North Korea holds huge military parade as Kim Jong Un vows nuclear might
By KIM TONG-HYUNG SEOUL:North Korea rolled out developmental ballistic missiles designed to be launched from submarines and other military hardware in a parade that punctuated leader Kim Jong Un’s defiant calls to expand his nuclear weapons program. State media said Kim took center stage in Thursday night’s parade celebrating a major ruling party meeting where […]
Kim Jong Un’s big plan to grow North Korea’s economy faces harsh reality
By Josh Smith SEOUL:Kim Jong Un’s ambitious new plan for the next five years is aimed at developing North Korea’s shattered economy, but the proposals may falter in the face of major crises that have already stalled the young leader’s current projects. In remarks released this weekend, Kim blamed international sanctions as well as unanticipated […]
North Korea denounces US two years after Singapore summit
North Korea criticised Donald Trump in a stinging denunciation of the United States on Friday, the second anniversary of a landmark summit in Singapore where the US president shook hands with leader Kim Jong Un. It was the latest in a series of vitriolic statements from Pyongyang aimed at both Washington and Seoul, and came […]
North Korea’s Kim Jong Un keeps low public profile in May: Analysts
By Josh Smith SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has made an unusually small number of public appearances in the past two months, once again going three weeks without state media reporting his attendance at a public event, according to analysts. Kim’s low profile comes as North Korea imposes anti-coronavirus measures, although the country […]
South Korea spy agency says no signs North Korea’s Kim Jong Un received heart surgery
SEOUL: There are no signs North Korean leader Kim Jong Un received heart surgery when he disappeared from state media for three weeks, but he reduced public activity due to coronavirus concerns, Yonhap news agency reported on Wednesday. Kim attended the completion of a fertiliser plant, North Korea’s official media said on Saturday, the first […]
South Korea says Kim Jong Un did not have surgery, as two Koreas exchange gunfire
SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un did not undergo surgery during his almost three week absence from public life, South Korean news outlet Yonhap said citing a senior government official, as the two Koreas exchanged gunfire around the border on Sunday. The South Korean official declined to provide reasons for believing that Kim did […]
North Korea’s Kim Jong Un reappears after weeks of speculation
North Korea’s Kim Jong Un has made his first public appearance in nearly three weeks, state media reported Saturday, following intense speculation that the leader of the nuclear-armed nation was seriously ill or possibly dead. State television showed Kim walking, smiling broadly and smoking a cigarette at what the North said was the opening of […]
South Korea says North Korea’s Kim Jong Un may be trying to avoid coronavirus
SEOUL:Fear of catching the coronavirus could have kept North Korean leader Kim Jong Un away from state ceremonies for a key holiday in mid-April, a South Korean minister said on Tuesday as speculation swirled over Kim’s whereabouts and health. The speculation erupted following Kim’s unprecedented absence from public ceremonies on the April 15 birth anniversary […]
South Korea maintains Kim Jong Un health rumors are untrue
SEOUL: South Korea’s government has dismissed rumors that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is in fragile condition, as speculation about his health intensifies amid the North’s silence on his whereabouts. There are concerns, particularly in Seoul and Washington, about what would happen to North Korea and its nuclear program if anything had actually happened […]
Heir unapparent: If North Korea faces succession, who might replace Kim Jong Un?
North Korea has never announced who would follow leader Kim Jong Un in the event he is incapacitated, and with no details known about his young children, analysts say his sister and loyalists could form a regency until a successor is old enough to take over. South Korean and Chinese officials have publicly cast doubt […]
Seoul sees no suspicious activity in North Korea amid Kim Jong Un concerns
SEOUL: The South Korean government said Tuesday no unusual activity has been detected in North Korea after unconfirmed reports described leader Kim Jong Un as in fragile condition after heart surgery. The presidential Blue House says it had no information about the rumors on Kim’s health. Speculation often surfaces about North Korea’s leadership based on […]
Kim Jong Un was in critical condition after surgery
NEW DELHI: Mystery surrounded Kim Jong Un’s health after U.S. and South Korean officials gave differing accounts of the North Korean leader’s condition after his unusual absence from recent holiday celebrations. Kim was in critical condition after undergoing cardiovascular surgery last week and the Trump administration wasn’t sure of his current health, said U.S. officials, […]