North Korea Watch 2013-2019

well DPRK better stock up on peanuts! Jimmy Carter is to go there or plans on going english.yonhapnews.co.kr... talk about a slow news day well form the link, in short

2013/05/02 04:43 KST
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Jimmy Carter seeking trip to N. Korea: sources
By Lee Chi-dong
WASHINGTON, May 1 (Yonhap) -- Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter may soon travel to North Korea as part of his efforts, not always fruitful, to broker the resumption of dialogue and win the release of a Korean-American man detained there, diplomatic sources said Wednesday.

But the South Korean and U.S. governments apparently take a dim view of Carter's possible trip to North Korea out of concern that the communist nation may try to exploit it for propaganda purposes.

Carter recently sent a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry, calling for talks with North Korea and expressing his intent to visit Pyongyang again, a source said, requesting anonymity.

"North Korea appears to have invited him to visit," the source said.

If Carter makes a trip to Pyongyang, he is expected to use it as a chance to request the release of Kenneth Bae, a tour operator held in the North for nearly half a year, according to another source.

Efforts to free him have taken further urgency following Pyongyang's announcement last week he would stand trial on unspecified charges of crimes against the state.

The State Department would not talk openly about Carter's possible visit to the North.

Carter doesn't need to give prior notice to the U.S. government or get permission from it for any trip to North Korea, a department official pointed.

well now is his chance to be the hero and set one free and come back with the keys to them nukes, go jimmy go if anyone can do it you can!!! like you did in Iran? did i just type that? I did I did, I thawt I saw a jimmy cat, oh how I do miss tweety bird.

See its been posted so will see if previous post answers my question about harsh sentencing of this man.

reply to post by Dianec


Here is the link. He's been sentenced to 15 years hard labor. Looks like our gov will do something.

www.usatoday.com...

reply to post by Dianec
you beat me to it for i was going to post it here is the link english.yonhapnews.co.kr... from the link

2013/05/02 12:03 KST
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N. Korea sentences Korean-American to 15-year hard labor
SEOUL, May 2 (Yonhap) -- North Korea sentenced a Korean-American tour operator detained in the country to 15 years of hard labor Thursday on charges of unspecified anti-state crimes, Pyongyang official media said.

"The Highest Court handed down the 15-year labor sentence to Bae Joon-ho who committed crimes against the country," the (North) Korean Central News Agency said in a brief dispatch.

The country held the trial on Tuesday. The Korean-American tour operator, also known as Kenneth Bae, was arrested after arriving in the North on Nov. 3, 2012 for tourism purposes, the report said, without specifying the crimes.

A British media outlet has said Bae was charged with illegally filming child beggars during his trip to the impoverished country.

Bae is the sixth American citizen to be detained by the North since 2009. All other detainees have been freed through contacts with the United States.

The sentence came hours after news broke that former U.S. President Jimmy Carter may soon travel to North Korea as part of his efforts to win the release of the Korean-American and broker dialogue.

Reports said Carter recently sent a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry, calling for talks with North Korea and expressing his intent to visit Pyongyang again. The former U.S. president may have been invited by the North, according to the reports.

Carter last visited North Korea in April 2011 along with a few other members of The Elders, an international non-government organization. He failed to meet then-North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.

will he fail to see Un as well?
and this is what KCNA had to say www.kcna.kp... short so in full

American Citizen Punished in DPRK

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Korean / English / Chinese / Spanish / Japanese
Pyongyang, May 2 (KCNA) -- A trial of Pae Jun Ho, an American citizen, took place held at the Supreme Court of the DPRK on April 30. He was arrested while committing hostile acts against the DPRK after entering Rason City as a tourist on Nov. 3 last year.
The Supreme Court sentenced him to 15 years of compulsory labor for this crime. -0-

Wounder how long Un and the DPRK will get when they are brought up on Crimes against humanity life? yea i know wishful thinking, but hay one can hope. Carter seems a tad late don't you think?

Not to undermine this man's situation, especially considering we don't know what exactly he "did"...but
Considering NK standards, I'm personally surprised he only got 15 years hard labor. They have been known to sentence their own citizens more for (probably) doing less. I mean Shin Dong-hyuk's father was imprisoned in a labor camp because 2 of his brothers defected. That offense was bad enough to get the father and at least the generation after his, arrested as guilty by association. I want to say I read his mother was in there because she tried to defect.
Again, not to undermine his situation, I just always assume the worst of NK punishments. 15 years is hard core, but I'm surprised it isn't life.

reply to post by PutAQuarterIn
think Un is going soft? for this does not sound nor feel like the old DPRK, but then 15 years might be life if you stop and think about it.

reply to post by bekod

Yeah, From some of the stories I've read, your lucky to make it that long before the malnutrition catches up to you. I can't see them letting him get his story of what he saw out to the public.

reply to post by PutAQuarterIn
yea the last thing they wan t is to let the world know just how bad their camps are we think our prisons are bad or Git-mo finly some new news from SK, english.yonhapnews.co.kr... short and in full

2013/05/02 10:31 KST
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S. Korea set to replace top nuclear envoy
SEOUL, May 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is set to announce a new team of negotiators on North Korea's nuclear programs in a shake-up of senior diplomats under the new government, diplomatic sources here said Thursday.

Cho Tae-yong, Seoul's ambassador to Australia, will replace top nuclear envoy Lim Sung-nam who has filled the position since 2011. Lim will be transferred to Britain to lead the South Korean embassy there, according to the sources.

"Such a reshuffle for the top nuclear envoy position will take place soon," said an official well-versed on the issue, adding Kim Bong-hyun, South Korea's deputy foreign minister for multilateral and global affairs, was named Cho's successor.

The 57-year-old Cho served diverse positions at the foreign ministry as a career diplomat, including deputy chief of the South Korean delegation to the six-party talks on denuclearizing North Korea from 2004-2006 and the ministry's chief of protocol.

Cho is a son-in-law of former foreign minister Lee Beom-seok who was killed in 1983 in the so-called Rangoon bombing, an assassination attempt by North Korea against then President Chun Doo-hwan.

The two Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia held several rounds of multilateral talks aimed at ending Pyongyang's nuclear programs, but the talks have been suspended since 2008.

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(END)

an other slow news night , something tells me this quietness is building up to something big and I do mean Big.

38 North clams DPRK ready to operate Nuke reactor english.yonhapnews.co.kr... form the link in full:

2013/05/02 15:39 KST
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Satellite imagery indicates N. Korea close to operating light-water reactor
By Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL, May 2 (Yonhap) -- North Korea is nearing completion of a light-water reactor for civilian purposes and startup activities could begin in the coming weeks, a specialist North Korea Web site said Thursday, citing recent satellite pictures.

38 North, a Web site about North Korea operated by Johns Hopkins University in the United States, said satellite imagery taken in March and April indicated Pyongyang appears to be in the final "cleanup" stage of completing its light-water reactor in Yongbyon.

"If the North has fuel on hand it will then need to conduct a number of activities during the startup period, which normally takes nine to 12 months for commercial power reactors before moving to a full power test and the facility becomes operational," researchers Jeffrey Lewis and Nick Hansen wrote on 38 North.
An analysis by the U.S. Web site "38 North" said on May 1, 2013 that North Korea is nearing completion of a light water reactor for civilian purpose and startup activities could begin in the coming weeks citing recent satellite pictures. (Yonhap)

Pyongyang's lack of expertise in that stage, however, could delay the process, they added.

While the authors claimed the reactor seems designed to produce electricity for the civilian economy, they didn't exclude the possibility of the North having the residual capability to produce nuclear weapons.

The latest finding triggered fresh concerns as the self-proclaimed nuclear power has threatened to carry out nuclear strikes against South Korea and the U.S., and expand its arsenal for defensive purposes after its third nuclear test in February.

The reclusive regime publicly disclosed an enrichment facility in Yongbyon to a U.S. scientist in late 2010 and has claimed it has begun enriching uranium that could be used to manufacture fuel rods. It could give the North an alternative route to create bombs.

Seoul's defense ministry said further analysis is needed to figure out whether it's clearly a light-water reactor or another kind of nuclear reactor.

Unlike a light-water facility that has limited capacity in building atomic bombs, another type of nuclear facility could provide another route to build more plutonium as its present facility is very old, ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said.

"If it turns out to be a new type of nuclear reactor, it would be very worrisome," Kim said during a briefing, without giving further details due to the information being classified.
As part of aid-for-disarmament talks in 2007, the impoverished nation blew up the Yongbyon reactor's cooling tower in a symbolic move to show its commitment.

Amid heightened tension over South Korea-U.S. joint drills, Pyongyang in early April announced it would resume the mothballed Yongbyon five-megawatt research reactor that yields bomb-grade plutonium.

Pyongyang reportedly used plutonium as fissile material for its first and second nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009, but it is not yet known if the North used plutonium or uranium in its latest detonation. The North is known to have the capability to make nuclear weapons using enriched uranium.
[email protected]
(END)

will add 38 north link 38north.org... direct link to the article 38north.org...

Yeah, From some of the stories I've read, your lucky to make it that long before the malnutrition catches up to you. I can't see them letting him get his story of what he saw out to the public.

Yep, he can't even feed his soldiers, so you can imagine what inmates get....

As for the reactor, let them sink the money into it. Then, when they do another nuke test, we can draft resolutions with a caveat of military action, then go in and blow them up nice and legal like when they inevitably fail to keep to their end of whatever bargain is struck.

reply to post by Gazrok


Why? Even according to the ltbt (which nk didnt sign btw - like china or france) they are allowed to test nuclear weapons underground since ironically because of the united states (and others like israel) the ctbt is not in effect yet - so nk can test a nuclear weapon underground without having to worry about being invaded by anyone - like any other nuclear capable sovereign nation.

EDIT: Gaz I'll ask you this - if France decided to conduct a nuclear test, would the US invade it? If China or Russia decided to test some new super duper nuclear tech, would anyone sanction them or threaten them with invasion? Would the US put their B2 buzzing around their borders, or park any Aegis near their waters? Wait... dont answer. Of course not.

And what about Israel? That never signs anything concerning anything nuclear? Actually nobody knows exactly the arsenal they currently have. They behave like a rogue dangerous state also... what happens here? Do they get carte blanche here to do anything they please and no questions are asked?

here is today's top news first up Japan: article 9. to be or not to be? thus is the question www3.nhk.or.jp... from the link

53 percent of those who replied "against" said that Japan should uphold the war-renouncing Article 9. The figure is down 9 points from 6 years ago.

Overall, respondents were divided on the question of whether Article 9 should be amended. The article stipulates that Japan "forever renounces war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes."

33 percent of respondents said "yes" for an amendment, while 30 percent said "no" and 32 percent said "undecided". The number of those answering in the positive is up 5 points from 6 years ago, with those answering in the negative down 11 points.

47 percent of those who supported amending the article said the Constitution should state clearly that Japan can maintain armed forces for self-defense purposes.

Yes i know it about japan, so why is it here Japan could be the first one to strike NK just to P!$$ china off if Article 9 is amended or to make war on China, unlikely but so was DEC 7 1941 next and last is yonhap news with more news english.yonhapnews.co.kr... just 3 nothing big,

Nuclear envoys from S. Korea, China hold talks amid Kaesong impasse
BEIJING, May 2 (Yonhap) -- The top nuclear envoys from South Korea and China held talks on Thursday, with Seoul and Pyongyang continuing to haggle over the fate of a troubled joint economic venture facing permanent closure. Full story

Unification minister warns N. Korea against nitpicking
SEOUL, May 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's point man on North Korean issues warned the communist country Thursday against nitpicking, saying such an attitude will not help resolve the Kaesong Industrial Complex issue. Full story

U.S. Congress approves sale of Global Hawks to S. Korea
SEOUL, May 2 (Yonhap) -- The United States has approved the sale of four Global Hawk spy drones to South Korea eight years after its request, Seoul's acquisition agency said Thursday, but the procurement may be reconsidered due to a higher-than- expected price. Full story

I was starting to think the would be no news or it would be big well at least it is news

reply to post by bekod


Japan to piss off china?

Lets see...

Do I want to piss off China or do I want to see the end of May? ahmmm... tough choice. Decisions decisions...

reply to post by FraternitasSaturni


Sure, you say that now - but it was just reported today that Japan is to ask France not to sell helicopter equipment to China! I mean - wtf??!! Who does Japan think it is??

Breaking News - Japan

Originally posted by HomoSapiensSapiens
reply to post by FraternitasSaturni

 

Sure, you say that now - but it was just reported today that Japan is to ask France not to sell helicopter equipment to China! I mean - wtf??!! Who does Japan think it is??

Breaking News - Japan

Look... you, me... Japan... we can ask whatever we want to whoever we want, I mean, just as long as its not offensive, thats cool. The worse it can happen is a "no" right?

The problem with Japan and with SK is the presence of the US there. All of the sudden they feel bigger. They feel like they're all kings of the mountain and all that crap. If the big brother US were to pull outta there tomorrow, you'd see how they would come to their senses rather quickly.

That or someone would just slap them silly. If it wasnt for the US there, Japan and SK would be pretty silent - even those 2 abandoned sad little pac3 would be shaking and hiding themselves in those nearby buildings.

Besides thats a very stupid thing to ask. How can you ask someone to "not to sell something to China"? I mean... whats the choice there for France? Either you sell it, or.... they'll find a way to spy and copy that crap and they'll then make it out of cheap plastic, then they'll get hordes of tiny chinese ppl from farms whatever and have it mass produced overnight flooding the market and selling it to others at 2/8ths of your price!!! NO! Sell it while China still wants to buy!

Silly Japan... the only country in the world that has been nuked and who can be a very strong ally to the very same country that nuked the crap out of them not even a century ago... I dont want to quote the Joker but... considering the samurai, what happened? Did their balls drop off? I dont mean they should hate the US forever but... that alliance is just freaking weird.

Originally posted by FraternitasSaturni
reply to post by bekod

 

Japan to piss off china?

Lets see...

Do I want to piss off China or do I want to see the end of May? ahmmm... tough choice. Decisions decisions...

China isn’t in as good of position as you would think.

They are currently begging for a fight with India. (19km inside their border)
They are currently being pushy with twain.(building up missiles along the coast)
They are not exactly controlling NK, and may actually be helping them.
They are threatening conflict with Japan over a couple islands they never wanted until a short time ago.

They also have disputes with other less militarized countries, even including Vietnam.

It’s like they are trying to pee in everyone’s cheerios at the same time.
They can win against any one of those people in a one on one, but if they all act at the same time, then china is screwed.

They have no ability to project force. Their equipment will be destroyed in days, if not hours. The only thing they will be able to throw at their enemy at that point is nukes and shear numbers of people on foot. Wave after wave. It will be a blood bath, and their blood would make up the majority.

They are setting themselves up to bite off a little more than they can chew.

reply to post by Mr Tranny


India is a player - deserves at least some attention - China is clearly stronger and India has to worry A LOT both with china and pakistan (what you think pakistan would waste this opportunity? - India is in no position to fight china)

NK - (on hold) China possibly told them "if you attack them, you're on your own, if you get attacked we'll honor our deal" and thats why theres a mexican stand-off there. The only guy there that can move an inch is the US but even for the US the price to pay is a bit too high for a whim, no matter what some crazy bloodthirsty generals might want.

Japan - later - Call it a treat - this is a mix of business and pleasure. Nothing would give more pleasure to China than to eradicate the Japanese. Everyone knows this. And of course Japan is not a match for China. Only the US stops China from going all in NK > SK > Japan - This day would still be celebrated in China in the year 3429.

Vietnam and Taiwan - really? You're actually serious? This takes a week or less for China - it would be like 2008 Georgia for Russia. Get there and slap them hard, really hard.

Then theres Russia - who knows what came out of last april's friendly business meeting between Putin and Xi Jinping - some call it a "Sino-Russian alliance brewing". That includes arms trading going back to 1990-2007 values. China's also interested in the su-35 but neither side chose to disclose much about the meeting but both said that "much was achieved".

EDIT: ofc nothing nuclear - I think people are obsessed with "nuclear" sometimes.

Tonight's line up of news china www3.nhk.or.jp...

China unlikely to send special envoy to N.Korea

A senior South Korean official says China is unlikely to send an envoy to North Korea anytime soon to persuade Pyongyang to stop its provocations.

South Korea's chief representative to the six-party nuclear talks, Lim Sung-nam, spoke to NHK on Thursday. He returned from a visit to Beijing where he met with China's top negotiator, Wu Dawei.

North Korea has not shown signs that it will immediately launch a ballistic missile, but it has not stopped preparations.

Lim also spoke about the Kaesong industrial park in North Korea. The complex is jointly run by the 2 Koreas, but operations were suspended last month after Pyongyang pulled out its workers.

Lim said China supported South Korea's position to try to resolve the issue through dialogue.

May 3, 2013 - Updated 00:37 UTC

Japan www3.nhk.or.jp...

Japan, UAE sign nuclear deal

Japan has concluded a deal with the United Arab Emirates to transfer nuclear power technology - its first since the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the Persian Gulf state on the third leg of a weeklong overseas trip.

After visiting a railway that Japanese companies helped build, Abe met UAE Vice President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum on Thursday.

Abe conveyed Japan's plan to hold ministerial-level strategic talks on a regular basis with 6 Gulf Arab states, known as the Gulf Cooperation Council. He also called for the start of working-level discussions with the UAE toward an investment agreement.

Abe said Japan can contribute to the country's energy supply. He pledged technology in the fields of energy conservation, renewables and nuclear power.

Mohammed replied the UAE wants to work with Japan in various fields and serve as a gateway to the Middle East and North Africa.

The 2 leaders concluded a nuclear deal, and agreed to promote bilateral investments and economic exchanges. They later attended the signing ceremony.

May 2, 2013 - Updated 12:48 UTC

SK english.yonhapnews.co.kr...
4 from them so a preview

No decision yet on S. Korean staff's return from Kaesong: official
SEOUL, May 3 (Yonhap) -- No decision has been made on the return of the last seven South Korean personnel from the inter-Korean complex in North Korea as the two sides remain divided over the settlement of various accounts, a government official said Friday. Full story

U.S. 8th Army commander says OPCON transfer preparation 'on track'
SEOUL, May 3 (Yonhap) -- The commanding general of the U.S. Eighth Army said Friday his military has been working together with South Korean forces to transfer wartime operational control to Seoul as agreed, saying preparations are "on track." Lt. Gen. John Johnson reaffirmed the 60-year alliance between South Korea and the U.S. and vowed to help deter North Korean aggression even after Seoul takes over wartime control in December 2015. Full story

N. Korea to use nuclear deterrence as basis for economic growth
SEOUL, May 3 (Yonhap) -- North Korea said Friday that it will take full advantage of the deterrence provided by its nuclear weapons to inject more resources into the building of its economy. Full story

N. Korea's trade with EU halves in 2012
SEOUL, May 3 (Yonhap) -- Trade volume between North Korea and the European Union (EU) more than halved last year from a year earlier after the North sharply cut exports of mineral resources, a news report said Friday. Full story

go to link to read them in full will be back later with more or not, depends on the news, but... ill be back.

If been Nutted so have you!! Jimmy has no plans of going to North Korea as reported earlier

013/05/03 04:06 KST
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Jimmy Carter denies reports of possible trip to N. Korea
By Lee Chi-dong
WASHINGTON, May 2 (Yonhap) -- Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has no plans to visit North Korea anytime soon, his spokeswoman said Thursday after media reports that he may be seeking an active role in reducing tensions on the peninsula and securing the release of a Korean-American man.

"President Carter has not had an invitation to visit North Korea and has no plans to visit," Carter's press secretary, Deanna Congilio, told Yonhap News Agency in an email.

from the link of english.yonhapnews.co.kr... can't even trust the Asian news now it is all MSM.... Main Stream Madness, does any one have facts any more? or is it all BS for the dumbed down Masses?

well we have word form Un er DPRK via KCNA on the war game drills

NRI Holds U.S., S. Korea Responsible for Danger of Nuclear War on Korean Peninsula

Pyongyang, May 2 (KCNA) -- The National Reunification Institute (NRI) on Wednesday made public a white paper accusing the U.S. and south Korean puppet forces of pushing the situation on the Korean Peninsula to the brink of a nuclear war.
The white paper said:
The U.S. and its lackeys, south Korean warmongers have been responsible for all incidents of military confrontation that pushed the situation on the Korean Peninsula to the brink of a war and stunned the world for several decades. To cite a few examples, they provoked the Korean War in the 1950s and there were the incidents of the U.S. spy warship Pueblo and the U.S. spy plane EC-121 in the 1960s, the Panmunjom incident in the 1970s, the armed skirmishes in the West Sea of Korea and the Yonphyong Island shelling incident in the subsequent period.

The U.S.-led hostile forces prodded the UN Security Council into fabricating an unreasonable "resolution on sanctions" against the DPRK over its legitimate satellite launch for peaceful purposes at the end of last year. This was a heinous provocation perpetrated in wanton violation of its dignity and sovereignty.

To cope with this, the DPRK, as it had already warned, decisively countered the provocation of the U.S., the south Korean puppet group and other hostile forces by conducting the third underground nuclear test.

Much upset by it, the U.S. and south Korean puppet group got frantic in their moves to cook up additional UN "resolution on sanctions" against the DPRK.

By putting in motion its hand-raising machine, the U.S. cooked up the UN "resolution on sanctions" 2094 against the DPRK in March, 2013.

This was more provocative than the last UN "resolution" 2087. It was nothing but a vicious document of blackmail and a de facto declaration of war as it calls for isolating and stifling the DPRK by totally blockading its sky, land and seas.

Timed to coincide with the fabrication of the UN "resolution on sanctions", the U.S. and the south Korean warmongers staged the large-scale Key Resolve and Foal Eagle joint military exercises in south Korea since March last.

These drills were staged according to such extremely dangerous war scenarios as OPLAN 5027 and OPLAN 5029 which are aimed to mount a surprise attack upon the DPRK and occupy it.

The U.S. and the south Korean warmongers didn't conceal that the main aim of such saber-rattling was to mount a preemptive nuclear attack upon the DPRK and a precision strike upon its headquarters.

They went the lengths of staging mock drills to destroy the symbols of the dignity of the supreme leadership of the DPRK after working out a vicious plan for the operations.

The spokesman for the U.S. Department of Defense, the commander of the U.S. forces in south Korea and the south Korean military openly blustered that the drills were aimed "to demonstrate the capability for a nuclear attack upon the DPRK", and "to mount a preemptive strike upon the strategic bases of the north and to strike its bases of counteractions, supporting forces and even commanding forces in case it launches counterattacks" and "they were staged under the simulated conditions of not only a local war but a total war".

Meanwhile, the south Korean puppet forces and the U.S. inked "the plan for jointly countering the provocation of a local war," making the U.S. forces' involvement in the inter-Korean military conflicts an established fact. They staged drills for implementing the plan for a local war and an all-out war and various war scenarios for provocation in five islands in the West Sea of Korea, widely opening them to public.

The U.S. military and the brass-hats of the south Korean puppet army let loose a spate of such outbursts that "they are simulating the worst scenarios and getting ready to cope with them", "the drills might go over to the phase of actual punishment" and "there is no limit to the scope of retaliatory punishment". They went the lengths of crying out for "wiping out the north government from the surface of the earth".

All facts go to clearly prove that the U.S. and the south Korean warmongers are the arch criminals who escalated the tension and brought the danger of a nuclear war to the Korean Peninsula. -0-

i have edited it for better reading, so as not to be the wall of words KCNA is famous for the above is from our up, down, not loading, is now, is not, link www.kcna.kp...