Are US sanctions driving more defectors out of North Korea?
The defection of another North Korean soldier and two fishermen raises questions about whether sanctions designed to punish the Pyongyang leadership are imposing harsh economic hardships on ordinary people.
Families of people abducted by North Korea feel abandoned by the world
A Thai woman (circled) who was abducted in 1978 is among the hundreds of people believed to be held by Pyongyang, reportedly to train North Korean spies.
What we know about the North Korean missile that can supposedly reach the US
A US intelligence official confirms to VOA that the missile’s flight time was the longest of any of the Kim Jong Un regime’s previous launches.
Defector: terror list designation could ‘cripple’ North Korea’s economy
While past sanctions mostly targeted specific individuals, companies and banks, the Trump-era strictures target all of North Korea’s possible sources of revenue.
Squeezed by sanctions, North Korea turns to smuggling under the cover of diplomacy
A new report finds Pyongyang’s illicit trade network has hit Africa’s elephants and rhinos, which are targeted by poachers trying to satisfy the Asian market’s demand for ivory and rhino horn products.
Has the US cyberwar with China, Russia and North Korea already begun?
South Korea’s defense intranet was hacked last year, probably by North Korea with help from China and Russia, who might want to go beyond testing the traditional US military to assessing America’s cyberwar capability.
North Korea’s overseas workers are feeling the sanctions squeeze
The latest UN sanctions ban the hiring of additional North Korean workers and bar the renewal of their work contracts when they expire.
Strapped for cash, North Korea hopes Bitcoin will show them the money
With Pyongyang venturing into cyberspace to launch a bitcoin ‘mining’ operation, could the cryptocurrency become a major source of income for Kim Jong-un’s regime?
At least 7 African countries investigated for violating UN North Korea sanctions
Across Africa, more than $100 million worth of goods is traded with North Korea annually, but the countries targeted in the probe are suspected of receiving military assistance from North Korea.
Ready to take on the ‘Rocket Man’?
Analyst tells VOA the U.S. “better be ready to go all in” if it takes a military approach in dealing with North Korea.
