North Korea’s trade with countries other than its largest trading partner China plunged last year due to the regime’s border closure to stave off a COVID-19 outbreak has dealt a heavy blow to its economy already struggling with international sanctions. 　 Some 13 countries reported trading with North Korea last year, bringing in a total volume of $13.09 million, down by one third from $35.16 million in 2019, Voice of America reported Tuesday based on data disclosed by the Internatio

A North Korean man was caught after crossing into South Korea via the eastern border, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Wednesday, amid a possibility that he could have sought to defect to the South. South Korean troops detected the man at around 4:20 a.m. through a CCTV surveillance camera as he was moving south near a military checkpoint located inside a restricted area north of the Civilian Control Line in the east coast border town of Goseong, according to the JCS. After a three-hour ma

North Korea appears to be celebrating the birthday of late leader Kim Jong-il in a low-key manner on Tuesday amid speculation that Pyongyang might carry out a major provocation in time for one of its biggest national holidays. Leader Kim Jong-un visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the body of the former leader and his father lies in state, the Korean Central News Agency reported. Also enshrined at the mausoleum is the body of Kim Il-sung, the national founder and grandfather of the cu

North Korea held a video conference to discuss better methods of flood control and water management in an effort to prevent the recurrence of heavy damage to the country's farming areas wrought by heavy rains last summer, state media reported Monday. The conference on Sunday was joined by North Korean Premier Kim Tok-hun, Defense Minister Kim Jong-gwan and O Su-yong, who was recently elected director of the ruling party's Department of Economic Affairs, according to the Rodong Sinmun and the Ko

South Korea is closely monitoring North Korea's military moves ahead of the birthday of late leader Kim Jong-il, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Monday. Tuesday marks the birthday of the late leader, who is the father of current leader Kim Jong-un. The day, called the Day of the Shining Star, is one of the North's biggest national holidays, and Pyongyang has held commemorative events. "We are closely monitoring related movements, and there are no unusual things to be noted for furthe

The United Nations Command (UNC) said Monday that it has been exploring ways to resume tours to the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom, as South Korea eased antivirus social distancing rules. Tours to Panmunjom, or the Joint Security Area (JSA), were suspended in December amid the COVID-19 pandemic, just a month after the program resumed following a yearlong suspension over concerns about African swine fever. "With the ROK government relaxing social distancing measures to Level 2.0,

Over the past few years, North Korea policy has not featured human rights on the front burner -- either in Seoul or in Washington.  This is because the North’s human rights situation, despite its direness, was viewed as a less pressing issue than the security threats posed by Pyongyang with its ever-expanding nuclear and missile programs. Furthermore, both former US President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in had refrained from addressing rights abuses -- whic

North Korea ranked the lowest in a world democracy index last year for the 16th consecutive year, a recent report showed.    North Korea placed at the bottom among the 167 countries polled, with an overall score of 1.08 out of a total of 10, according to the Democracy Index 2020 published by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the research division of the British weekly The Economist.    The North has ranked the lowest in the EIU index since the agency began compiling t

The North Korean nuclear issue remains a top priority for the US government despite the recent lack of direct engagement with the country, a State Department official said Friday.    Ned Price, department press secretary, also said continued advancement in the North's nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities made it an "urgent" priority.    "I hope you don't confuse a lack of direct engagement with North Korea as an indication that the challenge of North Ko

South Korea and the United States are getting close to a new defense cost-sharing agreement for American troops here, CNN reported showed Friday, as they seek to bolster their alliance and defense posture. The two sides may be "just weeks away" from signing a deal, CNN said, citing five sources familiar with the matter. The US news outlet reported that the deal is likely to be "a multi-year agreement that increases Seoul's contribution to cover the presence of US troops at arou

North Korean Foreign Minster Ri Son-gwon has been elected a member of the powerful politburo of the ruling Workers' Party, state media reported Friday. Ri was by-elected as a politburo member during a four-day plenary meeting of the party's eighth Central Committee that wrapped up on Thursday, according to the Korean Central News Agency. Kim Song-nam, another ranking party official, was also named an alternate member of the politburo, while O Su-yong was elected as director of the party's De

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered tougher legal supervision to support his development plans and eradicate various economy-related unlawful acts, state media said Thursday, as he works to salvage an economy battered by the pandemic and other challenges. Kim spoke Wednesday during a ruling Workers' Party meeting this week convened to follow up on decisions made at the ruling party's congress in January, where he admitted previous economic plans had failed and announced a new five-year

South Korea's top nuclear envoy, Noh Kyu-duk, and a senior US diplomat agreed to have close consultations on Washington's review of North Korea policy during their phone talks Wednesday, the foreign ministry said. The talks between Noh and Sung Kim, acting assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, came as Seoul seeks to ensure policy coordination with the administration of US President Joe Biden to reengage with Pyongyang. "In the phone call, the two sides exchanged

North Korea has recently launched a temporary committee to rev up its economic development drive, state media said Wednesday, as the communist country pushes ahead to achieve goals set forth at last month's rare party congress amid crippling sanctions and antivirus efforts. On the second day of the plenary meeting of the party's eighth Central Committee on Tuesday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reported on domestic economic issues and other external matters, the Korean Central News Agency (KC

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un specified the direction for polices related to inter-Korean relations as he held a Workers' Party meeting to discuss follow-up measures on plans set forth at last month's party congress, state media said Wednesday. Kim attended the second day of the plenary meeting of the party's eighth Central Committee held on Tuesday and reported on domestic economic issues and other external matters, including relations with South Korea, according to the Korean Central News A