South Korea needs to take action to deal with Pyongyang’s hackers
South Korean policy makers are calling for urgent measures to deal with hacking by North Korea. "The regime in Pyongyang views cyber attacks as a...
Russians promote weirdness of North Korea for tourism
When 200 young Russians arrived at Pyongyang’s Sunan Airport on Monday this week, they were excited to touch down in a strange and exotic place...
Do recent changes presage an imminent wave of mass defections?
The arrival in South Korea of a senior North Korean diplomat based in Cuba, which was confirmed earlier this month by Seoul’s intelligence agency, highlights...
Does ousted finance minister face execution?
When Kim Jong-un replaced his finance minister at the end of last month, flagging “obstacles to economic development,” the rumor mill went into top gear....
Kim Jong-un new leadership style is just a cosmetic change
During a visit to a modern defense industry factory on July 2, Kim Jong-un behaved in a way that was a departure from the usual...
Kim Jong-un the Apple maniac
Like many people, I was captivated by Steve Jobs when he famously said during his 2005 Stanford University commencement speech, “Stay hungry. Stay foolish.” I...
North Korea trade fair in Russia violates sanctions
A North Korean trade fair in Russia at the end of June directly challenged sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council. The event, held in...
Futuristic new tower unveiled in Pyongyang
A futuristic new tower unveiled in Pyongyang symbolizes the regime’s ambitions in science and technology, but whether actual capability goes beyond aspirational architecture remains to...
Overseas experts worry how North Korea might use AI
North Korea is using artificial intelligence to assist its extensive hacking activity and appears to be exploring the possibility of developing its own generative AI,...
North Koreans forced to attend war anniversary lectures
The Workers’ Party is forcing government and ordinary citizens to attend weekly lectures this month commemorating the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 to...
Quietly undermining the dictator’s fortress: 375 balloons sent since early this year
In the heart of Seoul, several activist groups have been working tirelessly since the beginning of the year. These are groups supported by the Human Rights Foundation’s Flash Drives for Freedom, a program that aims to disseminate information from the outside world to North Koreans. One of these groups recently confirmed to NK Insider that they have launched 375 balloons into North Korea since early this year. Some images the group shared with us are displayed in the slide above.
Are the upgraded Russia-North Korea ties just skin-deep?
Russia and North Korea last week upgraded their relationship from “friendly” to a strategic partnership with a mutual defense commitment that has prompted concerns about...
Excessive security annoys Putin aides and disturbs citizens in Pyongyang
Several senior Russian officials were undiplomatically expelled from a meeting room by North Korean security during last week’s visit to Pyongyang by Vladimir Putin, underscoring...