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The Korea Times

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

Opinion

Columnists

2. John Burton

North Korea and COVID-19

As South Korea struggles with the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, is North Korea's response to the pneumonia-like illness proving more effective? In January, the country quickly went into an extensive lockdown, effectively sealing itself off from all outside contact. Travel in and out of North Korea was suspended and foreign visitors were quarantined until last weekend. Travel within the country has also apparently been curbed.

2020-03-02 18:09

Hollywood producers call it “capturing lightning in a bottle” - trying to create a film with unique characteristics that unexpectedly appeals to a broad audience. That effort to trap something elusive and fleeting seems almost an impossible task. The film “Parasite” falls into that category.

2020-02-17 17:34

Turning the corner?

Are international sanctions hurting North Korea? Maybe less than many expected. North Korea's economy grew by 1.8 percent in 2019 after shrinking the two previous years, according to a recent U.N. estimate, which also predicted that growth could accelerate over the next two years.

2020-02-03 17:11

Good day sunshine

One of the puzzles about North Korea is that while it has the scientific talent to make nuclear bombs and missiles and launch satellites, it has trouble developing and adopting basic technology for everyday use.

2020-01-20 17:22

A greener North Korea

Last month, the Seoul-based U.N. Green Climate Fund (GCF) agreed to provide North Korea with $752,090 in funding to help the country deal with climate change.

2020-01-06 17:38

Here we go again

This year's holiday season will be less than happy on the Korean Peninsula. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is promising to deliver an unwelcome “Christmas gift” to U.S. President, Donald Trump in response to stalled negotiations on denuclearization.

2019-12-23 17:37

Human cost of sanctions

One of the ironies of Donald Trump's engagement policy with North Korea over the past two years, is that while he praises the “beautiful letters” he has received from Kim Jong-un, he has done nothing to ease the “maximum pressure” sanctions that he imposed in 2017 when the U.S. president was in his “fire and fury” phase. Trump's refusal to move the needle is a key reason why Kim is now threatening to pursue a more aggressive course in dealing with the U.S. at the end of the year.

2019-12-09 17:50

Warning signs in N. Korea

North Korea recently urged its farmers to voluntarily contribute a larger portion of their harvests to state warehouses to feed troops and government workers. This was the latest indication that this year's harvest may be worse than initially predicted due to droughts and typhoons that hit its grain-producing regions. North Korea's crop output last year reportedly hit its lowest level in a decade and this year's harvest could be 9 percent lower than last year.

2019-11-25 16:20

The Assessment Capacities Project (ACAPS) is a Geneva-based NGO that monitors the impact of humanitarian assistance worldwide. Twice a year, it issues a report identifying countries that are not getting the humanitarian assistance they need due to access constraints.

2019-11-11 17:02

A delicate balancing act

The Committee on Human Rights in North Korea is one of the fiercest critics of the Pyongyang regime in Washington, D.C. But a new report it commissioned has asked the international community to step up humanitarian aid efforts even as it castigates North Korea for its continued violations of human rights.

2019-10-28 17:09

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