http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/north-korea-short-range-missiles-sea-of-japan-un-sanctions-pyongyang-kim-jong-un-a6908867.html
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35713977
so the UN unanimously voted to place the strongest sanctions against north korea yet as a result of their nuclear testing and recent missile launch over japan about a month ago
the terms are as follows:
- all north korean cargo vessels must be inspected (before it was only for reasonable suspicion)
- no arms can be sold to north korea
- no materials or funding that could contribute to their nuclear weapons program are allowed to be traded
- no coal, iron, gold, titanium, etc. may be bought from or sold to north korea
- no air or watercraft may be sold to north korea
- north korean banks may not operate outside of north korea and no foreign bank may operate in north korea
- imposition of an economic sanction against most infrastructure fundings
*- all vessels which have docked in the last 180 days in a north korean port are globally blacklisted
less than enthusiastic with the assembly's ruling, kim jong-un launched several missiles towards japan, eventually impacting in the sea of japan, in clear defiance of the united nations's authority
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2016/03/04/0200000000AEN20160304001100315.html
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/03/03/north-korea-readies-nuclear-weapons/81284690/
kim jong-un has ordered his nuclear arsenal be readied for launch and his land strategies be revised
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35735263
https://www.rt.com/business/334540-china-cashflow-north-korea/
more news about north korea:
as per the UN sanction, the philippines have seized a north korean cargo ship that traveled in its waters and china's four biggest banks have pulled out of north korea
china has suspended cash transfers to the hermit kingdom
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/08/russia-warns-north-korea-nuclear-strike
russia has condemned the north korean threat to nuke the south and has officially told them to chill out otherwise the south and her allies will have just cause to invade the north--and russia will not assist if push comes to shove
in short, both of north korea's "allies" of china and russia have abandoned it (economically and militarily)
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/mar/8/kim-jong-un-says-north-korea-has-miniaturized-nucl/
http://en.koreaportal.com/articles/20130/20160308/north-korea-cargo-ship.htm
flying in the face of his dissolving number of friends, kim has declared that north korea has developed miniaturized nuclear warheads--thus implying mass production
in other news, china turned away a north korean cargo ship as per the UN sanctions. note: china accounts for 57% of north korea's imports and 42% of its exports
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2016/03/08/China-signals-interest-in-denuclearization-talks-without-North-Korea/4501457457146/?spt=sec&or=tn
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2016/03/08/UN-to-call-for-North-Korea-accountability-on-rights-abuses/9451457452240/?st_rec=4501457457146
china's foreign minister has announced interests to pursue a five-party north korean denuclearization talk with the united states, japan, russia, and south korea. additionally, china has proclaimed that it (paraphrasing) "cannot sit idly by while the security interests of beijing or the peninsula are at stake," meaning if the boots in pyongyang aren't chinese, china will (presumably) intervene against whoever beats them to the punch--or whoever attacks seoul will be reciprocated against
in other news, the UN has announced plans to adopt a human rights investigation/resolution against the democratic people's republic, perhaps finally creating a moral casus belli against the rogue state
http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/08/asia/north-korea-nuclear-warheads/
north korea has launched two more ballistic missiles, this time into the sea east of the peninsula
pyongyang has also disclosed several images of glorious leader inspecting the latest miniaturized nuclear warhead able to be fitted on said ballistic missiles, a clear saber rattling technique to strike fear in their enemies
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/seoul-nkorea-fires-short-range-missiles-amid-war-37534437
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/world/asia/100316/u-s-serves-up-korean-rocket-salad-in-war-drill-response-to-north-s-nuclear-threats.html
warning on first source: autoplaying videolotsa news coming out today for north korea situation. this is seriously the most intense the peninsula's been in decades. on to the news:
Dennis Rodman's Pal has called south korea's female president an "american prostitute" and has decided to liquidate all joint assets between the two nations--namely the kaesong factory and other intrapeninsular infrastructure activity in further protest of the joint military exercises between the south and the US
the united states launched a rocket artillery barrage near the border in a show of solidarity with south korea. additionally, the united states has begun a formal investigation to weigh the validity of the north korean miniaturization program
http://time.com/4255248/china-north-korea-relations-kim-jong-un-pig/
in a show of passive-aggressiveness at north korea's recent display, china's infamous censorship board has allowed publications which refer to Dennis Rodman's Pal as a pig to be unblocked
(thank you maxwell for this source)
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/u-s-south-korea-stage-assault-drill-amid-nuclear-threats-n537151
http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/11/politics/u-s-says-north-korean-submarine-missing/index.html
south korea and the united states have continued their massive military exercise, going so far as to simulate amphibious beachhead assaults resembling north korean coastlines
in other news, north korea has lost track of one of their submarines
http://www.wptv.com/news/world/seoul-number-of-north-korean-cyberattacks-doubled-in-month
south korea's spy agency has reported that north korean cyberattacks on seoul have doubled in the past month with over 300 phones of officials being hacked and 40 of those hackings being successful, stealing personal information and messages
additionally, kim jong-un has apparently ordered for another nuclear test, but hasn't designated when it should occur
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/north-korea-claims-it-could-wipe-out-manhattan-with-a-hydrogen-bomb/2016/03/13/3834cd54-e919-11e5-b0fd-073d5930a7b7_story.html?tid=sm_tw
“If the North continues to make provocations despite the stern warnings made by our military, it is inevitable for us to roll out a strict response that may lead to the destruction of the Pyongyang regime,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, according to the Yonhap News Agency.
north korea claims it can wipe out the whole of manhattan with hydrogen tipped ballistic missile. meanwhile, south korea threatens a preemptive invasion if the north doesn't stop being a little bitch
http://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2016-03-14/un-rights-expert-north-korean-leader-should-be-prosecuted
http://news.yahoo.com/u-n-rights-envoy-calls-prosecuting-north-korean-083951735.html
a UN investigator has called for a full investigation of human rights violations committed by north korea and its leader kim jong-un. north korea has expectedly boycotted the resolution and china has called for the resolution to "not be politicized," instead seeking an equivalent "out of court" settlement for the issue, so to speak
http://news.yahoo.com/north-korea-leader-says-country-soon-conduct-nuclear-221315382.html
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2016/03/15/0200000000AEN20160315001400320.html?input=www.tweeter.com?9aa36928
http://www.dailysabah.com/asia/2016/03/15/north-koreas-kim-jong-un-we-will-conduct-nuclear-warhead-missile-tests-soon
looks like the next north korean nuclear test won't just be your run-of-the-mill fatman, it'll be a nuclear-tipped missile
if this test proves successful, things are gonna get serious
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/north-korea-sentences-us-tourist-15-years-prison-37680154
a 21 year old american college student was detained and sentenced to 15 years in prison by north korean authorities for trying to "impair the unity of the Korean people by entering as a tourist"
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35827861
the united states has urged the immediate release of otto warmbier, the detained tourist. his trial was obviously one under duress and without legal protections. his statement
"The aim of my task was to harm the motivation and work ethic of the Korean people" is unnatural, implying some kind of north korean-forced recitation. while otto plead guilty to stealing the banner, the sentence handed down was for "subversive US action"
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35818731
an artificial 2.2 magnitude earthquake was detected southeast of pyongyang today
the quake is not suspected to be that of an atomic bomb, but rather some other explosive mishap perhaps (maybe a large mining operation? who knows). the magnitude and location are both unusual for north korea's usual nuclear tests, so we're still waiting for that ballistic warhead test
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35835088
north korea launched two ballistic missiles into the east sea. this missiles were rodongs, meaning they have a range of 1300km (enough to hit all the way to japan) but flew only 800km before falling into the ocean
these headlines are starting to look the same, but usually we wouldn't see them all within the same month or so. just goes to show how pinched they feel with all the recent sanctioning
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35849309
as anticipated, the UN has condemned the north korean missile launches, HOWEVER:
the condemnation has advised the norks to refrain from another launch, a condemnation also strongly backed by china. according to US-south korean satellite imagery, north korea's usual nuclear test spot, punggye-ri, has seen increased activity lately. stay tuned, folks
http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/1928087/korean-rocket-engine-expert-researchers-among-22-banned-re
http://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20160320/p2g/00m/0dm/004000c
22 koreans have been banned from re-entering japan after a visit to north korea. the almost two dozen blacklisted are researchers, some from the university of tokyo, and a rocket engine expert.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/north-korea-missile-rocket-sanctions-us-south-korean-drills/?linkId=22509150
http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/21/asia/north-korea-missiles-fired/index.html
north korea launched five short-range missiles 200km off their east coast in defiance of the UN sanctions
I can't tell if kim wants the UN to attack him and play victim or if he's hoping to accidentally sink something
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-nuclear-idUSKCN0WP320
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/25/world/asia/north-korea-solid-fuel-rocket-engine.html?_r=0
the north conducted a successful solid fuel rocket launch today, state media reports
the previous missile launches by the north have been using liquid fuel, and although superior in control and stability, are less useful for military purposes. solid fuel rockets are usually employed in ICBM construction for their ease of transport and quickness of launch. perfection of solid fuel rocketry coupled with the north's supposed development of nuclear warheads makes for a worrisome combination. this test is no doubt as a result of the 22 rocket scientists' visit earlier this week
(thanks to Mr.X98 for source)
http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/24/politics/north-korea-miniaturized-nuclear-warhead/index.html
US officials and brown townysts have shifted from being in the "haha those silly norks and their nuclear bark" crowd to "oh man they might actually have something here." the pentagon, of course looking to not worry anyone, has downplayed the recent trend of officials fearing northern possession of miniaturized nuclear weapons, but we'll find out soon enough, I suppose
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/26/north-korea-releases-propaganda-film-showing-washington-under-nuclear-attack
north korea released a four minute propaganda film detailing koreo-US relations and ending with washington dc in nuclear fire. remember a few years back when they used mw3 footage for a burning new york?
http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk00100&num=13836
north korea has declared china an enemy of the state and threatened to "douse them in nuclear fire" (paraphrasing)
looks like I'll have to amend
my booklet on north korea (cough cough shameless plug) to include this development
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2016/04/02/0200000000AEN20160402003500320.html
a north korean UN appeal to sanction the united states and her military exercises with the south was dismissed today, prompting kim to denounce the ultranational body
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/china-announces-sanctions-against-north-korea-a6969256.html
http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/05/asia/north-korea-yongbyon-nuclear-complex-activity/index.html
china has officially sanctioned the north, cutting off subsidized resources like iron, gold, titanium, coal, and oil. although china allowed the original UN sanction to pass one month ago, some private chinese companies pounced on the opportunity of having a captive market and peddled materials to kim, but this declaration liquidates any deals made between china and north korea, private or no.
in other news, a nuclear enrichment site in north korea recently started seeing plumes of smoke rising from its factories (viewed by satellite), suggesting a resumption to nuclear endeavors
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2016/04/07/Kim-Jong-Un-assassination-suspects-arrested-source-says/9171460035491/?spt=hs&or=tn_int
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1934185/beijing-says-north-korea-has-become-increasing-threat
north korean border guards entered chinese territory to arrest suspects under conspiracy of assassination against kim jong-un. a former defector and two chinese nationals were taken into pyongyang custody
in other news, beijing has announced that north korea is on their radar as up and coming threats to national security
http://m.koreatimes.co.kr/phone/news/view.jsp?req_newsidx=202223
13 north koreans working at an overseas restaurant defected to the south after witnessing south korean television and media during their extended time working there
http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/north-korea-says-successfully-tested-icbm-engine
official state media reported a successful ICBM rocket engine test the other day, "guaranteeing" a form of nuclear strike against the united states to the west coast and beyond. however, this is assuming their claim of miniaturized nuclear warheads is true, of which their proposed nuke test has yet to happen
(thanks to badger for the story)
http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?num=13850&cataId=nk01500
kim jong-un ordered the collection and smelting of scrap metal into steel, causing a wave of confusion among the north korean population as to why their country is suddenly short of such a formerly abundant material.
this measure is similar to the great leap forward in china some fifty years ago where chairman mao had peasants smelt their own pig iron. the iron was brittle and a famine ensued, killing tens of millions of people. will this happen to north korea? I can't say, but history repeats itself for those who don't learn it
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2016/04/20/China-deploying-thousands-of-troops-along-North-Korea-border/9411461165635/
as north korea makes preparations for their fifth nuclear test ahead of their congressional convention in may, china massed troops along the yalu river border to goad pyongyang into backing away from conducting another test
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/kim-jong-un-north-korea-bans-weddings-funerals-freedom-of-movement-party-congress-a7009691.html
north korea has officially banned all weddings, funerals, and general movement throughout the capital and the country. ahead of its once-a-generation congress, kim jong-un has pushed an edict to lock down the state and pull its full attention against the west
thanks, maxwell, for the source
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkokrea-congress-idUSKCN0XY0QB?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=Social
at the generational party congress today, kim announced that north korea seeks to normalize relations with states it is currently hostile to or subject to hostility of. to this end, he has vowed to exercise nuclear restraint and begun a five year plan to stabilize his country's economy in face of the UN sanctions some months ago
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