Analysis of information sources in references of the Wikipedia article "2017 in North Korea" in English language version.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)The decision to deploy THAAD has, in fact, severely damaged relations between China and South Korea, countries that have generally seen eye to eye on the North Korean nuclear issue. When North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test in January 2016, China issued a statement strongly condemning the North.[2] Despite that, the ROK proceeded on February 7, 2016 to begin official consultations with the United States on THAAD deployment. China fought the proposal from the start, contending that the potential step would violate its security interests and disrupt the strategic balance. China regularly voiced its criticism of the prospective deployment in even stronger terms, expressing hope that it would be "relinquished," warning that it would "wreck" bilateral relations and linking it to a "sword dance by the US aiming at China." When the ROK ultimately decided to deploy the system, China immediately said it had "expressed its strong dissatisfaction with and resolute opposition to the decision." (...) South Korean companies have also found business and investment deals in China going sour, with numerous reports of increased inspections, stalled construction projects and difficulties clearing customs. Following the announcement of the recent land swap deal with Lotte International, exchanging Lotte's golf course in the southeast for military land near Seoul, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Gen Shuang warned again, of "consequences" for the decision, stating that China "will definitely take measures to safeguard its security interests," with "all the consequences entailed will be borne by the US and the Republic of Korea." (...)
Commercial satellite imagery of the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site shows that substantial tunnel excavation is continuing at the "North" Portal (previously the "West" Portal), which provided support for the last four of the five declared underground nuclear tests conducted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The North Portal tunnels provide direct access under Mt. Mantap, where up to 800 meters of overlying rock is available for test containment. This locale provides the maximum overlying rock possible within the entire test site and is where the most recent and largest detected test occurred on September 9, 2016 (estimated at 15-20 kilotons yield). The continued tunneling under Mt. Mantap via the North Portal has the potential for allowing North Korea to support additional underground nuclear tests of significantly higher explosive yields, perhaps up to 282 kilotons (or just above a quarter of a megaton).
The members of the Security Council strongly condemned the most recent ballistic missile launches conducted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on 11 February 2017 and 19 October 2016. These launches are in grave violation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's international obligations under United Nations Security Council resolutions 1718 (2006), 1874 (2009), 2087 (2013), 2094 (2013), 2270 (2016) and 2321 (2016).
The members of the Security Council deplore all the Democratic People's Republic of Korea ballistic missile activities, including these launches, noting that such activities contribute to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's development of nuclear weapons delivery systems and increase tension. The members of the Security Council further regretted that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is diverting resources to the pursuit of ballistic missiles while Democratic People's Republic of Korea citizens have great unmet needs. (...)
The members of the Security Council strongly condemned the most recent ballistic missile launches conducted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on 5 March 2017. These launches are in grave violation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's international obligations under United Nations Security Council resolutions 1718 (2006), 1874 (2009), 2087 (2013), 2094 (2013), 2270 (2016) and 2321 (2016).
The members of the Security Council deplore all the Democratic People's Republic of Korea ballistic missile activities, including these launches, noting that such activities contribute to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's development of nuclear weapons delivery systems and increase tension in the region and beyond
All the service personnel and people of the DPRK express their pleasure over the successful H-bomb test for ICBM. Hong Chol Hwa, director of the Law Institute of the Academy of Social Sciences, told KCNA: The successful H-bomb test for ICBM is a great demonstration of the tremendous national power of Songun (military-first) Korea. The only way of coping with the U.S. high-handed and arbitrary practices is to have a powerful strength.
Pyongyang, September 3 (KCNA) -- The Nuclear Weapons Institute of the DPRK gave the following statement in connection with the perfect success in the test of a hydrogen bomb for ICBM:
Scientists in the nuclear field of the DPRK successfully carried out a test of H-bomb for ICBM in the northern nuclear test ground of the DPRK at 12:00 on September 3, true to the Workers' Party of Korea's plan for building a strategic nuclear force.
The H-bomb test was carried out to examine and confirm the accuracy and credibility of the power control technology and internal structural design newly introduced into manufacturing H-bomb to be placed at the payload of the ICBM.(...)
Symmetrical compression of nuclear charge, its fission detonation and high-temperature nuclear fusion ignition, and the ensuing rapidly boosting fission-fusion reactions, which are key technologies for enhancing the nuclear fusion power of the second-system of the H-bomb, were confirmed to have been realized on a high level.
The perfect success in the test of the H-bomb for ICBM clearly proved that the Juche-based nukes of the DPRK have been put on a highly precise basis, the creditability of the operation of the nuclear warhead is fully guaranteed and the design and production technology of nuclear weapons of the DPRK has been put on a high level to adjust its destructive power in consideration of the targets and purposes. It also marked a very significant occasion in attaining the final goal of completing the state nuclear force.
The government in North Korea does not cooperate with the United States Government in any respect and fails to satisfy all information-sharing requirements. Accordingly, the entry into the United States of nationals of North Korea as immigrants and nonimmigrants is suspended.
The [satellite] images show that most of a river near the reactor is frozen over, except for where water originating from a reactor outlet mixes with the river -- indicating that the reactor is likely operational.
The Cyber Security Bureau of the National Police Agency announced on January 25 that cyber attacks that occurred in November last year and early this year were conducted by North Korean hackers. The attacks took the form of a series of emails containing malicious code from addresses impersonating North Korea human rights and academic research organizations, and were sent to individuals belonging to the diplomatic, security, defense and unification fields.
Four months after the implementation of the North Korean Human Rights Act, the North Korean Human Rights Advisory Committee has formed to provide policy guidance to improve human rights in North Korea. (...) The North Korean Human Rights Advisory Committee will provide expert advice to the Ministry of Unification on the establishment of a basic plan to promote human rights in North Korea, as well as the operation of the North Korean Human Rights Foundation and the North Korean Human Rights Documentation Center. Initially, the Committee was scheduled to be launched shortly after the implementation of the North Korean Human Rights Act in September last year, but the launch was postponed due to a delay imposed by the opposition party on its recommendations for committee members.
In the midst of North Korea's lean period in March, the prices of some market goods in Ryanggang Province are fluctuating wildly, causing difficulties for ordinary North Koreans. In contrast, rice prices are exhibiting resistance to such changes. This trend is being seen as an indicator that the regime's ability to influence market prices is in decline, and market forces are taking the lead.
All the service personnel and people of the DPRK express their pleasure over the successful H-bomb test for ICBM. Hong Chol Hwa, director of the Law Institute of the Academy of Social Sciences, told KCNA: The successful H-bomb test for ICBM is a great demonstration of the tremendous national power of Songun (military-first) Korea. The only way of coping with the U.S. high-handed and arbitrary practices is to have a powerful strength.
Pyongyang, September 3 (KCNA) -- The Nuclear Weapons Institute of the DPRK gave the following statement in connection with the perfect success in the test of a hydrogen bomb for ICBM:
Scientists in the nuclear field of the DPRK successfully carried out a test of H-bomb for ICBM in the northern nuclear test ground of the DPRK at 12:00 on September 3, true to the Workers' Party of Korea's plan for building a strategic nuclear force.
The H-bomb test was carried out to examine and confirm the accuracy and credibility of the power control technology and internal structural design newly introduced into manufacturing H-bomb to be placed at the payload of the ICBM.(...)
Symmetrical compression of nuclear charge, its fission detonation and high-temperature nuclear fusion ignition, and the ensuing rapidly boosting fission-fusion reactions, which are key technologies for enhancing the nuclear fusion power of the second-system of the H-bomb, were confirmed to have been realized on a high level.
The perfect success in the test of the H-bomb for ICBM clearly proved that the Juche-based nukes of the DPRK have been put on a highly precise basis, the creditability of the operation of the nuclear warhead is fully guaranteed and the design and production technology of nuclear weapons of the DPRK has been put on a high level to adjust its destructive power in consideration of the targets and purposes. It also marked a very significant occasion in attaining the final goal of completing the state nuclear force.
The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) element provides the Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) with a globally-transportable, rapidly-deployable capability to intercept and destroy ballistic missiles inside or outside the atmosphere during their final, or terminal, phase of flight.
SUNDA STRAIT (April 15, 2017) The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) transits the Sunda Strait. The Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group is on a scheduled western Pacific deployment as part of the U.S. Pacific Fleet-led initiative to extend the command and control functions of U.S. 3rd Fleet. U.S Navy aircraft carrier strike groups have patrolled the Indo-Asia-Pacific regularly and routinely for more than 70 years. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Sean M. Castellano/Released)
China said on Saturday that it was suspending all imports of coal from North Korea as part of its effort to enact United Nations Security Council sanctions aimed at stopping the country's nuclear weapons and ballistic-missile program. The ban takes effect on Sunday and will last until the end of the year, the Chinese Commerce Ministry said in a brief statement posted on its website on Saturday. (...) Coal has accounted for 34 percent to 40 percent of North Korean exports in the past several years, and almost all of it was shipped to China, according to South Korean government estimates.
The Seoul office of the United Nations high commissioner for human rights will be expanded to include criminal justice experts who can develop plans for eventual prosecution. The resolution also would establish a structure to collect evidence "with a view to developing possible strategies to be used in any future accountability process."
North Korea's success in testing an intercontinental ballistic missile that appears able to reach the United States was made possible by black-market purchases of powerful rocket engines probably from a Ukrainian factory with historical ties to Russia's missile program, according to an expert analysis being published Monday and classified assessments by American intelligence agencies.
The studies may solve the mystery of how North Korea began succeeding so suddenly after a string of fiery missile failures, some of which may have been caused by American sabotage of its supply chains and cyberattacks on its launches. After those failures, the North changed designs and suppliers in the past two years, according to a new study by Michael Elleman, a missile expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
a meeting between Mr. Trump and Mr. Kim, these experts said, could open the door to ratifying North Korea's nuclear status or scaling back America's joint military exercises with South Korea. That could sunder American alliances with Japan and South Korea and play to the benefit of China, which has long advocated direct dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang.
"What the North Koreans are angling for is to bring the danger and tension to a crescendo, and then to pivot to a peace proposal," said Daniel R. Russel, who served until March as the assistant secretary of state for East Asian affairs. "All of this is focused on pressuring the U.S. to enter direct talks with Kim on his terms. That is the big trap."
The members of the Security Council strongly condemned the most recent ballistic missile launches conducted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on 11 February 2017 and 19 October 2016. These launches are in grave violation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's international obligations under United Nations Security Council resolutions 1718 (2006), 1874 (2009), 2087 (2013), 2094 (2013), 2270 (2016) and 2321 (2016).
The members of the Security Council deplore all the Democratic People's Republic of Korea ballistic missile activities, including these launches, noting that such activities contribute to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's development of nuclear weapons delivery systems and increase tension. The members of the Security Council further regretted that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is diverting resources to the pursuit of ballistic missiles while Democratic People's Republic of Korea citizens have great unmet needs. (...)
The members of the Security Council strongly condemned the most recent ballistic missile launches conducted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on 5 March 2017. These launches are in grave violation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's international obligations under United Nations Security Council resolutions 1718 (2006), 1874 (2009), 2087 (2013), 2094 (2013), 2270 (2016) and 2321 (2016).
The members of the Security Council deplore all the Democratic People's Republic of Korea ballistic missile activities, including these launches, noting that such activities contribute to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's development of nuclear weapons delivery systems and increase tension in the region and beyond
12. Decides to strengthen, for a period of two years, the capacity of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, including its field-based structure in Seoul, to allow the implementation of relevant recommendations made by the group of independent experts on accountability in its report aimed at strengthening current monitoring and documentation efforts, establishing a central information and evidence repository, and having experts in legal accountability assess all information and testimonies with a view to developing possible strategies to be used in any future accountability process;
"There are no signs of an imminent test firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) by North Korea. But we are closely monitoring any new military activities in the country as it could launch an IRBM at any time if leader Kim Jong-un gives the order," an official at the [South Korean] defense ministry said.
Despite U.S. President Donald Trump's strong rhetoric about restraining the North Korean nuclear threat, U.S. policy options seem to be essentially the same as they were under former President Obama's Strategic Patience strategy. Under former President Barack Obama's Strategic Patience policy, the U.S. refused to engage with the Kim Jong Un regime until it committed to end its nuclear program, while also responding to provocations with increasing military deterrence, economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation.
"North Korea is a problem," Trump said at the White House. "The problem will be taken care of." (...) "North Korea is a problem," Trump said at the White House. "The problem will be taken care of."
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)The [satellite] images show that most of a river near the reactor is frozen over, except for where water originating from a reactor outlet mixes with the river -- indicating that the reactor is likely operational.
Insiders familiar with the reclusive country told Yonhap News Agency that the North's national security agency has set up unmanned detection devices following orders issued by leader Kim Jong-un. The North Korean leader has stressed the importance of dealing effectively with defectors as quickly as possible. There have been previous reports that the North is using infrared cameras along the Sino-North Korean border, but this is the first time that unmanned sensors have been mentioned as part of Pyongyang's efforts to deal with defectors. Without providing too many details, the sources said that the sensors have been placed on well-known escape routes, such as Hyesan in Ryanggang Province and around Heoryong in the North Hamgyong region. "The North plans to increase the number of sensors to better detect defectors and deter those wanting to escape," said a source, who wished to remain anonymous.
The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) element provides the Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) with a globally-transportable, rapidly-deployable capability to intercept and destroy ballistic missiles inside or outside the atmosphere during their final, or terminal, phase of flight.
The decision to deploy THAAD has, in fact, severely damaged relations between China and South Korea, countries that have generally seen eye to eye on the North Korean nuclear issue. When North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test in January 2016, China issued a statement strongly condemning the North.[2] Despite that, the ROK proceeded on February 7, 2016 to begin official consultations with the United States on THAAD deployment. China fought the proposal from the start, contending that the potential step would violate its security interests and disrupt the strategic balance. China regularly voiced its criticism of the prospective deployment in even stronger terms, expressing hope that it would be "relinquished," warning that it would "wreck" bilateral relations and linking it to a "sword dance by the US aiming at China." When the ROK ultimately decided to deploy the system, China immediately said it had "expressed its strong dissatisfaction with and resolute opposition to the decision." (...) South Korean companies have also found business and investment deals in China going sour, with numerous reports of increased inspections, stalled construction projects and difficulties clearing customs. Following the announcement of the recent land swap deal with Lotte International, exchanging Lotte's golf course in the southeast for military land near Seoul, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Gen Shuang warned again, of "consequences" for the decision, stating that China "will definitely take measures to safeguard its security interests," with "all the consequences entailed will be borne by the US and the Republic of Korea." (...)
The Cyber Security Bureau of the National Police Agency announced on January 25 that cyber attacks that occurred in November last year and early this year were conducted by North Korean hackers. The attacks took the form of a series of emails containing malicious code from addresses impersonating North Korea human rights and academic research organizations, and were sent to individuals belonging to the diplomatic, security, defense and unification fields.
Four months after the implementation of the North Korean Human Rights Act, the North Korean Human Rights Advisory Committee has formed to provide policy guidance to improve human rights in North Korea. (...) The North Korean Human Rights Advisory Committee will provide expert advice to the Ministry of Unification on the establishment of a basic plan to promote human rights in North Korea, as well as the operation of the North Korean Human Rights Foundation and the North Korean Human Rights Documentation Center. Initially, the Committee was scheduled to be launched shortly after the implementation of the North Korean Human Rights Act in September last year, but the launch was postponed due to a delay imposed by the opposition party on its recommendations for committee members.
"There are no signs of an imminent test firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) by North Korea. But we are closely monitoring any new military activities in the country as it could launch an IRBM at any time if leader Kim Jong-un gives the order," an official at the [South Korean] defense ministry said.
China said on Saturday that it was suspending all imports of coal from North Korea as part of its effort to enact United Nations Security Council sanctions aimed at stopping the country's nuclear weapons and ballistic-missile program. The ban takes effect on Sunday and will last until the end of the year, the Chinese Commerce Ministry said in a brief statement posted on its website on Saturday. (...) Coal has accounted for 34 percent to 40 percent of North Korean exports in the past several years, and almost all of it was shipped to China, according to South Korean government estimates.
Commercial satellite imagery of the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site shows that substantial tunnel excavation is continuing at the "North" Portal (previously the "West" Portal), which provided support for the last four of the five declared underground nuclear tests conducted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The North Portal tunnels provide direct access under Mt. Mantap, where up to 800 meters of overlying rock is available for test containment. This locale provides the maximum overlying rock possible within the entire test site and is where the most recent and largest detected test occurred on September 9, 2016 (estimated at 15-20 kilotons yield). The continued tunneling under Mt. Mantap via the North Portal has the potential for allowing North Korea to support additional underground nuclear tests of significantly higher explosive yields, perhaps up to 282 kilotons (or just above a quarter of a megaton).
The number of official markets in North Korea has been on a rapid increase under the connivance of the authorities, a U.S. broadcaster said Thursday."The number was recently confirmed to be 439 via an analysis of satellite images of the communist country by Curtis Melvin, a researcher at the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University in the United States, Radio Free Asia said. The figure was an increase of 40 from a year ago, with some 1-1.8 million people estimated to be using the markets. Markets in the North show an upward trend in their numbers and scale, which is more noticeable under the Kim Jong-un regime, the broadcaster said.
In the midst of North Korea's lean period in March, the prices of some market goods in Ryanggang Province are fluctuating wildly, causing difficulties for ordinary North Koreans. In contrast, rice prices are exhibiting resistance to such changes. This trend is being seen as an indicator that the regime's ability to influence market prices is in decline, and market forces are taking the lead.
North Korea on Monday hinted at additional provocations by vowing that it will continue to take nuclear deterrent steps against the U.S.' hard-line policy toward it."Our army and people will continuously bolster up our nuclear deterrent for self defense down the road under the conditions that high-level U.S. government officials adamantly stick to their hostile policy toward us," the Rodong Sinmun, a daily of the ruling Workers' Party, said in a commentary titled "The Root of Intensification of Tension on the Korean Peninsula." The possession of strong nuclear weapons is "the only way" to ultimately put North Korea-U.S. relations in order and "absolute collateral" for peace and security on the Korean Peninsula, the paper said.
North Korea has urged the United Nations to draw attention to what it views as the danger of joint U.S.-South Korea military drills, saying that they pose a threat to global peace and security, its state media said Thursday. Ja Song-nam, the North Korean representative to the UN, made the appeal in a letter he sent to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
North Korea has been conducting ballistic missile launching drills on a regular basis to counter what it called the United States' nuclear war threats, Pyongyang's state media said Friday. In its first reference to the country regularly launching missiles, North Korea is seen as hinting that it could conduct missile provocations down the road. "It was a normal drill that was aimed at countering nuclear war maneuvers staged by enemy forces including the U.S.," said the Rodong Sinmun, the country's main newspaper, referring to the country's firing of four ballistic missiles on March 6. "Our strategic force is conducting a ballistic rocket launching drill on a regular basis," it added.
The number of official markets in North Korea has been on a rapid increase under the connivance of the authorities, a U.S. broadcaster said Thursday."The number was recently confirmed to be 439 via an analysis of satellite images of the communist country by Curtis Melvin, a researcher at the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University in the United States, Radio Free Asia said. The figure was an increase of 40 from a year ago, with some 1-1.8 million people estimated to be using the markets. Markets in the North show an upward trend in their numbers and scale, which is more noticeable under the Kim Jong-un regime, the broadcaster said.
Despite U.S. President Donald Trump's strong rhetoric about restraining the North Korean nuclear threat, U.S. policy options seem to be essentially the same as they were under former President Obama's Strategic Patience strategy. Under former President Barack Obama's Strategic Patience policy, the U.S. refused to engage with the Kim Jong Un regime until it committed to end its nuclear program, while also responding to provocations with increasing military deterrence, economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation.
The Seoul office of the United Nations high commissioner for human rights will be expanded to include criminal justice experts who can develop plans for eventual prosecution. The resolution also would establish a structure to collect evidence "with a view to developing possible strategies to be used in any future accountability process."
12. Decides to strengthen, for a period of two years, the capacity of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, including its field-based structure in Seoul, to allow the implementation of relevant recommendations made by the group of independent experts on accountability in its report aimed at strengthening current monitoring and documentation efforts, establishing a central information and evidence repository, and having experts in legal accountability assess all information and testimonies with a view to developing possible strategies to be used in any future accountability process;
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)"North Korea is a problem," Trump said at the White House. "The problem will be taken care of." (...) "North Korea is a problem," Trump said at the White House. "The problem will be taken care of."
SUNDA STRAIT (April 15, 2017) The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) transits the Sunda Strait. The Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group is on a scheduled western Pacific deployment as part of the U.S. Pacific Fleet-led initiative to extend the command and control functions of U.S. 3rd Fleet. U.S Navy aircraft carrier strike groups have patrolled the Indo-Asia-Pacific regularly and routinely for more than 70 years. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Sean M. Castellano/Released)
North Korea's success in testing an intercontinental ballistic missile that appears able to reach the United States was made possible by black-market purchases of powerful rocket engines probably from a Ukrainian factory with historical ties to Russia's missile program, according to an expert analysis being published Monday and classified assessments by American intelligence agencies.
The studies may solve the mystery of how North Korea began succeeding so suddenly after a string of fiery missile failures, some of which may have been caused by American sabotage of its supply chains and cyberattacks on its launches. After those failures, the North changed designs and suppliers in the past two years, according to a new study by Michael Elleman, a missile expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
a meeting between Mr. Trump and Mr. Kim, these experts said, could open the door to ratifying North Korea's nuclear status or scaling back America's joint military exercises with South Korea. That could sunder American alliances with Japan and South Korea and play to the benefit of China, which has long advocated direct dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang.
"What the North Koreans are angling for is to bring the danger and tension to a crescendo, and then to pivot to a peace proposal," said Daniel R. Russel, who served until March as the assistant secretary of state for East Asian affairs. "All of this is focused on pressuring the U.S. to enter direct talks with Kim on his terms. That is the big trap."
Insiders familiar with the reclusive country told Yonhap News Agency that the North's national security agency has set up unmanned detection devices following orders issued by leader Kim Jong-un. The North Korean leader has stressed the importance of dealing effectively with defectors as quickly as possible. There have been previous reports that the North is using infrared cameras along the Sino-North Korean border, but this is the first time that unmanned sensors have been mentioned as part of Pyongyang's efforts to deal with defectors. Without providing too many details, the sources said that the sensors have been placed on well-known escape routes, such as Hyesan in Ryanggang Province and around Heoryong in the North Hamgyong region. "The North plans to increase the number of sensors to better detect defectors and deter those wanting to escape," said a source, who wished to remain anonymous.
The number of official markets in North Korea has been on a rapid increase under the connivance of the authorities, a U.S. broadcaster said Thursday."The number was recently confirmed to be 439 via an analysis of satellite images of the communist country by Curtis Melvin, a researcher at the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University in the United States, Radio Free Asia said. The figure was an increase of 40 from a year ago, with some 1-1.8 million people estimated to be using the markets. Markets in the North show an upward trend in their numbers and scale, which is more noticeable under the Kim Jong-un regime, the broadcaster said.
North Korea on Monday hinted at additional provocations by vowing that it will continue to take nuclear deterrent steps against the U.S.' hard-line policy toward it."Our army and people will continuously bolster up our nuclear deterrent for self defense down the road under the conditions that high-level U.S. government officials adamantly stick to their hostile policy toward us," the Rodong Sinmun, a daily of the ruling Workers' Party, said in a commentary titled "The Root of Intensification of Tension on the Korean Peninsula." The possession of strong nuclear weapons is "the only way" to ultimately put North Korea-U.S. relations in order and "absolute collateral" for peace and security on the Korean Peninsula, the paper said.
North Korea has urged the United Nations to draw attention to what it views as the danger of joint U.S.-South Korea military drills, saying that they pose a threat to global peace and security, its state media said Thursday. Ja Song-nam, the North Korean representative to the UN, made the appeal in a letter he sent to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
North Korea has been conducting ballistic missile launching drills on a regular basis to counter what it called the United States' nuclear war threats, Pyongyang's state media said Friday. In its first reference to the country regularly launching missiles, North Korea is seen as hinting that it could conduct missile provocations down the road. "It was a normal drill that was aimed at countering nuclear war maneuvers staged by enemy forces including the U.S.," said the Rodong Sinmun, the country's main newspaper, referring to the country's firing of four ballistic missiles on March 6. "Our strategic force is conducting a ballistic rocket launching drill on a regular basis," it added.
The number of official markets in North Korea has been on a rapid increase under the connivance of the authorities, a U.S. broadcaster said Thursday."The number was recently confirmed to be 439 via an analysis of satellite images of the communist country by Curtis Melvin, a researcher at the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University in the United States, Radio Free Asia said. The figure was an increase of 40 from a year ago, with some 1-1.8 million people estimated to be using the markets. Markets in the North show an upward trend in their numbers and scale, which is more noticeable under the Kim Jong-un regime, the broadcaster said.