Incheon International Airport has always been a major vulnerability for South Korea and here is another example of that:
North Korea’s recent campaign of launching trash-carrying balloons toward South Korea has disrupted operations of Incheon International Airport, the South’s main gateway, on 12 occasions, a lawmaker said Tuesday, citing government data.
According to data from the Seoul Regional Aviation Administration submitted to Rep. Yang Bu-nam of the main opposition Democratic Party, runways at the airport have been shut down for a total of 265 minutes across 12 occasions due to the balloons sent from North Korea.
The first disruption incident occurred from 10:48 p.m. to 11:42 p.m. on June 1, four days after North Korea first began launching the balloons. The most severe disruption occurred on June 26, when runways were shut down on eight occasions, resulting in 166 minutes of halted takeoffs and landings.
You can read more at the link.
It seems in a society with so many old male military figures that Kim Jong-un’s daughter would have a hard time consolidating power if Kim Jong-un was to die within the next 10-20 years:
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s daughter, Ju-ae, is being groomed to succeed her father, though the selection is not final and he could ultimately choose someone else, two lawmakers quoted South Korea’s spy agency as saying Monday.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) made the report to the parliamentary intelligence committee, saying North Korea has suggested Ju-ae is a strong candidate to succeed her father by adjusting the frequency of her public appearances to gauge public sentiment, Rep. Lee Seong-kweun of the ruling People Power Party and Rep. Park Sun-won of the main opposition Democratic Party said during a press briefing.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link.
I am not sure how someone would be able to catch this guy as long as he remains in North Korea:
The United States offered Thursday to provide a reward of up to US$10 million for information on a North Korean cyber actor targeting America’s critical infrastructure, as it strives to prevent Pyongyang’s ability to generate revenue through illicit means to fund its weapons programs.
The State Department announced the reward, accusing Rim Jong-hyok — a North Korean national associated with a cyber group known as Andariel — and others of being involved in malicious cyberactivities targeting U.S. hospitals, government entities, defense contractors and others.
U.S. law enforcement investigators have documented that Andariel actors victimized five healthcare providers, four U.S.-based defense contractors, two U.S. Air Force bases and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, according to the department.
You can read more at the link.
North Korea’s statement is not entirely true because Trump and Kim’s personal relationship ushered in an era where there was far less provocations and antagonism compared to prior years:
North Korea on Tuesday dismissed former US President Donald Trump’s repeated boasts about his close relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as a “lingering desire,” stating that their personal bond did not bring about “any substantial positive change.”
The statement, delivered through the state-run Korean Central News Agency, which is tailored more to external audiences than domestic ones, marked Pyongyang’s first official reaction to Trump’s campaign trail remarks. (…..)
“It is true that Trump, when he was president, tried to reflect the special personal relations between the heads of states in the relations between states, but he did not bring about any substantial positive change,” the commentary read.
“The foreign policy of a state and personal feelings must be strictly distinguished,” it added.
Pyongyang reiterated its stance that the ball is in the US court, urging the US to abandon what it labeled as a “hostile policy” toward North Korea in the commentary. Pyongyang considers the US extended deterrence commitment to South Korea in response to mounting threats from North Korea, such as the deployment of US strategic assets to the peninsula, as part of the hostile policy.
You can read more at the link.
The tit-for-tat balloon antics between North and South continue:
A trash-carrying balloon sent by North Korea landed on the presidential office compound Wednesday, the Presidential Security Service (PSS) said.
The PSS said it discovered fallen trash on the grounds of the presidential compound while monitoring the latest batch of balloons flown by the North earlier in the day.
North Korea has sent thousands of trash-filled balloons toward South Korea since May in protest of anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets sent by activists in South Korea across the border.
You can read more at the link.
North Korea is opening up tourism to these college students from Japan. I wonder if they are just a bunch of Chosen Soren kids? Maybe Kim Jong-un can invite some of the protesting kids from our US college campuses as well so they can experience the wonders of communism they seem to idolize so much:
North Korea has reportedly approved the visit of about 140 students from Korea Universityin Japan and allowed Korean students to visit as well.
On July 21, the Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shimbun reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un issued a special permit for Korea University students to visit at the end of August. The newspaper stated, “It is known that North Korea has explained that students with South Korean nationality can also visit.”
Since the global outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, North Korea has implemented a border lockdown for over three years. The newspaper noted that this group visit is the first since the pandemic began.
Mainichi Shimbun reported, “The visitors will be fourth-year students from Korea University, divided into several groups to stay in North Korea for about a month from August to November.” It also noted that “when using North Korea’s Air Koryo from Beijing, each individual is allowed to bring up to 50kg of luggage.”
You can read more at the link.
