Kim Jong Il

Stories 161 - 180 | << Prev   Next >>

Son Appears to Fetch Brain Doc for Kim

North Korean leader's eldest son seen soliciting surgeon in Paris

(Newser) - Adding to the evidence that Kim Jong-Il is in grave health, the North Korean leader’s eldest son was filmed while apparently securing the services of a brain surgeon in Paris, the Times of London reports today. Fuji TV also showed clips of an unnamed surgeon being driven in a...

US Removes N. Korea From Terrorism Blacklist

(Newser) - The US has removed North Korea from its terrorism blacklist after Pyongyang agreed to all nuclear inspection demands, the State Department said today. North Korea will allow atomic experts to take samples and conduct forensic tests at its nuclear facilities. If it balks, it will go back on the list....

US May Yank N. Korea Off Terror List

Strategy to restart nuclear diplomacy

(Newser) - The US is expected to provisionally remove North Korea from the State Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism, possibly as early as today, reports the Washington Post. It may be the Bush administration's last "carrot" to offer as diplomatic efforts to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear...

He's Back? N. Korea Says Kim Watches Soccer Match

(Newser) - North Korea's Kim Jong-Il, rumored to be seriously ill, made his first public appearance in nearly 2 months, says the state news agency. It offered few details and no photos, but said that Kim attended a recent soccer match between universities and congratulated the players afterward, Reuters reports. US and...

Kim's Death Unlikely to Breed Chaos
 Kim's Death Unlikely 
 to Breed Chaos 
ANALYSIS

Kim's Death Unlikely to Breed Chaos

Doomsday scenarios for North Korean succession farfetched

(Newser) - With Kim Jong Il conspicuously out of the public eye in recent months, some speculate that his death could shatter the North Korean government and precipitate humanitarian and possibly military crises. But the reality of succession, Philip Bowring writes in the International Herald Tribune, is likely to be far more...

Kim Jong-Il a 'Pigmy', 'Tyrant' US Will Miss
Kim Jong-Il a 'Pigmy', 'Tyrant' US Will Miss
analysis

Kim Jong-Il a 'Pigmy', 'Tyrant' US Will Miss

Like a good dictator, he kept N. Korea's nukes in check

(Newser) - The Bush administration felt a pending bittersweet goodbye when news leaked that North Korea's Kim Jong-Il likely had a stroke last month, the New York Times reports. True, officials had called Kim a "tyrant" and a "pigmy," but they knew he kept close tabs on his nation's...

New North Korean Missile Launch Pad Discovered

ICBM facility is 1-2 years from completion

(Newser) - Pyongyang is building a new intercontinental ballistic missile launching facility, the AFP reports. Satellite imagery of the new site, on the west coast of North Korea, shows it to be larger and more sophisticated than the country’s current launch pad, security analysts say —though it won't be operational...

North Korea: Kim Jong-Il Is Fine, Just Fine

But US intel believes missing dictator is recovering from stroke

(Newser) - North Korean higher-ups today insisted Kim Jong Il is in fine health, the Washington Post reports, with one diplomat deriding reports to the contrary as a “conspiracy plot.” Kim missed a major military parade yesterday, and hasn’t been seen in more than a month. But though South...

Power Struggle Looms in North Korea

Kim's sons, military will vie to take charge in wake of president's illness

(Newser) - With no obvious successor in the shadows, North Korea may be in for a bitter power struggle if reports prove true that President Kim Jong Il is gravely ill after suffering a stroke. The North Korean autocrat was mysteriously absent from 60th anniversary celebrations yesterday. The power vacuum could be...

Stroke Rumors Abound as Kim Jong Il Misses Parade

'Dear Leader' hasn't been seen in months

(Newser) - Kim Jong Il was noticeably absent from North Korea’s massive 60th anniversary military parade today, fueling speculation that “Dear Leader” is seriously ill. Kim has not been seen in public for more than a month, and one US intelligence official told the AP the dictator may have had...

Syria Must 'Come Clean' on Nukes, US Says

Reactor destroyed by Israel was nearly complete, it says

(Newser) - A covert nuclear reactor in Syria was only months away from producing uranium for weapons when Israel destroyed it in a bombing raid, US intelligence officials say. The officials briefed members of Congress on the Israeli raid in September, asserting that North Korea helped Syria build the site. The White...

Video Links North Korea to Syrian Reactor

Design similar to North Korean nuke technology

(Newser) - Video showing a nuclear reactor under construction in Syria is expected to be released today by the White House, the New York Times reports. The video, shot before the reactor was obliterated by Israeli air strikes, confirms that Syrians had North Korean technological help. The design is similar to one...

Irked North Korea Fires Test Missiles

Pyongyang flexes military muscle as Seoul grows testy

(Newser) - North Korea test-fired a number of short-range missiles into the waters off its west coast, according to South Korean officials, in an apparent show of anger at Washington and the new government in Seoul, Reuters reports. "We are monitoring the situation," said a South Korean presidential spokesman. The...

Dressed-Up Pyongyang Hid Grim Reality

N. Korean capital masked poverty for NY Philharmonic's visit

(Newser) - North Korea's capital was prettied up last month to show off the country's nonexistent prosperity to the New York Philharmonic and the accompanying press corps, the LA Times reports. The visitors to Pyongyang ate luxurious meals in newly painted hotels, but after they finished, the lights went out. "As...

Clapton Invited to Pyongyang
Clapton Invited to Pyongyang

Clapton Invited to Pyongyang

North Korea invites old Slowhand for landmark concert

(Newser) - Kim Jong Il is a diehard Elvis fan, but the Great Leader's son is seriously into Eric Clapton, which could be why North Korea has invited Old Slowhand to play a concert in Pyongyang. Though the New York Philharmonic performed there yesterday, a Clapton appearance  would mark the first time...

Are They Playing His Song?
Are They Playing His Song?

Are They Playing His Song?

New York Philharmonic arrives in Pyongyang

(Newser) - As the New York Philharmonic arrived in Pyongyang today, Kim Jong-Il still hadn't indicated whether he would attend the orchestra's historic concert, Reuters reports. ”It's kind of a win-win for Kim Jong-Il,” says a scholar of North Korean propaganda, because the visit will likely be portrayed as a...

Giant Bunnies Hit Silver Screen
Giant Bunnies Hit Silver Screen

Giant Bunnies Hit Silver Screen

Doc details how N. Korean officials devoured monster rabbits meant for poor

(Newser) - Giant bunnies overran the 2008 Berlin Film Festival, reports Der Spiegel—in the form of a 5-minute documentary on the international intrigue that ensued when a German rabbit breeder sent a dozen of his 20-pounders to North Korea to be bred to help alleviate hunger. Instead, they met a tragic...

NY Philharmonic to Play N. Korea
NY Philharmonic to Play N. Korea

NY Philharmonic to Play N. Korea

Musical diplomacy may help, says ambassador

(Newser) - The New York Philharmonic plans a historic Pyongyang concert in February, giving Kim Jong Il occasion to dig out his fanciest tracksuit—and further defrosting US relations with the onetime axis of evil member. “We haven’t even had Ping-Pong diplomacy with these people,” said ambassador Christopher Hill....

Bush Pulls About-Face on North Korea

Offers normal ties to former 'axis of evil' player for nuke secrets

(Newser) - In a sharp reversal from the days when he labeled North Korea part of the "axis of evil," President Bush has sent a letter to Kim Jong Il saying that if the dictator reveals the details of his nuclear program by the end of the year, the US...

US Places Diplomat in N. Korea
US Places Diplomat
in N. Korea

US Places Diplomat in N. Korea

First Pyongyang official lays groundwork for permanent presence

(Newser) - Washington has had a "permanent" diplomat stationed in Pyongyang since mid-month, a source tells the South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo, marking the first time a US official has been assigned full-time to North Korea. The move is seen as a precursor to possible normalization of relations between the US...

Stories 161 - 180 | << Prev   Next >>