North Asia News

Foreign Media Monitor: Weds August 26    JAPAN Is refusal to finance North Korean schools in Japan hate speech? Supporters of the movement to bring back financial aid to North Korean schools linked to the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, or Chongryon, have been more active recently. However, Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo is against restoring funding for the Korean schools, which is granted to other private schools in Japan, because of the unresolved abduction issue and Chongryon's close ties to the North Korean government. This was decided in 2012 when North Korean schools were crossed off the list of schools receiving government funding. Supporters of Chongryon have raised this issue in the Japanese parliament, claiming that this policy shows hatred for the Korean people and is a form of hate speech. – Sankei Shimbun, Aug. 16, 2015 Japanese families visit graves of relatives in North Korea At the end of World War II around 35,000 Japanese died in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula in Soviet camps from cold, malnutrition and disease. The remains of almost 20,000 were never taken back to Japan. North Koreans have gathered the remains and placed them in around 70 locations, not all of which are presently known. The Japanese government faces difficulties in bringing the remains back to Japan, as there are no official diplomatic relations between the countries. On August 16, a group of six Japanese visited some of the graves in the suburbs of Pyongyang to pray for their relatives. This was the first visit of this year. Eleven months have passed since the last visit in September 2014. Families have brought gravestones and rice from their hometowns in Japan, which were placed on the graves. – NHK, Aug. 20, 2015 Antonio Inoki invited to N. Korea for 70th anniversary of WPK Politician and former pro wrestler Antonio Inoki has been invited to North Korea for the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Worker's Party of Korea and is willing to go, he said during a press conference. Inoki maintains close relations with the North Korean government and has been to North Korea many times. “I don't know how much the Japanese government really knows, but the only way to find a solution (to the abduction issue) is for both sides to compromise,” he said. – Sports Hochi, Aug. 21, 2015 North Korean official says investigation of abduction issue is ‘over' The civic group Kyoto Network for Japanese-North Korean Friendship has been told by a North Korean official during their stay in North Korea that the investigation into Japanese abductees is over. “The investigation of the abduction issue is over and the results were given to the Japanese government,” the group was reportedly told during its August 13-18 visit. However, as the North Korean official pointed out, the Japanese government had refused to receive the document. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga has said during a press conference that “no such thing has happened.” – The Asahi Shimbun, Aug. 22, 2015  CHINA Opinion: With Iran's nuclear issue resolved, is North Korea next? There are similarities between Iran's nuclear situation and that of North Korea. Both viewed the U.S. as the catalyst for developing nuclear weapons, and both have been targeted by U.S. economic sanctions as a result. However, the dissimilarities between these two cases are larger. Firstly, in the U.S. view, there is a large difference in the geostrategic value of Iran and North Korea. Improvement in U.S.-Iran relations might control the threat posed by ISIS more effectively. Conversely, U.S. strategy in Asia primarily relies on Japan and South Korea, so North Korea's nuclear issues are less important to the U.S. There is also a large gap in the reliability and breakout time required for North Korea's nuclear technology compared to Iran's. Additionally, Iran exhibits some traits of Western-style democracy, holding presidential elections every four years, while North Korea resembles a medieval dynastic state, making it more difficult to approach North Korea's nuclear issue. –The Observer, July 22, 2015 Opinion: No question China-DPRK ties are sound After Kim Jong Un recently paid visits to memorials for Chinese soldiers in the Korean War, international media outlets proclaimed a breakthrough in strained China-North Korea relations. However, since its origin, China's relationship with North Korea has always had a firm foundation. The friendship between China and North Korea is written in lives and blood, and its foundation is unbreakable. However, in recent years, both foreign and domestic media have raised questions about China-North Korea relations. In particular, recent criminal activity along China's border with North Korea, and the effect of North Korea's provocations on U.S. and Japanese militarization in Asia, have been brought into focus. When combining all of the factors contributing to the formation of US and Japanese military developments in Asia, North Korea forms but a small component.– China Youth Daily, August 5, 2015 North Korea: Kim Jong Un’s participation in 9/3 parade still unclear (Note: North Korea has since confirmed that Kim Jong Un will not participate in the upcoming 9/3 parade. Vice Marshal and Secretariat of the Workers’ Party of Korea Choe Ryong Hae will attend in his stead.) In a press conference at the ASEAN Regional Forum on August 6, the deputy director of North Korea’s International Agencies Bureau and former vice representative of North Korea to the UN, Lee Dong Il, took questions on a range of topics. In particular, Lee elaborated on North Korea’s opinion regarding nuclear development, and responded to questions about North Korea’s participation in China’s parade to celebrate the anniversary of the conclusion of World War II on September 3. According to Lee, the United States is fully responsible for the deterioration of the situation on the Korean Peninsula, and that if the trend continued, North Korea would not rule out the possibility of further nuclear testing. Lee also urged the U.S. to change its policy toward North Korea. When a Global Times reporter asked if Kim Jong Un would attend China’s upcoming 70th anniversary WWII victory parade, Lee replied that it was still unclear whom North Korea would send. –China Daily, Aug. 8, 2015 Opinion: A diplomatic breakthrough with North Korea must begin with China  As the issue of North Korean nuclearization, quiet for some time, heats up again, especially with Kim Jong Un's recent overtures to China, is North Korean nuclearization entering a new key phase? The success of the recent Iran nuclear framework agreement also changes the situation of this issue. North Korea's warming to China represents an attempt to take the offensive ahead of mounting international pressure on the regime. Kim Jong Un has continued building North Korea's deterrence capabilities, as shown by its nuclear and submarine-launched missile tests, but this contradicts the de-nuclearization positions held by all other parties to the issue, including China. Over the past year, North Korea has tried to improve relations with South Korea, Russia and Japan, with little success. Now, it understands that a diplomatic breakthrough must begin with China. –Lianhe Post (Singapore), August 10, 2015  SOUTH KOREA N. Korea starts up propaganda speakers to counter S. Korea’s Following by the South Korean military’s use of propaganda speakers for the first time in 11 years, North Korea has decided to operate its own speakers to counter the South Korean ones. One source in the ROK military told the media that North Korea’s use of loudspeakers to counter South’s was one of the expected reactions from North. The contents from North Korea mostly consisted of propaganda materials praising the North Korean system or mix of buzzing noises to disrupt the sounds coming from the South Korean speakers. – Voice of America, Aug. 18, 2015 ROK-U.S. commemorates the anniversary of axe-murder incident at DMZ Forces from the ROK and the U.S. participated in an event commemorating the anniversary of axe-murder incident in 1976. On August 18, 1976, two U.S. officers from the 2nd Infantry Division of the U.S Army, along with a number of South Korean workers, were cutting down a tree at the Joint Security Area that was obstructing the view. A group of North Korean soldiers appeared and brutally murdered two U.S. officers using axes and spades they had brought. – Yonhap, Aug. 18, 2015    Opinion: From laying mines in the South to artillery fire, the North admits nothing It is fortunate that the situation did not become any more inflamed, as both Koreas declined to directly aim and fire at each other. Still, North Korea’s provocation is an unforgivable provocation that could’ve taken many South Korean civilians’ lives. North Korea’s shells fell near a South Korean mountain, and the impact area was very close to a crop field that South Korean farmers were working on. It makes no sense for the North to intentionally raise tensions on the Korean Peninsula, just around the time of the 70th anniversary of Korea’s independence, which is kind of event that both Koreas can commemorate together. – The Kyunghyang Shinmun, Aug. 20, 2015 Opinion: No peace without retaliation For the last 60 years, whenever North Korea has provoked South Korea, there has not been much we could do to strike them back and teach them the proper lesson. Why has it been like this? First, South Korea’s national defense heavily depends on the ROK-U.S. alliance and this does not provide enough flexibility to completely prevent North Korea’s irregular provocations against South Koreans. Second, South Korea’s wartime operational control of its armed forces belongs to the U.S., and due to this, South Korean leaders have held back by the U.S. whenever they wanted to take revenge on North Korea with harsh force. Third, many Korean leaders have been too afraid of being politically pressured by those blindly short-sighted pacifists who would shake their own leaders for being harsh against North Korea. – The Chosun Ilbo, Aug. 22, 2015 RUSSIA North Korea threatens attack on U.S. with ‘previously unknown weapon’ The joint U.S.-South Korea military trainings have disturbed the government of the DPRK, as seen in the North Korean National Defense Commission’s statement that the country has a previously unknown weapon, which can produce an attack of incredible strength. “The army and people of DPRK, once forced to take arms against the nuclear power of the U.S., no longer have to … North Korea is an unbeatable force, and now owns the latest in defensive and offensive weaponry, currently unknown to the world,” said the NDC in a statement. In fact, Pyongyang has threatened an attack on Washington in its own territory, CNN reports. “If the U.S. wants to preserve its territory and security, the Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercises must be stopped,” stated a North Korean news announcer. – Komsomolskaya Pravda, Aug. 16 Analyst: North Korean ‘superweapon’ just rhetoric Yevgeniy Kim, research associate at the Center for Korean Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences Far East Institute, said it is hard to believe that a weapon such as the one North Korea claims to have could have been created. The statement from the DPRK in regards to its possession of a unique weapon is political rhetoric, said Kim, lead researcher at the Center for Korean Studies, in an interview with Latvian radio station Baltkom. “It is difficult for me right now to suppose what could have created such a weapon, something that would allow for the destruction of the United States of America from North Korea. Firstly, there is no delivery mechanism for such a weapon. Secondly, we have tracked the development of science in Korea, but so far I have not seen anything there that has not been created in other countries. It’s rhetoric,” said Kim. – RIA Novosti, Aug. 17, 2015 Opinion: How North Korea threatens the U.S. North Korea has threatened the United States of America with a “never-before-seen destructive weapon.” I don’t know about you all, but I believe it. I can even somewhat imagine what it will be like. It will be like this. An old political freezer, to the north of the 38th parallel, will die – from the overheating of its prehistoric motor; its contents will bulge and burst with a weird smell and blood … The rusted door will fall off, and 20-odd-million unhappy, dying-from-hunger North Koreans, long gnawing at the wings of their legendary horse Juche, rush for salvation to the South. There will be – just imagine – more of them than the sum of people who fled from Rwanda and Bosnia Herzegovina … South Korea, of course, will ask for help from the global community. ... And the most necessary “humanitarian” aid to North Korea will cost many millions of dollars if not trillions. This is not like the misfortune of the Greeks with pensions seven times that of Russians – this is for real. – Glavkom News, August 18 Chelyabinsk region deports almost 200 illegals – including North Korean In the course of 2015, workers of the Federal Bailiff Service have already expelled 188 foreigners, living illegally in the Chelyabinsk region, from Russia. Among them are 10 children. This is reported by the Offices of Press Services. Just in the last week, the Federal Bailiff Service sent six citizens from the People’s Republic of China, five from Uzbekistan and two from Tajikistan back to their homelands. Most of the individuals were found through the operational work of the Federal Bailiff Service on the territory of Chelyabinsk. Illegals from China were found in greenhouses in the Yetkulsk region. Another 88 people are being held in special institutions for the detention of illegal migrants await their fate. Among them is the first offender from North Korea. All of them are being held administratively responsible for violations of the rules of entry and living standards in Russia. The report mentions that offenders are subject to monetary penalties as well as deportation from the country. – ChelTV.ru, Aug. 19

NK and Russia

Sanctioned N. Korean vessel becomes regular visitor to Russia

Ship inspection records show regular visits to Russian ports, vessel one of two visiting Russia in recent months

August 27th, 2015

Leo Byrne

0

   

Vessels tied to sanctioned shipping company Ocean Maritime Management (OMM) are making more frequent use of Russian ports, the NK News vessel tracker shows.

While the vessel was seen visiting the Russian port of Vanino in early July, data from Marine Traffic and ship inspection records indicate the sanctioned Hui Chon (formerly the Hwan Gum San 2) is now a regular visitor to ports in the Russian far east.

The Hui Chon was inspected six times in two different Russian ports since early July.  Port inspections are usually to ascertain if a vessel is meeting safety and environmental standards.

“My personal view is the vessel should be frozen as an economic resource of a designated entity,” an expert familiar with UN sanctions said concerning the Hui Chon’s Russian visits.

According to the inspection records, the North Korean ship made at least three visits to the Poiset, a coal handling port very close to the DPRK.

It was also joined in August by another member of OMM’s former fleet, the 14000 tonne Kang Gye. The general cargo ship was last seen heading back to North Korea after visiting Russia’s Nakhodka port.

The six inspections mark the first occasion an OMM ship has been inspected in Asian waters since January this year, with only one other vessel subject to inspection in 2015.

The vessels’ former owner OMM was sanctioned by both the UN and the U.S. Department of Treasury last year, for its role in smuggling weapons through the Panama Canal.

Treasury’s sanctions also included the vessels IMO numbers, a unique identifier that does not change throughout the life of the ship.

Since the sanctions all ships belonging to OMM have all changed names and owners. According to the most recent UN Panel of Experts report on North Korea, the vessels are still believed to be tied to OMM.

“Member States are obliged by resolutions 1718 (2006) and 2094 (2013) to immediately freeze assets and economic resources owned or controlled by OMM … the Panel considers assets and resources of any kind including vessels,” the report reads.

The PoE report also claims the ship’s current owner is an OMM shell company, but the Panel’s recommendations have yet to be adopted by the Security Council, a necessary step for the implantation of UN sanctions.

Mexican authorities appear to have taken a harder line on the Mu Du Bong, another OMM vessel which ran aground of the country’s east coast in 2014. Although there has been no formal announcement, the vessel’s crew have all been repatriated.

same sex marriage

if the ongoing and growing failure rates of non same sex marriage are any indication, then the notion of anyone demanding equality regarding same sex marriage is just a crock.
the only social 'human justice' improvement will be that even more lawyers will be involved and divorces will be even more expensive, when things go wrong, naturally, as they do, and as they should do, now.
on the positive side, if gay folk can marry gay folk, rather than marrying non gay folk, as they do now, and thus having everyone suffer for decades whilst they work out who they specially are, then that would be a good thing.
that would save a lot of us decades of misery and a shit load of money.

Tony Abbott and the Cabinet of the Australian Government, is on Thursday Island from today for a whole week

Just in case there are any disgruntled freedom fighters out there who wish to support him eradicating the world of the Death Cult he keeps talking about...get yourself to Thursday Island fast and ask him how you can help.
I'm not sure who the Death Cult actually is any more...but he'd know.
You can also ask him why there's no lobster pies left at the pub.

Recent Escalation between North and South Korea

It is remarkable how the recent and serious escalation between the South and North Korea isn't reported much in Australia.
This area is quite significant in comparison with the Middle East and with the general hubbub re 'world terrorism' and I sometimes really wonder if anyone apart from the Koreas, Japan, Russia and China actually have anyone reporting anything.
There's lots of news from Russian TV, Chinese Press, and from the Koreas, but no one else seems to notice much.
The visit by Mr Medvedev to the disputed islands North of Japan is very significant, especially as Mr Putin will soon be in Tokyo for talks. This shows the renewing strength of Russia and its willingness to upset Japan prior to official talks...to thus set an agenda...to put Japan on the backfoot from the start of important talks.
Meanwhile, whenever South Korea gets the US to do practice bombing runs on the edge of North Korea, as they are doing now, well, North Korea gets upset.., as would we, as would anyone in their right mind.
As this is the only place on earth where a world conflagration could and probably will start, it still amazes me that most folk are still looking at the Middle East as if Iran, Israel, and the smaller shops like Iraq and Saudi Arabia, have some global meaning. That was 60 years ago.
Goodness me. That time has passed. if it was important to have peace in the Middle East it would have occurred well before now. Don't people get that?

North Korea, Russia Japan, lots happening now

Only at NK News 

UN allocates $6 million to N. Korea in emergency funds The UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) allocated $6.3 million for emergency drought relief in North Korea, including supplementary food rations and treatments for waterborne diseases, according to a recent press release. The funds will be divided between three different UN agencies, UNICEF, the World Food Program (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO). “The availability of CERF funds allows us to kick-start life-saving response to communities affected by drought,” UN DPRK Resident Coordinator Tapan Mishra said in the press release. Visit NK News for more Survey: Marketization has mixed effects on N. Koreans’ mindsets A South Korean scholar on Wednesday unveiled a survey of North Koreans – and not defectors – to learn more about changes in their identities and values due to the trend of marketization. Yang Moon-soo of the University of North Korean Studies presented his recent research, conducted in March-June 2015, at an event entitled “North Koreans’ Mind,” organized by, the university. “This research was conducted on 100 North Koreans who had been dispatched to a foreign country, in order to grasp the tendency toward materialization and individualization among North Koreans,” Yang said. Visit NK News for more Can foreigners marry North Koreans?, By Je Son Lee In this edition of Ask A North Korean, Je Son Lee addresses the question of how North Koreans view "mixed marriages” and whether it is possible for a foreigner to marry a North Korean in the country. While it may not be possible for ex-pats to marry North Koreans, Hwagyo (descendents of Chinese immigrants) have been able to. Lee also remenisces about stories she heard regarding North Korean doctors and nurses falling in love and marrying foreigners while on placements overseas. Children born of "mixed" relationships also lived within Pyongyang and Lee remembers how the North Korean government took a keen interest in their development and potential uses within North Korean society. Visit NK News for more

Top Stories Today

Civic group members indicted over alleged security law breach (Yonhap News)
Two members of a local civic group have been indicted on charges of promoting North Korean ideologies in breach of an anti-North Korea law, prosecutors said Wednesday. 

Politicians honor Kim Dae-jung in tense event (JoongAng Ilbo)
Major political players on both sides of the aisle remembered former President Kim Dae-jung at a ceremony commemorating the sixth anniversary of his death. 

Chinese businessmen invited to inter-Korean industrial park (The Korea Herald)
A South Korean business group in Beijing has invited Chinese businessmen to an investor fair to be held at an inter-Korean industrial complex in North Korea in October, a group official said.

Slovenian avant-garde band Laibach plays North Korea concerts (Daily Telegraph)
A Slovenian avant-garde band with a penchant for Nazi uniforms is playing two concerts in North Korea to mark the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Korean peninsula from Japanese control.

S. Korea monitoring reported purge of senior N. Korean official (Yonhap News)
South Korea said Wednesday it is closely monitoring the whereabouts of a ranking North Korean official dealing with inter-Korean affairs amid a local media report that he might have been purged.

NK News Jobs

NK News is hiring for the following remote positions:

1. REMOTE SALES EXECUTIVE

Skills: Strong calling skills, ability to grasp geopolitical issues, ability to explain online software platforms, strong qualification of lead and conversion of leads to sales, proven ability to work independently

Summary: 
NK News is the leading global provider of news and analysis on the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK / North Korea). Through our team of in house analysts and journalists we deliver breaking news and detailed analysis to institutions around the world. Our goal is to help our clients better understand the dynamics of the DPRK, informing their policy, economic, and commercial decisions.

NK News is a young and growing company. We are looking for energetic and success driven sales people to join our team. Headquartered in Seoul we are looking for Remote Sales Executives living in various regions of the world. At present, we are looking for candidates in the United States and Canada, the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Korea.

Responsibilities: 

• Drives efforts to achieve sales targets and to grow customer base over the telephone/web
• Actively prospect in the target region in pursuit of new sales opportunities
• Target potential leads to build sales pipeline using appropriate sales strategies and approaches
• Maintain knowledge of competitors and best practices to strategically position the value of product and services offerings
• Establish a professional working and consultative relationship with customers by developing a basic understanding of their unique business needs within their industry
• Educate the customer on the company’s technical capabilities leveraging industry and business knowledge underpinning the customers’ business needs to create demand and persuade through the creation and presentation of compelling purchasing rationales
• Develop proposals, deliver remote customer presentations and close the business
• Efficiently leverage leaders, sales teams and partners to seek out new opportunities and close business
• Record all customer/prospect communications and maintain the Customer Relationship Manager (CRM) system

Qualifications: 

• Successfully sold products/services over the phone using value-based and consultative selling strategies
• Proven record of bringing in new business revenue
• Strong passion for selling online platforms to enhance a customer’s business
• Collaborative team player with the confidence and integrity to earn people’s confidence, internally and externally, and put them at ease
• Builds business by identifying and selling prospects; maintaining relationships with clients.

Skills and Qualifications:

Presentation Skills, Client Relationships, Emphasizing Excellence, Energy Level, Negotiation, Prospecting Skills, Meeting Sales Goals, Creativity, Sales Planning, Independence, Motivation for Sales

How to apply:

Please send your resume and covering letter to chris.macdougall@nknews.org before COP September 4, 2015.

---

2. INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST REQUIRED

NK News is looking for an experienced journalist to conduct a major investigation on a North Korea refugee-rIghts related issue.

Ideally, the canidate should be bilingual, knowledgeable about North Korea, and willing to probe a sensitive subject with full vigor.

How to apply

Please send resume and investigation examples to chad.ocarroll@nknews.org before close of August. Assuming positive results, further investigations will be requested following completion of the initial one.

NK update

N. Korea readying military for 'surprise operations' with South: KCNA North Korea raised the stakes Friday by warning of "surprise operations" along its frontline if South Korea does not stop psychological warfare broadcasts by 5 p.m. on Friday. The very public nature of the ultimatum, which includes precise instructions for South Korea to dial down the tension, now puts Seoul in a difficult spot, one observer said. “We don’t have the minutes from last night’s CMC meeting, but the question is: Did they discuss and plan and point whereby the KPA would back down? Or do they plan to carry out the threat of punishment?" Visit NK News for more S. Korean response didn't damage N. Korea military: KCTV broadcast South Korean forces did not damage North Korean military assets when they returned fire on Thursday, Pyongyang's main TV station said during a Friday "Korean People's Army (KPA) Supreme Command Emergency Report" broadcast. Describing the South Korean response as being "without probable cause," the outlet added that Seoul "still has no idea" what type of ammunition the North fired, "yet proceeded to shoot artillery rounds at us." Visit NK News for more Analysis: Exchange of fire shows neither Korea wants war, By John G. Grisafi Though the North may occasionally engage in military provocation and the South is willing to respond in kind, neither side wants an open conflict. The fact that this incident initially resulted in only controlled return fire by the South and no further military action by either side demonstrates the ability and desire of both sides to limit escalation. Avoiding escalation of an incident into open conflict requires strict discipline, strong command and control, and clear rules of engagement in the military forces on both sides. Visit NK News for more

Top Stories Today

S. Korean bizmen at joint industrial park safely return home despite tension (Yonhap News)
South Korean businessmen running factories at an inter-Korean industrial park returned home without a hiccup on Thursday despite tension sparked by North Korea's shell firing near the border.

S. Korea steps up beatification process for Pyongyang bishop (The Korea Herald)
The local Catholic Church has kicked into high gear the beatification process for Korean martyrs who were killed or who disappeared after being persecuted by the North Korean regime.

U.S., Russia urge N. Korea to refrain from provocations (Arirang News)
The international community has expressed concern over the spike in tension on the Korean peninsula and urged North Korea to refrain from actions that threaten peace and security in the region.

South Korean markets fall on global economy fears, clash with North (Reuters)
South Korea's won, shares and bond futures all fell early on Friday as heightened tensions with North Korea after an  exchange of shelling added volatility to markets.

Man nabbed for spreading prank conscription messages (Yonhap News)
A 23-year-old man has been arrested on charges of distributing prank text messages announcing conscription in case of an emergency.

NK News

DAILY UPDATE UPGRADE FOR EXTRA NEWS & SERVICES

MA in North Korean studies, 1 year full-time study in the UK. Fees:£5000 (EU)/$11950 (non-EU). Discounts for alumni.   Only at NK News  North Korea fires on S. Korean loudspeakers North Korea fired on South Korea’s recently installed propaganda speakers on Thursday at 4 p.m. using counter battery artillery, according to local media. The attack was directed towards the Yoncheon 28th Division, but the loudspeakers were reportedly undamaged. People living in Hwangsan-li and Sanmgot-li, Yoncheon-gun, Gyeonggi-do have been evacuated from the area. South Korea reportedly fired back with dozens of 155mm shells, though there was no further response from the DPRK. Visit NK News for more Inside North Korea's cell network: ex-Koryolink technical director reveals all, By Chad O'Carroll North Korea’s Koryolink cellphone network includes a “third” network for use by high officials, a surveillance system based on technology found outside the North, and sees surprisingly active internet usage patterns.All this and more was revealed through an exclusive interview conducted by NK News with Ahmed El-Noamany, a former senior technical director of the network. Visit NK News for more The bustling North Korean consumer goods market, By Dr. Andrei Lankov North Korea remains very poor by the standards of the developed West, and for that matter, by the standards of all its neighbors. Malnourishment is still a problem for many North Koreans. Nonetheless, it is clear that within recent years, a large and growing part of the population can afford items that were completely unavailable 15 years ago and were not seen as necessities. Some North Koreans still worry about survival, but many can now afford to think about a comfortable life. TVs and fridges are commonplace, and many people can afford to eat meat on a regulat basis. Visit NK News for more S.Korea sends letter to UN over landmine The South Korean government submitted a letter to the UN Security Council on Tuesday (EST) via its UN-based ambassador in New York criticizing the explosion of a landmine at the DMZ on August 4, which they blame on North Korea.The intent of the letter, South Korea said, is to prevent further provocations by the North. One expert, speaking on condition of anonymity, said “there will be a political argument behind closed doors as to whether or not (the Security Council) should consider the ROK letter.” Visit NK News for more S. Korean president ‘should be buried … as soon as possible’ – N. Korea South Korean President Park Geun-hye “should be buried in (a) cemetery as soon as possible,” a spokesperson for Pyongyang’s Joint National Organization of Working People has said. “What she should do for the nation is to leave Cheongwadae, the doghouse of the U.S., shut her unshapely mouth and get her crime-ridden body buried in the ceremony at an early date,” the statement said. One observer said that hopes the 70th anniversary of Korean liberation might have otherwise fostered warmer relations between Pyongyang and Seoul had been misplaced. Visit NK News for more A boat to nowhere: Trip to N. Korean border stopped by police Late last week Wesuck Kang, a controversial South Korean conscientious objector and pacifist, announced his plan to row all the way to North Korea on the 70th anniversary of Korean Peninsula’s liberation from Japan. Prior to the trip he had received an indication from authorities that his trip would not be considered a violation of the National Security Law and would be allowed to proceed. But his plan to reach North Korea on his boat was brought to an abrupt halt by South Korean authorities just 460 meters from the North. Visit NK News for more Top Stories Today S. Korean president to attend China's celebrations of victory (Asahi Shimbun) South Korean President Park Geun-hye will travel to China next month to attend a ceremony marking the anniversary of victory over Japan in World War II, her office said Aug. 20.  Pyongyang says abductions probe report is ready but Tokyo refused to receive it (Japan Times) A North Korean foreign ministry official has told a Japanese private-sector mission the investigation into the fate of Japanese nationals who emigrated there or were taken by force has been concluded. N. Koreans on visas to China drops (The Daily NK) Data on the number of foreigners who went to China in the first half of this year indicate roughly 89,700 North Koreans crossed into the country. Pyongyang comes alive with the sound of foreign rock music (The Guardian) With a 45-minute set that included covers from the Sound of Music, the avant garde Slovenian group Laibach on became the first foreign rock band to play a gig in North Korea. North purge may be tied to memoir (JoongAng Ilbo) Won Tong-yon, a senior North Korean official with years of experience in inter-Korean relations, has disappeared from public view since last December.  Connect with Us: FacebookTwitterNK News Website Contact Info: Phone: 202.697.9087 Email: pro@nknews.org

Bob Dylan - When the Deal Goes Down/ wonderful

Stand By Me, Ben E King, 1961. when the night has come...

Otis Redding-Sitting on the dock of the bay

A Change Is Gonna Come, Sam Cooke, 1963/perfect

Tony Joe White : Rainy Night In Georgia/pure as the rain

Australia, Iraq, Syria, and the waste of hope.

-- ​from my blog today: ​I've been quiet on Blogger for awhile now, although I have collected a lot of fascinating and changing​ important​ information regarding North Asia, and the Koreas​..and indeed the future for the world, as we know it​. I guess I've been quiet due to my general malaise regarding interventions by the USA in Iraq and Syria, with Australia just tagging along, spending 2000 million dollars a year now in helping to bomb people that we apparently care about, rather than investing this good coinage in disabled and other Australians who we don't apparently care about​,​ and who could use the money. Our 'war effort' is all still there in costings as Australian Humanitarian AID to Iraq. I really can't get past the notion that somehow bombing people who we have never met or had any problem with, ​and making them homeless, ​and then restricting refugees from that bombing from coming to Australia, really, in any way, actually helps them​ or is humanitarian in any way​. I know, I'm just naïve. ​Good really is bad and black really is white, etc etc.​We bombed Korea and Vietnam for many years, to help them, you know, but I don't think it really did help them ​to lose everyone they loved and you know I don't think it would help us if that happened to us...​and it just, to me, seems silly to continue doing this, from our position, ​....​massive free spending of money as bomb waste ​and horror ​that could be best directed to our own people rather than killing foreign folk and making them homeless​...​ and so forcing them to try to get here, and then ​we have to cope with this by ​setting up impossible borders​ that cost a hell of a lot more than 2000 million dollars a year to turn​ that great human ​survival ​effort​,​ and their lives​,​ and journey​s​​,​ into some kind of criminal event​...​ caused by 'travel agents' or 'people smugglers​'​ as we choose to call them. The fascinating thing is that most people in Australia don't care at all​ about humans. ​It has taken a long time for humans not to care about humans, and Australia is up there, even though we are insignificant in every other way, in doing what we can to make other humans more insignificant than we are...and by choice. ​ It is not healthy for us, on any level, and yet I guess that it is a natural devolution process, to begin to demonise and devalue foreign folk and eventually to demonise and devalue ourselves, to allow something essential in the freedom of ourselves, our compassion, to be taken away, so we can go further backwards into that oblivion rather than face a reasonable future for everyone. Self hate on a national scale.​ We have good reason as Australians to love ourselves, and good reasons to hate ourselves but its not healthy to just hate ourselves so that we can grow less and diminish ourselves as human beings even more, if that's even possible now.