Russian Foreign Minister Visits Cuba on the Heels of Surprise Havana-Seoul Ties Announcement
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with Cuba’s President and Communist Party First Secretary, Miguel Díaz-Canel, in Havana Monday at the start of a Latin American tour that appears designed to shore up Moscow’s declining influence in the region.
Is Something Happening in North Korea? 6,000 Young Adults Forcibly Sent to Mines and Farms in January
Young adults are being forcibly relocated to mines and rural areas in increasing numbers, according to recent defectors and sources in North Korea.
No Rest on Sunday for North Koreans
The second Sunday of every month in North Korea is officially designated as Sports Day. People go to the workplace, but instead of doing their usual job, they engage in team sports and physical recreation.
North Korean Military Will Deteriorate into a Louder but Empty Vessel
On November 20, 2023, the Korean Central News Agency reported that North Korea declared its intention to “further accelerate the establishment of war deterrence capabilities” while condemning the United States.
Likeminded Countries Should Pursue Unified Strategies to Deal with North Korea
Former South Korean National Security Office Director Kim Sung-han emphasized the need for South Korea and the U.S. to exert pressure on North Korea by forming unified strategies with like-minded countries and avoiding dependence on China.
Rampant Bribery and Graft in North Korea
The international organization Transparency International publishes an annual “Corruption Perceptions Index” (CPI) to evaluate corruption in 180 countries and North Korea has consistently been ranked as one of the most corrupt nations worldwide.
Kim Jong Un Remains Engrossed in Self-Praise While His People Starve to Death
Following Kim Jong Un’s declaration in 2022 that North Korea is an “irreversible” nuclear weapons state, North Korea’s rubber-stamp parliament met on September 26-27, 2023, and formally enshrined North Korea’s nuclear status in its constitution.
US-DPRK Tensions Escalate as They Support Opposing Sides in Two Dangerous Regional Conflicts
In the ongoing armed conflict between Israel and Hamas militants, North Korea has continued to criticize the US for supporting Israel. In an interview with North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Korea’s Vice Foreign Minister for International Organizations, Kim Son-gyong, asserted that the United States is an obstacle to international peace and security and should be expelled from the UN.
Tokyo’s High Court Finds North Korea Legally Liable for Duping Ethnic Koreans and Japanese During Paradise on Earth Campaign
Kawasaki Eiko (81), a second-generation Zainichi Korean, and three other plaintiffs are suing the North Korean government in Japan for deceptively luring them to a life of misery in North Korea in the past.
Russia and North Korea Enter Practical Phase of Close Cooperation
On November 14, 2023, North Korean and Russian representatives met in Pyongyang for the 10th Meeting of the Committee for Cooperation in Trade, Economy, Science and Technology.
Russian Universities Collude with North Korean Laborers to Evade UN Sanctions
North Korea has been carrying out an extensive, state-led endeavor to send North Korean laborers to Russia using student visas obtained through corrupt partnerships with Russian universities.
North Korean Art Sold in China Violates UN Sanctions
Despite violating United Nations sanctions, the Associated Press (AP) reported on November 3, 2023, that North Korean artworks were being sold at an art exhibition in Beijing.