Special to WorldTribune.com By Lee Jong-Heon, East-Asia-Intel.com SEOUL — Corruption is rampant and discipline is eroding across North Korea’s military as the country’s youthful new leader Kim Jong-Un has shifted the policy focus away from the military, analysts and sources said. North Korean Army officers have smuggled out classified military documents for money, and border guards are […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk, East-Asia-Intel.com NEW DELHI — Within India’s long borders, as many as 65 million people are slaves. That’s according to the U.S. State Department’s annual “Trafficking in Persons” report, which classifies India as having more slaves than any other country on earth. “The forced labor of an estimated 20 to […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Lee Jong-Heon, East-Asia-Intel.com SEOUL — North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un convened a meeting of senior economic-related officials from the Party, the Cabinet and local governments on Oct. 8, in which he approved major plans for economic development. The new economic plans focused on special economic zones designed to attract foreign investment and is […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Lee Jong-Heon, East-Asia-Intel.com SEOUL — North Korea’s imports of luxury goods have surged to over 10 percent of its annual budget in 2012, the first year of youthful leader Kim Jong-Un in office according to a South Korean government report. Analysts and officials attributed the sharp rise, despite worsening economic troubles and international […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk, East-Asia-Intel.com DARJEELING, India — You know the planet is truly a global village when you turn on the TV in a cheapie room on the lower slopes of the Himalayas early one morning and find ESPN carrying the Red Sox-Cardinals live in the World Series. OK, you could do […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Willy Lam, East-Asia-Intel.com A series of diplomatic moves among the three members of the BRICS group has thrown into relief Beijing’s latest strategy to counter what it perceives as an anti-China containment policy spearheaded by Washington. Earlier this week, the Indian and Russian prime ministers, respectively Manmohan Singh and Dmitry Medvedev […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Lee Jong-Heon, East-Asia-Intel.com SEOUL — North Korea is upgrading its missile and artillery positions, and its young leader Kim Jong-Un has told subordinates he could occupy the South by force within three years, intelligence officials and sources here said. The North has deployed upgraded version of 240mm-caliber multiple rocket launchers with a longer […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Lee Jong-Heon, East-Asia-Intel.com SEOUL — The Workers’ Party is believed to have increased its power relative to the military in North Korea as new leader Kim Jong-Un has refocused the regime and enhanced the Party’s status, sources and analysts here said. The Party was sidelined under Kim’s late father Kim Jong-Il who ruled […]
Special to WorldTribune.com East-Asia-Intel.com In a groundbreaking statement issued by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, the Obama administration deviated from previous U.S. administrations and policies with regard to North Korea’s consistent demand for a meaningless non-aggression treaty. “We are prepared to have a peaceful relationship with North Korea. We are not engaged in regime […]
Special to WorldTribune.com East-Asia-Intel.com The U.S. government has sent NATO ally Turkey a message expressing “serious concerns” over Ankara’s decision to choose a Chinese state-run weapons firm to co-produce an air and missile defense system known as the Red Flag-9 or HQ-9. China is still under sanctions by the U.S. and most European Union nations. […]