Rather than belligerent insults using archaic English following the Bush administration’s presentation of rather convincing evidence that North Korea was proliferating nuclear technology to Syria, North Korea is offering something to “complement” the declaration of nuclear programs called for in the 13 February 2007 deal:
North Korea has tentatively agreed to give the United […]
A joint statement (DOC) was issued at the conclusion of the fourth round of Six-Party Talks in September, 2005 that “reaffirmed that the goal of the Six-Party Talks is the verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner.” It was hailed, by most, as a great breakthrough in coaxing North Korea to […]
Dr. Lankov’s latest in Foreign Affairs: “Despite international calls for reform, the North Korean government is doing its best to maintain the domestic status quo — and with good reason, at least from its perspective. Still, change is coming in very slow motion thanks to international aid and illegal exchanges with the outside world, […]
Another rumor in the saga, per the Asahi Shimbun:
An Israeli airstrike against Syria last September targeted a nuclear-related facility that was under construction with technical assistance from North Korea, according to Israel’s prime minister.
Japanese government sources said over the weekend that the Israeli leader, Ehud Olmert, briefed Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda about the […]
North Korea expelled 11 South Korean officials from the Kaesong Industrial Zone in response to rising criticism of its regime and human rights record from the new South Korean administratin of Lee Myung-Bak:
For a month, the new president of South Korea, Lee Myung-bak, has been warning North Korea to clean up its act on […]
The Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College released a paper on 24 March by Dr. Andrew Scobell titled, “Projecting Pyongyang: The Future of North Korea’s Kim Jong Il Regime.” (h/t MS) A brief abstract:
The author seeks to assist planners and decisionmakers in thinking about and preparing for possible […]
The Daily NK describes how North Koreans, who have faced chronic shortages of electricity for over a decade in some areas, use regular batteries, car batteries, and bicycle generators to meet basic needs.
North Korea and Russia have reached an agreement to renovate the 55 km Khasan-Rajin railway, which will link North Korea’s port city of Rajin (Najin) to Russia’s Trans-Siberian Railroad. Some reconstruction is required as the two countries use different rail gauges, and North Korea’s portion likely is in varying stages of disrepair.
Though it will […]
LA Times staff writer Barbara Demick has been covering North Korea for several years. Her latest article is brief but a must read: “Within hours after our plane left, the lights went out. The cellphone kiosk closed down and the broadband was disconnected. Pyongyang looked again like what it really is: the capital of […]
Update: Dr. Petrov add some background on this topic.
Original post: Someday the average North Korea will be able to enjoy some of the basic pleasures – like a cold beer after work once in awhile. In the current situation, however, ingredients that go to make beer take away from available food:
Taedonggang beer, […]
Via the Times: "The exhibition features 400 hand-painted posters dating from the peak of the Dear Leader Kim Sung Il's power in the 1950s to the present regime led by his son, Kim Jong Il." The article has only one image, but has several interesting propaganda quotes.
- #Young Korean Herrenvolk engaging in their version of Agoge, at least according to the New York Times. The two Korean schools mentioned in the article are similar to Exeter or Andover in the United States in someways (they are private academies that serve children of affluent parents). But my guess is that the studious atmosphere and intense regimen compare more to the likes of Stuyvesant (my alma mater) in NYC or T.J. in Virginia (both highly selective, but publicly-funded high schools).
- #North Korea claims that on 25 April 1932 the Korean People’s Army (KPA, 조선인민군/ Chosŏn inmin'gun) was formed. However, the more likely accurate date is 08 February 1948. It is celebrated as “Military Foundation Day” in Kimland.
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