A rare look inside a suspected cell of covert North Korean IT workers

The most dangerous nations to be a Christian: Staggering anti-Christian horror rages

By Billy Hallowell

Wednesday, January 21, 2026

CARL DE SOUZA/AFP via Getty Images

Ryan Brown, CEO of Open Doors US, joins The Christian Post to discuss his organization's World Watch List, which details the most dangerous nations for Christians.

From North Korea to Nigeria, the statistics are truly staggering.

 

BTS rapper calls for 'no borders, no limitations' at Asia-Pacific trade ...

North Korea blows up inter-Korean road and rail line near border

Transcript: Former Ambassador Susan Rice on "Face the Nation," June 10, 2018

Face The Nation
Susan Rice slams Trump for "disgraceful" Russia co...


CBS News June 10, 2018, 11:11 AM
Transcript: Former Ambassador Susan Rice on "Face the Nation," June 10, 2018



President Trump arrived in Singapore on Sunday ahead of this week's historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. He flew to Singapore straight from a meeting of the G7 nations in Canada, one that turned contentious over Mr. Trump's trade demands of Western allies.

Susan Rice served as U.N. ambassador and national security adviser in the Obama administration. She joined us to discuss U.S. goals at the Singapore summit, Mr. Trump's comments about Russia and more.

The following is a transcript of the interview with Rice that aired Sunday, June 10, 2018, on "Face the Nation."

MARGARET BRENNAN: We turn now to President Obama's national security adviser and former U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice. Ambassador it's good to have you here on Face the Nation.

FORMER UN AMBASSADOR SUSAN RICE: Great to be with you.

MARGARET BRENNAN: This is a historic summit. For you, what do you think the best possible outcome could be?

AMBASSADOR RICE: I think the best possible outcome is that we have more than a photo op or even a cordial conversation, but the two leaders agreed to some very concrete steps that they can then pass on to their negotiators in the form of a framework that the negotiators can then flesh out into a substantive agreement. It's going to take quite a while. This is very complicated set of issues and success can't be declared on the basis of a happy meeting.

MARGARET BRENNAN: President Obama liked to embrace diplomacy. Why did he choose not to try to negotiate with Kim Jong Un?

AMBASSADOR RICE: Well in fact there were efforts at discussions we had them during the Clinton administration, we had them during the Bush administration, and we even had opportunities and efforts during the Obama administration. The problem is that at every turn the North Koreans would make commitments and then break them and we need to be mindful that that is again what might happen in this context.

MARGARET BRENNAN: But this is a different diplomatic structure right? It's flipped on its head. You're starting with--

AMBASSADOR RICE: Starting with the leaders

MARGARET BRENNAN: --the leaders.

AMBASSADOR RICE: Yeah.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So do you give the president some credit for being willing to take this high level of risk?

AMBASSADOR RICE: Well, I think- you know it's clear that the past set of efforts have not succeeded. I am a believer in diplomacy and I am open to- to new methods of trying to accomplish the- the consistent objective that we have of full denuclearization. I think the question is are we walking in prepared? Are we walking in with our allies behind us? Are we in a position to understand that one meeting it's not going to be one and done. This is the start of a serious negotiating process.

North Korea accidentally hit one of its own cities with a missile, report says

Friendly Fire


North Korea accidentally hit one of its own cities with a missile, report says

3:50 p.m. ET

STR/AFP/Getty Images


In its relentless pursuit of nuclear strength, North Korea's first land target may have actually been itself. The Diplomat reported Wednesday that an intermediate range ballistic missile launched by the regime last spring accidentally hit the city of Tokchon, which has a population of more than 200,000.

The missile was launched from an airfield just over 40 miles north of North Korea's capital city of Pyongyang. An unnamed U.S. official explained to The Diplomat that due to an engine malfunction, the projectile made it only a minute into its test flight and traveled about 25 miles northeast before hitting the ground.

The Diplomat cross-referenced the failed missile's approximate landing site with Google Earth and other satellite imaging to find that the suspected landing area did indeed seem to show signs of "considerable damage to a complex of industrial or agricultural buildings." Several structures appeared damaged in satellite images, reportedly by debris from the failed launch.

While there have been no confirmed reports of deaths in Tokchon as a result of the failed missile test, the images published by The Diplomat seem to show that the missile came perilously close to exploding in more densely inhabited areas, marking the risk of test launches. North Korea has launched two ballistic missiles since August, both of which flew over Japan and landed cleanly in the Pacific Ocean — but one concerning possibility put forward by The Diplomat is that a future missile could explode prematurely over Japan, which would "spark a serious crisis in Northeast Asia."

NBC News reported Tuesday that U.S. officials believe North Korea may be preparing for another missile test "in the next week or two." Read more about the failed missile at The Diplomat. Kelly O'Meara Morales



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North Korea says that the UN's latest sanctions are an "act of war".

Kim Jong-un's government reminded the US that it claims to be able to drop a nuclear weapon on the mainland

Andrew Griffin 

North Korea says that the UN's latest sanctions are an "act of war".

The international community has agreed not to allow North Korea to import huge amounts of oil and other goods, in the hope of calming the nuclear situation. But North Korea's foreign ministry only called the new rules an act of war and promised that it would punish those who had agreed to it.

The UN security council unanimously agreed on the new sanctions in a vote on Friday. They were introduced because of a recent intercontinental ballistic missile test, and it was hoped that by launching an economic punishment the government would slow down its attempts to develop nuclear weapons.

But the country hit back angrily, saying that the sanctions had strengthened its resolve and that it would look to strike against the US and the other countries who had supported the vote.

The UN resolution seeks to ban nearly 90 percent of refined petroleum exports to North Korea by capping them at 500,000 barrels a year and, in a last-minute change, demands the repatriation of North Koreans working abroad within 24 months, instead of 12 months as first proposed.

North Korea says it 'will take revenge' for US claim of bio weapons

The US-drafted resolution also caps crude oil supplies to North Korea at 4 million barrels a year and commits the Council to further reductions if it were to conduct another nuclear test or launch another ICBM.

In a statement carried by the official KCNA news agency, North Korea's foreign ministry said the United States was terrified by its nuclear force and was getting "more and more frenzied in the moves to impose the harshest-ever sanctions and pressure on our country".


The new resolution is tantamount to a complete economic blockade of North Korea, the ministry said.

"We define this 'sanctions resolution' rigged up by the US and its followers as a grave infringement upon the sovereignty of our Republic, as an act of war violating peace and stability in the Korean peninsula and the region and categorically reject the 'resolution'."

North Korea on Nov. 29 said it successfully tested a new ICBM that put the U.S. mainland within range of its nuclear weapons.

North Korea's nuclear weapons are a self-defensive deterrence not in contradiction of international law, its foreign ministry added.

"We will further consolidate our self-defensive nuclear deterrence aimed at fundamentally eradicating the U.S. nuclear threats, blackmail and hostile moves by establishing the practical balance of force with the US," the ministry said.

"The US should not forget even a second the entity of the DPRK which rapidly emerged as a strategic state capable of posing a substantial nuclear threat to the US mainland," it added, using the country's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

North Korea said those who voted for the sanctions would face Pyongyang's wrath.

"Those countries that raised their hands in favour of this 'sanctions resolution' shall be held completely responsible for all the consequences to be caused by the 'resolution' and we will make sure for ever and ever that they pay heavy price for what they have done."

Tension has been rising over North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes, which it pursues in defiance of years of UN Security Council resolutions, with bellicose rhetoric coming from both Pyongyang and the White House.

In November, North Korea demanded a halt to what it called "brutal sanctions", saying a round imposed after its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on Sept. 3 constituted genocide.

US diplomats have made clear they are seeking a diplomatic solution but proposed the new, tougher sanctions resolution to ratchet up pressure on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

China, with which North Korea does some 90 percent of its trade, has repeatedly called for calm and restraint from all sides.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Saturday said that the new resolution also reiterated the need for a peaceful resolution via talks and that all sides needed to take steps to reduce tensions.

Widely read Chinese state-run tabloid the Global Times said on Saturday that the tougher resolution was aimed at preventing war, and noted the US had compromised with no indication the United Nations could grant the United States permission for military action.

"The difference between the new resolution and the original US proposal reflects the will of China and Russia to prevent war and chaos on the Korean Peninsula. If the US proposals were accepted, only war is foreseeable," it said in an editorial.

Additional reporting by Reuters

Source

Russian Diplomat’s Warning: ‘Apocalyptic Scenario’ Likely On Korean Peninsula

Mac Slavo
November 28th, 2017
SHTFplan.com




The tense situation over North Korea’s nuclear program has one top Russian diplomat sounding the alarm. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov said that the world can no longer turn a “blind eye” to alarming speed with which North Korea is advancing their weapons of mass destruction.

North Korea’s nuclear program could evolve into an “apocalyptic” scenario, Morgulov said. He was speaking at the opening of the eighth annual Asian Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club, which is being held in Seoul, South Korea, CNBC reports. “I hope that a common sense, pragmatism, and an instinct of self-preservation would prevail among our partners,” Morgulov added.

The Russian diplomat’s remarks come amid global concerns over North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s refusal to abandon his nuclear ambitions despite mounting international pressure. North Korea has conducted a record number of long-range missile tests this year, and in early September it carried out its sixth and most powerful nuclear test.

Tensions continue to heighten as Kim and President Donald Trump trade numerous threats and insults. Over the summer, Trump warned Pyongyang it would be met with “fire and fury” if it didn’t stop threatening the U.S. In late September while addressing the United Nations for the first time, he threatened to “totally destroy” North Korea if it forced the U.S. to defend itself or its allies. In a speech to South Korea’s National Assembly, president Trump denounced Kim’s regime but also offered the erratic leader a path to peace if he agreed to cease long-range missile tests and move toward denuclearization. North Korea rejected his offer and said the president had “begged” for nuclear war during his Asia trip.

Shortly after returning from his trip, Trump placed North Korea back on the list of state sponsors of terrorism on November 20. Kim has been far from quiet in the ongoing exchange of words as well. He has “sentenced Trump to death” and said that the U.S. president has “lit the wick of war.”

China, which is North Korea’s top trading partner and most important ally, has tried to pressure Pyongyang to change its stance on the development of nuclear weapons. But a recent visit from a senior Chinese envoy to the North Korean capital appears to have been unsuccessful. Correspondingly, China recently shut down the main road connecting it with North Korea, and the state-owned airline Air China suspended flights from Beijing to the reclusive nation.

Morgulov, whose nation, Russia, shares a border with North Korea, appears to be concerned about the rogue country’s handling of weapons of mass destruction. “We have told North Korea many times that for us [its] nuclear status is unacceptable,” the diplomat said. “We continue this work with the North Korean counterparts presenting to them our position.”

Source

North Korea fires ICBM, splashes in Sea of Japan: Pentagon

November 28, 2017 / 2:23 PM / Updated 30 minutes ago

Phil Stewart, Christine Kim


5 Min Read


WASHINGTON/SEOUL-29 (Reuters) - North Korea launched a missile that landed close to Japan on Wednesday, the first since a missile fired over its neighbor in mid-September, and the Pentagon said its initial assessment was that Pyongyang had tested an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

FILE PHOTO: A North Korean flag flies on a mast at the Permanent Mission of North Korea in Geneva October 2, 2014. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo

North Korea fired the missile a week after U.S. President Donald Trump put North Korea back on a U.S list of countries that Washington says support terrorism. The designation allows the United States to impose more sanctions, although some experts said it risked inflaming tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Pentagon spokesman Col. Robert Manning said the Pentagon’s initial assessment was an ICBM launched from Sain Ni in North Korea and traveled about 1,000 km before splashing down in the Sea of Japan. The missile did not pose a threat to the United States its territories or allies, the Pentagon said.

Japan’s government estimated that the missile flew for about 50 minutes and landed in the sea in Japan’s exclusive economic zone, Japanese broadcaster NHK said. A North Korean missile on Aug. 29 was airborne for 14 minutes over Japan.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said Wednesday’s missile was fired from Pyongsong, a city in South Pyongan Province, at around 1817 GMT over the sea between South Korea and Japan. The South Korean military said the missile had an altitude of around 4,500 km and flew 960 km.

Minutes after the North fired the missile, South Korea’s military conducted a missile-firing test in response, the South Korean military said.

Sec. Mattis warns North Korea risks 'overwhelming response'

U.S. calls for global diplomatic effort to punish and sway North Korea

Roubini: "Why Are Markets Ignoring Geopolitical Risks?"

by Tyler Durden
May 9, 2017 6:55 PM




Authored by Nourial Roubini via MarketWatch.com,

With Emmanuel Macron’s defeat of the right-wing populist Marine Le Pen in the French presidential election, the European Union and the euro have dodged a bullet. But geopolitical risks are continuing to proliferate.

The populist backlash against globalization in the West will not be stilled by Macron’s victory, and could still lead to protectionism, trade wars, and sharp restrictions to migration. If the forces of disintegration take hold, the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU could eventually lead to a breakup of the EU — Macron or no Macron.

At the same time, Russia has maintained its aggressive behavior in the Baltics, the Balkans, Ukraine, and Syria. The Middle East still contains multiple near-failed states, such as Iraq, Yemen, Libya, and Lebanon. And the Sunni-Shia proxy wars between Saudi Arabia and Iran show no sign of ending.

Related Video
North Korea Claims The US Plotted To Kill Kim Jong-Un, Gives No Proof




Asia, U.S. or North Korean brinkmanship could precipitate a military conflict on the Korean Peninsula. And China is continuing to engage in — and in some cases escalating — its territorial disputes with regional neighbors.




Despite these geopolitical risks, global financial markets have reached new heights. So it is worth asking if investors are underestimating the potential for one or more of these conflicts to trigger a more serious crisis, and what it would take to shock them out of their complacency if they are.

There are many explanations for why markets may be ignoring geopolitical risks.

For starters, even with much of the Middle East burning, there have been no oil-supply shocks or embargoes, and the shale-gas revolution in the United States has increased the supply of low-cost energy. During previous Middle East conflicts — such as the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Iran’s Islamic Revolution in 1979, and Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990 — oil-supply shocks caused global stagflation and sharp stock-market corrections.

A second explanation is that investors are extrapolating from previous shocks, such as the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, when policy makers saved the day by backstopping the economy and financial markets with strong monetary and fiscal policy easing. These policies turned post-shock market corrections into buying opportunities, because the fall in asset prices was reversed in a matter of days or weeks.

Third, the countries that actually have experienced localized asset-market shocks — such as Russia and Ukraine after Russia’s annexation of Crimea and incursion into Eastern Ukraine in 2014 — are not large enough economically to affect U.S. or global financial markets.

Similarly, even as the U.K. pursues a “hard Brexit,” it still only accounts for around 2% of global GDP.

A fourth explanation is that the world has so far been spared from the tail risks associated with today’s geopolitical conflagrations. There has not yet been a direct military conflict between any major powers, nor have the EU or eurozone collapsed. President Donald Trump’s more radical, populist policies have been partly contained. And China’s economy has not yet suffered from a hard landing, which would create sociopolitical instability.

Moreover, markets have trouble pricing such black-swan events: “unknown unknowns” that are unlikely, but extremely costly. For example, the market couldn’t have predicted 9/11. And even if investors think that another major terrorist attack will come, they cannot know when.

A confrontation between the U.S. and North Korea could also turn into a black swan event, but this is a possibility that markets have happily ignored. One reason is that, notwithstanding Trump’s bluster, the U.S. has very few realistic military options: North Korea could use conventional weapons to wipe out Seoul and its surroundings, where almost half of South Korea’s population lives, were the U.S. to strike.

Investors may be assuming that even if a limited military exchange occurred, it would not escalate into a full-fledged war, and policy loosening could soften the blow on the economy and financial markets. In this scenario, as with 9/11, the initial market correction would end up being a buying opportunity.

But there are other possible scenarios, some of which could turn out to be black swans. Given the risks associated with direct military action, the U.S. is now alleged to be using cyber weapons to eliminate the North Korean nuclear threat against the U.S. mainland. This may explain why so many of North Korea’s missile tests have failed in recent months. But how will North Korea react to being militarily decapitated?

One answer is that it could launch a cyber attack of its own. North Korea’s cyber-warfare capabilities are considered to be just a notch below those of Russia and China, and the world got an early glimpse of them in 2014 when it hacked into Sony Pictures. A major North Korean cyber attack could disable or destroy parts of the U.S.’s critical infrastructure, and cause massive economic and financial damage.

That remains a risk even if the U.S. can sabotage North Korea’s entire industrial system and infrastructure.

Or, faced with disruption of its missile program and regime, North Korea could go low-tech, by sending a ship with a dirty bomb into the ports of Los Angeles or New York. An attack of this kind would most likely be very hard to monitor or stop.

So, while investors may be right to discount the risk of a conventional military conflict between the U.S. and North Korea, they also may be underestimating the threat of a true black-swan event, such as a disruptive cyberwar between the two countries or a dirty bomb attack against the U.S.

Would an escalation on the Korean Peninsula be an opportunity to “buy the dip,” or would it mark the beginning of a massive market meltdown? It is well known that markets can price the “risks” associated with a normal distribution of events that can be statistically estimated and measured.

But they have more trouble grappling with “Knightian uncertainty”: risk that cannot be calculated in probabilistic terms.



Source

North Korea fires long-range rocket despite warnings - BBC News

BBC News‎ - 18 mins ago

North Korea has fired a long-range rocket, which critics say is a test of banned missile ...

Read more

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North Korea may have just detonated another nuclear weapon

By T.C. Sottek and Rich McCormick 

on January 5, 2016 10:20 pm
Email
@chillmage



(Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)



North Korea may have just conducted its fourth nuclear test since 2006. Seismic activity in the country was first detected by monitors in South Korea, which reported a 5.1 magnitude "artificial" earthquake around 9PM ET on Tuesday. Earthquake agencies in other countries noted the abnormalities in the apparent quake that point to a nuclear test — Japan's national meteorological agency said it had a particularly shallow focus point and a strange waveform, while according to the US Geological Survey, the epicenter of the quake occurred near the country's Punggye-ri nuclear test site.

North Korea last conducted a nuclear test in 2013 in an underground site 20 miles west of the town of Hoemun. The move was largely political — North Korea has infamously used its nuclear ambitions as part of its belligerent posture toward its rivals. The country has yet to confirm that it tested a new weapon today, but according to AFP, North Korean leadership is soon to make a "special" announcement.



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Catholicism & North Korea

Catholicism in North Korea rejected an invitation to the Pope Francis mass in Seoul

LoneWolf Sager

Published on Aug 17, 2014

North Korea rejected an invitation to the Pope's mass in Seoul...

...

Pope to Youths: Wake Up! Sing, Dance, Rejoice

Since the previously posted video was removed by Google or user:

Pope to Youths: Wake Up!

romereports


Published on Aug 18, 2014


http://en.romereports.com This Mass marked the closing of Asian Youth Day, which brought together thousands of youths from at least 22 Asian countries.

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Katia Lopez-Hodoyan

Published on Aug 17, 2014

No description available.

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P.S. 

Do folks still wonder who 'invented' the Celebration Worship Style?

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Activity at NKorea site hints at nuke test preps

Matthew Pennington Associated Press

Posted: 04/22/2014 12:28:58 PM PDT
 Updated: about 3 hours ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — Commercial satellite imagery shows increased activity at North Korea's nuclear test site but not enough to indicate an underground atomic explosion is imminent, a U.S. research institute said Tuesday.

North Korea last month threatened to conduct its fourth nuclear test and there's been speculation it may do so as President Barack Obama travels to Asia this week.

The U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies said that recent images, the latest taken Saturday, appear to show movement of crates and possibly lumber near tunnel entrances at the northeastern mountain site of Punggye-ri. But it said in an analysis published on its website — 38 North — that more movements of vehicles and equipment were detected in the weeks before previous detonations.

South Korea's Defense Ministry also said Tuesday it has detected "various activities" at Punggye-ri, where North Korea has conducted three nuclear tests since 2006, the latest in February 2013.

In Seoul, ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok told reporters that the South Korea military was keeping in mind that North Korea can conduct a nuclear test suddenly, or could be just pretending to prepare for one "and deceive us, like they did in the past."

In Washington, a U.S. defense official said Tuesday that there have been signs of increased activity but had no details. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter by name and spoke on condition of anonymity.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the U.S. was closely monitoring the situation on the Korean Peninsula and continued to urge North Korea "to refrain from actions that threaten regional peace and security."

It is notoriously difficult to divine the intentions of North Korea's isolated regime, particularly on nuclear tests, as the most crucial activity happens underground and out of aerial view. 38 North also cautions that commercial satellite imagery is relatively infrequent so it provides only a snapshot of what's going on at Punggye-ri.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have escalated over the past month, as North Korea has objected strongly to the U.S. and South Korea conducting annual military exercises that ended last week. The North has test-fired two medium-range ballistic missiles and exchanged artillery fire with South Korea at their sea border.

In a briefing ahead of Obama's departure Tuesday on his four-nation trip, that will include South Korea, the White House senior director for Asian affairs, Evan Medeiros, told reporters: "Right now we are going into an environment where there's a growing number of threats and risks of provocation." He said North Korea's threat to conduct a nuclear test showed it wasn't interested in credible negotiations.

Another test explosion would deepen international concern about the North's development of weapons of mass destruction, and doubtless anger and embarrass the North's only major ally, China. Washington and its allies would push to tighten U.N. sanctions against Pyongyang.

In its analysis, 38 North said that in addition to the materials seen outside two tunnel entrances in the south of the site, over the past six weeks, there's been an uptick in activities at a support area at Punggye-ri that was used for managing operations for the last test. An April 19 image also shows a large trailer truck traveling down the road away from the test site.

"Based on available information, activities at the Punggye-ri test site could represent an early stage of preparations for a test or may be intended for a less dangerous purpose, to conduct maintenance with the end of winter," 38 North says.

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Associated Press writer Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this report.


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D-day

Today is the target day, it's the moment of 'truth', D-day!

1.Today is the day on which North Korea has threatened to launch missiles...

2. Today is the day when the president unveils his Budget.

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Strong 6.2 quake rocks Russia near N. Korea border

From: AFP
April 06, 2013 1:09AM





A 6.2-magnitude earthquake has struck Russia, near the border with China and North Korea, the US Geological Survey says.



A POWERFUL 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck early in eastern Russia near the border with China and North Korea, the US Geological Survey said.

The epicentre of the quake, which struck at 1300 GMT Friday, was southwest of Vladivostok, around nine kilometers from the Russian border town of Zarubino, at a depth of 561 kilometres, the USGS said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the quake, which struck seconds after 12am Saturday local time.

A 6.1-magnitude quake struck Russia's far east last month, and a 6.9 quake rocked the region in February. Neither caused significant damage.

An underground formation in the area known as the Kuril-Kamchatka arc is considered one of the most seismically active regions in the world.

Since 1900, seven powerful earthquakes of magnitude 8.3 or greater have occurred along the arc, according to the USGS.


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North Korea: We are Ready to Strike the U.S. Mainland With Missiles

Science
Jason Mick (Blog) - March 29, 2013 1:17 PM


Defense experts say North Korea's claims are purely bombastic and delusional

Kim Jung-Un, supreme ruler of North Korea (NK) and son of late dictator Kim Jong-Il, loves Dennis Rodman and American culture, but he hates the American government after they cut off his imports of luxury items due to his insistence on nuclear weapons development. Now the dictator's bipolar attitude towards the U.S. has seemingly taken, with Mr. Jung-Un scrapping a six decades old armistice with America and South Korea (SK).

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