August 2020 - North Korea Special Weapons News

North Korea Army Quarantines Entire Company on Coronavirus Fears Radio Free Asia 31 Aug 2020 -- Military authorities in North Korea have quarantined an entire company of soldiers who patrol the country's border with China, after it was discovered that one of the soldiers had come in contact with a Chinese national, sources in the country told RFA.
Company Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering Violation as Part of Scheme to Circumvent North Korean Sanctions and Deceive Banks, Agrees to Pay Forfeiture and Fine US Dept. of Justice 31 Aug 2020 -- Yang Ban Corporation, a company established in the British Virgin Islands in 2014 that operated in South East Asia pleaded guilty today to conspiring to launder monetary instruments in connection with evading sanctions on North Korea and deceiving correspondent banks into processing U.S. dollar transactions. The company will pay a financial penalty totaling $673,714.04.
Thorough Measures for Maintaining Perfect Anti-epidemic State in DPRK KCNA 30 Aug 2020 -- Measures are being steadily taken across the DPRK to maintain perfect anti-epidemic state.
Officials of WPK Central Committee Engage in Recovery of Typhoon-Damaged Farmland and Crops KCNA 30 Aug 2020 -- Officials of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea engaged in the campaign with agricultural workers to recover from damage done to cropland and crops in the typhoon-stricken areas in South Hwanghae Province.
Kim Tok Hun Inspects Recovery from Typhoon Damage in South Hwanghae Province KCNA 30 Aug 2020 -- Kim Tok Hun, member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and premier of the DPRK, inspected South Hwanghae Province where the work for recovery from typhoon damage is underway.
Pak Pong Ju Inspects Recovery from Typhoon Damage in South Hwanghae Province KCNA 30 Aug 2020 -- Pak Pong Ju, member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, vice-chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK and vice-chairman of the C.C., WPK, made field survey of the recovery from typhoon damage in South Hwanghae Province.
Rodong Sinmun Calls for Positively Turning out in Eradicating Typhoon Damage KCNA 28 Aug 2020 -- Rodong Sinmun says in an editorial on Friday calls upon all the people to positively turn out in the work to eradicate the damage by typhoon, bearing in mind the Workers' Party of Korea's noble loving care for the people.
North Korean City Evacuates House-Dwellers to Apartment Buildings Ahead of Typhoon Bavi Radio Free Asia 27 Aug 2020 -- Authorities in the North Korean city of Sinuiju ordered people living in flimsy houses to evacuate to sturdier apartment buildings to prepare for Typhoon Bavi, causing friction between the evacuees and tenants, sources across the Yalu river border in China told RFA Thursday.
Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un Inspects Typhoon-Stricken Area in South Hwanghae Province KCNA 28 Aug 2020 -- Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea, chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and supreme commander of the armed forces of the DPRK, inspected typhoon-stricken area in South Hwanghae Province and learned about damage.
United States Files Complaint to Forfeit 280 Cryptocurrency Accounts Tied to Hacks of Two Exchanges by North Korean Actors US Dept. of Justice 27 Aug 2020 -- "China urges the US to immediately stop provocations, strictly manage and control its maritime and air military operations, strictly restrain the behaviors of its front-line naval and air forces, so as to avoid any contingency," said Senior Colonel Li Huamin, spokesperson for the Southern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), in a written statement on Friday.
Preparations for Operation of Pyongyang General Hospital Brisk in DPRK KCNA 27 Aug 2020 -- With the construction of the Pyongyang General Hospital, the preparations for its operation and putting its medical service on an intellectual and IT basis are progressing apace in the DPRK.
North Korea Orders Troops and Police to Shoot Citizens Who Approach the Chinese Border Radio Free Asia 26 Aug 2020 -- North Korea has ordered military units and police to shoot on sight anyone in the country who goes within one kilometer (0.6 miles) of the Sino-Korean border, the latest of Pyongyang's draconian measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, sources in the country told RFA Wednesday.
DPRK holds politburo meeting to further intensify anti-epidemic work People's Daily 26 Aug 2020 -- Kim Jong Un, the top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), presided over an enlarged politburo meeting on Tuesday to discuss measures to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic and prepare for an approaching powerful typhoon, state media reported Wednesday.
17th Enlarged Meeting of Political Bureau and 5th Meeting of Executive Policy Council of 7th Central Committee of WPK Held KCNA 26 Aug 2020 -- The 17th enlarged meeting of the Political Bureau of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and the 5th Meeting of the Executive Policy Council of the 7th Central Committee of the WPK took place at the office building of the Central Committee of the WPK on August 25.
For Trump or Biden, N. Korea is the Problem that Won't Go Away VOA 26 Aug 2020 -- U.S. President Donald Trump may have redefined what is possible when it comes to the United States' relationship with North Korea, whether it was threatening to "totally destroy" the country or becoming the first sitting American head of state to meet and later claim he "fell in love" with its leader.
Kim Jong Un Disbands Military Unit for Allowing Refugee to Return Across Sino-Korean Border Radio Free Asia 25 Aug 2020 -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has disbanded a military company guarding part of the country's porous border with China after they failed in mid-July to detect a North Korean refugee returning home after having spent an unspecified amount of time outside the country, sources told RFA Tuesday.
North Korean County Leases Rationing Center to Wealthy Wholesaler Radio Free Asia 24 Aug 2020 -- A county government in North Korea's South Pyongan province is leasing out an obsolete public food distribution center to a wealthy entrepreneur, turning a building that would otherwise be shut down into money-generating commercial real estate, local sources told RFA.
Interview: 'From an Overall Safety Point of View, There is Not a Huge Concern' About Flooding at Yongbyon Radio Free Asia 21 Aug 2020 -- The Korean peninsula has been hit by record-breaking precipitation, with state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reporting last week that floods had destroyed 40,000 hectares (154 square miles) of farmland, 16,680 homes, and 630 other buildings all over the country.
Anti-Epidemic Measures Toughened in Coastal Areas of DPRK KCNA 21 Aug 2020 -- Anti-epidemic measures have been toughened in the DPRK to thoroughly check the maritime inroads of the malignant virus.
Reconstruction of Flood-Hit Roads and Bridges Brisk in DPRK KCNA 21 Aug 2020 -- Reconstruction of the flood-hit roads and bridges is brisk in the DPRK.
North Korean Elite Troops Deployed in Layers at the Sino-Korean Border Radio Free Asia 20 Aug 2020 -- North Korea has deployed Special Forces soldiers and guards in four layers along the Sino-Korean border in Ryanggang province to prevent illegal crossings during the coronavirus pandemic and to keep watch over regular border guards to rein in on smuggling, sources from the area told RFA.
Political Decision to Be Recorded as Another Special Event in Militant Course of Glorious WPK: On Convening 8th Congress of WPK KCNA 20 Aug 2020 -- The 6th Plenary Meeting of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea was held at the office building of the Central Committee of the Party, the supreme general staff of the Korean revolution, on Aug. 19, Juche 109 (2020).
Participants in Plenary Meeting of WPK Central Committee Visit Kumsusan Palace of Sun KCNA 20 Aug 2020 -- The participants in the 6th Plenary Meeting of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun on Wednesday evening to pay homage to President Kim Il Sung and Chairman Kim Jong Il.
8th Congress of WPK to Be Convened KCNA 20 Aug 2020 -- A decision of the 6th Plenary Meeting of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea was made on August 19.
Measures Taken for Stabilizing Life of Flood Victims KCNA 20 Aug 2020 -- A work for stabilizing the life of flood victims is going on in Taechong-ri of Unpha County, North Hwanghae Province, the DPRK.
Hard Labor For 50 North Korean Arts College Students Among 200 Caught in Prostitution Raid Radio Free Asia 19 Aug 2020 -- Authorities in North Korea have sent more than 50 female students of two prominent Pyongyang performing arts colleges to a labor camp for their alleged involvement in a prostitution ring that catered to the capital city's elites, sources in the country told RFA Wednesday.
Hospital Construction in Pyongyang Makes Headway KCNA 19 Aug 2020 -- The construction of the Pyongyang General Hospital is now progressing apace in the DPRK.
Anti-epidemic Activities Get Brisk in DPRK KCNA 19 Aug 2020 -- Commercial and catering facilities across the DPRK are actively conducting the anti-epidemic activities to tackle the worldwide pandemic.
Rodong Sinmun on Party's Intention in Flood Damage Recovery Work KCNA 19 Aug 2020 -- Rodong Sinmun Wednesday in an article says that it is the firm will of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea to take the whole responsibility for taking care of the flood-afflicted people now that they are suffering hardship due to a natural disaster and to concentrate all efforts on recovery from flood damage to relieve their pain as early as possible.
North Korea Folds COVID-19 Response Organization into Military Radio Free Asia 18 Aug 2020 -- The agency in charge of North Korea's response to COVID-19 has been upgraded and reorganized as a military organization, a move that sources in the country told RFA was meant to use fear of the coronavirus as a tool to exert more control over the population.
Anti-Epidemic Work Further Intensified in DPRK KCNA 18 Aug 2020 -- A brisk anti-epidemic campaign is underway in the DPRK to cope with the worldwide pandemic, true to the idea of the 16th meeting of the Political Bureau of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea.
Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un Sends Medical Supplies to Flood-hit Area KCNA 16 Aug 2020 -- Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un sent medical supplies to the people in Taechong-ri, Unpha County, North Hwanghae Province.
Rodong Sinmun on Importance of Recovery from Flood Damage KCNA 16 Aug 2020 -- Rodong Sinmun Sunday editorially says that the most important and urgent task set forth at the 16th meeting of the Political Bureau of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) is to concentrate all efforts on repairing the flood damage and providing the people with a stable life.
Decree of Amnesty Promulgated in DPRK KCNA 15 Aug 2020 -- The Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea promulgated a decree of amnesty on July 30 on the occasion of the 75th founding anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea.
Bumper Harvesters Increase in DPRK KCNA 15 Aug 2020 -- A campaign for scientific farming and a competition for bumper harvest are getting brisk in rural communities across the DPRK.
North Korea Forces Entire Country to 'Volunteer' in Flood Relief Effort Radio Free Asia 14 Aug 2020 -- North Korea is forcing state-run organizations, the military, and ordinary citizens to 'volunteer' for a nationwide flood relief effort in the face of heavy rains over the past month and a government refusal to accept foreign aid over coronavirus fears, sources in the country told RFA.
DPRK won't accept outside flood assistance due to COVID-19 virus risk: official media People's Daily 14 Aug 2020 -- Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), said although his country suffered serious damage from a recent flood, it would not accept outside assistance due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Friday.
Former US Officials Chastise Seoul Over Treatment of N. Korean Rights Groups VOA 14 Aug 2020 -- Thirteen former U.S. officials from Republican and Democratic administrations Wednesday sent an open letter to South Korean President Moon Jae-in accusing his government of "undermining North Korea's human rights movement."
New Premier of DPRK Cabinet Appointed KCNA 14 Aug 2020 -- Kim Jong Un, chairman of the State Affairs Commission (SAC) of the DPRK, relieved the premier of the DPRK Cabinet of his post and appointed new premier.
16th Meeting of Political Bureau of 7th Central Committee of WPK Held KCNA 14 Aug 2020 -- The 16th meeting of the Political Bureau of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) took place at the office building of the Central Committee of the WPK on August 13.
North Korea Forces Entire Country to 'Volunteer' in Flood Relief Effort Radio Free Asia 14 Aug 2020 -- North Korea is forcing state-run organizations, the military, and ordinary citizens to 'volunteer' for a nationwide flood relief effort in the face of heavy rains over the past month and a government refusal to accept foreign aid over coronavirus fears, sources in the country told RFA.
22 Dead, 4 Missing in North Korea Floods VOA 14 Aug 2020 -- Severe floods in North Korea have killed at least 22 people and left four others missing, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
North Korean Soldier Jailed for Listening to Radio Free Asia on Duty Radio Free Asia 13 Aug 2020 -- North Korean military security authorities have sent a signal corps soldier to a political prison camp for listening to Radio Free Asia broadcasts while on duty at a government ministry building in Pyongyang, sources in the country's military told RFA Thursday.
Nationwide and All-people Anti-epidemic Campaign Intensified KCNA 13 Aug 2020 -- A nationwide and all-people anti-epidemic campaign has been further intensified, true to the spirit of the emergency enlarged meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea.
Israel claims it foiled N Korea-linked hack, cybersecurity firm says systems penetrated Press TV 13 Aug 2020 -- Israel says it has thwarted a hacking attack by a North Korean-linked group against its military industries, a claim challenged by a cybersecurity firm, which says the hackers penetrated the targeted systems and likely stole a large amount of classified data.
Newly Obtained Trump-Kim Letters May Reveal More on Unlikely Relationship VOA 13 Aug 2020 -- For more than two years, U.S. President Donald Trump has touted his close relationship and frequent personal correspondence with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. A new book may reveal just how close the relationship really is.
North Korea's Office 39 Diverts Electricity to Gold Production Radio Free Asia 12 Aug 2020 -- The North Korean secret organization that oversees Kim Jong Un's slush funds and foreign currency is looking to cash in on record gold prices by diverting scarce electricity to facilities that produce the precious metal, sources in the country told RFA.
Benevolent Father of DPRK People KCNA 12 Aug 2020 -- Some days ago, Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un showed warm love and benevolence for the inhabitants in Kaesong City and Taechong-ri of Unpha County, North Hwanghae Province, of the DPRK.
Officials of WPK Central Committee and Their Families Aid People in Taechong-ri, Unpha County KCNA 12 Aug 2020 -- Departments of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and families of officials of its headquarters sincerely aided the residents in Taechong-ri, Unpha County, North Hwanghae Province who suffered by the flood.
Pak Pong Ju Inspects Taechong Co-op Farm in Unpha County KCNA 12 Aug 2020 -- Pak Pong Ju, member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), vice-chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK and vice-chairman of the C.C., WPK, inspected the Taechong Co-op Farm in Unpha County.
North Korean Officials Arrested for Real Estate Corruption in Crackdown Radio Free Asia 11 Aug 2020 -- Police in the North Korean capital Pyongyang have arrested the head of a district government in the city for involvement in real estate fraud, in the latest case of officials getting reported by citizens for using public land or buildings to make illicit cash on the side, sources in the country told RFA.
Anti-epidemic Activities Further Intensified in DPRK KCNA 11 Aug 2020 -- Hygienic and anti-epidemic centers across the country are making a strict analysis of water quality in rivers and streams as required by the anti-epidemic regulations in the current rainy season.
Hit by Historic Monsoon, N. Korea Warns of More Floods VOA 11 Aug 2020 -- North Korea continues to see historic levels of rainfall, further threatening an economy already battered by a coronavirus-related lockdown.
North Korea Neighborhood Watch Units Identify Hungry Households, Make Neighbors Donate Food Radio Free Asia 10 Aug 2020 -- A North Korean campaign to deploy Neighborhood Watch Units to identify starving households in need of government aid drew anger among residents when the survey was followed by orders to donate corn from their own limited food supplies, sources in the country told RFA.
Anti-epidemic Activities Further Intensified in DPRK KCNA 09 Aug 2020 -- Emergency anti-epidemic headquarters at all levels are tightening the rules and order for all the fields and units to obey the unified guidance and regulation of the central emergency anti-epidemic headquarters, while stepping up propaganda activities, as required by the maximum emergency system.
North Korea sends food, medical supplies to border town under coronavirus lockdown Press TV 09 Aug 2020 -- North Korea's ruling party has delivered food and medical supplies to residents of the border town of Kaesong after imposing a lockdown there due to the coronvirus pandemic.
Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un Inspects Flood-Damaged Area in North Hwanghae Province KCNA 07 Aug 2020 -- Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea, chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and supreme commander of the armed forces of the DPRK, inspected Taechong-ri Area of Unpha County, North Hwanghae Province hit by flood.
North Korea Publicly Executes Six for Sex Trafficking, Including Four Officials Radio Free Asia 06 Aug 2020 -- Authorities in the North Korean capital Pyongyang have publicly executed six people, including four party officials, for their involvement in a prostitution ring that sold sex with female students of prestigious performing arts universities, sources in the country told RFA.
Efforts for Helping Kaesong Citizens Brisk in DPRK KCNA 06 Aug 2020 -- Under the unified command of the central emergency anti-epidemic headquarters, ministries and national institutions all out in the anti-epidemic campaign are striving to fully supply goods necessary for the living of the people and the anti-epidemic work in Kaesong City now under complete lockdown.
DPRK's ruling party holds meeting on new department People's Daily 06 Aug 2020 -- Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), presided over a meeting of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) on Wednesday to establish a new division and improve the party's functions, official media reported Thursday.
Meeting of Executive Policy Council of WPK Central Committee Held KCNA 06 Aug 2020 -- The Fourth Meeting of the Executive Policy Council of the Seventh Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) took place at the office building of the Central Committee of the WPK on August 5.
Red Cross Activities Brisk in DPRK KCNA 05 Aug 2020 -- The DPRK Red Cross Society has launched activities for protecting the people from the current crisis in the anti-epidemic work.
Video Appears to Confirm Reports of Deadly Blasts in North Korea's Hyesan City Radio Free Asia 05 Aug 2020 -- A video showing a series of explosions in North Korea's Hyesan city earlier this week has emerged, appearing to confirm South Korean media reports and defector accounts of blasts that claimed more than a dozen lives in the city on the border with China.
North Korea Isolates Kaesong Residents in Pyongyang on Coronavirus Fears Radio Free Asia 04 Aug 2020 -- North Korean authorities have forced about 20 residents of the city of Kaesong to quarantine in Pyongyang, classifying them as suspected COVID-19 patients amid a national health emergency and the complete lockdown of the border city last month, sources in the country told RFA.
North Korea likely developed miniature nuclear devices fitting into ballistic warheads: UN report Press TV 04 Aug 2020 -- A confidential United Nations (UN) report purportedly says several countries believe that North Korea may have developed "miniaturized nuclear devices to fit into the warheads of its ballistic missiles."
UN Report Claims DPRK 'Probably' Developed Miniature Nuclear Devices for Ballistic Missiles Sputnik 04 Aug 2020 -- A new report submitted on Monday by an independent, 15-member panel of experts on the United Nations Security Council Sanctions Committee on North Korea claims that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is violating sanctions and is likely developing miniature nuclear devices that attach to ballistic missile warheads.
New Book Offers Insider's Glimpse Into Life in North Korea VOA 04 Aug 2020 -- A new book offers an on-the-ground account of the rewards and roadblocks faced by an American scholar as he engaged one of the world's most closed-off states.
Torrential Rain Hits DPRK KCNA 04 Aug 2020 -- Torrential rain caused by the seasonal rainy front is now witnessed in the DPRK every day.
North Korea Sends Special Forces to Ryanggang Province Border With China Radio Free Asia 03 Aug 2020 -- North Korea has deployed 1,500 elite special forces soldiers to the Sino-Korean border area of northern Ryanggang province to target corruption and smuggling while preventing citizens from escaping to China, sources in the region told RFA.
All-People Emergency Anti-epidemic Work Brisk in DPRK KCNA 03 Aug 2020 -- The emergency anti-epidemic work is being carried out as an all-people campaign in the DPRK.

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August 2020 - North Korea Special Weapons News