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Domestic DPRK
2013
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DECEMBER 2013

N.Korea Recalls Envoy to Sweden
The North Korean ambassador to Sweden, who was a close associate of the executed North Korean eminence grise Jang Song-taek, was called back to North Korea last Friday. Pak Kwang-chol and his wife left Beijing for Pyongyang via Koryo Air flight JS222 that day, accompanied by a group of people who looked like their North Korean minders, sources said. Based in Sweden, Pak is concurrently envoy to Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and the Netherlands. [Jang Song Thaek]
Why Is There a Shortage of Men in N.Korea?
Data show that South Korea has about the same number of men and women in the population, but there is a noticeable shortage of men in North Korea. Why? According to the latest demographic data on North Korea released by Statistics Korea on Wednesday, the gender ratio in the South stood at 100.3 males for 100 females as of last year but 95.2 to 100 in the North. That means there were 75,000 more males than females in South Korea's 50 million people, but 604,000 more females than males in North Korea's 24 million. Experts blame the high mortality rate among men in North Korea. Cho Bong-hyun of the IBK Economic Research Institute said, "Many North Korean men die working in tough conditions as loggers or construction workers abroad to earn foreign currency." [Media] [Demographics]
Kim Jong-un 'Torn Up Over Uncle's Execution'
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been seen weeping and showing other signs of psychological turmoil since the execution of his uncle Jang Song-taek, Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun claimed Wednesday. The daily, whose reports on North Korea are not always reliable, quoted a source in Guangzhou, China as saying that the execution came at the urging of military Politburo chief Choe Ryong-hae and Minister for State Security Kim Won-hong, whose influence and power have been growing rapidly, and that Kim merely signed the order. The source said it looks like Kim Jong-un had no idea the execution would proceed so quickly, and there is talk that he was "upset" about having been responsible for killing his own uncle. The source claimed Kim Jong-un was "weeping" until celebrations of the second anniversary of Kim Jong-il's death on Dec. 17, five days after the execution. The paper quoted accounts that Kim was drunk when he ordered the executions of two of Jang's confidants. [Jang Song Thaek] Media] [Kim Jong Un]
N.Korea's Old Guard Sidelined
The old guard in the North Korean military appears to have been replaced by a younger generation of officers loyal to leader Kim Jong-un since the execution of former eminence grise Jang Song-taek. Several elderly hardliners from the days of former leader Kim Jong-il were conspicuously absent from a ceremony at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang on Tuesday to mark the 22nd anniversary of Kim senior's appointment as supreme commander. A photo of the event published by the official KCNA news agency shows a new troika of powerful officers -- military politburo chief Choe Ryong-hae, army chief Ri Yong-gil, and armed forces minister Jang Jong-nam. This picture from the Rodong Sinmun daily shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un with military officers during a visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang on Dec. 17. In second row are Jang Jong-nam, Choe Ryong-hae and Ri Yong-gil. This picture from the Rodong Sinmun daily shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un with military officers during a visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang on Dec. 17. In second row are Jang Jong-nam, Choe Ryong-hae and Ri Yong-gil. But conspicuous by their absence were veterans of the "military-first" like era National Defense Commission members Kim Yong-chun, Ri Yong-mu, O Kuk-ryol and Hyon Chol-hae, as well as key members of the old guard who were close to Jang, including Minister of People's Security Choe Bu-il. The photo has raised speculation that the National Defense Commission, which was the most powerful decision-making body during the Kim Jong-il regime, has now grown weaker. Although Kim Jong-un is the chairman of the National Defense Commission, the execution of Jang, its vice chairman, has apparently forced other vice chairmen -- Kim Yong-chun, Ri Yong-mu and O Kuk-ryol -- into virtual retirement.
NK leader's secret 'pro-Japanese' family history revealed
By Ko Dong-hwan Ko Young-hui A news report unveiled that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s publicly-boasted “pure Baikdu bloodline” was a hoax as his grandfather’s “pro-Japanese” history was confirmed. YTN reported Tuesday it acquired a top secret document from Japan’s old Ministry of Army. According to the report, Kim’s grandfather on the mother’s side, Ko Kyeong-taek, worked at “Hirota Uniform Factory” in Osaka, Japan, and was even promoted to a managerial position. The existence of the factory was indicated in the document as “highly confidential.” “Since the North Korean leader’s grandfather was confirmed as a supporter of the Japanese Imperial Army, the state couldn’t visibly idolize his mother Ko Young-hui, also a daughter of Ko Kyeong-taek,” said Daily NK’s chief of Tokyo branch Ko Young-ki. “The fact makes the leader a ‘grandson of a pro-Japanese faction member,’ a valid subject for execution, defined by state regulations as being the criminal’s third generation.” The report said North Korea’s public silence on Ko Young-hui, who was briefly venerated by the state with a tributary documentary film made last year, draws a sheer disparity from the state’s all-out idolization of the leader’s grandmother Kim Jong-suk. The report additionally said Ko Kyeong-taek returned to North Korea in 1962 and told part of his experience in Osaka to Chosun Hwabo, an official magazine of the North Korean Communists Party in Japan. [Media]
NIS Claims Fresh Insight into Jang Song-taek's Ouster
The execution of North Korea's former eminence grise Jang Song-taek was not the result of a power struggle between hardliners and moderates but of jockeying for control of the feeding troughs, National Intelligence Service chief Nam Jae-joon said Monday. Speaking to the National Assembly Intelligence Committee, Nam also dismissed rumors that a leading associate of Jang’s has defected to China or that Jang's widow Kim Kyong-hui is on her deathbed. Nam said there was mounting dissatisfaction in the military and other agencies of the regime because Jang abused his position to dole out favors like business concessions. Leader Kim Jong-un "began to distrust Jang after reports about his corruption and irregularities," Nam told the committee. "Jang was involved through Department 54 under the Workers Party in awarding concessions for lucrative projects like coal mining." [Jang Song Thaek] [NIS]
N.Korean Purge Continues Quietly
The North Korean regime continues to purge associates of former eminence grise Jang Song-taek, who was executed in early December, but now they are being purged quietly in the provinces while Pyongyang puts on a show of solemn unity marking two years since former leader Kim Jong-il's death. The celebrations got underway in mid-December, and since then the propaganda tone has shifted from hysterical denunciations of Jang and his clique to trumpeting current leader Kim Jong-un's purported achievements. ? Quiet Execution "Kim Jong-un is quietly sending Jang's cronies to the provinces and executing them there," claimed Ahn Chan-il of the World Institute for North Korea Studies. "Railroad stations in Pyongyang are teeming as the military herds people associated with Jang onto trains to provincial regions" like Hwasong, North Hamgyong Province. [Jang Song Thaek] [Media]
Kim Jong-un's Aunt 'Seriously Ill'
Kim Kyong-hui, the wife of executed North Korean eminence grise Jang Song-taek, and aunt of leader Kim Jong-un, has had long-term treatment in Russia for heart problems but her health apparently continues to deteriorate, sources claim. A source in Beijing said Kim was in Russia for some 40 days due to heart problems and returned to Pyongyang last month. The source added Kim's condition is "serious." [Kim Kyong Hui]
'Military behind Jang execution'
By Chung Min-uck 2013-12-20 17:01 A lawmaker said Friday that a hard-line military faction led by Choe Ryong-hae, a vice marshal of the North Korean People’s Army, was behind last week’s execution of Jang Song-thaek, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s uncle and the country’s former No. 2 man. He also insisted that Kim Jong-un is merely a symbolic figure in the reclusive country and that Choe holds ultimate power. “Choe executed Jang by staging a coup,” said Ahn Hong-joon, a ruling Saenuri Party lawmaker and chairman of the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee. “Many think Jang’s purge was part of Kim Jong-un’s plan to consolidate his power but he does not hold any actual authority in the North.” [Jang Song Thaek] [Choe Ryong Hae]
'No Truth' in Rumors About Jang Song-taek Affair with 1st Lady
Rumors that executed North Korean eminence grise Jang Song-taek had an affair with leader Kim Jong-un's wife and tried to run the country through her are "nonsense," a defector who was once part of the Pyongyang elite says. Pianist Kim Cheol-woong told the Chosun Ilbo on Thursday, "In North Korea, anyone who is not a member of the Kim family is purged mercilessly if they are caught attempting to bolster their power." [Ri Sol Ju] [Jang Song Thaek] [Media]
Kim Jong-un within Songun Legacy Politics
By Sino-NK | December 20, 2013 It is impossible to say with certainty at this stage whether the purging of Jang Sung-taek will lead to fundamental policy shifts at the highest levels: foreign, trade, and defense and nuclear policy. Administrative and policy boundaries in Pyongyang are more sensitive than ever and, by clearly signposting that it’s “business as usual,” the leadership has arguably shown that it knows how vital the process of policy delineation really is. As the bureaucratic inertia and momentum from the purge continue, we contend that something else has occurred, which is of arguably more importance. The purge reinforces above all the one dynamic upon which all the others rest and have rested for many years: The inheritance and permanence of the Songun (or “military-first”) political line. [Songun]
Is Kim Jong-un a Puppet of Hardline Brass?
Speculation is growing that hardline North Korean generals were behind the execution of leader Kim Jong-un's uncle Jang Song-taek and that Kim was merely their pawn. That would be worrying for South Korea, which would face an increased threat of military provocations.
Is Choe Ryong-hae Now N.Korea's Most Powerful Man?
Since the execution of leader Kim Jong-un's uncle Jang Song-taek, the most prominent official in the North has been Choe Ryong-hae, the chief of the military Politburo. But it is unclear whether Choe now pulls the strings or whether he is just a stuffed shirt and will prove expendable in the medium to long term. Sources on Wednesday claimed former leader Kim Jong-il asked Choe on his deathbed to help his son Jong-un. [NK military]
More sophiscated Ri
By Kim Tae-gyu North Korea’s first lady Ri Sol-ju’s first public appearance in more than two months quelled rumors that something happened to her with regard to the recently-executed Jang Song-thaek, the former No. 2 man of the communist state. Yet, she is generating fresh speculation as she wore unprecedentedly heavy make-up while paying her respects to former ruler Kim Jong-il, father of her husband Kim Jong-un, on the second anniversary of his death. A year before, she wore black traditional Korean clothes, called hanbok. But this year she put on a black two-piece suit with a skirt. [Ri Sol Ju] [Media]
NK purge first of 'series'
Global Times | 2013-12-10 1:23:01 By Wang Li in Pyongyang and Sun Xiaobo in Beijing This shows before and after photos of still grabs taken from a documentary rebroadcast on KCTV Saturday, showing scenes from the original version (left) broadcast on October 7 and of the new version where Jang (circled) was edited out. Photo: AFP/South Korean Ministry of Unification The ousting of North Korea's No.2 leader may be just the start of a series of purges as leader Kim Jong-un moves to shore up his power base, analysts said Monday. Pyongyang on Monday confirmed the dismissal of Kim's uncle Jang Song-thaek from all his posts for his "anti-party, counter-revolutionary factional acts." Jang, who was widely considered the No.2 figure in the country's political landscape, was also expelled from the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). The decision to purge Jang came at an enlarged meeting held by the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the WPK on Sunday, according to a report released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency. Kim Jong-un attended and guided the meeting. Analysts believe that Jang's removal was the result of a power struggle within the country conducted to build up Kim's absolute authority. [Jang Song Thaek]
Kim the Third
No one performs Shakespeare in the theaters of Pyongyang. Instead, he is enacted in the corridors of power. By John Feffer, December 18, 2013. Several years before William Shakespeare wrote his first play, England was rocked by a bloody political scandal. Queen Elizabeth, the virgin monarch who had been on the throne for nearly three decades, was in a battle of wills with her cousin, Mary Queen of Scots. England’s religious future was at stake. Would it stay Protestant, as Elizabeth had decreed, or would it revert to Catholicism, as Mary preferred? Mary had fled Scotland for the presumed safety of England and her cousin’s protection. Instead, Elizabeth imprisoned her. Several plots to place Mary on the throne roiled the waters. Eventually, and somewhat reluctantly, Elizabeth ordered her cousin once removed to be more permanently removed—by way of beheading. [Jang Song Thaek]
N.Korean Officials in Show of Loyalty to Kim Jong-un
Senior North Korean officials swore frantic allegiance to their leader Kim Jong-un on Tuesday after the ouster and execution of his powerful uncle Jang Song-taek. The occasion was the second anniversary of the death of former leader Kim Jong-il, which was being marked with an hour-long ceremony in Pyongyang. Ceremonial head of state Kim Yong-nam called on all North Koreans to "hold comrade Kim Jong-un in high esteem as the sole center of unity and leadership." Military Politburo chief Choe Ryong-hae also urged North Koreans to affirm their loyalty to Kim Jong-un [Kim Jong Un]
Kim Jong-un's Wife Reappears in Public
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's wife Ri Sol-ju made her first public appearance in 62 days on Tuesday when she accompanied her husband to the mausoleum of his father and grandfather. The visit to the Kusumsan Palace of the Sun, where the bodies of nation founder Kim Il-sung and his son Kim Jong-il lie embalmed, came on the second anniversary of the latter's death. Rumors were rampant in the wake of the execution of Kim Jong-un's uncle Jang Song-taek that she had also fallen victim to the purge, but her appearance on Tuesday puts them to rest. [Ri Sol Ju]
Jang Song-taek Cronies Appear at Ceremony in Pyongyang
Several confidants of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's uncle Jang Song-taek, who was executed last week, appeared among officials attending a solemn ceremony in Pyongyang on Tuesday. The occasion was the second anniversary of former leader Kim Jong-il's death. Deputy Premier Ro Tu-chol, Mun Kyong-dok, the head of the Workers Party's Pyongyang chapter, and erstwhile premier Choe Yong-rim stood to the left of Kim Jong-un, while to his right stood Gen. Choe Bu-il, minister of people's security, and senior military Politburo official Ri Byong-sam. All five were close to Jang but have so far apparently escaped the purge. Although the officials were placed according to their ranks, it is remarkable that so many of Jang's erstwhile cronies appeared at the event. [Jang Song Taek]
North Korea marks second anniversary of Kim Jong-il’s death
Posted on : Dec.18,2013 15:18 KST North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, flanked by his wife Ri Sol-ju, pay their respects at Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang on Dec. 17 to mark the second anniversary of former leader Kim Jong-il’s death. (KCNA/Yonhap News) Not many faces have changed since first anniversary last year; Jang Song-thaek’s widow not seen By Choi Hyun-june, staff reporter North Korea staged a large-scale rally on Dec. 17 to mark the second anniversary of former leader Kim Jong-il’s death. The event was attended by current leader Kim Jong-un, numerous officials from the North Korean government, military, and Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK), and over 20,000 members of the public. Lasting one hour and 12 minutes, the Central Commemorative Rally for the Second Anniversary of Comrade Kim Jong-il’s Passing was broadcast live on Korean Central Television, starting at 10:55 am and finishing at 12:07 pm. Kim Jong-un was seated at the center of the “leader’s platform”, flanked by 30 members of the North Korean leadership. The fifteen people seated on his right included military Political Bureau chief Choi Ryong-hae, Chief of General Staff Ri Yong-gil, and Minister of the People’s Armed Forces Jang Jong-nam. The fifteen on his left included Kim Yong-nam, chairman of the presidium for the Supreme People’s Assembly, along with Premier Pak Pong-ju and Museum of the Korean Revolution director Hwang Sun-hui. Pak was among a number of attendees who are known to have been close to WPK administrative department chief Jang Song-thaek, who was executed on Dec. 12. Others included Vice Premier Ro Tu-chol and Pyongyang party secretary Mun Kyong-dok. These figures’ presence at the event could mean that they were either not involved in the recent incident, or that the purge against Jang’s camp is, at least temporarily, on hold. [Jang Song Thaek]
National Memorial Service Held to Mark 2nd Anniversary of Demise of Kim Jong Il
Pyongyang, December 17 (KCNA) -- A national memorial service was held solemnly in Pyongyang on Tuesday, the second anniversary of demise of General Secretary Kim Jong Il. Present there was Kim Jong Un, first secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), first chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK and supreme commander of the Korean People's Army (KPA). Attending it were leading officials of the party, state and army, the chairperson of a friendly party, officials of the party, armed forces and power organs, public organizations, ministries and national institutions, service personnel of the KPA and the Korean People's Internal Security Forces, officials of organs, enterprises, factories and co-op farms in Pyongyang, bereaved families of revolutionary martyrs, persons of merit and other people. Also present there were overseas Koreans delegations including the delegation of Koreans in Japan and the delegation of the General Association of Koreans in China, overseas Koreans, those related to revolutionary activities of Kim Jong Il, the chief of the Pyongyang mission of the Anti-Imperialist National Democratic Front, foreign diplomatic envoys, representatives of international organizations and members of the military attaches corps here and other foreigners. [Kim Jong Il]
A Roundtable Review of Dr. Suzy Kim’s Everyday Life in the North Korean Revolution, 1945–1950
By Sino-NK | December 17, 2013 Dr. Suzy Kim, a historian and assistant professor at Rutgers University, makes ample use of uncovered historical documents in order to reveal the lived experiences and processes of a nascent North Korea during the immediate postliberation period. The arc of the book is bounded in the concept of the “everyday”—taking cues from Walter Benjamin, Michel de Certeau, and Marxism. With a focus on the everyday(s), Sino-NK staff and contributors evaluate Dr. Kim’s work. While for some, Dr. Kim’s theoretical framework constitutes a welcome addition to historiography that tends to overlook personal narratives and alliances on the local level, others were not as welcoming. Though the finer points of the reviews differ, depending on the appreciation of the theoretical outlook, none disagree that Dr. Kim’s use of historical documents tells new stories about life in North Korea. — Darcie Draudt, Assistant Editor
History and Revolution: An Interview with Dr. Suzy Kim
By Steven Denney | December 16, 2013 An image from Kim Jong Suk Biography (Pyongyang 2002), a text which describes in depth how Kim Il-song's wife was deeply involved in women's political organizations and publications prior to her death in 1949. Image: Adam Cathcart> As Dr. Suzy Kim decisively argues in her latest book on the North Korean revolution, DPRK depictions of women in the late 1940s go beyond Soviet influence or the Kim family, emphasizing popular (female) participation. | Image: Adam Cathcart As the debate over North Korea’s future continues, scholars continue to unearth new information and interpretations of the state’s origins. Historians are at the forefront of North Korea analysis: Andrei Lankov and Charles Armstrong being signal examples. Focusing in on the period prior to the outbreak of the universally brutal Korean War, today Sino-NK seeks a more indigenous viewpoint on domestic historiography–and the self-image of the leadership–in the DPRK.
Where Is Kim Jong-un's Older Brother?
Kim Jong-nam and his son Han-sol Kim Jong-nam and his son Han-sol The whereabouts of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half brother Jong-nam and his son Han-sol were unclear after the execution of Kim's uncle Jang Song-taek. There have been rumors that they fear for their lives and that a hit squad has been set on them, but reports are contradictory and hard facts are difficult to come by.
N.Korean Military Pledges Loyalty to Kim Jong-un
The North Korean military pledged loyalty to leader Kim Jong-un in a ceremony on Monday, ahead of the second anniversary of the death of his father Kim Jong-il. The official KCNA news agency reported that the ceremony took place at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the bodies of Kim Jong-il and nation founder Kim Il-sung lies embalmed.
Kim Jong-il 'Warned Son Against Jang Song-taek'
The ouster and execution of North Korean eminence grise Jang Song-taek may have been planned or foreseen by former leader Kim Jong-il, according to the rumor mill. Sources have claimed that Kim senior warned his son, current leader Kim Jong-un, against Jang's overweening ambitions, which became apparent when he took over as quasi-regent after Kim Jong-il suffered a stroke in 2008. Lee Yun-keol of the North Korea Strategy Information Service Center said Kim Jong-il was wary of Jang's growing power and support base and left a will "warning his son to watch out." [Jang Song Thaek] [Kim Jong Il]
N.Korean Regime Poised for Show of Unity
North Korea on Tuesday marks the second anniversary of the death of former leader Kim Jong-il with a major ceremony. It takes place at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the bodies of Kim Jong-il and his father Kim Il-sung lie embalmed. The ceremony is expected to provide the regime with an opportunity for a show of unity after the purge of present leader Kim Jong-un's uncle Jang Song-taek and his cronies. Pundits are curious to see whether Kim's aunt Kim Kyong-hui, Jang's widow, will show up, and whether Kim's wife Ri Sol-ju will attend the ceremony since she has been out of the public eye for some two months.
Jang Song-taek's Last Photo Shows Signs of Torture
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's uncle Jang Song-taek appears to have been beaten and tortured in the hours leading up to his execution. A photo of Jang published in the official Rodong Sinmun daily on Friday showed him slouched in front of a special military court with his hands tied with rope and propped up by two uniformed guards. Jang looks weak and unable to stand up by himself. This photo of Jang Song-taek published on the Rodong daily on Friday shows bruises around his eyes and hands. This photo of Jang Song-taek published on the Rodong daily on Friday shows bruises around his eyes and hands. Clad in a dark blue Mao suit and wearing glasses, Jang appeared little changed from Dec. 9, when he was dragged out of a Workers Party Politburo meeting accused of a raft of crimes against the state. But there are dark bruises around his eyes, while his left hand and left cheek are also dark, suggesting he may have been beaten. His forehead in the photo looks unusually white, as if makeup had been applied. Jang was executed right after a military tribunal last week, where the North said he confessed to major crimes including sedition. [Jang Song Thaek]
[Retrospective] Two years in North Korea since Kim Jong-il’s death
Posted on : Dec.17,2013 15:34 KST North Korean military Political Bureau chief Choi Ryong-hae (second from the left) reads a statement at a rally at Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang pledging allegiance to leader Kim Jong-un one day before the second anniversary of Kim Jong-il’s death, Dec. 16. (KNCA/Yonhap News) Since taking over the leadership, Kim Jong-un has made steady steps toward consolidating power By Park Byong-su, senior staff writer December 17 marks the second anniversary of former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s death and two years since his son Kim Jong-un took power. For the younger Kim and North Korea in general, the last two years have been a period of both continuity and dramatic breaks. Kim Jong-un has been very different from past leaders in his behavior and style. Last year, he signaled a more youthful and open image with a surprise Mickey Mouse performance by the Moranbong band and public appearances at events with wife Ri Sol-ju. He has also tried to make some changes in steering the economy. During an April 2012 speech for the Day of the Sun, a national holiday celebrating the birth of his grandfather Kim Il-sung, Kim pledged to “see to it that the people no longer have to tighten their belts.” Pyongyang went on to implement cautious economic reforms with a “North Korean economic management program” - a comparable approach to the July 1 Economic Improvement Measures introduced by Kim Jong-il in 2002. The focus was on encouraging work through stronger incentives, including permission for producers to independently manage part of their surplus. [Kim Jong Un] [Economic reform]
[Editorial] North Korea must stop its politics of terror
Posted on : Dec.16,2013 12:14 KST North Korea is attempting to consolidate the absolute rule of leader Kim Jong-un with its justifications of the sudden execution of Workers’ Party of Korea administrative department director Jang Song-thaek. Kim has been going about his business just as before, acting as though the execution is no big deal. The main argument that Pyongyang uses to underscore Kim’s legitimacy as leader has to do with his bloodline. The WPK’s Rodong Sinmun newspaper has written, “No human being under the heavens with blood other than the Leader’s [Kim Il-sung] has even air to breathe.” It has said that anyone who dares to challenge the leader should be punished without hesitation - even a blood relative. All this argument does is show that North Korea is still a backwards country that has yet to move beyond the mind-set of the age of dynasties. It’s also an example of the politics of terror - the idea that anyone who is not Kim Jong-un could be put to death at any time. No country, not even one that codifies dictatorship in its constitution, can establish its legitimacy through acts of brutal violence. This is one reason North Korea must put an end to the bloody purge that is now being waged against Jang’s supporters. [Jang Song Thaek]
It’s not always ‘like father like son’ for leadership in N. Korea
Posted on : Dec.17,2013 15:32 KST In an undated photo released on Dec. 16 by the Korean Central News Agency, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visits a military fishery. (KNCA/Yonhap News) Kim Jong-un came into power looking somewhat open, but has recently shown himself to be merciless By Choi Hyun-june, staff reporter In a variety of ways, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un resembles his grandfather Kim Il-sung more than his father Kim Jong-il. When he goes on guidance tours wearing a coat with his hair slicked back, hands clasped behind his back and an expression of complete confidence on his face, he is the spitting image of Kim Il-sung. After Kim speedily disposed his uncle Jang Song-thaek, former head of the administrative division of the Korean Workers’ Party, he was blamed with resorting to a politics of terror. This merciless behavior is another point of similarity with his grandfather, whereas Kim Jong-il held back from purging high-ranking officials for three years after his father’s death. [Kim Jong Un] [Kim Jong Il] {Kim Il Sung]
On Anniversary of Dad's Death, Kim Jong Un Shows Who's Boss
By Bruce Einhorn December 17, 2013 As North Koreans marked the second anniversary of Dear Leader Kim Jong Il’s departure today, one thing was certain: The tens of thousands of attendees at the memorial service made sure to applaud his son and successor, Kim Jong Un—and to applaud vigorously, with unmistakable enthusiasm. [Kim Jong Un] [NK US policy] [Agency]
Pyongyang 'Ruled by Climate of Fear'
The North Korean capital is gripped by fear after the execution of leader Kim Jong-un's uncle Jang Song-taek. A source in the North said state security agents and soldiers are out on the streets of Pyongyang controlling the flow of human traffic, "so it's difficult to move even a hundred meters." The source added people who do not live in Pyongyang have been ordered to leave the capital, while outsiders are not allowed to enter. Some North Koreans are apparently mourning Jang's loss. One resident of Sinuiju near the border with China said, "It's a pity because there were many who respected Jang Song-taek." The source said many people in trade or business supported Jang, and "that's why Kim Jong-un killed him." There are rumors that Jang's relatives in Wonsan, Kangwon Province will all be purged. [Jang Song Thaek]
Kim Jong-un's Wife Reappears on TV
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's wife Ri Sol-ju was apparently unaffected by a purge that swept away Kim's uncle Jang Song-taek and his cronies. State television on Friday broadcast 2012 footage of Ri and Kim as they paid homage to the embalmed corpse of nation founder Kim Il-sung and his son Kim Jong-il at the opening of the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang. Ri is shown for about 20 seconds as she walks next to her husband, apparently to quell rumors after she has been out of public sight since Oct. 16. [Ri Sol Ju]
New Powerful Troika Emerges in N.Korea
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's first official engagement on Thursday since the ouster of his uncle Jang Song-taek suggested that there is now a powerful new troika behind the throne. During his visit to an army institute, Kim was accompanied by military Politburo chief Choe Ryong-hae, armed forces minister Jang Jong-nam, and Hwang Byong-so, a deputy director in charge of the military in the Workers Party's Organization and Guidance Department. There had been speculation that Choe, the top official in the military, could also be ousted in the wake of Jang's execution, but his position seems secure. [NK military]
Kim Jong-un's Aunt Alive and Well
Kim Kyong-hui, the aunt of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and widow of his executed uncle Jang Song-taek, is alive and well. North Korea on Friday announced the death of a high-ranking Workers Party official and included Kim Kyong-hui's name on the list of dignitaries planning his funeral. On the list of 54 powerful officials, she was mentioned sixth after Kim Yong-nam, the president of the North's Supreme People's Assembly, Prime Minister Pak Pong-ju, military Politburo chief Choe Ryong-hae, chief of the Army's General Staff Ri Yong-gil, and army chief Jang Jong-nam. [Kim Kyong-hui]
NK tries to show Kim in charge
2013-12-15 18:26 North Korean leader Kim Jong-un talks with officials during a recent inspection of the Masik Ski Resort in the eastern coastal city of Wonsan. The (North) Korean Central News Agency reported the visit Sunday. / Yonhap Young dictator increases public outings after uncle’s execution By Kim Tae-gyu North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made his second public appearance in as many days, Sunday, a move experts believe is aimed at showing his subjects and the outside world that he is firmly in charge. Jang Song-thaek, the husband of Kim’s aunt Kim Kyong-hui, was executed for a coup conspiracy last week. Jang was regarded as the No.2 man and a key backer in the 29-year-old dictator’s rise to power. The state-run Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim inspected the Masik Ski Resort, including a hotel which is scheduled to be completed soon, in the country’s eastern coastal city of Wonsan. [Kim Jong Un]
Jong’s Execution Might Be Kim Jung Un’s High-Stakes Diplomatic Gambit
Initial reports on the purge of Jong Song Thaek have understandably focused on his abrupt, brutal execution and the hysterical denunciation issued by the Korea Central News Agency. Terms like “medieval” and “Games of Thrones” have been bandied about, along with expressions of amused contempt at the crude and barbaric character of the DPRK regime and its power and succession struggles. I enjoy a bout of condescending sniggering as much as anyone, but perhaps attention should be paid to the risky geopolitical gambit that might underpin the move against Jang. Jang was the architect of the DPRK’s nascent economic reform movement, which apparently relied to a significant extent on PRC models, PRC assistance and, we can assume, acceptance of the idea that a cost of reform was to allow Chinese companies unfair and resented advantages in exploiting economic opportunities in North Korean mines, factories, animal products, and electrical power (I wish to pause here to address the canard that the DPRK is dependent on the PRC for its energy. True, the DPRK has no petroleum resources to provide fuel for gas and diesel engines and is desperately reliant on imports; then again, so is South Korea. North Korea, thanks to its abundant hydropower, is a significant exporter of electricity to the PRC’s Northeast). Anyway, Jang was Beijing’s guy in Pyongyang. His removal might mean that Kim Jong Un had it up to here with Uncle Jang’s bossiness, or his way of injecting PRC views and interests into the center of DPRK decision-making. But it also might mean that Kim Jong Un decided to make a bold move to finally obtain direct U.S. engagement on security and economic talks. [Jang Song Thaek] [Agency] [NK US policy]
Parsing Those Thriced-Cursed Acts of Treachery
By Adam Cathcart | December 15, 2013 Page 2 of Friday’s Rodong Sinmun was dominated by news of the trial and immediate execution of Jang Sung-taek. | Image: Rodong Sinmun With its sudden and ferocious report, produced after Jang Sung-taek’s short trial this week before a military tribunal, state media is requiring North Koreans from all walks of society to express their pent-up rage at Jang, once the presumptive second-in-command of the country. But certain elements of the article are not entirely novel. Not very long ago, it was former South Korean President Lee Myung-bak who was the country’s enemy number one, denounced in meetings as a rat deserving only of the bayonet (his effigy was torn apart by dogs on the evening news in Pyongyang). The same syntax of rage is being employed now, but the difference, of course, is that Lee is still safe and alive south of the DMZ, while Jang never left the North and is now dead. [Jang Song Thaek]
North Korea’s family affair: A high-risk game
The execution and public purging of his uncle, once his protector, shows North Korean ruler Kim is as ruthless as his father and grandfather • By Aidan Foster-Carter • Published: 20:00 December 13, 2013 • After visiting Pyongyang, Christopher Hitchens wrote that although “Orwellian” is a cliche, for North Korea, no other word would do. Dashing hopes that his youth and Swiss schooling might bring change, Kim Jong-un, the third-generation quasi-monarch of a regime still notionally communist, has just reminded us that 1984 is still North Korea’s playbook, with the viciously public purging of Jang Song-thaek, his uncle-in-law and former protector. [North Korea said yesterday it executed Kim’s uncle as a traitor for trying to seize supreme power.] [Jang Song Thaek]
A Drop of Caution
By James Church 13 December 2013 The high-profile purge and now execution of Jang Song Thaek has rattled teacups in Northeast Asia and beyond. High-level people have been executed many times before in North Korea, but not in sight or hearing of the international audience. For outside observers, whether Jang was actually guilty of any of the bill of particulars against him is, at least in the first instance, beside the point. The pressing questions are: why did Kim Jong Un execute a relative, and why was it done so openly? We suddenly have been confronted with a curious and unnerving transparency, a look into the workings of a regime that we are not so sure we wanted to see. We have just come upon a wreck on the highway and, as usual, we are gawking. Analysts who weigh in so soon after the news of the purge has broken deserve medals for bravery, and perhaps a trip to the nut house. It is natural to have opinions on events so shocking. But the story will change, new evidence will emerge, and conclusions will have to be re-formed. Caution is the order of the day, though caution is boring, and certainly doesn’t sell newspapers. [Jang Song Thaek]
Jang Song Thaek’s Execution
By Haksoon Paik 13 December 2013 Jang Song Thaek was executed in a blitzkrieg manner in less than four days after he was arrested at the Enlarged Politburo Meeting of the Cental Committee (CC) of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK). The immediate response of this author to the news of his execution was, “Oh my God, it is too much.” How could Kim Jong Un execute Jang, who is none other than Kim Il Sung’s son-in-law, Kim Jong Il’s brother-in-law, Kim Kyong Hui’s husband, and his own uncle-in-law? I even had a fleeting thought that his execution may not be true; Jang might be confined somewhere out of sight for some time. But after I read the text of the report of Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on the ruling of Jang’s crimes at the special military tribunal of the State Security Department (SSD), my response was two-fold: 1) Jang’s crime might have been much more serious and substantial than we thought and Kim Jong Un’s fury must have been much more fierce than we expected; and 2) the ruling was not something unfamiliar when the history of power struggles and consolidation in North Korea is taken into account. This kind of purge and deadly court ruling occurred repeatedly in the past during the Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il eras. [Jang Song Thaek] [Kim Jong Un]
North Korea: What Jang’s Execution Means for the Future
By Alexandre Mansourov 13 December 2013 Four days after the North Korean Politburo stripped Jang Song Thaek, Kim Jong Un’s foremost mentor and protector, of all his posts and ranks, a special military tribunal of the DPRK Ministry of State Security convicted him of attempting to overthrow the state and to replace the people’s power and socialist system with his own personal rule with the help of hostile foreign forces, and executed him immediately. Kim’s decision to publicly humiliate and execute his own uncle-in-law surprised me because it came in sharp contrast with the practice established by Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il who had only purged and exiled the relatives they deemed threatening. Jang’s demise not only provides more clues that should lead to a reevaluation of the post Kim Jong Il era, but also, on a more practical level, demonstrates Kim Jong Un’s willingness to fight to the death to stay in power and the need for the United States and the international community to take the threat of a nuclear-armed North Korea more seriously. [Jang Song Thaek]
Yongusil 21: North Korean Review on the Unhasu Orchestra in Paris and the AP in Pyongyang
By Sino-NK | December 13, 2013 Haegum (Korean 4-string fiddle) player Nam Un Ha, age 25, prepares for her Paris debut | Image via Demotix, click image for gallery > Haegum (Korean 4-string fiddle) player Nam Un Ha, age 25, prepares for her Paris debut | Image via Demotix For a nation seemingly external to conventional political themes and narratives, time surely moves apace in the North Korea of today. Since the words of this Yongusil were written, the turmoil in Pyongyang and the anti- Jang Sung-taek rallies spoken of within it have narratologically crystallized into his shocking execution. Political and literal demise has of course been a common feature not only of North Korean history and narrative, but also of its more recent past, even those of participants and elements once considered vital to its politics and presentation. This years disappearance and demotion of a number of artists and cultural figures once key to contemporary political thematics are a case in point. In happier times however, those same artists served as elements within cultural diplomatic initiatives and drive on Pyongyang’s part. Whether such drives will still form part of the post-Jang era is another matter, but analysts from Sino-NK doubtless will investigate and encounter whatever reality is produced, in much the same way Adam Cathcart and Steven Denney (Sino-NK’s Editor in Chief and Managing Editor, respectively), in a revealing article in the latest issue of North Korean Review, have examined the cultural diplomacy once represented by the Unhasu Orchestra, the Moranbong Band and the arrival of the Associated Press in Pyongyang – Robert Winstanley-Chesters, Director of Research
Sino-NK 2013 Rewind: The Byungjin Line and North Korea in an Era of Songun Politics
By Peter Ward | December 13, 2013 Print Friendly While the execution of Jang Sung-taek certainly came as an unexpected surprise to commentators, analysts and the public, North Korean politics often offers up the unexpected. Back in the rhetorical heat and nuclear fury of spring 2013, the Byungjin line arrived, seemingly a fully formed theoretical paradigm shift, similarly entirely unnannounced. At Sino-NK we have spent the year considering the impact, structure and potential of Byungjin. Our Editor-in-chief has delved into the historical narratives, seeking Byungjin’s precursors and shadows and there has been extensive analysis of other, developmental aspects of Byungjin’s manifestation. Only last week, the first in this Sino-NK Rewind series examined Byungjin’s connective activation between North Korea’s politics of charisma and the peripheral realm of grasses and land reclamation . [Conventional-Nuclear] [Byungjin]
Execution of Kim Jong-un's uncle raises fears of instability in North Korea
Experts say purge of Jang Song-thaek may suggest powerful groups are jockeying for power in secretive state Tania Branigan in Beijing theguardian.com, Friday 13 December 2013 17.00 GMT North Korea's brutal purge and execution of Kim Jong-un's uncle has raised fears of instability in a state with a nuclear weapons programme and a willingness to ratchet up regional tensions. Jang Song-thaek was accused of everything from plotting a coup to instigating disastrous currency reforms and dishing out pornography in a report issued by the official news agency KCNA early on Friday morning. It denounced him as "worse than a dog" and "despicable human scum". The Rodong Sinmun newspaper showed him handcuffed and held by uniformed guards in the courtroom of the special military tribunal that found him guilty of treason. Experts were divided on whether his violent end indicated that Kim was consolidating his power ruthlessly – or that powerful groups within the elite were jockeying for power. Before his ousting Jang was one of the North's most powerful figures and was regarded as a mentor to the youthful leader. But even his marriage to Kim's aunt – whose situation remains unclear – was not enough to save his life. The culmination of Jang's fall from power, first heralded by the announcement that he had been stripped of his posts and expelled from the Workers' party, was announced in thundering, vitriolic state media reports in unprecedented fashion. In Pyongyang, people crowded around subway station billboards displaying the morning paper and news of the execution, Associated Press reported. Others sat quietly and listened as a radio broadcast piped into the subway listed Jang's crimes. [Jang Song Thaek] [Takeover] [Media]
[News analysis] Jang’s purge and execution display bizarreness and cruelty in N. Korea
Posted on : Dec.14,2013 16:29 KST North Korea’s image will take a hit from recent purge, making outsiders even less likely to want to invest there By Park Byong-su, senior staff writer Jang Song-thaek, former head of the Administrative Department of the Korean Workers’ Party (KWP), was executed on Dec. 12. The execution came four days after Jang purged from all of his positions in an expanded meeting of the KWP Political Bureau on charges of anti-state and counterrevolutionary factionalism. It is unusual for the North Korean regime to move so quickly to eliminate a political foe following a perfunctory trial. When Park Heon-young of the Workers’ Party of South Korea was purged in 1953, he was executed not long after his trial. Park’s sentence came two years after his arrest. In 1967, when the Gapsan faction was eliminated, Park Geum-cheol the trial and execution were carried out in total secrecy. If anything, the “August faction” incident was more of a typical case. In 1956, North Korea had been forced to delay the purging of the Yeonan and Soviet factions because of pressure from China, the USSR, and other socialist countries that provided considerable aid for rebuilding the North after the Korean War (1950-53).
Nevertheless, this incident has once more reinforced and perpetuated the perception that North Korea is a bizarre country. Jang’s execution is an example that reaffirms the cruelty, insularity, and undemocratic nature of the North Korean government in the eyes of South Korean society, which achieved democracy after the June movement in the late 1980s. “During the Yushin dictatorship in the 1970s, South Korea experienced similar things,” said a government official on condition of anonymity. “There was the People's Revolutionary Party incident, in which the victims were executed only 18 hours after being sentenced to death, an incident that was criticized as judicial murder.” [Jang Song Thaek] [Park Chung-hee]
N. Korea’s ‘Baekdu Line’ solidifying its grip on power
Posted on : Dec.14,2013 16:13 KST North Korean leader Kim Jong-un addresses an expanded meeting of the Korea Workers’ Party Political Bureau, where the purge of Jang Song-thaek was decided. The men at Kim’s sides are expected to form the next generation of leadership in North Korea. Recent purge of Jang Song-thaek will likely be followed by more of his followers being ousted By Ha Eo-young, staff reporter Following the purge of former Party Administrative Division director Jang Song-thaek, it appears that believe that North Korea’s Baekdu bloodline (descendants of Kim Il-sung), of which leader Kim Jong-un is the head, has consolidated its grip on power. During this process, it seems unlikely that government officials who are grouped with Jang will manage to avoid being purged. First vice director Ri Yong-ha and vice director Jang Su-gil may have been early examples of this. The first question is concerning the whereabouts of Kim Kyong-hui, 67, wife of Jang and aunt of Kim Jong-un. In the history of North Korean purges, there are examples of one spouse being purged or fired for wrongdoing while the other spouse was unaffected. However, Kim has not been seen at an official event since September, and she did not appear to be present at the meeting of the party’s Political Bureau on Dec. 8 when it was decided to purge Jang. [Jang Song Thaek]
Traitor Jang Song Thaek Executed
Pyongyang, December 13 (KCNA) -- Upon hearing the report on the enlarged meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, the service personnel and people throughout the country broke into angry shouts that a stern judgment of the revolution should be meted out to the anti-party, counter-revolutionary factional elements. Against the backdrop of these shouts rocking the country, a special military tribunal of the DPRK Ministry of State Security was held on December 12 against traitor for all ages Jang Song Thaek. The accused Jang brought together undesirable forces and formed a faction as the boss of a modern day factional group for a long time and thus committed such hideous crime as attempting to overthrow the state by all sorts of intrigues and despicable methods with a wild ambition to grab the supreme power of our party and state. [Jang Song Thaek]
In North Korea, Kim Jong Un rises, and advisers are shoved aside
By Chico Harlan, Published: December 13 E-mail the writer SEOUL — When Kim Jong Un became leader of North Korea in 2011, he was surrounded by advisers who were two and in some cases nearly three times his age. Most had decades of experience in the Workers’ Party or military. Two were members of Kim’s family. But rather than lean on that support team, Kim has instead sought to dismantle it, using a string of demotions and purges to grab power almost solely for himself. On Friday, North Korea announced the execution of the most prominent of his advisers, his uncle Jang Song Thaek, accusing him of opposing Kim’s rise and plotting an overthrow. The pace and brutality of Kim’s attempted consolidation of power far exceeds analysts’ predictions and carries significant consequences for the region and the United States. If Kim can indeed lock down power, one of the world’s most secretive and repressive nations may continue as it is for decades. If he fails, a 65-year run of family rule could face resistance, and his nuclear-armed nation could descend into chaos. [Read North Korea’s announcement of Jang’s execution.] For now, there are no outward signs of instability in the North, and it is unclear whether Jang’s execution — documented on the front page of North Korea’s state-run newspaper — marks the last stage of Kim’s ascendance or the first hint of opposition. [Jang Song Thaek]
An intolerable mockery’: the wild-eyed worldview of North Korean propaganda
By Max Fisher ? December 13 at 2:05 pm The scribes at North Korea's official state news agency have long elevated hyperbole into an art form, but even by their high standards, this week's pronouncement was something special. Here's a typical sentence from the Korean Central News Agency's 1,000-word release announcing the execution of Jang Song Thaek, the uncle of leader Kim Jong Un: "Despicable human scum Jang, who was worse than a dog, perpetrated thrice-cursed acts of treachery in betrayal of such profound trust and warmest paternal love shown by the party and the leader for him." The report denounced Jang's alleged crimes large and very small, from "counter-revolutionary factional acts" to "half-heartedly clapping." The phrase "thrice-cursed acts of treachery" turns out to be a common one in official North Korean releases, suggesting the propagandists are driven more by routine procedure and less by passion than we might think. [Jang Song Thaek] [Media] [Mockery]
Jang Song-taek Executed
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's uncle Jang Song-taek was executed right after a military tribunal on Thursday, the official KCNA news agency said on Friday. "The tribunal examined Jang's crimes. All the crimes committed by the accused were proved in the course of the hearing and were admitted by him," it said. The execution came four days after Jang was arrested and hauled out of a Politburo meeting. "The accused is the worst traitor to the nation of all time who perpetrated anti-party, counter-revolutionary factional acts in a bid to overthrow the leadership of our party and state and the socialist system," the report said. [Jang Song Thaek]
Experts Puzzle Over Jang Song-taek's Ouster
The ouster and execution of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's uncle Jang Song-taek has laid bare the fault lines running through the secretive regime, where various factions jostle for control of diminishing resources. The picture is going to become clearer over the following weeks and months, but already it is clear that the regime is far less monolithic than some observers believed based on state propaganda alone. Meanwhile, feverish speculation continues among North Korea watchers here trying to make sense of the mess. [Jang Song Thaek]
Jang Song-thaek briskly and brutally executed
Posted on : Dec.13,2013 11:33 KST Jang Song-thaek is brought to his seat at a special military tribunal in Pyongyang, Dec. 12. Jang was reportedly executed by machine gun immediately after the trial. (YTN/Yonhap News) Former number two in North Korea removed just before the first anniversary of Kim Jong-il’s death By Hankyoreh English North Korea has executed Jang Song-thaek, North Korea’s second most powerful man and the uncle of leader Kim Jong-un, for treason, condemning him as “a traitor for all ages.” Jang was executed on Dec. 12 shortly after a special military trial sentenced him guilty of over ten charges, including the anti-party and anti-state acts, counter-revolutionary factional acts, the North’s official media Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Dec. 13. “The accused is a traitor to the nation for all ages who perpetrated anti-party, counter-revolutionary factional acts in a bid to overthrow the leadership of our party and state and the socialist system,” KCNA said, using vicious wording. [Jang Song Thaek]
Kim Jong Un just had his own uncle killed. Why?
By Max Fisher December 12 at 6:27 pm Footage shown by North Korea's KCTV and released by South Korea's Yonhap news agency shows Jang Song Thaek being removed from a Politburo meeting. (YONHAP/AFP/Getty Images) Footage shown by North Korea's KCTV and released by South Korea's Yonhap news agency shows Jang Song Thaek being removed from a Politburo meeting. (Yonhap/AFP/Getty Images) Just over a week after South Korean intelligence officials revealed that North Korea had purged senior government official Jang Song Thaek, who also happened to be the uncle of leader Kim Jong Un, North Korean state media have announced that Jang has been executed. Jang's bizarre case raises two closely related but distinct questions: What did Jang do? And why would Kim have his own uncle put to death? The truth, needless to say, is probably not that Jang was killed for "half-heartedly clapping," as the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency claims in a lengthy explanation for the execution. More likely, this is perhaps a way for Kim to consolidate his power within a large, inscrutable bureaucracy that's dominated by much older and more experience cadres who may have resisted the young upstart's leadership. [Jang Song Thaek]
Man Who Managed Kim Jong-il's Coffers 'Executed'
The ouster of North Korean eminence grise Jang Song-taek was evidently part of a wider purge that also resulted in the execution of another of Jang's confidants, the Mainichi Shimbun reported Wednesday. The paper quoted a source as saying Ri Su-yong, a deputy department chief in the Workers Party who used to manage the coffers for former leader Kim Jong-il, was one of five senior officials who have been killed. [Jang Song Thaek]
Purge of Jang Song –taek Triggered by Supply Corruption
The ouster of North Korean eminence grise Jang Song-taek seems to have been triggered by rampant corruption in a state agency tasked with feeding and clothing the Stalinist country's million-strong army. Department 54 supplies electricity, coal, fuel, clothes and other necessities to the military. It used to be under direct army control but was moved to the National Defense Commission after Jang became its vice chairman and entrusted his confidant Jang Su-kil with running it. Jang Su-kil Jang Su-kil According to sources, the problem started when leader Kim Jong-un toured several military units and promised to solve their shortages of daily necessities. Kim ordered Department 54 to deal with the matter, but the department failed to comply. [Jang Song Thaek]
Source: in recent N. Korea purge, it’s all about bloodlines
Posted on : Dec.12,2013 15:29 KST In this undated photo released on Dec. 11 by North Korea’s Rodong Sinmun newspaper, students at Kim Chaek University of Technology in Pyongyang listen to an address and cheer in support of leader Kim Jong-un after the ouster of former Workers’ Party of Korea administrative department head Jang Song-thaek. (Yonhap News) Ouster of Jang Song-thaek could be part of effort to consolidate all power in two lines of descendents with Kim Jong-un in control By Choi Hyun-june, staff reporter It is being suggested that the ouster of Jang Song-thaek, former Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) administrative department head, came about when the original power base in North Korea, the direct descendants of North Korean founder Kim Il-sung (known as the Baekdu line) and the descendants of the guerillas that fought the Japanese (called princelings), moved to check the power that Jang had been gathering since the death of Kim Jong-il. An anonymous source who is well-informed about what is happening in North Korea told the Hankyoreh on Dec. 11 that Jang was removed from power when the Baekdu line, or Kim Il-sung’s descendants, and the princelings, or descendants of the partisans who fought the Japanese, came together to remove Jang’s influence. This source said that the purge looks very much like infighting. The chief figure in the Baekdu line is North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, while the main person in the princelings is Choe Ryong-hae, chief of the military’s political bureau and son of former defense minister Choe Hyon. The descendants of Kim Il-sung and the anti-Japanese guerilla fighters have formed the main concentrations of power in North Korea since the government was established, and as such they have had a close relationship. [Jang Song Thaek]
Hong, Jang, and the Mysterious Railroad Deal
by Christopher Green One thing is clear: the DPRK's decrepit rail network needs some investment. | Image: Wikicommons A lawmaker from South Korea’s Democratic Party, Hong Ik-pyo told an event held yesterday at the National Assembly complex in Seoul that on the very day of the Jang Sung-taek purge, China and North Korea agreed a deal that, if carried through to completion, would lead to the construction of a high-speed rail link between Beijing and Kaesong via Pyongyang and the border cities of Sinuiju and Dandong. Hong, a member of the House Steering Committee, its Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, and a special committee devoted to inter-Korean relations development, said that the agreement, which he claimed to have seen, also provides for the construction of an 8-lane highway. It has, he told the audience, been made between agencies acting as proxies for their governments. In Hong’s view, the important takeaway from the deal is that it means North Korea is pushing forward with economic development come what may, and shows that Jang Sung-taek was not the only economic hand in the upper echelons of the Pyongyang elite. Indeed, Hong is also a supporter of the thesis that Jang and his clique had actually become a major roadblock to the development plans of others.
Christopher Green | December 12, 2013 at 4:58 pm | URL: http://wp.me/p3Yril-2Wv [Jang Song Thaek] [China NK] [Railways]
N. Korea executes leader's uncle for 'treason': KCNA
2013/12/13 11:49 SEOUL, Dec. 13 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has executed its leader Kim Jong-un's once-powerful uncle for treason, state media said Friday, calling him "a traitor for all ages." Jang Song-thaek, who served as a vice chairman of the powerful National Defense Commission, was executed Thursday shortly after a military trial found him guilty of "the anti-party, counter-revolutionary factional" charges, according to the North's official media Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in an English dispatch. "The accused is a traitor to the nation for all ages who perpetrated anti-party, counter-revolutionary factional acts in a bid to overthrow the leadership of our party and state and the socialist system," the viciously-worded report said. Jang "would be sentenced to death," as the special military tribunal confirmed that his subversion attempt "is a crime punishable by Article 60 of the DPRK Criminal Code," it said, citing its official name of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The decision of capital punishment "was immediately executed," the report said, condemning him as "a wicked political careerist, trickster and traitor for all ages in the name of the revolution and the people." [Jang Song Thaek]
People's Korea smashes counter-revolution-special article by JISGE and ASSPUK chairman
The dear respected leader Marshal KIM JONG UN guides meeting of WPK Politburo Rubbish ejected from meeting. Recently, on the 8th of December an enlarged meeting of the Political Bureau of the Workers' Party of Korea was held under the guidance of dear respected Marshal Kim Jong Un the First Secretary of the WPK . At the meeting the crimes of the counter-revolutionary anti-party factional clique of traitor Jang Song Thaek were laid bare so the meeting decided to remove Jang from all of his positions and expel him from the party. Jang is a counter -revolutionary criminal who schemed in a most two-faced manner to restore capitalism in the DPRK and make the DPRK either a colony of the US or a satellite state of a certain big power. Jang had been sabotaging parts of the DPRK independent national economy over a period of time, even selling off the resources of the DPRK at a low price and disrupting the production of Juche steel, Juche fertiliser and Juche vinalon . [Jang Song Thaek]
Slogans, Portraits, and Patterns in Kimist Purges
By Adam Cathcart | December 11, 2013 The meeting during which Jang Sung-take was hauled away. | Image: Rondong Sinmun At the large formal meeting on December 8 in Pyongyang, participants must have been inwardly shocked at the spectacle of Jang Sung-taek sitting patiently in the second row before he was hauled away for the cameras that evidently rushed on stage to record the debacle. But even before Jang was seized, there was drama, too, in the stage itself, a space framed by two huge slogans to three different Kims—and one slogan to the Republic they have guided, and occasionally terrorized, since its founding. The main horizontal slogan reflected the need for North Korean society to continue the “melding of Kimilsongism and Kimjongilism,” while the vertical slogan on the left appeared to dwell upon the need to follow Kim Jong-un’s orders. All three of the Kims were thus represented on and around the stage. However, there was only one Kim whose icon dominated brightly over the proceedings—it was that of Kim Jong-il. [Jang Song Thaek]
Kim Jong-un's Older Brother 'Lying Low'
The ouster of North Korean eminence grise Jang Song-taek throws into relief the fate of leader Kim Jong-un's older half-brother Jong-nam, who was raised by Jang and his wife. Kim Jong-nam is the eldest son of former leader Kim Jong-il and was thought to be the designated heir until he fell from grace in 2001. Since then he has lived in lavishly funded exile in Macau and Beijing and has had practically no contact with his younger half-brother.
[Editorial] What Jang Song-thaek’s ouster means going forward
Posted on : Dec.10,2013 16:31 KST On Dec. 9, North Korea gave its first confirmation to the outside world that second-in-command Jang Song-thaek had been removed as head of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) administrative department. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appears to have ousted Jang, his uncle by marriage, in an attempt to place himself more solidly at the center of the regime. The move came ten days before the second anniversary of his father Kim Jong-il’s death. The announcement of Jang’s ouster was unusual in both form and content. Kim presided over an expanded meeting of the WPK Political Bureau on Dec. 8 where Jang was judged for various misdeeds and a decision was made to relieve him of all duties and titles and expel him from the party. Purges of senior leaders have not been rare in North Korea, but few if any precedents can be found for this particular approach. Already, it is being seen as sending the message that the party is firmly at the center of the regime, while enlisting the support of the public. Jang was accused of a long list of misbehavior at the meeting - everything from “anti-state, anti-revolution factional activities” to “impeding the Cabinet’s economic projects” and “acts of corruption and depravity.” The aim here may have been to further solidify Kim’s grip on the regime by squashing any hopes for a comeback by Jang. [Jang Song Thaek]
North Korea: The Dramatic Fall of Jang Song Thaek
By Alexandre Mansourov 09 December 2013 The downfall of Jang Song Thaek is the most significant political event in the history of post-Kim Jong Il North Korea. The removal of “Jang and his group”[1] for “the anti-party, counter-revolutionary factional acts” is the second major adjustment in North Korea’s power configuration under Kim Jong Un’s leadership, eclipsing in significance the ouster of Kim’s primary guardian former Chief of General Staff Vice-Marshal Ri Yong Ho in July 2012, who had suffered a much milder punishment by comparison. It confirms my earlier assessment that the young marshal was going to use Jang for as long as he had to, but then would cut him off just like his father had purged his uncle Kim Yong Ju when Kim Jong Il deemed him as a threat to his own power bid in the mid-1970s.[2] Jang’s sacking contributes to the cumulative evidence that the maturing leader continues to dismiss his elder guardians appointed by his father in order to clear the path for his own absolute rule. Obviously, Kim Jong Un has already become powerful enough to exercise full control as his father had planned. [Jang Song Thaek]
DPRK's Jang Song-thaek reportedly executed
China.org.cn, December 10, 2013 Unconfirmed reports said Jang Song-thaek, uncle-in-law of DPRK leader Kim Jong Un, and his aides were executed on December 5. A footage of the DPRK's state TV shows that Jang is publicly arrested by security personnel in front of thousands of WPK members. [Xinhua] The Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) held an enlarged meeting and adopted a decision Sunday of stripping Jang of all posts, depriving him of all titles and expelling him and removing his name from the WPK, according to the official news agency KCNA. [Jang Song Thaek]
N.Korea Justifies Jang Song-taek's Ouster
Ousted North Korean eminence grise Jang Song-taek "committed criminal acts baffling the imagination and caused tremendous harm to our party and revolution," the official KCNA news agency reported Monday. KCNA said a Workers Party Politburo meeting on Monday decided to dismiss Jang and his top lieutenants. In an unprecedented move, the state TV showed Jang being dragged out of the meeting venue by three uniformed guards after his dismissal was made official. The Workers Party was quoted as saying that Jang’s ouster dealt a "decisive blow" to the threat of a "faction within the party" being formed. [Jang Song Thaek]
Did Kim Jong-un's Brother Mastermind Jang's Ouster?
The man who orchestrated the ouster of North Korean eminence grise Jang Song-taek may have been leader Kim Jong-un's low-profile older brother Jong-chol, an expert here claimed Monday. Lee Yun-keol of the North Korea Strategic Information Service Center told the Chosun Ilbo that Kim Jong-chol "personally led" a team of soldiers protecting Kim Jong-un to arrest Jang. Lee said Kim Jong-chol was also behind the executions of Jang's close confidants Ri Yong-ha and Jang Soo-kil, who were both high-ranking officials in the Workers Party. [Jang Song Thaek]
What Now for Kim Jong-un's Aunt?
The fate of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's aunt Kim Kyong-hui is unclear after the ouster of her powerful husband Jang Song-taek. Kim Kyong-hui's whereabouts are unknown, but experts believe she is relatively safe due to the reverence in which the regime holds the direct descendants of nation founder Kim Il-sung, who are piously referred to as the "Baekdu bloodline," after Kim senior's alleged birthplace. [Jang Song Thaek]
Jang Song-taek Crony 'Defects to China'
A senior North Korean official who oversaw eminence grise Jang Song-taek’s and leader Kim Jong-un's private coffers is believed to have fled to China. The official is rumored to have fled North Korea in September or October for reasons that remain unclear. It is unknown whether he sought asylum in China or is heading elsewhere. Intelligence agencies are downplaying the story. National Intelligence Service chief Nam Jae-joon told lawmakers on Thursday that he was "completely unaware" of it. A high-ranking Foreign Ministry official said Seoul tried to verify the rumors through various overseas diplomatic missions, but there was a "strong possibility" that they are false. [Jang Song Thaek]
[News analysis] The reasons behind Jang Song-thaek’s ouster
Posted on : Dec.10,2013 12:21 KST Modified on : Dec.10,2013 14:28 KST A captured image from Korean Central Television showing Jang Song-thaek being escorted out of a Dec. 8 expanded meeting of the WPK Political Bureau by uniformed officials. The image was broadcast on Dec. 9. It’s unusual for North Korea to make public images of a purge in this manner. (Korean Central Television/Yonhap News) Kim Jong-un’s uncle may have been ousted to further consolidate Kim’s power base By Park Byong-su, senior staff writer North Korea confirmed the ouster of Workers’ Party of Korea administrative department head Jang Song-thaek at an expanded meeting of the Political Bureau of the party’s central committee on Dec. 8. “A written decision was adopted that relieved Mr. Jang of all duties and titles and expelled him from the party,” the announcement said. The sudden purge of Jang, who was previously seen as the country’s second-in-command, is being taken as a sign that leader Kim Jong-un wants to proceed on his own and establish his power base. [Jang Song Thaek]
Report on Enlarged Meeting of Political Bureau of Central Committee of WPK
Pyongyang, December 9 (KCNA) -- A report on the enlarged meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) was released on December 8. The following is the full text of the report: An enlarged meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the WPK was held in Pyongyang, the capital of the revolution, on Dec. 8. Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un, first secretary of the WPK, guided the meeting. Present there were members and alternate members of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the WPK. Leading officials of the Central Committee of the WPK, provincial party committees and armed forces organs attended it as observers. Our party members, service personnel and all other people have made energetic efforts to implement the behests of leader Kim Jong Il, entrusting their destiny entirely to Kim Jong Un and getting united close around the Central Committee of the WPK since the demise of Kim Jong Il, the greatest loss to the nation. In this historic period for carrying forward the revolutionary cause of Juche the chance elements and alien elements who had made their ways into the party committed such anti-party, counter-revolutionary factional acts as expanding their forces through factional moves and daring challenge the party, while attempting to undermine the unitary leadership of the party. In this connection, the Political Bureau of the C.C., the WPK convened its enlarged meeting and discussed the issue related to the anti-party, counter-revolutionary factional acts committed by Jang Song Thaek. [Jang Song Thaek]
NK soldiers escort out No. 2 man
Jang Song-thaek, vice chairman of North Korea’s National Defense Commission, is arrested during a meeting of the ruling Workers Party of Korea, Sunday, as broadcast by the North’s official Korean Central TV, Monday. This was the first time since the 1970s that such a high-profile arrest has been made in public and broadcast. The footage confirmed recent reports that the North’s No. 2 man, leader Kim Jong-un’s uncle, was ousted. / Yonhap By Kim Tae-gyu North Korean leader Kim Jong-un The ouster of North Korea’s No. 2 man Jang Song-thaek, the uncle of its leader Kim Jong-un, was confirmed by the country’s state media Monday. The confirmation comes after a week of confusion since the National Intelligence Service (NIS) first briefed a group of lawmakers about Jang’s removal. [Jang Song Thaek]
Kim Jong Un’s “Unitary Leadership”: Future Policies and Our Choices
By Haksoon Paik 10 December 2013 About a week ago, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) disclosed Jang Song Thaek’s “likely” loss of power in North Korea. This news about Kim Jong Un’s regent, commonly considered as North Korea’s “number two” in power, was shocking. On December 9, 2013, North Korea’s official media carried a report on the “Decision” of the Enlarged Meeting of Political Bureau of Central Committee of Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK). According to the report, Jang Song Thaek had been relieved of all posts, deprived of all titles, expelled from the party, and his name removed from the party during the meeting convened the day before. And, to the surprise of all, North Korea’s KCTV broadcasted the scene of Jang being taken away from the session by security forces, unambiguously confirming his loss of power. Why was Jang removed from power? What does this mean for Kim Jong Un’s establishment of a “unitary leadership?” What impact will Jang’s removal have on current policies in the areas of economic reform and opening and the resumption of Six Party Talks? And what is our best policy option towards North Korea for the resolution of pending issues including peace settlement and denuclearization? [Kim Jong Un] [Jang Song Thaek]
DPRK leader's uncle Jang Song-thaek removed
Xinhua, December 9, 2013 The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) announced Monday Jang Song-thaek, uncle- in-law of DPRK leader Kim Jong Un, was removed from all posts and expelled from the Workers' Party of Korea for his "anti-Party and counterrevolutionary crime," the official news agency KCNA reported. The KCNA said the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) held an enlarged meeting and adopted a decision Sunday of stripping Jang of all posts, depriving him of all titles and expelling him and removing his name from the WPK. "Jang and his followers committed criminal acts baffling imagination and they did tremendous harm to our party and revolution," the KCNA said in a report following the WPK's enlarged meeting Sunday. Jang was also described as a double-dealer who abused his power and challenged the "sole leadership system," and had gravely hindered the role of the Cabinet by taking control of major economic development sectors, and had allegedly committed irregularities and corruption and "led a dissolute and depraved life," said the resolution from the meeting. Jang, 67, who was married to Kim's biological aunt, was senior general and vice chairman of the National Defense Commission (NDC), and secretary of administration department of the WPK. The resolution also accused Jang of desperately working "to form a faction within the party by creating illusion about him and winning those weak in faith and flatterers to his side." It said Jang and his followers violated the WPK's guiding principles and disobeyed "the order issued by the supreme commander of the Korean People's Army," and "the discovery and purge of the Jang group ... made our party and revolutionary ranks purer ..." "Our party will never pardon anyone challenging its leadership and infringing upon the interests of the state and people in violation of the principle of the revolution, regardless of his or her position and merits," said the resolution, calling on all the party members and the Korean People's Army to be united under the leadership of Kim Jong Un for "final victory." [Jang Song Thaek]
N.Korea Confirms Ouster of Jang Song-taek
North Korea confirmed Monday morning that leader Kim Jong-un's uncle Jang Song-taek, widely seen as the eminence grise of the regime, has been dismissed from all posts. The official KCNA news agency said Jang challenged the country's leadership and tried to organize his own faction. "Jang pretended to uphold the party and leader but was engrossed in factional acts and dreaming different dreams… That was why the party eliminated Jang and purged his group, unable to look on any longer," it said. Unlike the original footage (top) aired last October, the re-run last week shows only a glimpse of Jang Song-taek while his face is obscured by other figures. Unlike the original footage (top) aired last October, the re-run last week shows only a glimpse of Jang Song-taek while his face is obscured by other figures. Earlier, Korean Central Television broadcast documentary footage on Saturday that had been altered to remove any images of Jang. The film was a re-run featuring Kim Jong-un at a military base and has been aired on KCTV nine times since Oct. 7. [Jang Song Thaek]
North Korea confirms purge of Kim Jong Un’s uncle, describes ‘anti-state’ crimes
By Chico Harlan, Updated: Monday, December 9, 7:15 PM SEOUL — North Korea on Monday confirmed its purge of Jang Song Thaek, the uncle of supreme leader Kim Jong Un, saying that he abused drugs, disobeyed orders and worked in secret to build up his base of power. The North said Jang was relieved of all posts and expelled from the Workers’ Party after a meeting Sunday of top officials in Pyongyang. Although the North has previously banished high-level leaders, never has it described their alleged transgressions in such detail, some analysts said. The statement about Jang, released by the state-run news agency, ran nearly 1,400 words and said dissent would not be tolerated under its “monolithic leadership system,” with Kim as the “unitary center.” The statement came six days after South Korea’s spy agency briefed select lawmakers in Seoul on Jang’s likely removal. Jang, 67, had been installed as a caretaker for the third-generation power handoff by Kim Jong Il, who died two years ago. Until recently, Jang was one of Kim Jong Un’s closest lieutenants, accompanying him at public events nationwide and last year representing him at a meeting in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Jang’s removal marks the most significant shake-up under Kim Jong Un, and some experts see the unusually vivid account as a public warning against disloyalty. “This means Kim Jong Un punishes his political rivals more severely than Kim Jong Il,” said Cheong Seong-chang, a senior North Korea analyst at Seoul’s Sejong Institute. [Jang Song Thaek]
N.Korea Clamps Down on Dissenters
North Korea is cracking down heavily on any form of social or political dissent since the recent ouster of eminence grise Jang Song-taek. North Korean authorities are spreading word of the public executions of two of Jang's confidants, who were accused of "damaging the Workers Party" in a phrase that usually means corruption. One source said scores of people across the country were publicly executed over the past month for offenses like selling and watching South Korean movies and TV series. "The State Security Department issued a sudden decree in early October to eradicate 'impure' broadcast materials and that led to a widespread crackdown," the source said. "Fear is spreading across all provinces." [Jang Song Thaek]
Ouster of Jang Song-thaek could have been part of widespread purge
Posted on : Dec.7,2013 14:24 KST North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (second from the right) with Jang Song-thaek (circled) at a cavalry training camp in a photo published by the Rodong Sinmun on Nov. 20. South Korean media speculate that close associates of Jang’s may have fled to China or elsewhere for their safety By Park Byong-su, staff reporter The news of the ouster of Jang Song-thaek was followed by a number of media reports about the status of North Korean officials close to him, including claims that some of his key associates in the Administrative Department of the (North) Korean Workers’ Party (KWP) had left the country. Government officials have refused to confirm these reports, denying any knowledge about them, which makes it difficult to determine how credible the reports are. Several South Korean newspapers ran reports on Dec. 6 quoting a source familiar with relations between North Korea and China who said that one of Jang’s closest associates fled to China in late September or early October and requested asylum there. According to these reports, this figure was in charge of earning foreign currency and raising funds for the Administrative Department, which Jang was the head of. The reports claimed that this figure fled North Korea because of the threat of a widespread crackdown on people close to Jang. [Jang Song Thaek] [Intelligence]
'Jang removed for challenging Kim'
2013-12-06 16:52 North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, left, and Jang Song-thaek, second from left, vice chairman of North Korea’s National Defense Commission, walk in July in Pyongyang beside the graves of fallen North Korean soldiers who died during the Korean War (1950-53). Jang was not seen in public for about a month. Seoul’s spy agency believes that he was ousted. / Yonhap By Chung Min-uck Jang Song-thaek, uncle of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and vice chairman of the National Defense Commission, was stripped of all his official titles because of his growing political influence that was becoming incompatible with that of Kim’s, analysts said, Friday. Cheong Seong-chang, a senior analyst at the independent Sejong Institute in Seoul, said Ri Ryong-ha, the first-deputy director of the ruling Workers’ Party of North Korea’s (WPK) administrative department, and Jang Su-gil, a deputy director of the same department, were executed recently because they tried to “reign over the ruling Workers’ Party and the Cabinet by hiding behind Jang’s power.” [Jang Sang Thaek]
Bloody Purge Targets Jang Song-taek's Cronies
It appears that a bloody purge is underway in North Korea to rid state organs of the cronies of eminence grise Jang Song-taek, who has been reportedly stripped of all his posts. Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae told lawmakers here rumors that Jang’s closest confidants Ri Yong-ha and Jang Su-gil were publicly executed in late November for damaging the Workers Party have been confirmed. Jang's brother-in-law, North Korean Ambassador to Cuba, Jon Yong-jin, is apparently set to return to Pyongyang via Beijing on Thursday. A diplomatic source in Beijing said Jon appears to have been recalled. Jang's nephew and Ambassador to Malaysia Jang Yong-chol has already been recalled. This screen capture from the [North] Korean Central TV shows Ri Yong-ha (front left) and Jang Su-gil, behind Ri, talk with Kim Jong-un at a factory near the Taedong River on Sept. 2, 2012. Jang Song-taek is at back right. This screen capture from the [North] Korean Central TV shows Ri Yong-ha (front left) and Jang Su-gil, behind Ri, talk with Kim Jong-un at a factory near the Taedong River on Sept. 2, 2012. Jang Song-taek is at back right. The Unification Minister said no harm appears to have come to Jang himself, though his whereabouts are a mystery. In a closed-door meeting later in the day, Ryoo said it should be remembered that Jang survived three purges in the past, only to return to a new position of power. Meanwhile, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is apparently away from Pyongyang, judging by a sighting of his personal train, a government official here said Wednesday. [Jang Song Thaek]
[Analysis] Why could powerful figure in N. Korea have been ousted?
Posted on : Dec.4,2013 15:53 KST Before he was ousted, Jang Song-thaek sat in an audacious posture as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un addressed a convention. His attitude was in sharp contrast with the other officials in attendance. Experts suggest move could have been made to further consolidate Kim Jong-un’s unchallenged rule By Park Byong-su, staff reporter The reported ouster of Jang Song-thaek, uncle of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, reported to the National Assembly on Dec. 3 by the National Intelligence Service, comes as a major shock in terms of timing and Jang’s standing in the Pyongyang power structure. Jang, the head of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) Central Administration Department, is known to have been a key figure in launching the Kim Jong-un regime on a stable footing. Analysts are now saying that if he did lose his position, possible reasons may include a reshaping of Kim’s inner circle, a power battle with People’s Army politburo chief Choi Ryong-hae, or objections to economic reforms. According to the NIS, Jang’s ouster likely came some time in late November. Jang has not been seen in public since joining Kim at an Oct. 10 recital for the 68th anniversary of the WPK and meeting a delegation led by Japanese House of Councilors member Kanji Inoki on Nov. 6. The NIS believes that Jang’s ouster would have come not long afterwards. “We are not aware of any reports in the North Korean media since Nov. 6 that would lead us to surmise something had happened to Jang,” said a senior official from the Ministry of Unification on condition of anonymity. No specifics are available on why Jang would have fallen from power, but one of the leading theories is that it had to do with recent frictions between him and Choi, considered the two main regime heavyweights after Kim Jong-un. Observers are speculating that Jang may have lost out in a power struggle between the two. [Jang Song Thaek]
Jang Song-thaek reportedly knocked off North Korea’s ladder of power
Posted on : Dec.4,2013 15:49 KSTModified on : Dec.4,2013 15:54 KST North Korean leader Kim Jong-un walks past his uncle Jang Song-taek in a Kyodo News photo from February 16, 2012. (Reuters/News1) Kim Jong-un’s uncle apparently ousted as Party seeks to enhance Kim’s status as N. Korean’s one and only leader By Kim Su-heon, staff reporter The National Intelligence Service (NIS) said on Dec. 3 that head of the Central Administrative Department of the Korean Workers’ Party (KWP) Jang Song-thaek, 67, could have been purged. Jang, the uncle of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and as Kim’s guardian, Jang had effectively been the number two man in the North Korean regime. If Jang was in fact ousted, this is expected to not only result in changes to the structure of power inside North Korea but to also have a significant effect on inter-Korean relations in the future. In a press release, the NIS said that two of Jang’s closest associates in the KWP Administration Department - first deputy director Ri Ryong-ha and deputy director Jang Su-gil - were publicly executed at the end of November and that it appeared very likely that Jang had been sacked as well. The NIS also said that Pyongyang was taking subsequent action against the organizations under Jang’s authority and the people connected to him. [Jang Song Thaek]
Why Jang Song-thaek was ousted
By Kim Tae-gyu After it was reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un recently dismissed his uncle, Jang Song-thaek, the No. 2 man in the reclusive regime, questions are being asked as to why he made the surprise move. Observers pointed out Wednesday that the worst-case scenario is that Kim sacked his uncle due to the pressure of military hard-liners, who did not like Jang’s dovish approach to South Korean issues. “If Kim kicked out Jang because he did not need a political regent any more thanks to his firmer grip on power two years after taking charge, it would be fine,” said a professor at a Seoul university who asked not to be named. “But if the military, which is responsible for various provocations against Seoul in the past few years, is behind the move, relations between the two Koreas could worsen down the road.” [Jang Song Thaek]
Jang Sung-taek: Chopped Off at the Knees
By Nick Miller | December 05, 2013 | No Comments Print Friendly Reporting on North Korea is a tricky business; it is often difficult to independently verify what happens inside the country, the consequence of which is the continuation of an old Cold War practice for studying the ruling elite of the DPRK: Kumsusanology. The practice, as with Kreminology, requires one to rely upon what one North Korea analyst called “extremely flimsy evidence.” Be that as it may, the world– avid North Korea watchers, bona fide analysts, and interested persons alike– demands news and explanation about the going-ons within the circle of elites ruling over the northern half of the peninsula. With reports that Jang Sung-taek has been removed from power, such demand is as high as ever. In this piece, Nick Miller, with support from Christopher Green, reviews what we know to this point and how we should approach finding out more, with plenty of historical context for the interested reader. — Steven Denney, Managing Editor [Jang Song Thaek]
Where Is Kim Jong-un?
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is apparently staying well away from Pyongyang in a country retreat after the ouster of eminence grise Jang Song-taek. Kim was last seen in public at a military base in Ryanggang Province on Nov. 29. The official KCNA news agency reported that Kim toured the province on Nov. 30, but he has not been pictured since. Some North Korea watchers believe Kim is still lying low in Ryanggang Province, which is on the border with China. KCNA reported on Dec. 1 that Kim sent a congratulatory message to Laos and encouraged workers on Dec. 5, but there were no official sightings. In this screen capture from the [North] Korean Central TV in late November, Kim Jong-un inspects a military base in Ryanggang Province. In this screen capture from the [North] Korean Central TV in late November, Kim Jong-un inspects a military base in Ryanggang Province. Kim left Pyongyang at around the time that South Korean intelligence officials have pinpointed as the time when two of Jang's close confidants were publicly executed. Kim seems to have been accompanied by the head of his state security agency and other top officials. Ri Yong-ha and Jang Soo-kil, who were public executed in November, "were both high-ranking officials in the Workers Party and it is highly likely that they were investigated for damaging the party by high-ranking members," said Chung Sung-jang at the Sejong Institute. Chung said Ri was accused of abusing his authority, while Jang was found guilty of trying to organize a new faction and rejecting the system.
But sources said there were no signs of unrest in Pyongyang or elsewhere. [Jang Song Thaek]
North Korea faces a long road to reform
Analysts see signs Kim Jong-un may take steps to open up the economy and cut nuclear programme refused by his father Tania Branigan in Beijing theguardian.com, Thursday 5 December 2013 16.38 GMT North Korea farming North Korea's staple food production has increased in recent years, but chronic malnutrition persists. Photograph: Ng Han Guan/AP New rules for farmers. A massive wage hike for some miners and steelworkers. Multiple new economic zones to attract foreign investors. Observers are asking whether these dots join to form a picture of real change for North Korea, almost two years after its young leader Kim Jong-un took the helm. "Two months ago I would have said that I don't think it's happening. Now we can say it seems like reforms are here and beginning to speed up - but we have to wait another year or two to be certain," said Andrei Lankov of Kookmin University in Seoul, a leading expert on the country. "It looks like they are looking at doing something serious, but it is hard to say because [over decades] we have seen at least three or four waves of speculation about change." This week's unconfirmed claims that Kim's uncle Jang Song Thaek had been ousted from power have refocused attention on the country's domestic affairs; some analysts say Jang was associated with reform. The country's 24 million inhabitants have been heavily dependent on the unofficial economy since the devastating famine of the 1990s; people even pay bribes not to turn up to their allocated jobs, because wages are so low. [Media] [MISCOM] [Context]
N.Korean Eminence Grise Jang Song-taek 'Stripped of All Posts'
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's uncle Jang Song-taek, who was seen as the eminence grise in the Stalinist country, has been sacked and stripped of all his posts, an intelligence official here said Tuesday. Two of Jang's closest confidants, Ri Yong-ha and Jang Soo-kil, were publicly executed for activities damaging the Workers Party in late November and there is a "strong possibility" that Jang Song-taek was sacked, the official said. The source added North Korea is taking "follow-up measures" against officials linked to agencies and organizations Jang had headed. "The purge is continuing and the scope is difficult to predict," the official said. [Jang Song Thaek]
Jang Song-taek's Ouster Is Alarming News
The National Intelligence Service told the National Assembly on Tuesday that North Korean eminence grise Jang Song-taek appears to have been stripped of all his posts. The NIS said two of Jang's close confidants in the Workers Party, Ri Yong-ha and Jang Soo-kil, were publicly executed in mid November and Jang has disappeared from view since then. This would be a shocking development. Jang was not only North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's patron but also considered the real power behind North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. He is the husband of Kim's powerful aunt Kim Kyong-hui. Former leader Kim Jong-il apparently cared dearly for his sister, and Jang assumed control of North Korea in August 2008 when Kim senior suffered a massive stroke. The couple then orchestrated the transfer of power to Kim Jong-un when his father died suddenly in late 2011. Northing is known about Kim Kyong-hui's current whereabouts. Jang was ousted twice in the past. He fell out of favor with Kim Jong-il for abusing his power and favoring his cronies. Kim senior was on his guard against the ambitious Jang, but had no choice but to turn to him for support [Jang Song Thaek]
Signs of N.Korean Purge Spotted in September
The government is preparing to deal with the potential impact of the sacking of North Korea's eminence grise Jang Song-taek for cross-border relations. An intelligence official here said there are "no immediate signs of major changes in the North" and urged calm, but added that a "huge uncertainty" hangs over in the North Korean regime. Intelligence officials had been monitoring Jang and his coterie since September. Not only had Jang's public appearances with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un decreased significantly this year, but there were also rumors of a "bloody purge" targeting Jang’s circle. [Jang Song Thaek]
Future of Kim Jong-un's Aunt Uncertain After Husband's Ouster
The reported ouster of North Korean eminence grise Jang Song-taek calls into question the fate of his wife, leader Kim Jong-un's aunt on his father's side. There are rumors that Kim Kyong-hui tried to dissuade her nephew from stripping Jang of his posts, but her pleas went unheeded. [Jang Song Thaek]
Kim Jong-un Makes Strides in Reshuffling Power Structure
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is swiftly revamping the power structure of the regime, replacing about half of the top cadres in the Workers Party, government and military in the year and 10 months since he took power. According to the Unification Ministry, Kim has replaced 97 of 218 party heads, government ministers and senior military officers since his father Kim Jong-il died in December 2001. He has been especially active replacing top brass including the Army chief, the minister of the People's Armed Forces, and the chief of the General Staff's Operations Bureau. The only senior member of the old guard left in place is Choe Ryong-hae, the chief of the military Politburo. [Kim Jong Un]
NK's No. 2 man sacked
2013-12-03 22:22 By Kim Tae-gyu Jang Song-thaek North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s uncle, Jang Song-thaek, the reclusive state’s No. 2 man, appears to have been ousted from power, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) said Tuesday. Two of Jang’s top lieutenants were also publicly executed late last month, the spy agency also reported. [Jang Song Thaek]
Kim Jong-un and the Songun Retrenchment: A Quintessential Equation
By Sino-NK | November 30, 2013 | In spring 2013, three of Sino-NK’s editors received a substantial research grant from the Seoul-based Academy of Korean Studies. The purpose of the grant is to investigate the information and propaganda strategies of the government of Kim Jong-un, with one eye on past precedents while seeking to understand the continuities and ruptures of the present era. The project will examine how the North Korean authorities wield cultural and political tools to construct multiple “personalities of state,” and, through these, secure the ruling legitimacy of the existing system and the Kim family itself. As the grant moves through its various stages, Sino-NK’s web presence will serve as an important port of call for sharing preliminary findings and concrete results. The essential first step in such a research agenda is to benchmark the frame within which the governing system of the DPRK operates. To do so, one must necessarily acknowledge the prevalence of the paradigm of Songun (??/??), or “military-first politics” (????/????). If, as Daniel Pinkston vigorously argues, Songun governs the way North Korea interacts with the world, then it also forms the rhetorical boundaries within which state and party officials exercise whatever political freedom of movement they might possess. [MISCOM]

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NOVEMBER 2013

How Oppression in N.Korea Fuels Corruption
Heavy-handed attempts by the North Korean regime to crack down on the nascent market economy and rudimentary civil liberties are spurring rampant corruption in the Stalinist country. Shortly after coming to power in January of 2012, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un implemented a sweeping amnesty to gain popularity, but in October of last year the regime reverted to stone-age repression, ordering security forces to listen to "the sound of a falling needle." One government source here said Kim visited the state security agency and ordered officials to conduct 24-hour surveillance of the North Korean public.
N.Korean Foreign Policy Stuck in the Past
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un seems not yet ready to meet any foreign leaders although he has been in office two years, pundits say. In foreign affairs, he is still keeping his late father Kim Jong-il's old staff and paranoid style. "The foreigners Kim Jong-un meets frequently are people like Chinese Ambassador to Pyongyang Liu Hongcai and his wife and former NBA star Dennis Rodman," said Prof. Nam Sung-wook at Korea University. "He socializes only with people he can feel comfortable with, probably because he's shy." [Kim Jong Un] [Agency]
Kim Jong-un's Long Battle to Rein in Military
In an apparent attempt to bring North Korea's all-powerful military to heel, the country's young leader Kim Jong-un has reshuffled all the top brass over the last two years. Hardline officers who were purged or replaced include the military Politburo chief, the Army chief, the director of the Reconnaissance General Bureau and the minister of the People's Armed Forces. In April last year, Kim appointed Choe Ryong-hae, who has no military background, as Politburo chief and replaced the military, security and intelligence chiefs several times. Several lower-ranking officers have also been demoted and then restored to their original posts, which resulted in weakening their control over troops. Lee Soo-seok at the Institute for National Security Strategy said Kim sees the military as a threat because it had grown too powerful as a result of his father's "songun" or military-first doctrine. He said Kim reshuffled officers to "weaken the power of the military and eliminate threats like a coup d'etat." Instead, he has been trying to strengthen the Workers Party.
N.Korea Splashes Out on Personality Cult
The North Korean regime is busy consolidating the personality cult around leader Kim Jong-un while paying scant attention to improving the wellbeing of its people, observers say. Analysis of the North's official Rodong Sinmun daily from January 2012 until June this year highlights a whopping 141 projects involving statues, murals, towers and other structures dedicated to the North Korean leader, his late father Kim Jong-il or nation founder Kim Il-sung, either being renovated or newly built.
N.Korean Air Hostesses Get New Uniforms
Flight attendants at the North Korean flag carrier Air Koryo have been given spanking new uniforms, which were pictured on the Facebook page of Beijing-based Koryo Tours, which specializes in tours to the isolated country. The old (left) and new flight attendant uniforms of Air Koryo /From the website of Koryo Tours The old (left) and new flight attendant uniforms of Air Koryo /From the website of Koryo Tours The color has changed from socialist red to navy blue and features a deeper neckline and a cap with gold lining. The skirts are shorter and stop above the knees. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was reported to have ordered the change so the uniforms "meet the demands of the new century."
Everyday Life in the North Korean Revolution, 1945–1950
Suzy Kim Cornell University Press Hardcover - $45.00 Description Contents Reviews Detailed info This book is also available as an ebook from Amazon/Kindle and iBooks. During the founding of North Korea, competing visions of an ideal modern state proliferated. Independence and democracy were touted by all, but plans for the future of North Korea differed in their ideas about how everyday life should be organized. Daily life came under scrutiny as the primary arena for social change in public and private life. In Everyday Life in the North Korean Revolution, 1945–1950, Kim examines the revolutionary events that shaped people’s lives in the development of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. By shifting the historical focus from the state and the Great Leader to how villagers experienced social revolution, Kim offers new insights into why North Korea insists on setting its own course. Kim’s innovative use of documents seized by U.S. military forces during the Korean War and now stored in the National Archives—personnel files, autobiographies, minutes of organizational meetings, educational materials, women’s magazines, and court documents—together with oral histories allows her to present the first social history of North Korea during its formative years. In an account that makes clear the leading role of women in these efforts, Kim examines how villagers experienced, understood, and later remembered such events as the first land reform and modern elections in Korea’s history, as well as practices in literacy schools, communal halls, mass organizations, and study sessions that transformed daily routine. [History]
Kim Jong-un Assassination Attempt 'Foiled Last Year'
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was subject to an assassination attempt last year and security has since been drastically beefed up, the RAND Corporation claims. In the report titled "Preparing for Possibility of a North Korean Collapse," the military-oriented think tank cites unconfirmed information that security around Kim has been tightened since the attempt last year. The report then goes on to recommend strategies in case another attempt is successful and the regime collapses. They "need to address North Korean attitudes toward unification, providing humanitarian assistance to North Korea, demobilizing the North Korean military and security services, handling potential Chinese intervention in a collapse, and other key issues," it said. The report added that the collapse of the North Korean regime is "only a matter of time because North Korea is a failing state." [Assassination] [Collapse]
N.Korean Leader Marks 2nd Year in Power
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un marks his second year in power next month. Following the death of his father Kim Jong-il on Dec. 17, 2011, the younger Kim inherited a nuclear arsenal, 1.2 million troops and almost W7,000 trillion (US$1=W1,065) worth of natural resources, together with a heavily oppressed and impoverished population of 24 million. Experts say Kim draws his support from relatives and children of North Korea's first generation of revolutionaries. His key supporters are his aunt Kim Kyong-hui and her husband Jang Song-taek, who is seen as the eminence grise behind the North Korean leader. [Kim Jong Un]
North Korea’s Ten Principles Show Regime Rigidity
By Christopher Green North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets with former NBA star Dennis Rodman in Pyongyang in a photo released by North Korean state media on Saturday.Retired NBA superstar Dennis Rodman returned from another highly publicized visit to North Korea on Saturday without hospitalized Korean-American prisoner Kenneth Bae in tow. But he did have one piece of exciting news. According to Mr. Rodman, youthful “compadre” Kim Jong Un “wants to really actually change things” in the country he inherited from his father, Kim Jong Il, at the end of 2011. Other news tells a different story. Seoul-based website Daily NK exclusively revealed recently that Pyongyang has updated and confirmed its “Ten Principles for the Establishment of the One-Ideology System.” This move offers some of the strongest evidence yet that Kim Jong Un is steering a similar course to his father. When they were first introduced in 1974, the “Ten Principles” and 60+ explanatory sub-clauses all aimed at one thing: fostering and enforcing public and private loyalty to Kim Il Sung, the current leader’s grandfather and eternal president of North Korea.
Kim Jong Un mourns over naval martyrs
China.org.cn, November 4, 2013 North Korean top leader Kim Jung Un pays his respects to naval martyrs on Nov. 2 2013. Commanders and soldiers from the No. 233 Submarine of North Korea’s 790 Naval Force died during a mission in mid-October. Kim Jung Un, after receiving the report, identified the martyrs and ran a funeral for them. North Korean top leader Kim Jung Un pays his respects to naval martyrs on Nov. 2 2013. Commanders and soldiers from the No. 233 Submarine of North Korea’s 790 Naval Force died during a mission in mid-October. Kim Jung Un, after receiving the report, identified the martyrs and ran a funeral for them.
'Scores' of Sailors Killed as 2 N.Korean Warships Sink
Two North Korean warships sank during a drill in the East Sea last month, killing scores of sailors. The vessels sank in waters near Wonsan a few days apart in mid-October, a South Korean military source said Sunday. It is not known why the ships sank and how many were killed. South Korean military authorities spotted attempts by the North Korean navy to salvage their hulls. The two ships will have been a Hainan-class 375-ton submarine chaser and a 100 to 200-ton patrol boat, according to the source. "The Hainan-class submarine chaser probably sank because it's old. It was built in China in the 1960s and the North bought it in the mid-70s," the source added. [Military balance]
Corruption Rampant in N.Korean Army
Corruption is rife in the North Korean army as sanctions eat into official perks for soldiers, a think tank report claims. North Korean officers have smuggled out sensitive files for money and border guards can be bribed to carry would-be defectors on their back, it says. Koh Jae-hong of the Institute for National Security Strategy released the report on Thursday. Top-secret data such as orders of the supreme command, wartime plans, and guidelines for electronic warfare "are sold for between tens and hundreds of millions of won" to information traders in the Chinese border region, Koh said. Border guards sometimes stand watch for people who cross into China illegally, a service that costs 1,000 yuan or US$40, and help feeble old people cross the river by carrying them on their back for $60, he added. "In Hoeryong, North Hamgyong Province, a senior security official took a bribe to erase CCTV footage of someone fleeing the North," he said. [Corruption]

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OCTOBER 2013

N. Korea holds rare meeting of military officers, their instructors
SEOUL, Oct. 22 (Yonhap) -- Thousands of North Korean company-grade military officers and political commissars traveled to the communist country's capital this week for a rare meeting that Seoul analysts believe is aimed at eliciting their loyalty to leader Kim Jong-un, a government source Tuesday. The meeting, the first of its kind in over a decade, brings together the largest group for such a meeting and comes as North Korea is trying to build up its nuclear arms and its economy at the same time. "The meeting kicked off with the arrival of some 10,000 company commanders and an equal number of political instructors of the Korean People's Army in Pyongyang last Thursday," an official at South Korean ministry of unification said. The last company commanders meeting took place in 1999 and the military commissars meeting was convened separately in 2000 under then leader Kim Jong-il. [NK military]
Fires Rip Through N.Korean Arms Facilities
North Korean authorities are investigating recent fires at an arms factory and a train transporting military goods, sources said Monday. They said a huge fire broke out early this month on a train carrying military uniforms in Ryanggang Province, which is home to the North's armaments industry, causing considerable losses. In September, a fire broke out in an arms factory in North Pyongan Province. Both happened near the border with China. One source said it remains unclear what caused the fires and whether they are related, but they could have been the result of minor resistance to the regime of Kim Jong-un. The regime still has a firm grip on officials, soldiers and the public at large, making it extremely difficult to organize any major resistance. But sources say disgruntled citizens may be venting their frustration with arson targeting key facilities. Since Kim came to power in 2012, new high rises, water park and other leisure facilities have mushroomed in the capital Pyongyang, but people in rural areas are growing increasingly disgruntled with their poor living conditions.
Rodman Describes Kim Jong-un's '7-Star' Lifestyle
Former NBA superstar Dennis Rodman has spoken to a tabloid newspaper about the luxury lifestyle he shared with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his visits. Rodman's September visit to North Korea was his second since February. Rodman said he spent seven days on Kim's private island, partying, jet skiing and horse riding and saw an array of big yachts there. "It's like going to Hawaii or Ibiza, but he's the only one that lives there," Rodman told the Sun. "He likes people to be happy around him." "He's got 50 to 60 around him all the time -- just normal people, drinking cocktails and laughing the whole time," he added. Former NBA superstar Dennis Rodman (right) talks with North Korean leader Kim Jung-un (left) during a visit to Pyongyang in early September. Former NBA superstar Dennis Rodman (right) talks with North Korean leader Kim Jung-un (left) during a visit to Pyongyang in early September. Even though millions of his oppressed subjects do not have enough to eat, Kim stints on nothing. "If you drink a bottle of tequila it's the best tequila," Rodman said. "Everything you want, he has the best." But he said it is wrong to consider Kim a dictator. Unlike his grandfather Il-sung and father Jong-il, Jong-un neither develops nuclear weapons nor wants to create conflict with the U.S., he claimed. In fact, Rodman said, Kim Jong-un "likes" the U.S. but is unable to travel because of the inherited burden of his leadership.
N.Korea 'Disguised Civilian Cargo Planes for Military Show'
North Korea flew civilian cargo planes painted in camouflage during a military parade earlier this year in an apparent attempt to make its arsenal seem bigger than it really is, U.S.-based website NK News said Tuesday. The "Victory Day" parade on July 27 featured three Russian-made IL-76 military cargo planes, but they were actually civilian cargo planes owned by North Korean
Kim Jong-un Runs into Opposition from Party, Military
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is under pressure from all sides as he tries to cement his rule, running into walls erected by both military hardliners and the spoilt elite. Timid economic reforms in June last year immediately came up against stiff resistance from hardline Workers Party and military officials, a source said Monday. Kim last year ordered academics to come up with proposals to take up his set of small market-friendly policies. Institutes duly submitted reports calling for private ownership of farms, businesses and factories, citing the success of China. But when the party received the reports, it demanded that those responsible for the proposals should be severely punished for ideological deviance. Kim was forced to call them "reactionaries" and order them to be "stamped out," which according to the source led to some of the hapless academics having to undergo indoctrination or other punishment. In April, Kim raised eyebrows by ordering the children of diplomats home from their studies, but this time he ran into opposition from the more cosmopolitan-minded elite and had to climb down five months later.
N.Korea Developing Anti-Ship Missile
Military authorities here worry about intelligence reports that North Korea is developing a new ground-to-ship ballistic missile with a range of 300 km which would be impossible to intercept with current weapons. "The North is developing a new ground-to-ship ballistic missile with a range of 200-300 km, an improved version of the KN-02 ground-to-ground ballistic missile," whose range is 140 km, a military source said Friday. "We're trying to verify the report." The North already has surface-to-ship cruise missiles like the KN-01 with a range of 160 km and the Silkworm missile with a range of 100 km. But ballistic missiles are more threatening because they are much faster. North Korea's anti-ship subsonic cruise missiles can be intercepted with SM-2 ship-to-air missiles or the short-range air defense system of Aegis ships. But the current weapons systems of the South Korean Navy cannot intercept ballistic missiles since their maximum speed is four to five times the speed of sound. China’s ballistic DF-21D, or "carrier killer," with a range of 1,500 km is considered a big threat by the U.S. If the North succeeds in developing such a missile, it would pose a threat to South Korean ships as well as the U.S. aircraft carrier fleet that would support large-scale landing operations in a war. Given alleged military links between the North and Iran, authorities have taken note of Tehran's announcement in 2011 that it successfully tested an anti-ship ballistic missile with a range of 300 km. "There's a likelihood that Tehran will support this project," the source added. [Military balance]
Kim Jong Un Guides Maneuvers of Newly Built Warships
Pyongyang, October 11 (KCNA) -- Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army Kim Jong Un, first secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and first chairman of the DPRK National Defence Commission, looked round newly built warships and guided their maneuvers. He was accompanied by Ri Yong Gil, Kim Myong Sik, Ju Kyu Chang and Hong Yong Chil. He was greeted on the spot by officials of the relevant unit which built the warships. Scientists, technicians and workers of the DPRK built new type warships of Korean-style based on the latest achievements of military science and technology by displaying all their creative wisdom and enthusiasm in hearty response to the tasks given by Kim Jong Un on building modern warships necessary for rounding off the combat preparations of the navy.
October and the Workers’ Party of Korea
The Korean People have several anniversaries in October which are significantly related with the founding and development of the Workers’ Party of Korea.

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SEPTEMBER 2013

Emblem of WPK
The emblem of the Workers’ Party of Korea was instituted as designed by President Kim Il Sung, founder of the Party. After Korea’s liberation on August 15, Juche 34(1945) Kim Il Sung put forward a line on developing the WPK into a mass party o f the working people. At this the dogmatists shook their heads. When there was raised an opinion on drawing a writing brush in an emblem of the Party, they opposed the idea, saying that intellectuals are not an independent class, but an intermediary stratum of society. [WPK] [Brand]
Happiness is a Warm CNC Machine Tool
By Jeffrey Lewis and Amber Lee 04 September 2013 North Korea has, in recent years, been making a big fuss about its access to Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machining capabilities. And, when the North Koreans make a fuss, that’s really saying something. The DPRK propaganda apparatus has devoted an enormous amount of attention to the topic of CNC machine tools, right down to postage stamps, oil paintings and patriotic songs. What sort of place sings about CNC machine tool—even if such tools do make nice missiles and zippy centrifuges? The song is not the strangest thing the North Koreans have done, by the way, to celebrate their machine tools. That distinction goes to the decision to award the title of “labor hero of the DPRK” to a lathe. (The DPRK has been known to award state titles to tanks, fighter planes and other equipment, as well as to art troupes, military units, factories, corporations and dead people.) [Arrogance] [Mockery]
North Korea criticises 'reptile media' for saying Kim Jong-un ordered executions
Newspapers in Japan and South Korea report that leader feared the reputation of his wife, Ri Sol-ju, might be damaged Tania Branigan in Beijing and Justin McCurry in Tokyo theguardian.com, Monday 23 September 2013 11.52 BST North Korea has attacked the South's "reptile media" for running salacious reports alleging Kim Jong-un ordered nine performers to be executed to protect his wife's reputation. Independent experts warn that rumours and deliberate misinformation about the regime are rife, partly because it is impossible to verify or disprove most stories about the tightly controlled country's elite. [Disinformation] [Media] [Black]
NK angrily denies news reports on first lady’s past
Shanghai Daily via agencies, September 23, 2013 Adjust font size: North Korea yesterday angrily denied reports that it had executed several state performers to cover up the past of its first lady, calling the media accounts an “unpardonable” crime. The denial came a day after the North indefinitely postponed reunions for families divided by the Korean War, citing South Korean hostility, slander and provocation. Yesterday’s denunciation focused on several recent reports carried by the South’s “reptile media” aimed at “hurting the dignity” of supreme leader Kim Jong-Un. In particular it cited a Saturday report in Japan’s Asahi Shimbun newspaper — picked up by South Korean broadcasters and websites — that several members of the North’s Unhasu Orchestra and other state music troupes had been executed by firing squad for taping themselves having sex.
N.Korean Diplomats' Children Ordered Home
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered the children of diplomats home, the Sankei Shimbun reported Friday. According to the Japanese daily, more than 3,000 children of senior officials who are studying abroad without their parents are being called back. There are probably more if the children of officials working undercover as spies and others trying to earn valuta for the regime are included. Kim ordered diplomats and trading officials overseas to send all their children except for one each home to North Korea by the end of this month, the Sankei quoted North Korean officials in China as saying.
Pyongyang Undergoes Radical Changes
Pyongyang, September 20 (KCNA) -- Pyongyang, the capital city of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, has changed its looks with each passing day. Last year witnessed the erection of statutes of President Kim Il Sung and General Secretary Kim Jong Il on Mansu Hill as well as the appearance of skyscrapers and the People's Theatre, built in Changjon Street along the banks of the River Taedong from Mansu Hill. There also sprang up the Rungna People's Pleasure Park, Ryugyong Health Complex, People's Open-air Ice Rink and Pyongyang Folklore Park.

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AUGUST 2013

Enlarged Meeting of WPK Central Military Commission Held under Guidance of Kim Jong Un
Pyongyang, August 25 (KCNA) -- An enlarged meeting of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea was held under the guidance of supreme leader Kim Jong Un, first secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), chairman of the WPK Central Military Commission, first chairman of the DPRK National Defence Commission and supreme commander of the Korean People's Army (KPA). Present at the enlarged meeting were members of the WPK Central Military Commission, members of the executive committee of the Party committee of the KPA, commanding officers of services and army corps-level units. The meeting discussed and decided upon practical issues of bolstering up the combat capability of the revolutionary armed forces and increasing the defence capability of the country in every way as required by prevailing situation and the present conditions of the People's Army. It discussed an organizational matter. Kim Jong Un made an important concluding speech which would serve as guidelines for firmly protecting the sovereignty and security of the country and promoting the cause of the Songun revolution of the party. [KPA]
N.Korea Fires Hawkish Army Chief
Kim Kyok-sik Kim Kyok-sik The North Korean regime appears to have sacked the hawkish army chief in what some pundits see as attempts by young leader Kim Jong-un to bring the unruly military to heel. Kim Kyok-sik (75) masterminded the sinking of the Navy corvette Cheonan and shelling of Yeonpyeong Island in 2010. A South Korean government source said Thursday, "We're closely watching developments in the North, believing that Kim Kyok-sik has been replaced by Ri Yong-gil, the Army's General Staff chief of operations."
Kim Jong-il's Grandson to Attend Elite French University
The grandson of former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is going to start studying at an elite French university next month, the weekly L'Express reported Monday. Kim Han-sol is the son of Kim Jong-il's eldest son Jong-nam and the nephew of current leader Kim Jong-un. He will attend the Paris Institute of Political Sciences' Le Havre campus, joining the Europe-Asia undergraduate program. French President Francois Hollande and former President Jacques Chirac as well as France's deputy minister for digital economy Fleur Pellerin also graduated from that school. Kim Han-sol graduated from the United World College in Mostar, Bosnia in May of this year and has been staying in Macau with his father. He drew global attention when he called his uncle Jong-un a "dictator" in an interview last year with Finnish TV. Han-sol said his father has "no interest" in politics and that he had never met his grandfather.
N. Korean leader makes “important decision” at military meeting
Posted on : Aug.27,2013 15:48 KST The last time Kim Jong-un presided over a meeting like this, it led to North Korea’s third nuclear test By Kang Tae-ho, senior staff writer North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made an “important decision” while presiding over an expanded meeting of the Workers’ Party of Korea Central Military Commission (CMC), according to North Korean media. The nature of the decision was not stated, but experts believe he may have set a course for actively mobilizing the military to build the North Korean economy under party leadership. The (North) Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Kim’s decision on Aug. 26, saying only that it would “serve as a guideline for firmly guaranteeing the nation’s autonomy and safety and taking another step closer to the great goal of the party’s Songun (military first) revolution.” [Role of NK military]
N. Korean leader's public approval exceeds 50 pct: poll
2013/08/29 14:54 SEOUL, Aug. 29 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un probably has a public approval rating of over 50 percent, a poll conducted on escapees living in South Korea showed Thursday. The survey carried out by the Institute for Peace and Unification Studies at Seoul National University on 133 North Korean defectors showed that 61.7 percent believe the young leader has a majority support of his people. [Kim Jong Un]
Eternal Chairman of National Defence Commission
Kim Jong Il (1942-2011) is the eternal Chairman of the National Defence Commission (NDC) of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Chairman Kim Jong Il laid firm foundations for the prosperity of the DPRK by establishing a new state structure with the National Defence Commission as its pivot and legalizing Songun politics. In the closing years of the last century socialist Korea had to face the severest trials in its history caused by the sudden demise of President Kim Il Sung (1912-1994), its founding father. Anti-socialist offensive of imperialists was directed to the DPRK after the collapse of socialism in several countries, and natural disasters hit the country for several consecutive years. Taking advantage of this situation the US and its followers unveiled their attempt to militarily stifle the DPRK. The critical situation of the 1990s demanded urgently a new state structure should be established based on the army-first principle. [Kim Jong Il] [Songun]
'Secret executions' in N. Korea unveiled by defector
Kim Tae-hun, member of Lawyers Union for Human Rights & Unification in Korea(left) and North Korea defector Cho Chul-min. By Ko Dong-hwan Revelation of details regarding “secret executions” that went on in North Korea received public spotlight, according to Dong-A Ilbo. On Aug. 12, Lawyers Union for Human Rights & Unification in Korea, together with Human Rights in North Korea from the U.S., held a press conference at the National Human Rights Commission of Korea in Jung-gu, Seoul, to shed full light on suspicions that the secret executions persisted at a concentration camp in Hoeryeong-gun, North Hamgyeong Province in North Korea, also known as “Prison No.12.” The description was delivered by North Korea defector Cho Chul-min (alias, 55). Cho, who was originally sentenced to serve at the prison for nine years in July 1997, became chief of an inmate labor group the following year. In May 1998, assistant director and security advisor of the prison approached him and, showing him a letter of directives written by then North Korean leader Kim Jong-il that ordered “cleansing of inmates who are moral hazards,” made him leave a thumb print as a sign of agreement to keeping the order undisclosed.
N.Korea Enshrines Hereditary Power
North Korea's Workers Party revised its 10 founding principles for the first time in 39 years this June to enshrine the hereditary transfer of power through the Kim family. One of the 10 principles used to read, "We must honor the great leader comrade Kim Il-sung with all our loyalty," referring to the North Korean founder. But that has now been amended to, "We must honor the great leader comrade Kim Il-sung and general Kim Jong-il with all our loyalty."
N.Korea Truncates Military Drills Due to Rain Damage
Last month's heavy rain in North Korea seems to be having an impact on the country's annual summer military exercises. Citing a South Korean government source, Yonhap News said troops in the North have been ordered to help with flood relief work. Up to 900 millimeters fell in parts of the country in July, killing roughly 60 people and destroying over 100 sq km of farmland, while flooding more than 26,000 buildings. North Korea regularly conducts large-scale military exercise around this time of year.

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JULY 2013

DPRK holds military parade
Xinhua, July 27, 2013 The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) held a military parade marking the 60th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice Agreement on Saturday, the official KCNA news agency reported. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) held a military parade marking the 60th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice Agreement on Saturday The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) holds a military parade marking the 60th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice Agreement on Saturday. DPRK's top leader Kim Jong Un was seen standing on an upper podium overlooking Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung Square to inspect massive throngs of goose-stepping soldiers. Armored vehicles and trucks carrying cannons, multiple rocket launchers and missiles followed the march. Choe Ryong Hae, director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army, said in a speech that the DPRK considers peace a top national priority and its military is tasked with safeguarding the country from foreign invasion.
"A peaceful environment is important for the country that gives priority to economic construction and improvement of the lives of our people," Choe said. [AA]
North Korea marks 60th anniversary of Korean war armistice with parade and fireworks - in pictures
Korean War, which ran from 1950 to 1953, commemorated with a series of performances, festivals, and cultural events, culminating in a large military parade guardian.co.uk, Saturday 27 July 2013 15.38 BST . Korean War armistice: North Korean students form a picture of a child North Korean students use different coloured card to form a picture of a child in uniform as a background during a mass gymnastic and artistic performance – 'Arirang' – as part of celebrations ahead of the 60th anniversary of the signing of a truce in the 1950-1953 Korean war [AA]
National Meeting Marks 60th Anniversary of Victory in Fatherland Liberation War
Pyongyang, July 26 (KCNA) -- A grand national meeting was held at May Day Stadium Friday to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the victory in the great Fatherland Liberation War. Kim Jong Un, first secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, first chairman of the DPRK National Defence Commission and supreme commander of the Korean People's Army, appeared at the tribune of honor of the meeting place. Taking the tribune of honor were senior officials of the party, the state and the army including Kim Yong Nam, Pak Pong Ju and Choe Ryong Hae, Kim Yong Dae, chairman of the Central Committee of the Korean Social Democratic Party, and officials of the party and armed forces organs. [AA]
Kim Jong-un's 'Sick' Aunt Resurfaces
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's aunt Kim Kyong-hui, a key figure behind the throne, attended the opening ceremony of a military cemetery in Pyongyang on Thursday. She has been rumored to be gravely ill. She appeared in public for the first time since May 12. A Unification Ministry official said there has been a familiar pattern of Kim Kyong-hui disappearing from view and then resurfacing if rumors that she is seriously ill get too persistent. "She has out of the public eye for such a long time that there has been an abundance of intelligence reports on her health," another government official said. "She must have been really unwell to have missed the 19th anniversary of the death of her father," nation founder Kim Il-sung, on July 8. [Media] [Intelligence]
Kim Jong-un's Sister 'Given Key Party Post'
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's younger sister Yeo-jong has been appointed head of ceremonies in the Workers Party, Radio Free Asia reported Friday citing an unnamed source. The source told RFA that several officials who attended ceremonies since the death of former leader Kim Jong-il said Yeo-jong was personally organizing ceremonies involving her brother. "It's widely whispered in the party that you have to get on Kim Yeo-jong's good side if you want to invite Kim Jong-un to your ceremony," the source said. Kim Yeo-jong belongs to the Organization and Guidance Department within the party, which has the power to promote and vet officials in the party, government and military and is considered its inner sanctum. Her post is usually held by a close confidant of the North Korean leader.
N. Korea kicks off mass games to mark 60th anniversary of Korean War armistice
SEOUL, July 23 (Yonhap) -- North Korea kicked off its annual Arirang mass games performances to mark the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Armistice Agreement that halted the 1950-53 Korean War, the country's official news agency said Tuesday. The North has maintained that it won the three-year conflict and commemorates July 27, 1953, the day the cease-fire agreement was signed to end hostilities, as a day of victory in what it calls the Fatherland Liberation War.
Kim Jong-un's Aunt 'Critically Sick'
Kim Kyong-hui looks thin in this picture taken on April 13, 2012 at a ceremony to unveil statues of former leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang. /AFP-Yonhap Kim Kyong-hui looks thin in this picture taken on April 13, 2012 at a ceremony to unveil statues of former leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang. /AFP-Yonhap Kim Kyong-hui, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's aunt and a key figure behind the throne, has not been seen in public for 80 days. The 67-year old has not disappeared from public view for such a long time before since she resurfaced in June 2009, an informed source said. She is said to be suffering a variety of diseases. She was last seen on May 12 alongside Kim Jong-un, his wife Ri Sol-ju, and Jang Song-taek, her husband and eminence grise behind the regime. They were watching a song-and-dance performance in Pyongyang. But there was no sign of her at the rather more important memorial event at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun on July 8 on the 19th anniversary of nation founder Kim Il-sung's death. Jang's public activities have also been drastically curtailed over the same period. He has been seen in public only three times since his wife's last public appearance on May 12. This caused some speculation that the couple may have fallen victim to a purge, but it is more likely that his absence is related to his wife's deteriorating health.
N.Korea Has Not Enough Jets for Invited Guests
North Korea invited thousands of foreign dignitaries to the 60th anniversary of the armistice on July 27 that ended the Korean War, which in the North is called "Victory Day." But a shortage of passenger jets by the North's only airline is causing major problems in shuttling any guests who accept to Pyongyang. Air Koryo has a grand total of three passenger planes capable of making international flights, so North Korean officials are apparently negotiating with China to use retired passenger jets to shuttle the guests to Pyongyang from Beijing. "North Korea asked Chinese aviation authorities for permission to deploy three retired long-haul passenger jets in order to carry foreign guests from Beijing to Pyongyang," an aviation industry source in China said. "But Chinese aviation officials don’t like the idea because of the safety concerns." Air Koryo has around 20 passenger planes, but only three bought in 2007 and 2008 are capable of long-haul flights. They are two TU-204 jets (210 passengers) and AN-148 (90 passengers) bought from Russia.
Kim Jong-un Wanted German Beer Garden in Pyongyang
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has asked Paulaner to open a beer garden with a brewery in North Korea, but the Bavarian brewer declined, German daily Bild reported Friday. The brewer told Bild that it cannot afford another store in North Korea because it already plans to open 12 new beer gardens around the world, including one in the U.S. and one each in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia in August. Based in Munich, Paulaner is Germany's leading wheat beer brewer and has beer gardens around the world including 21 in Asia. Bild said Kim Jong-un has "outed himself as a beer lover" though his father was notoriously fond of Congnac. [Opening] [FDI]
Kim Jong-un’s younger sister reportedly managing events in North Korea
Posted on : Jul.22,2013 15:20 KST North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s younger sister Kim Yo-jong is seen in the far left of this photo released last July of a ceremony to mark the completion of construction at an amusement park in North Korea. In this photo, Kim is standing behind her older brother, North Korea’s leader, which is unconventional for a lower-ranking officer. (KCNA/Yonhap News) Kim Yo-jung is believed to have studied abroad and to share her older brother’s ambition By Gil Yun-hyung, staff reporter It has been reported that the younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is working as the manager of events for the North Korean National Defense Committee. Her name is Kim Yo-jong, and she is 27 years old. “At the beginning of 2012, Kim Yo-jong embarked on a career as a public servant, working as the manager of events for the National Defense Commission,” reported Yonhap News on July 21, quoting multiple sources on North Korea.
Kim Jong-un 'Wants US$1 Million for Interview'
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is demanding a huge fee if the foreign press want to interview him for the 60th anniversary of the armistice on July 27 that ended the 1950-53 Korean War, a source said Wednesday. The North has invited scores of foreign reporters to the event. The invitation went out to leading news providers from the West and Japan like AP, the BBC and Kyodo News. The interview fee is around US$1 million, according to the source. [canard] [Media]
KCF appoints new leadership
9 July 2013 — Erich Weingartner Erich Weingartner with Rev. Hwang Min U, chief minister of Chilgol Church, and Rev. Ri Jong Ro in Pyongyang, November 2012. (Photo by Stuart Lyster) Erich Weingartner with Rev. Hwang Min U, chief minister of Chilgol Church, and Rev. Ri Jong Ro in Pyongyang, November 2012. (Photo by Stuart Lyster) We reported last year on the death of Rev. Kang Yong Sop, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Korean Christian Federation (KCF), the only officially authorized Protestant church body in North Korea. (see “North Korean church leader Kang Yong Sop dies“, 23 January 2012) For more than a year, this vacancy has been unfilled. This morning I received a fax from Pyongyang announcing the appointment of Rev. Kang Myong Chol as the new Chairman of the KCF. Kang Myong Chol had previously served as Chair of the Pyongyang City KCF. At the same time, Rev. Ri Jong Ro was appointed KCF Vice-Chairman. Ri started in KCF as an interpreter, accompanying Kang Yong Sop at numerous international meetings, as well as visits by KCF delegations to churches around the world. He later studied theology and was ordained. He subsequently served as Director of the KCF International Affairs Department, maintaining relationships with the World Council of Churches and various denominations such as the United Church of Canada. [KCF] [Religion]
Is Kim Jong-un Throttling Back Personality Cult?
Badges with the face of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have yet to appear on the lapels of most North Korean officials, contradicting earlier reports that they have been widely distributed. A North Korean official at the border truce village of Panmujom told South Korean reporters on Saturday that he has yet to see a badge with Kim junior's portrait and he heard that Kim prohibited the production of such badges in consideration of his people. The two Koreas met at Panmunjom on the day for talks about the Kaesong Industrial Complex. Some media reports previously said that Kim Jong-un badges were spotted in Pyongyang in May worn by members of the elite. But North Korean officials who met with their South Korean counterparts over the weekend did not sport them, and North Korean reporters who covered the meeting wore older badges featuring nation found Kim Il-sung or both Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-un together, but none featuring only the young leader.
Kim Jong-il's Widow 'Purged'
Former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's widow appears to have fallen victim to a purge by the new regime, Radio Free Asia said on Tuesday. Kim Ok and her father Kim Hyo, a senior official in the Workers Party's Finance and Accounting Department, "has recently been dismissed from all their posts," RFA quoted an informed source as saying. "They may have fallen victim to a political purge." The defector-run radio station speculated that young leader Kim Jong-un has sacked his stepmother to tighten his own grip on power.

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JUNE 2013

Kim Jong-un's Nephew to Start College in France
Kim Han-sol, the grandson of former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, is expected to start university in France in September, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported Wednesday. Han-sol graduated from an international school in Bosnia last month and is now staying with his family in Macau, the Japanese daily quoted a North Korean official near Macau as saying. Kim Jong-nam, Kim Jong-il's wayward eldest son and Han-sol's father, also returned to Macau early this month from Singapore, where he now lives, the official added. Han-sol, who is the nephew of current North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, entered United World College in Mostar, Bosnia in 2011 and graduated last month. In an interview with a Finnish TV in October last year, Han-sol called his uncle Jong-un a "dictator" and said his father "has no interest in politics." He also said that he had never met his grandfather. Kim Jong-nam fell from favor when he was caught trying to enter Japan on a false passport and has since lived in sumptuously funded exile in Macau, China and Singapore, where he reportedly haunts the casinos.
Senior N.Korean Officials 'Encouraged to Read Hitler'
Kim Jong-un Kim Jong-un North Korean leader Kim Jong-un handed out copies of Adolf Hitler's memoir "Mein Kampf" to department chiefs of the Workers Party's Central Committee on his birthday on Jan. 8, an anti-regime website said Tuesday. The book is among a special selection of the world's 100 best classic books according to the tastes of the Kim family, New Focus quoted an informed source as saying. New Focus is run by Jang Jin-song, a North Korean poet who used to work at the Workers Party's United Front Department before defecting to the South. Hitler's book lays out a deranged program of anti-Semitism and all-engulfing propaganda that became the basis for the short-lived Third Reich. "Kim Jong-un stressed to top officials the need to pursue a policy of both nuclear and economic development in tandem," the source said. "He instructed them to study the Third Reich and how Hitler reconstructed Germany after its defeat in World War I, and find ways to apply it to the North." The Washington Post also quoted New Focus as reporting that Kim is doling out imported sporting goods, music CDs or books to senior officials, whereas his father Kim Jong-il used to buy their loyalty with luxury goods like cognac or Italian suiting. [Media]
North Korea cracks down on defections, swelling prisons with those caught trying to flee
By Associated Press, SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea’s prison population has swelled in recent years with those caught fleeing the country under a crackdown on defections by young leader Kim Jong Un, according to defectors living in South Korea and researchers who study Pyongyang’s notorious network of labor camps and detention centers. Soon after he succeeded his father as North Korean leader, Kim is believed to have tightened security on the country’s borders and pressured Pyongyang’s neighbor and main ally, China, to repatriate anyone caught on its side of the frontier. In interviews with The Associated Press and accounts collected by human rights groups, North Koreans who have managed to leave the country say those who are caught are sent to brutal facilities where they now number in the thousands. [Prisoners] [Manipulation]
Mansudae Art Studio, North Korea's Colossal Monument Factory
By Caroline Winter June 06, 2013 In November 2005, two Germans flew to North Korea on official business. Their goal was not to discuss nuclear disarmament or diplomatic relations. Rather, they went to check on the progress of a sculptural commission: the reconstruction of Frankfurt’s so-called Fairy Tale Fountain, an art nouveau relic from 1910 that had been melted down for its metal during World War II. Blueprints for the original Fairy Tale Fountain had gone missing, and the City of Frankfurt needed sculptors who could work from old photographs to re-create the naked beauty gazing down on an array of cherubic children and enormous water-spewing reptiles and fish. For this intricate job, the Germans had turned to Pyongyang’s Mansudae Art Studio. Perhaps the world’s biggest art factory, Mansudae employs roughly 4,000 North Koreans, including some 1,000 artists, handpicked from the country’s best academies. These favored few are the only artists officially sanctioned to portray the Kim family dynasty, and their primary task is to churn out propaganda paintings, murals, posters, billboards, and Soviet-style monuments deifying the country’s Great, Dear, and Supreme Leaders, also known as Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, and Kim Jong Un. But Mansudae does more than just set the stage for North Korea’s self-celebration. The studio also runs a thriving multimillion-dollar side business: building statues, monuments, museums, sports stadiums, and at least one palace, for a long list of countries across the world, many of them in Africa.
Is the Influence of N.Korea's Military Waning?
North Korea's surprise offer on Thursday to hold talks with South Korea has prompted speculation whether the power of the hardline North Korean military is on the wane. The agency that proposed the talks was not the military but the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea, which is a Workers Party body. The committee in principle handles inter-Korean relations, but instead the military has mostly muscled in on its turf, bolstered by former leader Kim Jong-il's "military-first" doctrine.
Water Discharge Suggests Trouble at N.Korean Prestige Dam
North Korea recently opened the floodgates to discharge huge amounts of water from the Huichon hydro-power station in Jagang Province, a flagship project for the regime. The dam has a power generation capacity of 300,000 kW.
Kim Jong-un's Nephew Graduates from High School
Kim Han-sol Kim Han-sol Kim Han-sol, the grandson of former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, attended his graduation ceremony at an international school in Bosnia on Tuesday, the Serbian daily Novosti reported. There had been rumors that Han-sol, who is the son of Kim Jong-il's eldest son Kim Jong-nam, has disappeared. He has attended the United World College in Mostar since 2011. The daily said this was the first time that the teenager has been spotted at an official event at the school. Bosnian media reported last month quoting school staff and other students that Han-sol had not been spotted around the campus for several days, fueling rumors of his disappearance. The United World College, which opened in September of 2006, has many students from the world's trouble spots. It is unclear what Han-sol intends to do now that he has graduated.

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MAY 2013

N. Korean leader orders concealment of naval vessels
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered the concealment of combat vessels during an inspection tour of a naval unit, state media reported Monday. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the remark was made at the Navy's 291 unit after Kim discovered vessels berthed in exposed locations. The report did not say when the visit was made or the location of the unit. Kim, who holds the military rank of marshal in the Korean People's Army (KPA), said North Korea's enemies are constantly trying to track the movement of military assets, so it is imperative that they are well concealed. He stressed concealment is a key part of maintaining fighting capability of the country's armed forces.
N.Korea's Hawkish Military Chief Resurfaces
North Korea's hawkish Gen. Kim Kyok-sik, who led the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island in 2010, has been named chief of the Army’s General Staff. The official KCNA news agency on Wednesday reported a visit to China by Vice Marshal Choe Ryong-hae, the military's top political officer, and mentioned that he was seen off by Kim Kyok-sik under his new title. There had been hopes that the septuagenarian relic of the military-first era had been fired after he was replaced as armed forces minister, but it seems he was reinstated in his old job as army chief. [KPA]
State media dispatch shows North Korea has named hardline general as new military chief
By Associated Press, Wednesday, May 22, 3:56 PM PYONGYANG, North Korea — A North Korean state media dispatch shows that leader Kim Jong Un has named a hardline general as his new military chief. The new title for Kim Kyok Sik came in a dispatch Wednesday from the North’s Korean Central News Agency detailing a delegation at Pyongyang’s airport that was seeing off a special envoy on a trip to China. There were no other details on the appointment. Kim Kyok Sik previously held the military chief post until 2009. He also was defense minister until being recently replaced by a little-known general. He is the former commander of battalions believed responsible for attacks in 2010 that killed 50 South Koreans. Kim replaces Hyon Yong Chol as military chief. Military chief is considered a higher-ranking position than defense minister.
Kim Jong-un 'Has 2 Daughters'
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un now has two daughters, probably with different women, according to a source in Beijing. His older brother Kim Jong-chol apparently has a son. The source said Kim Jong-un's wife Ri Sol-ju gave birth to a baby girl late last year. Former NBA star Dennis Rodman, who visited Pyongyang in February this year, said Ri talked mostly about her "beautiful baby daughter." The North Korean leader's first child, also a daughter, was reportedly born in 2010. The source said the mother was probably not Ri. [Kim Jong Un] [Intelligence]
Will N.Korea Get Its 2nd UNESCO Heritage Site?
The historic North Korean border city of Kaesong could be listed as a UNESCO world heritage site soon. On Monday, UNESCO released a report by the International Council on Monuments and Sites recommending that the city's historic area be added to the World Heritage List. The 37th session of the World Heritage Committee in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on June 16-27, will likely include Kaesong on the list. The historic south gate in Kaesong, North Korea The historic south gate in Kaesong, North Korea Unless something comes up, North Korea will have a second world heritage site after a complex of Koguryo Tombs was listed in 2004. It is unclear whether the North is capable of abiding by the strict conservation rules for such sites. The two Koreas combined will then have a total of 12 world heritage sites.
N. Korea continues military reshuffle by replacing armed forces minister
Posted on : May.14,2013 15:54 KST Jang Jong Nam, new North Korean Armed Forces Minister Move apparently continues a shift toward younger military officials with field experience By Kang Tae-ho, senior staff writer and Kim Kyu-won, staff reporter North Korea has made a surprise move to replace North Korean Armed Forces Minister Kim Kyok Sik with Jang Jong Nam, the second time that the position has been changed within one year. The move suggests that a generational change is still underway in the North Korean military. On May 13, the state-run Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) carried a story about leader Kim Jong-un attending a performance by a military ensemble. As part of this story, the KCNA reported that Kim Jong-un was accompanied by Armed Forces Minister Jang Jong Nam, among others. The story did not mention when the new armed forces minister had been appointed. On May 4, Kim Kyok Sik had joined Kim Jong-un at a commemorative concert for Workers’ Day. Jang Jong Nam, the new minister, was promoted to brigadier general in Apr. 2002 and to major general in Nov. 2011. Until recently, Jang was the commander of the 1st Corps of the North Korean army, where he was responsible for guarding the front lines in Gangwon Province.
DPRK Pays Big Efforts to Migratory Bird Protection
Pyongyang, May 13 (KCNA) -- Many countries around the world have observed two days in every May as World's Days of Migratory Birds from 2006. This year, the days fell on May 11-12. On these days, DPRK media launched an information campaign for protection of migratory birds. The government has long ago established migratory bird reservations in tidelands, seashore and islets of the country. It set the area of Pisan-ri in Anbyon County, Kangwon Province as a sanctuary for Anbyon crane, with a series of measures taken to improve conditions of the birds' inhabitation. The secretary of the Nature Conservation Union of Korea, Kim Sun Il, told KCNA: Protection of migratory birds is one of the works for biodiversity. There are nine migratory birds' flight courses throughout the world, among which the course from East Asia to Australia is considered to be a major one. This course stretches along the territories of 22 countries. Korea, surrounded by seas on three sides, serves as one of major flight courses and a stopover for migratory birds in northeast Asia. Many species of migratory birds come to Korea in spring and autumn to lay eggs or take feed. The government listed the areas of Mundok, Kumya, Ryongyon, Rason, Sin and Tok islets as sanctuaries.
North Korea replaces hardline defense chief with little-known general
Published May 12, 2013 Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea has replaced it hardline defense chief with a little-known army general. The significance of Jang Jong Nam's appointment wasn't immediately clear. The announcement comes amid tentative signs of an interest in diplomacy after weeks of rising animosity and dueling threats on the Korean Peninsula. Little is known about Jang. Mention of his new role was buried Monday in a state media dispatch listing those who attended an art performance with leader Kim Jong Un. It's not known when Jang replaced Kim Kyok Sik. Kim is the former commander of battalions believed responsible for deadly attacks on South Korea in 2010. State media previously identified Jang as head of the army's First Corps who pledged allegiance to Kim Jong Un and threatened South Korea in a speech last December.
North Korea replaces hard-line defense chief in move seen as young leader asserting control
Korean Central News Agency via Korea News Service, File/Associated Press - FILE - In this April 23, 2007 file photo released by Korean Central News Agency via Korea News Service in Tokyo, Gen. Kim Kyok Sik, right, stands with then-North Korean leader Kim Jong Il during the leader’s inspection of Korean People’s Army Unit 1637 at an undisclosed location in North Korea. North Korea replaced hard-line defense chief Kim Kyok Sik with little-known army general Jang Jong Nam. Mention of Jang’s new role was buried Monday, May 13, 2013 in a state media dispatch listing those who attended an art performance with leader Kim Jong Un. By Associated Press, Updated: Monday, May 13, 6:29 PM SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea has replaced its hard-line defense chief with a little-known army general, according to a state media report Monday, in what outside analysts call an attempt to install a younger figure meant to solidify leader Kim Jong Un’s grip on the powerful military. Jang Jong Nam’s appointment is the latest move since Kim succeeded his late father in late 2011 that observers see as a young leader trying to consolidate control. The announcement comes amid easing animosities after weeks of warlike threats between the rivals, including North Korean vows of nuclear strikes. Pyongyang’s rhetorical outbursts against massive U.S.-South Korean war drills and U.N. sanctions over the North’s February nuclear test were seen, in part, as a push to portray Kim Jong Un at home as a respected military commander on the world stage. [Intelligence]
Kim Jong-un's Wife Sports New Patriotic Badge
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his wife Ri Sol-ju visited the Unhasu Orchestra, which was preparing for a concert celebrating the 60th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, the state-run North Korean media said Thursday. Pictures show Ri wearing a single badge with the images of both Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, rather than the standard two separate badges. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his wife Ri Sol-ju (right) inspect an orchestra in Pyongyang. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his wife Ri Sol-ju (right) inspect an orchestra in Pyongyang. The new badges have been distributed since Kim Jong-il's death. It is customary for North Koreans to wear the patriotic badges, but Ri had not been seen with one during more than 30 public appearances since she was officially introduced to the public as Kim's wife in July last year. There has been speculation that Ri has been given some kind of official party post, and the new badge may reflect that. [Ri Sol Ju]
N. Korea dogged by multidrug-resistant tuberculosis
2013-05-08 19:33 Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a serious health problem in North Korea due to a lack of proper treatment drugs and facilities, the head of a South Korean charity group said Wednesday. Stephen Linton, who heads the Eugene Bell foundation and recently visited the North to deliver drugs, said that the virulent strain of tuberculosis is being reported all across the isolated country. "It is a serious health condition among many North Koreans," the medical doctor, who speaks fluent Korean, said at a press conference in Anyang, south of Seoul. Linton was in North Korea from April 18 through last Saturday to visit treatment centers in North and South Pyongan provinces and the capital city of Pyongyang. He had received permission to visit the North from the Seoul government, which has stressed it wants to extend humanitarian aid to help the needy in the North. He said the charity foundation's efforts permitted many people to be treated, but many more were not getting proper medical attention. Reports have shown that of those diagnosed with tuberculosis in the North every year, about 15,000 become MDR-TB cases because of inadequate initial treatment. Taking proper medication can easily cure people suffering from tuberculosis, although a person deprived of medication will have to use more expensive medication down the line and may need to be admitted to a hospital. The foundation chairman said that despite strained inter-Korean relations, donations continue to come in that make it possible to buy the necessary drugs and pay for the visits to the communist country. He said the group needs 2 billion won (US$1.8 million) to 2.5 billion won for its operations. Linton said he visits the North roughly twice a year. On any discernible changes noticed on his latest trip, the chairman made clear he felt no difference. "I visit the country twice a year to deliver drugs and check developments, and everything is normal," he said. [Sanctions] [Health]
Seminar on New Strategic Line Held
Pyongyang, May 3 (KCNA) -- A seminar on the line of simultaneously building up the economy and nuclear forces took place at Kim Il Sung University some days ago. The line was set forth by the dear respected Kim Jong Un at the historic March 2013 Plenary Meeting of the C.C., Workers' Party of Korea.
Ginseng, bear bile: Lacking sure flow of Western drugs, North Korea leans on age-old cures
By Associated Press, PYONGYANG, North Korea — The Man Nyon Pharmacy is lined with rows of colorful packages containing everything from dried bear bile and deer antler elixir to tiger bone paste and ginseng. But the ancient “Koryo” medicine provided at this popular dispensary isn’t just for minor aches and pains. It has been integrated into the health system from the smallest village clinic all the way up to the nicest showcase hospitals in the privileged capital of Pyongyang. Both modern and traditional styles of healing have long been uniquely intertwined nationwide with doctors from both schools working in tandem under one roof. North Korean physicians say many patients prefer traditional medicine to the Western kind, but it’s difficult to determine the true situation in this closed and impoverished society where access is limited. Defectors, foreign aid workers and North Koreans agree that many Western drugs are scarce and say villagers still forage for plants in some areas to make their own herbal concoctions. With the U.N. Security Council imposing its toughest-ever sanctions following North Korea’s third nuclear test in February, patients may become even more dependent on these home-grown remedies in a country of 24 million people where government health spending ranks among the world’s lowest. [Health] [Sanctions]
N.Korean Leader's Wife a Force in Her Own Right?
Ri Sol-ju Ri Sol-ju North Korea's state-run media no longer refer to Ri Sol-ju as the wife of leader Kim Jong-un but simply by her name, suggesting she now holds some kind of position in her own right. The Unification Ministry here says Ri was referred to in the North Korean state media as Kim's wife after all official appearances until early this year. But since her visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun on Feb. 16 to mark the late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's birthday, she has been referred to as "comrade Ri Sol-ju." That was also what the state media called her when she watched a basketball game in Pyongyang on Feb. 28 with former NBA star Dennis Rodman and after other outings since. "At first, we thought it was an error, but the omission seems to be intentional because it's so consistent," a government source here said. "It looks like nobody in North Korea needs to be reminded of who Ri is any more." Ryu Dong-ryeol at the Police Science Institute speculated that Ri has taken on a key post in the Workers Party or an affiliated women's group. The second wife of state founder Kim Il-sung was usually referred to as "Madame Kim Song-ae." She rose in status as the head of a party women's group and was powerful enough to clash with her husband in some cases. [Ri Sol Ju]

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APRIL 2013

N.Korea Demolishes Border Villages to Stem Defections
North Korea is demolishing villages near the border with China along the Duman River and forcing residents to move south in order to prevent defections. A government source here said on Friday, "North Korea has been forcibly relocating villagers along the Duman River to places further from the border." The source added soldiers have been mobilized to demolish homes in some of the villages
Kim Jong-un Makes 1st Public Appearance in 40 Days
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made his first public appearance in 40 days on Saturday by visiting a shopping mall in Pyongyang. The North's state-run KCNA news agency reported that Kim was accompanied by his wife Ri Sol-ju at the opening of the Haedanghwa mall. Ri’s last public appearance was in late February when she watched a basketball game with former NBA star Dennis Rodman as he visited Pyongyang. According to KCNA, the six-story building contains stores, restaurants, a swimming pool, bath house, barber shop and beauty parlor, as well as facilities to play ping pong and pool. It also has a library and coffee shop. [KJU]
NK leader pays tribute to late grandfather, father on KPA's birthday
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the mausoleum for his late grandfather and father on the 81st anniversary of the founding of the country's armed forces, Pyongyang's official media said Friday. Accompanied by members of the ruling Worker's Party of Korea, the Cabinet, the National Defense Commission (NDC) and top military brass, Kim paid tribute at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang on Thursday, which is the birthday of the Korean People's Army (KPA), the Korean Central News Agency reported. [KPA]
On NKorean side of border, focus turns from fighting to farming as soldiers help out in fields
By Associated Press, SASI-RI, North Korea — The North Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone is a hive of activity — not of fighting, but of farming. Beyond the barbed wire, ruddy-faced North Korean soldiers put down their rifles Wednesday and stood shoulder to shoulder with farmers as they turned their focus to another battle: the spring planting. As neighboring nations remain on guard for a missile launch or nuclear test that South Korean and U.S officials say could take place at any time, the focus north of the border is on planting rice, cabbage and soybeans. In hamlets all along the DMZ, soldiers were knee-deep in mud and water as they helped farmers with the spring planting. Inside the DMZ, hundreds of North Korean soldiers marched in a line with backpacks. On a hilltop above them in North Hwanghae province, Col. Kim Chang Jun said they were being dispatched to farms — but still prepared for war if need be. [Military economy]
'No Big Parade' for N.Korean Army Birthday
The North Korean Army is expected to forgo a massive parade on its founding anniversary Thursday and concentrate at best on a smaller display. A South Korean government source said on Tuesday the North will probably stage a firing demonstration at a drill ground near Pyongyang. Instead, intelligence agencies expect the regime to stage a massive parade showing off various kinds of weapons on July 27, the anniversary of the Armistice that halted the Korean War. [Dialback]
Once Upon a Time in Pyongyang
Rare images of Korea before the Kims. BY MARYA HANNUN | APRIL 17, 2013 We tend to think of North Korea as a mysterious place -- sometimes quiet, other times hostile, but always closed off and opaque. Since its founding in 1948, the country has plunged into diplomatic and economic isolation, driven by founder Kim Il Sung's policy of juche, or "self-reliance." Today, images of daily life in North Korea are a rare sight, often met with fascination. [Photos]
The Mindset of North Korean Elites
by GARY LEUPP On March 27 Kim Jong-un, the “Dear Respected Marshal” and leader the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, severed the last military hotline between North and South. Three days later he announced that the DPRK was renouncing the armistice agreement of 1953 and “entering the state of war.” On April 2 he announced the reactivation of a plutonium reactor closed in 2007, and the closure of Kaesong Industrial Park the next day. (Pyongyang bravely declared that it receives “few economic benefits from the zone,” where 53,000 North Koreans work for 123 South Korean companies, “while the South side largely benefits from it.”) On April 4 U.S. intelligence reported movement of a medium-range missile to an eastern location for possible testing. The next day British and Russian diplomats reported that their missions in Pyongyang had been encouraged to evacuate family members.
Kim Jong-un Marks Grandfather's Birthday
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang at midnight Monday to pay respects to the embalmed corpses of his father and grandfather. It was only Kim's second public appearance this month and came two weeks after he was last seen at a meeting of the Supreme People's Assembly on April 1. The North Korean state media did not report any remarks Kim made on the occasion of his grandfather Kim Il-sung's 101st birthday. There was no military parade to mark the occasion, despite belligerent rhetoric from the North Korean regime in recent weeks. [Kim Il Sung] [Financial sanctions] [Legality] [Extraterritoriality] [Freeze]
North Korean holiday passes without provocation
Posted on : Apr.16,2013 15:46 KSTModified on : Apr.16,2013 15:50 KST North Korean leader Kim Jong-un with the North’s military leadership just after midnight on Apr. 15 at Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang. Kim had come to the palace to pay his respects at the embalmed bodies of his late grandfather Kim Il-sung and father Kim Jong-il on Kim Il-sung’s 101st birthday. Birthday of Kim Il-sung is celebrated without military parade or official comments from leader Kim Jong-un By Gil Yun-hyun, staff reporter The 101st birthday of Kim Il-sung, which many had expected to be a turning point in the crisis on the Korean peninsula that begin with North Korea’s third nuclear test, passed without incident. Despite concern over the possibility of a missile launch, none went ahead, and a military parade was not held, unlike last year. Accompanied by senior members of the Central Military Commission of the Workers’ Party, the National Defense Commission, and the DPRK People’s Army, Kim Jong-un visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun at midnight on the morning of Apr. 15, according to a report by the North Korean state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Kim and his entourage went to the palace to pay their respects to Kim Il-sung, his grandfather and founder of North Korea, and Kim Jong-il, his father and former leader of the country, both of whose bodies lie in state there.
North Korea marks Kim Il Sung’s birthday
North Koreans celebrated the birthday of their first leader by dancing in plazas and snacking on peanuts, with little hint of the fiery bombast that has kept the international community fearful that a missile launch may be imminent. [Photos]
North Korea to hold military parade for Kim Il-sung’s birthday
Posted on : Apr.15,2013 11:57 KST Kim Jong-un makes first public appearance in two weeks; observers wondering if he will make a speech on Apr. 15 By Kim Kyu-won, staff reporter Despite intense international concern that North Korea may soon launch a missile, no signs of an imminent launch were apparent on Apr. 14. Instead, the North seems preoccupied with preparing for the birthday of the country’s founder Kim Il-sung on Apr. 15, which is the most important holiday in the country. “There are no movements in the North connected with a missile launch,” said an senior officer with the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff. “The missiles were deployed on Apr. 11, and they remain in that state.” The missiles are assumed to still be deployed, or in other words not in the hanger but rather in the field.
Foreign media reports Pyongyang residents preparing for spring, not war
Posted on : Apr.12,2013 16:45 KSTModified on : Apr.12,2013 16:49 KST In an unspecified location in Pyongyang, this Korean Central News Agency photo shows young North Koreans dancing in traditional Korean attire, Apr. 11. Similar events are being held across the country for the one-year anniversary of Kim Jong-un’s leadership in North Korea. North Korean capital also hosts sympathetic foreign delegations, in contrast with its request for foreigners’ evacuation plans By Ahn Soo-chan, staff reporter Foreign media are reporting from Pyongyang on the situation there amid recent tensions on the Korean Peninsula. The Associated Press reported on the situation in the North Korean capital on Apr. 11, following another report on Apr. 6 by Britain’s The Economist magazine. The accounts were more or less the same: the AP said that “the focus was less on preparing for war and more on beautifying the city,” while The Economist said Pyongyang “appeared to be busier preparing for the coming of spring than a coming war.” What they saw was Pyongyang’s residents preparing for the Day of the Sun. Falling on April 15, it is the biggest holiday of the year in North Korea, celebrating the birthday of founding leader Kim Il-sung. The whole country is typically busy with preparations around this time of year, and 2013 appeared to be no different. [Domestic]
After one year of Kim Jong-un’s leadership
Posted on : Apr.12,2013 16:48 KSTModified on : Apr.12,2013 16:48 KST Rise of Kim Jong-un has seen an extended period of unusually hard-hitting rhetoric and tactics by North Korea By Park Byong-su, staff reporter It has now been one year since Kim Jong-un replaced his father Kim Jong-il as leader of North Korea. The country’s actions recently have been atypical for a number of reasons. There have indeed been cases in the past when the North has made provocations around the time a new government has come to power in the US or South Korea in a bid to gain leverage in future negotiations. However, it is difficult to find an example of past provocations that have lasted as long, been as strident, or exhibited the belligerence that has been seen lately. [Provocation] [Kim Jong Un]
Kim Jong Un's Swiss school days
China.org.cn, April 11, 2013 English newspaper The Sun reveals a set of Kim Jong Un photos from his days as a pupil at a Swiss boarding school. The authenticity of these pictures is disputed. [Kim Jong Un]
N.Koreans 'Untroubled by Fears of War'
North Koreans are apparently untroubled by a stream of bellicose rhetoric from Pyongyang but are busy gearing up for imminent celebrations and the special rations that come with them, AP reported. "The focus in Pyongyang was less on preparing for war and more on beautifying the city ahead of the nation's biggest holiday: the April 15 birthday of the nation's founder, Kim Il-sung. Soldiers put down their rifles to blanket the barren ground with sod and students picked up shovels to help plant trees," the agency wrote Wednesday. "On the streets of Pyongyang, there was no sense of panic. Women with coats thrown over traditional dresses rushed through the spring chill after leaving a rehearsal for a dance planned for Kim Il-sung’s birthday celebrations." North Korean people dance in Pyongyang on Tuesday to mark the 20th anniversary of late leader Kim Jong-ils ascent to power. /Reuters-Newsis North Korean people dance in Pyongyang on Tuesday to mark the 20th anniversary of late leader Kim Jong-il's ascent to power. /Reuters-Newsis Air Koryo flights connecting Pyongyang and Beijing operated as usual, with the plane on Tuesday about half full. AP added, "Pyongyang sporadically holds civil air raid drills during which citizens practice blacking out their windows and seeking shelter, but no such drills have been held in recent months, local residents said." Free North Korea Radio on Wednesday quoted a source in Sinuiju as saying, "People are going about their business as usual, and soldiers are moving about on their own. If the government is thinking about going on a war, it wouldn't be as quiet as it is now."
No panic in North Korea despite talk of missile test
By Jean H. Lee, PYONGYANG, North Korea — As the world braced for a provocative missile launch by North Korea, with newscasts worldwide playing up tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the center of the storm was strangely calm. The focus in Pyongyang on Wednesday was less on preparing for war and more on beautifying the capital ahead of the nation’s biggest holiday: the April 15 birthday of the nation’s founder, Kim Il Sung. Soldiers put down their rifles to blanket the barren ground with sod, and students picked up shovels to help plant trees.
On the streets of Pyongyang, there was no sense of panic Wednesday. The city sporadically holds air raid drills in which citizens practice blacking out their windows and seeking shelter. But no such drills have been held in recent months, residents said.
short-range ground-to-air missile system
KCTV (Korean Central Television) reports that Pyongyang has released photos of its short-range ground-to-air missile system on April 6, 2013. [Photo/Chinanews.com]
NK shows no signs of internal turmoil
By Jun Ji-hye Despite its increasing threat of war on the Korean peninsula, North Korea remains relatively calm as diplomats and foreign tourists are staying put in the communist nation.
Kim Jong-un orders increased production of artillery in N. Korea
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un recently ordered the country's arms industry workers to increase their production of artillery, a television report out of Pyongyang showed Saturday. In a documentary film aired on the Korean Central TV Broadcasting Station, Kim was seen chairing a consultative meeting of defense industry workers on March 17. "Once the war breaks out, we have to destroy the enemies' key military locations and government institutions with a quick and sudden strike," Kim was quoted as saying. "We must absolutely guarantee the quality of our artillery and shells to ensure a rapid pre-emptive attack on our enemies."
Kim Jong Un’s Pyongyang Shuffle
By Michael Madden 05 April 2013 Kim Jong Un’s efforts to consolidate power continue 15 months after formally assuming the supreme leadership of North Korea. Evidence of his personal stamp can be seen in a series of senior personnel appointments made at the recent plenary session of the Korean Workers’ Party (KWP) Central Committee held on March 31, 2013, and the 7th session of the 12th Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA), the country’s unicameral legislature, on April 1. [Kim Jong Un]
Kim Jong-un Beefs Up Security Amid Fear of Unrest
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has apparently stationed around 100 armored vehicles at his house, summer home and other facilities for fear of a military coup or uprising, sources say. Kim "is extremely nervous about the possibility of an emergency developing inside North Korea," claimed an informed source. [Special forces
N.Korean Economic Reformer Back as Prime Minister
A veteran technocrat who led North Korea's tentative economic reforms a decade ago has again become prime minister of the impoverished country. According to the official KCNA news agency on Monday, Pak Pong-ju's appointment was confirmed by the Supreme People's Assembly. Pak already served as prime minister from 2003 until 2007 with the backing of former leader Kim Jong-il. A government official here said it is rare for a figure with no blood ties to the ruling family to make a successful comeback. "Pak's life is like a movie," the official added. [Economic reform]
Report on Plenary Meeting of WPK Central Committee
Pyongyang, March 31 (KCNA) -- The historic March, 2013 plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea took place at the building of the WPK Central Committee, supreme staff of the Korean revolution, on Sunday. First Secretary of the WPK Kim Jong Un guided the meeting. Present at the meeting were members and alternate members of the WPK Central Committee and members of the Central Auditing Commission of the WPK. Present there as observers were senior officials of ministries, national institutions, provincial, city and county committees of the WPK, complexes, major munitions factories and enterprises. The participants paid silent tribute to President Kim Il Sung and leader Kim Jong Il. Taken up for discussion at the meeting were the following agenda items "1. On tasks of our Party on bringing about a decisive turn in accomplishing revolutionary cause of Juche as required by the present situation and the developing revolution", "2. On personnel affairs issue to be submitted to the 7th Session of the 12th Supreme People's Assembly" and "3. On organizational matter". Kim Jong Un made a report and concluding speech on the first agenda item. The plenary meeting set forth a new strategic line on carrying out economic construction and building nuclear armed forces simultaneously under the prevailing situation and to meet the legitimate requirement of the developing revolution. This line is a brilliant succession and development onto a new higher stage of the original line of simultaneously developing economy and national defence that was set forth and had been fully embodied by the great Generalissimos. It was stressed at the meeting that the party's new line is not a temporary countermeasure for coping with the rapidly changing situation but a strategic line to be always held fast to, in the supreme interests of the Korean revolution. The nuclear weapons of Songun Korea are not goods for getting U.S. dollars and they are neither a political bargaining chip nor a thing for economic dealings to be presented to the place of dialogue or be put on the table of negotiations aimed at forcing the DPRK to disarm itself. The DPRK's nuclear armed forces represent the nation's life which can never be abandoned as long as the imperialists and nuclear threats exist on earth. They are a treasure of a reunified country which can never be traded with billions of dollars. Only when the nuclear shield for self-defence is held fast, will it be possible to shatter the U.S. imperialists' ambition for annexing the Korean Peninsula by force and making the Korean people modern slaves, firmly defend our ideology, social system and all other socialist treasures won at the cost of blood and safeguard the nation's right to existence and its time-honored history and brilliant culture. When the party's new line is thoroughly carried out, the DPRK will emerge as a great political, military and socialist economic power and a highly-civilized country which steers the era of independence.
Special Prayer Meeting Marks Eastertide
Pyongyang, March 31 (KCNA) -- A special prayer meeting took place at the Jangchung Cathedral in Pyongyang on Sunday to mark the Eastertide. Present there were members of the Central Committee of the Catholic Association of Korea, believers in Pyongyang, members of the regional association from all local areas and foreigners staying in the DPRK. A ceremony was held following an address delivered by Kim Chol Ung, chief of the Jangchung Cathedral. The participants prayed for the earlier realization of peace and independent reunification of Korea, revival of the nation, under the benevolence of the Lord, amid the pleasure of greeting the revival of Christ. At the meeting a sermon and gospel were recited according to the Catholic precedent before a special lecture by the chief of the Cathedral. [Religion]

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MARCH 2013

N.Korea 'Doctored Pic of Hovercraft Landing Drill'
A photo of a North Korean hovercraft landing drill released on Tuesday by the official KCNA news agency appears to have been digitally manipulated, the Atlantic magazine reported Wednesday. "At least two, possibly three [of the eight] hovercraft appear to have been pasted into the scene," the U.S. monthly said. "A third vehicle in the scene has some of the hallmarks of digital pasting, including color mismatch, a slight halo, and soft edges." The picture "appears to show evidence of digital manipulation... to make it appear as if more vehicles were involved," the monthly added. In fact, another photo showed a total of six hovercraft on the beach. The regime has a history of doctoring pictures
N.Korean State Media Track Kim Jong-un's Every Move
The North Korean state media have started reporting in great detail leader Kim Jong-un's visits to military units this month, though whether this is a sign of a new openness or something more sinister remains to be seen. His father Kim Jong-il was notoriously paranoid and his itinerary was almost never announced.
Kim Jong Un Guides Landing and Anti-landing Drills of KPA Units
Pyongyang, March 25 (KCNA) -- Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army Marshal Kim Jong Un, first secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and first chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK, on Monday guided the landing and anti-landing drills of KPA Large Combined Units 324 and 287 and KPA Navy Combined Unit 597. He issued an order for drills without any notice and finally examined the landing and anti-landing capabilities of the large combined units of the KPA Ground Force and the KPA Navy combined unit situated in the eastern sector of the front and the east coastal area.
N.Korean Diplomats 'Sell Millions of Dollars Worth of Drugs'
North Korea sent a large amount of illegal drugs to its embassy in an East European country last December and ordered diplomats there to sell it for cash by early April, a diplomatic source here claims. "South Korean intelligence obtained the information from a North Korean agent who defected recently," the source said. "Similar orders were delivered to other North Korean embassies." North Korea has ordered each diplomat to raise US$300,000 to prove their loyalty and mark the birthday of nation founder Kim Il-sung on April 15. [Drugs] [Canard] [Evidence]
Kim Jong-un 'Has a Little Daughter'
Ri Sol-ju Ri Sol-ju North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his wife Ri Sol-ju have a new little daughter, according to former NBA star Dennis Rodman who recently paid a visit to the isolated country. "She kept talking about their beautiful baby daughter," Rodman told British tabloid the Sun. Ri looked pregnant in photos until mid-December of last year and noticeably thinner at a New Year concert on Jan. 1. A South Korean government source was unable to confirm the story but nonetheless speculated that doctors induced labor to make sure the child was born in 2012, which marked the 100th anniversary of North Korean founder Kim Il-sung. The National Intelligence Service said last July that Kim and his wife are believed to have children but could not say how many, how old and what gender. [Ri Sol Ju]
NK unveils unmanned assault weapons
NK unveils unmanned assault weapons as part of a military exercise under the leadership of Kim Jong-un, the chairman of the North Korean Military Commission March 20, the Korea Central News said. According to its report, the unmanned assault system annihilated cruise and surface-to-air missiles with a great degree of accuracy, testifying to the superiority of the North Korean military technology. It quoted Kim as saying that the precision and speed of the unmanned assault system especially their ability to identify and differentiate targets. [Joint US military] [Response]
How N.Korean Diplomats Launder Counterfeit Money
One of the main duties of North Korean diplomats is to change counterfeit money into real money and send it back, according to a former North Korean diplomat who defected to South Korea in 2011. He said one North Korean embassy in Eastern Europe generated US$30 million by exchanging counterfeit notes a year. North Korea manufactures so-called supernotes or high-quality counterfeit $100 bills and hands them to embassies for laundering. "The supernotes are delivered at a certain time each year by ship or plane," he said. "An agent working at the embassy goes to a safe house and brings a box full of them." When the bills arrive, embassy staff bundle them up into $10,000 units. They then travel to major cities in their host country to exchange it. Sometimes they are caught, but the North carefully studies the different types of punishment in different countries and gives the information to diplomats, the defector added [Counterfeit]
'Again Korea' by Wilfred Burchett
A pdf of the book from Wilfred’s son, George
Dear Friends,
To mark the 60th Anniversary of the signing of the Armistice Agreement to end hostilities on the Korean Peninsula, I am making available in PDF format the book AGAIN KOREA written by my father, the late Australian journalist Wilfred Burchett in 1968. Wilfred Burchett covered the ceasefire talks to end the war in Korea from the Korean-Chinese side. He was a witness to the bad faith and "plain perfidy" -- to put it very mildly -- of the US-UN negotiators who had no intention of ending hostilities on the Korean Peninsula and every intention of keeping it permanently divided and in a state of high alert. What he saw in 1951-54, was a country reduced to rubble -- bombed "back to the stone age". What he saw in spring 1967 -- 13 years later -- was a dynamic modern socialist state, confidently marching towards a bright future. But this optimistic view came with a word of warning from President Kim Il Sung himself:
“It is possible that all this will be destroyed if war breaks out. I say to my comrades that they should not think they can keep our nice theatres and things as they are now; they must realise that as long as imperialism exists, war may break out again. Especially as long as the unification of our country has not been achieved, things may be destroyed again.” My host was Premier Kim II Sung of North Korea, the place Pyongyang, the date May 20, 1967. Wilfred Burchett -- AGAIN KOREA.
So please, accept the attached PDF as a small contribution to peace, friendship and solidarity with the Korean people and feel free to distribute it.
In solidarity,
George Burchett

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FEBRUARY 2013

N.Korean General Behind Cheonan Sinking Rehabilitated
Kim Yong-chol, the man who was responsible for the sinking of the Navy corvette Cheonan, has been rehabilitated after a surprise demotion. The official Rodong Sinmun daily on Tuesday ran a photo of Kim Yomg-chol applauding at a musical performance that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un also attended. It shows him with his former insignia of a four-star general after he was demoted to lieutenant general three months ago.
Kim Jong Un Guides Military Exercise
Pyongyang, February 22 (KCNA) -- Marshal Kim Jong Un, supreme commander of the Korean People's Army (KPA), guided a flight exercise and a paratrooping drill of the Air and Anti-Air Force and Large Combined Unit 630 of the KPA.
North Korean military power
Selection of Global Times graphics and quotes
Kim Jong-un 'Makes Important Decision'
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un "made an important decision that will serve as a guiding principle in defending the country's security and sovereignty," the North's official KCNA news agency reported Sunday. It did not specify what the "important decision" was, only that it came at a meeting of the Central Military Commission of the Workers Party. Observers speculate that Kim gave the go-ahead for another nuclear test. [Test]
Enlarged Meeting of Central Military Commission of WPK Held under Guidance of Kim Jong Un
Pyongyang, February 3 (KCNA) -- An enlarged meeting of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea was held under the guidance of Kim Jong Un, first secretary of the WPK, chairman of the Central Military Commission of the WPK, first chairman of the DPRK National Defence Commission and supreme commander of the Korean People's Army. Present there were members of the WPK Central Military Commission, staff members of the KPA Supreme Command and commanding officers of the large combined units including the navy, air force and anti-air force and strategic rocket force. The enlarge meeting of the WPK Central Military Commission discussed the issue of bringing about a great turn in bolstering up the military capability, true to the Songun revolutionary leadership of the WPK, and an organizational issue. Kim Jong Un made an important concluding speech which serves as guidelines for further strengthening the KPA into a matchless revolutionary army of Mt. Paektu and defending the security and sovereignty of the country as required by the WPK and the developing revolution.
Enlarged Meeting of Central Military Commission of WPK Held under Guidance of Kim Jong Un
Pyongyang, February 3 (KCNA) -- An enlarged meeting of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea was held under the guidance of Kim Jong Un, first secretary of the WPK, chairman of the Central Military Commission of the WPK, first chairman of the DPRK National Defence Commission and supreme commander of the Korean People's Army. Present there were members of the WPK Central Military Commission, staff members of the KPA Supreme Command and commanding officers of the large combined units including the navy, air force and anti-air force and strategic rocket force. The enlarge meeting of the WPK Central Military Commission discussed the issue of bringing about a great turn in bolstering up the military capability, true to the Songun revolutionary leadership of the WPK, and an organizational issue. Kim Jong Un made an important concluding speech which serves as guidelines for further strengthening the KPA into a matchless revolutionary army of Mt. Paektu and defending the security and sovereignty of the country as required by the WPK and the developing revolution.
N.Korea's Eminence Grise At Ease in Power
North Korea's eminence grise Jang Song-taek, the uncle of leader Kim Jong-un, is apparently at ease and securely installed in his position, if his body language is anything to go by. Jang was spotted sitting informally askew while Kim was delivering a speech at a formal ceremony, while the rest of the North Korean apparatchiks sat stiffly to attention like tin soldiers. State TV aired footage of the 4th Meeting of Party Cell Secretaries on Tuesday which showed Jang sitting in the background with his left arm leaning against the armrest of his chair or staring off into the distance while Kim was delivering a speech. [Jang Song Taek]

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JANUARY 2013

NK leader empowers 'cell secretaries'
2013-01-29 18:07 North Korean leader Kim Jong-un gives an opening speech at a meeting of the secretaries who head the “cell” (smallest organization) of the ruling Workers’ Party in Pyongyang, Monday, the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported, Tuesday. / Yonhaps By Kim Young-jin North Korean leader Kim Jong-un emphasized the importance of lower-level secretaries of the ruling Worker’s Party in a rare meeting of such officials this week, Pyongyang’s state media said Tuesday, as the young ruler attempts to gain “grassroots” support. The North a day earlier convened the meeting of the secretaries who head the party’s smallest organizations called “cells” for the first time since 2007. It was the first time that the country’s leader has attended the gathering. Calling the cell’s “grassroots organizations,” he said the meeting would “be an epochal turning point in increasing the party’s capability in every way as required by the new era of the Juche revolution by decisively enhancing the function and role of the party cells,” according the North’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). “Juche” refers to the North’s principle of self-reliance.
Kim Jong Un Makes Important Speech Calling for Increasing Function and Role of Party Cells
Pyongyang, January 29 (KCNA) -- The dear respected Kim Jong Un made an important speech calling for decisively increasing the function and role of the party cells as required by the developing party and revolution at the Fourth Conference of Cell Secretaries of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). Kim Jong Un said in his speech that the party, army and people of the DPRK are united closer under the immortal flags bearing the portraits of smiling great leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il and advancing straight along the road of independence, Songun and socialism true to their behests.
Kim Jong Un Makes Opening Address at Fourth Meeting of Secretaries of WPK Cells
Pyongyang, January 28 (KCNA) -- The dear respected Kim Jong Un made an opening address at the Fourth Meeting of Secretaries of Cells of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). In his opening address he said the meeting of secretaries of cells, the fourth in the glorious history of the WPK, is a significant meeting which was convened at the behest of leader Kim Jong Il, eternal general secretary of the WPK. [KWP]
Xinhua Scotches Reports of Kim Jong-un's Plastic Surgery
China's official Xinhua news agency on Wednesday went to some length to discredit reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has undergone plastic surgery to resemble his grandfather, nation founder Kim Il-sung. A diplomatic source in Beijing said North Korea must have protested against the rumors reported in the Chinese press. Xinhua had its correspondents in Seoul and Pyongyang trace the background of the story. According to the news agency, the rumor that Kim Jong-un has had plastic surgery six times to resemble his grandfather was first reported in Seoul, then picked up by a Chinese news website, and then reported as fact on Shenzhen Satellite TV. From left, Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un From left, Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un The Pyongyang correspondent dismissed the rumor as unfounded with the unbeatable argument, "There have been no news reports in North Korea about Kim Jong-un's plastic surgery." The agency said there is "nothing suspicious" about Kim resembling his grandfather since they carry same genes. While Kim tries to dress, walk and smile like his grandfather, this just aims to give the impression that he "holds the people dear," Xinhua said. It added that in a widely reprinted picture on horseback Kim looks more like his father Kim Jong-il than like Kim Il-sung. [Media]
NK leader orders foreign-language signs
By Kim Young-jin North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, front, inspects medical equipment at the Taesongsan General Hospital under construction in Pyongyang as officials look on in this picture released by the North’s Korean Central News Agency, Sunday. / Yonhap North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s education abroad may be starting to show. During a recent inspection of a hospital, Kim called for signs to be written in other languages, Pyongyang’ s state media reported. While visiting the Taesongsan General Hospital, currently under construction, Kim noted a sign written with Korean characters and said, “It is better to write signboards not only in Korean but in foreign languages,” the Korean Central News agency said.
N.Korea 'Moves Long-Range Missiles Around the Country'
U.S. intelligence agencies say North Korea is moving mobile missile launchers around the country carrying intercontinental ballistic missiles, the New York Times said Thursday. The missile was first spotted in a military parade marking the 100th anniversary of the birth of North Korea's founder Kim Il-sung in April last year. At the time, pundits said it was probably a life-sized mock-up. "The new mobile missile, called the KN-08, has not yet been operationally deployed, and American officials say it may not be ready for some time," the paper said. "But the discovery that the mobile units have already been dispersed around the country, where they can be easily hidden, has prompted the White House, the Pentagon and intelligence agencies to reassess whether North Korea's missile capabilities are improving at a pace that poses a new challenge to American defenses."
Kim Jong-un's Wife a Style Icon for Pyongyang Women
North Korean first lady Ri Sol-ju carrying a Christian Dior clutch bag (left) and wearing a Movado watch North Korean first lady Ri Sol-ju carrying a Christian Dior clutch bag (left) and wearing a Movado watch North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's wife Ri Sol-ju is becoming a style icon for women in Pyongyang, who eagerly copy the fashions she is seen sporting in the state media. According to an informed source, women in the North Korean capital are walking around in the short skirts and accessories Ri has been wearing as she accompanied her husband on public occasions. Ri's style is typified by flower-shaped broaches, ribbons, and clothes with polka dots and ruffles. She enjoys wearing dresses reminiscent of Chanel and accentuates them with flashy accessories like hairbands. She has even been spotted wearing pants, see-through blouses or sleeveless shirts, which are considered daring by North Korea's reactionary moral standards. "She gives the impression that she is rather immature and does not like to be controlled," the source said. [Ri Sol Ju] [Media]
Pyongyang holds rare meeting of 'cell secretaries'
By Kim Young-jin North Korea said Friday that it will hold its first meeting of party cell secretaries in five years. Analysts here speculated the event will focus on economic improvements. The North’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the meeting, to be held that day in Pyongyang would be a "historic landmark” to bring about a drastic turn in…building a thriving nation” under the leadership of Kim Jong-un. In 2007, during the last meeting of the heads of the cells, which are the ruling Worker’s Party smallest organizations, the party also stressed economic issues. Kim has emphasized the importance of the party cells in bolstering the party.
Kim Jong Un’s Domestic Policy Record in His First Year: Surprisingly Good
By Alexandre Mansourov The year 2012 started with hysterical nationwide mourning for the deceased leader Kim Jong Il. The country was gripped with the fear of abandonment, uncertainty and chaos. But, by the time 2012 came to a close, one could detect hope in the air, and new positive expectations about the future. There was also plenty of public thirst for new information and foreign experiences, and an especially surprising amount of joy and enthusiasm on the streets of Pyongyang, now illuminated by jumbotrons, the multicolor lights of the newly built residential complex on Changjon Street, and the spectacular 2013 new year fireworks. Whatever happened last year in North Korea, it obviously lifted the spirits and hopes of its population, and the leadership led by Kim Jong Un deserves some credit for that. The paradox is that the more Kim Jong Un sought to eternalize the memory of Kim Jong Il—out of filial piety or to placate his conservative critics—the more he distanced himself from his late father, driving the message home time and again that Kim Jong Il was dead and his memory belonged in history textbooks, not governing daily life. Kim Jong Un was now the reigning king and could do as he pleased to shape the present and future of his country.[1] The most telling example of this paradox was his maiden New Year speech, reminiscent of Kim Il Sung’s long forgotten New Year speeches. Although a large part was devoted to eulogizing Kim Jong Il, the particular way Kim Jong Un chose to do it—a televised New Year Address to the nation—brought an end to the era of faceless joint party editorials published on January 1 every year during Kim Jong Il’s long rule, discarding yet another piece of his father’s legacy. [Kim Jong Un] [Agency]
Chinese Cameras Help N.Korean Regime's Surveillance
North Korea is tightening surveillance of the population using tens of thousands of Chinese-made surveillance cameras. According to Chinese customs data, the North imported a total of 16,420 CCTV cameras worth about US$1.66 million from China from January to November last year. In 2009, the first year China published statistics on bilateral trade, the North imported a whopping 40,465 surveillance cameras from China. In 2010 the figure was 22,987 and in 2011 22,118. Altogether the North has imported over 100,000 cameras worth about $10 million.
DPRK's Top News Agency Unveils Renovated Web Site
CRI | 2013-1-7 11:57:58 By Agencies The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Friday unveiled the new version of its website, kcna.kp, hosted on servers in Pyongyang. It features a much better design and many sophisticated functions, including link services among text articles, photos and video clips. The website provides Korean, English, Chinese, Spanish and Japanese news services, and also has a search engine connected with article archives. The official North Korean news agency serves as a major channel to deliver the North Korean government's important decisions and messages to the world. The separate homepage for KCNA was originally launched in October 2010.
Did Kim Jong-un's Wife Have a Baby?
North Korea has released a photo of leader Kim Jong-un and his wife Ri Sol-ju at a performance celebrating the New Year on Tuesday. Ri Sol-ju (left) on Dec. 21, 2012 and Ri (right) with Kim Jong-un on Tuesday /[North] Korean Central TV Ri Sol-ju (left) on Dec. 21, 2012 and Ri (right) with Kim Jong-un on Tuesday /[North] Korean Central TV In the photo, Ri has a flat tummy while she was heavily pregnant as late as Dec. 21. The state media have been silent on whether has given birth since.
New Year Address
By the respected Kim Jong Un, supreme leader of the Workers' Party of Korea and the Korean people on the occasion of the New Year 2013, January 1, Juche 102 (2013)
What Lies Ahead for N.Korea in 2013?
The year 2013 marks the 60th anniversaries of the end of the 1950-53 Korean War and the signing of the U.S.-South Korean Mutual Defense Treaty. It will also be the first year of South Korea's new president and the new leaders of Japan and China. U.S. President Barack Obama, meanwhile, starts his second term in the White House. Here the Chosun Ilbo takes a look into the crystal ball with the 10 experts to see what all this means for North Korea.
DPRK top leader vows to boost economy in New Year address
Xinhua | 2013-1-1 2:31:30 By Agencies Top leader Kim Jong Un of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) urged his people to build the country into an economic giant in his New Year address on Tuesday. Kim reviewed successes made last year and set forth tasks for 2013, according to official news agency KCNA. He asked to prioritize coal-mining, electric power and metallurgical industries and rail transport, to raise agricultural productivity, and to increase the output of quality consumer goods. Kim also called for consolidating political and military might of the DPRK. He said the entire Korean nation should turn out in a nationwide patriotic struggle for reunification by concerted efforts in an independent manner to remove confrontation by following on previous inter-Korean joint declarations. Meanwhile, Kim vowed to develop friendly relations with countries which respect the country's sovereignty and to safeguard regional peace and stability. It was the first time in 19 years that such a message has been read by a DPRK leader on television and radio. Since 1994, the DPRK had released New Year messages in the form of a joint editorial by its three main newspapers. The New Year was celebrated with a performance of the country's prestigious Moranbong Band at midnight after a fireworks display. This year marks the young leader's second year at the helm since his father Kim Jong Il died of a heart attack in December 2011.
N. Korea moving into aging society
North Korea has moved into an aging society with the portion of its elderly taking up more than 8 percent of the population and women in their 70s outnumbering their male counterparts, data showed Tuesday. The number of North Koreans aged over 65 reached 2.09 million as of Oct. 1, 2008, or 8.7 percent of the 24.05 million in total population, according to the country's Population Census, published by the North's Central Statistic Bureau in 2008 with assistance from the United Nations Population Fund. A country with 7 percent or more of the population representing the aged is considered an aging society. As of 2008, the portion of the aged people in South Korea stood at 10.3 percent. [Ageing society] [Demographics]

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