North Korea

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A North Korean Defector's Past Came Back to Haunt Her

Song Chun Son assumed she'd be free in the South. Not so

(Newser) - To say that Song Chun Son's life in North Korea wasn't great wouldn't be much of a stretch. She was thrown into a labor camp from 2007 to 2009 after illegally traveling to China in search of food during a famine. She later did illegal work as...

'Wailing' NK Defector Caught After 40 Days on Run

Zhu Xianjian, who had 2 years left in Chinese prison sentence before he escaped, is recaptured

(Newser) - Zhu Xianjian had his 11-year sentence slashed two times due to good behavior, but his break out of a Chinese prison last month with two years left behind bars likely just nullified his chances for an early release. The 39-year-old defector from North Korea is about to find out: He...

Report: Squid Game Smuggler Gets Death Sentence in NK

Students who watched it will serve 5 years of hard labor, sources say

(Newser) - In the Netflix series Squid Game, luckless South Koreans are executed for losing children's games. In real-life North Korea, you can be executed for distributing Squid Game, according to Radio Free Asia . The US-funded news agency, citing sources in North Korea, reports that a man who smuggled a copy...

This Might Be North Korea's Biggest Message Since Biden Took Office

It tests what was likely a submarine-launched ballistic missile

(Newser) - North Korea on Tuesday fired at least one ballistic missile into the sea in what South Korea’s military described as a weapon likely designed for submarine-based launches, marking possibly the most significant demonstration of the North’s military might since President Biden took office. The launch came hours after...

North Korea's Currency Is Doing Something Weird

Unofficial exchange rate has surged 25% despite country's many economic woes

(Newser) - Something strange is happening with North Korea's currency—and while analysts aren't sure what the cause is, few believe it's a sign of a healthy economy. The official exchange rate for the North Korean won has long been around 100 to the dollar, but according to outlets...

They Were Promised 'Paradise.' The Destination: North Korea

Lawsuit in Japan seeks retribution for decades-long repatriation program

(Newser) - Some 93,000 people moved from Japan to North Korea in the latter half of the 20th century, many believing they would encounter a "paradise." North Korea—desperate for labor amid efforts to rebuild following two tragic wars—suggested these migrants, many of whom were ethnic Koreans who'...

North Korea Slams 'Beastly' Squid Game

South Korean show has smashed Netflix records

(Newser) - The massive international success of Squid Game has not gone unnoticed in North Korea, where propagandists say it reflects the "sad reality of a beastly South Korean society." A Tuesday article on a propaganda website argues that the show "gained popularity because it exposes the reality of...

Kim Vows North Korea Will Build 'Invincible Military'

He speaks surrounded by missiles at Pyongyang exhibition

(Newser) - A parade last month marking North Korea's 73rd anniversary was seen as unusually subdued , with a focus on civil defense units instead of military might. But Kim Jong Un more than made up for it at an event Monday, where he spoke after reviewing a variety of large missiles,...

'Long Time No Talk': South Korean Official to North Korean Official

Hotlines between two countries restored

(Newser) - Update: North Korea on Monday restored its hotlines with South Korea, and communication resumed on them for the first time in almost two months. "Long time no talk. We’re very pleased because the communication channels have been restored like this. We hope that South-North relations will develop into...

North Korea Launches Hypersonic Missile

Country says first test flight went well

(Newser) - North Korea said Wednesday it successfully tested a new hypersonic missile it implied was being developed as nuclear capable, as it continues to expand its military capabilities and pressure Washington and Seoul over long-stalled negotiations over its nuclear weapons. The missile test early Tuesday was North Korea's third round...

N. Korea Responds to Call to End Korean War

Kim's sister says 'hostile policies' must end first

(Newser) - North Korea rebuffed South Korea’s push for a declaration to end the 1950-53 Korean War as a way to restore peace, saying Friday such a step could be used as a "smokescreen covering up the US hostile policy" against the North. In a speech at the UN General...

North Korea Fires More Missiles
North Korea Fires More Missiles
Sep 15, 2021 12:01 AM CDT

North Korea Fires More Missiles

Latest provocative move from Pyongyang defies UN resolutions

(Newser) - North Korea fired two ballistic missiles toward the sea in defiance of UN resolutions, the second weapons test in several days that experts say shows it’s pressing ahead with its arms build-up plans while nuclear diplomacy with the United States remains stalled. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff...

N. Korea Launches Long-Range Cruise Missiles

Japan 'extremely concerned'

(Newser) - North Korea says it successfully test fired newly developed long-range cruise missiles over the weekend, its first known testing activity in months, underscoring how it continues to expand its military capabilities amid a stalemate in nuclear negotiations with the United States. The Korean Central News Agency said Monday the cruise...

Kim Jong Un Is Suddenly Looking Svelte

North Korean leader's weight loss does not go unnoticed at military parade

(Newser) - The big source of attention at a military parade in North Korea on Thursday wasn't weaponry, it was the physical appearance of leader Kim Jong Un. The 37-year-old looked noticeably thinner while sporting a new haircut (perhaps a nod to his grandfather) and a tan, reports Bloomberg . Kim also...

N. Korea Military Parade Features Anti-COVID Units

Annual event was unusually toned-down, analysts say

(Newser) - Civil defense forces carrying rifles and personnel wearing gas masks and red hazmat suits paraded North Korea’s capital overnight in a celebration of the nation’s 73rd anniversary that was a marked departure from past militaristic displays. The parade—overseen by leader Kim Jong Un, wearing a cream suit...

N. Korea Pays Piper Over Its Olympic No-Show

Pyongyang is suspended from Beijing Olympics for skipping out on Tokyo Games over COVID

(Newser) - North Korea was formally suspended from the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics by the IOC on Wednesday as punishment for refusing to send a team to the Tokyo Games citing the COVID-19 pandemic. IOC president Thomas Bach said the North Korean national Olympic body will also now forfeit money it was...

North Korea Turns Down the Vaccines It's Offered

Analysts suspect Kim is holding out for Pfizer

(Newser) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered officials to wage a tougher epidemic prevention campaign in "our style" after he turned down some foreign COVID-19 vaccines offered via the UN-backed immunization program. During a Politburo meeting Thursday, Kim said officials must "bear in mind that tightening epidemic prevention...

Report Holds 'Deeply Troubling' News on N. Korea's Nuclear Reactor

Yongbyon nuclear reactor, inactive since 2018, seems to have been restarted

(Newser) - North Korea appears to have restarted the operation of its main nuclear reactor used to produce weapons fuels, the UN atomic agency said, as the North openly threatens to enlarge its nuclear arsenal amid long-dormant nuclear diplomacy with the United States. The annual report by the International Atomic Energy Agency...

5 Fascinating Places You Aren&#39;t Allowed to See
5 Fascinating Places
You're Prohibited
From Visiting
in case you missed it
Aug 15, 2021 8:45 AM CDT

5 Fascinating Places You're Prohibited From Visiting

Business Insider rounds up unique, forbidden places around the world

(Newser) - You may be looking for a remote spot, far from people, for your next travel destination. But Business Insider wants to remind you that some far-off places are better left alone—particularly if you want to avoid charges or, worse, death. Five unique, forbidden places:

Kim's Sister Issues Warning Over US-South Korea Drills

Pyongyang has stopped answering hotline

(Newser) - The annual US-South Korean military drills have been scaled back and are now almost entirely computer simulations—but Pyongyang is still furious. Kim Yo Jong, sister of dictator Kim Jong Un, described the exercises as "perfidious behavior" that will cause the US and South Korea to face a "...

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