Kim Jong-Un ‘obliterated’ officer, purges others to escape his father’s shadow

Kim Jong-Un ‘obliterated’ officer, purges others to escape his father’s shadow

Special to WorldTribune.com By Lee Jong-Heon, East-Asia-Intel.com SEOUL — Several additional senior North Korean officials favored by the country’s late leader Kim Jong-Il have been recently dismissed from their posts by new ruler Kim Jong-Un, who is cementing his own power base, officials and sources in Seoul say. Among those sacked in October are Minister […]

Kim Jong-Un’s frequent visits to front-line bases makes South anxious

Kim Jong-Un’s frequent visits to front-line bases makes South anxious

Special to WorldTribune.com By Lee Jong-Heon, East-Asia-Intel.com YEONPYEONG ISLAND, South Korea — North Korea’s youthful new dictator Kim Jong-Un’s frequent visits to front-line military bases have put residents of this border island on alert over fears that the North will launch another deadly artillery attack similar to the one in November 2010. While fishermen continue […]

N. Korea’s new leader expected to announce economic reforms in shift from military supremacy

N. Korea’s new leader expected to announce economic reforms in shift from military supremacy

Special to WorldTribune.com By Lee Jong-Heon, East-Asia-Intel.com SEOUL — North Korea has formed a task force to overhaul the reclusive country’s rigid economic management under new ruler Kim Jong-Un’s reform initiatives, South Korea’s intelligence officials said. The task force is reviewing a set of economic measures drafted on June 28 that focus on improving the […]

Reports: Wiretap led to Ri’s ouster in N. Korea; firefight killed 20

Reports: Wiretap led to Ri’s ouster in N. Korea; firefight killed 20

Special to WorldTribune.com By Lee Jong-Heon, East-Asia-Intel.com SEOUL — Ri Yong-Ho, the most ardent supporter of late North Korean ruler Kim Jong-Il’s “military-first” policy, was purged because he had complained about youthful new ruler Kim Jong-Un’s push for policy changes, sources and officials in Seoul say. But Ri’s dismissal could encourage his supporters and hardline […]

China constructing extensive transportation network along N. Korea border

China constructing extensive transportation network along N. Korea border

Special to WorldTribune.com By Lee Jong-Heon, East-Asia-Intel.com China is building a massive highway and rail network along the border with North Korea in an apparent bid to tap into its neighbor’s natural resources and to secure easy access for troops in case of an emergency in the destitute nation. China will spend more than $10 […]

N. Korean defectors report starvation after harvests ‘taken forcibly by the ruling class’

N. Korean defectors report starvation after harvests ‘taken forcibly by the ruling class’

Special to WorldTribune.com By Lee Jong-Heon, East-Asia-Intel.com A growing number of North Koreans are starving to death, even in the country’s grain belt on the southwest coast, despite increased crop yields because soldiers and state officials are extorting the grain. A defector who fled the North last summer said members of the ruling class would […]

Piracy against China ships shows N. Korea’s military units are desperate, on their own

Piracy against China ships shows N. Korea’s military units are desperate, on their own

Special to WorldTribune.com By Lee Jong-Heon, East-Asia-Intel.com North Korean troops deployed in a remote area hijacked Chinese fishing boats for ransom earlier this month, government officials and analysts in Seoul said. A North Korean gunboat seized four Chinese boats with more than 30 Chinese fishermen on May 8 and demanded cash for their return. The […]