North Korea has so far refused to accept millions of doses of Covid-19 vaccine proposed in the COVAX global distribution programme, as it had claimed to be coronavirus-free, with strict border controls in place over the past two years against the pandemic
The outbreak forced leader Kim Jong Un to wear a mask in public likely for the first time since the start of the pandemic, but the scale of transmissions inside North Korea wasn't immediately known. A failure to slow infections could have serious consequences because the country has a poor health care system and its 26 million people are believed to be mostly unvaccinated. Some experts say the North, by its rare admission of an outbreak, may be seeking outside aid.
During a military parade last month, the North showcased a set of SLBMs, including a "mini-SLBM" that it claimed to have successfully test-fired from a submarine in October last year.
Pyongyang conducted nearly a dozen rounds of missile launches over the cited period, including seven rounds in January that marked the largest number of missile tests it has undertaken in a single month
Pakistan's former President Pervez Musharraf admitted that Khan had given North Korea centrifuges for enriching uranium for nuclear weapons.
The North lobbed what appears to be a medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) into the East Sea on March in its ninth show of force this year alone, the South's military said.
On Saturday, South Korea's presidential National Security Council convened an emergency meeting and condemned the North's missile launch, calling for Pyongyang to halt acts that raise tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
"The North's recent series of ballistic missile launches are a significant threat to not only the international community but also peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," the JCS said in a press statement.
The Hwasong-12 missile is "being deployed," the report added, saying North Korea has "confirmed the accuracy, security and effectiveness of the operation" of the weapon system under production.
The launch came amid expectations the North could refrain from major strategic provocations that could undermine the mood for peace in the lead-up to the Beijing Winter Olympics slated for next month.
The conference took place as North Korea has been continuing to elevate Kim's political status ahead of the 10th anniversary of Kim Jong-un's leadership.
North Korea has long been accused of grave human rights abuses, ranging from holding hundreds of thousands of political prisoners in concentration camps to committing torture and carrying out public executions.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken vowed efforts to end what he called "structural, systematic and deeply entrenched" challenges to religious freedom, also calling on the international community to do the same.
Citing a report from US-based tabloid "Globe", some news outlets here said Kim Yo-jong staged a coup between May 6 and June 5, and removed Kim Jong-un from the post.
North Korea fired an SLBM from the vicinity of Sinpo, where its main submarine shipyard is located. It marked the North's eighth known major missile test this year.
The latest missile launch also comes as the North has signalled a willingness to improve ties with the South in recent weeks on the condition that Seoul drops its "double standards" of denouncing the North's "defensive" weapons tests while justifying its own arms build-up.
North Korea slammed South Korea for pushing ahead with the planned military drills with the US on Wednesday
Seoul: North Korea does not plan to take part in this year’s Tokyo Olympic Games because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a media report. Pyongyang’s Olympic Committee made the…
Seoul: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s wife Ri Sol-ju has made her appearance in public for the first time in more than a year as she attended a concert commemorating the birthday of late leader Kim Jong-il, state media reported on Wednesday. Ri Sol-ju was last seen in January last year when she attended a […]
Seoul: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has vowed to further improve social system and foreign relations at the ongoing party congress, a state media report said on Friday. In the report, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said that Kim suggested practical ways to give full play to the advantages of the country’s social […]
Seoul: North Korea displayed a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and other weapons during a massive military parade to mark the 75th founding anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party, state-media reported on Sunday. Besides the night-time parade on Saturday, there was also fireworks display, a car parade and other celebratory events to mark the occassion, Pyongyang’s […]
Seoul: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un convened an emergency meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party and adopted a “maximum emergency system” against the COVID-19 pandemic after a defector returned from South Korea with symptoms of the virus, state media reported on Sunday. During the meeting held on Saturday, Kim also said he took “the pre-emptive […]
Seoul: North Korea’s handling of nuclear materials remains the worst in the world, a non-profit group said on Thursday. According to the report by the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), a Washington-based group working to curb the threat of nuclear terrorism and accidents, North Korea ranked the last among the 22 countries reviewed in terms of […]
Pyongyang: A military meeting in North Korea has decided to suspend the military action plans against South Korea, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said on Wednesday. The KCNA reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presided over the preliminary meeting for the fifth meeting of the Seventh Central Military Commission of the Workers’ […]
Pyongyang: North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un made his first public appearance in three weeks on Sunday to take part in a ceremony marking what would have been the 78th birthday of his late father Kim Jong-il. Kim paid tribute to his predecessor at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in the capital Pyongyang. After his […]
Pyongyang: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has said that his country would soon introduce a “new strategic weapon” in the near future, adding that he sees little reason to stick to his country’s suspension of nuclear and long-range missile tests, he had put in place during talks with the US. Talks between North Korea and […]
Seoul: North Korea said on Sunday that it has conducted a “very important test” at its western satellite launching site, saying the successful testing will play a key role in changing the country’s “strategic position” in the near future. The North did not say what was tested on Saturday. But South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of […]
Seoul: North Korea on Wednesday carried out the test launch of several short-range projectiles, one of which fell within waters belonging to Japan’s exclusive economic zone, according to sources in Seoul and Tokyo. The projectiles, which the Japanese government said may have been ballistic missiles, were fired off from the eastern city of Wonsan, according […]
Pyongyang: North Korea on Tuesday launched two unidentified projectiles from South Pyongan Province toward the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. “Our military is observing the situation and maintaining readiness,” CNN reported citing a JCS statement. Meanwhile, a senior US administration official said the […]
Pyongyang/Seoul: North Korea on Sunday said that it successfully tested a “new” super-large multiple rocket launch system the previous day under the guidance of leader Kim Jong-un. Kim “guided the test-fire of newly developed super-large multiple rocket launcher on Saturday”, Pyongyang’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in a report. “The test-fire proved that […]
Seoul/Pyongyang: North Korea said on Saturday that it has tested a “new weapon” under the guidance of its leader, Kim Jong-un, in the launch of two projectiles the previous day, the media reported. Kim “guided the test-fire of (a) new weapon again on Friday morning”, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. “The national […]
Pyongyang: North Korea has fired two unidentified missiles, its fourth such launch in less than two weeks, South Korea’s military has said. They were fired from South Hwanghae province across the peninsula into the sea to the east, a statement said, the BBC reported on Tuesday. The US said it was monitoring the situation and […]
Pyongyang: Chinese President Xi Jinping, in an op-ed published in an official North Korean newspaper on Wednesday, said his upcoming visit to Pyongyang will help achieve progress in the negotiations on the Korean Peninsula’s denuclearization issue. Xi’s opinion piece was published in Rodong Sinmun ahead of his visit on Thursday, reports Efe news. The two-day […]
Seoul: The UN said on Monday that North Korea was facing an acute food shortage and the country was in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. David Beasley, the head of the UN World Food Programme (WFP), appealed for donations to resolve the crisis and vowed that he would ensure that the aid reaches the people […]
Washington: A new satellite image obtained by CNN has showed the smoke trail of a rocket launch by North Korea on May 4 that is likely a short-range missile, according to the group that analysed the picture. “The location of the launch, the thick, smoky appearance of the exhaust and the fact that there is only […]
Seoul: The leader of North Korea returned to Pyongyang following his “successful and historic” summit with the President of Russia, state media reported on Saturday. Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin met in the Russian city of Vladivostok on Thursday in what was the first ever summit between the two leaders. Kim arrived back in the […]
Washington: US President Donald Trump and his South Korean counterpart, Moon Jae-in, will meet for a summit on April 11 here amid uncertainty over the future of nuclear negotiations with North Korea, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said. Moon and Trump will “discuss the latest developments regarding North Korea as well as bilateral matters”, […]
Beijing:North Korean leader Kim Jong-un returned home on Wednesday from Beijing by train, concluding a surprise visit that sparked expectation of a second summit with the US on denuclearising the Korean Peninsula. Kim’s armoured train departed from Beijing at 2.08 p.m., according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency. The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not confirm […]
New Delhi: By concluding the S-400 Triumf long-range surface-to-air missile system deal with Russia in the face of Washington’s sanctions on Moscow, India reasserted its independence on foreign policy in adherence with New Delhi stated stand that its ties with one country are free of that with a third country. After the signing of the […]
Pyonyang: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has agreed to shut down one of his main missile testing and launch sites, said South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday. Kim agreed to take additional steps for denuclearisation, in an apparent gesture to restart the stalled talks with the US, Yonhap news agency reported. The agreement came […]
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