Democratic People’s Republic of Korea – Page 3

News

The Purge of Jang Song-thaek: Kim Jong-un Consolidates His Power As Top Officials Purged in Largest State Show Trials Since Kim Il Sung’s Purge of the Domestic Faction in 1955

Possible turmoil in the DPRK as reports are swirling about the execution of Jang Song Thaek, Kim Jong Un’s uncle and nominal second-in-command of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. A full-scale purge is believed to be underway as thirty-year-old Kim Jong Un seeks to eliminate factionalism within North Korea to consolidate his nascent rule […]

North Korea News Today

Sports

Champion Weight Lifter Hailed In Pyongyang With South Korean National Anthem

An international weight lifting competition in North Korea, unusual in and of itself, was further transformed into a peculiar spectacle when a champion weight lifter from South Korea stood atop the winner’s podium as the national anthem of the Republic of Korea was played in the heart of the capital of the Democratic People’s Republic […]

North Korea News Today

Arcade Games Arrive in North Korea

Changes in the DPRK are slow to come but there are a few small glimmers of hope that the despotic regime will be slightly less despotic under leader Kim Jong-un: namely, reports of an arcade in Pyongyang are discordant with images the regime has painted of itself in the past. Under Kim Jong-il, the current […]

Documentary

VICE Returns to the DPRK: The Hermit Kingdom

The controversial VICE documentary on the DPRK, The Hermit Kingdom, features everyone from Dennis Rodman to Kim Jong-un himself. If ever the phrase about truth being stranger than fiction needed proof of its validity, it has found it in this documentary. What might escape the untrained eye, however, and proves to be of great interest […]

North Korea News Today

Imprisoned in North Korea, American Kenneth Bae Gravely Ill

The imprisoned American Christian missionary Kenneth Bae, serving 15 years of hard labor for subversive activities against the government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), is reportedly ‘gravely ill’ according to his family. He is too weak to work, according to statements by his sister, Terri Chung. It was alleged by the DPRK […]

Luxury Skiing in Wonsan How the DPRK Plans to Bring the Alps to North Korea

Now we don’t claim to know anything about North Korean geography, or whether Wonsan would even be appropriate for the location of said resort, but reports have emerged from Pyongyang that the central government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea plans on bringing luxury, alpine trails to the mountains and vistas of the world’s […]

Earthquake in North Korea Signals Possible Nuclear Test

The United States Geological Survey detected a 4.9 magnitude earthquake in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. South Korean sources confirm a ‘man-made’ explosion in North Korea, with the USGS placing the epicenter near known DPRK nuclear testing sites. China’s Earthquake Administration and Japan’s Meteorological Agency also confirmed reports of an earthquake, with […]

North Korea Declares Martial Law, Signaling Possible Nuclear Test

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has declared a state of martial law according to a news release by the Joongang Daily with Kim Jong-un telling his troops to be prepared for war. The nuclear test was expected on February 16 in order to celebrate the birthday of departed Dear Leader Kim Jong-il but these […]

North Korea and the Opportunity for a Chinese-Led Solution

Often the People’s Republic of China takes a lenient stance towards its ally the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, which is why it was surprising that China signed a UNSC resolution condemning North Korea’s missile tests and authorizing the imposition of further sanctions on the regime in Pyongyang. China’s willingness to rein in its […]

Portraits of Marx and Lenin Removed from Kim Il-Sung Square in Pyongyang

The once dominant portraits of Marx and Lenin that were featured alongside a portrait of Eternal President Kim Il-Sung in Kim Il-sung Square (김일성광장) were removed in October 2012 and have not been replaced. The pictures feature prominently in North Korean military parades and were visible ties to its Soviet-satellite past. North Korea […]