North Korea | Business Upturn

China’s top diplomat meets Kim, calls for closer coordination

Rashmi Pandey — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 16:13:09 +0000

China’s top diplomat has met North Korean leader Kim Jong‑un in Pyongyang on 10 April 2026, calling for closer coordination between the two countries on major international and regional issues. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi emphasized the need to “further enhance communication and coordination” during the talks, which were held as part of a two‑day visit to the North Korean capital aimed at deepening bilateral ties after years of limited high‑level exchanges.

Open‑source readouts indicate that Wang stressed the importance of maintaining close strategic communication and deepening cooperation in areas such as major regional and global affairs, economic and social development, and responses to external security concerns. North Korean state media report that Kim welcomed the proposals and pledged to promote high‑level exchanges and regular strategic consultations with China, underscoring Pyongyang’s effort to strengthen its relationship with Beijing alongside its warming ties with Moscow.

The meeting comes at a time of heightened regional tension, with North Korea having recently conducted a series of missile tests and facing ongoing scrutiny over its nuclear and ballistic‑missile programs. Chinese officials have publicly reiterated calls for stability on the Korean Peninsula and urged dialogue, while also reaffirming their support for North Korea’s sovereignty and security interests. The talks are being framed as part of a broader effort to stabilize relations between Beijing and Pyongyang after a period in which the pandemic and internal changes in North Korea limited face‑to‑face diplomacy.

North Korean hackers leverage AI, raising global cybersecurity concerns

Eesha Chakraborty — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 03:35:15 +0000

North Korean hackers, long notorious for their audacious cyberattacks, have taken their game to the next level by incorporating generative artificial intelligence (AI) into their operations. This development, reported by security experts and intelligence agencies, marks a concerning escalation in the sophistication and potential impact of North Korea’s cyber threats.

Previously known for brazen attacks like the Bangladesh central bank heist and the WannaCry ransomware epidemic, North Korean hackers are now leveraging AI’s power to create more convincing online personas and tailor phishing campaigns with unprecedented precision. Imagine receiving a LinkedIn message from a seemingly legitimate recruiter, only to discover later it was a meticulously crafted AI-generated profile designed to steal your credentials. This is the reality that cybersecurity professionals now face, with the added complexity of AI-powered attacks blurring the lines between human and machine interaction.

The integration of AI raises several critical concerns. Firstly, it facilitates targeted espionage and financial theft, potentially fueling North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. The ability to bypass language barriers and generate realistic documents enables hackers to infiltrate sensitive networks and steal valuable information, intellectual property, and funds. Secondly, it complicates global cybersecurity efforts. Identifying and neutralizing AI-powered attacks requires advanced detection algorithms and constant adaptation, posing a significant challenge for defense systems designed to combat traditional cyber threats.

The report by the National Intelligence Service further highlights North Korea’s ambitious AI development, encompassing government, academic, and commercial sectors. This comprehensive approach suggests a strategic focus on leveraging AI across various domains, including public health, nuclear safety, and military simulations. While some private entities claim to have integrated AI into their surveillance systems, the true extent of North Korea’s AI capabilities remains shrouded in secrecy.

The arms race in the cybersecurity realm is intensifying, with both defense and offense adopting AI tools. While machine learning algorithms traditionally aided in identifying suspicious network activity, offensive actors are now exploring large language models like ChatGPT to automate and personalize attacks. This dual-use nature of AI underscores the need for responsible development and deployment, ensuring its benefits outweigh the potential harm.

Enhanced international cooperation is crucial to share intelligence, develop robust AI-powered defense systems, and establish clear norms for responsible AI development. Additionally, continued investment in research and development is essential to stay ahead of the curve and ensure effective countermeasures against AI-powered cyberattacks.

North Korea’s cyber army plunders billions in virtual currency

Eesha Chakraborty — Sat, 17 Feb 2024 14:35:12 +0000

Within the digital world, a group known as Andariel, a North Korean hacker unit, alongside others like Kimsuky, Lazarus, and BlueNoroff, has become notorious for its focus on financial cybercrime. Their recent exploits, however, have shed light on a larger, more troubling trend: North Korea’s growing reliance on virtual currency theft to fund its nuclear weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs.

News of Andariel’s breach of South Korean defence firms, stealing 1.2 terabytes of sensitive data, was just the tip of the iceberg. A recent report by the U.S. Department of the Treasury reveals a more alarming reality: North Korean cybercriminals have allegedly amassed a staggering $1.7 billion in virtual assets through cyber thefts in 2022 alone, exceeding any previous year. This brings the total stolen over the past three years to a staggering $3.129 billion.

According to the report, North Korean cyber criminals amassed a staggering $1.7 billion in virtual assets through cyber theft in 2022 alone, exceeding any previous year. This brings the total stolen over the past three years to a staggering $3.129 billion. This illicit activity takes various forms, including ransomware attacks, hacks on virtual asset service providers (VASPs), and even the deployment of IT experts overseas who operate under assumed identities to secure contracts on digital platforms.

No longer content with isolated attacks, they are now building a network of international collaborators, with evidence suggesting ties to Russian cybercriminals who provide haven and support. This collaboration raises the spectre of even more sophisticated and coordinated attacks in the future.

The vulnerability of virtual assets plays a crucial role in North Korea’s success. The rapid growth of the cryptocurrency market, coupled with a lack of robust regulations, creates a fertile ground for exploitation. Hackers capitalize on weak security measures and the anonymity offered by certain platforms to steal and launder funds with relative ease.

This growing threat has not gone unnoticed by the international community. The United Nations Security Council has imposed sanctions on North Korea since 2006, and a trilateral effort by South Korea, the United States, and Japan aims to curb virtual asset theft. However, these efforts have been met with adaptation by North Korean hackers, who operate from foreign shores and meticulously mask their identities.

With billions already stolen and North Korea’s nuclear ambitions unabated, the international community must act swiftly. Strategies like enhanced cyber security measures, stricter regulations for virtual asset markets, and closer international cooperation are crucial to dismantle North Korea’s cybercrime network and prevent further funding of its WMD programs.

Ukraine claims that Russia launched 24 North Korean missiles

Jennifer Philip — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 16:27:47 +0000

According to Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin, Ukraine has been targeted by at least 24 ballistic missiles of North Korean origin fired by Russia since late December.

Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin informed reporters on Friday that the missiles used in the attacks on Ukraine, between December 30 and February 7, have preliminarily been identified as Kn-23/24. He stated that these attacks, which targeted seven regions including Kyiv and Kharkiv, resulted in multiple fatalities. The Ukrainian Defence Ministry’s Armaments Research Institute and the prosecutor general’s office have confirmed the information regarding the likely origin of the missiles. Specialists analyzed various aspects such as tracking data, flight path, level of destruction, debris, marking, and symbols of the projectiles. They concluded that the rockets possess larger diameters compared to related Russian and Soviet-era models.

The official expressed doubts about the accuracy of the missiles, stating that only two out of the approximately two dozen missiles hit their intended targets. These targets were identified as Ukraine’s Kremenchuk oil refinery and the Kanatove airfield, both located in the central region. According to Kostin, the remaining missiles either deviated from their intended path or exploded in the air.

The prosecutor general’s office is currently conducting an ongoing investigation into the missiles and their components, with plans to release the findings soon. Thus far, the agency lacks information regarding the quantity of shells already delivered to Russia by Kim Jong Un’s regime or any planned future deliveries.
In early January, U.S. intelligence confirmed Russia’s utilization of North Korean missiles over Ukraine.

The Biden administration has emphasized Russia’s efforts to procure equipment from nations such as Iran and North Korea. They argue that sanctions, along with the military efforts of Ukraine and its allies, have depleted Russian military resources, necessitating additional arms shipments from the U.S.

In September, Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks in eastern Russia, which the U.S. claimed were centred on advancing arms deals between their nations. In January, Putin had discussions with North Korea’s foreign minister, potentially paving the way for further arms transfers. Additionally, Putin pledged to strengthen ties with Iran in January following a meeting with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.
According to documents seen by Bloomberg this week, the European Union has proposed sanctions against North Korea for supplying missiles to Russia, which were subsequently used in attacks against Ukraine.

It is widely acknowledged that ballistic missiles, including those originating from North Korea, are challenging to intercept. The U.S. Patriot battery stands out as the sole air defence system capable of reliably countering this type of weaponry.

Russian Missile maker faces breach in the hands of North Korean hackers

Kashvi Basu — Mon, 07 Aug 2023 15:53:31 +0000

A well known group of North Korean hackers have secretly breached computer networks at a major Russian missile developer for at least a period of five months last year according to all technical evidences collected and further reviewed by Reuters and analysis by security researchers.

It has been discovered that the cyber-espionage teams linked to the North Korean government, which security researchers call ScarCruft and Lazarus, secretly installed stealthy digital backdoors into systems at NPO Mashinostroyeniya, a rocket design bureau based in Reutov, a small town on the outskirts of Moscow. In the months following the digital break-in ,Pyongyang had announced multiple developments in its banned ballistic missile programme but it was not deemed clear if this was related to the breach. Experts have commented that the incident shows how the isolated country will even target its allies, such as Russia, in a bid to acquire critical technologies. News of the hack had surfaced shortly after a trip to Pyongyang last month by Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu for the 70th anniversary of the Korean War; the first visit by a Russian defence minister to North Korea since the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union. The targeted company which is commonly known as NPO Mash, has acted as a pioneer developer of hypersonic missiles, satellite technologies and newer generation ballistic armaments, according to missile experts – three areas of keen interest to North Korea since it embarked on its mission to create an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) capable of striking the mainland United States.

After consulting the data, it was found that the intrusion roughly began in late 2021 and continued until May 2022 when, according to internal communications at the company reviewed by Reuters, IT engineers had already detected the hackers’ activity. NPO Mash thus grew to prominence during the Cold War as a premier satellite maker for Russia’s space programme and as a provider of cruise missiles

North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un hosts Russian Defence minister in Pyongyang

Adesh Dixit — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 18:02:59 +0000

According to state media on Thursday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu to talk about military matters and the regional security environment. This shows North Korea’s support for Russia’s involvement in the conflict in Ukraine as the isolated nation commemorates the 70th anniversary of an armistice that halted hostilities in the 1950–1953 Korean War.

The highlight of the North Korean celebrations was to be a military parade on Thursday night in the capital, Pyongyang, where Kim could display his most potent, nuclear-capable missiles intended to threaten nearby rivals and the United States, possibly in front of Shoigu and a visiting Chinese ruling party official.

The existence of a military parade has not been acknowledged by North Korea’s state media. However, according to two South Korean government sources who spoke on the record on the condition of anonymity to offer context, the parade most likely began at around 8 p.m. (0700EST/1100 GMT) with warm-up activities and was still running strong by 9:50 p.m.

According to the North’s official Korean Central News Agency, Kim and Shoigu spoke Wednesday in Pyongyang and agreed on certain “matters of mutual concern in the field of national defense and security as well as on the regional and international security environment.”

Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, North Korea has sided with Russia, claiming that the “hegemonic policy” of the U.S.-led West obliged Moscow to use force to defend its security interests. North Korea has denied transferring weapons to Russia to support the conflict in Ukraine, despite accusations from the Biden administration.

According to KCNA, Shoigu gave Kim a “warm and good letter” from Russian President Vladimir Putin during their encounter.

The meeting will “further boost the strategic and tactical collaboration and cooperation between the two countries in the field of national defense and security,” according to the KCNA.

According to KCNA, Kim also took Shoigu to an arms display where he showed him some of North Korea’s newest weaponry and briefed him on national plans to strengthen the nation’s armed forces. Kim and Shoigu were pictured and captured on camera during the display when they were seen strolling close to a line of massive missiles mounted on launcher trucks.

The North is working to build an arsenal that can represent a real danger to the continental United States, and some of the weapons in the photographs seemed to be intercontinental ballistic missiles that had just undergone flight testing. Along the way, Kim and Shoigu passed what might have been brand-new attack and surveillance drones that the North had not made public.

North Korea seen launching new ICBM military unit amid troop refurbishment

News Desk — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 07:45:59 +0000

North Korea has unveiled an apparently new solid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile, photos released by state-run media showed, as leader Kim Jong Un doubles down on a pledge to build even more advanced missiles and nuclear bombs.

The bulk of North Korea’s long-range ballistic missile arsenal consists of weapons that use liquid fuel, which requires them to be fueled up at launch sites — a time-consuming process that leaves them open to pre-emptive strikes. Solid-fueled ICBMs, however, would not need to be fueled up, making them easier to deploy quickly and more difficult to spot and shoot down.

During a nighttime parade last week, North Korea showcased multiple ICBMs that are large enough to strike nearly anywhere in the world. The missiles included what some analysts said could be a prototype or mockup of a new solid-fuel ICBM in canister launchers.

Earlier at the parade, a previously unknown flag was attached to the new ICBM’s launcher, indicating the military might have created a separate unit to operate the weapons. Cho Han-bum, a senior fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul, said the flag “effectively confirmed the new ICBM unit” and could signal a forthcoming test of a solid-fuel weapon.

Many of North Korea’s specialised units have their own flags. The ICBMs shown at past military parades were decorated with the national flag or nothing.

The new red-gold flag, with a black missile soaring into the sky inside a circle, was also displayed among other military flags when leader Kim Jong Un and his family walked into the parade venue.

North Korea’s state media reported on a restructuring of its Korean People’s Army (KPA) and redesign of its flags this week, saying the change was in line with its push for “building a powerful army.”

NKorea may have 20-60 nuclear warheads: Reports

United News of India (UNI) — Tue, 03 Jan 2023 04:46:58 +0000

North Korea could have produced from 20 to 60 nuclear warheads, South Korean media reported.

The situation on the Korean Peninsula has become tenser as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered the development of a new intercontinental ballistic missile system last week to conduct a quick nuclear retaliatory strike. He also noted the need to increase the number of nuclear warheads at the disposal of the country.

The news agency analyzed data published in 2022 by the specialized Western universities, including the US Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS), the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), and the Japanese Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition (RECNA).

According to the report, Western experts agree that North Korea had about 20-30 nuclear warheads by September, but INSS noted that in November their number could rise to 60. At the same time, SIPRI believes that Pyongyang has enough material, namely uranium-235 and plutonium-239, to produce 45-55 nuclear warheads.

On the same day, the news agency added, citing footage from North Korean Central Television, that the country’s leader, Kim Jong Un, together with his daughter inspected a warehouse with KN-23 missiles that can carry a tactical nuclear charge. In the released photograph, they are seen inspecting about 10 Hwasong-12 medium-range ballistic missiles about 10 mobile launchers for KN-23 tactical ballistic missiles, the news agency said.

G7 nations want “significant action” on North Korea after missile tests

Aryan Jakhar — Mon, 21 Nov 2022 01:46:00 +0000

The G7 nations demanded that the UN Security Council take additional “strong” action to stop the tests after North Korea launched another intercontinental ballistic missile on Sunday. They denounced the launch as “reckless.”

The frequent missile launches by North Korea, according to foreign ministers from the Group of Seven countries, “further destabilise the region, despite demands from the international community for peace and stability.”

North Korea tested a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Friday that had the capacity to reach the US mainland.

The G7 statement called for “a united and robust response by the international community, including the need for further significant measures to be taken by the UN Security Council.”

Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States make up the G7. The declaration was later joined by a representative of the European Union.

North Korea is thought to have launched 30 short-, medium-, and long-range missiles so far this month, including the projectile on Friday that landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone to the west of Hokkaido.

The missile shot on Friday, according to the North Korean state news agency KCNA, was a Hwasong-17, the most recent version and “the strongest strategic weapon in the world.”

Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, reportedly attended the most recent launch with his daughter, according to KCNA.

In October, there were several test launches, one of which involved what appeared to be an ICBM and flew over and beyond Japan, setting off alarm sirens in northern Japan.

In comparison to previous years, North Korea has launched more missiles in 2022.

Since 2006, the UN Security Council has adopted almost a dozen resolutions that impose sanctions on North Korea because of its nuclear and missile development.

Between 2006 and 2017, North Korea conducted six nuclear bomb tests, and it has vowed to never abandon its nuclear program.

The G7 statement stated that North Korea “will never have the status of a nuclear-weapon state” and reiterated demands that its nuclear programme be verifiably destroyed.

South Korea and the US start their largest military exercise despite North Korean backlash

Pranay Maniar — Mon, 22 Aug 2022 09:25:08 +0000

South Korea and the United States start their largest ever military exercises today on 22^nd August 2022. Both nations will take part in field training and seek to increase their preparedness against North Korean weapons.

The exercises are said to conclude on the 1^st of September.

Both Washington and Seoul hold annual joint exercises to share combat capabilities, increase interoperability, and communication and boost operational preparedness against Pyongyang’s aggression.

These exercises have been renamed to “Ulchi Freedom Shield”. This will include military drills between the South Korean and American armies along with a 4-day civil defence drill which is separately conducted by South Korea and is designed to boost government readiness. This is the first time such exercises have been held since the pandemic started.

The military and civil drills are aimed to improve preparedness in changing times of war that include cyber-warfare, eliminating threats and damage to key industries like food and supply chain and chip factories.

These are the largest drills held since 2017 as tensions between both neighbours cooled down since efforts to establish peace and escalations were made between former President Moon Jae-In and Kim Jong Un with the help of former American President Donald Trump.

Yoon Suk-Yeol, the president of South Korea had promised to normalise relations with their northern neighbour when he took charge of the office in May of this year.

Officials from Seoul claim that North Korea has conducted missile tests at an unprecedented pace this year and is ready to conduct its seventh nuclear test at any time.

Earlier last week, the North Koreans fired two cruise missiles from their western coastal city of Ochon toward the Yellow Sea as the Americans and the South Koreans held preliminary exercises preluding the Ulchi Freedom Shield. This was a move to intimidate the allies.

President Yoon expressed willingness to provide the North Koreans with financial aid if they denuclearised and ended their weapons programme.

Russia vows to expand its bilateral relationship with North Korea

Pranay Maniar — Mon, 15 Aug 2022 09:35:36 +0000

On North Korea’s liberation day, North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un received a letter from his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, which discussed the expansion of the scope of their relationship and said how the move will be in both nations’ interests.

As Moscow gets buried under the sanctions and gets globally isolated for its ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine, Pyongyang emerges as a counterbalance to the West as both have shared hostilities with the West.

According to KCNA, a North Korean state-run media agency, Putin said the expanded bilateral relations would “conform with the interests of the two countries”.

In a reply to the letter, Kim mentioned how the Russian- North Korean friendship was built during the Second World War with a victory over the Imperial Japanese.

He added that their “comradely friendship” would grow stronger.

Kim mentioned about “strategic and tactical cooperation, support and solidarity” between the two countries “had been put on a new high stage, in the common front for frustrating the hostile forces’ military threat and provocation”.

The letter did not identify the “hostile forces” by name, however, this term is repeatedly used by Pyongyang to refer to The US and its allies like South Korea and Japan.

The Russian and North Korean relationship dates back to the Cold War, as Moscow and Pyongyang were fellow communist states. The Soviets were their largest trading partners, aided their nuclear programme and helped them rebuild post the Korean War.

However, the relationship suffered as the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.

The ties between both states gain momentum as Moscow’s relations with the West deteriorated.

In July, North Korea was one of the few countries to officially recognise two Russian-backed separatist states in eastern Ukraine, after Russia declared them independent states.

Retaliating to this move, the Ukrainians, that are currently repelling a Russian invasion, have cut off ties with the North Koreans.

Being the two most sanctioned and diplomatic isolated countries in the world, the Russians and North Koreans have seen a friendship blossoming to counter the West’s hegemony essentially building an informal bloc that includes the likes of China and Iran.

Kim Jong Un threatens USA & South Korea with nuclear attacks

Pranay Maniar — Fri, 29 Jul 2022 10:27:01 +0000

In his speech to war veterans on the 69^th anniversary of the conclusion of the Korean War, in an attempt to boost morale and national unity amidst the pandemic and poverty, the Supreme Leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un has increasingly threatened its Southern neighbor along with the United States with nuclear weapons.

As he unleashed fiery rhetoric against the two nations, it brought the world’s attention back to the Korean Peninsula.

Kim Jong Un threatens

“Our armed forces are completely prepared to respond to any crisis, and our country’s nuclear war deterrent is also ready to mobilize its absolute power dutifully, exactly and swiftly in accordance with its mission,” Kim said in Wednesday’s speech, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

Kim has accused the United States of “demonizing” North Korea to justify its policies and he also mentioned that the joint US-South Korea military exercises are meant to target North Korea.

He slams the United States for having double standards as when North Korea conducts its tests (mainly missile tests), they are branded as “provocations” or “threats”.

Kim has also termed the new South Korean government. Under the new president Yoon Suk Yeol as “ gangsters” and “confrontational maniacs”

“Talking about military action against our nation. Which possesses absolute weapons that they fear the most. Is preposterous and is very dangerous suicidal action. Such a dangerous attempt will be immediately punished by our powerful strength. And the Yoon Suk Yeol government and his military will be annihilated”. Kim stated.

Previously in April, Kim said that North Korea could pre-emptively use nuclear weapons if felt threatened.

These threats come as the Supreme Leader seeks greater support. As his country’s economy is ruined due to the pandemic induce border shutdowns. American sanctions and the country’s mismanagement in curtailing the spread of the virus. North Korea also lacks the infrastructure and modern medical capacity to handle the virus.

North Korea reports nearly 220,000 cases of unidentified fever, one death

United News of India (UNI) — Sat, 21 May 2022 07:52:06 +0000

Pyongyang, May 21: North Korea registered around 220,000 new cases of mysterious fever and one death in the past 24 hours, state-run media reported on Saturday. More than 219,030 people showed symptoms of fever and one death was reported over a 24-hour period until 1800 hours on Friday , the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, citing data from the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters.

It raised the death toll to 66, while 281,350 have recovered. The total number of fever cases since late April in the nation. With a population of approximately 25 million, came to more than 2.46 million as of 1800 hours Friday. Of which more than 1.76 million have recovered and roughly 692,480 are being treated, it added. Last week, North Korea confirmed the first case of Covid-19 in the country. At the same time, the country reports about the spread of the unidentified fever. Which is not officially linked to Covid-19.

North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un accepts North Korea facing ‘great turmoil’

United News of India (UNI) — Sat, 14 May 2022 10:16:24 +0000

Seoul, May 14: North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un has said that his nation is facing ‘great turmoil’ due to the COVID-19 outbreak. On Saturday, over 174,400 people of North Korea were reported to have been infected with the virus while 21 died due to it. Pyongyang on Sunday announced its first COVID-19 outbreak since January 2020.

The state media released the updated tally compiled the previous day. After Kim presided over an early-morning politburo meeting to review the nation’s “maximum emergency” anti-virus system in place. Yonhap News Agency reported. According to the North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Ways for the swift supply and distribution of emergency medical supplies were mainly discussed during the meeting. He was briefed on the current situation from the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters. And described it as “great turmoil since the country’s founding,” Yonhap quoted it as reporting. During the meeting, Kim said the situation is not “uncontrollable,” as the cases are within certain regions that have already been put under lockdown.

(Except for the headline. This story has not been edited by Business Upturn staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

North Korea may test nuke next week: US

United News of India (UNI) — Thu, 07 Apr 2022 07:28:37 +0000

Washington, April 7: North Korea could be planning to conduct its first nuclear weapon test in nearly five years. On the occasion of the 110th birth anniversary of its founder, according to a senior US official. The Guardian quoted Sung Kim, the special representative for North Korea policy at the US State Department. As saying that Washington believes Pyongyang could demonstrate its growing nuclear weapons capacity on 15 April. An annual holiday held to celebrate the 110th anniversary of the birth of the country’s founder, Kim Il-sung.

The US official also called on the nation to refrain from such provocations following its recent long-range missile launch. “We are worried that in connection with the upcoming anniversary, the DPRK (North Korea) may be tempted to take another provocative action,” he said on Wednesday. “I don’t want to speculate too much. But I think it could be another missile launch, it could be a nuclear test.

Hopefully, the anniversary can pass without any further escalation,” he emphasized. Since 2006, the North has conducted six nuclear tests, four of them were launched under the current leader of the North, Kim Jong-un’s regime. Its last test, in 2017, was followed by a self-imposed moratorium. As Kim prepared for his first de-nuclearization summit with Donald Trump the following year, The Guardian reported. On Tuesday, Jong-un’s sister had said that Pyongyang would retaliate with nuclear strikes. If South Korea launched a pre-emptive attack, BBC reported. Kim Yo-jong had issued two statements responding to the remarks from South Korean officials. South Korean Defence Minister Suh Wook had said the South was able to strike the North’s missile launch points – sparking the furious reaction, BBC reported.

India slams North Korea for launching ballistic missile, calls for dialogue

Keertiman Upadhyay — Sat, 26 Mar 2022 04:47:33 +0000

India slammed North Korea for missile launch in Korean peninsula at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) & had called for a dialogue on the issue, reported ANI.

An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) was recently launched by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). India’s ambassador to the UN, TS Tirumurti said “India deplores the launch of an ICBM by the DPRK. This is a violation of the resolutions of the UN Security Council relating to the DPRK. It affects the peace and security of the region and beyond.”

This has been the first intercontinental ballistic missile test in four years by North Korea. The missile had felled near Japan’s western coast. The US, Japan & South Korea have condemned this action of North Korea.

India’s ambassador said that this launch is a violation of the UN’s resolution. “These linkages hurt peace and security in the region, including on India. Support dialogue to resolve the issues in the Korean Peninsula,” Tirumurti further added. India has been consistently helping DPRK with humanitarian aid. Till now $1 million of help has been sent to DPRK in the form of anti-tuberculosis medicines.

North Korea claims Hwasong-17 missile successfully tested

United News of India (UNI) — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 06:00:51 +0000

Pyongyang, March 25 (UNI) North Korea claimed that the test of its largest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) carried out on Thursday was successful, BBC reported on Friday. This is the first time that the country had tested a banned ICBM since 2017. ICBMs are long-range missiles, with the capability to reach even the US. North Korea is banned from testing them and has been heavily sanctioned for doing so before. State media said leader Kim Jong-un directly guided the test and the weapon was key to deterring nuclear war or attack on North Korea.

The Hwasong-17 ICBM was first unveiled in 2020 at a military parade where its colossal size surprised even seasoned analysts of the country’s arsenal. It is the largest missile in North Korea‘s inventory and may be capable enough to carry multiple warheads. The missile during its test is said to have flown to an altitude of 6,000 km (3,728 miles) and fell in Japanese waters after flying for more than an hour. Its altitude surpassed that of a previous missile – the Hwasong-15 – which reached an altitude of 4,500km (2,800 miles) in a series of tests carried out by North Korea in 2017.

North Korea confirms testing intermediate-range ballistic missile

United News of India (UNI) — Mon, 31 Jan 2022 05:43:54 +0000

Pyongyang, Jan 31 (UNI/Sputnik) North Korea confirmed that it had launched the Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile on Sunday, making it the longest-range missile tested by Pyongyang since 2017, the South Korean Yonhap news agency reports. “The test-fire was aimed to selectively evaluate the missile being produced and deployed and to verify the overall accuracy of the weapon system,” Yonhap quoted the North’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) as saying on Monday. According to the South Korean military, the missile was fired from North Korea’s Jagang Province toward the East Sea (Sea of Japan) on Sunday and flew about 800 km (497 miles) with the maximum altitude reaching 2,000 km (1,243 miles). On Sunday, the same estimates were given by Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, who said that the missile fell outside of Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone after around 30 minutes of flight. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un did not attend the Sunday test-firing, Yonhap specified. The launch of the Hwasong-12 missile, which has a range of 4,500 kilometres (2,796 miles), is North Korea’s longest-range missile test since the test-firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in November 2017. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said following North Korea’s Sunday launch that the United States is ready to sit down at the negotiating table with Pyongyang, but will still continue to build up its military potential in the region to protect itself and its allies. UNI/SPUTNIK ACL0701

(This story and headline has not been edited by Business Upturn staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

North Korea’s nuclear program is going full steam ahead: United Nations

News Desk — Mon, 20 Sep 2021 12:14:05 +0000

On Monday, in a speech, United Nations, atomic watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said to an annual meeting of his agency’s member states that North Korea’s nuclear program is going “full steam ahead.”

Adding further chief Rafael Grossi said, “In the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the nuclear program goes full steam ahead with work on plutonium separation, uranium enrichment, and other activities.” A report was also being issued last month by chief Rafael Grossi saying Pyongyang emerged to have restarted a nuclear reactor that is widely believed to have produced plutonium for nuclear weapons.

The nuclear activities by North Korea “continues to cause a serious concern” and could be marked as deeply troubling as the new report on North Korea’s nuclear program, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said, since December 2018 for the first time while monitors have not been permitted to the Yongbyon site, there are “indications” that the five-megawatt reactor is once more producing plutonium. In July, there were “indications, including the discharge of cooling water, consistent with the operation of the reactor” according to the report.

An unspecified quarantine breach caused great crisis, North Korea’s leader King Jong Un says

Aryan Jakhar — Wed, 30 Jun 2021 07:04:57 +0000

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un stated that a “grave” scenario has arisen as a result of the quarantine mismanagement, emphasising the grave threats that could undermine his country’s power after his regime had denied any infections.

There were no details of the nature of any incident in a report from the government’s official Korean Central News Agency on Wednesday. According to Kim, cadres failed to carry out critical choices for long-term national quarantine operations due to dereliction of duty, “creating a great crisis in ensuring the security of the nation and the safety of the people,” KCNA reported.

According to the report, “he seriously pointed out that the chronic irresponsibility and incompetence of cadres at present bring artificial difficulties to the implementation of the Party’s policies and become a major brake doing tremendous harm to the development of the revolutionary work.”

Despite North Korea’s claim that it has no cases of the coronavirus, a claim that has been questioned by US and Japanese experts, the regime has adopted harsh quarantine measures that have exacerbated the regime’s economic troubles, including sealing its border with China. COVID-19 poses a significant threat to the impoverished state, whose ageing medical infrastructure might easily be overwhelmed by an infectious disease. COVID-19 poses a real risk to the moisture from the air, whose obsolete medical systems may easily be overloaded by an outbreak.

“It would be a bit hasty to make any definitive conclusions based on the KCNA report, given it lacked in detail. But North Korea now has been a particularly sensitive about the pandemic as already lacks the testing kits and the medical facilities,” said Cheong Seong-chang, director of the Unification Strategy Studies Program at Sejong Institute near Seoul.

North Korea sees the virus as a threat to its already struggling economy and Kim’s rule, Cheong added further.

North Korea’s GDP is on course worse to grow in 2021, according to Fitch Solutions, as the government riddled with both the epidemic, border limitations with China, and worldwide measures taken in response to its radioactive fallout.

Pyongyang has taken strong action after incidents that could expose the country to the virus. Almost about one year is going to finish, Kim’s regime locked down the border city of Kaesong out of fear the person who defected from South Korea may have carried the virus forwards, its official media said.

Adding to COVID risks, North Korea has received no vaccine doses through Covax and according to Gavi, the nonprofit group that delivers immunizations. “Work is ongoing and discussions continue,” it said in a statement in June.

According to Japan’s Kyodo News, North Korea was meant to get about 1.7 million doses of the AstraZeneca Plc injection by the end of May, but shipments were delayed due to the North Korea’s refusal to obey Covax guidelines and the rules.

North Korea is qualified for immunizations under a World Health Organization-backed programme, but it has showed reluctance. The country’s modest international presence of foreign officials and citizens shrank throughout the pandemic as they were pressured to leave. Bringing in additional individuals from outside the country to distribute vaccines could be seen as a risk by the Kim administration.

The country’s main newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, expressed doubt about vaccines in an article in June, saying they “may not be able to protect people from the virus spreading or new strains of the virus.”

Top 5 most powerful people in Asia [2021]

Adarsh Chaturvedi — Sat, 26 Jun 2021 15:24:01 +0000

Here’s the list of the most powerful people in Asia 2021.

1. Xi Jinping

He is a Chinese politician who has served as General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and Chairman of the Central Military Commission since 2012, and President of the People’s Republic of China since 2013. He was born on June 15, 1953, in Beijing, China. He had studied at Tsinghua University, China. He is Asia’s and the world’s most powerful person.

2. Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin was born on 7th October 1952 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. He is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who is serving as the current President of Russia since 2012, previously being the office from 1999 until 2008 as a Prime Minister and again from 2008-2012. He is Asia’s and the world’s second powerful person.

3. Kim Jong-un

He is a North Korean politician who has been the Supreme Leader of North Korea since 2011 and the leader of the Workers’ Party of Korea since 2012. He is the second child of Kim Jong-il, who was North Korea’s second supreme leader from 1994 to 2011, and Koi Yong-hui. Kim Jong-un was born on 8th January 1984. He is known as Asia’s third powerful person.

4. Narendra Modi

Narendra Modi is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. He was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament for Varanasi. He is the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its National Democratic Alliance. He had studied at Gujarat University and the University of Dehli. He is the world’s ninth powerful person and Asia’s fourth powerful person. He is 70 years old.

5. Mukesh Ambani

He is an Indian billionaire businessman, and the chairman, managing director and largest shareholder of Reliance Industries Limited., a Fortune Global 500 company and India’s most valuable company by market value. Before him, his father Shri Dhirubhai Ambani was the co-founder of Reliance Industries Limited. He is 64 years old. He has a net worth of 8,040 crores USD. He had studied at the Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT) and Stanford University. He is known as Asia’s richest man and the fifth powerful person in Asia.

Top 5 korean movies

Adarsh Chaturvedi — Sat, 26 Jun 2021 06:58:39 +0000

Korean cinema encompasses the motion picture industries of North Korea and South Korean films. South Korean films enjoyed a “golden age” during the late 1950s and 1960s, but by the 1970s had become generally considered to be of low quality. The South Korean film community has given the world some of the best movies to date. Be it romantic, drama, action or thrillers. Now we will tell you about the top 5 Korean movies at present times.

1. Miracle in Cell No.7

In this movie, Lee Young Gu is a mentally impaired father, who lives in a run-down house along with his daughter of the same age, Ye Seung. One day, he gets into a physical altercation with the police commissioner, who has just purchased the last Sailor Moon backpack for his daughter, a gift Young Gu was saving up to buy for Ye Seung. Soon after, the police commissioner’s daughter dies in a freak accident while she is taking Yong Gu to another store that sells the same backpack. When he tries to resuscitate her, a woman witnesses him and mistakes him by molesting her. Yong Gu is falsely accused of the abduction, murder, and rape of a minor. The police quickly take advantage of his disability and force him to admit to committing the crimes, while ignoring exonerating evidence. Yong Gu is imprisoned and assigned to Cell No. 7, the harshest cell in a maximum-security prison.

2. Better Days

In this movie, a girl who is being bullied at school and her relationship with a tough street kid, with whom she is implicated in the murder of a teenage girl.

3. Parasite

As we all know, this movie had won Oscar Award for best regional film in 2020. So it is a must-watch movie anytime anywhere. In this movie, Kim Gi Woo is a young man who lives with his unemployed, poor family of four in a semi-basement. One day, his friend Min Hyuk tells him that he is leaving to study abroad and that he should replace him as the tutor of a rich family. Ki Taek then meets the Parks, a rich family of four who are the owners of a global IT firm. Yun Gyo, the lady of the Park’s house, accepts Gi Woo as a tutor for her daughter, and he uses Yun Gyo’s naiveness as a chance to employ his other family members.

4. Train to Busan

In this movie, Seok Woo, his estranged daughter Soo An, and other passengers become trapped on a KTX train (high-speed train) heading from Seoul to Busan during a disastrous virus outbreak in South Korea. It is a nice thrilling movie. Must Watch!!!

5. A Moment To Remember

A Moment to Remember is a 2004 South Korean film based on the 2001 Japanese television drama Pure Soul. It stars Son Ye-jin and Jung Woo-sung and follows the theme of discovery in a relationship and the burdens of loss caused by Alzheimer’s disease. The film was released on November 5, 2004, in South Korea.

UN Report: North Korea continues to develop nuclear weapons and evade international sanctions

Devanshu Singla — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 07:00:19 +0000

UN experts say North Korea has modernised its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile arsenals by flaunting United Nations sanctions and continues to seek material and technology overseas for use in these programmes.

“It displayed new short-range, medium-range, submarine-launched and intercontinental ballistic missile systems at military parades,“ the experts said. “It announced preparation for testing and production of new ballistic missile warheads and, development of tactical nuclear weapons … and upgraded its ballistic missile infrastructure.” The Security Council has imposed increasingly tough sanctions on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the country’s official name, since its first nuclear test explosion in 2006. It has banned most of the country’s exports and severely limited its imports, trying to pressure Pyongyang into abandoning its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

According to the report, North Korea remains able to evade sanctions while developing its nuclear and missile programs, illicitly import refined petroleum, access international banking channels, and carry out “malicious cyber activities.”

A State Department spokesperson said on Monday the administration planned a new approach to North Korea, including a full review with allies “on ongoing pressure options and the potential for any future diplomacy.”

Kim initiated diplomacy with South Korea and met former US President Donald Trump three times, but failed to make progress when the Americans rejected North Korea’s demands for major sanctions relief in exchange for a piecemeal deal partially surrendering its nuclear weapons capabilities.

North Korea’s U.N. mission in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report.

Kim Jong Un starts over with Joe Biden, after Donald Trump departs

Devanshu Singla — Fri, 22 Jan 2021 09:15:21 +0000

The year 2020 was a disaster for North Korea and its leader Kim Jong Un as its already battered economy decayed further amid pandemic border restrictions. Also, his made-for-TV summits with former President Donald Trump failed to lift crippling sanctions from his country.

Now he has to start all over again with President Joe Biden, who has previously called Kim a thug and accused Donald Trump of chasing spectacles instead of meaningful reductions of Kim’s nuclear arsenal.

In his recent political speeches, Kim has vowed to strengthen his nuclear weapons program and also added that fate of North Korea’s relations with the US depends on whether Washington discards what he calls hostile US policies. North Korea has a history of testing new US administrations with missile launches and other provocations with an aim to bring the Americans back to the negotiating table.

In recent military parades in Pyongyang, Kim showcased new weapons he may test, including solid-fuel ballistic systems designed to be fired from vehicles and submarines, and the North’s biggest intercontinental ballistic missile.

A revival of tensions would force the US and South Korea to reckon more deeply with the possibility that Kim may never voluntarily deal away from the weapons he sees as his strongest guarantee of survival.

Kim’s arsenal emerged as a major threat to the United States and its Asian allies following tests in 2017 that included a detonation of a purported thermonuclear warhead and flight tests of ICBMs that demonstrated the potential to reach deep into the American homeland.

North Korea won’t likely be the top priority for Biden, who while facing mounting domestic issues is also gearing up for a push to get back into a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran that Trump blew up in favour of what he called maximum pressure against Iran.

“The Biden administration’s sequence of policy attention will likely be: Get America’s own house in order, strengthen US alliances and align strategies toward China and Russia, and then address Iran and North Korea,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.

But North Korea never likes to be ignored.

According to Easley, While sanctions, border closures and crop-killing natural disasters have created the toughest challenges of Kim’s nine-year rule, he won’t be in a hurry to offer concessions. Kim’s government has a high tolerance for domestic suffering and could expect extensive help from China, its only major ally.

North Korea’s first provocation under the Biden administration could possibly be related to submarine-launched ballistic systems, which Kim showcased in recent parades.

Kim’s ambitions for longer-range ICBMs and reconnaissance satellites that he expressed during the ruling party congress this month could lead to a space launch that would double as a test of long-range missile technology. That would be reminiscent of a 2009 launch that took place weeks into Obama’s first term.

“The North is capable of conducting tests that the US and its allies cannot ignore,” Easley said. “Kim is likely to exploit this.”

The North Korean leader is trying to move the diplomacy toward an arms reduction negotiation between nuclear states, rather than talks that would culminate in a full surrender of his weapons, according to Shin Beomchul, an analyst with the Seoul-based Korea Research Institute for National Strategy.

But North Korea probably won’t test weapons until after Biden’s State of the Union address in February, where he could set the tone of his policy toward the North, Shin said. Kim may also want to see whether the United States and South Korea proceed with a major joint military exercise expected in March.

Although the allies have described their annual exercises as defensive in nature and downsized much of their combined training activity under Trump to make space for diplomacy, North Korea has called for a full stoppage of the drills, describing them as invasion rehearsals and proof of US hostility.

The North during the party congress has made clear it has no intentions of budging first, but it is also interested in hearing what the United States has to say, said Shin, who served as a South Korean diplomat during the Obama years.

Biden will not inherit Trump’s top-down diplomacy, but you could expect him to be more flexible about working-level negotiations, offering to talk with the North Koreans at any time and place and about anything, he said.

Shin expects Biden to eventually pursue a deal with North Korea that resembles the agreement with Iran that Trump pulled out of in 2018. It could provide North Korea with some level of compensation for freezing its nuclear and missile capabilities at their current level.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vows to improve ties with outside world

Devanshu Singla — Fri, 08 Jan 2021 07:22:19 +0000

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at a major political conference for the third consecutive day highlighted the need to drastically improve his nation’s ties with the outside world. State media said Kim also reviewed relations with rival South Korea but didn’t elaborate on what steps he said he wanted to take.

As the economic troubles for North Korea are increasing Kim Jong is expected to use the first congress of the ruling Workers’ Party in five years to send conciliatory gestures toward Seoul and Washington.

In his speech on the third day of the meeting Thursday, Kim “declared the general orientation and the policy stand of our party for comprehensively expanding and developing the external relations,” the Korean Central News Agency said Friday. Kim also examined relations with South Korea “as required by the prevailing situation and the changing times,” KCNA said.

The congress is the party’s top decision-making body which reviews past projects, layout new priorities and reshuffle top officials. This month’s congress was convened as Kim is struggling to overcome what he calls “multiple crises” caused by an economy battered by pandemic-related border closings, a series of natural disasters and US-led sanctions.

In his opening-day speech, Kim admitted his previous economic developmental plans had failed and vowed to lay out a new five-year development plan. On the second day of the meeting, he said he would bolster his country’s military capability.

North Korea orders to shoot and kill COVID-19 positive citizens to prevent spread of virus

Anu Jain — Fri, 11 Sep 2020 05:49:44 +0000

North Korea which has not declared a single case of the novel coronavirus has issued shoot-to-kill order in terms to curb it.

“They’ve got North Korean SOF (Special Operations Forces) out there. … Strike forces, they’ve got shoot-to-kill orders in place,” told US Forces Korea (USFK) commander Robert Abrams in an online conference held by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington on Thursday.

The border shutdown has increased demand for smuggled goods which has prompted authorities to intervene.

CSIS published a satellite image of North Korea’s Sinpo South naval shipyard, which its experts believe is an activity that could indicate preparations for a test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile.

This act of North Korea would mean denuclearization talks between the US and Pyongyang have failed, despite multiple meetings between Kim and US President Donald Trump.

Pyongyang, capital of North Korea closed its border with China in January to prevent the spread, and in July it had raised the state of emergency to the maximum level.

On Thursday, Trump tweeted, “Kim Jong Un is in good health. Never underestimate him!”

Pet Dogs to be handed over to the North Korean government due to meat shortage

Aditi Swarup — Wed, 19 Aug 2020 03:03:28 +0000

Kim Jong-un the leader of North Korea, has ordered that pet dogs be handed over to the North Korean Government. This move comes after reports of a massive food crisis in the country.
According to reports, having pets is considered a symbol of capitalised decadence in the State of North Korea. This move has been heavily criticised as pet animals, especially dogs, are considered family by their owners.
A source said, “Authorities have identified households with pet dogs and are forcing them to give them up or forcefully confiscating them and putting them down. Some of the dogs are sent to state-run zoos or sold to dog meat restaurants.”