North Korea is expected to mark the upcoming birthday of late leader Kim Jong-il with the usual commemorative events rather than holding any special celebrations, the unification ministry said Friday. Sunday marks the 78th birthday of the late leader and father of current leader Kim Jong-un. It is one of the country's biggest national holidays, as well as the birthday of Kim Il-sung, the North's late founding leader and grandfather of the current leader. "North Korea is likely to hold ce

North Korea's official newspaper on Friday reported about a recent spike in new coronavirus infections and the death toll in China as Pyongyang is making an all-out effort to prevent the flow of the highly contagious virus from its neighboring country. The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the North's ruling party, carried a series of articles providing details on latest developments on the spread of the COVID-19 that originated in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. "China confirm

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States on Thursday promised to support aid work in North Korea to combat the new coronavirus, voicing alarm at the ill-equipped state's susceptibility. State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said the United States was "deeply concerned" about the vulnerability of the North Korean people to COVID-19, which originated in neighboring China where it has killed more than 1,300 people. Ortagus said the United States supported efforts of aid groups to con

North Korea has appointed Kim Jong-ho as new minister of people's security, a South Korean government publication indicated Thursday. North Korea's leadership chart, released by South Korea's unification ministry, showed that Kim replaced Choe Pu-il, who was promoted to department director handling military affairs at the ruling Workers' Party Central Committee, in December. The Ministry of People's Security is roughly equivalent to South Korea's National Police Agency. No details of the new

With US-led sanctions on Pyongyang throttling its largely state-run economy, nearly half of North Koreans are earning money in the private sector, according to a recent survey.  The survey, commissioned by the Ministry of Unification and conducted by the Korean Association of North Korean Studies alongside Hyundai Research Institute, was based on interviews on around 6,000 defectors starting in 2013, including the latest figure of 600 people who settled in Korea in the first half of 2019.

Christopher Hill, a former U.S. ambassador to South Korea and lead negotiator for the six-party nuclear talks, is a familiar face for Koreans south of the Demilitarized Zone. After finishing his career as a diplomat, the three-time ambassador joined the University of Denver as a chief adviser and professor. Now he is stepping into the business side as an adviser to a U.S. investment banking boutique with the hope of bringing simple and effective businesses to North Korea, where changes are alrea

The US is concerned about the well-being of the North Korean people, but will not provide direct humanitarian assistance, the US State Department said Wednesday. “The US government has no plans at this time to provide direct humanitarian assistance to the DPRK,” the State Department told Voice of America, using the North’s official name, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, in response to a UN report asking for international support to aid North Koreans. The North ne

An official of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations expressed doubt over North Korea’s claim that there were no confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the country, Voice of America reported Thursday. Bir Mandal, deputy FAO representative in North Korea, said Wednesday that his team doubted North Korea’s claim that there were zero cases of the COVID-19 infection in the country, according to the US broadcaster. Mandal did not offer any reasons, however, f

WASHINGTON -- The US Treasury Department will continue to focus on applying financial sanctions against North Korea, according to the agency's budget request for fiscal year 2021. In the budget proposal published on the Treasury's website this week, the department's Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence outlined its efforts last year to support the administration's efforts to achieve the final and fully verified denuclearization of North Korea. TFI said that in fiscal year 2019 it sa

North Korea has begun providing English and Chinese-language services for information posted on a website promoting tours to Mount Kumgang amid its push to bolster tourism as a key industry and prop up its frail economy in the face of crippling international sanctions. The move appears to show that Pyongyang's push to lure foreign tourist remains undeterred by growing concern over the global outbreak of the new coronavirus that has led the country to tighten its border with China. Most foreig

No report of an outbreak of the new coronavirus has been received from North Korea's government, the World Health Organization's office in Pyongyang was quoted as saying. The office told the Voice of America that it "has not received any report of coronavirus cases from the Ministry of Public Health, Democratic People's Republic of Korea," referring to the North's official name. "WHO is working with all Member States, including DPR Korea, to respond to the new coronavirus,"

US President Donald Trump plans to nominate Alex Wong, deputy special representative for North Korea, to an ambassador-level post at the United Nations, the White House announced Tuesday. 　 Wong, the No. 2 man in US talks with North Korea, has been tapped to serve as the US alternative representative for special political affairs in the UN. He will also serve as an alternate US representative to the UN General Assembly. 　 The new post requires Senate confirmation, and the process could take m

The US State Department said it is willing to take a “flexible approach” on negotiations with North Korea, the Voice of America reported on Wednesday. “We are willing to take a flexible approach to reach a balanced agreement on all the Singapore summit commitments,” a member of the US State Department spokesperson’s office was quoted as saying by the US broadcaster. According to VOA, the official made the comments while explaining the department’s position

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump is open to having another summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un but only if it will lead to a nuclear deal, his national security adviser said Tuesday. Robert O'Brien told an audience at the Atlantic Council think tank that the president has been clear about that and will act independently of any political considerations. O'Brien spoke a day after CNN reported that Trump has told his advisers he does not want another summit with Kim before the Nov

The United Nations is seeking to raise $107 million in humanitarian aid for North Korea, where nearly half of the 25 million population are in need, the UN’s resident coordinator for Pyongyang said in a report released Monday. According to the report titled “Provisional 2020 DPR Korea Needs and Priorities Overview,” the funding target for this year is lower than the previous year’s $120 million. At the time, the UN managed to secure just 27 percent of the goal, or $32 mi