SEOUL, Jan. 1 (Korea Bizwire) — North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made clear he will place policy priorities in 2022 on developing the national economy and bolstering antivirus efforts, according to Pyongyang’s state media Saturday. He delivered the message during a major Workers’ Party plenary held earlier this week to set the policy directions for [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 27 (Korea Bizwire) — North Korea is spurring online education at major universities as part of efforts to train “intellectual-type workers” with science and technology expertise, according to its state media Monday. The North’s main newspaper, the Rodong Sinmun, said around 100,000 workers are currently enrolled for online classes across the country, including [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 22 (Korea Bizwire) — North Korea’s economy is unlikely to face an imminent crisis despite struggles stemming from crippling sanctions and border restrictions due to anti-virus efforts, experts said Wednesday. The North has continued imports of essential economic materials, such as crude oil and fertilizers, which lessens the chances of its industries becoming [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 21 (Korea Bizwire) — The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has allocated 1.1 million Swiss francs (US$1.2 million) to help North Korea combat the COVID-19 pandemic from January last year to June next year, its interim financial report showed. According to the COVID-19 Outbreak 20-Month Update, the organization [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 21 (Korea Bizwire) — North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is the third most searched politician by internet users worldwide this year, data showed Tuesday. Online searches for Kim totaled a monthly average of 1.9 million, behind U.S. President Joe Biden, who topped the list with 7 million searches, and British Prime Minister Boris [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — Eight out of 10 families divided by the 1950-53 Korean War have yet to confirm the fate of their parents and siblings in North Korea, a government survey showed Thursday. According to the unification ministry’s poll on 5,354 separated family members living in South Korea and abroad, 82 percent [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 30 (Korea Bizwire) — North Korea has seen an increase in heat waves and tropical nights and a decline in cold spells over the past three decades as global warming has driven up temperatures, South Korea’s state weather agency said Tuesday. The average annual temperature in North Korea rose by 0.4 degree Celsius [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — More than half of South Koreans believe an inter-Korean summit at the Beijing Winter Olympics, slated for February, will not be possible, a survey showed Friday. According to the survey on 1,000 adults by the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council on Nov. 20 and 21, 53.9 percent said an inter-Korean [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — North Korea has opened a nationwide computer programming competition aimed at cultivating talents to lead the country’s information and technology development, a propaganda outlet said Tuesday. A semifinal for the competition, organized by the Kimchaek University of Technology, took place between Nov. 5-15, with the final match slated to [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 21 (Korea Bizwire) — Many North Korea watchers were doubtful when Kim Jong-un, then 27, took over the Hermit Kingdom in December 2011 following the sudden death of his father, Kim Jong-il. A decade later, apparently, few question Kim’s grip on power, despite a host of challenges, such as its moribund economy, amid [...]