SEOUL, Jan. 10 (Korea Bizwire) — Ri Son-gwon, director of North Korea’s abolished United Front Department (UFD) in charge of affairs with South Korea, appears to have retained his political status even after the department’s purported dissolution, according to state media on Friday. The Korean Central News Agency reported that Ri attended a banquet held [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 10 (Korea Bizwire) — A South Korean court has awarded partial compensation to repatriated fishermen who were unlawfully detained, tortured, and falsely accused of espionage after being abducted by North Korea decades ago. However, the damages granted fell significantly short of the amounts sought by the plaintiffs, prompting frustration and plans for an [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 8 (Korea Bizwire) — In a recent op-ed for The Hill, U.S. Congresswoman Young Kim (R-CA) argued that the political forces behind South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s impeachment pose a threat to the U.S.-South Korea alliance and trilateral cooperation with Japan. Kim’s comments mark the first instance of U.S. lawmakers openly criticizing the impeachment [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 8 (Korea Bizwire) — North Korea’s state media has made no mention of leader Kim Jong-un’s birthday, which reportedly falls on Wednesday, despite speculation the North may formalize its celebrations this year amid its glorification campaigns for him. North Korea has not officially designated Kim’s birthday, known to be Jan. 8, for special [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 7 (Korea Bizwire) — North Korea said Tuesday it has successfully test-fired a new intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) tipped with a hypersonic warhead, claiming that the weapons system will reliably deter any rivals in the Pacific region. But the South Korean military said the North’s claimed success of a hypersonic missile launch could [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 7 (Korea Bizwire) — North Korea’s claim of what it called a successful launch of a new intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) tipped with a hypersonic warhead is presumed to be “deception,” South Korea’s military said Tuesday. The assessment came hours after North Korea said it successfully test-fired the missile the previous day, saying [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 6 (Korea Bizwire) — North Korea has begun attracting participants for its annual Pyongyang International Marathon, scheduled for April, marking the resumption of the event after a six-year hiatus, if held as planned, a North Korean website showed Monday. Sports in the DPR Korea, a website operated by North Korea’s sports ministry, carried [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s spy agency said Friday it is open to the possibility that two children recently seen alongside North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s sister could be her offspring and is currently analyzing the matter. A video of North Korea’s new year art performance, aired by Korean Central Television on [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — The military has deployed a new surveillance system using artificial intelligence technology at an eastern front-line unit, the state arms procurement agency said Friday, as the military seeks to harness the advanced technology to better deter North Korean threats. The new system deployed at the Army’s 22nd Infantry Division [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has met with athletes from the national women’s football team and praised their recent victory in the Under-17 Women’s World Cup, state media reported Friday. In the meeting held the previous day, Kim praised them for “highly promoting” the nation’s honor with the World [...]