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SEOUL, Oct 6 (Reuters) - North Korea is close to restoring its Yongbyon nuclear facility, South Korea's Yonhap news agency on Tuesday quoted an official in Seoul as saying. The report followed North Korea's pledge to return to international nuclear disarmament talks as long as it first holds negotiations with the United States. The following is a look at destitute North Korea's decades-long pursuit of nuclear arms: YONGBYON FACILITIES The Yongbyon complex is at the heart of the North's plutonium weapons programme. It consists of a five-megawatt reactor, whose construction began in 1980, a fuel fabrication facility and a plutonium...

NEW YORK (CNN) — The United Arab Emirates seized a ship carrying banned arms from North Korea to Iran, diplomats told CNN Friday. The incident occurred in early August and was reported to the U.N. Security Council’s North Korea Sanctions committee, Western diplomats at the United Nations said. The diplomats did not disclose which country owned the vessel. It also was not immediately clear whether this was the first time such an incident had happened, or only the first time such a case had been revealed. A U.N. resolution passed in July imposes an embargo on the shipment of arms...

Now that all the hoopla and nonstop CNN 24/7 type celebrations and TV interviews and book deals will ramp up over the release of two liberal Democrat California-based freelance/Al Gore journalists from communist North Korea, based on a Bill Clinton secret deal and eventual flying to North Korea to apologize and legitimize the dictatorial regime--developing nuclear strike capabilities and exporting said terror--I say "hold your horses", as we have important unfinished business. I would expect the MSM to gloss over these so I raise them here.

/begin my translation Kim Jong-il May Not Survive This Winter Choi Sung-yong, "Kim Jong-il knows he may not live long." [2009-07-15 15:08 ] Amid flurry of rumors on Kim Jong-il's health, Choi Sung-yong, the head of (S. Korean) Abductee Family's Association, said, "Kim Jong-il may not survive this winter," quoting a credible source from N. Korea on July 15. Mr. Choi appeared on "Open World, Today" at PBC and said, "As you know, if a cancer spreads, doctors will tell you how long you can live," basically saying that Kim's days are numbered. However, he won't say exactly what illness...

Original Japanese synopsis of article:Japanese lead: 米中�北�鮮を���る�� ――体制護��固執�る北京 中国�北�鮮��影響力��国連安��常任�事国�他�国々������も敵���。�も���ら�中国�北�核計画阻止�動������。石油�供給を止��貿易を�止�れ�明日�も政権�崩壊�る��。 My translation begins (summary). (Three most significant subtitles of the artitle):--Beijing Gets Behind Idea of Staunchly Keeping N.K. Kim Dynasty in Place--Obama Administration Shows Unprecedented Recklessness (toward North Korea)--North Korea Can See Through Every Tactical Step of The AmericansKey Points from Original Japanese: --North Korea's dangerous intentions in launching medium and long range missiles, conducting underground nuke tests, other recent provocations and the like were set in action (precipitated) by Second Bush "W" Administration, namely Condoleeza Rice, Phillip Zellikof (spelling?), and Christopher Hill, who were made mince meat of by...

(Begin my translation synopsis, from original Japanese):North Korean defector KANG CHOL HWANG, who is vice chair of a South Korean humanitarian group which assists North Korean defectors--(who himself is a defector/refugee from North Korea and survivor of the notorious "Yodok" Concentration Camp), reports the following new information to Tokyo based Sankei journalists by telephone:--Gunfire sound is increasing on the North Korean border with China these days. The gunfire can now be heard on almost a daily basis.--The gunfire is coming from North Korean side of the border and indicates two things: a) attempted escapes are increasing and North Korea has...

`NK Cyber Warfare Unit Masterminding DDoS Attacks` JULY 11, 2009 09:20 The North Korean military`s cyber warfare unit is believed to be responsible for this week`s massive cyber attacks on major South Korean and U.S. government and civilian Web sites. South Korea`s National Intelligence Service said this to lawmakers yesterday. Park Sung-do, second deputy director of the service, told an unofficial meeting with members of the National Assembly’s intelligence committee yesterday morning that a research center called "No. 110," under the Reconnaissance Bureau of the North Korean People’s Army is believed to have masterminded the distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. The...

Just go to the LINK here, hit the little arrow below the photo, and video will stream from Japanese TV today. Takes a few seconds to load.Lots of action.Link will be good for another 24 hours or so.Goes inside the command/control center for nuclear launch of ICBMs from Montana (Malmstron AF Base, US Air Force) and also shows US commandoes in action in anti-nuke terrorist training. A "don't mess with us" statement is also issued by a US nuke command military spokesman--thankfully so.Eagles Up.

After being closely followed by the U.S.S. John McCain, a vessel on its way to Burma believed to be carrying missile parts turned back to return to North Korea. The ties between the two dictatorships are worrisome, as Burma’s purchases help sustain the DPRK regime and their close military cooperation will make the Southeast Asian country the North Korea of its region. A secret Burmese government report has leaked out revealing that 17 officials visited North Korea from November 22-29, 2008, including the chief of staff of the armed forces. An agreement for close military cooperation was signed on November...

North Korea convened a mass government meeting on the 15th anniversary of the death of Kim Il Sung (today). They had the usual funeral music in commemoration of "The Great Leader". One could perhaps say the music was for KIM JONG IL himself, who shuffled pitifully into the Korean Workers Party assembly--a disheveled wreck of a man. Here are photos of Kim Jong Il, taken earlier today in North Korea:

WASHINGTON, July 2, 2009 – North Korea’s launch of four short-range missiles yesterday didn’t surprise Defense Department officials, a Pentagon spokesman said today. “What’s fair to say is that North Korea, [and its] behavior, continues to be unpredictable,” Bryan Whitman said, noting the activity “was not unexpected.” Whitman said he doesn’t know of any specific violations of a June 12 United Nations Security Council nonproliferation resolution on North Korea associated with the launch. North Korea has been the subject of near-universal condemnation since conducting a nuclear test in April. It also has tested intercontinental and intermediate-range missile technology. A defense...

China has given its word to the United States that it is "deeply committed" to implementing tough new nuclear sanctions against North Korea, a senior US official said Friday. The official also said that as part of the effort to put a straitjacket on Pyongyang after its latest nuclear test and missile launches, Washington had set up an inter-agency team to coordinate the sanctions with other nations.

Go to the page HEREHit the little orange box with the arrow, right below this photo, and the video will stream very shortly:From Japanese national TV just a few hours ago, the NNN network--prime time.The Japanese news says this is unprecedented.Getting hot, folks.

N.Korea 'Helping Burma with WMD'North Korea is helping Burma with the acquisition of so-called weapons of mass destruction, with the U.S. claiming that the North Korean ship Kangnam is headed for the Southeast Asian country. The Burmese junta "has bought technologies on the open market that are potentially usable in a nuclear program, and North Korean arms companies involved in the nuclear trade have become active" in Burma, the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday said quoting speculation by U.S., Asian and UN officials. "North Korea has used [Burmese] ports and airstrips to transfer arms and contraband to third countries, including...

This link is just to the Japanese report, but it is emerging that since March a) Kim Jong Un, the 26-year-old heir apparant/son of Kim Jong il, has essentially been given administrative control of the North Korean Secret Police (국가안전보위부); b) that this also soon puts him in de-facto control of the 10,000 man strong border forces which will be put under control of the DPRK Secret Police next month. Further, Dong-A Ilbo daily newspaper in South Korea (from which the JIJI Japanese report (link) is based) says for all intents and purposes, c) the fates and current handling...

Don't fall for North Korea's trap -- Rogue states are using US reporters as pawns. -- Only swift retribution will stop the cynical game. -- By Allan Richarz from the June 8, 2009 edition Print this Letter to the Editor Republish -- KANNAMACHI, JAPAN - With North Korea's conviction and sentencing of two American journalists today to 12 years of prison labor, reporters have again been used as proxies in a cynical game waged by rogue states to gain leverage in negotiations with the West. This follows on the heels of now-freed Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi, who was released last...

Current TV, Al Gore's 'Media Outlet,' Adopts State Department Policy of Giving No Information Whatsoever on Detained Journalists By Ashley Harrell in MediaWednesday, Mar. 25 2009 @ 2:32PM Current TV hired this guy to keep the media out. When Jill Carroll was kidnapped by insurgents in Iraq in 2006, the editor of the Christian Science Monitor quickly released a statement: "Jill's' ability to help others understand the issues facing all groups in Iraq has been invaluable," said editor Richard Bergenheim. "We are urgently seeking information about Ms. Carroll and pursuing every avenue to secure her release." The paper also reported...

/begin my excerpts Speculation Mounts on Worsening Kim's Health N. Korea's provocation may be due to (hurrying up) succession (Beijing = Yonhap News) Kwon Young-suk = Speculation spreads rapidly among Beijing's diplomatic circles that the health of N. Korean leader Kim Jong-il, who suffered a stroke last August is deteriorating again. Diplomatic sources in Beijing said on June 4, "S. Korea, U.S., China, and Japan are lately paying close attention to health of Kim Jong-il." This is because analysis of the escalating tension including the second nuclear test lent credence to the argument that Kim Jong-il want to hurry up...

Breaking on Yahoo News in Japan (link). Begin my translation: Yonhap News reporting out of South Korea on Tuesday afternoon local, North Korea is preparing for a possible intermediate range misssile (or missiles) launch from its southern central Gangwon Province from the Kittaeryung area.... The South Korean military command has revealed this to Korean parlimentarians today. These intermediate range missile has the potential to any part of the territory of Japan. (Rodong Missiles) ....They previously had a range of 1300 kilometers, but since have be revised to have a range of 3000 kilometers. ....North Korean fired six missiles toward Japan...

For video, click the following link and scroll down until you see a video frame and click it: http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2009/04/07/2009040702404.html

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(CNN) -- North Korea's thinly disguised missile test violates U.N. resolutions and should be condemned. But it is not a serious threat to the United States, nor does it justify a crash program to deploy an expensive, unproven anti-missile system. North Korea's missile and nuclear capabilities do not add up to a nuclear Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, or ICBM. This third failure to create such a missile in as many attempts since 1998 likely represents the upper limits of what the country can do by stretching and adapting the Scud technology it acquired from the former Soviet Union.

getting details, breaking hard

Pyongyang, April 2 (KCNA) -- The U.S. imperialists and the south Korean puppet warmongers conducted a large-scale joint air attack rehearsal in the area of Mungyong, North Kyongsang Province on March 31, according to Yonhap News of south Korea. Involved in the rehearsal were over 30 helicopters of various types, including Apaches of a special brigade under the 2nd operation command of the puppet army, the 21st wing of the puppet forces and the U.S. 2nd air combat brigade stationed in south Korea. The warmongers got hell-bent on the frantic war rehearsal for making surprise air strike on someone's vantage...

Announced by Government of Japan, and press story out within the last hour. Link to Japanese HERE.This is probably pretty standard, more or less expected, and of course prudent. Japan National Security Council told to be ready from tomorrow morning for the provocation and to stay ready in Tokyo.Prime Minister Aso gave the word to Chief Cabinet Secretariat Kawamura on returning from UK/G-20 earlier today. Stated to the Prefectures of Akita and Iwate--in Northern Japan--to be particularly alert but calm and ready for anything. Final quote was "chances of missile coming down toward Japanese soil are small, but if it...

/begin my translation President Lee: "N. Korea to Launch Rocket as Early as Apr. 4" (London Reuters = Yonhap new) (S. Korean) President Lee Myung-bak said on Apr. 3 that N. Korea is almost certain to launch its rocket, and it could come as early as Apr. 4 if weather permits. /end my translation

A Japanese rebroadcast tonight of North Korea TV. HERE is a link to Japanese site from Japanese TV which has short streaming video.Go there first, then hit the arrow in the little orange box, just below the screen shot photo of the rabid North Korean TV female announcer spitting forth the threat.

(U.S.) Conservatives Attack Obama over N.Korea American conservatives are closing ranks to attack President Barack Obama over its handling of North Korea's impending rocket launch. A video clip on the website of the conservative Heritage Foundation warns it will take just 33 minutes for a North Korean or Iranian long-range missile to reach the continental United States. The clip, titled "33 Minutes," features a statement by Heritage Foundation President Edwin Feulne attacking the Obama administration for failing to protect its people from "the enemy." Rep. Darrell Issa, a ranking member of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform,...

North Korea already has the capacity to launch a nuclear missile strike against Seoul and Tokyo, even before the long-range rocket test that it is promising in the next few days, an international think-tank has reported.

As expected (and they do tend to shoot off their mouths a lot with threats and big talk), North Korea delivered "the threat" tonight in an official statement out of their Korean Central News Agency (link to the original Japanese language report). North Korea is threatening Japan with military action if Japan takes down their Taepodong-2 (which they refer to as a "satellite") from the skies this week.Conservative Japanese daily Sankei (online) reports from Japan (in Japanese) a little while ago:HERE If above link does not work.

N.Korea Offers Obama His 1st International Test "It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy." This is the prediction of U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden when he was a candidate last October. The supposition by Biden, whom some consider one of the top diplomatic and national security experts in the Senate, is turning into a very accurate prediction due to the North Korean missile crisis. Perhaps nobody knew it would be North Korea that would be the first to put Obama to the test. The prevailing view is that North Korea...

Appearing on Fox News on Sunday, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the United States "was not prepared to do anything about" North Korea's rocket launch, which is expected to take place in the coming days. Gates' latest comments differ from what he said on Feb. 10, that the U.S. could intercept North Korea's missile "if necessary." On Mar. 19, Admiral Timothy Keating, commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific, said the U.S. is "fully prepared" to shoot down the missile and added that the U.S. military has the capability to do it. Judging from the situation so far, the...

New imagery of the Musudan-ri Missile Test Site taken on 29 March 2009, released by DigitalGlobe shows what clearly appears to be a three-stage launch vehicle on the launch pad. Based on imagery alone, it cannot be determined whether this is a Taepo-dong ICBM or a space launch vehicle carrying the Kwangmyeongseong-2 (Lodestar) satellite payload. News reporting from DoD officials have indicated that North Korea has been in the process of loading the first and second stages on the launch pad. This commercial satellite imagery obtained from DigitalGlobe, clearly confirms recent NBC News reporting from DoD officials that North Korea...

From earlier today, our time:And, if you keep your eyes peeled, you may spot one of a number of Japan Self Defense manned PAC-3 Patriot missile batteries out in the open in downtown Tokyo these days.

President Lee Myung-bak said South Korea opposes any military response to North Korea's planned launch of a rocket, while Washington's defense chief said the U.S. won't try to shoot it down. The remarks by Lee and U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates appear to reflect concerns that any tough reaction could send tensions spiking out of control at a time when the communist regime is warning that even U.N. sanctions would prompt it to quit nuclear disarmament talks. snip Lee said all countries, including China and Russia, oppose the North's plans. But Lee stressed that he is against using military means...

This isn't the kind of change our leader promised. They were supposed to like us and behave themselves after he "reached out" to them..

North Korea has threatened dire consequences if the international community sanctions it over a rocket launch it has announced for between Apr. 4 and 8. The official Rodong Shinmun newspaper on Sunday said once the rocket issue is "raised at the UN Security Council for discussion, the six-party nuclear talks will come to a complete rupture." It warned the North will "take a stronger measure." Prof. Nam Joo-hong of Kyonggi University speculated that means North Korea "could reverse its nuclear disablement process, while hinting it could conduct a second nuclear test." Arthur Brown, a former CIA officer for East Asia,...

TOKYO -- Japan's move Friday to deploy missile interceptors is the boldest challenge North Korea faces so far to its plan to launch a rocket in the next few days. Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said he ordered the deployment of missile interceptors to Japan's northern coast to prepare to shoot down the rocket and any debris that could fall on Japanese territory. It was the first such order Japan had issued, a ministry spokesman said.

Video footage (clip) of SM-3-armed Japanese AEGIS destroyers putting to sea, heading out for possible confrontation with North Korean ICBM missile in the next few days.Go here, hit arrow on the orange box, just below the aerial photo of the crafts leaving port here in Japan.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. Navy ships capable of shooting down ballistic missiles are being moved to the Sea of Japan, a Navy spokesman said. The USS Chaffee is one of two destroyers headed to South Korea for an upcoming ceremony. The USS Chaffee is one of two destroyers headed to South Korea for an upcoming ceremony. The move came as North Korea was preparing for an expected rocket launch next month. Later Thursday, Japan announced it was ready to fire on the rocket if any part of it enters Japanese airspace.

UK diplomat 'goes native' with North Korea eulogyNicholas Cecil, Chief Political Correspondent 17.03.09 BRITAIN'S ambassador to North Korea has been accused of "going native" after writing an extraordinary eulogy of life under dictator Kim Jong II.Peter Hughes waxed lyrical about the "festive" atmosphere at elections in the Communist dictatorship this month.Glossing over the fact that opposition parties are not allowed to stand in elections, he devoted a page on the Foreign Office website to an admiring portrait of polling day in capital Pyongyang."There was a very festive atmosphere throughout the city..." he wrote."Outside the central polling stations there were...

North Korea's reclusive leader turned up for talks with a senior Chinese envoy Friday, making his first such appearance in nearly a half year in an apparent bid to show he is fit despite reportedly suffering a stroke last August.

/begin my translation Something Happened? All N. Korean Diplomatic Missions Ordered to be on Stand-by N. Korea's diplomatic missions all over the world were ordered on Oct. 17 to stay at their mission, refraining from going out, and expect important announcement from their government. Sources explained they expect that official announcement could be made in a few days. They speculate that it is related to inter-Korean relationship or Kim Jong-il's health. /end my translation

Just moving in Japanese language, from South Korean daily newspaper. Norkies launched two missiles into Yellow Sea just the other day (10/2). Intel revealing they have set up launch facilities to fire out 10 or more in some kind of a show of force volley. Link to Japanese article out of Yahoo Japan, Jiji Press, based on Chosun Ilbo Daily news report out of Seoul.....will provide more details later.....S. Korean military ordering civilian vessels to stay the hell out of the area (until at least 15 October).....

When Ralph McClintock boarded the USS Pueblo in January 1968, he was planning for a three-week mission. Instead, the 24-year-old communications technician became a prisoner of war, a pawn in the Cold War sideshow that began with North Korea's capture of the Navy spy ship and imprisonment of its 82 crew members. Forty years later, as McClintock and the other survivors of the Pueblo prepare for a reunion, he's proud of his service and the bonds he made with his crew mates during 11 months in captivity. But the pride is tinged with bitterness. "We were treated as heroes when...

Pyongyang, June 10 (KCNA) -- The DPRK Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on June 10. The statement says: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the DPRK is authorized by its government to state as follows: Frequent terrorist acts being perpetrated in different parts of the world seriously threaten human lives, social stability and international peace and security. The international community is becoming increasingly vocal, expressing indignation at these acts and denouncing them and calling for closer cooperation among countries in the struggle against terrorism. The DPRK government has consistently maintained the stand to resolutely oppose all forms of...

Soldier Missing In Action From Korean War Is Identified The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors. He is Sgt. 1st Class W.T. Akins, U.S. Army, of Decatur, Ga. He will be buried on June 26 in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C. Requesting prayer for the family, friends, and loved ones of Sgt. 1st Class W.T. Akins, U.S. Army, of Decatur, Ga.. Representatives from the Army met...

June 3, 2008: South Korean intelligence is trying to get their hands on North Korea's new GPS jammer. These items are used to spoil the aim of GPS guided bombs and missiles. The U.S., NATO, Israel and several Middle Eastern nations (friendly to the U.S.) are big users of such guided weapons. The North Korean device is being offered to Middle Eastern Nations (as in Syria, Iran and Hizbollah), and is touted as superior to the Russian model (which Iraq had, and used, without much success, in 2003). The Russians have since improved their technology, but the U.S. believes it's...

SEOUL (AFP) South Korea's government on Thursday dismissed rumours of the death of North Korea's reclusive leader Kim Jong-Il as baseless after they swirled through stock markets."Recent rumours (about Kim's death) are groundless," Unification Ministry spokesman Kim Ho-Nyoun told reporters.The rumours emerged briefly on South Korea's financial markets and in Tokyo but were short-lived, market watchers said.The North's official Korean Central News Agency reported Thursday that Kim was touring a textile factory in the northeastern port city of Hamhung.Rumours about Kim's death have circulated this week despite reports by the North's state media that he visited army units Monday and...

Pyongyang, May 20 (KCNA) -- The U.S. and south Korean warmongers are staging joint military exercises, while separately escalating the war maneuvers. This comes under fire by a signed commentary of Minju Joson Tuesday. The situation on the Korean Peninsula is inching closer to the brink of war due to the U.S. and south Korean war-thirsty forces' frantic war exercises to invade the DPRK, the commentary says, and goes on: What merits attention is that the moves of the U.S. and south Korean bellicose forces to provoke a war against the DPRK have become evermore pronounced since Lee Myung Bak...