https://twitter.com/freekorea_us/status/671022731182362625
North Korea fails to launch ballistic missile from submarine: official https://t.co/SiJaZKcabj @korea_observer 님이 공유
— The Korea Observer (@koreaobserver) November 28, 2015
Sour note lifted in kimchi war as North Korea gets taste of victory at UN: https://t.co/DcBFL5aXcr via @GuardianNK
— NK NEWS (@nknewsorg) November 24, 2015
It has already been 5 years since North Korea’s deadly artillery shelling of Yeonpyeong Island which the Kim regime has never taken responsibility for:
South Korea’s Marine Corps held a live-fire drill in the Yellow Sea on Monday, as the country marked the fifth anniversary of North Korea’s shelling of Yeonpyeong Island.
The live-fire exercise, which mobilized K-9 self-propelled artillery launchers, was held despite warnings from North Korea on Sunday that it would react “mercilessly” if the South pushed ahead with the scheduled drill near the tense maritime border.
Monday marked the fifth anniversary of the Yeonpyeong Island shelling, which was North Korea’s first attack on South Korean soil since the 1950-53 Korean War. The bombardment of shells left two Marines and two civilians dead and further froze inter-Korean relations under the Lee Myung-bak government, which had accused the North of torpedoing the Cheonan warship in the Yellow Sea eight months earlier. The North denies responsibility for the sinking, which killed 46 sailors. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
You can read the rest at the link.
https://twitter.com/freekorea_us/status/667497111953481728
Long-read about the Ohio man held in North Korea for planting a bible. @atavistmag https://t.co/hE3GwOow8n
— Alastair Gale (@AlastairGale) November 18, 2015
With the amount of wildlife around the DMZ it seems to me these sensors will just be filled with false alarms all day:
South Korea will develop and deploy new ground sensor technology aimed at detecting North Korean movement inside the Demilitarized Zone, defense officials said Tuesday.
The initial planning phase for the 3.6 billion won ($3.1 million) project should be complete by next year, with further systems development slated through 2019, multiple defense officials told Stars and Stripes on condition of anonymity, which is customary in South Korea.
The sensors would be capable of notifying commanders of early-stage movement by North Korean special operations in the event of an attack, according to a statement from South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration.
Concerns over DMZ movement increased in August when two South Korean soldiers were maimed by land mines planted near a guard post. South Korean officials labeled the incident a “clear provocation” by North Korea and vowed retaliation. Pyongyang expressed regret for the incident but did not admit involvement. [Stars & Stripes]
You can read the rest at the link.
North Korea declares no-sail zone in possible indication of missile launch https://t.co/zz4vFiEw15 pic.twitter.com/jAnC3kXobJ
— The Korea Observer (@koreaobserver) November 15, 2015
Considering that the North Koreans will never fully denuclearize this is why they will never back away from demanding a peace treaty with the US first:
North Korea criticized the top U.S. nuclear envoy Friday for urging it again to denuclearize first for a peace treaty.
The North’s foreign ministry reiterated a call for immediate talks on replacing the 1953 Armistice Agreement with a peace treaty.
It was countering remarks by Sung Kim, special representative for North Korea policy, earlier this week at a Washington forum.
Speaking on the North’s demand for a peace treaty, Kim accused Pyongyang of having “the order wrong.”
“Before we can get to a peace mechanism to replace the armistice, I think we need to make significant progress on the central issue of denuclearization,” he said. [Yonhap]
You can read the rest at the link.
I am not sure how much effect these sanctions will have on an individual or company from the Kim regime who is unlikely to own any assets in the US. However, it should create a chilling effect on banks wanting to do business with these individuals and companies if the Treasury Department threatens these banks with losing access to the US banking system:
The United States imposed sanctions on North Korea’s ambassador to Myanmar on Friday for involvement in Pyongyang’s weapons proliferation efforts, the first time a sitting North Korean ambassador has been sanctioned.
The Treasury Department said it has added Amb. Kim Sok-chol to its Specially Designated Nationals List (SDN), along with three other North Koreans, Hwang Su-man, Kim Kwang-hyok and Ri Chong-chol, all of them linked to Korea Mining Development Trading Corp.(KOMID), accused of weapons proliferation.
The envoy operates as a KOMID facilitator, the department said.
“Today’s action is designed to counter North Korea’s attempts to circumvent U.S. and United Nations (UN) sanctions, as well as maintain the effectiveness of U.S. sanctions on individuals and entities that are linked to the North Korean Government’s weapons of mass destruction procurement network,” the department said.
Under the sanctions, any property or interest in property of the designated persons in the possession of U.S. persons or within U.S. jurisdiction must be frozen and transactions by U.S. persons involving the designated persons are generally prohibited, the department said.
“North Korea’s continued violation of international law and its commitment to the proliferation of ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction pose a serious threat to the United States and to global peace and security,” Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Adam J. Szubin said in the statement.
“Today’s designations underscore our ongoing efforts to obstruct the flow of funds used to augment North Korea’s nuclear capabilities,” he said.
In addition to the four individuals, the U.S. also sanctioned EKO Development and Investment Co., a North Korean government entity located in Egypt, for helping KOMID market North Korean weapons systems to foreign countries, the department said. [Yonhap]
