Pyongyang sits on a vast expanse of crude oil

N. Korea declares no-sail zone on its east coast: Yonhap North Korea has declared a no-sail zone along its east coast in advance of a possible missile test, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency claimed on Sunday.  Visit NK News for more UN secretary general to visit Pyongyang this week UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will visit Pyongyang within this week, according to source from UN, the Yonhap News Agency reported on Monday morning. Visit NK News for more N. Korea issues updates on SEZ taxes North Korea has updated its regulations on Special Economic Zone (SEZ) taxes, primarily aimed at foreign investors, according to a recent article from the Pyongyang Times.  Visit NK News for more Post-unification Korea: Get ready for selective amnesia, By Dr. Andrei Lankov Human beings – well, most of them – cannot normally admit that they, their parents and grandparents wasted their lives chasing impossible dreams and got pretty much everything wrong... Visit NK News for more Tense times to best friends: A look at the inter-Korean dictionary project After almost seven years of meetings, linguists from South and North became ddak–chingu (best friends).  Visit NK News for more Could North Korea again save Taiwan?, By Dennis Halpin While the decision to cross the 38th parallel on June 25, 1950 failed in its intended consequence of unifying the Korean Peninsula under Kim family rule, it had the unintended consequence of preserving a non-communist Chinese government in Taipei. Visit NK News for more S. Korea should drop government-designated textbook: Human Rights Watch​ The deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s Asia Division harshly criticized South Korea’s decision to publish government-designated history textbook on Monday.  Visit NK News fo more U.S. sanctions North Korean Ambassador to Myanmar The U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added four more North Koreans – including the DPRK Ambassador to Myanmar (a.k.a Burma) – to its list of sanctioned individuals.  Visit NK News for more N. Korea, Russia sign military agreement North Korea and Russia signed an agreement on preventing dangerous military activity, according to an article from the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), published yesterday.  Visit NK News for more

Top Stories Today

Kim Jong Un Sends Message of Greeting to Syrian President (KCNA Watch)
Kim Jong Un sent a message of greeting to Bashar Al-Assad, president of the Syrian Arab Republic, on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the corrective movement in Syria.

Number of N. Korean defectors on steady decline (Korea Times)
The number of North Koreans who defected to South Korea this year fell below the monthly average of 100 for the first time in 12 years, the Ministry of Unification said. 

North Korean workers abroad ordered not to meet foreigners: RFA (Korea Herald)
North Korean workers abroad have been ordered to stay put and not contact any foreigners in an apparent effort by the North Korean government to stave off their defections.

Seoul private aid groups to discuss humanitarian aid with Pyongyang (Korea Herald)
A group of South Korean private aid providers will visit Pyongyang this week to discuss humanitarian assistance to the communist country, officials said Sunday.

British expert: 'N. Korea could have oil, gas' (Korea Times)
In November 1998, Chung Ju-yung, the late founder of the Hyundai Group, returned from North Korea and surprised people, saying, "Pyongyang sits on a vast reserve of crude oil." 

Apparently, the French jets bombed targets in Iraq based upon US Military Intelligence. Hahahahahahahaha. US Military Intelligence: Libya shot down a passenger plane, except it didnt. Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, except it didnt. Osama Bin laden was hiding in Afghanistan for ten years, except he wasnt.The French hit major secret ISIL bases...except...

First NK defectors enter SK Unification Ministry (Daily NK) South Korea’s Ministry of Unification announced last week that five defectors from North Korea have been selected to work in the ministry as full time employees.

N.Korea calls for increasing output for party congress​ North Korea is trying to increase its output in preparation for the 7th Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) congress next May, according to the reports from the state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper. Visit NK News for more Imagining N. Korea’s secret police post-unification, By Dr. Andrei Lankov Dr. Andrei Lankov follows up on last week's piece about reunification by absorption by arguing that this is the only realistic reunification scenario, and thus it is important to think through the implications.  Visit NK News for more S. Korea ups compensation for injured troops The South Korean Ministry of National Defense (MND) has decided to broaden its compensation provided to injured South Korean troops.  Visit NK News for more

Top Stories Today

Korean foreign minister visits Iran for first time in 14 years (Arirang News)
South Korea's Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se is due in Iran this Satursday to meet with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Iranian FM Says Nukes Can't Guarantee Regime Security (Chosun Ilbo)
Nuclear weapons can never guarantee the security of a regime, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told his South Korean counterpart Yun Byung-se in Tehran on Saturday.

45 countries sponsor new U.N. resolution on North Korea human rights (Korea Herald)
A total of 45 countries sponsored a new U.N. General Assembly resolution that centers on calling for referring North Korea to the International Criminal Court for human rights violations.

N.Koreans Take to Social Media (Chosun Ilbo)
North Koreans are increasingly taking to social media, be it in an official capacity to spread propaganda or to communicate with the outside world away from prying eyes.

Iraq, Libya, and now Syria

So, let me get this clear...the US, France, Britain and Australia destroyed the country of Iraq, expelling torturing etc the Sunni.
These very bright folk set up ISIL and set about attacking the Syrian Government.
The US and Europe then gave ISIL weapons and money to fight the Syrian Gov. These were the Moderate Rebels.
Then ISIL decided it could do that and would also establish its Caliphate.
The US, England, France etc, saw the chance to get rid of Syria's Assad and so whilst touting that they were fighting ISIL, were mostly supporting ISIL against Syrian Govt. This was fine.
Then Russia started bombing ISIL...and being very effective in 2 weeks. Much more effective than the huge US British French and Australian forces had been for over a year.
So they started bombing ISIL also.
So ISIL bombed Paris, brought down the Russian plane etc.
Now, Russia were the bad guys last week but now they are the good guys and the US, UK and France etc is going to work with them, and maybe Syria's Assad isnt so bad after all...maybe Putin isn't so bad...
Meanwhile the Pashmurga Kurds are being funded by the US, and us all to fight ISIL but our ally Turkey is also bombing the pashmurga Kurds because they, like ISIL, want their own homeland.
This is an unholy and vicious campaign by all sides with hundreds of thousands of Syrians and Iraqis being the 'by-catch' using a fishing term...it doesn't matter what happens to them at all.
The only way out is to start negotiations with ISIL, but we won't do that, like we wouldn't negotiate with Assad...until we have to. We will have to.
By the way. the reason for a country like Australia being so involved in this evil chaos is very odd indeed and whilst we are doing no good at all there, this still simply makes us a target...I would expect the Sydney New Years Eve fireworks extravaganza will be a bit muted and worried this year.
No one in their right mind would be involved in this mess caused by the US, Britain, France, and us. Canada, being in its right mind, has left the battlefields, as should we.
the rationale for the US, UK, France and even us to be involved in destroying Iraq? Free oil. In destroying Libya? Free oil. In Syria? Free oil. Blood is thicker than water, but not as thick as oil.

Leonard Cohen - Ain't No Cure For Love

Bob Dylan - Not Dark Yet

Bob Dylan - When the Deal Goes Down