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NEWS ABOUT: Pyongyang

Thawing Relations: South Korea Sending Aid to North

5,000 tons of rice, cement to be shipped

(Newser) - South Korea will send $8.5 million in aid to flood-ravaged North Korea in a sign of warming relations, NPR reports. The 5,000-ton shipment of rice and cement represents the South’s first major aid shipment to its neighbor after an alleged torpedo attack from the North in March... More »

Kim Jong Il's Transfer of Power May Be Near

Big party gathering in the works; youngest son in line

(Newser) - North Korea is planning a huge political summit amid rumors that Kim Jong Il will designate his youngest son as successor, Bloomberg reports. Soldiers and tanks have been dispatched to the capital for military parades, and Kim's Workers' Party of Korea has prepared pledges of loyalty for the summit, expected... More »

Now on Twitter: North Korea?!

Official outlet sets up its 140-character shop

(Newser) - If you're among those wondering just what the hell Kim Jong-Il is thinking, well, you'll probably never know. But Dear Leader's iron fist on information has loosened just enough for Pyongyang to establish its first official Twitter presence, reports Mashable. The Uriminzokkiri ("Our Nation") official website set up... More »

In North Korea, Surgery Comes Without Anesthetic

Nation's health care is in crisis, says Amnesty International

(Newser) - North Korea spends the least amount of money per capita on health care of any country in the world—less than $1 per person a year—and it's getting what it pays for, according to an Amnesty International report. Defectors and health professionals who work with North Koreans tell of... More »

North Korea Allows First Live Soccer Broadcast

Players can expect harsh welcome home after 7-0 thrashing by Portugal

(Newser) - North Koreans, for the first and possibly only time, watched their nation's soccer team play on foreign soil yesterday live on TV. Censors, fearing the appearance of anti-government protesters at matches, usually slap lengthy delays on such broadcasts—17 hours in the case of North Korea's game against Brazil. No... More »

Israel Looks a Lot Like North Korea

Both are isolated except for a superpower

(Newser) - Be careful, Israel, you're starting to look like "gulp—North Korea," writes Daniel W. Drezner. Israel may not be in similarly dire financial straits, but the parallels are "pretty eerie" beyond that, writes Drezner in Foreign Policy . Let us count the ways:
  • "Both countries are diplomatically
... More »

Pyongyang: Kim Jong Il Style 'Sweeps World'

Style spreads 'expeditiously' in 'unprecedented' manner: 'expert'

(Newser) - The rest of the world might think he needs a straight jacket, but to hear the North Korean state news apparatus tell it, “Dear Leader” Kim Jong-Il’s matching Ike jackets and slacks has inspired a global vogue for the style. “The reason is that the august image... More »

N. Korea Demands US, S. Korea Get Out of Buffer Zone

Warning comes days after suspected attack on S. Korean ship

(Newser) - If the US and South Korea don't stop allowing tourists and journalists into the buffer zone on the heavily armed border between North and South Korea, the North will retaliate with “unpredictable incidents including the loss of human lives in this area for which the US side will be... More »

North Korea to Free US Missionary

Regime claims rights-activist Robert Park has repented

(Newser) - North Korea says it will free an American missionary who entered the country to protest human rights abuses. State media said the reclusive regime had decided to "leniently forgive" Robert Park, 28, for entering the country on Christmas day because he'd shown "sincere repentance," reports the Washington ... More »

Partying in Pyongyang, Wall Street Journal-Style

The North Korean capital is slowly opening up to tourists

(Newser) - The ultimate capitalist tool tells foreigners how to party in the largely dark capital of North Korea. Bee Gees tunes anyone? Click here for tips from Kristina Perez in the Wall Street Journal. Among other things, she explains how you can keep gambling until the wee hours. More »

N. Korean Edict Meets Rare Resistance

Unrest over private markets could signal trouble for Kim

(Newser) - When Kim Jong Il imposed new rules this month to crack down on private markets, he encountered a rare thing from his obedient citizenry—resistance. One eastern city had a riot, and public anger forced the government to beat a rare retreat on some of the new currency restrictions, reports... More »

N. Korea Bans Fancy Hairdos

Pyongyang decrees that hair is to be kept 'tidy and simple'

(Newser) - North Korea's dear leader, who favors the bouffant, is laying down the law on haircuts. Men must keep their hair short, while women should keep their locks unstyled and pulled back. Above all, Koreans are to avoid "foreign" hairstyles. "To keep your hair tidy and simple is a... More »

US, South Korea Offer North 'Grand Bargain' on Nukes

Obama's envoy heading to Pyongyang next month

(Newser) - South Korea's president says he and President Barack Obama have agreed to offer North Korea a "grand bargain" aimed at ending the North's nuclear program. President Lee Myung-bak, speaking at a joint news conference today in Seoul, said the deal would be similar to his proposal for a package... More »

UAE Seizes Ship Bringing N. Korean Arms to Iran

Shipment violates UN ban on weapons exports from Pyongyang

(Newser) - Authorities in the United Arab Emirates today seized a ship carrying weapons from North Korea to Iran, the Financial Times reports—a violation of United Nations resolutions barring Pyongyang from exporting arms. The shipment was headed for a company linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, which has previously been banned... More »

Richardson Hails Warmer Signals From North Korea

(Newser) - The tentative thaw continues in North Korea relations. On the heels of Bill Clinton's trip, Bill Richardson hosted two high-ranking officials from the North today at the governor's mansion in New Mexico and declared that Pyongyang is sending a "positive vibration" about detente. “What I sense was, one,... More »

You, Too, Can Visit North Korea

Prepare to be followed by officials everywhere you turn

(Newser) - You don’t have to be an ex-president to visit North Korea: In fact, your average “private citizen” can make the trip, if he or she doesn't mind a few inconveniences, writes Christopher Beam for Slate. To head to Pyongyang, apply for a visa via North Korea’s UN... More »

Rescue Mission Puts Spotlight on Bill's Contacts

(Newser) - The same sprawling network of business and political contacts that caused trouble with Hillary Clinton's confirmation as secretary of state helped her husband secure the release of Euna Lee and Laura Ling, the Washington Post reports. Private donors paid for Bill Clinton's trip to North Korea, and the former president... More »

Clinton Meets With Kim Jong Il

(Newser) - Bill Clinton has met with reclusive North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, official state media reports. The Korean news agency described Clinton as "courteously" conveying a message from President Obama, saying he and Kim shared a "wide-ranging exchange of views." But the White House denied that Clinton... More »

Kim Jong Il's 3 Sons: Are Any Fit for Power?

Experts question grit of trio, fans of Van Damme and Eric Clapton

(Newser) - Kim Jong Il has presided over North Korea’s closed, crooked government with an iron fist for decades. But as the Dear Leader’s health fades, anxious observers are analyzing his three heirs apparent—none of whom seem fit for the job, Evan Thomas and Suzanne Smalley write in Newsweek.... More »

US Journalists Held in Guest House, Not Labor Camp

(Newser) - North Korea has not yet sent Lisa Ling or Euna Lee to a prison labor camp, keeping them instead in a “guest house,” according to a University of Georgia political scientist who recently visited the country. It's a sign that Pyongyang still wants to negotiate the girls' fate... More »

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