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Geopolitics

North Korea Raises Stakes Again, Calls Sanctions “Declaration Of War”

GLOBAL TIMES, XINHUA (China), BBC (UK) Worldcrunch PYONGYANG – For the second straight day, North Korea has lashed out at its enemies, raising the stakes in the showdown over its nuclear program by warning Friday that new UN economic sanctions would amount to a “declaration of war.” The KCNA North Korean news agency, relayed a […]

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Society

China Censors James Bond, But Movie Manipulation Is A Worldwide Feature

BERLIN – Chinese censors have made some significant changes to several parts of the latest James Bond film “Skyfall.” One scene, showing a French hitman killing a Chinese guard in a Shanghai skyscraper, was cut out entirely. So was a mention of prostitution in Macau. Other changes are reflected in the subtitles. In the original […]

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Geopolitics

North Korea Says U.S. “Targeted” In New Round Of Nuclear Rocket Tests

KCNA (North Korea), REUTERS, RT NEWS Worldcrunch PYONGYANG – North Korea raised its bellicose rhetoric to a new high Thursday, declaring that it now possesses enough fissile material to mount enriched plutonium on rocket heads, and is ready to test those nuclear missiles that would be “targeted” to reach the United States. “We are not […]

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Society

Pyongyang Progressive? Early Signs Of Hip Fashion, High-Tech In North Korea

A Chinese reporter crosses the border to take the pulse of the closed-off nation, where young North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may have begun to loosen things up ever so slightly.

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Geopolitics

Google’s Schmidt Tells North Korea Open Internet Is Key To Economy

THE GUARDIAN (UK), CBS NEWS (US) Worldcrunch After wrapping up an unusual and notably tight-lipped visit to North Korea, Google Chairman Eric Schmidt urged the Pyongyang regime on Thursday to open up to the Internet or risk the further economic consequences of isolation. “As the world is becoming increasingly connected, their decision to be virtually […]

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Society

How Methamphetamines Replaced Heroin As China’s New Drug Of Choice

Smuggled in from Burma and North Korea, meth is flooding Chinese mean streets.

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Geopolitics

Joining Richardson, Google’s Schmidt Begins “Personal” Visit To North Korea

ASSOCIATED PRESS, REUTERS, YONHAP NEWS (South Korea) Worldcrunch PYONGYANG – Google Chairman Eric Schmidt became the highest profile American corporate executive ever to visit North Korea, arriving Monday on a mission led by former US Ambassador to the United Nations Bill Richardson, the Associated Press reports. Richardson, also a former governor of the state of […]

Categories
Ideas

China Must Take A Harder Line With North Korea’s Nuclear Provocations

-OpEd- BEIJING – Despite strong opposition from the international community, North Korea went ahead with its planned use of a long-range rocket to launch a satellite. As the North Koreans were cheering the successful Dec. 4 launch, their longtime Chinese ally was in no mood for celebrations. North Korea’s missile and nuclear capabilities have been […]

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Geopolitics

A Chilling Tale Of Ordinary Japanese Abducted By North Korean Spies

AGEO – Shigeo Iizuka still has the black-and-white photo of his little sister, Yaeko, stuck on the inside cover of his pocket diary. It was June 1978, when the 22-year-old suddently disappeared, taken from the bustling heart of Tokyo and transferred to North Korea to be used as a teacher of Japanese language and customs […]

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Geopolitics

North Korea Confirms Arrest Of U.S. Citizen

Also signs of additional facilities that could produce weapons-grade uranium.

Categories
Society

Barack Obama Is Time’s Person Of The Year – Kim Jong-Un Reacts

TIME, THE ONION (USA) Worldcrunch Even though Kim Jong-un seemed like a shoe-in for Time’s Person Of The Year 2012, having accumulated more online votes than anyone by far, the magazine announced today that Barack Obama had won the coveted title instead. Barack Obama is TIME’s 2012 Person of the Year | ti.me/VQVajw #POY2012 — […]

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Food / Travel

Presidential Kitchen Secrets – What State Menus Tell Us About World Leaders

-Essay- BEIJING – “Eat, drink, man and woman – the greatest human desires reside in them…” It is an ancient Confucian proverb, meaning that food and love are basic to human nature. Were the public invited to vote on what they’d like most to know about their nations’ leaders I’m convinced it wouldn’t be their […]

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Geopolitics

North Korea Declares Rocket Launch A Success

KCNA (North Korea), THE KOREA HERALD (South Korea), NHK (Japan) Worldcrunch North Korea’s state-run news agency has announced the country has successfully put a satellite into orbit Wednesday. Pyongyang says the three-stage, long-range rocket was successfully launched off the west coast of North Korea Wednesday morning, after its previous attempts failed earlier this year. “The […]

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Geopolitics

Pyongyang Style – Trouble Brewing Again On The Korean Peninsula

BEIJING – The recent speculation about North Korea’s (DPRK) intention of launching a ballistic missile is causing widespread concern. On November 24, the South Korean daily JoongAng Ilbo revealed that the South Korean military had detected North Korea transporting rocket components from its Pyongyang arsenal to its rocket launch site in the Northwest. The components […]

Categories
Economy

China Eyes Big Investment Opportunities In North Korea

BEIJING – Investing in North Korea is becoming a hot topic among Chinese businessmen. Over the last few weeks, a series of business events and investment conferences about North Korea have been held. Chen Jiangfeng, a real-estate developer from Beijing was one of the 150 plus entrepreneurs who attended the investment projects fair held at […]

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Geopolitics

North Korea Dynasty Rumors: Is Kim Jong Un’s Wife Pregnant?

THE HANKYOREH, KCNA (North Korea), CNN (USA) Worldcrunch SEOUL – Rumors are spreading fast that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s wife, Ri Sol Ju, is pregnant. North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) published a picture of her wearing a long coat that could be hiding an imperial baby bump. Ri Sol Ju […]

Categories
Future

Sandy’s Asian Sisters: Five Superstorms You May Have Missed

Worldcrunch As Sandy pummels the United States, the Pacific typhoon season has been well underway on the other side of the world, resulting in some 500 deaths and $3.36 billion in total damages in Asia. Take a look at the five storms that you may have missed: 1. Typhoon KhanunIn mid-July, Typhoon Khanun swept over […]

Categories
Society

North Korean Celluloid: Welcome To The Pyongyang Film Festival

PYONGYANG – The austere, angular façade of the Taedongmun movie theater, surmounted by large statues depicting a worker, a soldier and a peasant, gives off an air of power and authority. The date of construction, 1955, is carved into the building, which stands close to Kim Il-sung Square, near the center of the North Korean […]

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Geopolitics

North Korea Threatens “Merciless Military Strike,” Kim Jong-Un’s Nephew Speaks Out

KCNA (North Korea), YONHAP (South Korea), YLEISRADIO (Finland) Worldcrunch North Korea announced Friday that it would launch a “merciless military strike” on South Korea, if the country allows anti-North activists to disseminate propaganda leaflets in the communist country next week. Yonhap news agency, citing the North’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), quoted the warning statement […]

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Geopolitics

Is North Korea Moving Toward A Post-Totalitarian Regime?

Recent pictures of Kim Jong-un and his wife attending public events is just one sign that has insiders wondering whether North Korea has started to shift toward a ‘post-totalitarian’ regime.

Categories
Food / Travel

Tasting “Pyongyang” In Amsterdam: Welcome To Europe’s First North Korean Restaurant

A North Korean “cultural center” has opened near Amsterdam. And though neighbors find the curtains a bit off-putting, the food — served in nine courses — is tasty, nicely presented and comes with a dash of live entertainment. A long way indeed

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