim did not elaborate, according to the North’s state media. The 37-year-old leader also highlighted “our way of life” full of socialist values in education, health and arts and discussed promoting the supremacy of “our institutions.” Kim, who faces the toughest challenges

The US State Department said Thursday that it is creating the Bureau of Cyberspace Security and Emerging Technologies (CSET) to respond to security threats posed by adversaries including China, North Korea, Russia and Iran. The threats have increased since Congress was notified of the plan in June 2019, the State Department said in a statement. The CSET bureau will lead the US government diplomatic efforts on international cyberspace security concerns that affect US national security and forei

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed Wednesday to bolster defense on the second day of a party congress held for the second time since 2016. He came to power in 2012. Kim said he would expand the military capabilities to realize a peaceful environment for North Koreans, according to the North’s state media. 　 Kim discussed economic goals as well for different sectors, but again skipped foreign policies. On the first day of the congress, Kim admitted to economic failures over the past f

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un admitted Tuesday his five-year economic plan had failed “terribly” to deliver on expectations for almost every sector, as he opened a party congress for the second time since 2016. Kim, who came to power in 2012, did not address foreign policies. The key party meeting, attended by the ruling Workers’ Party members, delegates and spectators, sets forth the regime’s major economic and foreign initiatives and involves a party reshuffle. In 20

North Korea has sent an application to secure a coronavirus vaccine supply from a global group that helps low-income countries with inoculations, the Wall Street Journal said Monday, citing sources familiar with the matter, adding it has reached out to several European embassies asking about vaccines. Gavi, an international vaccine alliance that helps impoverished countries vaccinate their people, declined to comment on North Korea’s application. The group is assessing the demand in diffe

Speculation is mounting over North Korea’s key party congress opening early this week, following leader Kim Jong-un writing the public a rare New Year’s letter carried by state media on Friday. In the letter, Kim thanked North Koreans for their enduring trust and support in difficult times and vowed to bring closer a period when they see their ideals and desires realized. The Korean Central News Agency said the letter was penned by Kim, who has given a televised New Year’s sp

Jung, the owner of a restaurant in southern Seoul’s bustling Gangnam district, increasingly finds himself in what he calls his “worst nightmare,” as he struggles to keep his shop afloat amid the ban on gatherings of five or more people at public facilities like his. “It just pains me. Day by day, I see more and more empty seats. I’ve always been a guy that sees the glass half full rather than half empty. Not so much these days.” Jung is one of the

North Korea said Wednesday it will open a party congress in early January where leader Kim Jong-un is expected to set fresh economic and foreign policies. “At a politburo meeting Kim chaired Tuesday, matters that will top the agenda at the congress were discussed,” the Korean Central News Agency said, without revealing exactly what the agenda will be or when the congress will convene. North Korea watchers speculate Kim will launch new economic plans in the face of worsening food

North Korea is stepping up efforts to hold back the coronavirus, but the isolated regime will see its people vaccinated in early 2022 at the earliest, market data firm Fitch Solutions said in its latest report on global vaccine distribution. The report categorized countries in the Asia-Pacific region into three groups. Groups one and two will get vaccinated by June and September next year. Group three, with North Korea and eight other countries including Mongolia and Brunei, will secure vaccine