Latest news with #KimIlSung
Times
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Times
Kim Jong-un kneels at grave of mentor who called him ‘Jong Unny'
One of the perks of being the hereditary dictator of the world's most repressive state is that you do not have to kneel before anyone. But for the third year in a row, North Korea's supreme leader, Kim Jong-un, has bent his knee in honour of a man almost unknown to the rest of the world, who knew him by the nickname 'Jong Unny'. Photographs in state media showed Kim laying a flower at the at the grave of Hyon Chol-hae, a senior military officer who died in 2022 at the age of 87, in a gesture that offers intriguing insights into Kim's personality and leadership style. Hyon served under Kim's grandfather, Kim Il-sung, and his father, Kim Jong-il. As a mentor to the current
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
South Korean posts resurface fabricated BBC commentary after Yoon's impeachment
"The British broadcaster BBC's commentary on South Korea," reads a Korean-language graphic shared April 9, 2025 on Facebook. It goes on to claim the BBC called South Korea "a crazy country that eats its own flesh" and a "strange nation that kills itself". It says the country's "judges and prosecutors are the main culprits of legal disorder" and accuses a Supreme Court justice of selling out the country for five billion won ($3.5 million USD). "South Korea is a country ruined by biased beliefs and Juche ideology of its judges," reads the graphic's final point. Juche, meaning self-reliance in Korean, refers to the state ideology developed by North Korea's late founding leader Kim Il Sung. That same day, a right-wing YouTuber with 970,000 subscribers echoed similar claims in a video titled: "British BBC commentary: South Korea on path to failure due to legal disorder". The posts surfaced after South Korea's Constitutional Court unanimously upheld the impeachment of Yoon, whose failed attempt to suspend civilian rule in December 2024 led to political turmoil (archived link). Yoon claimed he acted to safeguard the country's liberal democracy from "anti-state elements" and "threats posed by North Korea". In a separate, ongoing criminal trial, Yoon has denied insurrection charges, for which he could face life in prison or even the death penalty if convicted (archived link). Similar claims that the BBC criticised the country's judges spread elsewhere on Facebook and X, South Korean online forums Naver Cafe and Naver Blog, and the websites of NBN News Agency, Public Broadcasting System and Seoul Administration News. The purported commentary has circulated online since at least 2020. Comments show some users were misled. "The BBC commentary lays bare the full reality of our country. It's humiliating," one said. Another wrote: "The BBC really knows accurately." But keyword searches on Google, as well as live and archived versions of the BBC's official website, found no similar reports or commentaries. "We can say with some certainty that we didn't publish this content," the BBC Press Office told AFP in an April 23, 2025 email. Woongbee Lee, head of BBC Korean, also told AFP the claims had "no real basis". "We confirmed that neither the Seoul bureau nor the Asia desk had ever published such reports or commentaries," he said April 21. Moreover, the tone of the fabricated commentary does not align with earlier BBC coverage of Yoon's declaration of martial law and subsequent impeachment. In an April 4 explainer, the broadcaster described the court's decision to remove Yoon as a "victory for South Korea's democracy". It characterised his martial law bid as an "authoritarian power grab" (archived link). A report published December 4, 2024 referred to South Korea as a "stable, prosperous democracy," adding: "Yet Yoon claimed he was introducing military rule to save the country from dark forces" (archived link). AFP has debunked other claims stemming from Yoon's declaration of martial law here.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
North Korea warns of ‘overwhelming deterrence' after U.S.-South Korea air drills
SEOUL, April 17 (UPI) -- North Korea warned Thursday it would respond with "overwhelming deterrence" against the United States following Washington's deployment of B-1B strategic bombers to the Korean Peninsula for a joint air exercise with South Korea this week. The allies' drills represent an "open threat to the security of our state and a grave provocation that raises the military tension in the region to an extreme dangerous level," a spokesperson for North Korea's Defense Ministry said in a statement carried by state-run Korean Central News Agency. "The DPRK will exercise the overwhelming deterrence and continue to make the U.S. recognize that its unannounced deployment of strategic means is a reckless and unnecessary abuse of strength," the spokesperson said, using the official acronym for North Korea. "The higher the level of provocation against the DPRK is, the greater the level of danger returning to the U.S. will be." The United States sent a pair of B-1B strategic bombers to participate in joint drills on Tuesday, which was a holiday in North Korea marking the birthday of founder Kim Il Sung. The exercise was intended to "respond to the continuous threat of North Korea's increasingly sophisticated nuclear and missile programs," Seoul's Defense Ministry said. Pyongyang has frequently objected to the deployment of U.S. strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula and condemns the allies' joint military exercises as rehearsals for an invasion. The ministry spokesperson said Thursday that the latest exercise was a "process of increasing the skillfulness in tactics and procedures for attacking the DPRK, and completing preparations for going into real action at any time." North Korea "will never tolerate the slightest sign of threat of the hostile forces against the security sovereignty of the state," the spokesperson added. The drills marked the second deployment of U.S. B-1B bombers to the peninsula since President Donald Trump returned to office. Days after a February joint air exercise, Pyongyang test-fired strategic cruise missiles in what it called a demonstration of its nuclear deterrence capabilities. North Korea's statement came as the United States and South Korea kicked off a two-week joint air exercise, called Freedom Flag, on Thursday. The exercise, which runs until May 2, involves some 1,100 troops and 90 aircraft from both militaries, South Korea's air force said in a press release. Assets mobilized for the drills include South Korean F-35A, F-15K and KF-16 fighter jets and American F-16 and F-35 B fighters. The allies "plan to strengthen interoperability and cultivate capabilities for wartime joint mission execution," the release said. "In addition, they will intensively review and master the latest tactical and operational procedures that reflect the changes in the operational environment of modern warfare."
Times of Oman
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Times of Oman
North Korea warns US after air drill on Kim Il Sung birthday
Pyongyang: North Korea threatened retaliation on Thursday after the United States flew long-range B-1B bombers over South Korea during a joint training exercise. The drill took place on Tuesday, which North Korea considers as an invasion rehearsal for an attack against it. It is particularly cautious about the American use of long-range bombers, aircraft carriers and nuclear-powered submarines. According to South Korea's Defense Ministry, the joint training, a routine practice between both countries, showed their combined military capabilities against North Korea's advancing nuclear programme. The joint air drill happened on the 113th anniversary of the birthday of Kim Il Sung, the founder of North Korea, which raised tensions. The strategic deployment of US long-range bombers in the region has become a "reckless bluffing," said North Korea's Defense Ministry in a statement carried by state news agency KCNA. "The recent military move of the US and the Republic of Korea [South Korea] is an open threat to the security of our state and a grave provocation that raises the military tension in the region to an extremely dangerous level," KCNA added. North Korea's Defense Ministry threatened the US to retaliate against its "aggressive attempt to permanently fix the malignant instability element in the security environment of the region," KCNA added. North Korea often test-launches missiles in response to the US long-range bomber B-1B, which the US Air Force often uses for powerful airstrikes. Jeon Ha-kyu, a spokesperson South Korea's Defence Ministry, said in a briefing that the joint military venture was defensive. South Korea's Air Force announced on Thursday a large-scale aerial drill called "Freedom Flag" with the US Air Force that will occur twice a year. The two-week exercise would involve 90 fighter jets and other aerial military assets from South Korea and the US.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
North Korea warns US after air drill on Kim Il Sung birthday
North Korea threatened retaliation on Thursday after the US flew long-range B-1B bombers over South Korea during a joint training exercise. The drill took place on Tuesday, which North Korea considers as an invasion rehearsal for an attack against it. It is particularly cautious about the American use of long-range bombers, aircraft carriers and nuclear-powered submarines. According to South Korea's Defense Ministry, the joint training, a routine practice between both countries, showed their combined military capabilities against North Korea's advancing nuclear program. The joint air drill happened on the 113th anniversary of birthday of Kim Il Sung, the founder of North Korea, which raised tensions. The strategic deployment of US long-range bombers in the region has become a "reckless bluffing," said North Korea's Defense Ministry in a statement carried by state news agency KCNA. "The recent military move of the US and the Republic of Korea [South Korea] is an open threat to the security of our state and a grave provocation that raises the military tension in the region to an extremely dangerous level," KCNA added. North Korea's Defense Ministry threatened the US to retaliate against its "aggressive attempt to permanently fix the malignant instability element in the security environment of the region," KCNA added. North Korea often test-launches missiles in response to the US long-range bomber B-1B, which the US Air Force often uses for powerful airstrikes. Jeon Ha-kyu, a spokesperson South Korea's Defense Ministry, said in a briefing that the joint military venture was defensive. South Korea's Air Force announced on Thursday a large-scale aerial drill called "Freedom Flag" with the US Air Force that will occur twice a year. The two-week exercise would involve 90 fighter jets and other aerial military assets from South Korea and the US. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have escelated in recent years as North Korea continues with weapons tests to modernize its nuclear arsenal and backs Russia's war in Ukraine by providing weapons and troops. Edited by: Zac Crellin
