North Korean construction workers sent to labour-strapped Russia have been forced to endure slave-like conditions of 18-hour days, two days off a year and bug-infested sleeping quarters, according to their accounts reported in the media. Working on Russian high-rise flats and other construction sites, these labourers often toil from 6am until 2am the next morning, […]
Read MoreBy Biman Mukherji It began, as so many epochal crimes do, with a single breach. But by the time the dust had settled on the Bybit hack, nearly US$1.5 billion in digital assets had vanished, exposing not just the vulnerabilities of Asia’s fledgling crypto markets but the growing reach of North Korea’s cyber operatives. The […]
Read MoreBy Park Chan-kyong Russia’s appeals to North Korea for military manpower have taken on new urgency with Sergey Lavrov’s weekend trip to the country. The Russian foreign minister’s visit, his first to North Korea since 2009, signalled Moscow’s growing reliance on its neighbour for troops and engineering support, analysts say – suggesting that Kim Jong-un’s […]
Read MoreUS President Donald Trump has said he will “get the conflict solved with North Korea”, amid trade negotiations with South Korea that look set to go right down to the wire. At an Oval Office event on Friday where he highlighted his professed efforts to resolve global conflicts, Trump was asked whether he had written […]
Read MoreBy Park Chan-kyong North Korea’s secretive ruling family put on a rare display of domestic harmony this week, as first lady Ri Sol-ju re-emerged in public after a 17-month absence, her return appearing to signal a carefully orchestrated bid to project an image of dynastic stability. Ri, carrying what appeared to be a Gucci handbag, […]
Read MoreSEOUL: A top Russian security official traveled to Pyongyang for the second time this month for another meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Russian state media reported Tuesday, the latest display of the countries’ deepening ties amid President Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine. Russia’s Tass news agency said Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey […]
Read MoreNorth Korean authorities have detained four officials after the launch of a naval destroyer ended in failure last week, its state media reported, in a debacle that the country’s dictator Kim Jong-un said was caused by “criminal negligence”. Kim, who attended the event on Wednesday in the northeastern port of Chongjin, was said to be […]
Read MoreSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea’s second naval destroyer was damaged in a failed launch this week, state media reported Thursday, sparking fury from leader Kim Jong Un, who wants bigger warships to deal with what he calls escalating U.S.-led threats against his country. It’s not common for North Korea to acknowledge military-related setbacks, […]
Read MoreNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un made a rare visit to Russia’s embassy in Pyongyang with his daughter on Friday (9 May) and reaffirmed “the invincible alliance” between the two countries, while Russia’s leader greeted North Korean generals in Moscow. Congratulating Russia on the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in […]
Read MoreSEOUL, May 9 (Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised a test of a short-range ballistic missile and long-range artillery on Thursday and stressed the importance of combat readiness of the country’s nuclear forces, state media reported on Friday. The test, which also included an inspection of the operational reliability of its “nuclear […]
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