Kim Jong-un's N. Korea demands halt to South-US military drills, threatens with 'unimaginable holocaust'

Kim Jong-un's N. Korea demands halt to South-US military drills, threatens with 'unimaginable holocaust'(RT).

“We sternly warn the US and the South Korean authorities to stop the dangerous military exercises which may push the situation on the peninsula and the north-south ties to a catastrophe,” said the spokesman for the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea (CPRK) in a statement, reported [North Korea’s] KCNA state news.

The US and South Korea, which have shared the cost of hosting American soldiers since 1991, are planning to stage military exercises late February. The annual drills such as ‘Key Resolve’ and ‘Ulchi-Freedom-Guardian’, staged by Seoul and Washington, focus on defending the South from attacks, including possible ones from the North.

This year the US even decided to boost its military presence in South Korea, pledging to send another 800 troops in addition to those 28,000 which are already in the country. The personnel and equipment from the 1st US Cavalry Division will serve in South Korea for nine months.

However, all the equipment will stay and be used by other US soldiers rotating in. Also this year Seoul has struck a five-year $866.5 million deal with the US to cover the costs the troops.

South Korea responded to the North’s recent statement, saying the drills are going ahead as planned despite the threat.

The South “will sternly retaliate against North Korean provocations,” Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said in a regular briefing, reports South Korea's Yonhap news agency.

"If North Korea actually commits military aggression on the excuse of what is a normal exercise we conduct as preparation for emergency, our military will mercilessly and decisively punish them," he says, as quoted by Reuters.

Last year, a Korean crisis brought a new wave of tensions between the neighbors. That happened after Pyongyang launched a satellite and later tested its nuclear weapons. The UN Security Council condemned the North’s actions.
March last year during Foal Eagle, annual drills conducted between South Korea and the US, North Korea declared a 'state of war' with its southern neighbor. Pyongyang also warned it would retaliate against any provocations by the US and South Korea without "any prior notice."

The tensions continued the whole last year. In October Pyongyang urged Washington to stop their military drills, which was described as "nuclear blackmail."

North Korea military vows loyalty to Kim Jong.

North Korea military vows loyalty to Kim Jong.(AA).

U.N. Massed ranks of military and party leaders pledged complete loyalty to North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un Tuesday on the second anniversary of his father's death, at a time of growing concern over the regime's stability.

The vows of obedience, at an elaborate gathering in Pyongyang honouring Kim's father and former supremo Kim Jong-Il, followed the shock execution last week of the young leader's uncle and one-time political mentor Jang Song-Thaek.
Jang's purge raised questions about factional infighting at the top of the Pyongyang hierarchy and prompted both Seoul and Washington to warn of possible provocative acts by the nuclear-armed North.

State television showed tens of thousands of military and party officials sitting stony-faced in pin-drop silence for several minutes, before rising to greet Kim with thunderous applause as he took his place on the leadership podium.
"We should be warriors to safeguard the party centre with our lives... with the conviction that we know no one but the great comrade Kim Jong-Un," ceremonial head of state, Kim Yong-Nam, said in an opening address.

He added that the country had made "great strides" in the two years since Kim took over after his father's death. Under Kim's leadership, North Korea has successfully placed a satellite in orbit and in February this year conducted its third -- and most powerful -- nuclear test.

The mass meeting also heard a keynote address by top military leader Choe Ryong-Hae, who some analysts believe had a hand in the ousting and execution of Jang -- long seen as the nation's unofficial number two.
The military will support "our supreme commander, under any storms and hardships", said Choe, a close Kim confidant who holds the military rank of vice marshal and is director of the Korean People's Army's General Political Department.

"We will share the fate with our respected supreme commander by living and dying with him until the very last moment," he said, while firing off a warning at rival South Korea.
"If the enemies drop a single drop of fire on our motherland, our soldiers will immediately storm out to wipe out all the invaders and achieve unification," he said.

At a meeting of top defence and national security officials on Monday, South Korean President Park Geun-Hye had warned that the recent leadership shake-up in the North could presage some aggressive behaviour.
"We can't rule out... reckless provocations," Park said, urging the military to step up vigilance along the heavily fortified border. China, the North's sole major ally and key economic benefactor, said it would stay committed to promoting ties.

"The sound and steady growth of (China-North Korea) ties serves the fundamental interests of the two peoples and it also (has) positive implications to the peace and stability of Northeast Asia," said foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying.

There was no sign on the leadership podium of Kim Jong-Un's aunt and Jang's widow, Kim Kyong-Hui -- a major political player in her own right who holds the military rank of four-star general. She had been named by state media at the weekend as attending an official function, suggesting she may have survived the purge of Jang associates.

The North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Kim Jong-Un had visited his father's mausoleum on Monday, in the company of his wife Ri Sol-Ju. Ri has not been seen since October, prompting speculation she may also have fallen out of favour.

Tuesday's meeting came the day after a massive military rally in Pyongyang, during which Choe urged troops to protect Kim Jong-Un "at the cost of their lives". Jang's execution -- just days after he was ousted from all his party and military positions -- marked the biggest political upheaval since the younger Kim inherited power.

The purge was staged in an extraordinarily public and dramatic manner, with Pyongyang releasing images of Jang being dragged out of a party meeting. Jang had been seen as Kim's political mentor but the 67-year-old's growing political influence and power was increasingly resented by the young leader, analysts said.

North Korea's state news outlets, meanwhile, have erased tens of thousands of articles archived on their websites, according to a watchdog site. About 35,000 Korean-language articles have disappeared from the KCNA website, as well as 65,000 articles in Spanish, English, Chinese and Japanese, said Frank Feinstein, an analyst who tracks the North's online media for U.S.-based website NK News.

About 20,000 articles were also removed from the archives of the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of North Korea's Workers' Party, it said. It was not clear if the deletion was permanent or related to efforts to eradicate Jang Song-Thaek's name from the official archive.

'Commander-in-Chief' Obama Calls of planned missile test in order not to upset North Korea.

'Commander-in-Chief' Obama Calls of planned missile test in order not to upset North Korea.HT: AstuteBlogger.(BBC).

The US has delayed an intercontinental ballistic missile test scheduled for next week, defence officials say.

The Minuteman 3 test was put off over concerns it could be misinterpreted by North Korea, amid fears of a conflict.It could be postponed until May, in what correspondents say will be portrayed by Pyongyang as a victory.

North Korea has issued a series of unusually strong threats since it was sanctioned by the UN in March for carrying out a third nuclear test.

It has threatened nuclear strikes on the US, formally declared war on the South, and pledged to reopen a nuclear reactor in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions.

A Pentagon official said the US wanted to "avoid any misperception or miscalculation" that might result from the test.

US and South Korean officials have sought to play down fears of a conflict on the Korean peninsula in recent days.

The BBC's John Sudworth in Seoul says Pyongyang will likely use the delay to its advantage in propaganda, and say the US has been forced to climb down in the face of resilience from the North Korean army.

The North Korean media are full of images of military preparedness, he adds, intended to rally people behind the leadership.

On Friday, North Korea warned it would not be able to guarantee the safety of embassy staff in the event of a war, but no foreign governments have announced plans to evacuate their embassies.Read the full story here.

Iran lines up behind North Korea, warns the US of “great losses”, Kerry talking with Palestine.

Iran lines up behind North Korea, warns the US of “great losses”, Kerry talking with Palestine.(Debka).Tehran’s intercession in the Korean crisis on the side of its ally in Pyongyang was predictable, even though the US preferrs to ignore the close interrelations between the two allies. And so, on Friday, April 5, Deputy Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces Brig. Gen. Masoud Jazayeri stepped forward to point the finger at Washington:

[“The presence of the Americans in [South] Korea has been the root cause of tensions in this sensitive region in the past and present. The US and its allies will suffer great losses if a war breaks out in this region,” he said, adding for good measure: “Independent countries will not submit to the US mischief. The time for Washington’s bullying and extortion is long past.”

DEBKAfile’s Iranian sources: The second part of the statement was a perfect fit for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s flat refusal to accept US demands on Iran’s nuclear program. The Korean crisis gave the Iranians the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.

As Kim Jong-Un moved two intermediate missiles to the east coast of North Korea, Gen. Jazayeri’s rhetoric landed on the latest round of talks the six powers were holding with Iran in Amaty, Kazhakstan for a diplomatic resolution of Iran’s nuclear challenge.

Washington hoped to spread some cheer over a diplomatic process that had long past proven futile by planting advance reports that Khamenei had ordered a slowdown of Iran’s nuclear program up to the June presidential election to avoid crossing a red line that would trigger a military response.

But when the parties came to the table, Iran’s senior negotiator Saeed Jalili refused outright to respond to the proposals put before Tehran in the previous session. He seemed to have taken his cue from Kim Jong-Un, who too has stuck to his father’s rejectionism in the face of every American proposal for dismantling North Korea’s nuclear program.

DEBKAfile: The inevitable convergence of the Korean and Iranian crises confronts America’s three top officials, President Barack Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, with their most challenging international test. 

Kerry would be well advised to take a break from his Sisyphean efforts to crack the latest of umpteen Israel-Palestinian disputes, call off his weekend appointments with Israeli and Palestinians leaders and instead fly to Moscow and Beijing.
There, he could start bargaining with Russian and Chinese rulers for preliminary understandings with Washington on Iran and Syria that would make it worth their while to use their leverage for bringing the out-of-control North Korean firebrand to heel. So long as the Obama administration sticks to its current separate policies on Syria and Iran, Iran and Korea, Moscow and Beijing won’t lift a finger to apply the brakes to Kim Jong-Un before he drives the world to catastrophe.Hmmm......Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred....... Their's not to make reply, Their's not to reason why, Their's but to do and die.Read the full story here.

US Secretly Deploys B-1 Strategic Bombers, E-6 "Doomsday" Planes Near North Korea.

US Secretly Deploys B-1 Strategic Bombers, E-6 "Doomsday" Planes Near North Korea.HT: Zerohedge. First the US fanfared the placement of two F-22 Raptors in the Osan airbase of South Korea. Then it demonstratively launched a B-2 stealth bomber on a training mission over a South Korean gunnery range. Then it deployed an anti-ballistic missile defense system to Guam and positioned two guided-missile destroyers in the waters near Korea.

And now, courtesy of the Aviationist, we learn that the Pentagon has escalated once more in an ongoing cat and mouse game with North Korea, of who blinks first, and dispatched several B-1 ("Bone") Lancer strategic long-range bombers to Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.

What is different this time, however, is that unlike the previous very public and widely trumpeted reciprocal escalation steps, this particular deployment has been kept secret from the public (at least the broader public), "a fact that could be the sign that the U.S. is not only making symbolic moves (as the above mentioned ones), but it is preparing for the worst scenario: an attack on North Korea."

How has the Aviationist learned this?

From his station in Amarillo, Texas, author, investigative journalist, technologies expert Steve Douglass heard something interesting. In a message he sent us on Facebook he said:

“Late last night I monitored “DARK flight of seven” on PRIME (311.000 MHZ STRATCOM PRIMARY) asking for current weather for UAM [airport code for Guam - Andersen Air Force Base]. On the frequency of 251.100 Mhz,DARK flight also was calling for “GASSR 11 and GASSR 12? (KC-135s) for “Tanker drag to BAB [Beale AFB, California]“.

“Dark” is the standard radio callsign for the 7th Bomb Wing’s B-1s based at Dyess AFB, near Abilene, Texas.

Even if U.S. bombers routinely deploy to Guam (where at least two B-2s are reportedly already based), the fact that seven “Bones” were apparently moving together is something a bit unusual, even if they were not going to Andersen AFB (they might need the weather report for UAM because it was an alternate airfield or simply a stopover on their way to somewhere else).

Actually, it’s also weird that some many big bombers were flying together (as the “flight of seven” heard by Douglass seems to suggest) since a standard ferry flight of multiple planes would normally see the aircraft move individually. And, another strange thing is that the pilot talked about their destination in the clear: if they wanted it to be secret, they would speak on secure radios.

Nevertheless, this might have been a non-standard deployment; a move ordered hours after U.S. satellites and spyplanes from South Korea and Japan had spotted North Korean missiles being readied for launch. What is even more curious is that instead of merely serving as very expensive deterrence props, the squadron has a very offensive role, and is preparing for attack:

Earlier [Douglass] had intercepted an interesting communication off a military satellite in which an Ellsworth AFB’s B-1B, call sign “Slam 1?, was training to hit a “missile facility” in Snyder, Texas.

A practice run for a mission in the DPRK with a school bus depot standing in for the real thing?

Maybe.

American B-1 bomber pilots have reportedly shifted their training programs, focusing on in East Asia, more than Afghanistan and the Middle East. And, above all, any training mission has many similarities with actual sorties that would be flown against a real enemy in combat.

Anyway, Douglass has recorded an audio snippet of the exercise (available here). Based on the coordinates for Snyder, Texas here‘s the target on Google Maps.

Finally, and most disturbing, is that another aircraft also in the process of deployment is none other than the E-6 Mercury "Doomsday" plane, which are among the pinnacle in US Airforce nuclear war preparedness, tasked with "providing command and control of U.S. nuclear forces should ground-based control become inoperable" and whose core functions include conveying instructions from the National Command Authority to fleet ballistic missile submarines and also to further command post capabilities and control of land-based missiles and nuclear-armed bombers.

You can read more about the military air activity recently monitored by Steve Douglass in an extremely interesting article he posted on his blog that not only summarize the contents of the messages he sent to The Aviationist, but provides some more details about the alleged overseas deployment of E-6 Mercury “doomsday” planes from Tinker AFB, Oklahoma.

Perhaps to Kim Jong-un the military escalation to nuclear war is only one big joke, but to the US it is increasingly appearing very serious. And perhaps this is precisely what the Pentagon wanted all along?Hmmmm......Why present a budget if you can start WW III and declare Martial law?Read the full story here.

North Korea 'asks' Russia to consider evacuating embassy staff.

North Korea 'asks' Russia to consider evacuating embassy staff.(Yahoo).MOSCOW (Reuters) - North Korea asked Russia on Friday to consider evacuating staff from its embassy in Pyongyang because of increasing tension on the Korean peninsula, a spokesman for the embassy said by phone from Pyongyang.

Denis Samsonov said Russia was examining the request but was not planning an evacuation at this stage, and there were no outward signs of increased tension in the North Korean capital itself.

He said other foreign embassies had received similar requests.

A North Korean Foreign Ministry representative "proposed that the Russian side consider the issue of the evacuation of employees in connection with the increasingly tense situation", Samsonov said.

North Korea has said nuclear conflict could break out at any time on the Korean peninsula, in a month-long war of words that has prompted the United States to move military assets into the region.

According to South Korean media, North Korea has placed two of its intermediate-range missiles on mobile launchers and hidden them on the east coast of the country, in a move that could threaten Japan or U.S. Pacific bases.Read the full story here.

Related: North Korea Tells Countries To Evacuate Their Embassies By April 10th

Video - Hyeonseo Lee: My escape from North Korea.

North Korea moves second missile launcher to the coast.

North Korea moves second missile launcher to the coast.(Fox).North Korea has begun moving its mid-range missile launchers, possibly indicating a looming test as tensions are already boiling on the peninsula, U.S. officials told Fox News.

Reuters reported early Friday that North Korea has placed two of its intermediate range missiles on mobile launchers and hidden them on the east coast of the country, citing a South Korean news agency.

South Korea said Thursday North Korea moved a missile with "considerable range" to its east coast after an unnamed spokesman for the North Korean army warned the U.S. Wednesday that its military has been cleared to wage an attack using "smaller, lighter and diversified nuclear" weapons.

South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin dismissed reports in the Japanese and South Korean media that the missile could be a KN-08, which is believed to be a long-range missile that if operable could hit the United States.

Kim told lawmakers at a hearing that the missile's range is considerable but not far enough to hit the U.S. mainland. He said he did not know the reasons behind the missile movement, saying it "could be for testing or drills."

The range he described could refer to a mobile North Korean missile known as the Musudan, which has a range of 1,800 miles. That would make Japan and South Korea potential targets, but little is known about the missile's accuracy.

In Pyongyang, the military statement said North Korean troops had been authorized to counter U.S. "aggression" with "powerful practical military counteractions," including nuclear weapons.

"We formally inform the White House and Pentagon that the ever-escalating U.S. hostile policy toward the DPRK and its reckless nuclear threat will be smashed by the strong will of all the united service personnel and people and cutting-edge smaller, lighter and diversified nuclear strike means," an unnamed spokesman from the General Bureau of the Korean People's Army said in a statement carried by state media, referring to North Korea by its formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "The U.S. had better ponder over the prevailing grave situation."

However, North Korea's nuclear strike capabilities remain unclear. Read the full story here.

"Leading From Behind" or Basketball diplomacy in North Korea?

"Leading From Behind" or Basketball diplomacy in North Korea?(RT).Following perhaps one of the tensest periods on the Korean Peninsula in recent times since North Korea’s third under ground nuclear test that was openly aimed at sending a warning to the United States, Rodman’s visit, along with three other Harlem Globetrotters, comes at a unique time.

Rodman’s crew travelled to Pyongyang with approval from North Korean authorities to conduct a series of basketball exhibitions for a documentary produced by hipster-media outlet VICE, and there were no plans for the group to meet Kim Jong-un. Reports claim that Kim enjoyed Rodman’s company so much, that the Harlem Globetrotters and Rodman’s film crew were invited to Kim’s palace for a party,where they were likely induced to imbibe several bottles of North Korea’s famously potent soju.

Kim allegedly expressed to Rodman his desire to improve North Korean-American relations, and Rodman later addressed Kim before acrowd of thousands, telling him, "You have a friend for life." Kim, like his father, Kim Jong-il, is a devoted basketball fan. During her visit to Pyongyang in 2000, former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright brought Kim Jong-il an NBA basketball signed by Michael Jordan as a goodwill gift. As if the North Korean regime couldn’t be any more bizarre following Kim’s endorsement of a performance featuring characters dressed as Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh in 2012, Kim’s mingling with famously flamboyant Dennis Rodman reinforces the overwhelming peculiarity that is the North Korean regime. While these two may be strange bedfellows, Rodman’s visit represents a very tangible attempt of offering goodwill on behalf of the United States, the sworn and mortal enemy of Socialist Korea.

Kim Jong-il was known to be a huge movie-buff, boasting a huge collection of DVDs, among them many American titles that he was said to be fond of. South Korean media often depicts North Koreans as having a secret affinity for all things American, and if Rodman’s stopover in Pyongyang tells us anything, it is that goodwill goes a long way, and maybe the DPRK would be willing to play from different sheet music if the US changed its approach.

Following North Korea’s third nuclear test, many Chinese citizens took part in a historically unprecedented outbreak of anti-North Korea protests, and both China’s state-run media and various policy experts are becoming more vocal in their criticism of Beijing’s North Korean policy.

Xi Jinping has indicated that his incoming administration will soon enter discussions about new policies for the Korean peninsula,including North Korean policy, and reports claim that Chinese researchers have been given orders to prepare reports re-evaluating China's policies toward the North. Many prominent Chinese analysts are beginning to voice their concerns that North Korea's value as a geopolitical ally is outdated. Recent material published by Deng Yuwen, assistant editor of China's Study Times, an educational institute for high-ranking officials in the Communist Party of China that Xi Jinping headed until 2012, stated, "Once North Korea has nuclear weapons, it cannot be ruled out that the capricious Kim regime will engage in nuclear blackmail against China," Deng said, claiming that, when Bill Clinton visited Pyongyang in 2009, Kim Jong-il "suggested that if Washington held out a helping hand, North Korea could become its strongest fortress against China."

Deng argues that China should begin to shift its focus toward facilitating North Korea's unification with South Korea, thus helping to “undermine the strategic alliance between Washington,Tokyo and Seoul [and] ease the geopolitical pressure on China.
"The so-called “US-North Korea deal theory” whereby North Korea would participate in US efforts to counter China, if it ever came to fruition, would be the one policy direction that nobody could have ever imagined. As Washington pivots its military muscle toward the Asia-Pacific with over 60% of US naval forces now located there, Washington would likely find more comfort in solidifying North Korea’s role as northeast Asia’s “madman in the attic,” so as to justify the highly unpopular American presence in South Korea and Japan.

Concerns over North Korea dumping China in favor of an alliance with the US have appeared in the Study Times, it is unlikely that the piece is merely the personal opinion of the writer, but rather a reflection of the Chinese political establishment, who feel frustrated with their increasingly noticeable lack of leverage with Pyongyang. 
Zhang Liangui, a professor at the Central Party School,in an interview with the ultra-nationalist Global Times paper,stated that "North Korea has never cared about China's attitude,when North Korea makes big decisions, it would rather inform Washington than Beijing... the North has never viewed China as anally." Zhang is referring to the North’s April 2012 satellite launch, where US officials were given early notification, while the Chinese foreign ministry was among the last to know.Hmmmmm......Let's make friends with North Korea who aids Iran developping Nuclear weapons?"Israel's Staunchest Ally".Read the full story here.

I think we can now identify the 'North Korean Giant soldier' by the picture at the top of the post.

Video - North Korean Kim Jong-un's wife said to have given birth.

Kim Jong-un's wife said to have given birth.(Yahoo). London, Jan 3 (IANS) Speculation is rife that the wife of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has given birth in recent weeks, a British daily reported.
Photographs seen on North Korean TV showed Ri Sol-Ju wearing a neatly-fitting two-piece skirt suit in contrast to the loose-fitting clothes she was seen wearing in December, which suggested she was heavily pregnant, the Daily Mail said.
Adding to the speculation that Ri has given birth was her recent slimmed-down appearance at an official event, where an all-woman band sang Johnny Mathis' song "When a Child is Born".
"Before-and-after" photos were also run on South Korean TV and in newspapers in Seoul.
"The bulging stomach has gone down - has Ri Sol-Ju given birth," asked the Dong-A Ilbo newspaper.
The caption in another South Korean paper, the Chosun Ilbo, read: "Ri Sol-Ju with her tummy reduced in 11 days. Has she come out right after childbirth?"
A South Korean government official told the Yonhap news agency that Ri "appeared to have already given birth based on analysis of the TV images".
North Korea has not yet made any official announcement.
Even when Kim Jong-Un was married, state media revealed it quite late, long after pictures had emerged of a stylishly-dressed young woman accompanying the new leader at official events.
According to South Korean media, citing intelligence reports, the couple were married in 2009 and already have one child. But that has never been confirmed.Read the full story here.

Iran confirms N. Korea's Kim Jong-un won't attend NAM summit, mistranslated name to blame for false report?

Iran confirms N. Korea's Kim Jong-un won't attend NAM summit, mistranslated name to blame for false report?(YHN).Iran has confirmed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will not attend a Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit to be hosted by Tehran next week, a senior Seoul official said Wednesday, denying a published foreign news report that Kim would take part. "We verified from Iran's Foreign Ministry that the report is not true," the senior official at Seoul's foreign ministry said on condition of anonymity.
A news report that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un plans to visit Iran next week to attend an international meeting seems to be misleading although Seoul is still working to verify it, a government official said Wednesday.
German news agency DPA reported earlier that Kim would attend the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in Tehran from Aug. 26 to 31, citing local news media. "Findings through various diplomatic channels to Iran have shown so far that it is not a fact," the Seoul official said on condition of anonymity.
The name of Kim Jong-un is being circulated among Iranian news media, but they may have mistakenly interpreted the mention of a visit by a "North Korean leader" to mean him, he said. Another official at the Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean issues, raised the possibility that Iranian media confused Kim Yong-nam, North Korea's ceremonial head of state, and Kim Jong-il, the de facto leader.
If the Iran government said "the top North Korean leader" will attend, it could mean Kim Yong-nam, the official said, referring to the title, rather than a name, listed as an attendee for the Iran summit. "Under the North Korean Constitution, the head of state externally representing the North is Kim Yong-nam, the president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly," the Unification Ministry official said. The ministry does not rule out the possibility of a visit by Kim Jong-un, he said. If so, it would be the 20-something leader's first foreign trip since coming to power in December. North Korea seems to have not submitted a specific identification of who will attend the summit beyond the given title, another government source said, adding, "for now, Kim Jong-un's attendance does not seem very likely." The NAM consists of 120 member states and 21 observer states that consider themselves not aligned to any major power bloc. Late North Korean leader Kim Il-sung attended a NAM summit in Indonesia in 1965, but Kim Yong-nam attended subsequent meetings held every four month.Read the full story here and here.

North Korea - Kim Jong-un Gets Married - North Korean TV.

North Korea - Kim Jong-un Gets Married - North Korean TV.(RN).North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has got married, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said on Wednesday quoting North Korean TV. North Korean TV has recently shown footage of Kim at several events with an unidentified young woman, sparking speculation of a romance. The media said the woman’s name was Ri Sol-ju. According to reports, Kim and his wife on Wednesday attended a ceremony to mark the completion of a recreational park on Pyongyang’s Rungna islet. Georgy Toloraya, director for Korean Programs at the Institute of Economics, said the news of the marriage clearly illustrated a shift towards transparency in the Communist state’s domestic policy. The two previous North Korean leaders rarely appeared in public with their wives. “It’s yet another illustration of the fact that Kim Jong-un’s administration policies have clearly taken a new direction: [toward] greater transparency, greater contact with the people, an attempt to limit the power of the military,” he said. He said that as the state media did not reveal any details of the ceremony, the wedding apparently took place some time ago. Another expert on North Korea, Konstantin Asmolov said that “no drastic changes have taken place in North Korea so far.” Asmolov, who is a senior researcher at the Center for Korean Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Far Eastern Studies, said the domestic policy shift rumors were just another example of “myths” that “journalists invented and then refuted.” “For some time North Korea was surrounded by certain myths and any information that didn’t fit was rejected. And now people are suddenly trying to ‘reinvent the wheel’ and link it all to the recent transition of power.”Hmmm......Welcome to the club of 'Yu-So-Phukt'?Read the full story here.

North Korea leader Kim Jong-Un observes military drill amid threats of another (May Day ?) nuclear test.

North Korea leader Kim Jong-Un observes military drill amid threats of another (May Day ?) nuclear test. (IT).SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has observed a military exercise involving tanks, planes and artillery, official media said Saturday amid continuing threats by Pyongyang against South Korea. Kim, supreme commander of the 1.2 million-strong military, "guided" the drill staged to mark the 80th anniversary of the armed forces, the state news agency reported without giving a date for the exercise. "He called for mercilessly wiping out the enemies with the arms of justice and revenge if they dare provoke," it said.
The North has threatened "sacred war" against the South's conservative government in retaliation for perceived insults during Pyongyang's commemoration this month of the centenary of the birth of founding leader Kim Il-Sung. There is also widespread speculation that the North may carry out another nuclear test following international criticism of its failed rocket launch on April 13. "The assessment of South Korea and the US is that chances are very high that North Korea will carry out a nuclear experiment," Yonhap news agency quoted him as saying after two days of meetings with senior Pentagon officials. "(We) can't predict the specific timing of it, but it is believed to be possible any time." South Korean and US defence officials see a "very high" chance of another test, Seoul's deputy defence minister Lim Kwan-Bin was quoted as saying Friday in Washington. The North could possibly detonate a nuclear device as early as next Tuesday, May 1, which is May Day. May Day, also known as International Workers Day, is a major North Korean holiday, an occasion for displaying the Stalinist/Kimist country's military might.South Korean and US officials reaffirmed they would stage a tough response to any additional provocations by the North, Lim said. The US bases 28,500 troops in the South.Hmmm......Are the Iranian observers still in North Korea?Read the full story here.

Video - North Korea “Flexes Muscles” at Military Parade.

North Korea staged massive celebrations in Pyongyang’s main square with a grand military parade to celebrate the 100th anniversary of founder Kim Il-sung on Sunday, 15th April, also known as the Day of the Sun. 20,000 soldiers and officers accompanied by military vehicles and fighter aircrafts marched in front of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un who reaffirmed the supremacy of country’s military in his first public speech since he assumed power in December of last year. “Let us make every unit of the Korean Public Army the shield and bombs which safeguard the revolutionary headquarters,” said Jong-Un.Source:
RN.

N. Korean Leader Kim Jong Un Speaks Publicly For First Time.

                                                            “Military first ?” 




N. Korean Leader Kim Jong Un Speaks Publicly For First Time.(Fox).North Korean leader Kim Jong Un spoke publicly for the first time Sunday, just two days after a failed rocket launch, praising his father Kim Jong Il’s “military first” policy during celebrations marking the 100th birthday of the nation’s late founder. Kim, who has been seen but not publicly heard since taking over after Kim Jong Il’s death in December, stepped to the podium to speak before tens of thousands of people gathered in Pyongyang’s main square for meticulously choreographed festivities meant to glorify his grandfather, North Korea founder Kim Il Sung. Kim Jong Un said the era when nuclear arms could be used to threaten his country was “forever over.” He called for strengthening the country’s “military first” policy by placing the “first, second and third” priorities on military might. 
He said his country had built a “mighty military” capable of both offense and defense in any type of modern warfare. “Superiority in military technology is no longer monopolized by imperialists,” he said. Soldiers are more important than rockets and artillery, Kim said, and military officers should treat their troops “like brothers and sisters.” He said he is “heartbroken” that the rival Koreas have been divided for decades, and said North Korea “will cooperate with anyone” who truly wishes for reunification.
North Korea defied the U.S. and others Friday by firing a long-range rocket that space officials said was mounted with an observational satellite despite warnings against pushing ahead with the provocative launch. Washington and others say it was a covert test of long-range missile technology. Hours after the rocket splintered into pieces over the Yellow Sea, the country made an unusual admission of failure, but Kim did not mention the launch in his remarks Sunday. Kim Jong Un has since underlined the country’s “military first” policy with a budget that allocates a sizable chunk of funding to defense spending. International condemnation of the rocket firing was swift, including the suspension of U.S. food aid, and there are worries that the North’s next move could be an even more provocative nuclear test. The U.N. Security Council denounced the launch as a violation of resolutions that prohibit North Korea from developing its nuclear and missile programs. The council imposed sanctions on North Korea after its first nuclear test in 2006 and stepped up sanctions after its second in 2009.Read the full story here.

Largest Kim Jong-il Monument Unveiled in Pyongyang

Largest Kim Jong-il Monument Unveiled in Pyongyang.(RN).The largest North Korean monument of the country’s late leader Kim Jong-il was unveiled in the capital of Pyongyang on Friday. A 25-meter monument that was installed near the statue to the North Korean founding leader Kim Il-sung, is a part of the celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of his birth. The ceremony that has drawn about 100,000 people to the main square in Pyongyang turned into mass festivities with a military orchestra, fireworks and thousands of balloons released into the sky. Kim Jong-il who had headed the isolated, nuclear-armed state for 17 years, prohibited his supporters to raise the monument citing the country’s economic difficulties. “There are money shortages in the country, and you want to spend it for luxury,” he used to say.Read the full story here.

North Korea Names Kim Jong-un as Party Head.

North Korea Names Kim Jong-un as Party Head.(RN).North Korea named on Wednesday Kim Jong-un as first secretary of the Workers' Party, a newly-created position that would seem to give him the authority to rule the isolated East Asian country. Kim Jong-Un’s father, Kim Jong-il who died on December 17, 2011, was named "eternal" general secretary of the ruling Workers' Party at the national conference in Pyongyang, KCNA also said. The appointment of Kim Jong-un comes as North Korea prepares for the nationwide celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the country's founder, Kim Il-sung. North Korea has said it is preparing to launch a rocket to put a weather satellite into orbit to mark the anniversary. It also says the launch is in compliance with the Space Treaty, which guarantees every state the right to carry out space programs. But the international community suspects the rocket is part of a ballistic missile program. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday that any launch by North Korea would be a “serious, clear violation” of the UN Security Council resolutions. South Korea and Japan have said they will shoot down the rocket if it threatens their territory.Read the full story here.

Tokyo is ready for everything.

N. Korea Warns of Retaliation for S. Korea Drill

N. Korea Warns of Retaliation for S. Korea Drill.(DN).SEOUL — North Korea warned Feb. 19 it will bombard islands near the disputed Yellow Sea border with South Korea if an upcoming naval firing drill by Seoul violates its territorial waters.
South Korean troops stationed on the five border islands will stage a regular monthly live-fire exercise in the area Monday, a Marine Corps spokesman told AFP.The North’s Western Sector Command warned residents of the islands to “evacuate to safe areas” before what it said was the scheduled start time of the exercise at 9 a.m. Feb. 20.
In a notice carried by Pyongyang’s official news agency, the North’s military said Seoul “should not forget the lesson” of the bombardment of Yeonpyeong Island in November 2010, which killed four South Koreans.“Once the group of traitors starts a reckless military provocation in those waters... in case just a single column of water is observed in its territorial waters, the KPA (North’s military) will promptly make merciless retaliatory strikes,” it said.
Pyongyang has taken a hostile tone towards Seoul since Kim Jong-Un, the youngest son of the late leader Kim Jong-Il, took over following the death of his father in December.
Yonhap news agency quoted a Joint Chiefs of Staff official as saying: “If North Korea provokes, we will hit back from the standpoint of exercising our right to self-defense.”
The U.S. and South Korean navies are to stage a separate joint anti-submarine drill in the Yellow Sea from Feb. 20 to Feb. 24 to guard against potential attacks by the communist state.
A major annual U.S.-South Korean drill known as Key Resolve will start Feb. 27 and continue until March 9. Separately, a joint air, ground and naval field training exercise known as Foal Eagle will be held from March 1 to April 30.North Korea has denounced the exercises as warmongering.Read the full story here.