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North Korea: United Nations human rights report on N.K. this week

U.S. State Department to release human rights report on N.K. this week  WASHINGTON, July 5 (Yonhap) –– The U.S. State Department is expected to submit a report on North Korea’s human rights abuses to Congress this week, and the document is likely to name North Korean leader Kim Jong-un responsible for the situation, a diplomatic source said Tuesday.

Under the North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act enacted in February, the State Department is required to submit a specific report on Pyongyang’s human rights abuses within 120 days of enactment. That deadline passed on June 17.

The department is expected to submit the report this week as it is unable to delay any longer, and the report is expected to mention the North’s leader, the source said on condition of anonymity.

The report can be used as a basis for what would be the first-ever U.S. sanctions on the North over the country’s human rights record. News reports have said that the U.S. is expected to blacklist about 10 North Korean officials. Should Kim be included in the report, he is also expected to be blacklisted……..The U.S. has led the U.N. Security Council to adopt the toughest sanctions ever on Pyongyang while enacting its own unilateral sanctions on the communist nation in the wake of the North’s fourth nuclear test in January and a long-range rocket launch the following month.

Last month, the Treasury Department also designated the North as a “primary money laundering concern,” a powerful sanction designed to cut off the provocative regime from the international banking system for defiantly pursuing nuclear and missile development. http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2016/07/06/52/0200000000AEN20160706000400315F.html

July 6, 2016 Posted by | civil liberties, North Korea | Leave a comment

North Korea reopening plutonium facility?

North Korea Appears To Reopen Plutonium Plant, Nuclear Watchdog Says. Huffington Post,  08/06/2016 VIENNA (Reuters)  The IAEA says the move suggests the country is widening its arms effort.
 – North Korea appears to have reopened a plant to produce plutonium from spent fuel of a reactor central to its atomic weapons drive, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Monday, suggesting the country’s arms effort is widening.

Pyongyang vowed in 2013 to restart all nuclear facilities, including the main reactor at its Yongbyon site that had been shut down and has been at the heart of its weapons program.

It said in September that Yongbyon was operating and that it was working to improve the “quality and quantity” of its nuclear weapons. It has since carried out what is widely believed to have been a nuclear test.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which has no access to NorthKorea and mainly monitors its activities by satellite, said last year it had seen signs of a resumption of activity at Yongbyon, including at the main reactor…….

Little is known about the quantities of weapons-grade uranium or plutonium that North Koreapossesses, or its ability to produce either, though plutonium from spent fuel at Yongbyon is widely believed to have been used in its nuclear bombs.

North Korea has come under tightening international pressure over its nuclear weapons program, including tougher U.N. sanctions adopted in March backed by its lone major ally China, following its most recent nuclear test in January…….http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2016/06/07/north-korea-appears-to-reopen-plutonium-plant-nuclear-watchdog/

June 8, 2016 Posted by | North Korea, weapons and war | Leave a comment

North Korea: Ballistic missile launch fails for the fourth time in recent months, South Korea says

flag-N-Korea North Korea appears to have tried and failed with a fresh ballistic missile launch in violation of existing UN resolutions, South Korea’s Defence Ministry said.

Key points:

  • The fourth recent attempt to launch the North’s medium-range Musudan missile has failed
  • Japan had readied naval destroyers and anti-ballistic missile batteries, media said
  • G7 leaders demanded last week that the North refrain from provocative action

Seoul said the missile test took place at 6:30am AEST on Tuesday near the eastern port city of Wonsan.

“The attempted missile launch … is believed to have failed,” a ministry spokesman said……..http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-31/north-korea-ballistic-missile-launch-fails-south-korea-says/7461280

June 1, 2016 Posted by | North Korea, weapons and war | Leave a comment

N.Korea leader Kim vows nuclear restraint

flag-N-Korea http://www.reuters.com/video/2016/05/08/nkorea-leader-kim-vows-nuclear-restraint?videoId=368407626
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un says his country will not use nuclear weapons unless its sovereignty is infringed by others with nuclear arms and sets a five-year plan to boost the secretive state’s moribund economy. Mana Rabiee reports.  A vow of nuclear restraint from North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un. He said his country will fulfill its obligations for nuclear non-proliferation and said it’s willing to normalize ties with nations that have been hostile to Pyongyang in the past.

He made the comments at a rare ruling party congress that’s still underway. (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) NORTH KOREAN LEADER, KIM JONG UN, SAYING: “As a responsible nuclear weapons state, our Republic will not use a nuclear weapon unless our sovereignty is encroached upon by any aggressive hostile forces with nukes.” Isolated North Korea is being squeezed by U.N. sanctions over its nuclear weapons and ballistics program, and has frequently threatened to attack South Korea and the United States. But it’s made similar statements before about normalizing relations with South Korea with little progress. Kim also set out a blueprint for a five year economic program, but offered few specifics.

May 9, 2016 Posted by | North Korea, weapons and war | Leave a comment

What do we know about North Korea’s nuclear program?

flag-N-KoreaNorth Korea’s nuclear program: What do we know?  Euan McKirdy, CNN 5 May 16 Despite international condemnation, North Korea has ramped up its quest to become a nuclear power, with weapons tests a very visible sign of leader Kim Jong Un’s ambitions.  This year alone has seen at least eight signs of either nuclear tests or delivery methods. Some analysts believe the regime may be gearing up for another nuclear test — its fifth.

How advanced is North Korea’s nuclear program? Each test offers an opportunity to learn from mistakes either in launch capability or the nuclear program.
Joel Wit, a senior fellow at the U.S.-Korea Institute at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, says the regime is pursuing technological developments, both on the nuclear and delivery systems sides.
In terms of developing the nuclear technology, each test gives Pyongyang’s nuclear scientists an opportunity to gain invaluable data that is helping them miniaturize the devices, reduce the amount of nuclear material needed for each bomb, and increase their yield.
They are also developing missiles that can reach targets from South Korea to the U.S., and developing more advanced technology, such as solid fuel rocket engines, larger liquid fuel rockets and submarine-based launches.
The aim, he says, is “first to grow size of nuclear stockpile, and increase the type of delivery systems to ensure second strike capacity.”………..
What are its delivery capabilities?

North Korea’s missile development program began in the 1960s, and by 1971 the country had signed an agreement with China to develop and produce ballistic missiles. It has also partnered with Iran on missile development.
By 1984, according to the Nuclear Threat Initiative, it had developed the Hwasong-5, a homegrown version of the Scud missile.
Since then it has developed or is developing as many as eight delivery vehicles. The submarine-based Bukgeukseong-1, a Polaris-variant, is the latest in development. North Korea is believed to have fired one off the east coast of the Korean peninsula in April.
Its intermediate-range Nodong (also called Rodong) was developed in the late 1980s and successfully test-launched in 1993.
North Korea’s arsenal has weapons which can potentially reach the continental United States. The three-stage, liquid fueled ballistic/space launch missile Kwangmyongsong, also known as the Unha-3 mod or 2 Taepodong-3, has a range of 12,000 km (7,456 miles).
n February, North Korea said it had launched a satellite into space, triggering international condemnation and a strong reaction from an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council.
North Korea says the launch is for scientific and “peaceful purposes,” but it is widely viewed by other nations as a front to test a ballistic missile, especially coming on the heels of North Korea’s purported hydrogen bomb test a month earlier.
In March, Pyongyang announced it had miniaturized its nuclear warheads so they could be fitted to ballistic missiles.http://edition.cnn.com/2016/05/05/asia/north-korea-nuclear-program-advancement/

May 6, 2016 Posted by | North Korea, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Embarrassing failure of North Korea’s latest missile launch

North Korea fails to launch Musudan missile, US defence official says, ABC News, 15 Apr 16  North Korea’s attempt to launch what appears to be a medium-range Musudan missile has failed on the birthday of founding leader Kim Il-sung, a high-profile misstep after Pyongyang claimed a series of breakthroughs in its nuclear weapons program.

Key points:

  • North Korea fails to launch what appears to be a Musudan-class missile
  • Launch failure occurred on the birthday of founding leader Kim Il-Sung
  • Musudan missiles are reported to have a range of up to 4,000 kilometres

There had been widespread intelligence reports in recent days that the North was preparing a first-ever flight test of the Musudan, believed to be capable of striking US bases in the Pacific island of Guam.

The US and South Korean militaries both detected and tracked the early morning test.

“We assess that the launch failed,” a US defence official said, adding that it was “presumably” a Musudan.

The April 15 birthday of Kim Il-sung — the grandfather of current ruler Kim Jong-un — is a major public holiday in North Korea, where key political anniversaries are often marked with displays of military muscle.

A Pentagon spokesman described the attempted launch as a catastrophic failure………

Failed launch heightens possibility of further nuclear tests

South Korean officials and international experts said the failed launch heightened the possibility of North Korea conducting another nuclear test, possibly within weeks.

“North Korea is capable of conducting an additional nuclear test at any time if there is a decision by Kim Jong-un,” said a senior South Korean official involved in national security policies involving the North……. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-15/north-korea-missile-launch-fails/7329968

April 16, 2016 Posted by | North Korea, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Russia Rejects N.Korea’s Claim to Status of Nuclear Power – Lavrov

   http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160412/1037880348/status-korea-nuclear.html#ixzz45eBZxtUV Moscow rejects Pyongyang’s claim to the status of a nuclear power possessing atomic weapons and means of their delivery.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Moscow recognizes North Korea’s right to develop a peaceful nuclear program, but rejects Pyongyang’s claim to the status of a nuclear power possessing atomic weapons and means of their delivery, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.”We are very concerned about the situation on the Korean Peninsula and we consider it necessary to make all possible efforts to prevent the unwinding of a negative spiral, when actions by one side lead to additional counter-action by another side, making it a ‘vicious circle,’ Lavrov said in an interview with Mongolian, Chinese and Japanese media.

“We, as well as China, reject North Korea’s nuclear-missile ambitions,” Lavrov stressed

April 13, 2016 Posted by | North Korea, politics international, Russia | Leave a comment

Video from North Korea depicts Nuclear Strike on Washington

North Korean Propaganda Video Depicts Nuclear Strike on Washington, NYT By CHOE SANG- HUNMARCH 26, 2016 SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea released a propaganda video on Saturday that depicts a nuclear strike on Washington, along with a warning to “American imperialists” not to provoke the North.

The four-minute video clip, titled “Last Chance,” uses computer animation to show what looks like an intercontinental ballistic missile flying through the earth’s atmosphere before slamming into Washington, near what appears to be the Lincoln Memorial. A nuclear explosion follows.

“If the American imperialists provoke us a bit, we will not hesitate to slap them with a pre-emptive nuclear strike,” read the Korean subtitles in the video, which was uploaded to the YouTube channel of D.P.R.K. Today, a North Korean website. “The United States must choose! It’s up to you whether the nation called the United States exists on this planet or not.”

Such remarks are in line with recent threats and assertions from North Korea about its nuclear and missile capabilities………http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/27/world/asia/north-korea-propaganda-video-nuclear-strike.html?_r=0

March 27, 2016 Posted by | North Korea, politics international, weapons and war | 1 Comment

North Korea’s ballistic missiles, and claim to have miniaturized nuclear warhead

missile-risingflag-N-KoreaN. Korea launches ballistic missiles, claims miniaturized nuclear warhead http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2016/03/n-korea-launches-ballistic-missiles-claims-miniaturized-nuclear-warhead/ As if to seal THAAD deal, ballistic missiles flew 500 miles across Korean peninsula. by  – Mar 19, 2016 

Just over a month after successfully putting a satellite into orbit, the government of the  Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) claimed to have successfully built a miniaturized nuclear warhead capable of being placed on ballistic missiles. As if to add emphasis to that message, North Korea’s military has gone on a missile testing binge.

On March 10, North Korea launched two “Scud” tactical ballistic missiles from North Hwanghae Province, the North Korean border region just north of Seoul, toward the Sea of Japan. Then on March 17, the North Korean military test-launched longer-ranged ballistic missiles from South Pyongan Province, near the Yellow Sea, across the Korean peninsula. The missiles flew 500 miles, again landing in the Sea of Japan. The latest launches took place early on Thursday morning local time, 20 minutes apart, according to a statement from the Republic of Korea (South Korea) joint chiefs of staff.

John Grisafi, director of intelligence for North Korean watchdog site NK News, believes the miss
iles launched Thursday were likely the Rodong-1 missile. “It’s beyond any known Scud variant’s range,” he said.

North Korea built the Rodong-1, introduced in 1990, based on Scud designs obtained from Egypt and China, with modifications to increase its range.

Previous launches of North Korean ballistic missiles have come from the east coast of the country toward the sea. Analysts believe that the cross-country missile launches show that the North Korean military is confident in the reliability of their missile systems.

The launches coincided with the joint US-South Korean military exercise Key Resolve, which ends today. Those exercises were accompanied by a threat from North Korea to launch a nuclear strike on New York City and carry out other attacks on the US mainland as well as threatening to invade South Korea “with an ultra-precision blitzkrieg strike of the Korean style.” The nuclear test earlier this year and North Korea’s continued missile tests led the Republic of Korea’s government to officially request the US deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) to South Korea, over China’s objections. Talks on the deployment began March 5. The US military will be in command of THAAD batteries sent to South Korea.

US State Department spokesperson John Kirby said in a prepared statement, “We call again on North Korea to refrain from actions that further raise tensions in the region and focus instead on taking concrete steps toward fulfilling its international commitments and obligations.” He added that the US would continue to “coordinate closely” with South Korea and Japan.

March 19, 2016 Posted by | North Korea, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Further nuclear tests, threats, from North Korea’s Kim Jong-un

flag-N-KoreaNorth Korea’s Kim Jong-un orders further nuclear tests, threatens to turn US, South Korea ‘into ashes’ North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered further nuclear tests, state media says, adding to military tensions on the Korean peninsula., ABC News 11 Mar 16 

Key points:

  • North Korea orders more nuclear tests
  • Pyongyang talking up nuclear capabilities as US, South Korea hold joint military exercises
  • The North carried out a nuclear test in January

Pyongyang has issued daily warnings and statements talking up its nuclear strike capabilities since US and South Korean forces began joint military exercises on Monday.

In one statement, it threatened to turn Seoul and Washington into “flames and ashes”.

Just days after he was photographed posing in front of what state media described as a miniaturised nuclear warhead, Mr Kim said the weapon required further testing.

Overseeing a ballistic missile launch, Mr Kim ordered “more nuclear explosion tests to estimate the destructive power of the newly produced nuclear warheads”, the North’s official KCNA news agency said.

Experts are divided as to just how far the North may have gone in shrinking warheads to a size capable of fitting on a ballistic missile ……..http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-11/north-korean-leader-orders-further-nuclear-tests/7240344

March 12, 2016 Posted by | North Korea, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Kim Jong-un orders nuclear weapons readied for use ‘at any time’

North Korea: flag-N-Korea
Leader reportedly tells military to adopt ‘pre-emptive’ posture after imposition of toughest UN sanctions to date, Guardian, . 4 Mar 16, North Korea should be ready to use nuclear weapons “at any time” in the face of a growing threat from its enemies, leader Kim Jong-un has decreed in a further escalation of tensions on the Korean peninsula.

Kim’s warning, issued via state-controlled media on Friday morning, appeared to be an attempt to put pressure on the international community after the UN security council on Wednesday adopted a raft of new sanctions against the regime in response to its recent nuclear test and rocket launch.

Kim, who was supervising the test-firing of newly developed multiple rocket launchers, said North Korea’s situation had become so perilous that it should have the option of launching a “pre-emptive attack” – a departure from previous claims that the North’s nuclear capability was purely a deterrent.

In an apparent threat to neighbouring South Korea, Kim said the new rocket launchers should be “promptly deployed” along with other new weaponry.

He said the regime’s enemies – notably the US – were threatening North Korea’s survival, the state-controlled KCNA news agency reported……

In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China, North Korea’s closest ally, hoped the UN sanctions would be implemented “comprehensively and seriously”, while harm to ordinary North Korean citizens would be avoided…….

While North Korea is believed to possess a small stockpile of nuclear warheads, most experts say the regime has yet to develop the technology to miniaturise them so they can be mounted on a missile…….. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/04/north-korea-kim-jong-un-orders-country-to-be-ready-to-use-nuclear-weapons-at-any-time

March 4, 2016 Posted by | North Korea, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Pyongyang orders South Koreans out of Kaesong, labels closure of industrial zone ‘declaration of war’

North Korea says it is kicking out all South Koreans from the jointly run Kaesong industrial zone and freezing the assets of companies operating there, calling the South’s move to suspend operations a “declaration of war”…….
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-11/north-korea-says-south-kaesong-withdrawl-declaration-of-war/7161700

 

February 13, 2016 Posted by | North Korea, politics international, South Korea | Leave a comment

North Korea rocket launch: UN Security Council condemns Pyongyang, vows ‘serious consequences’

The UN Security Council has strongly condemned North Korea’s rocket launch, saying it will speed up work on a sanctions resolution “in response to these dangerous and serious violations”.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-08/un-security-council-condemns-north-korea-missile-launch/7147354

February 10, 2016 Posted by | North Korea, weapons and war | Leave a comment

N. Korea Offers to Halt Nuclear Tests in Exchange for Peace Treaty

N. Korea Offers to Halt Nuclear Tests in Exchange for Peace Treaty  VOA NewsJanuary 16, 2016

North Korea says it will stop conducting nuclear tests in exchange for a peace treaty with the United States and an end to joint military exercises between Washington and Seoul.

The proposal, published in North Korea’s state media late Friday, is similar to previous offers by Pyongyang that have been quickly rejected by the U.S. and South Korea……..

Earlier this week, the U.S. Congress passed legislation that seeks to deny the Pyongyang government the hard currency it needs for its nuclear weapons program by imposing stronger sanctions. http://www.voanews.com/content/north-korea-offers-to-halt-nuclear-tests-in-exchange-for-peace-treaty/3148838.html

January 18, 2016 Posted by | North Korea, politics international | Leave a comment

Simulated pre-emptive nuclear strike on North Korea in the planning?

exclamation-Flag-USAflag-S-KoreaUS and South Korea plan simulated nuclear strike on North Korea http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/12099482/US-and-South-Korea-plan-simulated-nuclear-strike-on-North-Korea.htmlUpdated plans would help them prepare their defenses against a potential nuclear strike from Pyongyang By Julian Ryall, Tokyo.  14 Jan 2016

 South Korea and the US are considering a military exercise that would simulate a pre-emptive strike against North Korea’s nuclear weapons capabilities.

In November, the two governments agreed upon an updated set of plans to defend South Korea from missile, nuclear, chemical and biological threats. Known as the 4D Operational Concept, the plans are designed to detect, disrupt, destroy and defend the South from threats posed by the North.

The additional capability would be on top of the military hardware that South Korea has asked its closest security partner to provide.

In the wake of Pyongyang’s fourth underground nuclear test on January 6, however, Seoul and Washington are examining the possibility of conducting manoeuvers to extend the reach of the plan, the Chosun Ilbo reported on Thursday. The two countries are discussing ways to reflect parts of the 4D concept during the joint annual exercises in March and then to develop it as a full scale operational system”, an official of the defence ministry in Seoul told the newspaper.

Analysts say the two governments – along with others in the region – will have drawn up contingency plans for a number of possible scenarios on the Korean peninsula, including indications of an imminent nuclear strike, an invasion of the South with conventional forces or the collapse of Kim Jong-un’s regime.

One situation that military planners are particularly concerned about would be the current regime imploding but a number of factions – potentially armed with nuclear or other non-conventional weapons – jostling for power.

“North Korean assets that are capable of waging nuclear war will obviously be of the highest priority”, Lance Gatling, a defence analyst and president of Nexial Research Inc., told the Telegraph.

“These will be the mobile launch tractors that the North has for its tactical medium-range ballistic missiles, which can reach targets in South Korea and Japan”, he said.

“They will also be targeting the openings to underground facilities where weapons are stored in preparation for launch, although it can be very difficult to find all these sites”.

The US has said it will “not accept North Korea as a nuclear armed state”.

Pyongyang has in the past condemned joint US-South Korean military exercises as provocation and preparations for an invasion of the North. It is likely to react angrily to suggestions that its perceived enemies are preparing a first-strike capability.

January 15, 2016 Posted by | North Korea, politics international, South Korea, USA, weapons and war | Leave a comment

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