SEOUL, June 17 (Korea Bizwire) — North Korea’s demolition of an inter-Korean liaison office appears aimed at drawing public attention away from deepening economic hardships caused by the new coronavirus and sanctions, but signals Pyongyang’s desire to maintain diplomacy with the United States, experts said Tuesday. In a body blow to President Moon Jae-in’s yearslong [...]
SEOUL, June 15 (Korea Bizwire) — After threatening military action, North Korea may open fire to shoot down giant balloons carrying anti-Pyongyang leaflets flying from South Korea, but major provocations are unlikely, such as the 2010 artillery attack on a border island, experts said Monday. South Korea has been on high alert after Kim Yo-jong, [...]
SEOUL, June 1 (Korea Bizwire) — North Korea is encouraging non-face-to-face services at restaurants and grocery stores, such as picking up to-go orders, as part of precautions against the new coronavirus, according to Pyongyang’s state media on Monday. Korean Central Broadcasting Station, the North’s radio broadcaster, said the country is trying to improve customer services [...]
SEOUL, June 1 (Korea Bizwire) — As a way to break through its cycle of economic hardship, North Korea is rolling out a variety of recycling policies. Among them, the most eye-catching policy is the promotion of the exchange of recyclable waste materials like empty bottles for daily necessities. The Choson Sinbo, the official mouthpiece [...]
SEOUL, May 28 (Korea Bizwire) — Nearly 70 percent of South Korean youths think that reunification with North Korea is necessary, a survey showed on Thursday. According to the poll conducted by the National Youth Policy Institute, 67.8 percent of 3,228 elementary, middle and high school students replied that two Koreas need to reunify. Among [...]
SEOUL, May 25 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea will conduct comprehensive research on cultural assets and natural heritage inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on the border with North Korea, the cultural heritage authority said Monday. In collaboration with the provincial governments of Gyeoggi Province and Gangwon Province, the survey will start Tuesday and run for [...]
SEOUL, May 20 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s unification ministry has launched a new section on its website featuring “fake news” as part of efforts to prevent the spread of groundless rumors about North Korea and inter-Korean affairs. It is the first time that a government agency has launched such a fake news section on [...]
SEOUL, May 11 (Korea Bizwire) — Unsubstantiated rumors and speculative media reports about North Korea could cause mutual distrust between the two Koreas and create an “impasse” in inter-Korean relations, an expert said Monday. Kim Dong-yeop, a research professor at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies, also called for more efforts to create “high-quality” [...]
SEOUL, May 2 (Korea Bizwire) — A broadly-smiling Kim Jong-un appeared in public for the first time in 20 days, looking well without any signs of an illness, despite a wave of speculation that he might be gravely sick or even dead. Kim’s reappearance underlined the difficulty in figuring out affairs in the communist nation, [...]
SEOUL, May 1 (Korea Bizwire) — A North Korea defector elected as a lawmaker in South Korea claimed Friday that he is “99 percent” sure that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un died after surgery amid speculation over his health. Unconfirmed reports about Kim’s ill health have mounted since he has not appeared in public for [...]