Mattis discusses Olympics, North Korea, and why he won’t read ‘Fire and Fury’ book

America Secretary of Defense James Mattis addressed reporters in what became an impromptu press briefing on Friday, in which he addressed a slew of issues facing the American defensive infrastructure, and even Michael Wolff’s supposed tell-all book that’s been the focus of the president’s attention recently, “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House.” Reporters […]

North Korea is reopening a vital communication hotline with South Korea

North Korea will reopen a hotline with South Korea at 6.30am GMT. A North Korean official made the announcement on state television today. South Korea believes this is the first step in regular contact between the countries. The development comes as North Korea indicates its desire to send a delegation to South Korea’s Winter Olympics […]

Why North Korea succeeded at getting nuclear weapons — when Iraq and Libya failed

North Korea was considered too poor, authoritarian and vulnerable to succeed with its nuclear and missile programs. And yet Pyongyang has acquired advanced nuclear weapons capabilities — and, at the end of November, tested an intercontinental ballistic missile. Why has North Korea succeeded when other countries such as Iraq and Libya have failed? Three factors are central to North Korea’s success. This […]

Russian scientists in the 90s may have given North Korea its newest missile designs

Russian scientists may have provided North Korea with the designs for its newest missiles back in the 1990s. The US could have prevented the transfer of these designs had it granted US investors a waiver to embark upon a joint venture with Russia to turn old submarine-launched missiles into space boosters. The UN’s new sanctions […]

South Korea Seizes Ship Allegedly for Illegal Oil Shipments to the North

The South Korean government seized a Hong Kong-registered ship last month for allegedly supplying oil to the North in breach of United Nations sanctions. The Koreans, armed with U.S. satellite photos said the ship Lighthouse Winmore transferred 600 tons of refined oil to a North Korean ship. The UN Security Council resolution bans any ship-to-ship […]

North Korean defectors: A basic rundown

A nuclear scientist from North Korea recently committed suicide as he was deported from China back to North Korea, where he faced the severe punishment that awaits all defectors — to include the three-generation punishment system that not only involves him, but any spouses, children, siblings and parents too. Hyun Cheol Huh is one of many […]

North Korean nuclear scientist kills himself after being caught trying to defect

New reports out of Asia are now indicating that a North Korean nuclear scientist killed himself last month after a failed attempt at defecting through neighboring China. Local news outlets have reported the man’s name as Hyun Cheol Huh, though the North Korean government has yet to acknowledge the incident, nor have they confirmed the man’s […]