The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on a number of individuals and entities, including North Korea's border guard bureau, for serious human rights violations and other crimes. The move came as part of the designation of over 65 individuals and entities in 17 countries by the US to mark International Anti-Corruption Day, which falls on Friday, and Human Rights Day, observed annually on Dec.10th. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the designations partly aim to disrupt and deter

The chief nuclear envoys of South Korea, the United States and Japan will meet in Indonesia next week to discuss the North Korea issue, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday. Kim Gunn, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, will have back-to-back bilateral and trilateral meetings with his American and Japanese counterparts, Sung Kim and Takehiro Funakoshi, respectively, from Monday to Tuesday in Jakarta, according to the ministry. They are expected to share

South Korean authorities warned businesses against inadvertently hiring IT staff from North Korea who mask their true identities and take advantage of remote opportunities to skirt international sanctions and earn cash, which is used to bankroll the isolated country’s nuclear and missile programs. “These workers are making millions of dollars annually for the work they do for global IT companies. … And by the day, the money they bring in is making up a bigger part of the dolla

South Korea’s Ministry of Unification says it would seek to amend its laws to protect North Koreans who fled their country from being repatriated against their will. The proposal for amendment to laws on the protection of North Korean refugees, posted on Wednesday, requires the Minister of Unification to confirm the settlement intentions of North Koreans who came to South Korea by sea or land or via a third country. The amendment would also give the Minister of Unification authority to all

The South Korean government on Thursday issued an interagency advisory to caution local tech companies about North Korean IT workers allegedly seeking employment under assumed nationalities. This follows reports that North Korea is using these workers as a source of foreign currency earnings that are being channeled into the North’s nuclear and missile development. In the advisory, the Foreign, Unification and ICT ministries called for stronger background checks in hiring IT workers at hom

Human rights groups and defenders urge UNSC to resume open discussion on matter

North Korea plans to convene a meeting of its rubber-stamp parliament in Pyongyang in January to discuss next year's tasks and budget issues, according to its state media Wednesday. The standing committee of the Supreme People's Assembly held a meeting Tuesday and decided to hold the 8th session of the 14th SPA on Jan. 17, the official Korean Central News Agency said. The session is mainly intended to discuss issues related to tasks for 2023, state budget issues and organizational matt

Seoul pushes to label Pyongyang as state enemy in upcoming defense white paper

Reclusive regime cashes in on anonymous, decentralized nature of virtual assets to cover astronomical costs of missile tests

North Korea on Monday fired around 130 artillery shells into inter-Korean maritime buffer zones as South Korea and the US kicked off regular live-fire drills near the border. The artillery shells were fired from Jangsan Cape in South Hwanghae Province and Kumgang County in Kangwon Province from around 2:59 p.m. local time, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Monday afternoon. The artillery shots fell inside the buffer zone, but north of the Northern Limit Line, violating a 2018 dea

South Korea announced additional sanctions on North Korea on Friday in response to growing security threats from North Korea, highlighted by its long-range missile launch last month. Seoul has decided to impose independent sanctions on eight North Korean individuals and seven institutions involved in the secretive regime's nuclear and missile development programs, according to the foreign ministry. Those added to the blacklist include officials at financial institutions related to the North

Since weeks ago when Kim Jong-un revealed his 10-year-old daughter Kim Ju-ae to the world openly for the first time, her fashion style has proven to be an instant hit in North Korea, and her styling seems to be sending young North Koreans abuzz. The Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, published pictures of North Korean women in white and pink padding jackets similar to that previously worn by Kim’s daughter when they inspected the launch of an intercontinen

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered the promotion of hundreds of officers involved in last month's warplane activities apparently targeting South Korea, according to Pyongyang's state media Thursday. Kim congratulated the commanding officers and pilots of the Air Force who contributed to "strikingly demonstrating" its power against the enemy and its "invincible stamina by successfully conducting large-scale flying operations," the official Korean Central News Ag

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presided over a politburo session of the ruling party and decided to convene a key party meeting later this month, North Korean state media reported Thursday. During the meeting held the previous day, Kim said the "internal and external circumstances of the year 2022 created on the advance of the Korean revolution were the unprecedented adversity that tested our will and fighting efficiency," according to the Korean Central News Agency. Despite challenge

Another high-profile NK provocation unlikely this week as Pyongyang is in good spirits after ICBM launch on Nov. 18