North Korea Watch 2013-2019

reply to post by bekod


I'm watching my two biggest sources of NK daily, but nothing earth shattering worth posting i'm afraid. I enjoy your posts as a light read. So far no indications that anything is happening soon.

However, given the very low budget parade for the festival one would presume they are saving resources for an upcoming war, well that's my pick.

Tourist keep on coming, the embassy's are still open so for now all is well. Loving your posts though!

reply to post by bekod


Btw this is funny, your post about NK rejects...

Look what's up RT

23/04/13 US rejects N. Korea’s demands to be recognized as a nuclear arms state
rt.com...

"North Korea's demand to be recognized as a nuclear weapons state is neither realistic nor acceptable,” US Assistant Secretary for International Security and Nonproliferation Thomas Countryman told Reuters in Geneva. One of the main conditions laid out by the US for lifting sanctions is Pyongyang’s renouncement of its nuclear ambitions.

reply to post by HomoSapiensSapiens

It's even stranger when you consider that they didn't have their normal parade for 'the day of the sun' either. I wonder what their aim with that is? It maybe just might be their attempt at dialing down the rhetoric, but I'm not holding my breath on that.
And good work keeping the updates coming Bekod.

Just a side note, i'd like to thank bekod and everyone else who
has been keeping this thread updated.

With my medical issues going on, i dont have the time or ability
to keep digging all the time and looking up the latest info and news,
it is great that you guys that have dedicated your time to keep this thread
updated.

Thank you all.

well thank you all for them thank yous i will keep them coming as they come in to points before i get to the DPRK rederick and updates
one the reason there are no parades is that they might have the gas or oil, [I think in a post there is a link that deals with this saying DPRK could be running on fumes] see if i can find that,

the other is they have no one left they are out in the fields doing drills planting and harvesting, they have no strength left[ you can not have a starving person do formations, that and to see how weak they are would be a plus for SK and the US, lob a few MRS over there and we have one with out firing a shot.] that's my 2 cents on that now for the DPRK laugh of the day from rodong yes they are back up, for now

Apr. 23, Juche 102 (2013) Tuesday

We Need a Clear-cut Answer



The United States and its followers have suggested "dialogue" with many strings attached to our Republic just for effect of its noisy advertisement about its peace efforts, a nasty campaign to hoodwink the world public.

Their claim for "dialogue" lacks in detailed proposals, and we found no apology made for all their war gambles and nuclear blackmail against our Republic.

If they are really interested in dialogue, they must reflect upon themselves first and stop saying anything that may hurt our feelings. Their dialogue proposal is nothing but a trick to accuse us of being guilty.

The Policy Department of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK in its statement answering the U.S. "proposal of dialogue" asked the U.S. and its followers to immediately stop all provocative acts against us and apologize for all such acts, and take measure to retract the UNSC's "resolutions on sanctions" cooked up under absurd pretexts. And we also demanded that they should give us a formal guarantee not to stage any nuclear war exercises that may be a threat to us and make decision to take away all their nuclear war tools and not to bring them again to south Korea and its vicinity.

When we sit for dialogue with the U.S., that must be one between two nuclear powers, instead of a dialogue of one compelling the other to abandon its nukes.

We know the U.S. intention is to disarm us through dialogue and deal a preemptive attack then.

The U.S. is to blame for the ugly situation created in the Korean Peninsula, and it will be its wishful thinking that it could deceive the world public and disarm us.

The U.S. should take realistic measures to satisfy our just demand. That alone will convince the world whether the U.S. truly works for dialogue or not.

Jo Thaek Bom

not so short but i thought why not, well Un it does go to ways you put up your toys and we will be putting up ours on th e30th anyway but you first give big bro China your nukes and we will talk , it would be nice if it was that easy, ok posting this back soon with more

see I'm back and before some yells why don't we give them food , this is on the table english.yonhapnews.co.kr... from the link

2013/04/24 05:51 KST
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U.S. gov't says food aid for N. Korea possible if distribution transparent
By Lee Chi-dong
WASHINGTON, April 23 (Yonhap) -- The U.S. government clearly said Tuesday it could weigh food assistance to North Korea as long as transparency of distribution is guaranteed.

"In terms of food aid, we've long said that we have no ill will toward the North Korean people," State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said at a press briefing.

up to you Un will it be food or starvation? your call.
here is Yonhap news updates lots there DPRK can put a nuke on missile to hit SK ,China oil aid to DPRK up 8+% in march, tensions halt NK aid for the people, here is the link english.yonhapnews.co.kr... top story nukes could hit SK did they read a post of mine?? nah... and no I am not EPSed, just can see the obvious ok going to post this in full it is worth reading

2013/04/24 13:45 KST
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N. Korea can make nuke-tipped missiles able to hit S. Korea: expert
SEOUL, April 24 (Yonhap) -- North Korea probably posses the ability to mount nuclear warheads on missiles that can hit all of South Korea, a local military analyst said Wednesday.

Ham Hyung-pil, a senior researcher at state-run Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA), said at a academic gathering hosted by the Institute for Peace and Unification Studies in Seoul, that Pyongyang may have developed the knowhow to place a nuclear weapon on its Rodong missiles.

The Rodong, already operational with the communist country's rocket forces, is derived from the Soviet Scud series of missiles and has a maximum range of 1,300-1,500 kilometers, which is sufficient to strike any place in South Korea and parts of Japan. Its max warhead payload of around 1 ton is also larger than those found on the Hwasong and KN-02 type missiles. A heavier payload means less work needed to miniaturize the nuclear warhead.

"The North detonated its third nuclear device in February, and taking into account that it conducted more than 100 high-explosive tests since the 1980s, it probably has acquired the technology to miniaturize its nuclear arsenal to fit on a missile," the researcher said. High explosive tests are needed to check the trigger mechanism of nuclear weapons.

He speculated that judging by the lapse of time, the North not only can make its nukes lighter and smaller, but they may be in the process of actually deploying nuclear warheads on its missiles.

Many international arms experts have said Pyongyang probably has fissile material to make 8-10 atomic weapons.

The KIDA researcher said that while Seoul warned it can launch pre-emptive strikes against North Korean missiles, and is setting up a so-called kill chain -- using all of its intelligence assets and detection capabilities to quickly find and eliminate threats -- the lack of its own nuclear deterrence means the country will have to rely more on the protection provided by the United States.

Related to the speculations made by Ham, David Albright at the U.S.-based Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) said in February, that the North most likely possesses nuclear-deliverable weapons, although there is no concrete evidence to support this view.

He said in a article published on 38 North, a Website that aims to provide informed analysis on North Korea, that the U.S. intelligence community has for some time given the North credit for mounting nuclear warheads on the Rodong, although not on intercontinental ballistic missiles able to reach the United States.

[email protected]
(END)

38 north , well that figures i deleted that from my book mark's , nothing new sense last Feb, well off to find that page and here it is 38north.org...

Lets see how many nations are against Un and the DPRK goons for having nukes, SK US China Japan and then add NATO, 28 in NATO alone, that is[ if my math is right] 32 against one?/ Un do you need some white flags ? I am sure NASCAR could send you some, wait dose Rod Man even know what NASCAR is ?? ok so that is more than 2 cents worth, here is link www3.nhk.or.jp... in full it is short

NATO foreign ministers condemn N. Korea

Foreign ministers from NATO countries have demanded North Korea to give up its nuclear and missile development.

The ministers of the 28 NATO members met in Brussels on Tuesday and issued a statement condemning the North's provocative actions in the strongest possible terms.

The statement said North Korea's behavior is in direct violation of UN Security Council resolutions and seriously undermines regional stability.

It urged the North to refrain from further provocations and abandon all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear and ballistic missile programs in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner.

The foreign ministers also discussed Syria. They said NATO has no intention to intervene in the civil war, but agreed to stay on alert in case the fighting spills over to neighboring Turkey, a NATO member, and other countries in the region.

Apr. 24, 2013 - Updated 02:36 UTC

yea i know NATO has no power as of yet in the Pacific, but that might change let's say Russia joins NATO then yes NK er Un would be a NATO problem , would Russia join NATO??? that is an other topic, but might be worth looking in to

ok one last update for tonight it is a long read so i will make this one a shorty, linky english.yonhapnews.co.kr...

2013/04/24 14:09 KST
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(LEAD) S. Korea fails to win U.S. nod for nuclear enrichment
SEOUL, April 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korea said Wednesday that it has failed to win U.S. permission to enrich uranium and reprocess spent nuclear fuel in negotiations aimed at renewing a bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement.

Instead, the allies agreed to extend the current agreement by two more years until March 2016, said a senior official at Seoul's foreign ministry who is privy to the highly sensitive talks with the U.S., following the latest round of negotiations in Washington last week.

"The two sides agreed to extend the current nuclear cooperation agreement by two years to avoid a lapse in the agreement, and the next round of the talks will be held in June," the official said on condition of anonymity.

go to link to read it in full, Un can come out from under his bed , SK will not be making nukes to drop on his head er down his shorts, US will do it if China says ok , and that is if Un uses his first.

N.Korea Builds Barricades on Border with South - Media

en.rian.ru...

China’s Beijing TV showed footage of North Korean servicemen building structures from logs, stones and concrete. The report said the barricades were possibly intended to hold South Korea’s tanks and other military vehicles in case of a war.
The report suggested that the country’s leadership might be preparing for a military conflict.

freebeacon.com...

Interesting article. Also, at the very bottom of the article, some pics of NK bombers. Don't get to see much from inside NK, so it's worth noting.

4/24/13 Chinese leaders working on persuading North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program, US Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff says - @Reuters
uk.reuters.com...

Reuters) - The top U.S. military officer said on Wednesday Chinese leaders had assured him that they were working on persuading North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons programme. China is North Korea's main diplomatic and financial backer and fought alongside the North in the 1950-53 Korean War. It has always been reluctant to apply pressure on the North, fearing a flood of refugees into China if North Korea were to collapse. But in recent months, China has begun to express impatience with North Korea and its threats of nuclear war, and with its 30-year-old leader, Kim Jong-un, grandson of state founder Kim Il-Sung. "I will leave here with the belief that the Chinese leadership is as concerned as we are with North Korea's march toward nuclearisation and ballistic missile technology, and they have given us an assurance that they are working on it, as we are," U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey told reporters on the last day of a trip to China.

I consider this good news where there isn't much to be found. Doesn't mean their gonna listen, but it's still a step in the right direction.

24/04/13 Top diplomats of S. Korea, China to set up hotline amid N. Korea tensions
english.yonhapnews.co.kr...

BEIJING, April 24 (Yonhap) -- Top diplomats of South Korea and China agreed Wednesday to open a 24-hour hotline for prompt policy consultations on North Korea, as Pyongyang's top general renewed calls for more production of "miniaturized" nuclear weapons and missiles to carry them.

The hotline, agreed on between visiting South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, underscored deepening cooperation between the two countries which once fought against each other. China fought alongside North Korea in the 1950-53 Korean War.

Once again,

Hats off to the fellow ATSers who keep posting updates

Rolling pins shaken to those who keep saying "nothing is going to happen."

2013 will indeed prove an interesting time about North Korea.

Can't wait to see what the official response is to this proposal:

South Korea wants talks with North on shuttered industrial zone

SEOUL, April 25 (Reuters) - South Korea said on Thursday it was proposing formal talks with North Korea to discuss restarting work at a joint factory zone located just north of the rivals' heavily armed border which has been suspended since early April amid security tensions.

North Korea has denied South Korean workers and supplies entry to the industrial zone located a few miles inside the border accusing Seoul of using the joint project to insult its leadership. About 180 South Korean workers remain in the area and are believed to be running out of food and supplies.

www.trust.org...

we have word form the Un fest, yes it is the DPRK and thye have little to say from Yonhap news english.yonhapnews.co.kr... it is short news lead, so for your reading pleasure it is here in full, not much else going on

2013/04/25 10:39 KST
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NORTH KOREA NEWSLETTER NO. 259 (April 25, 2013)
*** CHRONOLOGICAL REVIEW

SEOUL (Yonhap) -- The following is a chronological review of major developments related to North Korea from April 18-24, 2013.


April
18 A spokesman for the North's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea (CPRK) declares there will be neither dialogue nor improved relations between the north and the south as long as South Korea persists in such hostile acts, such as enforcing sanctions against the North Korea.

yes well what else is new? reminds me of of of of of a broken record, stuck on the same same same same track, KCNA still not linking up rodong is and here is the laugh for the day, more whining than anything

Apr. 22, Juche 102 (2013) Monday

South Headquarters of Pomminryon Calls for Staging Dynamic March for Reunification



The South Headquarters of the Pan-national Alliance for Korea's Reunification (Pomminryon) issued a statement on April 18 to mark the 65th anniversary of the April Joint Conference of Representatives of Political Parties and Public Organizations in North and South Korea.

The statement said:

The joint conference held in Pyongyang in April 1948 was a nation-wide great action for reunification which declared before the whole world that the only way out for the Korean nation is to oppose the separatists' "separate elections and separate government", make the foreign troops pull out of south Korea and set up an independent and reunified state.

The spirit of the joint conference is enshrined in the spirit of the great national unity clarified in the July 4 south-north joint statement and the spirit of "By our nation itself".

The situation on the Korean Peninsula has reached the worst phase of a war since the June 25 Korean War owing to the U.S.-masterminded UN "resolution on sanctions" against the north over its satellite launch for peaceful purposes and the nuclear war drills which lasted for two months.

In other development, the U.S. and the south Korean authorities are busy with a hypocritical dialogue offensive, putting forth the north's denuclearization as a precondition.

If they truly want dialogue with the north, they should, first of all, stop nuclear war drills and rescind the UN "resolutions on sanctions" and hostile policy.

The statement underline the need to stage actions to the last to foil the war moves of the U.S. and the anti-reunification forces and force the U.S. troops out of this land this year marking the 60th anniversary of the conclusion of the Armistice Agreement.

It called for frustrating the anti-reunification forces' moves to perpetuate the division of the nation and staging a dynamic nation-wide grand march for reunification under the uplifted banner of the June 15 joint declaration.

Rodong Sinmun

yes it is from that link that will not show it self but here it is any way www.rodong.rep.kp... wonder if they are going to do something rod blokes being built as an above post states, and then as sen here if yo have skimmed over the article

It called for frustrating the anti-reunification forces' moves to perpetuate the division of the nation and staging a dynamic nation-wide grand march for reunification under the uplifted banner of the June 15 joint declaration.

No that is not a parade their talking, this one is to the drum beat of war, to put it bluntly they might be really up set now. Speaking of being up set , seems old Abe aka Come back kid is making waves in Japan SK relations www.koreaherald.com... could this be a monkey wrench being thrown into the SK US Japan talks? not that long of a read, so it is in full

[Newsmaker] Comeback kid rattles Korea-Japan ties again



Published : 2013-04-24 20:23
Updated : 2013-04-24 22:21
When Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party swept an election last December, an alarm bell rang in Seoul about its chief Shinzo Abe’s perceived desire to veer the depression-riddled country toward the right and revive revisionism.

The concerns seem to be turning into reality as the prime minister’s far-right clan relays worship at a controversial war shrine and remarks denying the country’s imperialist past.

Shinzo Abe (Yonhap News)
At a parliamentary session Tuesday, Abe said the definition of invasion varies wildly by country, apparently legitimizing his country’s colonization of the Korean Peninsula in 1910-45 and incursion into China during World War II.

The remarks came one day after Seoul’s Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se called off his planned trip to Tokyo in protest against a visit to Yasukuni Shrine by some of Abe’s closest confidants such as Deputy Premier and Finance Minister Taro Aso.

The temple venerates Japanese war dead including World War II leaders responsible for massacres, sex slavery, forced labor and other atrocities.

The ongoing series of inflammatory moves incapacitate earlier forecasts ― or hopes ― that Abe would refrain from flaunting his nationalist credentials in light of the LDP’s partnership with the center-right New Komeito Party, which is crucial in clinching a supermajority in the upper house through the July election.

With his approval rating hovering well above 70 percent, officials and experts here now fret that Abe will speed up other controversial projects such as an amendment of Japan’s pacifist constitution and expansion of Self Defense Forces operations.

They will further dampen President Park Geun-hye’s drive to trounce historical and territorial brawls and forge a more constructive relationship with Tokyo.

But the tide may turn against Japan’s favor. For one thing, Park was the first Korean president to pick China as her second overseas destination, following her U.S. tour in May, which diplomatic sources said quite irked Abe amid the two countries’ reescalating tension in the East China Sea.

By Shin Hyon-hee ([email protected])

well there is your reading pleasure for now, till an other one comes up.

reply to post by Curio
reminds me of WW2 German me 262's old and out dated, nothing a f18 or a F35 , could not take care of , F22 , na to easy of a target for them F22's, but then all of Un's er DPRK air craft would be easy picking for the F22, come to think of it everything we have is no fair to Un, everything he has is out gunned. speak of the devil, this might be why no word out of Un it is their 81st, will it be their last? www3.nhk.or.jp... form the link

N.Korea celebrates 81st military anniversary

The head of North Korea's army has called for public loyalty to the country's leader Kim Jong Un.

North Korea is celebrating the 81st anniversary of the foundation of the Korean People's Army on Thursday.

Senior military officials visited the Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery in Pyongyang on Wednesday. Women wearing traditional dresses staged a dance performance in a central square in the capital.

Speaking at a commemorative rally, the chief of the general staff of the Korean People's Army, Hyon Yong Chol, pledged to accelerate the army's nuclear and missile development. He said North Korea should develop a larger number of compact precision nuclear weapons, as well as transport systems and other advanced equipment.
The North Korean Workers' Party's official newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, appears to be trying to give people the impression that the government is close to settling its showdown with the United States.

The paper says gun salutes have already been fired in the minds of North Koreans to celebrate their victory.
North Korea is still poised to carry out its plan to launch ballistic missiles.

Attention is now focused on what sort of stance the North will take toward the United States and South Korea while maneuvering toward resuming dialogue.

Apr. 24, 2013 - Updated 18:43 UTC

yea well keep thing in your minds you can win , you should be thinking of.... well we all know so i wont say it, but here is clue rhyme's with pride, but starts with S and ends with side

Steve Herman ‏@W7VOA 2h
MoU translates its ultimatum with vow to take "significant measures" if no #DPRK response on Kaesong by 1200 KST Friday.

Steve Herman ‏@W7VOA 2h
That's likely to be an order to the ~175 S. Koreans remaining at #Kaesong to return home.

I agree, most likely they will pull out the workers and then Kaesong is history. Also I don't think the DPRK will answer or negotiate on one of their biggest holidays which is today. This might even further aggravate the DPRK, especially because ROK set an ultimatum THREATENING the DPRK with 'significant measures'.

In around 20h we shall see what happens

some things have come up here they are english.yonhapnews.co.kr... from the link

PM opposes U.S. tactical nuke weapons redeployment
SEOUL, April 25 (Yonhap) -- South Korean Prime Minister Chung Hong-won voiced opposition Thursday to ideas of redeploying U.S. tactical nuclear weapons here to deter North Korea's nuclear ambitions. Full story

N. Korea uses armed forces day to prop up ruling family
SEOUL, April 25 (Yonhap) -- North Korea on Thursday used the 81st anniversary of the founding of its armed forces to prop up the ruling family and highlight the importance of nuclear weapons. Full story

Seoul offers talks with N. Korea on Kaesong stalemate
SEOUL, April 25 (Yonhap) -- South Korea on Thursday extended an offer to hold government-level talks with North Korea over the joint industrial complex that has been idle since early this month amid heightened inter-Korean tensions. Full story

N. Korea aims to develop resource-rich Tanchon
SEOUL, April 25 (Yonhap) -- North Korea is scurrying to develop the resources-rich city of Tanchon on the east coast as part of the country's efforts to make it a source of foreign currency income, recent news reports from the North showed. Full story

well there they , an 4 for you to read if your so inclined to do so, off to bed I go, till tomorrow, night all.

reply to post by bekod


Deploying tactical nukes to SK won't happen, has to be a scare tactic to NK... That'd tick off China to no end.


From an article linked a few posts up....this is kind of counter-productive, no? But, it does seem to confirm that they don't have these weaponized yet. Same article about the NK / China hotline.

In Pyongyang, Hyon Yong-chol, the chief of the North's army general staff, said his country "should produce more powerful armament equipment, including accurate and miniaturized nuclear weapons and delivery system," referring to ballistic missiles, according to the North's state media.

Hyon also renewed threats that his country's strategic rockets are on standby to strike any time the U.S. mainland and its military bases in the Pacific, including Hawaii and Guam. Hyon made the comments on the eve of the anniversary of the founding of the country's armed forces.

reply to post by bekod


I'm glad South Korea's Prime Minister scoffed at the idea of the U.S. deploying tactical nukes in the theater. How ironic is that? North Korea, you cannot have nukes so were going to sanction you and deploy our own nukes to make sure you comply!