Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)
August 2021 - North Korea Special Weapons News
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- Report on North Korea's Yongbyon Prompts Calls by US, South Korea For Restart of Denuclearization Talks Radio Free Asia 30 Aug 2021 -- A new report by the U.N.'s atomic energy agency that North Korea may have restarted a five-megawatt nuclear reactor at its Yongbyon nuclear power facility believed to be capable of producing plutonium for nuclear weapons, has sparked calls by the United States and South Korea for the resumption of international talks to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.
- North Korean Phone Brokers Take Huge Risk to Resume Remittances Radio Free Asia 30 Aug 2021 -- Despite a harsh crackdown on contacting people outside the country, people who facilitate overseas remittances in North Korea are returning to work at great risk as the economic situation in the country worsens, sources in the country told RFA.
- IAEA suspects North Korea has restarted nuclear reactor Press TV 30 Aug 2021 -- North Korea appears to have resumed operation at its main nuclear reactor that is widely suspected to have produced weapons fuels, the UN atomic watchdog reported, describing the development as "deeply troubling."
- IAEA Estimates North Korea Could Have Restarted Yongbyon Nuclear Reactor Sputnik 30 Aug 2021 -- Denuclearization talks between North Korea and the United States have stalled, with Washington calling for Pyongyang to step away from its nuclear program, and in particular to dismantle its nuclear sites, Yongbyon among them. The US was reluctant, however, to first offer sanction relief, which caused the deal to fall apart.
- Ethnic Chinese Leaving North Korea Sign Pledge Not to Return Through 2023 Radio Free Asia 27 Aug 2021 -- Ethnic Chinese stranded in North Korea when the border was closed last year amid coronavirus concerns have been allowed by Pyongyang to return home, but only after promising not to return to the reclusive country before the end of 2023, sources say.
- 16th Plenary Meeting of 14th Standing Committee of SPA of DPRK Held KCNA 26 Aug 2021 -- The 16th Plenary Meeting of the 14th Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) was held at the Mansudae Assembly Hall on Aug. 24.
- North Korea Gets Tough With Residents Caught With South Korean Products or Cash Radio Free Asia 25 Aug 2021 -- A North Korean used-clothing trader who kept two South Korean banknotes she found in a bundle of garments was hauled away by state security agents in June and hasn't been heard from since — the victim of a tightening crackdown on foreign cultural influences, sources in the reclusive state told RFA.
- North Koreans Pressed to Donate Labor, Cash For Flood Recovery Work Radio Free Asia 24 Aug 2021 -- Factories and residents in North Korea are chafing at new orders to help fund and build new houses for people on the country's east coast whose homes were destroyed in floods early this month, sources in the region told RFA.
- Arrests of North Korean Wives of Chinese Men Spooks Refugee Community Radio Free Asia 20 Aug 2021 -- A spate of arrests of North Korean wives of Chinese men—raids seizing long-time residents in front of their families—has the put the refugee community in northeastern China on edge, sources in China told RFA.
- Analysis: What Does Fall of Kabul Mean for North Korea? VOA 19 Aug 2021 -- Experts are split on how the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan could affect North Korea. Some argue that the collapse of Kabul, triggered by the withdrawal of U.S. forces, could encourage North Korea's nuclear ambitions, while others suggest the fall of Kabul may work against Pyongyang because getting Washington's attention would be harder given the complex aftermath of the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
- N. Korea Issues Navigational Warning Amid Fears of Weapons Test: Reports VOA 19 Aug 2021 -- North Korea declared a no-sail zone for ships off its east coast earlier this week, suggesting it may have been planning a missile launch or other weapons test that apparently never occurred, according to South Korean reports.
- North Korea Warns Citizens Not to Speculate About Leader's Health After Weight Loss Radio Free Asia 18 Aug 2021 -- North Korea has warned citizens to refrain from talking about national leader Kim Jong Un's health after he recently lost weight, calling such gossip as a "reactionary act," sources in the country say.
- North Korea Threatens to Punish China-Based Workers Moonlighting for Local Companies Radio Free Asia 17 Aug 2021 -- North Korea has banned its trade representatives in China from making money on the side to support themselves and will punish those who violate the restrictions for betraying the party and the country's leader Kim Jong Un, sources in China told RFA.
- Australia's continued commitment to Operation ARGOS Australia DOD 16 Aug 2021 -- Australia remains committed to enforcing United Nations Security Council sanctions on North Korea, with the deployment of a Royal Australian Air Force P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft.
- North Korea Cracks Down on Employees Skipping Work to Earn Money Elsewhere Radio Free Asia 16 Aug 2021 -- North Korea has begun sending citizens to labor camps for skipping out on their low-salary government-assigned jobs to try to make a living elsewhere in an economy that has gone from bad to worse under the coronavirus pandemic, sources in the country told RFA
- Epidemic Prevention Work Further Intensified in DPRK KCNA 14 Aug 2021 -- As the world health crisis worsens and wet weather lingers in the country, the emergency epidemic prevention units at all levels in the DPRK further intensify their work.
- US is bound to pay a price for joint drills with S.Korea: N. Korean ambassador to China Global Times 14 Aug 2021 -- Ri Ryong-nam, North Korean ambassador to China, told the Global Times in an exclusive interview recently that a series of US-South Korea joint military exercises that started on Tuesday are the most concentrated performance of US hostile policy against North Korea. "It's unwelcome and they will definitely pay the price for that."
- North Korea to Impose Hard Labor Sentences for COVID-19 Gathering Violations Radio Free Asia 11 Aug 2021 -- North Korea will impose hard-labor sentences on citizens who gather and dine in groups of more than three in violation of coronavirus quarantine rules, sources in the country told RFA.
- US-South Korea war games: North Korea warns of 'serious security crisis' Press TV 11 Aug 2021 -- North Korea warns the United States and South Korea of risking a "serious security crisis" by choosing to escalate tensions as the two allies gear up to conduct joint military drills on the troubled Korean Peninsula.
- North Korea Ignores Seoul's Hotline Calls for Second Straight Day, Reports Say Sputnik 11 Aug 2021 -- North Korea has been snubbing Seoul's phone calls via the inter-Korean lines for a second day in a row after harsh criticism of upcoming South Korea-US joint drills, the Yonhap news agency reported on Wednesday.
- N. Korea Returns to 'Old Playbook' of Confrontation, Dialogue VOA 11 Aug 2021 -- In June, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered his country to prepare for both "dialogue and confrontation" with the United States. It didn't take long for the U.S. and its ally South Korea to experience both sides of that directive.
- N. Korea Slams US-South Korea Drills, Promises Own Weapons Buildup VOA 10 Aug 2021 -- North Korea has condemned U.S.-South Korea military exercises that begin this week, saying the drills show the need for Pyongyang to develop more of its own military capabilities.
- North Korea ignores hotline call from South following warning over US-South Korea drills Press TV 10 Aug 2021 -- North Korea has ignored a hotline call from South Korea, Seoul says, hours after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister warned the South and the US over annual joint military exercises, and shortly after the two Koreas agreed to reestablish the emergency communication line.
- US-South Korea war games: North says will build up power to confront external threats Press TV 10 Aug 2021 -- North Korea has reacted angrily to a decision by the United States and South Korea to push ahead with their joint military drills on the Korean Peninsula, warning the duo will have to face a more serious security threat as Pyongyang would definitely move to boost its defense and pre-emptive strike capabilities.
- Kim Yo-jong Calls US-South Korea Drills 'Rehearsal' of Nuclear War Sputnik 10 Aug 2021 -- The upcoming joint drills of the United States and South Korea are a "rehearsal" of nuclear war, Kim Yo-jong, the deputy department director of the Workers' Party of Korea Central Committee, said on Tuesday.
- DPRK's Kim Yo-jong Condemns US-South Korean Drills, Pledges to Develop Better First Strike Weapons Sputnik 10 Aug 2021 -- Peace talks in 2018 yielded an end-of-war declaration between the Koreas, but despite several summits between then-US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, no further progress toward ending hostilities was made, and the posturing and threats soon returned.
- State Emergency Measures Taken to Recover from Flood Damage in DPRK KCNA 10 Aug 2021 -- State emergency measures are taken to eradicate the aftermath of flood and heavy rain as soon as possible in the DPRK.
- Thousands Evacuate Homes as Heavy Rains Flood North Korea Radio Free Asia 09 Aug 2021 -- Rainy season flooding has forced thousands of North Koreans to evacuate their homes and entire cities went without power as rising waters damaged buildings in distant parts of the country, sources in the region told RFA.
- Measures against Flood Damage Taken in Different Sectors of National Economy KCNA 09 Aug 2021 -- Foresighted measures for preventing the flood damage are being taken in various sectors of the national economy and major construction sites.
- Rabbit-Breeding Brisk in DPRK KCNA 08 Aug 2021 -- Rabbit-breeding has gained momentum as an all-people movement across the country.
- Tougher Measures Taken to Prevent Damage from Downpour and Flood KCNA 08 Aug 2021 -- Efforts are directed to preventing damage from downpour and flood in the fields of electric power and coal industries.
- North Korea leader mobilizes military for relief work in flood-hit areas Press TV 08 Aug 2021 -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has mobilized the military to carry out relief work in areas recently hit by heavy rains, amid concerns over food shortages.
- North Korea to Involve Army in Recovery Campaign for Flooded Regions Sputnik 08 Aug 2021 -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un issued an order to send aid to South Hamgyong Province, which was damaged by flooding, and to involve the army in recovery activities, the state news agency KCNA reported on Sunday.
- North Korea Forces Factory Workers to Donate Grain for Army Pig Farms Radio Free Asia 04 Aug 2021 -- North Korea is forcing factories to raise pork for the country's huge military, and imposing pig feed grain quotas on workers who are already struggling to stay fed after 18 months of coronavirus measures have frozen trade with China and choked the economy, sources in the country told RFA.
- North Korea Orders Military Officials to Host 'Soldiers' Day' Dog Meat Feast Radio Free Asia 03 Aug 2021 -- North Korea has ordered its armed forces to hold a day of appreciation for the country's soldiers, complete with a feast of dog meat believed to boost their stamina, with military officials made to foot the bill, sources in the military told RFA.
- North Korea demands sanctions relief to resume talks with US: Seoul Press TV 03 Aug 2021 -- North Korea has called for relief from international sanctions as a precondition to resuming denuclearization talks with the United States, South Korean officials say.
- Buyers Reject North Korean Banknotes Featuring Kim Il Sung Sold as Souvenirs in China Radio Free Asia 03 Aug 2021 -- North Korean banknotes bearing founder Kim Il Sung's image displayed by street vendors in Chinese cities near the countries' shared border are finding no buyers, with both Chinese and North Korean passersby calling them worthless, sources in China said.
- Kim Jong-un in Good Health Despite Appearing With Mystery Band-Aid on Head - South Korean Spy Agency Sputnik 03 Aug 2021 -- South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) believes that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has no health issues, despite the fact that he appeared in public with a patch on the back of his head a few days ago, the Yonhap news agency reported on Tuesday.
- Kim Jong-un Requested Restoration of Inter-Korean Hotline, South Korean Spy Agency Says Sputnik 03 Aug 2021 -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was the one who suggested reopening cross-border communication lines between Seoul and Pyongyang that were cut off by North Korea last summer, the South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS) said Tuesday.
- DPRK slams U.S.-South Korea military drills, casts doubt on North-South summit People's Daily 02 Aug 2021 -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Sunday night urged South Korea to cancel its regular joint military exercises with the United States and said a North-South leader-level summit remains unlikely in the short term, the official Korean Central News Agency reported.
- North Korea warns US-South Korea war games to hamper diplomacy Press TV 02 Aug 2021 -- Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, has warned that a planned joint US-South Korea military exercise will undercut a renewed push for diplomacy on the Korean Peninsula, state-run media reported.
- DPRK Makes All-out Efforts to Avert Drought Damage to Crops KCNA 01 Aug 2021 -- The DPRK concentrates its forces and means on preventing the drought damage to crops.
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