Category Archive: Defection

Nov 17

Kim Jong-Un purging “lazy” officials

Categories:

Defection, Kim Jong-Un, Military, North Korea, Succession

November 17, 2010

jong_un_cool_parka

Flexing his newfound power muscles, Kim Jong-Un has allegedly been purging lax officials from the military, according to a North Korean defectors’ group. Sources from the North have reported that officials who have been turning a blind eye to defections and smuggling have been cracked down upon by the heir-apparent to the North Korea dynasty. A total of 15 “heavyweight” officials have been purged thus far. If true, the move can be seen as a sign that the younger Kim will use fear as a tactic to gain loyalty from officials in order to secure a smooth transition to power in the future.

Source: Yahoo! News via AFP

Permanent link to this article: http://www.openingupnorthkorea.com/archives/620

Nov 02

North Koreans journalists use cellphones and digital cameras to export truth

Categories:

China, Defection, North Korea

November 2, 2010

Rarely do we get a glimpse of North Korean life outside what the authorities allow, and typically these views are catered towards feeding tourists propaganda of success as a self-reliant and thriving nation. In the outer provinces outside of Pyongyang, however, poverty, famine and desperation are commonplace. AsiaPress, a Japanese based group advocating free journalism, has been training several North Koreans in the use of modern technology such as digital camera operation and cellphone use, so that the travesties and corruption of the DPRK can be revealed through honest eyes. The North Korean journalists risk theirs and their families lives to get the word out of the conditions in North Korea by bringing SD cards across the Chinese border for dissemination. Many of these reports can be found in the recently-released-in-English Rimjingang magazine.

Source: IT World

Permanent link to this article: http://www.openingupnorthkorea.com/archives/578

Oct 26

North Korean spy arrested in Seoul

Categories:

China, Defection, North Korea, South Korea

October 26, 2010

I’m really late on this one. Following the sudden accidental and natural death of Hwang Jang-Yop on October 10, a suspected North Korean spy has been arrested as an “assassin-to-be” against the top-ranking defector. Ri Dong-sam, 46, was an agent with the elite “Office 35” branch of the Reconnaissance General Bureau. He trained for 5 years in the DPRK as an assassin and spy. These sorts of spies are responsible for tracking down and killing defectors from the North, and tend to pose as defectors themselves. His order to assassinate Hwang was given in December of 2009, and he moved from China to either Laos or Thailand, and in August 2010 attempted to enter the South where he was questioned (all alleged defectors are) which raised suspicious about his nature.

Source: The New York Times

Permanent link to this article: http://www.openingupnorthkorea.com/archives/550

Oct 13

North Korea plotted to attack eldest son of Kim Jong-Il, China intervened

Categories:

China, Defection, Kim Jong-Un, North Korea, Succession

October 13, 2010

A South Korean government source has divulged that in January 2009, when youngest son Kim Jong-Un was tapped as a likely future successor to North Korean leadership, aides to the Youth Captain plotted an attack on Kim Jong-Nam. Kim Jong-Nam was once believed to be the favoured son for succession, until he was arrested in 2008 for trying to sneak into Japan on a forged passport. He has been living in Macau, a territory of China, since then. The intention of the attack was to silence the “loose-tongued” son from saying too much about North Korea’s politics to the outside world. It is unknown whether the intent was to assassinate Jong-Nam, or send a message of deterrence. China interrupted the plans by refusing to allow North Korea agents to attack Jong-Nam while on Chinese soil.

Source: Google News via AFP.

Permanent link to this article: http://www.openingupnorthkorea.com/archives/506

Oct 11

Highest ranking North Korean defector, contributor to DailyNK, Hwang Jang-Yop dies at 87

Categories:

Defection, North Korea, South Korea

October 11, 2010

Hwang Jang-Yop, a high level member of the North Korean government during the Kim Il-Sung era who helped develop the Juche ideology with Kim Il-Sung and famously defected to South Korea in 1997, died on October 10th. DailyNK has a nice special on Hwang and his lessons about North Korea (see the “Related Articles” from this page). The death is being ruled as not suspicious, but an autopsy will be performed. Great information on the life of Hwang Jang-Yop can be found on his Wikipedia page.

Source: Daily NK

Permanent link to this article: http://www.openingupnorthkorea.com/archives/487

Aug 18

North Korean MiG crashes in China

Categories:

China, Defection, North Korea, War

August 18, 2010

A North Korean MiG fighter jet crashed in China on Tuesday, roughly 150km north of the border. Though many details remain unclear, speculation is that the pilot was attempting to defect to Russia, was way off course, and ran out of fuel. The pilot died immediately. China is currently in communications with the DPRK about the incident. We are also unsure of whether the plane was a MiG 15, a Russian military relic used primarily for training, or the more combat-ready MiG 21 (though introduced in 1959 and retired by the Russians in ’90).

Permanent link to this article: http://www.openingupnorthkorea.com/archives/262

» Newer posts