Latest news with #KimJong-un
Mint
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Mint
Type ‘South Korea'? The phone calls it a ‘Puppet State' — Inside North Korea's shocking surveillance
A smartphone smuggled out of North Korea has uncovered shocking evidence of the regime's extreme surveillance tactics and linguistic manipulation, shedding light on how Kim Jong-un's government continues to tighten its grip over the country's population. The device, obtained by the BBC in late 2024 and analysed by tech experts, reveals that North Korean smartphones—running a heavily modified version of Android—are embedded with tools specifically designed to enforce state ideology, censor foreign influence, and monitor citizens' every digital move. One of the most disturbing features is the phone's automatic rewriting of certain terms. Typing 'South Korea' into the phone replaces it with 'puppet state,' a derogatory term used in North Korean propaganda. Similarly, the word 'oppa,' a common South Korean expression for an older brother or boyfriend, is forcibly changed to 'comrade,' accompanied by a warning: 'This word can only be used to describe your siblings.' These changes reflect North Korea's broader policy of linguistic control—redefining language itself to shape perception and loyalty. The phone is also equipped with hidden surveillance functions. It silently takes screenshots every five minutes and stores them in a hidden folder that is inaccessible to users but available to state authorities. This, as stated by a reporter for the BBC, allows officials to monitor individual behavior in real-time and maintain complete control over what citizens are doing on their devices. Internet access is entirely blocked. Instead, North Korean users are restricted to a closed intranet system known as Kwangmyong, which hosts only state-approved content and offers no connection to the outside world. The phone's escape from North Korea—believed to have been smuggled across the Chinese border via defector networks or underground routes—offers a rare window into one of the world's most secretive and tightly controlled regimes. North Korea's information lockdown is among the most comprehensive in the world. Citizens are systematically cut off from foreign news, media, and culture, particularly from South Korea, which is officially considered an enemy state. The smartphone's software plays a key role in this digital iron curtain—subverting words, spying on users, and shaping minds in service of the regime. As North Korea escalates its 'information war' against outside influence, the smuggled phone stands as stark evidence of a society where even casual conversation is controlled.
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Ukrainian cities ‘terrorised' by North Korean weapons in Russian hands
Russian forces have used North Korean weapons to intensify missile attacks against critical civilian infrastructure in Ukraine and 'terrorised' entire cities, according to a report by UN members that reveals the extent of Moscow's dependence on the regime in Pyongyang. The Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team, comprising 11 countries including the US, Britain, EU states and Japan, said Kim Jong-un's dictatorship had supplied Russia with more than 20,000 containers of munitions since September 2023. The team said the evidence it had gathered showed that North Korea and Russia had engaged in 'myriad unlawful activities' prohibited by UN sanctions resolutions. In June 2024, Kim, the North Korean ruler, and Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty that commits the two countries to come to each other's aid if attacked. In its first report since it was formed in 2024 to monitor UN sanctions triggered by the North's nuclear weapons programme, the group said as many as nine million rounds of artillery and rocket launcher ammunition had been shipped from North Korea to Russia. Related: Ukraine war briefing: Flood of North Korean arms to Russia, say US, Japan and others 'At least for the foreseeable future, North Korea and Russia intend to continue and further deepen their military cooperation in contravention of relevant UN security council resolutions,' the monitoring team said. North Korea had also 'contributed to Moscow's ability to increase its missile attacks against Ukrainian cities, including targeted strikes against critical civilian infrastructure'. North Korea is seeking Russian help with its troubled spy satellite programme in return for providing military aid, including thousands of soldiers. It has also sent Russia powerful weapons. Since it started shipping ammunition to Russia in September 2023, the North has transferred at least 100 ballistic missiles, self-propelled artillery guns, long-range multiple rocket launchers and munitions, according to the report. The report said North Korea had transferred the arms and other items by sea, air and rail. North Korean ballistic missiles were being used 'to destroy civilian infrastructure and terrorise populated areas such as Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia', it said. The Kremlin has reciprocated by helping Pyongyang with its ballistic missile programmes through the provision of data feedback based on the weapons' performance in the Ukraine war. This, the report said, had led to 'improvements in missile guidance performance'. Moscow had also provided air defence equipment and anti-aircraft missiles, as well as electronic warfare systems to North Korea, it said. The estimated 11,000 North Korean soldiers sent to fight in the war with Ukraine last year have also gained first-hand battlefield experience, to the alarm of officials in South Korea. The report noted that a further 3,000 reinforcements had been dispatched recently. The 11-member monitor group was set up after Russia vetoed a resolution in March 2024 that would have seen a UN security council panel of experts continue monitoring North Korea for violation of sanctions. Kim and Putin last month confirmed for the first time that North Korea had sent troops to fight for Russia in the war with Ukraine, describing them as 'heroes'.
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Business Standard
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
North Korea gaining military edge as Russia seeks war-time supplies
North Korea has been rapidly unveiling new weapons, including AI-guided attack drones, upgraded tanks with electronic warfare features, a new naval destroyer armed with supersonic cruise missiles, and an improved air-defence system. It has also showcased air-to-air missiles and new drone technology. In the past, international sanctions, natural disasters, and the Covid-19 pandemic were thought to have left the North Korea's ageing Soviet-era military incapable of modernisation. But Kim Jong-un found a solution by turning to Russia, which needed weapons and manpower as it continues its military operation in Ukraine, according to a report by The New York Times. Reviving an old alliance As Russia's war in Ukraine dragged on and its resources thinned, North Korea stepped in with large supplies of artillery shells and troops. In return, Russia restarted a Cold War-era treaty of defence and cooperation with North Korea. According to South Korean officials and analysts quoted in the NYT report, this deal has provided North Korea with fuel, food, military materials and technologies to upgrade its forces. They warn that this growing military cooperation could destabilise the Korean Peninsula. New weapons, new opportunities Following the collapse of the Soviet Union and North Korea's economy, the country focused on nuclear weapons while its conventional military remained outdated. In contrast, South Korea, backed by the US and its 28,500 troops, maintained a strong military edge. However, analysts say Russia's need for weapons and manpower has brought about a major shift. North Korea's weapons industry has been revitalised, with Kim now gaining battlefield insights and modern warfare experience. 'North Korea appears to be entering a strategic golden age,' Yang Uk, Seoul's Asan Institute for Policy Studies, told NYT. Support for Russia in Ukraine Russia has also benefited. Though kept secret at first, Russian military officials later confirmed that North Korean troops helped Russian forces push back Ukrainians in the Kursk region. South Korean intelligence believes around 15,000 North Korean troops have entered Russia. North Korea has supplied millions of artillery shells and missiles. The two countries are also working together to develop drones. The cooperation has strengthened Vladimir Putin's position in both the Ukraine conflict and international diplomacy. In September 2023, Kim visited Russia's Far East, where he toured a space launch centre, aircraft factory, and military bases. South Korean analysts believe he made a 'bucket list' of technologies he wanted. The relationship deepened when Kim invited Putin to Pyongyang last June. Soon after, North Korean troops reportedly began flowing into Russia. Testing troops in real battles Dmitri Kuznets, an analyst with Meduza, said North Korean troops helped retake two villages in the Kursk region. However, the exact scale of their involvement remains debated, according to him. Valery Shiryaev, a Russian military analyst, wrote on Telegram that real battlefield experience was important for Kim. 'All of them are getting an incredible experience now and will come back as real veterans,' he said. 'There are no such people in the South Korean Army, which undoubtedly fills Kim Jong-un with pride.' Analysts have observed aircraft and ships carrying military technology from Russia to North Korea. Kim has increased visits to weapons factories and overseen several weapons tests. In March, he watched the launch of an anti-aircraft missile system, suggesting Russian help in updating the North's air defences. He also viewed AI-powered attack drones. Experts say that just improving drone capabilities would help reduce the conventional weapons gap with South Korea. New naval power In April, Kim and his daughter Kim Ju-ae attended the launch of North Korea's first naval destroyer, the "Choe Hyon". He later observed its missile tests. One of the missiles resembled Russia's nuclear-capable 3M22 Zircon cruise missile. Kim also confirmed that a nuclear-powered submarine was being developed. In early May, Kim visited a tank factory and announced that outdated armoured vehicles were being replaced. He later praised a fourfold increase in artillery shell production — an important export to Russia. He also observed a MiG-29 fighter jet firing an air-to-air missile, a stark contrast from the days when the North could barely fly due to fuel and spare part shortages. According to Lee Sung-joon, a South Korean military spokesperson, many of North Korea's new weapons indicate direct Russian assistance. Evading sanctions through Russia The UN has banned arms trade with North Korea. However, cooperation with Russia has helped Pyongyang bypass sanctions and get the technology it needs, according to a report from the Institute for National Security Strategy. Nevertheless, there is doubt over how much sensitive technology Russia is willing to share. North Korea has repeatedly failed to launch military satellites. A nuclear-powered submarine would require a compact reactor — something Moscow may hesitate to provide. 'It's the most dangerous weapon North Korea has unveiled so far,' said Hong Min of the Korea Institute for National Unification. Even if Russia never gives that final piece of technology, the possibility alone gives Kim more leverage. North Korean state media has already shown part of what it claimed was a nuclear submarine under construction.
NBC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- NBC News
North Korea has deployed thousands of troops to help Russia 'terrorize Ukraine,' report finds
Russia has deployed thousands of North Korean soldiers and weaponry to 'terrorize' Ukraine, according to a new report by members of the United Nations which reveals a 'myriad of unlawful activities,' and exposes Moscow's reliance on the isolated regime. The Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT), comprising 11 U.N. member states including the U.S., the United Kingdom, and Japan, said that Kim Jong-un's regime supplied over 11,000 troops, at least 100 ballistic missiles, and "as many as 9 million rounds of mixed artillery and multiple rocket launcher ammunition' in 2024. This 'unlawful cooperation' contributed 'to Moscow's ability to increase its missile attacks against Ukrainian cities, including targeted strikes on critical civilian infrastructure,' the report, published Thursday, said. It also estimated that North Korea had deployed an additional 3,000 troops to Russia between January and March 2025. Moscow, the report said, is reciprocating by supporting Pyongyang's ballistic missile programs, leading to 'improvements in missile guidance performance.' Russia is believed to have supplied North Korea with 'air defense equipment, anti-aircraft missiles, as well as advanced electronic warfare equipment,' it added. The evidence shows that North Korea and Russia had engaged in numerous violations of United Nations Security Council Resolutions, including arms transfers, Russian training of North Korean forces, and supplying North Korea with refined petroleum beyond UNSC limits, the MSMT said. 'At least for the foreseeable future, North Korea and Russia intend to continue and further deepen their military cooperation in contravention of relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions,' it said. North Korea confirmed for the first time in April that its troops were fighting alongside Russian forces in the war against Ukraine, saying they had helped Moscow take back control of the Kursk region. Kim Jong-un ordered the troops' deployment under a mutual defense pact that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed in June 2024, North Korea's Central Military Commission said in a statement that was carried by state-run news agency KCNA. The treaty includes a pledge of mutual defense if either country is attacked. The statement said the operation to regain control of Kursk had been 'victoriously concluded' and that it was 'an honor to have an alliance with such a powerful state as the Russian Federation.' 'They who fought for justice are all heroes and representatives of the honor of the motherland,' Kim was quoted as saying. Putin said in April that North Korea had 'acted on a sense of solidarity, justice and genuine comradeship.' Both North Korea and Russia have denied any transfer of arms. The MSMT report arrives as Russian missile and drone strikes continue across Ukraine, amid uncertainty over whether Kyiv diplomats will participate in a new round of peace talks proposed by Moscow for early next week in Istanbul. Moscow says it is ready for peace talks while the fighting goes on, and wants to discuss what it calls the war's 'root causes,' including its demands Ukraine cede more territory, and be disarmed and barred from military alliances with the West. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers on both sides are believed to have been wounded or killed in Europe's deadliest war since World War II, although neither side publishes accurate casualty figures. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians have also died as Russian forces have besieged and bombarded Ukrainian cities. Russian attacks killed at least two people, including a 9-year-old girl, Ukrainian officials said Saturday. The country's air force reported that Russian forces launched around 109 drones and five missiles overnight and into Saturday. It came after Andrii Yermak, a senior adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, announced on Friday that Kyiv is prepared to resume direct peace negotiations with Russia in Istanbul on Monday, but said the Kremlin must first deliver a promised memorandum outlining its stance on ending the more than three-year conflict. Russia, which launched the war by invading its neighbor in 2022 and now occupies about a fifth of Ukraine, says it will not pause its assaults until conditions are met first. The Kremlin has demanded that Ukraine never join NATO, accept permanent 'neutrality' between Moscow and the West, and cede its demand for four territories in the east of the country that Russia illegally annexed months after the war began.
Sydney Morning Herald
3 days ago
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Failure to launch: Who's to blame for Kim Jong-un's dockside disaster?
North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, watched the country's newest 5000-tonne destroyer capsize during its launch last week in an embarrassing military failure. Experts say a technique used to manoeuvre the ship into the water sideways was part of the problem. It was the first time analysts had observed North Korea using the sideways launch for warships and pointed to a lack of experience, as well as political pressure from Kim for quick results, for the mishap. Three shipyard officials, including the chief shipyard engineer and a senior munitions official, have been arrested, the official Korean Central News Agency reported, after Kim called the capsizing a criminal act. Satellite imagery from three days before the accident showed the 143-metre-long vessel, the biggest class of warships North Korea has ever built, on top of a launch ramp. About 40 metres from the ship, a structure that appeared to be a viewing area and likely where Kim was stationed during the incident was under construction. The destroyer was assembled in Chongjin, a port city on North Korea's north-eastern coast, which is known for producing smaller vessels, such as cargo ships and fishing boats. In a report published by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a research institute in Washington, analysts said the shipyard 'undoubtedly' lacked expertise in manufacturing and launching large warships. The ill-fated warship was assessed by analysts to be the same size and configuration as the Choe Hyon guided missile destroyer, the North's first destroyer and the most powerful surface ship the country has ever built. That vessel is the pride of Kim's ambitious plan to modernise and expand his Soviet-era naval fleet, and was the centrepiece of a grand christening ceremony last month in Nampo, a west coast port near Pyongyang. State media footage showed an elaborate event with confetti and fireworks that was attended by Kim and his daughter, Kim Ju-ae. A large viewing platform was set up near the Choe Hyun, which was already afloat in the water. That launch went smoothly, according to state media. Engineers used a technique common for large and heavy vessels. They appear to have built the Choe Hyun inside a roofed construction hall in Nampo, brought it out on a floating dry dock and then set it afloat by letting water into the dry dock, said Choi Il, a retired South Korean navy captain. 'The ship looks a bit twisted after the accident. It doesn't appear to have been built with the structural strength required for a warship.' Yang Uk, Asian Institute for Policy Studies, Seoul But the shipyard in Chongjin didn't have a dry dock large enough to build a Choe Hyun-class destroyer, nor an incline to slide the ship stern first into the water. Engineers built the ship on the quay under a netting. When it was completed, they had to launch it sideways off the platform. When properly executed, the vessel glides down the slipway lengthwise and briefly plunges into the water. Often, a tugboat is stationed nearby to assist after the launch. But when engineers tried to push the North Korean destroyer into the water, it lost its balance, state media said. Satellite imagery taken two days after the accident showed the ship covered in blue tarpaulins and lying on its right side. The bow was stuck on the ramp as the stern jutted into the harbour. The viewing platform had been removed. Launching big ships sideways requires delicate balancing work, Choi said. The heavy weapons mounted on the destroyer could have made the task even more difficult, he added. A few days after the first Choe Hyun-class destroyer was launched last month, Kim proudly watched it test-fire various missiles. He has visited shipyards to exhort engineers to meet his timetable for naval expansion and appears to have planned to launch the second destroyer with similar fanfare and weapons tests. Engineers at Chongjin, who worked with less developed facilities than their peers in Nampo, must have felt enormous pressure after the successful launch in Nampo, South Korean analysts said. That might have led them to cut corners, they said. North Korea has said that it can restore the ship's balance by pumping out the seawater. In another 10 days or so, it could repair the ship's side damaged in the accident, according to state media. But the damage looked worse than the country claimed, said Yang Uk, an expert on the North Korean military at the Asian Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul, South Korea. The accident may be due not only to a defective sideways launching system but also to the ship's structural imbalance, he said. 'The ship looks a bit twisted after the accident,' he said. 'It doesn't appear to have been built with the structural strength required for a warship.'
