Tag: North Korea

The gap in life expectancy between North and South Koreans continues to widen.  I wonder if this includes all the forced abortions in North Korea?:

South Koreans live 12 years more than their compatriots in the North on average, mainly due to fewer newborn deaths, government data showed Sunday.

According to Statistics Korea, the life expectancy of a South Korean stood at 78.2 years for men and 85 for women. Corresponding numbers for North Korea were 66 for men and 72.7 for women.

This translates into an average South Korean man living 12.2 years longer than one in the North, while a South Korean woman could expect to live 12.3 years longer.

The latest estimate showed that if current trends continue, the gap could widen to 14.5 years for men and shrink to 11.9 years for women by 2055.

In that year, a South Korean man’s life expectancy could hit 85.9 years and that for a woman could reach 89.8 years.

The statistical agency said the major reason for the difference can be found in the high infant mortality rate in North Korea.  [Yonhap]

You can read the rest at the link.

Kim Jong Un Visits Ku’msusan to Mark KJI Death Anniversary https://t.co/FRTVAAjEXm pic.twitter.com/EHa0pQAggE

— NorthKoreaRealTime (@BuckTurgidson79) December 17, 2015

North Korean Olympic weightlifting champion fails doping test https://t.co/Pc3OJJzH7M pic.twitter.com/JJX7Eh1gcl

— NorthKoreaRealTime (@BuckTurgidson79) December 17, 2015

The cancellation of the concert by Kim Jong-un’s girl band in China for some reason has become so controversial the Chinese Internet censors are deleting whatever posts they can find about the topic:

Fueling speculation about the cause of the sudden cancellation of a much-anticipated performance by the Moranbong Band in Beijing, Chinese authorities started censoring posts on portal sites and social networking services related to the North Korean girl band.

North Korea’s Moranbong Band was scheduled to perform at Beijing’s National Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday evening as a part of a goodwill tour that was to last for three days. The band withdrew hours before the invitation-only concert began, returning to Pyongyang via Air Koryo. They had traveled to Beijing by train.

When the cancellation of the concert was first being reported Saturday, the news was on the front page of Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter, and categorized as “Today’s hot issue.”

There were tens of thousands of posts about the band on Weibo. Some praised the beauty of the band members from photos snapped at their hotel in Beijing, including remarks such as, “They’re much prettier than South Korean girl groups.”

But starting from late Saturday, the messages started disappearing. By Sunday, they were gone, indicating that Chinese authorities were censoring any posts related to the Moranbong Band. Articles on the band disappeared from websites, as well. A photo caption from Chinese newspaper Huanqiu Shibao on Monday saying that “the effect of the cancellation of the North Korean performance is limited” suddenly disappeared from its mobile application.   [Joong Ang Ilbo]

You can read the rest at the link.

Apparently when Chinese authorities saw a rehearsal of Kim Jong-un’s girl band they immediately decided to cancel the concert due to the propaganda they saw.  What did they expect with inviting Kim Jong-un’s girl band to China?:

 

The mysterious cancellation of a Beijing concert by North Korea’s Moranbong Band on Saturday appears to be linked with the girl group’s program, which included adulations of leader Kim Jong-un and possibly boasts about the country’s nuclear tests, which China’s government was against.

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) told lawmakers that it believes Chinese authorities, after watching a rehearsal on Friday, balked at the propaganda-filled program.  [Joong Ang llbo]

You can read the rest at the link.

Like I have said for all of these detainment cases, I feel for the families effected by this, but if you willing travel into North Korea this is the risk you are taking.  No one else should be expected to get you out of trouble when things go wrong.  This is why I have advocated for no one to travel to North Korea because not only are you supporting the Kim regime with hard currency, but you are also giving the regime bargaining chips they can use for future use if they feel they need them:

North Korea sentenced a detained Canadian pastor to life imprisonment with hard labor 10 months after taking him into custody.

Pyongyang’s state-controlled KCNA reported, “The trial of Canadian pastor Hyeon Soo Lim, who undertook a special plot to overthrow the state, took place before the Supreme Court on Dec. 16.”

North Korea said the defendant received a life sentence with hard labor and was found guilty of violating Pyongyang’s Criminal Law Article 60, or conspiring to overthrow the Kim Jong Un regime. Pyongyang added there were “witnesses” who had evidence of Lim’s wrongdoing.

Speaking on behalf of the defendant, 60, North Korea said Lim had admitted to his wrongdoing: adopting South Korea’s anti-Pyongyang hostile actions by “insulting [North Korea’s] highest dignity and its system with vicious slander” and “harboring ill will and attempting to take down [North Korea].”  [UPI]

You can read the rest at the link.

First of all why is a North Korean agent allowed in the US in the first place?  Secondly this just shows how complicit the Chinese government is in allowing these front companies to exist that give the Kim regime the capability to smuggle in not only military equipment, but luxury goods as well:

A man from North Korea accused of trying to buy military grade night vision goggles from a Utah-based undercover agent and illegally export them to China has pleaded guilty to a federal charge in an agreement with prosecutors.

Kim Song-il was arrested in Hawaii after agreeing to pay $22,000 for the equipment and packing it into boxes that he claimed were filled with used toys and towels so he could ship them to his Chinese business, charges state.

Prosecutors say they believe the six pairs of goggles would have gotten to North Korea from there, though defense attorney Scott Williams disputes that allegation.  [Joong Ang Ilbo]

You can read the rest at the link.

We now know why Kim Jong-un’s girl band had to cancel their Beijing performance:

China had decided to send officials of lower rank to a concert by the all-female North Korean propaganda band in response to the North’s leader Kim Jong-un hinting earlier last week that Pyongyang had developed a hydrogen bomb, a source in Beijing close to the situation said Sunday.

The decision might have been related to the sudden cancellation of the concert by the North Korean side, said the source, who got the information from a Chinese government official with knowledge of the situation.

The Moranbong Band, formed in 2012 following an order from leader Kim, had been scheduled to perform for three days in Beijing starting Saturday, in what was seen as a fresh sign of warming relations between the two allies.

However, the band abruptly headed home hours before the invitation-only concert began Saturday.  [Yonhap]

You can read the rest at the link.

Members of North Korea’s all-women “Moranbong Band” shake hands with officials before heading out to China for a friendship visit in this photo published by the North’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Dec. 9, 2015. The three-year-old band, formed by the country’s current top leader Kim Jong-un, stands out with the members’ stylish stage clothes. (Yonhap)

Supposedly their were Internet rumors in China that Kim Jong-un had a relationship with one of the girl band members.  These rumors may be why the performance was cancelled so suddenly:

An all-female band formed by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un canceled its concerts in Beijing and abruptly left the Chinese capital on Saturday for unknown reasons, possibly further cooling relations between the traditional allies.

The Moranbong Band had been scheduled to hold three concerts in Beijing beginning Saturday night in what was viewed as a visit to cultivate ties between the countries.

However, band members arrived at Beijing’s airport in North Korean Embassy vehicles on Saturday afternoon, and departed aboard a North Korean Air Koryo jet shortly after 4 p.m. following a lengthy delay, Chinese news website sina.com reported.

A staff member at the National Theater, where the band was to give the invitation-only performances, said the concerts had been canceled, but did not give a reason. An accompanying North Korean musical troupe, the State Merited Chorus, also canceled its performances.  [Associated Press]

You can read the rest at the link.