Free Republic

N. Korea's largest port frozen for 2 straight winters SEOUL, Feb. 10 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's largest port of Nampo has frozen for the second winter in a row due to a severe cold spell, an environmental research institute said Friday. The trade port, the marine gateway of the country's capital Pyongyang, is believed to have been frozen since Jan. 6, according to the Korea Center for Atmospheric Environment Research, citing satellite images. Chung Yong-seung, head of the research institute, said it is rare for the port to freeze two winters in a row, a development he said could have...

Neither Mission nor Prudence in Kim's Expression By Park Seong Guk [2012-02-09 11:12 ] Kim Jong Nam has revealed more about the rule of Kim Jong Eun and his view of the future of North Korea in previously unreleased e-mails between he and Tokyo Shimbun editor Yoji Komi . “In that young man’s expression I can see neither the mission nor the prudence of a man who has become the successor to a troubled country like North Korea, nor the expression of a man worrying about a future vision for the state,” Kim is quoted as saying in one of...

Isotopes hint at North Korean nuclear test Data suggest that the country has experimented with a fusion boost to its fission weapons. Geoff Brumfiel 03 February 2012 /snip Isotope detective De Geer’s theory rests on the detection of several short-lived radioisotopes that are generated during man-made nuclear processes. Ratios of xenon-133 and xenon-133m (a higher-energy, ‘metastable’ form of the isotope) point towards an explosion in mid-April. The ratio of more short-lived isotopes — barium-140 and its radioactive decay product lanthanum-140 — pointed to a second test around 11 May. Indeed, the presence of barium-140 can be explained only by a...

/begin my excerpts "N. Korea Obtained a High-speed American Drone...Developing it into an Attack UAV" Smuggled 'MQM-107D' from Mid-East...carried out a few test flights (Seoul=Yonhap News) Kim Gwi-keun = N. Korea obtained a high-speed drone produced in U.S. and is developing an attack drone based on it. A military source said on Feb. 5, "N. Korea recently obtained several 'MQM-107D' Streakers from a Mid-eastern country, probably Syria, and is developing an attack UAV based on it." The source said that they equipped the high-speed drone with high explosive bomb(s) and performed a few flight tests but have not yet had...

North Korea’s Unlikely ‘Big 3’ By Mok Yong Jae [2012-01-28 12:38 ] Which parts of North Korean society are the most well-off today? In the past, the powerful and popular were those with good seongbun, usually members of the Korean Workers’ Party; however as a result of the ongoing economic difficulties in North Korea, some other livelihoods – well paying ones - have become lucrative enough to start attracting people in huge numbers. This focus on other aspects than seongbun can be seen in marriage. For example, many cadres now find that a good seongbun may not be enough to...

There are reports from within the isolated state that food supplies are again dwindling and that there has been an increase in the number of people attempting to cross the border into China. Many of those that do manage to cross the frontier eventually manage to reach South Korea, where an estimated 23,000 defectors have now settled. The Workers' Party has issued the stern warning in an effort to deter more from attempting the already perilous journey, apparently in an effort to ensure the stability of the new regime of Kim Jong-un, who took over from his father, according to...

2012/01/24 14:32 KST Sudden unification could cause 3.65 mln N. Koreans to enter S. Korea: report SEOUL, Jan. 24 (Yonhap) -- Sudden unification between South and North Korea could cause a flood of refugees across the land border that could rock the local labor market, a business organization said Tuesday. A report by the Korea Employers Federation (KEF) predicted that if the North Korean regime collapsed suddenly, up to 3.65 million people from the communist country may cross over into capitalist South Korea. "Even under a conservative estimate, up to 1.61 million North Koreans may move to South Korea, mainly...

S. Korean ex-spy's asylum confirmed in U.S. WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 (Yonhap) -- A U.S. court has upheld a 2008 ruling to grant political asylum to a former South Korean intelligence agent who claims to face threats from both South and North Korea, sources here said Tuesday. Kim Ki-sam, who left South Korea's state spy agency in 2000, applied for asylum in the U.S. in 2003, saying he would face persecution and prosecution if he was forced to return to South Korea because he had revealed information about secret operations to help then-President Kim Dae-jung win the Nobel Peace Prize. One...

01-25-2012 09:56 Golf genius Kim is gone, but NK tournament remains Even the fairytale rise to implausible golfing kingship depicted in the Hollywood blockbuster "Happy Gilmore" doesn't come close to the storybook achievements of Kim Jong-il, the late North Korean leader who died last month. North Korean legend has it that, on his maiden round, the country's No. 1 man blew away even the earthly brilliance of golf greats Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as he carded, wait for it, 11 holes-in-one. Now, the scene of "Dear Leader" Kim's astonishing feat has been opened up to an entirely different field...

Kim Jong-eun visiting Man-Kyong-Dae Revolutionary Academy, a school for kids from elite families in N. Korea.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=YhwIS0_0zwA

5 – North Korea Implosion or Explosion Don’t be fooled by stories of how smoothly the transition is proceeding in Pyongyang. The first rule of analyzing North Korea—it’s the world’s most opaque regime and no one really knows what’s going on inside—has not changed. Maybe things really are going smoothly. Maybe they’re already off the rails. We do know that North Korea is a nuclear power, that provocation is its traditional foreign policy tool of choice, and that North Korean collapse is the likeliest way to bring American and Chinese soldiers face to face in an unpredictable and dangerous security...

Four NK Cadres Murdered By Lee Beom Ki [2012-01-23 10:51 ] Several days ago it was revealed that during the mourning period for Kim Jong Il, four public officials from North Hamgyung Province were murdered in what is an unprecedented crime for North Korea. A source in North Hamgyung Province told Daily NK on January 19, “During the mourning period, one official from the provincial NSA, one from the prosecutor’s office and two from the People’s Safety Agency were murdered in Cheongjin.” The source added, “There was a note found lying next to the body of the executed NSA official...

Asahi:Chinese Troops can Reach Pyeongyang in 2 Hours A Japanese daily says, China is beefing up its military capacity near its border with North Korea, as part of its contingency plans. In a special report dissecting the Chinese military, Asahi Shimbun wrote that Beijing is currently boosting the mobility of its troops stationed near the borderline, and that they can reach Pyeongyang in just two hours in case of an unexpected emergency in the North. The report, however, added that the Chinese government denies the military buildup in the area. Asahi also revealed a secret report drawn up by a...

WASHINGTON — On Dec. 31, just hours before a New Year's Eve celebration, President Barack Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012. Section 1245 of the law contains language providing authority to impose economic sanctions on Iran in order to deter the ayatollahs from acquiring nuclear weapons. White House efforts to have the sanctions provision stripped from the bill failed, and the measure became law with a quiet flourish of the presidential pen. Ever since, Washington and Tehran have been waging a war of words. None of this works to the advantage of the American...

 Kim Jong-nam Says N.Korean Regime Won't Last Long Kim Jong-nam Former North Korean Leader Kim Jong-il's eldest son Jong-nam has said the isolated regime will eventually fail with or without reforms. The comment appears in e-mail conversations exchanged over seven years between Kim Jong-nam and a Japanese journalist and obtained by the Monthly Chosun. The nearly 100 e-mails were sent from 2004 until December last year to Yoji Komi, an editor at the Tokyo Shimbun daily. The two also spoke in person in January and May last year. ◆ Oppostion to Dynastic Succession Kim Jong-nam, who was passed over...

No Electricity, No Water, No Patience By Choi Song Min [2012-01-13 18:01 ] Many of the residents of luxury apartments in Pyongyang are leaving their homes for the heated homes of relatives or other warmer locations. An inside source who visited Pyongyang at the end of last month said in a phone interview with the Daily NK today, “People previously had no supplies of water so didn't have drinking water and could not go to the bathroom without difficulty, but now that there are heating problems too the people are inevitably leaving their homes. This year, many people are locking...

The Associated Press opened its newest bureau here Monday, becoming the first international news organization with a full-time presence to cover news from North Korea in words, pictures and video. In a ceremony that came less than a month after the death of longtime ruler Kim Jong Il and capped nearly a year of discussions, AP President and CEO Tom Curley and a delegation of top AP editors inaugurated the office, situated inside the headquarters of the state-run Korean Central News Agency in downtown Pyongyang. The bureau expands the AP's presence in North Korea, building on the breakthrough in 2006...

Hardliner Kim Tae-hyo promoted in Blue House Jan 16,2012 Kim Tae-hyo President Lee Myung-bak yesterday promoted his key aide, Kim Tae-hyo, to senior secretary for national security strategy to better deal with the changes on the Korean Peninsula following the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. Kim, 45, is a well-known North Korea and security scholar from Sungkyunkwan University. Since 2004, he worked as Lee’s key strategist for foreign and security affairs. He joined the Blue House in 2008 when the Lee administration began as the presidential secretary for national security strategy. Although he is one of the youngest...

Kim Jong-nam Resurfaces in Beijing Former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's eldest son Kim Jong-nam has resurfaced in Beijing a month after his father's death. He was spotted by South Koreans including Park Seung-jun, a professor of Chinese Language and Literature at Incheon University, waiting at Terminal 3 of Beijing Capital International Airport for an Air China flight to Macau on Saturday afternoon. Kim Jong-nam was wearing a padded navy blue jacket, jeans and a light-blue baseball cap. He was alone. Witnesses spotted Kim in the Air China business lounge searching the Internet on a computer. Asked if he had...

SKorean Ship Sinks After Explosion, 3 Crewmen Die Published: January 14, 2012 SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Officials say a South Korean cargo ship has sunk after being rocked by an explosion off the country's west coast, leaving three people dead and eight others missing. Coast guard officer Ko Jae-young says 11 South Korean and five Myanmar crewmen were aboard the 419-ton ship when the explosion occurred for an unknown reason Sunday. Ko says five people were rescued and searchers are trying to locate those missing. He says the ship usually carried chemicals but was empty when it sank.

Sunday, Jan. 8, 2012 Kim's eldest son dishes dirt in upcoming book Kyodo Kim Jong Nam, the late Kim Jong Il's eldest son, provides his own frank account of North Korea's "Dear Leader" in a book that will hit stores Jan. 20, including his reluctance to let any of his sons take power, an editor at publisher Bungei Shunju Co. said. The book by Yoji Gomi, a senior staff writer for the Tokyo Shimbun daily, is based on his extensive interviews with Kim Jong Nam and email exchanges between them, the editor said Friday. In an email in January after...

2012/01/06 05:31 KST (2nd LD) U.S. unveils defense plan focusing on Asia, budget cuts By Lee Chi-dong WASHINGTON, Jan. 5 (Yonhap) -- Announcing a new defense strategy, the United States said Thursday that it will slim down its armed forces in general but they will play a bigger role in Asia in the rebalancing of firepower abroad. The Pentagon assured that it would be able to handle possible simultaneous conflicts with North Korea and Iran. "Our military will be leaner, but the world must know the United States is going to maintain our military superiority with armed forces that are...

2012/01/06 18:30 KST S. Korea dismisses rumors of nuclear explosion in N. Korea SEOUL, Jan. 6 (Yonhap) -- South Korea on Friday dismissed as groundless a rumor that a light-water reactor has exploded in North Korea's nuclear complex, sending leaked radiation to Pyongyang and as far as South Korea. The rumor cited an unidentified secret Japanese intelligence operative in the isolated communist country. The rumor quickly spread among securities firms in Yeouido, South Korea's equivalent to New York's Wall Street, through instant messenger services on Friday afternoon as ordinary citizens also tweeted messages on the allegation. South Korean officials quickly...

Where There Is No Truth, There Is No Freedom [A Czech Citizen Remembers...] By Alexandra L., intern [2012-01-05 15:04 ] “When truth is not given complete freedom, freedom is not complete." Václav Havel, the first president of the Czech Republic and a prominent figure in its struggle for democracy during the communist era, passed away on December 18th, 2011, just a day before the death of Kim Jong Il was reported. It was a coincidence that brought talk of the end of an era. “With Václav Havel left a man who had given back the Czech nation its dignity, a...

No Hats, No Scarves, No Gloves! By Lee Seok Young [2012-01-03 10:23 ] Daily NK has received information confirming the level of stage management that went into the memorial service for Kim Jong Il on December 28th in Pyongyang. A source from the city told Daily NK on January 2nd, “The day before the event sending off comrade Kim Jong Il, heads of people’s units told us that ‘comrade Kim Jong Eun will also be escorting the General’s hearse bare-handed’ and conveyed a list of important instructions.” According to the source, the authorities were intending to make sure that mourners...

North-Japan Set for “Strained” 2012 By Mok Yong Jae [2012-01-04 17:41 ] The Joint New Year’s Editorial released on the 1st did not mention Japan at all, raising the assessment that Japan will be kept far off in North Korea’s future. According to a professor with Kansai University and a North Korea expert in Japan, Lee Young Hwa, future North Korea-Japan relations will be strained. Professor Lee, speaking with Daily NK today, explained, “The main issue in North Korea-Japan relations is the ‘abductees’ problem, but for a while there will be no dialogue regarding this. North Korea will likely keep...

North Korea’s ‘Mourners’: Dehumanized By Communism Posted 12/28/2011 07:03 PM ET Totalitarianism: The world witnessed a grotesque spectacle Tuesday as millions of North Koreans mourned the death of the world's most odious dictator. It's a classic demonstration of the dehumanization of communism. In the free world, tears would never be shed for a monster like Kim Jong Il, the megalomaniac who ruled North Korea with an iron fist for 17 years, leaving a legacy of man-made famine, a network of Gulag prison camps for free thinkers, and bone-grinding poverty for workers unlike any other place on earth. But in a...

Man 'visited N. Korea to buy bogus U.S. bills' The Yomiuri Shimbun An 80-year-old Sapporo man released by North Korea after his arrest last year said he went there with two other Japanese men to obtain counterfeit U.S. currency, according to Hokkaido police. The two other men remain in custody in north Korea. The three were arrested last March for allegedly dealing in drugs. According to the man, the three received extremely realistic-looking counterfeit U.S. bills in North korea. Police believe the bills were "supernotes" in 100 dollars denominations. The police are trying to corroborate the man's story. The man...

New Year, New Kim, Same Policies By John Hemmings January 02, 2012 Kim Jong-un is too weak to expect a shift in North Korean policy. The only question is whether 2012 will be a year of provocations. Events surrounding the death of Kim Jong-il have revealed a country in transition, and an elite apparently shifting seamlessly from one ruler to another. Yet the funeral list, the promotion of Kim’s youngest son as ‘Great Successor’ and ‘Supreme Commander,’ and the political movements around Kim’s sister Kim Kyung-hee and her husband, Chang Sung-taek have underscored the shifting balance of power between the...

Kim Jong-il's Death Is a Blessing Kim Jong-il's death may be seen as having increased uncertainties in North Korea, but I think the exact opposite is true. The uncertainties in the North have stemmed primarily from Kim's self-obsession and obstinacy. North Korea's elite all seem to view reforms as the only way for the country to survive, but Kim executed anyone who dared to say so. Strained ties with South Korea are also due to the idiotic choices Kim made without going through a rational process of discussion and decision-making. As a result, his death has eliminated a measure of...

BLITZER’S BLOG: Nervous about North Korea By Wolf Blitzer, CNN Atlanta (CNN) - Even while I’m here at the CNN Election Center in Atlanta getting ready for the Iowa caucuses, I’m hearing disturbing murmurings from my national security sources in Washington about North Korea. They clearly don’t know what the new leadership in Pyongyang is going to do, but they are bracing for a possible provocation on the Korean peninsula. The U.S. fear is that the new leader, Kim Jong Un, is going to orchestrate some risky act against South Korea to create tension. The goal would be to help...

01-02-2012 18:30 Speculation rises on Kim Jong-un’s visit to China By Kim Young-jin Reports that top North Korean officials are preparing to visit China fueled speculation Monday that new leader Kim Jong-un could soon visit his country’s main ally to shore up support after the death of his father, late ruler Kim Jong-il. Multiple local reports citing sources familiar with the matter said Jang Song-thaek, Kim’s powerful uncle and Kim Yong-nam, the North’s titular head of state, were ironing out the details of a visit to meet with Beijing officials. Given their reported closeness to the Kim family, some observers...

Economic reform takes backseat in North Korea January 02, 2012 By YOSHIHIRO MAKINO / Correspondent SEOUL--A Politburo meeting may signal a change in the decision-making process in North Korea--but that's about all expected to be different in the short term under Kim Jong Un's rule. Kim has shown increased dependence on the military as he tries to secure his position as North Korea's new leader. This approach will make it difficult to reform the nation's anemic economy or implement an open-door policy that could help the people. Kim, who on Dec. 30 was named supreme commander of the military, inspected...

Kim Jong Un pins his survival on N. Korean military December 31, 2011 By YOSHIHIRO MAKINO / Correspondent SEOUL--The relationship between Kim Jong Un and the country's military appears to be unsettled, with the inexperienced North Korean leader trying to keep the generals happy while at the same time keeping them in check. In the "military-first" policy created out of fear by his father and former leader Kim Jong Il, the military exerts great influence over the country's civilian leadership. On Dec. 30, the National Defense Commission announced that Pyongyang will maintain its hard-line policies. A South Korean government official...

... Kim Jong-nam, 40, flew to Pyongyang from the Chinese territory of Macau, where he mainly lives, on December 17 after learning about his father's death that day, Yomiuri said. He left after "a few days" and was now in Macau, the report said. Using a passport under the false identify of Kim Chol, he avoided a flight via Beijing which might have given more exposure to his return home, the daily said quoting a source connected to North Korea.

Who is the real Kim Jong-un? Diplomats fret over North Korea's portly new leader and party officials fear a purge North Korea's new leader, Kim Jong-un, is a frightening unknown quantity in charge of a dangerously militarised state. Even his top officials fear a savage purge of their ranks. By Malcolm Moore, Shanghai 6:35PM GMT 31 Dec 2011 Officially aged 29, but probably only 26 or 27, Kim Jong-un is the youngest man in history with the power to launch a nuclear weapon. But the man who appears to have smoothly risen to become North Korea's "Supreme Military Commander", the...

Police to probe Czech communist party leader’s condolences to North Korea 28-12-2011 16:11 | Jan Richter The Czech police will investigate whether the Czech communist party leader broke the law when he sent condolences on the death of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il. In his letter, Czech communist party chair Vojtěch Filip said, among other things, that the late North Korean dictator sacrificed himself for the well-being of his people. Thousands of people lined the streets of the North Korean capital Pyongyang on Wednesday to salute their late leader Kim Jong-Il who passed away earlier this month. It was...

The Signs Are Bad, and Time Is Short By The Daily NK [2011-12-30 09:52 ] On Thursday, ten days of mourning for Kim Jong Il was wound up. Internally, there have been no signs of anything out of the ordinary since Kim’s sudden death was announced on December 19th. In content and style, the mourning process was very similar to that of Kim Il Sung, up to and including the wailing mourners. Although international observers have long held concerns about the new leader, twenty-something year old Kim Jong Eun, the North Korean authorities have not taken long to proclaim him...

N. Korea to issue gold, silver coins in honor of late leader 2011-12-31 10:37 North Korea said Saturday it will issue gold and silver coins to mark the 20th anniversary of late leader Kim Jong-il's ascension to the supreme commander of the communist nation's armed forces. Pyongyang's Korean Central News Agency made the announcement minutes after Kim's successor son, Jong-un, took over the supreme commandership in a strong sign that the young son, believed to be in his late 20s, is rapidly solidifying power. The commandership is one of the titles that the late leader held before his death on...

<p>One of the Libyan rebels who captured and then killed Libyan ruler Muammar el-Qaddafi was seen wearing a Yankees hat in one of the disturbing videos of the event.</p> <p>Meanwhile, The New York Times has reported on the unhappy local phenomenon in which any number of crime suspects have a Yankees cap as part of their garb. And now, remarkably, in a video posted to YouTube, a North Korean youngster can be seen wearing a Yankees knit hat, with the telltale NY logo, as he takes part in the orchestrated mourning for Kim Jong-il, the country’s cultish leader, who died on Dec. 17.</p>

Link is to Japanese from original South Korean source. First, and turning prematurely green, an obligatory picture of assailant (patent liar of the evening Korean Central TV out of Pyongyang for many years), tasked with emotionally reporting specifically on Kim Jong il, missile launches, underground nuke tests, heightened military alerts and the like, and now -- conceivably, on issues relating to Kim Jong Un. Secondly, her recent five-star performance wearing black mourning Korean "hanbok", telling the world that the Beloved Dear Chia Pet was no longer with us--a real tear jerker /sarc.

Report: Eldest son of Kim Jong Il in China Published: Dec. 27, 2011 at 8:21 AM PYONGYANG, North Korea, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- China is giving protection to the eldest son of North Korea's departed leader Kim Jong Il, a source told South Korea's Yonhap News Agency. Kim Jong Nam reached China recently as North Korean authorities prepared for Wednesday's state funeral of his father, who died Dec. 17, the report said. Kim Jong Nam arrived in Beijing from the Macau and was "been placed under the Chinese protection," the source, described as being familiar with the son's activities, told...

/begin my translation [Kim Jong-il's Death] Japanese Female Magician "Not to Attend the N. Korean Funeral" 2011-12-27 09:31:00 A female Japanese magician, who was a close acquaintance of N. Korean leader Kim Jong-il, decided not to attend his funeral, her agent conveyed on Dec. 26. In a statement, the magician Princess Tenko(天功, age:51) said, "Considering all circumstances, I decided not to attend the public event." N. Korea invited her to Kim's funeral which is to be held on Dec. 28. Tenko, a world-renowned female magician, was invited by N. Korea to perform in 1998 and 2000, and also attended Kim...

`NK commander who led Cheonan-Yeonpyeong attacks fired` DECEMBER 27, 2011 07:21 Kim Kyuk Sik (photo), commander of the 4th Corps of the Chosun People`s army, appears to have been fired, sources said Monday. He is known to be one of those who initiated last year`s attacks on the South Korean naval vessel Cheonan and Yeonpyeong Island. A source said, “Kim must have been dismissed given all of the circumstances up to now." Another source said, “It seems that Kim has not yet been promoted at least." Kim was not on the list of the funeral committee for Kim Jong Il...

N.Korea Says Kim Jong-il Was Alive Until the Night of Dec. 16 Kim Jong-il was alive signing official documents until the night of Friday, Dec. 16, North Korea's official Rodong Sinmun daily claimed Sunday. "At the late hour of 9:13 p.m., one worker received a document signed by the general." The daily added Kim foresaw problems in the distribution of herring and pollack to Pyongyang residents to celebrate the New Year and signed the document to ease obstacles. It is unusual for the official media to go into such detail, suggesting that the paper was indirectly trying to counter suspicions...

Who Is in Charge of N.Korea's Nuclear Weapons? New North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is taking control of the renegade country's nuclear weapons, Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin told the National Assembly's Defense Committee last Tuesday. "It also seems that Kim Jong-un has the final say on nuclear weapons considering that the power is being handed over to him now," he added. Kim Jong-un is vice chairman of the Workers Party's Central Military Commission, which now commands the military. A South Korean intelligence officer said the North Korean military attaches the greatest importance to the nuclear arms, and Kim Jong-un is...

Purges 'Ensure Kim Jong-un's Succession' A series of executions and unexplained deaths since North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's son Jong-un was anointed heir to the throne in January 2009 were apparently meant to remove obstacles to the transition. Kim senior instituted several bloody purges to ensure his iron grip on power since he officially took over from his own father in 1994. The most prominent example is perhaps the death of Ri Je-gang, a former senior deputy director of the Organization and Guidance Department and a close aide to Kim Jong-il who oversaw key military appointments for more than two...