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North Korea Crisis

North Korea’s Kim Admits Failure in Reaching Goals

  • In a rare admission of failure, leader Kim Jong-un acknowledged that North Korea did not meet economic development goals as he opened the country’s first party congress since 2016 (Yonhap)

North Korea to Hold Party Congress

  • The country’s leader, Kim Jong-un, presided over a politburo meeting of the Workers’ Party and decided to hold a party congress in early January, according to state media. The government has said it will unveil an economic development plan at the congress, the first such meeting in four years (Yonhap)

South Korea Bans Sending Leaflets Into North Korea

  • The country’s parliament passed a controversial bill that bans sending anti–North Korea leaflets across their shared border. The move comes six months after Pyongyang threatened to scrap a no-hostility military pact with Seoul over such leaflets (Yonhap)

United States to Hand Over Military Sites to South Korea

  • The United States agreed to hand over twelve military sites it has held since the Korean War to South Korea. Half are in the capital, Seoul. Talks on the sites began in the early 2000s and have been hampered by disagreements, including over who is responsible for environmental cleanup (Yonhap)

North Korean Man Captured After Crossing into South Korea

  • A North Korean man was captured after crossing into South Korea in an apparent bid to defect, South Korean officials said (Yonhap)

North Korea Stirs Concern by Parading Large Missile

  • U.S. and South Korean authorities are analyzing new weapons unveiled by North Korea, including an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The weapon, featured in a military parade on Saturday, is believed to be one of the world’s largest road-mobile missiles, though it is unclear whether it is real or a mock-up (Yonhap)
  • North Korea last tested an ICBM in 2017. That missile, the Hwasong-15, had an estimated range of eight thousand miles, capable of striking the United States. The new missile could carry more fuel and bigger engines, increasing the weapon’s payload (Washington Post)
  • Seoul urged Pyongyang yesterday to abide by its previous disarmament pacts and to resume negotiations. Some experts say North Korea could test the new missile after the U.S. presidential election in November in order to gain leverage in future talks (Associated Press)

North Korea Reportedly Planning on Unveiling New Missile

  • The country could unveil a new missile during a military parade on Saturday celebrating the seventy-fifth anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers’ Party, sources said. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is expected to deliver an address (Yonhap)

North Korea Claims ‘War Deterrent’

  • The country’s ambassador to the United Nations said North Korea has secured a “reliable and effective war deterrent.” His statement comes a month after UN monitors reported the country was continuing its nuclear program. North Korea will now focus on economic development (Reuters)

Kim Jong-un Apologizes for Killing of South Korean Official

  • North Korean leader Kim Jong-un apologized for his military’s killing of a South Korean official at sea, South Korea’s presidential office said. In a notice released by South Korean officials, North Korea detailed its findings about the incident (Yonhap)

South Korea Accuses North Korea of Killing Would-Be Defector

  • South Korea’s defense ministry alleged that North Korea shot, killed, and burned the body of a South Korean official believed to have been trying to defect to the North. South Korean President Moon Jae-in said the incident would not be tolerated (Yonhap)

U.S. Files Forfeiture Complaint Against North Korea–Tied Cryptocurrency Accounts

  • The U.S. Justice Department moved to seize 280 cryptocurrency accounts tied to two hacks in which North Korean entities allegedly stole millions of dollars in cryptocurrency. A day earlier, U.S. authorities warned of North Korean cyberattacks on banks (Yonhap)

North Korea Promises New Economic Plan

  • In a rare move, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un admitted the country’s current economic development plan has failed to deliver on its goals, state media said. Kim promised a replacement plan in January 2021, when experts say he could also unveil new policies toward the United States (Yonhap)

North Korea Dealing With Escalating Coronavirus Outbreak

  • A state news agency said officials ordered aid for the city of Kaesong, which is locked down due to the coronavirus (Yonhap)
  • A report filed to the World Health Organization revealed North Korea has quarantined thousands of people in state facilities after a reported coronavirus case (Associated Press)

UN Report Details Advances in North Korea Nuclear Weapons

  • Several unnamed countries believe North Korea has engineered miniaturized nuclear devices for the warheads of its ballistic missiles, according to a report submitted to the UN Security Council (Reuters)

North Korea Touts Nuclear Weapons

  • Leader Kim Jong-un called North Korea’s nuclear weapons a “reliable, effective” way to prevent future wars, signaling that Pyongyang is unlikely to resume nuclear talks with Washington anytime soon (Associated Press)

North Korea Declares Emergency Over Coronavirus

  • The country implemented a “maximum emergency system” after someone who had previously defected to South Korea returned with coronavirus symptoms, according to state media. North Korea, which has not reported any coronavirus cases, implemented strict measures, including border closures, earlier this year to control the virus (Yonhap)

South Korea Opens Investigation Into Demolition of Inter-Korean Liaison Office

  • Prosecutors in Seoul opened an investigation of Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, for her alleged role in blowing up an inter-Korean liaison office last month (Yonhap)

U.S. Calls for Cooperation Between North, South Korea

  • The United States strongly supports cooperation between North Korea and South Korea, Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun said during a visit to Seoul (Yonhap)
  • Biegun also said the United States is ready to resume nuclear talks with North Korea, though Pyongyang has signaled that it is not interested (Wall Street Journal)

U.S., South Korea Urge Peace on Seventieth Anniversary of Korean War

  • The United States and South Korea urged North Korea to abide by its peace agreements with them today, the seventieth anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War. Their statement came amid heightened tensions between Pyongyang and Seoul (Korea Times)

North Korea Pivots on Anti-Seoul Rhetoric

  • North Korea suspended military plans, removed propaganda loudspeakers from the border, and scrubbed anti-Seoul articles in an abrupt end to weeks of increased hostility toward South Korea. Pyongyang had been incensed by anti–North Korea leaflets sent across the border and destroyed the countries’ joint liaison office last week (Yonhap)

North Korea to Reinstall Loudspeakers Along Border

  • Pyongyang is reinstalling propaganda loudspeakers removed from the country’s border with South Korea in 2018 and has threatened to circulate anti–South Korea leaflets. Seoul is considering bringing back its own speakers in response (Yonhap)

Pyongyang Rejects Seoul’s Overture, Will Redeploy Troops Near Border

  • Pyongyang rejected Seoul’s offer for a meeting between special envoys and said it will deploy troops near the countries’ border as it continues to escalate a dispute over anti–North Korea leaflets. South Korea’s defense ministry warned of consequences if North Korea takes military action (Yonhap)

North Korea Blows Up Office for Liaisons With South Korea

  • North Korea destroyed a joint liaison office in the North Korean border town of Kaesong today in a dramatic escalation in tensions with Seoul over anti-North messages sent from South Korea. North Korean defectors and others have used balloons to send the leaflets across the border, prompting Pyongyang to threaten military action, such as moving troops into demilitarized zones (New York Times)
  • North Korean state media called the destruction of the liaison office, which served as the de facto embassy between the countries since 2018, an act of “enraged people” retaliating against “human scum.” No officials were working in the office, which had been closed due to the coronavirus pandemic (Washington Post).

North Korea Vows to Strengthen Its Military Capabilities

  • Pyongyang pledged to bolster its military capabilities to counter U.S. threats two years after a summit between U.S. President Donald J. Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. North Korea’s foreign minister said the country would never again agree to high-profile meetings with Trump that could be used for political gain (Associated Press)

North Korean Official Threatens U.S. Elections

  • A North Korean official issued a veiled threat to interfere in the U.S. presidential election if Washington “pokes its nose” into Pyongyang’s dispute with Seoul over anti-North Korea leaflets sent across the border (Korea Times)