North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said a "crucial case" has happened that could threaten the safety of his people and country in nationwide anti-epidemic efforts, state media reported Wednesday, spurring speculation that a coronavirus outbreak could have hit parts of the country. Kim made the remarks as he presided over an extended politburo meeting of the ruling Workers' Party on Tuesday, accusing senior officials of neglecting their duties in carrying out measures needed to fight the

The United Nations provided $5.9 million to North Korea last year to tackle the country‘s severe food shortage and for its COVID-19 response, UN data showed Tuesday. 　 The Central Emergency Response Fund, a global humanitarian fund established by the UN, said it allocated $5 million to the North in June last year to “tackle severe food insecurity and undernutrition,” in its 2020 annual report. The amount is earmarked for 3.59 million people in the country, it said. 　 

North Korea's official newspaper said Tuesday that the site for riverside apartments now under construction in Pyongyang is where a special residence was once located for late state founder Kim Il-sung. In March, North Korea unveiled a plan to build around 800 "terraced apartments" along the Pothong River running through Pyongyang as "gifts" to "working people, including labor innovators and persons of distinguished services in all sectors, scientists, educators and wri

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is continuing his quest to tighten his grip on his country, and to create an image of it as a “normal state.” His new title as of 2021, president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, reflects this. On June 29, 2016, Kim was named chairman of the newly established State Affairs Commission, the regime’s top branch of government and policymaking. The SAC replaced the National Defense Commission, the all-powerful

South Korea is keeping a close eye on whether North Korea dispatches a delegation to Beijing to mark the 100th anniversary of the Chinese ruling party, the unification ministry said Monday. Thursday will mark the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Chinese Communist Party, while Pyongyang and Beijing are set to celebrate the 60th anniversary of their friendship treaty next month. "The government is keeping a close watch on the situation as several commemorative events are being

North Korea's official newspaper on Monday warned officials against corruption and urged them to focus on improving people's living standards. The Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the North's ruling Workers' Party, made the appeal in an editorial, calling on officials to wage a struggle to root out "dangerous poisons" in society, such as bureaucracy and corruption. "We must intensify our struggle against all anti-socialist and non-socialist phenomena that infringes upon the interests

Unification Minister Lee In-young on Sunday vowed to act "more quickly" to resume dialogue with North Korea while calling on Pyongyang to flexibly respond to offers for talks. Lee made the remarks during an event to mark the end of the ministry-organized "Unification Walk" campaign where dozens of participants walked together for 13 days along the border in the hope of the reunification of the two Koreas. It was the first of 10 rounds of such walks planned this year, and Lee

North Korea's state-run television recently aired an interview of a resident expressing concerns over a slimmer looking Kim Jong-un amid speculation that he has significantly lost weight. "The people were most heartbroken to see the respected General Secretary looking thinner," a North Korean resident said during an interview with Korean Central Television on Friday. "Everyone is saying that they are moved to tears," the resident said. A news report earlier said that Kim a

North Korea's official newspaper on Sunday called for "maximum vigilance" against the coronavirus amid the global spread of the highly contagious Delta variant and pandemic fatigue. "All workers and party members must bear deep in mind that the prolonged emergency system against the virus means prolonged maximum vigilance and strong discipline, and must strictly abide by the emergency measures," the Rodong Simun said. The paper also urged officials to tighten control over a

The United States should consider engaging with North Korea multilaterally should its bilateral efforts continue to go ignored by the recalcitrant North, former US envoys to denuclearization talks with the North said Friday. They also argued a multilateral process must at least involve China, which they said has far more leverage over the North than the United States. "The fact is we don't have a dialogue (with North Korea)," said Joseph DeTrani, former special envoy for six-nation

A little over half of South Koreans do not want the government to provide COVID-19 vaccination support to North Korea, according to a recent survey. In a joint survey by four polling agencies on 1,006 people aged 18 and older from Monday-Wednesday, 51 percent of respondents said they disapprove of delivering coronavirus vaccines to Pyongyang, while 45 percent said they were in favor of the idea. Last week, President Moon Jae-in said Seoul will push for cooperation with the North on COVID-19 va

North Korea appeared to be marking the anniversary of the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War in a low-key manner Friday as it is striving to fight the global coronavirus pandemic and bolster its anemic economy. State media outlets have not reported on any anti-US public rallies on the occasion of the 71st anniversary of the war. North Korea had held such street demonstrations around this time almost every year until the first-ever Singapore summit was held in 2018 between leader Kim Jong-un and

Over 30,000 North Korean defectors have risked their lives to escape their communist homeland and settle in the South since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. 　 But before starting a new life in the more prosperous South, all refugees must go through a period of investigation and a debriefing by the spy agency.  　 Run by the National Intelligence Service, the North Korean Refugee Protection Center in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, is where defectors get their first glimpse of the South. At

Dialogue and cooperation are the best way to ensure stable and peaceful control of the situation on the Korean Peninsula, a unification ministry official said Thursday, after North Korea said that it is not interested in resuming talks with the United States. On Wednesday night, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Son-gwon issued a statement, saying that his country is not considering "even the possibility of any contact with the US" A day earlier, Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean

President Moon Jae-in has reaffirmed his commitment to doing his best during the remainder of his tenure to reinvigorate the Korea peace process, according to the TIME magazine. Speaking in a recent interview, posted on its website, Moon said, "The peace we have right now is a very fragile one; it can be shaken at any time." "I know that I don't have much time myself," he added in the story headlined "South Korean President Moon Jae-in Makes One Last Attempt to Heal Hi