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Landmark hotel popular with foreign tourists catches fire in North Korean capital Pyongyang
PUBLISHED : Friday, 12 June, 2015, 1:23pm
UPDATED : Friday, 12 June, 2015, 1:23pm
Reuters in Seoul
People dine in a restaurant at the Koryo Hotel in Pyongyang in 2013. The hotel caught fire on Thursday. Photo: AP
A section of the Koryo Hotel, one of the oldest and best known hotels in Pyongyang, caught fire on Thursday, sources who witnessed the fire in the North Korean capital said.
Images showed plumes of black smoke billowing from the bridge connecting the two 43-storey towers of the 143-metre structure, which lies a short distance from Pyongyang's bustling train station and the Taedong river that cuts through the city.
One source in Pyongyang who witnessed the scene said swarms of police, paramilitary, ambulances and officials from North Korean state security were outside the landmark hotel.
"Several foreigners were apprehended for trying to take pictures of the scene," the source, who declined to be identified, said.
Troy Collings of Young Pioneer Tours said: "The fire was eventually put out, the building didn't burn down, and our partners in Pyongyang reassured us that there were no casualties."
Collings regularly takes foreign tourists to North Korea.
It was not immediately clear if the hotel had been fully evacuated. The fire started at 6.15pm local time and by 11.45pm only thick plumes of black smoke were visible from the outside, the source said.
North Koreans leaving the building said the inside was still burning, according to the source. A second source at the scene said a heavy downpour may have helped contain the blaze. Both Seoul and Pyongyang were hit by seasonal heavy rains on Thursday night.
North Korea is one of the world's most isolated and secretive countries, and there was still no mention of the fire in state media by about midday on Friday.
In May last year, North Korean state media said the government had apologised to bereaved families after an apartment building collapsed in Pyongyang, possibly killing hundreds.
Unlike the unfinished 105-storey pyramid-shaped Ryugyong Hotel, the plush Koryo Hotel has for years been the go-to place to stay for foreign tourists visiting North Korea
Photographer journeys into the myths and realities of North Korea
Wang Guofeng is the only foreign artist authorised by the secretive government
PUBLISHED : Sunday, 14 June, 2015, 11:15pm
UPDATED : Sunday, 14 June, 2015, 11:16pm
Peggy Yuan
Artist Wang Guofeng in North Korea. Photo: Wang Guofeng
Artist Wang Guofeng is known for his colour photographs that take an often critical look at the ideology and legacy of socialism, and are printed in large formats up to 24 metres wide. The only foreign artist authorised by North Korea’s government, Wang has visited the country four times since 2011 and is planning his fifth trip to photograph the 70th anniversary celebrations of the governing Workers’ Party.
What’s the concept and motivation behind your photography?
Art’s conception and creation usually stem from the artist’s personal experience and the era he lives in. As a Chinese artist, the topic of socialism is unavoidable either from a historical perspective or in the contemporary world. I started photographing socialist buildings and architecture in 2005. Socialism has virtually become history since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the political upheaval in Eastern Europe. We no longer live that history, but can analyse the legacy, ideology, buildings and architecture, which are the material ideology and monuments of that passing era. It’s interesting to find that the architecture built in the 1950s in these socialist countries, or the so-called Eastern Bloc, basically followed the same style of the political architecture in the former Soviet Union, all carrying the political mission to demonstrate socialist ideology and its common aspirations.
How many countries does your project involve and what are your target subjects?
All the former socialist and continuing socialist countries. These include Poland, east Germany, the Czech Republic, Romania, China, North Korea, Cuba and Vietnam. I started photographing socialist architecture in China and the former Soviet Union. As I progressed, my motivation to enter North Korea became stronger. My project would not be complete without North Korea, the only ongoing socialist country in the world.
One of artist Wang Guofeng's photographs. Photo: Wang Guofeng
How did you persuade them to grant you permission to take pictures?
It took a lot of effort to obtain permission – three years. I approached various ministerial-level government departments. I enclosed a picture book of my socialist building photographs in my application package. I guess the book worked.
What is it like working in North Korea?
The North Korea series of pictures is separate and independent. I have photographed its political architecture, grand political gatherings, the performance of Arirang [North Korea’s unofficial national anthem], individuals such as workers, farmers, hospital doctors, university students, high school and primary school pupils, traffic policewomen, kindergarten kids, and families of various social status, such as scientists and farmers. There are so many impressive memories from my interactions with the country. Usually I need to send my work plan to the North Korean government two to three months in advance. My first trip was the most memorable. When I arrived at the airport, I was taken to Mansudae Square in Pyongyang, where a grand bronze statue of former leader Kim Il-sung stands. I was instructed to offer a flower basket in tribute to the former leader. The flower basket cost US$10. I was amazed by everything I saw: the quiet streets, the ordinary people walking fast with their heads down. Everything seemed surreal, strange, but seemed to be closely connected with my childhood memory. They arranged five working staff, including one from the national security bureau, to accompany me and my crew. They amended my work plan and added a few other places that I was not interested in. The accompanying officials closely monitored what I photographed and said. Whenever they saw any of us photographing anything not on the schedule and whenever we said anything that they deemed to be offensive or disrespectful, they would immediately ask me to delete or correct as necessary, warning me to be in compliance with their rules. North Korea is like a mirror of China. There are similarities in tradition and a shared socialist background: the grand scenery, the passion that each individual has for their leader. In North Korea, people believe all their belongings are granted by the leader, their god.
Did you get any feedback from the North Koreans?
Yes. They are satisfied with my pictures. They have their own objective in that they want to show the grand landscape of the country and its people through the eyes of a foreign artist. They have asked me to do a solo exhibition at the national museum of North Korea upon completion of my North Korea project. I have also been requested to send a full set of my North Korea photographs to its leader Kim Jong-un as a gift. Recently, they also suggested that I publish a book of pictures.
What’s the meaning of your staged photographs? What message would you like to convey from these photos?
!Yes, I am in a passive position when I am in the country. My work is closely monitored and supervised by the government, which I was strongly against at the beginning. But as I progressed along the way, I started to realise that what I covered was another form of reality and normal in North Korea. Visitors may have candid shots of the hardships of daily life for ordinary people. That’s a reality. While my pictures document the reality of the grand performances, of the “collective unconsciousness” of the public, that’s another reality in the making of mythologies. My socialist architecture series are the memoir of history and mankind’s pursuit of utopia. My North Korea series are a detailed recording of an ongoing pursuit of utopia. My artworks may be interpreted differently in different social contexts. As an independent artist, I certainly hope to have in-depth conversations and interactions within different social contexts. In the pursuit of truth, I remember what [the philosopher] Roland Barthes said: “To live to the full the contradiction of my time, which may well make sarcasm the condition of truth”.
Will you continue to go to North Korea in the coming years?
I have basically completed my North Korea series. However, there are still things that make it worth me visiting the country again. I am now in discussion with the North Korean government for my fifth trip to photograph the 70th anniversary celebrations of the Workers’ Party. Money is important for me to continue. I have spent about 1.5 million yuan (HK$1.9 million) in the past four years. I will also need to raise funds for the solo exhibition that they would like to host in the national museum and for the picture book.
You have been to Germany, Poland, Romania and the Czech Republic. What was your experience like in those places?
These countries have been decentralised into democratic states. However, there are still traces of socialist history. You could see the similar logic and mindset whenever you had a conversation with the local people, either at customs, in a hotel or a restaurant. Most people seem to be confused when the dream of capitalist democracy finally becomes reality. The idea of utopia again provoked much discussion during the economic downturn in European capitalist countries. But nobody knows what a workable perfect political system looks like. Each country has its own stage and considerations in the pursuit of a better system.
North Korean teen soldier defects to South after repeated 'beatings'
19-year-old surrenders to South border guards because of alleged attacks
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 16 June, 2015, 1:29am
UPDATED : Tuesday, 16 June, 2015, 1:52am
Agence France-Presse in Seoul
South Korean former President Lee Myung-bak uses high-powered, laster-infra red observation binoculars to look into the North Korean border area in the South Korean border county of Hwacheon. Photo: EPA
A young North Korean soldier walked into South Korea yesterday in a rare defection through one of the world's most fortified frontiers, saying he deserted his camp because of habitual beating, military officials said.
The 19-year-old soldier surrendered himself to South Korean border guards about 8am after crossing the frontier in Hwacheon, northeast of Seoul, the South's defence ministry said.
"We've confirmed his will to defect after he reached our guard post," a ministry spokesman said. The North Korean soldier told investigators that he had decided to defect "because of habitual beating at his camp while harbouring complaints about the reality of his homeland", the spokesman added.
The defection sparked a tense stand-off between North and South Korean border guards across the demilitarised zone (DMZ), but there was no conflict, the Yonhap news agency reported.
The man identified himself as a private, the lowest rank among the North's enlistees, it said.
Hundreds of North Koreans flee their isolated homeland each year, but it is rare for defectors to cross the land border, marked by barbed wire and guarded by tens of thousands of troops.
Despite its name, the DMZ separating the two Koreas, which remain technically at war, is one of the world's most heavily militarised frontiers, bristling with watchtowers and landmines.
In 2012, a North Korean soldier walked unchecked through rows of electrified fencing and surveillance cameras, prompting Seoul to sack three field commanders for a security lapse.
In August last year, two North Koreans swam across the Yellow Sea border to a South Korean frontline island.
So far about 28,000 North Koreans have resettled in the South since the end of the 1950-53 Korean war, mostly after the great famine in the 1990s. But the number of escapees has decreased sharply since North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un took power following the death of his father in late 2011.
Under Kim, the isolated state has tightened border security, while China has launched a crackdown on North Korean escapees on its side of the border.
China - the North's sole major ally - typically considers them illegal economic migrants and repatriates them despite criticisms from human rights groups.
- North Korea said it was ready to restart stalled talks with South Korea if Seoul scraps joint military exercises with the US. The offer came on the 15th anniversary of a landmark summit between then South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and North Korea's late leader Kim Jong-Il which saw a joint declaration to spur reconciliation and cooperation.
The South's unification ministry reacted with scepticism to the North's insisting it should join talks "without laying out improper preconditions".
Drought sparks fears of worsening food shortages in N. Korea
AFP
June 18, 2015, 1:01 am
Seoul (AFP) - North Korea's food supply faces a gloomy forecast this year due to a damaging drought which has sparked fears of worsening shortages in the impoverished communist country, experts said Wednesday.
Concern grew after Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Tuesday that North Korea has been hit by its worst drought in a century.
"The worst drought in 100 years continues in (North Korea), causing great damage," it said, adding more than 30 percent of paddy fields across the country were "parching up".
The North's main rice-growing provinces -- South Hwanghae, North Hwanghae, South Pyongan and South Hamgyong -- have been badly damaged by a severe drought, KCNA said.
It is hard to get reliable information on the reclusive state, but South Korean weathermen said this year's rainfall across North Korea has been far lower than the annual average, especially in its traditional rice belt.
"It is true that the northern part of the peninsula has been battered by a severe drought so far this year," Kim Young-Jin, an official at the Korea Meteorological Administration, told AFP.
"The North's traditional rice belt encompassing South and North Hwanghae provinces has been hit hard, receiving less than half the rain of an average year," he said.
Last week the South's unification ministry predicted North Korea's food production this year could fall by as much as 20 percent from last year if the shortage of rainfall lasts until early July.
The prospects for this year are distinctly gloomy, given a prolonged drought and lack of fertiliser, it said.
North Korea has imported a large amount of fertiliser from China each year but fertiliser imports this year have dwindled significantly from a year ago, said Kwon Tae-Jin, a researcher at GS&J Institute, a Seoul-based think tank on agriculture.
"I don't think the North's exaggerating ... The situation looks pretty serious," he said, adding drought has already damaged the spring harvest of wheat, barley and potatoes, which account for 10 percent of total production.
In the past two years, North Korea has managed to avoid a food crisis despite a damaging drought, largely because of no summer flood and a favourable weather ahead of the main harvest season in the fall, Kwon said.
"But I see the likelihood for the same luck to be repeated for three years in a row extremely low," he said.
- Regular food shortages -
"The situation is serious" in the North's western region near Pyongyang, which produces nearly 70 percent of its entire crop production, he said.
North Korea has suffered regular chronic food shortages -- hundreds of thousands are believed to have died during a famine in the mid-to-late 1990s -- with the situation exacerbated by floods, droughts and mismanagement.
International food aid, especially from South Korea and the United States, has been drastically cut amid tensions over the communist state's nuclear and missile programmes.
UN figures show up to 70 percent of the country remains food insecure and 28 percent of children under the age of five are stunted due to malnutrition.
In April the United Nations launched an appeal for $111 million dollars to help 70 percent of North Korea's population now facing a food crisis.
David Kaatrud, the regional director of the World Food Programme, said in Seoul last week that the UN agency was closely monitoring the North's weather conditions in order to send emergency assistance in case of a protracted dry spell.
"The concern is going to grow week by week until we get closer to the traditional July harvest," he told the South's Yonhap news agency.
North Korea has staged a desperate campaign to overcome drought and water shortages, vowing to continue its push to ease chronic food shortages.
Prime Minister Pak Pong-Ju told a parliamentary session in April: "The main thrusts for this year are to organise the economic work with a main emphasis on solving the food problem of the people."
"The situation is not favourable at all, but it is premature to say whether North Korea may face a food crisis," Kim Young-Hoon of the Seoul-based Korea Rural Economic Institute, said.
"Last year there was no serious food shortage in the North despite a damaging spring drought," he said, citing partial agricultural reforms and refurbished irrigation facilities which have improved crop yields.
Kim Jong-Un, who became leader after the death of his father, Kim Jong-Il, in December 2011, allowed farmers to keep 30 percent of their production quota, plus any excess. Their portion was raised to 60 percent last year.
North Korea claims it has cure for MERS, Ebola and AIDS
The Associated Press
First posted: Friday, June 19, 2015 09:14 AM EDT | Updated: Friday, June 19, 2015 09:33 AM EDT
Kim Jong Un North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, centre, plays with children during a visit to the Taesongsan General Hospital in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang on May 19, 2014. (REUTERS/KCNA)
SEOUL -- North Korea says it has succeeded where the greatest minds in science have failed.
The authoritarian, impoverished nation better known for pursuing a nuclear program despite global criticism announced Friday it has a drug can prevent and cure MERS, Ebola, SARS and AIDS.
The secretive state did not provide proof, and the claim is likely to provoke widespread skepticism.
The official Korean Central News Agency said scientists developed Kumdang-2 from ginseng grown from fertilizer mixed with rare-earth elements. According to the pro-North Korea website Minjok Tongshin, the drug was originally produced in 1996.
"Malicious virus infections like SARS, Ebola and MERS are diseases that are related to immune systems, so they can be easily treated by Kumdang-2 injection drug, which is a strong immune reviver," KCNA said.
North Korea shut out foreign tourists for half a year with some of the world's strictest Ebola controls, even though no cases of the disease were reported anywhere near the country, before lifting the restrictions earlier this year.
It is believed to be struggling to combat diseases such as tuberculosis, and respiratory infections are among its most common causes of death, according to the World Health Organization.
North Korea trumpeted the same drug during deadly bird flu outbreaks in 2006 and 2013.
The North's claim comes as rival South Korea fights an outbreak of MERS that has killed two dozen people and sickened more than 160 since last month. There is no vaccine for the disease.
Comrade Kim beats dead Comrade Stalin
Instagram users in North Korea warned site put on blacklist, but Facebook still accessible
Claims that the popular photo-sharing app is being 'blacklisted' for harmful content emerge
PUBLISHED : Monday, 22 June, 2015, 11:26pm
UPDATED : Monday, 22 June, 2015, 11:27pm
Associated Press in Pyongyang
A notification which reads, “Warning! You can’t connect to this website because it’s in blacklist site" is seen on both a computer screen and on a smartphone screen in Pyongyang, North Korea. Photo: AP
Warnings are appearing on Instagram accounts in North Korea that claim access to the popular photo-sharing app is being denied and the site blacklisted for harmful content.
Opening the app with mobile devices on the North Korean carrier Koryolink has resulted in a notification in English saying: “Warning! You can’t connect to this website because it’s in blacklist site.” A similar notice in Korean says the site contains harmful content, though that is not mentioned in the English version.
Such warnings have also appeared when websites that link to Instagram are accessed through desktops or laptops using LAN cables on the North Korean internet provider. The warnings have been appearing on and off for at least five days.
Tech support staff at Koryolink said they were not aware of any changes in policy regarding Instagram. There has been no notice from the government or from the mobile phone service to its customers that Instagram has been blacklisted. Officials with Instagram had no comment. Instagram is owned by Facebook, which is functioning normally in Pyongyang.
It was still possible to use the app, despite the warnings, on some mobile devices. But attempts on others to post photos or view user galleries through the standard Koryolink connection have been virtually impossible, suggesting some access was indeed being obstructed.
It was unclear where the blockage was originating, how widespread it was, whether it was a hack of some sort or if it had any connection to a fire on June 11 at a luxury hotel often used by tourists and foreign visitors in Pyongyang. Photos of the fire leaked out of the country and were carried widely by media around the world. But the fire has not yet been reported by the North’s state-run media.
Although the internet and any kind of social media remain off-limits to virtually all North Koreans, North Korea decided in 2013 to allow foreigners in the country to use 3G on their mobile phones, which generally require a local SIM card to get onto the Koryolink mobile carrier network.
That opened the door for them to surf the net and to post to social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. More recently, even live-streaming video had been posted using the new Twitter app Periscope.
Besides Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites were also functioning normally. Other websites were viewable as usual even on mobile phones on which Instagram was not functioning.
It is estimated that more than 2 million North Koreans now use mobile phones, but with few exceptions they are not allowed to access the internet, meaning the mobile service is available primarily to foreign visitors, residents and businesspeople in the country.
Photos from the North on Instagram posted by foreigners — though regular users are very few in number — provide a rare window on daily life in North Korea. But they have also posed a quandary for North Korean officials who are highly concerned about the flow of information and images in and out of the country.
Andrea Lee, CEO of Uri Tours, which organises tours to North Korea, said she was not aware of a policy shift towards blocking Instagram.
“We have been using Instagram to post photos from our DPRK tours since Koryolink, the local provider, announced that 3G SIM cards would be available to foreigners for purchase,” she said. “While I’m unaware of this recent shift in policy toward blocking Instagram, “I hope this will be temporary policy as it’s been a great tool for our company to show prospective travellers what our tours are like and to get people motivated in travelling there.”
She added that the SIM cards are priced more for the long-term frequent traveler, and usually tourists who are in the country for just a few days opt not to purchase it. “But those who do possess the SIM card have near open access to the web, including social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google and many other sites that have historically been blocked in places like China.”
North Korea’s new airport to open July 1
Kim Jong Un reportedly very satisfied with the new Pyongyang terminal
June 25th, 2015
Leo Byrne
North Korea announced that its new Pyongyang airport terminal will open July 1, according to report in the country’s state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper Thursday.
DPRK leader Kim Jong Un toured the new facilities, which include plush-looking restaurants, bars, cafes and shopping areas.
A similar article published by the Korean Central News Agency said Kim was “very satisfied to see the changes that he suggested were done in such a short amount of time and that he could find no fault with the airport.”
Images released by state media show a well-furnished facility apparently stocked with foreign goods, including candies, beverages and alcohol.
The North Korean leader also reportedly ordered the construction of transport infrastructure between Pyongyang and the new airport terminal, including a high-speed train and new highway.
Image credit: Rodong Sinmun
The new airport is intended to replace the current temporary terminal, which is generally lacking in facilities.
“I’d say a larger airport is sorely needed as they have been using a temporary terminal for some years now, and it’s clearly not big enough,” Simon Cockerell, general manager of Koryo Tours told NK News.
While a recent NK News investigation found Western tourist numbers to North Korea decreased last year, the DPRK has lifted a travel ban on tourists entering the country and appears to be moving capital into large scale tourism projects.
Chinese tourists account for the largest number of foreign visitors to North Korea, estimated at approximately 100,000 per year.
“The number of flights going in and out has increased quite a lot from several years ago and is projected to grow more,” Cockerell added.
The new airport is not the only facility of its kind recently constructed in North Korea. Researcher and satellite imagery analyst Curtis Melvin today told Radio Free Asia (RFA) a new airstrip was built in Pyongyang’s Deasong District over the last six months.
Melvin said the new airstrip could be for Kim’s personal use.
“There is a facility for small aircraft and helicopters and this will be Kim Jong Un’s personal airstrip which would be useful in getting to and from Pyongyang and Wonsan,” Melvin told RFA.
A January NK News report indicated Wonsan airport on the country’s eastern coast is also undergoing major renovations.
Featured image: Rodong Sinmum
Addicted residents go the extra mile for drugs
Kang Mi Jin | 2015-06-25 16:15
A stronger crackdown on drugs in North Korea is sending many users across the country on long trips in pursuit of what has become a more scarce means of pleasure, Daily NK has learned.
“Border control has become a lot tighter, making methamphetamine harder to get. Some residents with strong addictions are even traveling to areas where the drugs are produced,” a source in Yangkang Province told Daily NK on Wednesday. “In the past, you could get meth in provincial or city black markets, but these days this has become more challenging, so people are seeking out places where it's being made.”
When it comes to border crackdowns, she went on, "the one thing that is absolutely never excluded is smuggling drugs." The lack of supply is sending addicts -- often in groups -- to Hamheung in South Hamkyung Province or Suncheon in South Pyongan Province, where they buy meth.
Even for those who have been incarcerated in long-term reeducation camps or labor-training camps for drug crimes, many still end up pursuing their addiction after release. The state may carry out persistent crackdowns on drug use, but narcotics are still commonly used for medical purposes.
Not only that, ironically, enhanced crackdowns and surveillance has led to greater pent-up anxiety and in many ways encouraged the use of such substances, said the source. In the past, drug users were mostly men who had some wiggle room with their spending, but now addictive substance abuse is spreading not only to those in lower income brackets but middle and high school students as well.
“Currently, it’s very hard to find anyone in Hyesan who smuggles or sells drugs,” she said. “Some people who use meth will travel to Hamheung-its production location--and then climb through the mountains on foot to get back to Hyesan.”
She added, “State Security Department and Ministry of People’s Security officials have figured out that people head over to Hamheung, Wonsan, and Suncheon, and then take a train over to Danchon, to make the final leg of the journey on foot to Hyesan--so officials spend a lot of time on the streets."
“I don’t know what this world has come to. In the past, there were only an insignificant number of meth addicts, but now you can see them everywhere.”
Much of this proliferation in drugs is attributed to the failing medical system in the country. One of the residents told the source what started as a method to cope with an inflammation in the gallbladder has become a full-blown addiction to opium. “In difficult times like this, I can’t seem to get by without my drugs. I can’t live with my head clear,” he told our source.
Many people believe hospital treatment and medicine they receive will not have any effect, so they choose to use opium and then end up being addicts.
Medical care in North Korea is purportedly free but having deteriorated at a rapid pace since the mid ‘90s, most people are required to pay for the medication that is available; in these cases, connections generally prove more advantageous than financial means alone.
This, according to the source, has contributed to a swelling in opium and other drug users within the country.
*Translated by Jiyeon Lee
New S. Korean sanctions for arms trade with North Korea
Syrian, Taiwanese individuals entities blacklisted for involvement in North Korean weapons trade
June 26th, 2015
Leo Byrne
South Korea today imposed financial sanctions on numerous Taiwanese individuals and entities as well as Syria’s Scientific Studies and Research for their ties to North Korea’s arms trade.
The autonomous sanctions are in addition to those already put in place by the UN Security Council.
“The government designated as financial sanctions targets … which are indirectly rendering assistance to North Korea through weapons trade,” the press release from the South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reads.
Three Taiwanese companies and three individuals are targeted for “helping the DPRK by exporting weapons related materials to North Korea,” an anonymous source from the Ministry of Strategy and Finance told NK News.
The Syrian R&D organization was also targeted for its involvement with North Korea’s weapons programs.
“The Syrian company mentioned was sanctioned due to having arms deals with North Korea,” the source added.
All the individuals and entities are already on the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions list, but the autonomous sanctions could serve as a legal reminder to South Koreans.
“By sanctioning these individuals and entities, anyone in Korea that has any dealings with these individuals and entities will have to go through Bank of Korea to get permission … but by making this law, it made it an official sanction with consequences if you have any (unannounced) dealings with them,” the source told NK News.
Any South Koreans caught dealing with the sanctioned entities could face three-year prison terms or fines of up to 300 million won ($270,000).
A previous NK News investigation found relations between Syria and North Korea were warming since the start of the Syrian civil war.
The two countries have a history of cooperation, with the DPRK suspected in helping construct Syria’s al-Kibar nuclear facility, which was bombed by the Israeli Air Force prior to becoming fully operational.
The UN Panel of Experts (POE) on North Korea sanctions reported incidents of military cooperation in their 2010, 2012 and 2013 reports and urged further surveillance from nations states to investigate possible instances involving illicit transfers.
Additional reporting by Ina Yoon
Featured Image: North Korean Soldiers In The Joint Security Area, Dmz, Panmunjom, North Korea by Eric Lafforgue on 2012-09-07 06:41:57
Inside North Korea's shiny new international airport ... but where are all the passengers?
PUBLISHED : Thursday, 02 July, 2015, 11:06am
UPDATED : Thursday, 02 July, 2015, 11:31am
Agence France-Presse
A general view of the newly built terminal of Pyongyang International Airport. Reuters/KCNA
North Korea has opened its new airport terminal in the capital, hailing it as a showcase of leader Kim Jong-Un’s “unremitting efforts” to put the country’s air transport on a world level.
Terminal 2 of Pyongyang International Airport, which is reserved for international civilian flights, opened for service yesterday, state media said.
“The terminal was built in a modern way from the gatepost to the airport to departure lounge, entry formalities hall, service halls, etc”, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
A picture of the interior of the newly built terminal which is reserved for international civilian flights. Photo: Reuters/KCNA
Prime Minister Pak Pong-Ju said at the opening ceremony that it was “the crystal of the noble loyalty, ardent patriotic will and unremitting efforts of Marshal Kim Jong-Un who has been keen to put the aerial transport of the country on a world level true to the intention of leader Kim Jong-Il”, according to KCNA.
Kim Jong-Un took power in 2011 after the death of his father Kim Jong-Il, who was afraid of flying and travelled everywhere by train.
Passengers can dine at this restaurant while waiting for their flights. Reuters/KCNA
But his son, who studied in Switzerland as a teenager, has shown a keen interest in aviation, flying a North Korean-made light plane himself in March, according to a video released by the North.
Kim ordered construction of the new facility in July 2012 because the existing terminal was considered too small and shabby compared with foreign rivals.
The new terminal is six times larger than the old one, but it remains unclear how North Korea will be able to generate the passenger numbers to justify its construction. Reuters/KCNA
He has also issued directives to improve the inflight services and attendants’ uniforms of Koryo Air after the country’s sole civilian airline came under international mockery.
The new terminal had to be partly demolished and rebuilt on Kim’s order after he said the layout looked like “a copy” of a foreign facility.
People attend the opening ceremony for the newly built terminal of Pyongyang International Airport. Photo: Reuters/KCNA
But the terminal risks being virtually empty as Pyongyang has just a trickle of scheduled foreign flights, mostly from Beijing and Moscow.
The new terminal is six times larger than the old one, but it remains unclear how North Korea will be able to generate the passenger numbers that would justify its construction.
Another airport lounge for passengers. The airport is being seen as part of Leader Kim Jong-Un’s “unremitting efforts” to put the country’s air transport on a world level. Reuters/KCNA
The young leader has a penchant for showpiece constructions.
Under his direction, a ski resort, a water park and an equestrian course have been built, but they are beyond the reach of the average citizen of the impoverished Stalinist state.
The plush arrivals hall complete with indoor trees. Kim ordered construction of the new facility because the existing terminal was considered too small and shabby. Reuters/KCNA
Men under 60 banned from market activities
Kang Mi Jin | 2015-06-29 16:21
With Kim Jong Un at the helm of North Korea, the age limit for commercial activities has been removed for women; for men, however, this limit has recently been raised, allowing only those in their 60s or over to enter market life.
This runs contrary to not long ago, when one could easily spot men in their 40s inhabiting stalls in the marketplace, often selling shoes or offering bike repair services-- a common occurrence since residents took to market activities to cope with the widespread famine ravaging in the mid-1990s.
This has changed in almost an instant under the new mandate. “Actions have been taken so that men under 60 cannot run businesses in the jangmadang (market), as the Central Party demands that men should remain loyal to their workplaces,” a source from Yangkang Province informed Daily NK through a telephone conversation on June 26th.
Daily NK's sources in two other provinces confirmed the news of this directive but for their safety their locations remain confidential.
“At markets in Hyesan there used to be men in their 40s running shoe repair business, cigarette stands or barbershops. But they're all gone now, and even the stores such as bike shop or key repair shop are being run by men in their 60s," the source added.
Men's role in the marketplace has been rigidly controlled since the Kim Jong Un came to power, aimed at preventing workers from doing business rather than fulfilling their roles at state-run factories and enterprises. Women, however, have enjoyed relative freedom in their commercial activities.
Some men have long turned to offering up '8.3 money' to escape the workplace and go out to try their hand at doing business.
The term '8.3 Money' is related to a program of limited enterprise autonomy put in place by Kim Jong Il in 1984. As part of the plan, workers are encouraged to earn money outside their state-mandated workplaces and present de facto tax payments back to their employers. Such contributions are not necessarily defined in monetary terms: wild edible greens and valuable medical herbs (some of which fetch a high price in China) can also be contributions, for instance.
“Most of these men run wholesale or transportation of goods, carrying goods for retail dealers using ‘servi-cha.’ Some men under 60, who once sold goods in the jangmadang, have now turned to the transportation business,” he explained.
In the past, trains were almost the only viable means of long-distance transportation in North Korea. Then, as private business began to grow and the railways further deteriorated, vehicles such as trucks and cars belonging to military bases, state security and state enterprises were pushed into service to earn money for moving people, known as the 'servi-cha' industry.
“Even at the beginning of the last year there were many young men selling coal briquettes, salt and other food products [at markets in Pyongsong] but now they’re nowhere to be found," the source said, citing a merchant from Pyongsong, South Pyongan Province.
Women’s relative freedom in doing business has created avenues for men despite to stay in the game, allowing them to team up with a female counterpart in order to evade the new directive, he said, explaining that in these cases, “men take care of transportation and wholesale of goods, while women take care of actual selling of goods. In this way, they can avoid the regulations.”
According to the source, the Kim Jong Un era has seen little control over people’s market activities. As a result, the number of stores has increased in most of the marketplaces in the whole country, vitalizing residents' commercial activities.
The logic behind the freshest regulation is that to the extent that the regime has allowed commercial activities--an autonomous means of living for the people who have been suffering chronic shortages of food--men should devote themselves to their state-ordered workplace.
*Translated by Matt Wie
Vendors fight to the death for right to sell
Choi Song Min | 2015-07-01 09:49
A massive brawl between Ministry of People's Security [MPS] agents and vendors at a marketplace in Musan County last Friday has led to an urgent dispatch of county security and safety agents along with the complete shuttering of the market. The clash occurred after angry vendors tried to resist the confiscation of their goods by market surveillance authorities, Daily NK has learned.
“When the agents who manage the market took away manufactured goods from the vendors, they got upset and started arguing with the agents. Soon other merchants and officials nearby joined in and it ended up turning into a free-for-all between the two groups,” a source in North Hamkyung Province told Daily NK on Sunday.
This incident was corroborated by an additional source in the same province.
"An altercation that started with cursing and fistfights turned into mayhem as crowds watching got agitated and joined in with weapons, resulting in many casualties," he said, noting that armed agents with the State Security Department [SSD] and the MPS from the country were dispatched and after shutting down the market they hauled off everyone everyone involved, including the injured and deceased.
The confrontation occurred unexpectedly and the site was immediately sealed off, making it hard to estimate exactly how many were involved. However, the source said dozens are thought to have been injured on either side.
A witness at the scene described the market as being “jam packed” and thick with an atmosphere of intimidation hanging over what really amounted to a “riot,” he said.
Anger has been brewing among Musan County residents at a level unseen before, as a severe drought that has lasted for several months now has ruined their June potato harvest as well, putting their livelihoods at risk, according to the source. The crackdown on market goods was seen as adding insult to injury and ignited people’s pent-up frustrations, explained the source.
"The market has been closed for two days now until the 27th due to this incident, which is making people’s lives even harder," he explained. "County MPS officials have dispatched local handlers to the region and are holding inminban [people’s unit] meetings to ensure this incident or any groundless rumors surrounding it don’t spread.”
Notably, residents have not raised questions as to why such an incident would have occurred, with many suggesting “something larger needs to happen.” Most agree authorities brought the incident upon themselves by cracking down on people during such difficult times, the source reported.
*The content of this article was broadcast to the North Korean people via Unification Media Group.
*Translated by Matt Wie
Kim Jong Un not impressed that baby turtles died at breeding farm, so he had the manager executed: Reports
Postmedia Network
First posted: Wednesday, July 08, 2015 02:07 PM EDT | Updated: Wednesday, July 08, 2015 02:25 PM EDT
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gives field guidance to the Taedonggang Terrapin Farm in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang on May 19, 2015. (REUTERS/KCNA)
The boss of a state aquarium in North Korea tried to explain that the country's frequent power outages and poor food supplies caused the deaths of several baby turtles, but Kim Jong Un reportedly had none of it.
The tyrant had the man taken outside and executed for his alleged failures, according to a South Korean news site.
Jong Un's visit to the turtle farm -- where the animals are raised for their meat -- made headlines in May because he tore a strip off staff.
State media -- usually full of smiling pictures of the dictator -- published photos of him wagging his finger as he chastised workers for the condition of the breeding tanks.
This week, the DailyNK, a South Korean news site that monitors North Korea, reported Jong Un considered the aquarium chief's excuses "nonsensical complaints."
"The manager was shot and killed," the site reported, citing a source from North Korea's capital.
Alleged nephew of Kim Jong-un's top aide arrested for fraud in S. Korea
2015/07/08 16:26
BUSAN, July 8 (Yonhap) -- A presumed nephew of one of the top aides to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been arrested on charges of committing telephone-based financial scams, police said Wednesday.
Oh Ki-beom, an alleged Korean-Chinese nephew of the North's Workers' Party secretary Choe Ryong-hae, and an accomplice are suspected of stealing money from a 27-year-old woman, identified as Shin. Last month they allegedly tricked her into logging into a fake website while posing as the prosecution office, then obtained her personal information, according to a spokesman for the Busan police.
The police are trying to confirm the media reports that Oh is Choe's nephew.
The two suspects allegedly transferred approximately 39 million won (US $34,000) from Shin's account to a fake bank passbook owned by Lee, identified only as a 47-year-old man.
They lured Lee into lending his account in exchange for a 5 percent commission fee, the spokesman said, adding that Lee, who then was under investigation on charges of providing a fake bank account to another phishing scheme, reported the case to the police.
Oh and his accomplice were arrested through a stakeout near a bank in Seoul.
"In response to the scam methods that are becoming more and more sophisticated and systemized, we are seeking ways to root out phone-based financial fraud," said Kang Sin-myeong, the National Police Agency commissioner, referring to financial crimes carried out through phones, commonly called "voice phishing."
A total of 35,859 voice phishing cases occurred in 2014, compared with 22,351 in 2012, according to government data.
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Kim Jong Un has killed 70 officials: Seoul
AP
July 10, 2015, 5:47 am
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has executed 70 officials since taking power, South Korea says.
Young North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has executed 70 officials since taking power in late 2011 in a "reign of terror" that far exceeds the bloodshed of his dictator father's early rule, South Korean officials say.
South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, at a forum in Seoul, compared Kim Jong Un's 70 executions with those of his late father, Kim Jong Il, who he said executed about 10 officials during his first years in power.
An official from South Korea's National Intelligence Service, who refused to be named, confirmed the spy agency believes the younger Kim has executed about 70 officials but wouldn't reveal how it obtained the information.
Yun also said that the younger Kim's "reign of terror affects significantly" North Koreans working overseas by inspiring them to defect to the South, but he also didn't reveal how he got the details.
North Korea, an authoritarian nation ruled by the Kim family since its founding in 1948, is secretive about its government's inner workings, and information collected by outsiders is often impossible to confirm.
High-level government purges have a long history in North Korea.
To strengthen his power, Kim Jong Un's grandfather, North Korea founder Kim Il Sung, removed pro-Soviet and pro-Chinese factions within the senior leadership in the years after the 1950-53 Korean War.
The high-ranking victims included Pak Hon Yong, formerly the vice chairman of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea and the country's foreign minister, who was executed in 1955 after being accused of spying for the United States.
Kim Jong Un has also removed key members of the old guard through a series of purges since taking over after the death of Kim Jong Il.
The most spectacular purge to date was the 2013 execution of his uncle, Jang Song Thaek, for alleged treason.
Jang was married to Kim Jong Il's sister and was once considered the second most powerful man in North Korea.
South Korea's spy agency said in May that Kim ordered his then-defence chief Hyon Yong Chol executed with an anti-aircraft gun for complaining about the young ruler, talking back to him and sleeping during a meeting.
Experts say Kim could be using fear to solidify his leadership, but those efforts could fail if he doesn't improve the country's shattered economy.
University students find freedom in studio living
Seol Song Ah | 2015-07-16 16:44
University students in North Korea who commonly live in dormitories are now increasingly opting to live in studios set off of relatives’ homes close to campus so they can watch South Korean TV series and movies without constantly being monitored by the state, Daily NK has learned.
“The number of college students living in studios that are furnished with basic household goods is on the rise,” a source from North Pyongan Province informed Daily NK on the 15th. “The facilities in these studios are better and also let the residents avoid clampdowns on South Korean movies, dramas, and CDs used to study foreign languages and cultures.”
Sources in two other provinces confirmed the same trend, but for their safety Daily NK has refrained from disclosing their respective locations.
“College authorities are regulating the usage of mobile phones within campuses and dorms because students usually watch South Korean dramas or movies through these devices,” she said, explaining that students are instead vacating dorms to seek alternative accommodations in a bid to evade crackdowns. These tighter regulations have put a crimp in common student practices of exchanging illicit foreign media via Bluetooth through their mobile phones.
Moreover, studying with any materials not sanctioned by universities-- but available at the markets-- is strictly prohibited. Those found supplementing their curriculum with these unapproved books and discs not only find themselves bereft of the goods in an instant, but also placed on the State Security Department watch list, according to the source.
To understand this recent trend, it should be noted that North Korean university students can largely be categorized into three groups: students who commute from home, those from other areas who live with relatives, and those who live in dorms. Students from other regions are eligible to live in studios if they can prove the space is within the confines of a relative’s home.
Predictably, this has led to students who have no family nearby to pay bribes and receive authorization stating relation to the people with whom they have taken up residence. This approval must come from the relevant district office, Ministry of People’s Security, State Security Department, and university.
With the surge of students looking to live outside the suffocating dorm regulations, more and more families are willing to pose as relatives for these young people, knowing the financial benefits that will inevitably follow their decision.
These faux relatives pay bribes to the relevant offices, a portion of which the students have fronted, and present the young undergrads with the final documents. Students, in turn, head the corresponding university department to receive the final seal of approval--usually coming to the tune of ten packs of cigarettes [10 kg of rice at the markets]-- to make the move, according to the source.
Rent for these studios, equipped with bedding and a stove, usually runs around 75,000 KPW [9.2 USD], or roughly the equivalent of 15kg of rice at the markets. Boarders selecting the meal option pay more, and those looking to cut costs bunk together. The payment period for rent has recently shifted, she added, changing from deferred payment at the month's end to pre-payment at its start.
*The content of this article was broadcast to the North Korean people via Unification Media Group.
*Translated by Jihae Lee
Woman jumps off cliff in protest
Kang Mi Jin | 2015-07-16 15:22
After a Ministry of People’s Security [MPS] agent attempted to extract exorbitant bribes from a woman for something entirely out of her control, a woman in Hyesan, Yangkang Province jumped off a cliff in an act of defiance.
The incident took place right at the end of June, amid large-scale beautification projects throughout Yangkang Province ahead of the 70th anniversary of the Korean Workers’ Party on October 10th. Legions of residents have been mobilized to contribute to these ongoing efforts, forced to perform arduous tasks while literal paths on which their livelihoods hinge disappear before their very eyes.
“Sidewalks have all been removed amid city beautification construction efforts in Hyesan,” a source in the Yangkang Province reported to Daily NK July 16th. “The woman is a rice merchant and as she was dragging her cart on the roadway, due to the fact that there was no sidewalk, an MPS agent approached her.”
This news was corroborated by an additional source in the same province.
The source explained that the squabble quickly escalated after the MPS agent demanded she pay a fee so prohibitive it was clear he expected a bribe, saying he “would get it from her by any means necessary.”
She vehemently refused, declaring, “It’s better to die than live like this,” and then jumped off the adjacent ledge. Fortunately, she survived the fall but sustained significant injuries, including multiple broken ribs and a fractured leg.
Those crowding around the scene were sympathetic to her plight--presumably because it directly reflects their own--according to the source, who said people around the scene all seemed to nod in agreement when she declared, “How am I supposed to live like this?” prior to making the leap.
The MPS agent was seen fleeing the site, but the severity of the victim's injuries have most speculating that it will only be a matter of time before he is caught and forced to face repercussions of some nature for his deplorable actions.
Moreover, given that the incident occurred just before the mourning period for the Suryeong [Kim Il Sung] coupled with the upcoming local elections, tensions are already on overdrive among perpetually anxiety-ridden MPS officials.
“The current climate is one where even the slightest blunder results in cadres being removed from their posts, so it seems that this bribe-hungry MPS agent won’t be safe from meeting the same fate,” he concluded.
*The content of this article was broadcast to the North Korean people via Unification Media Group.
*Translated by Jihae Lee
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