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UK Intel Sends UN Photos of North Korean Arms Shipments to Russia
North Korea's Kim Jong-il Dead at 69
"Dear Leader" dies ater massive heart attack, reports say, prompting national mourning in secretive communist nation. 19 Dec 2011 04:34 Al Jazeera http://www.aljazeera.com/mritems/Ima...2650734_20.jpg North Korean leader Kim Jong-il (C) and his son Kim Jong-un visit a factory [Reuters] Kim Jong-il, the leader of North Korea, has died at the age of 69 after suffering a heart attack, North Korean state media has announced. Kim, known in the communist country as the "Dear Leader", died on Saturday aboard a train during a trip out of Pyongyang, a tearful presenter for the official KCNA news agency said on Monday. An autopsy was performed on Sunday, and the North declared a period of national mourning from December 17 to 29. KCNA said that Kim's funeral would take place on December 28. The announcement of Kim's death prompted South Korea to place its military on emergency alert, while shares on the stock market in Seoul fell nearly five per cent amid uncertainty over the stability of the secretive nuclear-armed nation. South Korea's presidential Blue House called an emergency national security council meeting, and the country's central bank and market regulators also announced emergency meetings. Kim Jong-il last year appointed his third son, Kim Jong-un, to a number of high-ranking posts in moves seen as positioning Kim Jong-un as his assumed successor after years of speculation about the elder Kim's fading health. Reclusive 'dear leader' Kim is believed to have suffered a stroke in 2008 but appeared relatively vigorous in photos and video from recent trips to China and Russia and in numerous trips around the country carefully documented by state media. But the leader, reputed to have had a taste for cigars, cognac and gourmet cuisine, was believed to have had diabetes and heart disease. "Just a couple of days ago, it was publicised that he was visiting a military installation," Don Kirk of the Christian Science Monitor told Al Jazeera. "Obviously there will be a long period of pubilc mourning in the country, but the sense is that at least he organised his succession with [his son] Kim Jong-un taking over." "The country looks stable, but whether it will remain stable is not clear," he said. Kim took power in 1994 upon the death of his father, Kim Il-sung, who had led North Korea since the Korean Peninsular was split in half by the Korean War. Although the two sides signed a ceasefire in 1953 they remain technically at war. Pyongyang is due to celebrate the milestone 100th birthday of Kim Il-sung, who is known as the "Eternal Leader, in April 2012. END "Eternal Leader"??? well lets hope he enjoys his time with his brother, El Diablo. The flames of hell burn eternally! This cruel sadist starved so many of his people to death Lets hope if his son takes over he is a kinder and better leader Related N Korean Children Suffer From Food Crisis Floods and diplomatic battles result in one-third of children under five being malnourished. n a hospital in Pyongyang, doctors monitor a group of weak infants, some of whom are already showing signs of malnutrition and sickness. They are the most vulnerable members of a population suffering from extreme food shortages. According to the United Nations, one third of all children under the age of five in North Korea are malnourished, and other countries have become less interested in donating food as the "hermit kingdom" battles efforts to constrain its nuclear program. The UN World Food Programme says public distributions are running extremely low, and they are only able to help half the people who need aid. Meanwhile, the countries rulers stage outsized military parades, and some wonder whether food donations are being siphoned off to them. North Korea recently granted a Reuters news crew access to the country, and Al Jazeera'a Khadija Magardie reports on the plight they found. END These eye-opening documentaries show some of the 200,000 starving children/orphans in North Korea and the brutal torture of men women and children in the camps (denied by the Government exist) WARNING Very upsetting . |
PhOtOs-North Korea Ups Nuclear/Missile Action+Torture Camps
Google Maps North Korea–Including Gulag
Searchenginewatch, Danny Goodwin, 2 Feb 2013 With the assistance of locals, Google has updated its Maps service to fill in many of the blanks of North Korea's most remote locations, providing a more detailed picture of the country. "Creating maps is a crucial first step towards helping people access more information about parts of the world that are unfamiliar to them," wrote Jayanth Mysore, senior product manager at Google Map Maker Mysore, on Google Lat Long. "While many people around the globe are fascinated with North Korea, these maps are especially important for the citizens of South Korea who have ancestral connections or still have family living there." You can see the difference in the before and after pictures here: http://cms.searchenginewatch.com/IMG...png?1359454299 http://cms.searchenginewatch.com/IMG...png?1359454387 One thing North Korean definitely won't be happy about is the appearance of gulags – or forced prison camps – on Google's new maps. As Buzzfeed pointed out, the political prison labor camp Kwan-li-so (also known as "Camp 22") is labeled as a gulag and here's what you'll see if you search for "concentration camp, north korea]: http://cms.searchenginewatch.com/IMG...png?1359606383 The presence of the gulags has inspired some very dark humor in the form of reviews on a Google+ Local page that rate the quality of the concentration camp as if it were a hotel. There are 64 reviews as of this writing – though some are people chastising those who are making the spoof reviews. Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt recently visited North Korea and implored the country to soften its stance on limited Internet access. "As the world becomes increasingly connected, their decision to be virtually isolated is very much going to affect their physical world, their economic growth and so forth, and it will make it harder for them to catch up economically. We made that alternative very clear," he said, according to the Guardian UK. "Once the Internet starts, citizens in a country can certainly build on top of it, but the government has to do something. They have to make it possible for people to use the internet, which the government in North Korea has not yet done. It's their choice now, and in my view it's time now for them to start or they will remain behind." |
South Korea, US Sign New Military Contingency Plan in Case of Future North Korean Att
Published March 25, 2013
Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea – South Korea and the United States have signed a new military plan that lays out how the allies will communicate with each other and react to any future North Korean aggression. The signing comes amid North Korean threats to attack the allies over their joint military drills and recent punishing U.N. sanctions aimed at Pyongyang's latest nuclear test. Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday that the plan is designed to counter a future limited attack by North Korea, but details weren't released. Work on the plan began after a North Korean artillery attack on a South Korean island in 2010 killed four. The allies also have a separate plan in the case of a full-blown war on the Korean Peninsula. There are 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea. |
N Korea Prepares Missiles to 'Settle Acts' with US.
China & Russia Issue Warnings to "Cool Things"
BBC News,29 March 2013 North Korea Tensions: Russia's Lavrov Fears 'Spiral' http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/image...17620420-1.jpg Kim Jong-un signed an order putting rockets on stand-by after meeting generals Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned of a "vicious circle" and told all sides to avoid unilateral action. On Thursday, the North threatened to "settle accounts" and said it had put missiles on stand-by to hit the US. The US, which flew stealth bombers over South Korea this month, condemned the North's "bellicose rhetoric". White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the rhetoric only deepened North Korea's isolation. North Korean state media reported leader Kim Jong-un "judged the time has come to settle accounts with the US imperialists". He was said to have condemned US B-2 bomber sorties over South Korea as a "reckless phase" that represented an "ultimatum that they will ignite a nuclear war at any cost on the Korean Peninsula". US mainland and bases in Hawaii, Guam and South Korea were all named as potential targets. North Korea's most advanced missiles are thought to be able to reach Alaska, but not the rest of the US mainland. 'Increasing military activity' State media in the North showed thousands of soldiers and students at a mass rally in Pyongyang supporting of Kim Jong-un's announcement. China, North Korea's biggest trading partner, immediately reiterated its call for all sides to ease tensions. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a daily news conference that "joint efforts" should be made to turn around a "tense situation". He made similar remarks on Tuesday. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov went further, voicing concern that "we may simply let the situation slip out of our control and it will slide into a spiral of a vicious circle". "We are concerned that... unilateral action is being taken around North Korea that is increasing military activity," he said. In an earlier statement, the US military said that the B-2 stealth bombers demonstrated America's ability to "provide extended deterrence" to its allies and conduct "long-range, precision strikes quickly and at will". "The North Koreans have to understand that what they're doing is very dangerous," US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel told reporters on Thursday. "We must make clear that these provocations by the North are taken by us very seriously and we'll respond to that." The US had already flown nuclear-capable B-52 bombers over South Korea earlier this month, in what it called a response to escalating North Korean threats. Tensions in the Korean peninsula have been high since North Korea's third nuclear test on 12 February, which led to the imposition of fresh sanctions. North Korea has made multiple threats against both the US and South Korea in recent weeks, including warning of a "pre-emptive nuclear strike" on the US and the scrapping of the Korean War armistice. While North Korea has issued many threats against the US and South Korea in the past, this level of sustained rhetoric is rare, observers say. On 16 March, North Korea warned of attacks against South Korea's border islands, and advised residents to leave the islands. In 2010 it shelled South Korea's Yeonpyeong island, causing four deaths. On Wednesday, Pyongyang also cut a military hotline with the South - the last direct official link between the two nations. A Red Cross hotline and another line used to communicate with the UN Command at Panmunjom have already been cut, although an inter-Korean air-traffic hotline still exists. The jointly run Kaesong industrial park is still in operation. http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/image...a_ranges_2.jpg Timeline: Korean Tensions
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Re: N Korea Prepares Missiles to 'Settle Acts' with US.
Analysis
Charles Scanlon BBC News Bluff has long played a fundamental role in North Korean strategy. The regime in Pyongyang needs its much more powerful neighbours and antagonists to take its threats seriously. By threatening potential chaos and war in the heart of the world's most dynamic economic region, it has in the past been able to transcend its own weakness and extract diplomatic concessions. But the United States may be about to call North Korea's bluff. The US treasury department is taking steps to squeeze North Korea financially, and the Pentagon has flown B-52 and B-2 bombers over the Korean peninsula - moves that are guaranteed to provoke a hostile reaction. Washington's tough stance presents Kim Jong-un with a dilemma. He wants to show his generals and the North Korean people that he can force concessions from the United States - in the same style as his father and grandfather. He could now be tempted to take brinkmanship to a new level, to try to convince the US and the region that confrontation does not work and carries too many risks. . |
Re: N Korea Prepares Missiles to 'Settle Acts' with US.
I don't think they can hit US with missiles...But South Korea........Wait and see
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Re: N Korea Prepares Missiles to 'Settle Acts' with US.
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If both China & Russia have stepped up to calm things down, I think there must be cause for concern,,,, they know more than we do about what N Korea has. They might also start hitting US bases, even if their missiles cant reach the US mainland. Gee you get rid of a couple of mad dictators, but there are still some out there, that dont care about what damage they do to the world or their own people. The world has gone mad over the last few years, for goodness sake why cant we all live in peace Buckmark. . |
Re: N Korea Prepares Missiles to 'Settle Acts' with US.
N Korea are sorting out the young boys that do well in maths at the age of 10 and start teaching them about PC programers, then send them to the US to a uni to learn more to bring them back as trained hackers to get into the US and China and wherever else to take controll of the other countries nucs!?
But I wish the US would P off out of Australia and leave us alone and fight there own battles, instead of involving us! |
Re: N Korea Prepares Missiles to 'Settle Acts' with US.
pop.....
Chinas milatary has been hacking US for a long time now...... Quote:
I'm just praying this isn't the start of nuclear war |
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U.S. Moves Warship, Sea-Based Radar to Watch North Korea
http://ts4.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.50213...h=155&c=7&rs=1
US Sea-Based Radar Platform Seoul, South Korea (CNN) -- The U.S. Navy is moving a warship and a sea-based radar platform closer to the North Korean coast in order to monitor that country's military moves, including possible new missile launches, a Defense Department official said Monday. The decision to move at least one ship, the destroyer USS John S. McCain, and the oil rig-like SBX-1 are the first of what may be other naval deployments, CNN has learned. They follow weeks of belligerent rhetoric from North Korea, including threats to use nuclear weapons. The United States and South Korea have gone ahead with joint military exercises despite the threats, and South Korea warned Monday that any provocative moves from North Korea would trigger a strong response "without any political considerations." The United States has bolstered the exercises with shows of force that included overflights by nuclear-capable B-2 stealth bombers, massive Cold War-era B-52s and F-22 Raptor stealth fighters. "If there is any provocation against South Korea and its people, there should be a strong response in initial combat without any political considerations," South Korean President Park Geun-hye said at a meeting with senior defense and security officials, according to her office. Her comments came after North Korea rattled off fresh volleys of bombastic rhetoric over the weekend, declaring that it had entered a "state of war" with the South and labeling the U.S. mainland a "boiled pumpkin," vulnerable to attack. The two Koreas are technically still at war after their conflict in the early 1950s ended in a truce not a peace treaty. The secretive regime of Kim Jong Un has delivered a steady stream of verbal attacks against South Korea and the United States in recent weeks, including the threat of a nuclear strike. It has lashed out at the U.S.-South Korean military drills currently under way and at the tougher U.N. sanctions that were slapped on it after its latest nuclear test in February. On Monday, Pentagon spokesman George Little warned against connecting the ship deployment to recent tensions on the Korean Peninsula. "I would urge everyone to disconnect this ship deployment from recent military exercises in South Korea. We have regular ship movements in the Asia-Pacific region and we use our ship movements for any number of purposes," he told CNN's Christiane Amanpour. Analysts have expressed heavy skepticism that the North has the military capabilities to follow through on many of its melodramatic threats. But concerns remain that it could carry out a localized attack on South Korea, as it did in November 2010 when it shelled Yeongpyeong Island, killing four people. The United States has sought to show its willingness to defend its South Korean ally by drawing attention to displays of its military strength during the drills taking place in South Korea. Washington's recent announcements concerning practice flights over South Korea by B-52 bombers and B-2 stealth bombers, both of which can carry both conventional and nuclear weapons, have not been lost on Pyongyang, which has described them as acts of U.S. hostility. There was no immediate reaction on North Korean state media Monday to the U.S. statement saying the stealth fighters, F-22 Raptors, were sent to the main U.S. Air Force Base in South Korea to support air drills in the annual Foal Eagle training exercises there. U.S. and South Korean officials have been trying to strike a balance between acknowledging that the North's rhetoric is cause for concern and at the same time playing down the severity of the threat. Park said Monday that she was "viewing the threat from North Korea in a serious manner." But a senior U.S. Defense Department official said late last week that there were "no indications at this point that it's anything more than warmongering rhetoric." And Little, the Pentagon spokesman said Monday that recent U.S. activities with South Korea "have been about alliance assurance, about ensuring them that we are there to protect them." "We haven't seen any kind of troop movements on the North Korean side that would indicate imminent military action. So we think that things may be dialing down just a bit on the Korean Peninsula, at least we hope so," he said. South Korea has noted that scores of its workers have continued in recent days to enter and leave the Kaesong Industrial Complex, a joint economic cooperation zone between the two Koreas situated on the North's side of the border. That is despite Pyongyang cutting a key military hotline on the border and threatening to shut down the complex. Moscow and Beijing call for calm The heightened tensions have prompted North Korea's traditional allies, China and Russia, to urge the different sides to keep a lid on the situation. "Moscow expects all parties to exercise as much responsibility and restraint as possible in light of North Korea's latest statements," the Russian foreign ministry said Saturday according to Russian state broadcaster Russia Today. China, which expressed frustration over Pyongyang's most recent nuclear test, also called for calm. "We hope relevant parties can work together to turn around the tense situation in the region," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Friday, describing peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula as "a joint responsibility." But the coming weeks appear laced with potential for more bouts of saber-rattling. North Korean delegates are currently gathered in Pyongyang for the Supreme People's Assembly, the country's rubber stamp parliament. And April 15 is the anniversary of the birth of Kim Il Sung, the nation's founder and the grandfather of Kim Jong Un. That day, the biggest national holiday in North Korea, is usually marked by large-scale parades. Meanwhile, the U.S.-South Korean military exercises that have already stirred so much ire from the North are due to continue until the end of the month. Some analysts have noted that Pyongyang has carried out some sort of military provocation within weeks of every South Korean presidential inauguration. Park, the current president, took office on February 25, five weeks ago. "You can't put it past them the idea that they are ... trying to establish a new equilibrium in which they are accepted as a nuclear weapons state," Victor Cha, former director of Asian affairs for the U.S. National Security Council and now a Georgetown University professor, said about North Korea. |
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North Korea Test-Fires 18 Short-Range Rockets, South Korean Officials Say
Published March 16, 2014
Associated Press
SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea fired 18 short-range rockets into the sea off its east coast Sunday, South Korean officials said, in an apparent continuation of protests against ongoing U.S.-South Korean military drills. Such short-range rocket tests are usually considered routine, as opposed to North Korean long-range rocket or nuclear tests, which are internationally condemned as provocations. North Korea has conducted a string of similar short-range launches in recent weeks that have coincided with the annual military drills by allies Washington and Seoul. North Korea says the drills are preparation for an invasion. The allies say the exercises, which last year prompted North Korean threats of nuclear war against the South and the United States, are routine and defensive in nature. Outside analysts say the North is taking a softer stance toward the U.S.-South Korean military drills this year because it wants better ties with the outside world to revive its struggling economy. North Korea's weeks-long tirade of war rhetoric against Washington and Seoul last spring followed international condemnation of its third nuclear test, in February 2013. South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said the type of rockets North Korea launched Sunday wasn't yet clear. Earlier this month, Seoul said a North Korean artillery launch happened minutes before a Chinese commercial plane reportedly carrying 202 people flew in the same area. Pyongyang has said that its recent rocket drills are part of regular training and are mindful of international navigation. The Korean Peninsula remains officially at war because the Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. |
PhOtOs-North Korea Ups Nuclear Action
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North Korea Cranks up Tensions with its Neighbour with a Provocative Live-Fire Drill near Disputed South Korean Border
North Korea has angered the south after announcing plans to launch a live-fire drill near the countries' disputed western sea boundary. Kim Min-seok, South Korean defence ministry spokesman, said military officials will closely monitor the drills. Both North Korea and South Korea regularly conduct artillery drills in the Yellow Sea. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...58_634x430.jpg North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (centre) inspecting a shelling drill of a long-range artillery sub-unit this week http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...19_634x421.jpg North Korea has angered the south after announcing it plans a more live-fire drills 'Our military is fully prepared,' said. Kim Min-Seok said after Pyongyang notified Seoul of its proposed drill. 'If any shell lands on our side of the border, South Korea will respond strongly.' North Korea disputes the so-called Northern Limit Line drawn close to its shores at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. North Korea says it should run further south. Tensions between the two nations have been mounting after North Korea carried out a similar drill on March 31 during which a number of shells dropped into South Korean waters. The drill prompted the two rivals to trade hundreds of rounds of live artillery fire. Earlier this year there was a period of easing tensions which saw emotional family reunions between the divided Koreans. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...09_636x358.jpg
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...14_634x427.jpg Tensions between the two nations has been rising after North Korea carried out a similar drill on March 31 Meanwhile, South Korea has expressed outrage over an attack on its president by the North Korean government that likened her to a prostitute. The tirade against Park Geun-hye far exceeded even the North's often strident standards. The statement issued by the North's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea expressed anger over U.S. president Barack Obama's visit to Seoul last week. It said Ms Park was like a 'despicable prostitute' with Mr Obama as her pimp. The North's officials and state-run media frequently use inflammatory rhetoric. They have called past South Korean presidents dogs, but have shown a particular penchant for insulting Ms Park with slurs. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...40_306x423.jpg South Korea's president Park Geun-hye was likened to a 'prostitute' by the North Korean government 'She thus laid bare her despicable true colours as a wicked sycophant and traitor, a dirty comfort woman for the U.S. and despicable prostitute selling off the nation,' the statement said. It was carried by the North's state-run media on Sunday and broadcast on nationwide television today. In a statement of its own, South Korea's Unification Ministry strongly criticised the comments, saying they were immoral and contained words that were unacceptable. It also noted North Korea just two months ago called for both Koreas to stop slandering each other. At a joint news conference with Ms Park, Mr Obama said it may be time to consider further sanctions against North Korea 'that have even more bite'. South Korean officials have warned the North could be preparing for its fourth nuclear test. Ms Park said the North is 'fully ready now' to conduct another nuclear test. 'Obama's visit to South Korea sends a strong message to North Korea that its provocative acts cannot be tolerated,' she said. The North's barrage against Ms Park was particularly ill-timed as it comes as her government is dealing with the tragedy of a ferry sinking that has left hundreds dead or missing. The statement slammed Mr Obama for going to Seoul at such a time saying he should have postponed or shelved his trip. END RELATED: http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...43_290x163.jpg As tensions escalate on the Korean Penninsular with North Korea warning foreigners to leave South Korea and avoid being dragged into "thermonuclear war", a former North Korean spy, Kim Hyun-Hee, told the Australian Press CLICK HERE for full story and to WATCH VIDEO~;Former spy says Kim Jong-Un is 'struggling' to win military's loyalty . |
North Korea Put 2 US Tourists on Trial
North Korea Preparing to Try 2 American Tourists
TOKYO (AP) 30 June 2014 — http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/image...3_75339866.jpg North Korea has arrested US nationals in the past, freeing them after visits from senior officials North Korea says it will put two detained US men on trial, accusing them of "committing hostile acts". Matthew Miller and Jeffrey Fowle had been investigated and would be brought before a court, the state news agency KCNA reported. It said that suspicions about the two men had been confirmed by evidence and the pair's own statements, but gave no further details. A US-Korean missionary, Kenneth Bae, is currently serving a 15-year sentence. He was arrested in November 2012 and later convicted of trying to overthrow the North Korean government. US attempts to secure his release have so far proved unsuccessful, despite fears over his health. Though a small number of U.S. citizens visit North Korea each year as tourists, the State Department strongly advises against it. Investigations into Americans Matthew Todd Miller and Jeffrey Edward Fowle concluded that suspicions about their hostile acts have been confirmed by evidence and their testimonies, Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency said in a short report. KCNA said North Korea is making preparations to bring them before a court. It did not specify what the two did that was considered hostile or illegal, or what kind of punishment they might face. It also did not say when the trial would begin. http://a57.foxnews.com/global.fncsta....jpg?ve=1&tl=1 June 9, 2014: This photo shows Jeffrey Fowle, one of two American tourists detained by North Korea authorities earlier this year (Reuters/City of Moraine) Fowle arrived in the county on April 29. North Korea's state media said in June that authorities were investigating him for committing acts inconsistent with the purpose of a tourist visit. Diplomatic sources said Fowle was detained for leaving a Bible in his hotel room. But a spokesman for Fowle's family said the 56-year-old from Miamisburg, Ohio, was not on a mission for his church. His wife and three children, ages 9, 10, and 12, said they miss him very much and "are anxious for his return home," according to a statement after his detention that was provided by a spokesman for the family. "It's devastating," Sergei Luzginov, a Fowle family friend who lives in North Port, Florida, said Monday. "We are praying for him. ... He loves his kids and he was very protective of his family, and it's going to be tough for them to survive without Jeff if he's going to be sentenced for a long time." Luzginov said he met the Fowle family in 2007 in Lebanon, Ohio's Russian immigrant community. Both Luzginov and Fowle's wife, Tatyana Fowle, 40, are Russian immigrants. Fowle works in a city streets department. Luzginov said Fowle's family and friends are trying to be optimistic about the outcome of the case, "but at the same time, you know the track record that's the (North) Korean government." North Korea has also been separately holding Korean-American missionary Kenneth Bae since November 2012. He was convicted by a North Korean court and is serving 15 years of hard labor, also for what the North says were hostile acts against the state. The latest arrests present a conundrum for Washington, which has no diplomatic ties with the North and no embassy in Pyongyang. Instead, the Swedish Embassy takes responsibility for U.S. consular affairs in the North. State Department officials say they cannot release details about the cases because they need a privacy waiver to do so. Pyongyang has been strongly pushing tourism lately in an effort to bring in foreign cash. The tourism push has been directed at Chinese, who by far are the most common visitors to the North, but the still small number of Western tourists to North Korea has been growing. Despite its efforts to bring in more tourists, the North remains highly sensitive to any actions it considers political and is particularly wary of anything it deems to be Christian proselytizing. Matthew Todd Miller was detained on 10 April, KCNA reported. KCNA said Miller, 24, entered the country April 10 with a tourist visa, but tore it up at the airport and shouted that he wanted to seek asylum, and that he had "come to the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] after choosing it as a shelter".. A large number of Western tourists visited Pyongyang in April to run in the annual Pyongyang Marathon or attend related events. Miller came at that time, but tour organizers say he was not planning to join the marathon. After Miller's detention, Washington updated its travel warning to the North to note that over the past 18 months, "North Korea detained several U.S. citizens who were part of organized tours. Do not assume that joining a group tour or use of a tour guide will prevent your arrest or detention by North Korean authorities." It added that efforts by private tour operators to prevent or resolve past detentions of U.S. citizens have not succeeded in gaining their release. The Korean Peninsula is still in a technical state of war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea. |
PhOtOs-N.Korea-Kim Jong-un Reappears in Public
Has Kim Jong-Un Lost Control of North Korea? Pyongyang is on Lockdown and Nation's Former Intelligence Officer says Kim has ALREADY Been Overthrown
A former North Korean counter-intelligence officer has claimed that Kim Jong-Un is no longer in control of the nation and is now just a 'puppet leader'. Jang Jin-sung, who used to be an influential officer in Kim Jong-il's propaganda division, made the sensational assertion at a September conference in Holland attended by several elite exiles, it's been reported. The capital, Pyongyang, meanwhile, has been placed into lockdown with even the elite banned from entering or leaving, according to a respected news site. This adds weight to Jin-sung's claim, as a North Korean expert said that this kind of measure is only put in place when a coup has taken place - or is suspected. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...ader_Kim_J.jpg A former North Korean counter-intelligence officer has claimed that Kim Jong-Un is no longer in control of the nation http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...hursday_Ju.jpg Jang Jin-sung, who used to be an influential officer in Kim Jong-il's propaganda division, said Kim Jong-Un was actually overthrown in 2013 Jin-sung said that Kim Jong-Un was actually overthrown in 2013 and that the political strings in North Korea are being pulled by the powerful Organization and Guidance Department (OGD), which used to report directly to Kim Jong-il, Kim Jong-Un's father. North Korea is currently embroiled in a sort of civil war, he said in his speech. Some officials want to keep the communist status quo, he said, others are open to elements of capitalism being introduced. He told Vice News: 'On one hand, it's people who want to maintain a regime monopoly. On the other hand, it's not like people are fighting against the regime, but in a policy sense they want to take advantage to get influence. It's not actually consciously civil war, but there are these two incompatible forces at play.' Remco Breuker, a professor of Korean Studies at Leiden University in the Netherlands, which hosted the conference, backs-up Jin-sung's statements. He told the news site: 'The real power resides within that one department, the OGD, that was groomed to bureaucratic perfection by Kim Jong-il. It serves him [Kim Jong-Un], but it more serves the legacy of Kim Jong-il. Those don't always coincide.' Jin-sung believes that the current North Korean regime will collapse in the near future and that Kim Jong-Un could be replaced by one of his brothers, either Kim Jong-nam, 43, or Kim Jong-chul, 33. Toshimitsu Shigemura, a professor at Tokyo's Waseda University and an authority on North Korean affairs, told The Telegraph that the current lockdown in the capital - revealed by the New Focus International news web site this week - could mean that the regime has become dangerously unstable. He said: 'This sort of action suggests there has either been an attempted coup or that the authorities there have uncovered some sort of plot against the leadership. 'If it is a military-backed coup, then the situation in Pyongyang will be very dangerous and I have heard reports that Kim has been moved out of the capital.' State media acknowledged for the first time last month that Kim Jong-Un, who assumed power in North Korea when his father died in 2011, was suffering from 'discomfort' due to unspecified health reasons, prompting speculation over what ails him. North Korea, founded by the young Kim's grandfather when a post-Japanese colonised Korean peninsula was divided into North and South in 1945, is a hereditary dictatorship - making the health of its leaders an especially sensitive subject. Kim, who is 31 and frequently the centrepiece of the state propaganda machine, has not been photographed by official media since appearing at a concert alongside his wife on September 3. Footage from an event with key officials in July showed him walking with a limp: http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...012_image_.jpg Hungry, sir? Kim Jong-un inspects a dining room at Seoul Ryu Kyong Su 105 Guards Tank Division of the Korean People's Army in North Korea http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...d_by_North.jpg Obese Kim is believed to have sprained then fractured his ankles during a gruelling tour of military bases and factories in shoes with Cuban heels to give him a little more height. He is pictured walking surrounded by weeping members of the Korean Children's Union It was reported that he has piled on so much weight that he has fractured both his ankles and remains in hospital after an operation. The leader of the impoverished nation is estimated to have ballooned to 20 stone as a result of fine wining and dining - putting enormous pressure on his feet and legs. A source who has recently returned to the South Korean capital, Seoul, from the North said Kim is still in hospital under guard from his personal protection team. Obese Kim is believed to have sprained then fractured his ankles during a gruelling tour of military bases and factories in shoes with Cuban heels to give him a little more height and a physical appearance of more authority. The leader got a taste for Swiss cheese while a student in Switzerland - and is understood to love it so much that he imports vast quantities, despite Western sanctions. 'He has become noticeably overweight since he came to power,' said the un-named intelligence official. This is not the first time Kim Jong Un has been missing from public view. For most of June 2012, six months after coming to power, state media failed to report on or photograph him for 23 days. He resurfaced the next month at a dolphinarium. |
re: PhOtOs-N.Korea-Kim Jong-un Reappears in Public
'I Broke my Ankle Dunking Michael Jordan!': SNL Takes Aim at Kim Jong-un's Mysterious Disappearance
-Amid Rumors Dictator Has Been Deposed by his Sister
Daily Mail UK, 12 October 2014 Speculation is rife over the whereabouts of Kim Jong-un who was last seen on September 3, overweight and limping. Now, the US's Saturday Night has taken aim at the North Korean dictator's mysterious disappearance. Offering a possible reason, the cast mocks his claims that he is still in power but just 'hurt his leg' - and his bizarre fascination with basketball. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...RK_Saturda.jpg Fighting fit? Bobby Moynihan portrays Kim Jong-un as crippled in a skit about the leader's disappearance http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...E_An_undat.jpg Missing? The North Korean dictator was last seen limping and larger than usual on September 3 Bobby Moynihan, playing Kim, screams at a room full of soldiers: 'I broke my ankle dunking Michael Jordan! The movie Space Jam is about me, we all know that!' The dictator harbors an infamous friendship with former NBA All-Star Dennis Rodman, and has invested millions in North Korea's national team. In January, Rodman brought a roster of former NBA All-Stars, including Kenny Anderson, Vin Baker and Cliff Robinson, to the reclusive state to play in a tournament. Former Knick Charles Smith also attended. Limping and groaning in pain, an apparent Kim, played by Bobby Moynihan, hurls abuse at his soldiers who tell him to be more assertive. 'It's just that we're worried,' they tentatively tell him. 'Why am I hearing these ridiculous rumors? That I am diabetic? Ha! That I have the gout? Ridiculous. That I have eaten too much imported cheese! Who dares question me?' They suggest: 'But general, you're limping.' http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...RK_Saturda.jpg Bizarre: The cast of SNL mocked the dictator's fascination with basketball in the sketch Infuriated, he heaves himself across the palatial room in agony and retorts that he was playing basketball. Later on in the episode, Michael Che posing as a news anchor told viewers: 'My money's on more of a Winnie The Pooh situation' - with a picture of Kim seemingly too large to pull himself out of a tree hole. Kim's absence comes as speculation mounts that his sister, Kim Yo-jong, 24, who is Deputy Director of the Workers' Party, has taken over the leadership while her brother recovers from a leg injury. The 31-year-old hasn't been seen in public since September 3. He had been walking with a limp and was more overweight than usual in images that aired before that. An official documentary from late last month described him as dealing with 'discomfort', which led to international speculation that he may be ill. In Seoul, Unification Ministry spokesman Lim Byeong Cheol said that Kim appears to still be in charge of key affairs. He noted that a high-level North Korean delegation conveyed a greetings message to South Korean President Park Geun-hye during their surprise visit to South Korea last week. State media, later reported Kim was suffering from unspecified 'discomfort'. Sources have claimed the dictator had hurt his leg when he joined generals he had ordered to perform physical drills, and required 100 days to recover. North Korea has said nothing publicly about Kim's absence. But it is not the first time he has taken a break from the media spotlight - Kim wasn't seen publicly for about three weeks in 2012, South Korean officials say. END *** NB: I dont think this is funny. It only encourages more enemies to the US, and may put more Americans in danger...*** Inside North Korea: |
re: PhOtOs-N.Korea-Kim Jong-un Reappears in Public
Is Kim Jong Un Going to Disappear Even More? Sources say North Korean Leader has had a GASTRIC BAND Fitted to Help Him Lose Weight -Amid Rumours of Cheese Addiction
The mystery over Kim Jong-un’s whereabouts for the past five weeks has deepened as a surprise new claim emerged suggesting he was receiving drastic weight loss treatment in China. Following the leader's public re-emergence yesterday, the North Korean Ambassador in London, Hyon Hak Bong, told the BBC that there was ‘no doubt about it’ that Kim was healthy. But his comments came as a source told the Daily Mail that the 31-year-old had spent the past few weeks in a Beijing hospital having his stomach tied, or ‘banded’, to help him fight his weight gain. Last month it was claimed Kim has been putting his health at serious risk due to his dangerously high consumption of Emmental cheese, which he got a taste for while a student in Switzerland. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...ken_from_N.jpg Kim has finally resurfaced with the help of a walking stick after an unexplained and prolonged absence http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...icture_rel.jpg Recent appearance: North Korean Leader Kim Jong-Un had last been seen in the state media five weeks ago at a concert on September 3 (above centre, with his wife Ri Sol-Ju), and he missed several high-profile events http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...ader_Kim_J.jpg Joy: Kim Jong-un inspects a substance believed to be cheese at a North Korean factory. A unhealthy appetite for Emmental is believed to be a key factor in Kim's weight ballooning in recent months http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...012_image_.jpg Issues: Kim is reported to be suffering from gout, from diabetes, from a brain haemorrhage, from a heart ailment, from a leg injury that required surgery from a doctor, from mental illness or from a cheese addiction The reputable source, who has connections with intelligence agencies in the West, said Kim’s stay in hospital in China was the reason for his no-show at the recent 69th anniversary celebrations of the ruling Korean Workers’ Party. He has also been treated in recent weeks for sprains or fractures, to his ankles - a problem that developed after he injured a leg while joining troops in a military exercise in August. It has since been speculated that, as he continued to limp around, his weight added to the pressure on both legs, resulting in him seeking medical treatment for both that injury and his weight gain. A unhealthy appetite for Emmental, also known as Swiss cheese, is believed to be a key factor in Kim's weight ballooning in recent months. Experts believe Kim may have been deliberately gaining weight in order to look more like his late grandfather Kim Il-sung, who is venerated in North Korea as the nation's founder and still holds the title Eternal President of the Republic, despite having died 20 years ago. Kim Jong-un is back! Leader reappears in public: http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...86_636x358.jpg http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...ken_from_N.jpg His absence fuelled speculation about his health and even rumours of a coup in the nuclear-armed state http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...ken_from_N.jpg Smiling: This photograph from North Korean newspaper Rodong Sinmun shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un during an inspection tour of a newly-built housing complex in Pyongyang http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...ken_from_N.jpg Another photograph from Rodong Sinmun of Kim during an inspection tour of a newly-built housing complex http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/..._TV_news_p.jpg Enemy: A South Korean man watches a TV news program showing Kim Jong-un using his cane yesterday http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...w_a_news_r.jpg Not un-well: TV monitors in South Korea show a news report about the health of the North Korean leader. The captions mockingly refer to the 'Honorable Kim Jong-un' The Ambassador’s comment that Kim was healthy would still hold true even if the leader was in hospital, as stomach banding would be classified as cosmetic, rather than treatment for an illness. The North Korean regime has made no mention of Kim being in Beijing and the claim by the source - a former government official of a European country who retains close ties with Western intelligence agencies - could not be independently verified. But Pyongyang officials have admitted that Kim has been suffering ‘discomfort’ - while emphasising that he is still very much in control of the country. Kim Jong-un's unhealthy obsession with Emmental has led to him importing vast quantities of the cheese for his own consumption - despite millions of North Koreans struggling to find enough to eat. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...ken_from_N.jpg The mystery over Kim Jong-un’s whereabouts had deepened as a surprise new claim emerged suggesting he was receiving drastic weight loss treatment in China http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...ken_from_N.jpg Kim has been treated in recent weeks for sprains or fractures, to his ankles - a problem that developed after he injured a leg while joining troops in a military exercise in August http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...age001_png.JPG Weight gain: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un got a taste for the cheese while a student in Switzerland - and is understood to love it so much that he imports vast quantities despite Western sanctions http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...ader_Kim_J.jpg Adored: Earlier this year it was revealed that Kim Jong-un tried to send a team of food experts to the French city of Besancon for a crash course in dairy production so he would no longer have to import his cheese Malnutrition is widespread and famines often break out in the country, which is still reliant on foreign food aid as a result of economic mismanagement and the loss of Soviet support in the 1990s. But despite the suffering of his 25 million citizens, Kim continues to gorge on Swiss cheese in such vast quantities that his waistline is expanding at a dangerously rapid rate. Earlier this year it was revealed that Kim tried to send a team of food experts to the French city of Besancon for a crash course in dairy production. Tired of his country's bland attempts to produce a top quality local cheese the despot ordered the three specialists to spend several months at the National Dairy Industry College. Although the college 'politely but firmly' rejected the request, Kim remains determined to improve standards at the country's main cheese factory. He is understood to be furious that the Pyongyang Dairy has continually failed to produce an Emmental-style cheese of a high enough quality to satisfy his demands. |
N/S Korea Exchange Fire=3rd Time This Week
S. Korea: 2 Koreas Exchange Gunfire Along Border
AP, 19 October 2014 SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Troops from the rival Koreas exchanged gunfire Sunday along their heavily fortified border in the second such shooting in less than 10 days, South Korean officials said. There were no reports of injuries or property damage, but the 10 minutes of shooting highlighted rising tensions between the divided countries. The Koreas' first exchange of gunfire came after North Korea opened fire at balloons carrying anti-Pyongyang leaflets that were floating across the border from the South. Sunday's shootout began after North Korea sent soldiers close to the border line. The move was an attempt by the North to increase worries in the South about what might happen if leafleting continues, analysts say. South Korean activist groups, mostly made up of North Korean defectors, have been staunch in their vows to continue sending the leaflets, which Pyongyang considers propaganda warfare; one group says it will float about 50,000 on Saturday. North Korea has warned it will take unspecified stronger measures if leafleting continues. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...83_634x407.jpg FILE - In this June 30, 2014 file photo, South Korean army soldiers patrol through the military wire fence in Paju, near the border with North Korea, South Korea. Border guards of the rival Koreas exchanged gunfire Sunday, Oct. 19, 2014, along their heavily fortified border in the second such shootout in less than 10 days, South Korean officials said. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) Generals from the sides met at a border village last week in their first military talks in more than three years to discuss how to ease the recent spike in tensions, but the meeting ended with no agreement and no prospects to meet again. On Sunday, South Korean soldiers broadcast warnings and fired warning shots at about 10 North Korean soldiers who were approaching the military demarcation line inside the 4-kilometer-wide (2.5-mile-wide) Demilitarized Zone that bisects the Korean Peninsula, according to a statement from South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. Two shots believed to have been fired by North Korean soldiers were found at a South Korean guard post. South Korean soldiers fired toward the North, the statement said. South Korean defense officials said the North Korean soldiers turned back after the shooting. North Korea opened fire on Oct. 10 after activists floated propaganda balloons across the border, following through on a previous threat to attack. There were no reports of casualties from that incident either. North Korea has repeatedly demanded South Korea ban activists from sending leaflets, which often urge North Korean citizens to rise up against leader Kim Jong Un. South Korea has refused, saying activists are exercising freedom of speech. Analyst Cheong Seong-chang at the private Sejong Institute think tank said Sunday's gunfire exchange showed North Korea is intentionally escalating military tension to spread fear about possible casualties should leafleting continue. He said North Korea is expected to launch more provocations as long as South Korea doesn't change its position on leafleting. The latest exchanges of gunfire serve as a reminder of long-running tensions between the Koreas despite earlier hopes of easing animosities after a group of top North Korean officials made a rare visit to South Korea early this month and agreed to resume senior-level talks. Only days after the North Koreans' visit, navy ships of the two Koreas also traded gunfire near their disputed western sea border, the scene of several bloody maritime skirmishes in recent years. The Korean Peninsula remains in a technical state of war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...80_634x443.jpg FILE - In this Sept. 17, 2014 file photo, South Korean army soldiers stand guard at a military check point at the Imjingak Pavilion near the border village of Panmunjom, which has separated the two Koreas since the Korean War, in Paju, South Korea. Border guards of the rival Koreas exchanged gunfire Sunday, Oct. 19, 2014 along their heavily fortified border in the second such shootout in less than 10 days, South Korean officials said.(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) |
North Korea Releases 2 More American Prisoners
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North Korea Releases American Prisoners http://a.abcnews.com/images/Internat...__16x9_608.jpg The Associated Press , Saturday, 8 November, 2014 Americans Kenneth Bae and Matthew Todd Miller have been released from captivity in North Korea and are returning home, U.S. officials said. National Intelligence Director James Clapper engaged in discussions with North Korea officials to secure the Americans' release, the U.S. Department of State said. Clapper is traveling with the men as they head back to the U.S, according to the State Department. Bae and Miller were the last two American detainees being held in North Korea after the release of Jeffrey Fowle last month. In April 2013 Bae, of Washington state, was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for allegedly trying to overthrow the North Korean state. Bae was the longest serving American prisoner in North Korea since the Korean War. Miller, 24, was detained after entering North Korea in April and was accused of committing "hostile acts" against the country. He was sentenced to a six-year jail term on charges of espionage. |
re: PhOtOs-N.Korea-Kim Jong-Un MORE Evil Than Father>70 Officials Killed
North Korea Tests New Sub-Launched Missile to Threaten US
SEOUL, 11 May 2015 (Reuters) - North Korea made a key step in its nuclear weapons programme by test-launching a ballistic missile from a submarine, but remains years away from developing a missile system or submarine which could threaten its sworn enemy the United States, experts said. South Korea on Monday called the test "very serious and concerning" and urged Pyongyang to immediately stop developing submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), which it said hindered regional security. Isolated North Korea, already slapped with UN sanctions for its missile and nuclear tests, is widely believed to be trying to develop a nuclear device small enough to be mounted on a ballistic missile, but it is not clear whether it has done so - a crucial step to make its nuclear missile threat credible. And while some North Korean submarines are technically capable of coming within range of the U.S. mainland, they cannot necessarily carry a missile, although the North's missile-equipped submarines could reach Japanese waters. "They need to build a new, bigger submarine," said Yang Uk, a senior research fellow at the Korea Defence and Security Forum and a policy adviser to the South Korean navy. North Korea is technically still at war with the South after their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, and regularly threatens the United States, the South's biggest ally, with destruction. Both the United States and Japan reserve rights to conduct pre-emptive strikes on North Korean missile sites if a nuclear attack is viewed as imminent. Launching missiles from submarines could enable Pyongyang to hide them. "While North Korea's submarines are not especially effective, the challenge of finding even a small number of specific submarines armed with missiles would be quite a challenge," said Jeffrey Lewis of the California-based Monterey Institute of International Studies. Like much of North Korea's arsenal, its fleet of around 70 submarines is based mainly on ageing, Soviet-era technology. North Korea had been expected to be working on an SLBM, but the speed with which it conducted an evidently successful test launch caught many observers by surprise. A South Korean defence ministry official who declined to be identified said photographs released on Saturday by the North showing a missile launched from the sea appeared to be authentic. The official also said that the North could be capable of building a fully-operational submarine equipped with ballistic missiles within two or three years - a shorter time frame than many analysts say is needed. Before it can head towards its target on an arched trajectory, an SLBM must be ejected and travel to the sea's surface, which is what North Korea appears to have done. The missile travelled only about 150 metres, the South Korean official said. Yang said the system was likely years away from deployment because North Korean submarines were not well enough equipped to manage the radar and tracking systems required to guide a missile to its target. Lewis said the missile that North Korea tested probably has a range of roughly 2,400 km (1,500 miles), which would require a submarine to be at sea for 60-90 days. "That means a journey to bring the U.S. in range would be pretty daring." North Korea Tests Submarine Ballistic Missile |
re: PhOtOs-N.Korea-Kim Jong-Un MORE Evil Than Father>70 Officials Killed
North Korean Despot Kim Jong-Un Has Executed 70 Officials Since Coming to Power in 'Reign of Terror'
>>> That is SEVEN TIMES Bloodier Than His Father's
North Korean despot Kim Jong Un has ordered the executions of 70 officials since taking power in 2011 - seven times as many as his father. South Korea's spy agency branded the rule of Kim Jong-Un a 'reign of terror' far bloodier than that of Kim Jon Il, who only killed ten officials in his first years as ruler. Among the dead are Kim Jong-Un's uncle Jang Song Thaek, formerly the second most powerful man in the country, and defence minister Hyon Yong-Chol, who allegedly fell asleep in a meeting. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/...6455927389.jpg Kim Jong-Un has reportedly killed 70 officials since coming to power following the death of his father Kim Jong-Il, including most of those walking beside the former leader's hearse (pictured) http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/...6456209823.jpg Among the most high-profile of those execution was Kim's uncle, Jang Song Thaek (pictured left), who was once the second most powerful man in the country and was married to Kim's sister http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/...6455728649.jpg Of the eight people around the hearse, Jang Song Thaek (number 2) and Ri Yong-ho (number 5) have been killed, while Kim Yong Chun, Kim Jong Gak and U Dong-chuk (numbers 6, 7 and 8) are all missing Army chief Ri Yong-Ho was also disposed of in 2012, but not before a firefight with North Korean soldiers which left dozens of them dead. In April, the South Korean news agency Yonhap reported that 15 officials were put to death this year alone after disrespecting Kim. Those executed included two vice ministers who had allegedly answered the dictator back, and disagreed with his policies. As recently as July, it was reported that Ma Won-chun, the designer behind North Korea's new airport terminal in Pyongyang, had also been brutally executed. Seemingly displeased with the design for the new building, Kim had Ma removed from his post in November last year before being killed. U Dong-chuk, first deputy director of the State Security Department, Kim Yong Chun, first deputy defence minister, and armed forces minister Kim Jong Gak are all also missing or banished. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/...6457049766.jpg Jang Song Thaek, once the second most powerful man in North Korean, is pictured with his hands bound being lead into court shortly before being executed last year http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/...6457067581.jpg Ri Yong-Ho (far left), the former head of the North Korean army, was also killed in 2012, but not before having a firefight with soldiers, reportedly leaving dozens of them dead http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/...6456025454.jpg Among the most brutal execution was that of Hyon Yong-Chol, former military minister, who was sources claimed was shot to death using an anti-aircraft gun after falling asleep in a meeting And yesterday it was reported that a terrapin farmer near Pyongyang was hauled away and shot after Kim took a dislike to his 'defeatist' attitude. According to reports, Kim became enraged after the farmer said he had been unable to breed any lobsters, and had also let several tanks became dirty while baby terrapins had starved to death. The total of 70 officials executed does not include the countless thousands of regular citizens who are believed to have died in prison and work camps under the authoritarian regime. North Korea has been ruled by the Kim family since 1948, when Kim Il-Sung came to power after the overthrow of Japanese rule. Kim Jong Un has removed key members of the old guard through a series of purges since taking over after the death of Kim Jong Il. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/...76_636x358.jpg http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/...6457344800.jpg Other victims of Kim's short temper include a terrapin farmer, who the dictator accused of being 'defeatist' after he failed to breed any lobster (pictured, Kim inspects the terrapin farm) http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/...6457421237.jpg The architect behind Pyongyang's second airport terminal (pictured) was also rumoured to have been shot after Kim disapproved of the building and ordered work to be halted while changes were made Experts say Kim could be using fear to solidify his leadership, but those efforts could fail if he doesn't improve the country's shattered economy. It was thought that Kim himself could have fallen victim to a coup last year when he disappeared from view for several weeks, cancelling an appearance at a public parade. However, after a six-week absence in which experts suggested he may have been killed during a power grab by the military, he reappeared. While little information was given about the absence, officials put it down to treatment for a medical issue after he was last seen limping, with some suggesting he had gout after becoming addicted to fine cheese. |
BBC ReporterTEAM Detained in North Korea
BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes and Team Now Expelled from North Korea..
AP, 11 MAY 2016 BBC correspondent Rupert Wingfield-Hayes and his team have been expelled from North Korea after being detained over their reporting. Our correspondent, producer Maria Byrne and cameraman Matthew Goddard were stopped by officials on Friday as they were about to leave North Korea. Wingfield-Hayes was questioned for eight hours by North Korean officials and made to sign a statement. All three remained in Pyongyang before flying to Beijing on Monday. After arriving in Beijing, Byrne tweeted that they were "very happy" to be back but were not doing any interviews. The BBC team was in North Korea ahead of the Workers' Party Congress, accompanying a delegation of Nobel prize laureates conducting a research trip. The North Korean leadership was displeased with their reports highlighting aspects of life in the capital. At a news conference on Monday, a North Korean government spokesperson said Wingfield-Hayes and his colleagues had been "speaking very ill of the system". A BBC spokesman said: "We are very disappointed that our reporter Rupert Wingfield-Hayes and his team have been deported from North Korea after the government took offence at material he had filed. "Four BBC staff, who were invited to cover the Workers Party Congress, remain in North Korea and we expect them to be allowed to continue their reporting." BBC Australia. UPDATE; ALL TEAM HAVE BEEN RELEASED... READ More Here; ‘We are very happy to be in Beijing’: BBC journalists detained by North Korea show their relief after arriving in China , |
re: PhOtOs-North Korea WARNS TRUMP > Test-Fires New Missile
North Korea Says it Wants UK to Pull Out of Military Drills
By AP 18 Oct 2016 PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — North Korea said Monday that it wants Britain to pull out of upcoming military exercises in South Korea, calling the drills a "hostile act." Britain has announced that it will send fighter jets and support planes to Asia, and that it will take part in exercises in South Korea together with South Korean and U.S. forces in early November. "This is a hostile act, openly joining the U.S. and South Korean forces in moves for a new war against us," said North Korean Foreign Ministry official Pak Yun Sik. "Britain claims that this military exercise is not targeting us, but the U.S. and South Korea openly say that these military exercises are aimed at launching a strike against our military facilities and our command structure." North Korea usually responds to regular South Korea-U.S. military drills with weapons tests and fiery warlike rhetoric. It views the drills as an invasion rehearsal, but Seoul and Washington say the exercises are defensive in nature. North Korea has increased its opposition to military exercises in South Korea, and has conducted more than 20 missile launches and two nuclear tests this year. END UPDATE: UN Security Council Condemns North Korea Failed Missile Launch Daily Mail UK, 18 October 2016 The UN Security Council on Monday denounced North Korea's latest test of a powerful missile that one leading US expert warned could be put into operational service as early as next year. North Korea test-fired the medium-range Musudan -- capable of hitting US bases as far away as Guam -- on Saturday. Although the exercise was a failure, with the missile exploding soon after lift-off, it still represented a breach of UN resolutions prohibiting the North's use of ballistic missile technology. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/...51_634x390.jpg A man walks past a television screen reporting news of North Korea's Musudan missile test in June 2016 ©Jung Yeon-Je (AFP/File) In a unanimous statement backed by the North's main ally China, the council "strongly condemned" the test, branding it a "grave violation" of North Korea's international obligations. Council members agreed to "closely monitor the situation and take further significant measures," the statement said. First unveiled as an indigenous missile at a military parade in Pyongyang in October 2010, the Musudan has a theoretical range of anywhere between 2,500 and 4,000 kilometers (1,500 and 2,500 miles). The lower estimate covers the whole of South Korea and Japan, while the upper range would include US military bases on Guam. The missile has now been tested seven times this year -- but only once successfully. A Musudan launched in June flew 400 kilometers into the Sea of Japan (East Sea), and was hailed by leader Kim Jong-Un as proof of the North's ability to strike US bases across "the Pacific operation theater". Despite the string of failures, John Schilling, an aerospace engineer specializing in rocket propulsion, said the missile was moving swiftly towards operational deployment. The aggressive launch schedule, while multiplying the risk of failure, also increases the information gleaned from each test, Schilling said. "If they continue at this rate, the Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile could enter operational service sometime next year -– much sooner than had previously been expected," he wrote on the 38North website of the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University. The latest Musudan test came with the United States and China still thrashing out a new sanctions resolution to punish Pyongyang for its fifth nuclear test carried out last month. North Korea has been hit by five sets of UN sanctions since it first tested a nuclear device in 2006. After Pyongyang carried out its fourth nuclear test in January, the Security Council adopted the toughest sanctions resolution to date, targeting North Korea's trade in minerals and tightening banking restrictions. The ongoing negotiations on the new sanctions measure are focused on closing loopholes and zeroing in on North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile technology industry, according to Security Council diplomats. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/...84_634x417.jpg First unveiled as an indigenous missile at a military parade in Pyongyang in October 2010, the Musudan has a theoretical range of anywhere between 2,500 and 4,000 kilometers ©KCNA via KNS (KCNA via KNS/AFP/File) |
re: PhOtOs-North Korea Vows to Achieve Military 'Equilibrium' With US >Fires New Missile
North Korea Test-Fires Missile, Apparently Challenging Trump
Daily Mail UK, 12 February 2017 PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — In an implicit challenge to President Donald Trump, North Korea appeared to fire a ballistic missile early Sunday in what would be its first such test of the year. After receiving word of the launch, Trump stood at his south Florida estate with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who called the move "intolerable." There was no immediate confirmation on the launch from the North, which had warned recently that it was ready to test its first intercontinental ballistic missile. The U.S. Strategic Command, however, said it detected and tracked what it assessed to be a medium- or intermediate-range missile. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/...48_634x438.jpg A woman walks past a screen showing a TV news on a missile launch by North Korea with a photo of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and the map of North Korea in Tokyo, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017. North Korea reportedly fired a ballistic missile early Sunday in what would be its first such test of the year and an implicit challenge to U.S. President Donald Trump, who stood with the Japanese leader as Shinzo Abe called the move "absolutely intolerable." Details of the launch, including the type of missile, were scant. Letters read: North Korea fired a missile. Chief Cabinet Secretary (Yoshihide) Suga said: "(this is) a clearly provocative act." (Yo****aka Sugawara/Kyodo News via AP) North Korean media are often slow to announce such launches, if they announce them at all. As of Sunday evening, there had been no official announcement and most North Koreans went about their day with no inkling that the launch was major international news. The reports of the launch came as Trump was hosting Abe and just days before the North is to mark the birthday of leader Kim Jong Un's late father, Kim Jong Il. Appearing with Trump at a news conference at Trump's estate, Abe condemned the missile launch as "absolutely intolerable." Abe read a brief statement in which he called on the North to comply fully with relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions. He said Trump had assured him of U.S. support and that Trump's presence showed the president's determination and commitment. Trump followed Abe with even fewer words, saying in part: "I just want everybody to understand and fully know that the United States of America stands behind Japan, its great ally, 100 percent." Stephen Miller, Trump's chief policy adviser, said Trump and Abe had displayed "an important show of solidarity" between their nations. "The message we're sending to the world right now is a message of strength and solidarity; we stand with Japan and we stand with our allies in the region to address the North Korean menace," Miller said during an interview Sunday with ABC's "This Week." South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the missile was fired from around Banghyon, North Pyongan Province, which is where South Korean officials have said the North test-launched its powerful midrange Musudan missile on Oct. 15 and 20. The military in Seoul said that the missile flew about 500 kilometers (310 miles). South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported that while determinations were still being made, it was not believed to be an intercontinental ballistic missile. The missile splashed down into the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, according to the U.S. Strategic Command. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters that the missile did not hit Japanese territorial seas. The North conducted two nuclear tests and a slew of rocket launches last year in continued efforts to expand its nuclear weapons and missile programs. Kim Jong Un said in his New Year's address that the country had reached the final stages of readiness to test an ICBM, which would be a major step forward in its efforts to build a credible nuclear threat to the United States. Though Pyongyang has been relatively quiet about the transfer of power to the Trump administration, its state media has repeatedly called for Washington to abandon its "hostile policy" and vowed to continue its nuclear and missile development programs until the U.S. changes its diplomatic approach. Just days ago, it also reaffirmed its plan to conduct more space launches, which it staunchly defends but which have been criticized because they involve dual-use technology that can be transferred to improve missiles. "Our country has clearly expressed its standpoint, that we will continue to build up our capacity for self-defense, with nuclear forces and a pre-emptive strike capability as the main points, as long as our enemies continue sanctions to suppress us," Pyongyang student Kim Guk Bom said Sunday. "We will defend the peace and security of our country at any cost, with our own effort, and we will contribute to global peace and stability." Kim Dong-yeop, an analyst at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies in Seoul, said the missile could be a Musudan or a similar rocket designed to test engines for an intercontinental ballistic missile that could hit the U.S. mainland. Analysts are divided, however, over how close the North is to having a reliable long-range rocket that could be coupled with a nuclear warhead capable of striking U.S. targets. South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, who is also the acting president, said his country would punish North Korea for the missile launch. The Foreign Ministry said South Korea would continue to work with allies, including the United States, Japan and the European Union, to ensure a thorough implementation of sanctions against the North and make the country realize that it will "never be able to survive" without discarding all of its nuclear and missile programs. ___ Associated Press writers Kim Tong-Hyung in Seoul, South Korea, and Jill Colvin in Palm Beach, Florida, contributed to this report. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/...34_634x393.jpg A man watches a TV news program showing a file footage of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un with letters reading: "The North fired a missile" at the Seoul Train Station in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017. North Korea reportedly fired a ballistic missile early Sunday in what would be its first such test of the year and an implicit challenge to President Donald Trump's new administration. Details of the launch, including the type of missile, were scant. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man) http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/...11_634x439.jpg A PAC-3 Patriot missile unit is deployed by the Japan Self-Defense Force against the North Korea's rocket launch at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017. North Korea reportedly fired a ballistic missile early Sunday in what would be its first such test of the year and an implicit challenge to U.S, President Donald Trump, who was hosting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo in Florida. Details of the launch, including the type of missile, were scant. (Takuto Kaneko/Kyodo News via AP) http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/...59_634x462.jpg Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga speaks on a missile launch by North Korea at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017. North Korea reportedly fired a ballistic missile early Sunday in what would be its first such test of the year and an implicit challenge to President Donald Trump's new administration. The missile is believed to have splashed down into the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. Suga told reporters the missile did not hit Japanese territorial seas. (Muneyoshi Someya/Kyodo News via AP) http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/...34_634x381.jpg A visitor uses binocular to see the North Korean territory from the unification observatory in Paju, South Korea, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017. North Korea reportedly fired a ballistic missile early Sunday in what would be its first such test of the year and an implicit challenge to President Donald Trump, who stood with the Japanese leader as Shinzo Abe called the move "absolutely intolerable." (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man) http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/...48_634x376.jpg North Korea's town Kaepoong is seen from the unification observatory in Paju, South Korea, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017. North Korea reportedly fired a ballistic missile early Sunday in what would be its first such test of the year and an implicit challenge to President Donald Trump, who stood with the Japanese leader as Shinzo Abe called the move "absolutely intolerable." (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man) |
re: PhOtOs-North Korea Vows to Achieve Military 'Equilibrium' With US >Fires New Missile
North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un Vows to Achieve Military 'Equilibrium' With US
Pyongyang outlines ambitions as United Nations Security Council condemns 'highly provocative' ballistic missile launch over Japan Independent UK, 16 Sept 2017 https://static.independent.co.uk/s3f...im-jong-un.jpg Kim Jong-un purportedly watches the launch of a Hwasong-12 missile in this undated photo released by North Korea's news agency AFP/Getty Images... North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has vowed to achieve "equilibrium" in military force with the US. He outlined the ambition as the United Nations Security Council strongly condemned the Pyongyang's latest "highly provocative" ballistic missile launch over Japan. The missile, detected by the South Korean and US militaries, travelled 2,300 miles (3,700m) as it passed over the island of Hokkaido before landing in the sea. It was the country's longest test flight of a ballistic missile yet. North Korea confirmed the missile was an intermediate range Hwasong-12, the same model launched over Japan on August 29. The launch followed Pyongyang's most powerful nuclear test to date on 3 September and two July flight tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM). The increasing frequency of the tests have raised fears that the country is closer than ever to building a military arsenal that could viably target the US and its allies in Asia. The state-run Korean Central News Agency said Kim had expressed great satisfaction about the launch, which he said verified the "combat efficiency and reliability" of the missile. He vowed to complete his nuclear weapons programme in the face of strengthening international sanctions, the agency reported. https://static.independent.co.uk/s3f...rth-korea2.jpg Kim Jong-un purportedly watches the launch of a Hwasong-12 missile in this undated photo released North Korea's news agency (Reuters) "As recognised by the whole world, we have made all these achievements despite the UN sanctions that have lasted for decades," the agency quoted Kim as saying. He said the country's final goal "is to establish the equilibrium of real force with the US and make the US rulers dare not talk about military option for the DPRK," referring to North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. He indicated more missile tests would soon follow, saying all future drills should be "meaningful and practical ones for increasing the combat power of the nuclear force" prepared for "actual war". Kim said his country, despite "limitless" international sanctions, had nearly completed the building of its nuclear arsenal and called for "all-state efforts" to reach the goal and obtain a "capacity for nuclear counter attack the US cannot cope with". Photos published by North Korea's state media showed the missile being fired from a truck-mounted launcher and a smiling Kim clapping and raising his fist while celebrating from an observation point. It was the first time North Korea showed the missile being launched directly from a vehicle, which experts said indicated confidence about the mobility and reliability of the system. In previous tests, trucks were used to transport and erect the Hwasong-12s but the missiles were moved onto separate firing tables before launch. The UN Security Council accused North Korea of undermining regional peace and security by launching the missile over Japan. It said the nuclear and missile tests "have caused grave security concerns around the world" and threatened all 193 UN member states. Prior to the launches over Japan, Pyongyang had threatened to fire a salvo of Hwasong-12s toward Guam, the US Pacific island territory and military hub that North Korea has called an "advanced base of invasion." The Security Council stressed in a statement after a closed-door emergency meeting that all countries must "fully, comprehensively and immediately" implement all UN sanctions. Japan's UN ambassador Koro Bessho called the missile launch an "outrageous act" that threatened global security. He was joined by British, French and Swedish ambassadors in demanding all sanctions be implemented. Calling the latest launch a "terrible, egregious, illegal, provocative reckless act," Britain's UN ambassador Matthew Rycroft said North Korea's largest trading partners and closest allies - a thinly veiled reference to China - must "demonstrate that they are doing everything in their power to implement the sanctions of the Security Council and to encourage the North Korean regime to change course." Friday's launch followed North Korea's sixth nuclear test on 3 September, which the country said involved the detonation of a thermonuclear weapon built for its ballistic missiles. In earlier tests, North Korea fired its Hwasong-12 and Hwasong-14 missiles at lofted angles to reduce their range and avoid neighbouring countries. The two Hwasong-12 launches over Japan indicate North Korea is moving toward using angles close to operational to evaluate whether its warheads can survive the harsh conditions of atmospheric re-entry and detonate properly. While some experts believe North Korea would need to conduct more tests to confirm Hwasong-12's accuracy and reliability, others believe Kim's comments indicate the country could soon move toward mass producing the missiles for operational deployment. South Korean President Moon Jae-in, a liberal who initially pushed for talks with North Korea, said the tests made dialogue "impossible." "If North Korea provokes us or our allies, we have the strength to smash the attempt at an early stage and inflict a level of damage it would be impossible to recover from," said Moon, who ordered his military to conduct a live-fire ballistic missile drill in response to the launch. |
re: Kim Jong-un Meets Putin in Russia >Snub to Trump?
North Korea May Consider H-Bomb Test in Pacific, Kim Calls Trump "Deranged"...
War of Words Continues Between 2 Mentally Unstable Leaders Reuters, 22 September 2017 By Christine Kim and Steve Holland: SEOUL/NEW YORK - North Korea said on Friday it might test a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific Ocean after U.S. President Donald Trump vowed to destroy the reclusive country, with leader Kim Jong Un promising to make a "mentally deranged" Trump pay dearly for his threats. Kim did not specify what action he would take against the United States or Trump, with whom he has traded insults over recent weeks. South Korea said it was the first direct statement of its kind by a North Korean leader. However, Kim's foreign minister, Ri Yong Ho, said in televised remarks North Korea could consider a hydrogen bomb test of an unprecedented scale on the Pacific Ocean. Ri, who was talking to reporters in New York ahead of a planned address later this week, also said he did not know Kim's exact thoughts. Japan, the only country ever to suffer an atomic attack, described the threat as "totally unacceptable". Trump said in his first address to the United Nations on Tuesday he would "totally destroy" North Korea, a country of 26 million people, if it threatened the United States and its allies, and called Kim a "rocket man" on a suicide mission. Kim said the North would consider the "highest level of hard-line countermeasure in history" against the United States and that Trump's comments had confirmed his own nuclear programme was "the correct path". Pyongyang conducted its sixth and largest nuclear test on Sept. 3 and has launched dozens of missiles this year as it accelerates a programme aimed at enabling it to target the United States with a nuclear-tipped missile. "I will surely and definitely tame the mentally deranged U.S. dotard with fire," Kim said in the statement carried by the KCNA state news agency. "SLEEPWALKING INTO WAR" In a separate report, KCNA made a rare criticism of official Chinese media, saying their comments on the North's nuclear programme had damaged ties and suggested Beijing, its only major ally, had sided with Washington. Singling out the official People's Daily and its more nationalistic sister publication, the Global Times, KCNA said Chinese media was "openly resorting to interference in the internal affairs of another country" and driving a wedge between the two countries. The escalating rhetoric came even as U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for statesmanship between the 2 leaders to avoid "sleepwalking" into a war. South Korea, Russia and China ALL urged calm. However, the rhetoric was starting to rattle some in the international community. French Sports Minister Laura Flessel said France's team would not travel to the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in South Korea if its security cannot be guaranteed. The 2018 Games are to be staged in Pyeongchang, just 80 km (50 miles) from the demilitarised zone between North and South Korea, the world's most heavily armed border. Asian stocks fell and the Japanese yen and Swiss franc gained on the possibility of a hydrogen bomb test in the Pacific. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan handed back earlier gains and was down 0.4 percent. MORE TIME In his sanctions announcement on Thursday, Trump stopped short of going after Pyongyang's biggest trading partner, China, praising as "tremendous" a move by its central bank ordering Chinese banks to stop doing business with North Korea. The additional sanctions on Pyongyang, including on its shipping and trade networks, showed that Trump was giving more time for economic pressures to weigh on North Korea after warning about the possibility of military action on Tuesday. Asked ahead of a lunch meeting with the leaders of Japan and South Korea on Thursday if diplomacy was still possible, Trump nodded and said: "Why not?" Trump said the new executive order on sanctions gives further authorities to target individual companies and institutions that finance and facilitate trade with North Korea. It "will cut off sources of revenue that fund North Korea's efforts to develop the deadliest weapons known to humankind", Trump said. The U.S. Treasury Department now had authority to target those that conduct "significant trade in goods, services or technology with North Korea". Trump did not mention Pyongyang's oil trade. The White House said North Korea's energy, medical, mining, textiles, and transportation industries were among those targeted and that the U.S. Treasury could sanction anyone who owns, controls or operates a port of entry in North Korea. "ON NOTICE" U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said banks doing business in North Korea would not be allowed to operate in the United States as well. "Foreign financial institutions are now on notice that going forward they can choose to do business with the United States or with North Korea, but not both," Mnuchin said. The U.N. Security Council has unanimously imposed nine rounds of sanctions on North Korea since 2006, the latest this month capping fuel supplies to the isolated state. South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who addressed the U.N. General Assembly, said sanctions were needed to bring Pyongyang to the negotiating table, but Seoul was not seeking North Korea's collapse. "All of our endeavours are to prevent war from breaking out and maintain peace," Moon said in his speech. He warned the nuclear issue had to be managed stably so that "accidental military clashes will not destroy peace". The United States and South Korea are technically still at war with North Korea because the 1950-53 Korean conflict ended with a truce and not a peace treaty. The North accuses the United States, which has 28,500 troops in South Korea, of planning to invade and regularly threatens to destroy it and its Asian allies. RELATED: Worried China Braces for The Brave New World of Fed Tightening . |
re: Kim Jong-un Meets Putin in Russia >Snub to Trump?
They need to put a saddle on one of those rockets for Kim Jong Dumb and let'em take a ride.
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re: Kim Jong-un Meets Putin in Russia >Snub to Trump?
Quote:
& put TRUMP as his passenger Tarfoot... 2 crazy men & their rhetoric, > putting the whole darn world at risk.. Now Iran has joined in, because of TRUMP's insult to them + his insults to S.Korea: Iran shows off its weapons in military parade as Rouhani vows to boost the country's missile capabilities after firing back at Trump's 'ignorant' rhetoric at the UN Lets see which pea**** plumes their feathers best eh Tarfoot?.. Hopefully, one or more of them will calm down, although I doubt it.. Boys in the playgtound.. which bully will win.... The wrong one will be the detriment to us all.. Simple as that.. . |
UK Military Exercise to Shoot Down Nuclear Missiles>Begin in Scotland
North Korea: UK Leads Missile Interception Tests in Scotland in Response to Nuclear Threat
Michael Fallon says Britain is at the Forefront of International Response to ‘Growing Threat’ Independent UK, 26 Sept 2017. https://static.independent.co.uk/s3f...ion-rocket.jpg More than 3,300 personnel are taking part in the month-long exercise QinetiQ A HUGE new military exercise involving thousands of troops, ships and fighter jets has been launched in Scotland to practise shooting down nuclear missiles. Michael Fallon, the Defence Secretary, said Formidable Shield would combat the threat posed by N. Korea and other “rogue states”. Amid intensifying tensions between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump. “North Korean tests have shown the danger of rogue states developing longer range missiles,” he added. “By hosting this cutting-edge exercise in anti-missile defence with allied navies, Britain is at the forefront of developing a more effective response to this growing threat.” Pyongyang has fired two ballistic missiles over Japan in the past month, sparking warnings for people to take cover, after appearing to make significant advances towards creating a rocket capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. North Korea’s intensifying experiments appear to have prompted the Formidable Shield exercise, which is the first time that Nato allies have practised defending against incoming ballistic missiles with no prior warning in Europe. It launched the day after the US sent bombers and fighter jets over waters east of North Korea to send a “clear message that the US President has many military options to defeat any threat”. Donald Trump appeared to threaten regime change in the country over the weekend, causing the North Korean foreign minister to accuse the President of “declaring war” in a speech at the United Nations. American forces are joining the exercise off the coast of the Scotland, alongside troops from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) hailed Formidable Shield as “one of the most sophisticated and complex air and missile exercises ever undertaken in the UK”. A Royal Navy Type 45 Destroyer and two Type 23 frigates are being joined by 11 other ships, 10 aircraft and 3,300 personnel for the month-long exercise. They will work together to detect, track and shoot down live anti-ship and ballistic missiles. Nato said the “major” exercise in the Outer Hebrides in Scotland aimed to foster cooperation between allies in the face of possible threats from missile attacks. Kim Jong-un has inspected a weapon > powerful hydrogen bomb....North Korea says Ships are being deployed to detect, track and defend against a range of live anti-ship and ballistic missiles, while being watched by Nato aircraft ensuring the airspace is clear. Major components of Nato’s missile defence include four US Navy destroyers armed with the Aegis missile defence system based in Spain, a land-based system in Romania and an early warning radar in Turkey, all commanded from Ramstein base in Germany. Commanders for the US 6th Fleet said Formidable Shield is planned to be a recurring event every two years designed to “assure allies and deter adversaries”. Captain Shanti Sethi, commander of integrated and missile defence for the exercise, said it would “refine” capabilities and collective defence, adding: “As missile technology advances, maritime forces must be prepared to play an important role in providing swift and accurate defensive measures to deter adversaries.” Exercises will continue until 18 October in the MoD’s Hebrides Range, off the north-west coast of Scotland. The UK Government and defence contractor QinetiQ have recently spent £60m on modernising facilities in the protected area, with a further £16.8m planned for new and upgraded radars. |
re: Life On The Edge: DANGER For Neighbours of North Korea
Kim Jong Un Meets Vladimir Putin in Vladivostok, Russia
Putin Offers to Help Break Nuclear Deadlock at Kim Jong-un Summit Russian and North Korean leaders promise stronger ties at Vladivostok meeting, just months after his failed second summit with Donald Trump. The Guardian UK / News AU / AP, 25 APR 2019. https://static.standard.co.uk/s3fs-p...t-239.jpg?w968 Putin and Kim greeted each other 'warmly' on Thursday, shaking hands before beginning two days of highly anticipated talks on the island campus of Russia’s Far Eastern University. The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, have promised to forge stronger ties during their first summit together. https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/...58b0c3a34441e7 Kim Jong Un was dressed for the chilly weather. Kim arrived on Wednesday aboard an armoured train and told Russia’s state-owned Rossiya-24 he was hoping for a “successful and useful” visit and would like to discuss with Putin the “settlement of the situation in the Korean Peninsula” as well as bilateral ties with Russia. https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/...7773?width=650 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is aiming to bolster his country’s ties with Russia and China, say experts. Picture: APSource:AP http://cdn.images.dailystar.co.uk/dy...tin-605758.jpg In a two-hour meeting in the Russian city of Vladivostok, Putin also offered to help break the deadlock over North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme. “We have just had quite a substantive discussion, one on one,” Putin said in remarks following the talks. “We were able to discuss both the history of our relations. We also spoke about the present day and prospects for developing bilateral ties. Of course, we discussed the situation on the Korean peninsula as well.” Kim, who arrived in Russia on Wednesday by armoured train, called the talks “very meaningful”. Trump will not be happy... https://cdn.images.dailystar.co.uk/d...tin-657696.jpg The leaders did not immediately announce any agreements. But the friendly tone contrasted with that of the failed summit between Kim and the US president, Donald Trump, in February. Trump and Kim’s second summit in Hanoi ended without agreement and differing explanations for their failure to make progress on denuclearising the Korean peninsula. North Korea sees Russia as a potential ally in its negotiations with the US and as a potential source of support for its sanctions-battered economy. Putin told Kim that Russia supported his efforts to normalise North Korea’s relations with the US, adding that he hoped this week’s talks would help clarify Russia’s potential role in reviving stalled negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang. Kim earlier struck an upbeat tone and praised the Russian president when his train crossed the border at Khasan on Wednesday, saying: “I have heard a lot of good things about your country and wanted to visit it for a long time. Seven years have passed since I took charge of the country, but I did not have a chance to visit Russia until now.” Kim was greeted at Vladivostok by a military orchestra, with white-gloved attendants running alongside his armoured train to wipe the dust from any surfaces that he might touch exiting the carriage. Russia opposes the west’s sanctions-led approach but, like China, wants to see North Korea roll back its nuclear programme. Putin was expected to propose modest financial support, because Russia will not openly flout the economic sanctions and sees North Korea as a questionable investment. They were also expected to discuss the fate of about 10,000 North Korean SLAVE labourers working in Russia who are due to leave by the end of this year under sanctions. Labour is one of North Korea’s key exports and sources of hard currency. Pyongyang has reportedly asked Russia to continue to employ its workers after the deadline. Kim, whose government has told the UN it is facing food shortages this year, could also seek a boost in aid from Moscow, which has provided $25m in food aid to North Korea in recent years, according to the Kremlin. Russia’s trade with North Korea is minuscule at just $34m last year, mostly because of the international sanctions against Pyongyang. Russia would like to gain broader access to North Korea’s mineral resources, including rare metals. Pyongyang, for its part, covets Russia’s electricity supplies and wants investment to modernise its dilapidated Soviet-built industrial plants, railways and other infrastructure. Kim’s journey by rail echoed one made by his father, Kim Jong-il, who met Putin in Vladivostok in 2002 and once completed a 12,000-mile round-trip to Moscow on the same train. Putin, meanwhile, travelled to North Korea just months into his presidency in 2000, becoming the first Russian leader to visit the state. Kim Jong-il made his third and final trip to Russia in 2011, months before his death and his son’s rise to power. Kim Putin Summit in Vladivostok: A Snub for Trump? WOW - I empathise with all their poor translators...What a VERY tough & stressful job for all of them.... :crap: |
re: Life On The Edge: DANGER For Neighbours of North Korea
Reporter Granted Rare Access Inside Secretive North Korea
60 Minutes Australia, 23JAN, 2020. After months of negotiations, Nine News correspondent Tom Steinfort was given rare permission to travel to North Korea. There he worryingly discovered a country whose people are ready for conflict, and bizarrely, almost gleeful that a consequence of it could be the end of the world. |
re: Life On The Edge: DANGER For Neighbours of North Korea
The REAL North Korea: Reporter Gives Shocking Insight Into Daily Life
60 Minutes Australia •28 Mar 2021 After months of negotiations, Nine News correspondent Tom Steinfort was given rare permission to travel to North Korea. There he worryingly discovered a country whose people are ready for conflict, and bizarrely, almost gleeful that a consequence of it could be the end of the world. |
re: Life On The Edge: DANGER For Neighbours of North Korea
Those poor people don't have anything to loose.....That's the people not the military, though they are probably bout starved also.
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Re: Life On The Edge: DANGER For Neighbours of North Korea
Life On The Edge: What It's Like Being Neighbours With North Korea
North Korea is exercising its political might like never before. 60 Minutes Australia 1 AUG 2021 Threatening nuclear war and firing salvos at Japan and South Korea, with whom, after fifty years of ceasefire, it's still technically at war. Tara Brown has just returned from the region with evidence of a country whose people are starving and desperate - and whose dictator Kim Jong Il is determined to present an entirely different picture to the western world. |
re: North Korea: Kim Jong-un Food Shortage-Asks Officials to Solve
UN Atomic Watchdog Says North Korea Appears to Have Restarted Nuclear Reactor
IAEA ‘deeply troubled’ by indications the 5-megawatt reactor at Yongbyon was operating The Guardian 30 AUG 2021 https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/WZ...2952e8be047125 https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/JB...8df183b7a7befe https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default...j&v=1630278273 https://thedailycable.co/wp-content/...42-696x522.jpg https://tse2.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIF.N...=0&w=300&h=300 The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has had no access to North Korea since Pyongyang expelled its inspectors in 2009. The country then pressed ahead with its nuclear weapons programme and soon resumed nuclear testing. Its last nuclear test was in 2017. North Korea military threats ‘intended to deflect from economic crisis’ The IAEA now monitors North Korea from afar, largely through satellite imagery. “There were no indications of reactor operation from early December 2018 to the beginning of July 2021,” the IAEA report said of the 5-megawatt reactor at Yongbyon, a nuclear complex at the heart of North Korea’s nuclear programme. “However, since early July 2021, there have been indications, including the discharge of cooling water, consistent with the operation of the reactor.“ The IAEA issues the report annually before a meeting of its member states, posting it online with no announcement. The report was dated Friday. The IAEA said in June there were indications at Yongbyon of possible reprocessing work to separate plutonium from spent reactor fuel that could be used in nuclear weapons. Friday’s report said the duration of that apparent work – five months, from mid-February to early July - suggested a full batch of spent fuel was handled, in contrast to the shorter time needed for waste treatment or maintenance. “The new indications of the operation of the 5MW(e) reactor and the Radiochemical (reprocessing) laboratory are deeply troubling,” it said. There were indications “for a period of time” that what is suspected to be a uranium enrichment plant at Yongbyon was not in operation, it said. There were also indications of mining and concentration activities at a uranium mine and plant at Pyongsan, it added. |
Re: North Korea: Kim Jong-un Food Shortage-Asks Officials to Solve
North Korea: Kim Jong-un Asks Officials to Tackle Food Shortage
North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un called on his officials to deal with food supply issues and highlighted the danger of climate change. BBC News 3 SEP. 2021 https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...v070203377.jpg Typhoons last year badly impacted vital crops, while weeks of drought followed by heavy monsoon rains have damaged them this year as well. He said measures to overcome "abnormal climate" were needed, and asked also officials to tackle drought and floods. His comments came in a speech to the ruling party's Politburo on Thursday. Mr Kim had said that the "danger" of climate change had become "higher in recent years adding that "urgent action" needed to be taken. Mr Kim also called for improvements to the country's flood management infrastructure saying: "River improvement, afforestation for erosion control, dyke maintenance and tide embankment projects", should be prioritised. Apart from the damage caused by natural disasters, North Korea's economy has been hit hard by international sanctions, as well as border closures and harsh lockdowns to prevent the spread of Covid. Although North Korea has not reported any Covid cases, it has sealed its borders and imposed lockdowns. The border closures have affected vital imports from China. "Tightening epidemic prevention is the task of paramount importance which must not be loosened even a moment under the present situation," said Mr Kim, according to state media. Earlier this week, the UN said North Korea had rejected an offer of almost three million Covid-19 jabs. A spokesperson said the country had asked that the shots be relocated to harder hit nations in view of global vaccine shortages. |
re: NORTH KOREA: Drugs/Arms & TERROR -High-Profile Defector on Kim's N.Korea
North Korea: Military Parade Features Hazmat Suits, Gas Masks
North Korea has held a military parade to mark the communist state's 73rd founding anniversary, but did not display any major ballistic missiles. State media photos of the night-time parade showed marching soldiers and workers in hazmat suits instead. BBC News 10 SEP 2021. https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...i070460588.jpg Leader Kim Jong-un, who looked visibly slimmer, was seen among the unmasked crowds hugging children. https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...i070460765.jpg North Korea is suffering from food shortages and a deepening economic crisis due to the Covid-19 pandemic. On Thursday, state media released images of fire trucks, tractors, and fireworks at the parade. One section of the parade marched in what appeared to be bright red hazmat suits and gas masks, which may be a sign that a special force has been created to help prevent the spread of Covid-19, according to our correspondent. https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...i070461862.jpg North Korea's parades serve two functions. On some occasions, they can be a way to show off new military hardware and ballistic missiles to the outside world in defiance of international sanctions. But most are a means of shoring up domestic support, especially in difficult times. It is a way to boost morale and encourage the crowds to watch the mass displays of strength and cheer them up with fireworks, even if in some parts of the country they have empty stomachs. The special red hazmat unit is especially curious and would suggest Pyongyang is keen to show its people that even as the country claims it has no cases of the virus, the constant battle against the spread of Covid-19 goes on. Pyongyang has held three parades in the space of 12 months - unusually frequent even for North Korea. Just think of the risk of gathering the masses of unmasked crowds in the capital during a pandemic in a country which has yet to receive any vaccines. For whatever reason, Kim Jong-un must be making the calculation that the risk is worth it. |
re: NORTH KOREA: Drugs/Arms & TERROR -High-Profile Defector on Kim's N.Korea
Why North Koreas' Cruise Missile Launch Could Worry Other Nations
Earlier this week, North Korea announced it had successfully tested a long-range cruise missile capable of hitting much of Japan. BBC News 17 SEP 2021. https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...70574940-2.jpg https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...v068959469.jpg Cruise missiles, unlike ballistic missiles, can swerve and turn through most of their flight - allowing them to attack from unexpected angles. It shows North Korea is continuing its pursuit of ever more diverse and sophisticated means to deliver nuclear weapons. It's clear the pandemic, a spate of natural disasters, and internal economic difficulties have done little to deter North Korea's fundamental prioritisation of its nuclear deterrent. The latest successful test brings up a series of questions - why is North Korea doing this now, how significant is this, and what does it tell us about its priorities? Pyongyang remains unshifting North Korea has broadly been on a trajectory of qualitatively refining and quantitatively expanding its nuclear capabilities since the spring of 2019. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, since returning from the failed February 2019 summit with former U.S. President Donald J. Trump in Hanoi, Vietnam, expressed resolve to continue investing in North Korea's nuclear deterrent and pursuing a "self-reliant" national defence strategy. But why is North Korea choosing to do this even as it struggles through food shortages and a deepening economic crisis? It serves multiple ends. Internally, these tests amplify Mr Kim's narrative of pursuing self-reliance in national defence and bolsters morale. In practical terms, new capabilities, like these cruise missiles, complicate planning by North Korea's adversaries, who must now contend with new capabilities. North and South Korea test missiles hours apart Unlike ballistic missiles, cruise missiles fly low and slow towards their target. The cruise missiles North Korea tested recently covered a range of some 1,500km (930 miles) over a little more than two hours of flight time. Ballistic missiles of equivalent range would take a matter of minutes, but North Korea's interest in cruise missiles may be due to the difficulty for its adversaries in detecting their launches and in defending against them. And what these tests show is that Mr Kim - despite openly contending with the country's difficulties - has maintained his determination to continue advancing his nuclear capabilities. Unless we see a fundamental shift in priorities by North Korea or successful diplomatic outreach by the United States, Pyongyang should be expected to continue refining and advancing its capabilities. But is it notable that North Korea chose to introduce this weapon system at this point in time? Despite commentary to the contrary, the introduction of this weapon system and its testing likely have little to do with the policy specifics of the Biden administration or the twentieth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, which coincided with these recent tests. Nuclear carrying capabilities Of greatest concern to South Korea, Japan, and the international community is the North Korean state media description of these newly tested missiles as "strategic weapons." This usually means that the regime hopes to attach a nuclear warhead to the weapon. No previous cruise missile system in North Korea has had an implied nuclear weapon delivery role. But the development of these cruise missiles shouldn't come as a surprise. Mr Kim had in January 2021 announced that such a system was under development. He also implied that this missile system could be used in the future for a potential tactical nuclear weapon delivery role. What else do we know about these missiles? Cruise missiles are also functionally different from ballistic missiles - which the North tested just two days later. The UN Security Council sanctions actually forbid North Korea from testing ballistic missiles - but not cruise missiles. This is because it considers ballistic missiles to be more threatening because they can carry a bigger and more powerful payloads, have a much longer range and can fly faster. Why does North Korea keep launching missiles? But unlike ballistic missiles, which have a limited ability to manoeuvre in the final stages of their flight, as their payloads hurtle down to the earth, cruise missiles can swerve and turn through the majority of their flight, allowing them to attack from unexpected angles. Meanwhile, their low altitude flight means that ground-based radar systems will often only detect these missiles in the final stages of their flight, when it may be too low to successfully attempt to intercept them. Cruise missiles aren't a fundamentally new technology for North Korea. For years now, it has tested and refined Soviet-derived anti-ship cruise missiles. The recently tested missiles, however, exceed the range of those older cruise missiles by an order of magnitude. But these cruise missiles are but one part of this broader effort by North Korea. As the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency recently assessed, Pyongyang has also resumed operations at the gas-graphite reactor at the Yongbyon complex, implying the resumed production of plutonium for use in nuclear weapons. The test of ballistic missiles in the days after the cruise missile tests underscores the possibility of North Korea resuming a sustained campaign of missile development, testing, and evaluation. Ankit Panda is Stanton Senior Fellow in the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace |
re: NORTH KOREA: Drugs/Arms & TERROR -High-Profile Defector on Kim's N.Korea
Kim Yo-jong Says North Korea Open to Ending War if Conditions Met
The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un says they are willing to resume talks with the South if it ends its "hostile policies". BBC 24 SEP 2021. https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...-916165588.jpg Kim Yo-jong is the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un Kim Yo-jong was responding to a renewed call from the South to officially declare an end to the Korean War. The conflict, which split the peninsula into two, ended in 1953 with an armistice and not a peace treaty. The two countries have technically been at war ever since, and locked in a sometimes tense relationship. This week, South Korean president Moon Jae-in called for the two Koreas and their allies - the US which backs the South, and China which is the North's biggest economic partner - to declare a formal end to the conflict and bring peace to the peninsula. The idea was initially dismissed by a top North Korean minister as "premature". But in an unexpected statement released on Friday through state media, Ms Kim said the idea was "admirable". However she added that the North would only be willing to discuss the proposal if the South stopped what she called "hostile policies" towards them. "What needs to be dropped is the double-dealing attitudes, illogical prejudice, bad habits and hostile stand of justifying their own acts while faulting our just exercise of the right to self-defence," she said in a statement. "Only when such a precondition is met, would it be possible to sit face to face and declare the significant termination of war." The prospect of ending a more than 70-year war on the Korean peninsula has been the hope of this administration in Seoul for nearly 5 years. |
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