Aug 19
Yonhap News reports that the DPRK has finally spoken on the issue of the seized Daesung fishing craft. They announced that four South Korean and three Chinese fishermen have “confessed” to trespassing in waters claimed by the North. The fates and health of the captured men are unknown, but state-run KCNA news have stated that the issue is still under investigation.
Source: Yonhap News / The New York Times
Permanent link to this article: http://www.openingupnorthkorea.com/archives/272
Aug 19
Our friends at the DailyNK report that the South has once again pushed back its plans to deploy loudspeakers along the DMZ. This measure was announced in response to the sinking of the Cheonan in March, and was supposed to resume in May. The date was pushed back to mid June, in hopes that the UN would rally against the North after the final report on the Cheonan was made available. Interest seemed to fade in July, and now it seems the loudspeakers will only begin broadcasting if the North creates more provocations. And even this will probably not resume until after the G20 summit in Seoul this November.
Source: DailyNK
Permanent link to this article: http://www.openingupnorthkorea.com/archives/270
Aug 18
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
Aug 18
South Korea’s National Security Law technically forbids corresponding or communicating with citizens from the North without prior consent from the Unification Ministry. Therefore, are hundreds of South Koreans in violation of law for following the newly created @uriminzok state-run Twitter account from the North? Technically, fines of up to $2500 USD can be assigned for violations, but it is doubtful anyone is in any danger of being fined. The Twitter account has exploded in popularity, reaching over 7500 followers from around the world in just a few days.
Source: The Korean Times
Permanent link to this article: http://www.openingupnorthkorea.com/archives/260
Aug 16
While written in Korean, most of these games are very playable, some dripping with propaganda. These are from the state-run “Uriminzokkiri” news website. The pages do not load properly in Chrome, but you can dive into the HTML source to get the direct links to the games. I’ve done that for you below. They seem to load fine in Firefox.
Catching Thieves – This puzzle game involves pushing gems over holes in the ground where Japanese and American heads pop out of.
Map of Korea Meeting – How’s your Korean geography? The shape of a province is shown, you must select from a list of 5 possible names and then locate it on the map.
Catching the enemy – Fire arrows, throw maces, throw swords. Doesn’t really matter which you pick. Click on the invaders before they throw stuff at you.
Taekwondo national pride – Funny little Taek-won-do fighting game. Use the arrow keys to perform various kicks and punches, A and D on the keyboard to move back and forth.
Ryeolchagil (?) Fit – In North America, we know this title as “Pipe Dream”. lay down railroad tracks of random direction until you can “unify” the train with the tunnel on the other side. Score more points for a “clean” design. Gets harder and you’re on a time limit. Fun!
“Spot the difference” (1) (2) (3) – You’re on a time limit and only get a few tries. Can you spot the differences in the side-by-side editorial cartoons?
Source: Uriminzokkiri (Korean)
Permanent link to this article: http://www.openingupnorthkorea.com/archives/250
Aug 16
Jang Song Taek, the “2nd in command” of North Korea’s leadership has been announced to be the “caretaker” of Kim Jong-Eun. Jang has long been suspected as being a possible candidate for succession. The position of caretaker of the young son of Kim Jong-Il puts him in a position of great power and influence.
Source: Washington Post
Permanent link to this article: http://www.openingupnorthkorea.com/archives/247
Aug 16
South Korea’s Unification Ministry has been tasked with studying the feasibility of a “Unification Tax”. President Lee Myung-bak announced the possibility of the tax to help fund the potential massive bill that would be associated with the North government collapsing and the South responsible for cleanup.
Source: The Chosun Ilbo
Permanent link to this article: http://www.openingupnorthkorea.com/archives/244
Aug 16
As the South and US pair up for another 11 days of military exercises, the North has once again rattled its saber in response. The last retaliation from the DPRK involved firing 130 artillery shells into the sea and kidnapping a fishing vessel, so who knows what to make of these threats anymore.
Source: CNN
Permanent link to this article: http://www.openingupnorthkorea.com/archives/241
Aug 15
As North Korea slowly enters the new century, they have now begun their own state-run Twitter page. This following the recent launch of the official Youtube page. While obviously written in Korean, you can often get the gist of the propaganda messages using a browser with auto-translate extensions like Chrome or Firefox. As of this writing, the page has received 300+ followers, while following none.
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald
Permanent link to this article: http://www.openingupnorthkorea.com/archives/237
Aug 13
Breaking news has been quiet from the DPRK. However, Time Magazine has an interesting writeup on the sinking of the Cheonan and the speculation surrounding it. Read it here.
While fairly old news, a lot of agencies have finally picked this story up: North Korea has made an appeal to the Czech Republic to have its cold war era debts erased, however the Czech government has stated that it demands full repayment, however trade goods are an option. NK offered to repay some of the debt with ginseng, renowned as being some of the world’s finest. The Czechs, however, would prefer zinc.
Source: The Chosun Ilbo
In another story that’s half “awwww…” and half “oh dear…”, a 13 year old boy from Mississippi (and of Korean descent) has a letter for Kim Jong-Il, and is heading to Pyongyang soon for a week long vacation with his parents. The letter contains his hopes that a “peace forest” can be planted on the DMZ where children from either side can play. A naive and optimistic view, for sure, but you must admire the teen’s education on such topics and the cruel senselessness of the war that divides the nations.
Source: Yahoo! News
Permanent link to this article: http://www.openingupnorthkorea.com/archives/234
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