SEOUL, Aug. 2 (Korea Bizwire) — Civic groups on North Korea’s human rights said Wednesday they have sent an open letter to President Yoon Suk Yeol calling for discussing the issue of abductees and detainees in the North during his upcoming summit with the leaders of the United States and Japan at Camp David. The [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 1 (Korea Bizwire) — North Korea frequently released water from a dam near the inter-Korean border in July despite South Korea’s request for prior notice, Seoul’s unification ministry said Tuesday. Some of the floodgates of the Hwanggang Dam were opened to discharge water on July 20, 24 and 27, without the North notifying [...]
SEOUL, July 28 (Korea Bizwire) — From its latest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) to tactical weapons and a surveillance drone, North Korea’s vaunted military parade this week highlighted its defiant work under way to break through the closer-knit South Korea-U.S. alliance, analysts said Friday. The North conducted the parade at Kim Il Sung Square in [...]
SEOUL, July 22 (Korea Bizwire) — North Korea fired several cruise missiles into the Yellow Sea on Saturday, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. South Korean and U.S intelligence authorities were analyzing the launches, which took place at about 4:00 a.m., to learn more about the type of missiles fired and other details, according [...]
SEOUL, July 19 (Korea Bizwire) — North Korea stole a total of US$700 million worth of cryptocurrency last year, equivalent to the money that would enable the country to fire 30 intercontinental ballistic missiles, South Korea’s state intelligence agency said Wednesday. “We’ve confirmed that North Korea took $700 million in virtual assets in two separate [...]
SEOUL, July 18 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of North Korean defectors coming to South Korea reached 65 in the April-June period, nearly doubling from 34 three months earlier, government data showed Tuesday, in an apparent rise after China eased its strict COVID-19 restrictions. After escaping the North, 18 men and 47 women reached South [...]
SEOUL, July 14 (Korea Bizwire) — North Korea’s latest smartphone appeared in the background of the state-run Korean Central TV program aired on Thursday, providing tips on safe mobile phone usage. The smartphone, featuring two rear-facing cameras and one front-facing camera, had the product name “Samtaesong 8″ printed on its rear side. Its modern design [...]
ANSEONG, July 10 (Korea Bizwire) — Three North Korean defectors who recently arrived in South Korea after living on the run in China said their ordeal significantly worsened due to strict restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, offering a rare glimpse of how they went through hardships during the period. The three women — who, respectively, [...]
SHENYANG, July 9 (Korea Bizwire) — North Korea’s mask imports from China tumbled 78 percent in May from a month earlier, trade data showed Sunday, as it appears to have recently eased strict COVID-19 restrictions. The North’s mask imports from China stood at US$28,746 in May, the lowest level in seven months, according to the [...]
SEOUL, July 4 (Korea Bizwire) — North Korea, which had maintained its rigid COVID-19 restrictions long after most countries eased pandemic measures, appears to have lifted its mask mandate this month, state media footage and photos showed Tuesday. News footage that aired on the North’s Korean Central TV on Monday showed hundreds of young people [...]