North Korea's Remaining Allies

[LazyLion]

North Korea has almost completely isolated itself as a result of its confrontational stance. Now even its last allies are increasingly distancing themselves. The following is a summary the communist outpost's remaining friends: - CHINA: The People's Republic is North Korea's most important trading partner by a long way. Not shown in the figures is substantial aid in the form of food and energy. Beijing has greater influence on Pyongyang than any other capital. Nevertheless China joined most other countries in condemning North Korea's third nuclear test explosion and backed the latest round of sanctions from the UN Security Council in clear evidence of its displeasure with the young ruler Kim Jong Un.

Beijing has played host to several rounds of the six-party talks drawing in North Korea, China, the United States, South Korea, Japan and Russia. Diplomatic concessions and economic assistance are on offer if the North ends its nuclear weapons programme. But Pyongyang allowed the talks to break down in 2009 and has since resorted to confrontation. - IRAN: North Korea has for years been a major arms supplier to Iran. According to UN figures, North Korea has also exported missiles capable of carrying a nuclear warhead to Iran. In 2012 the Islamist regime agreed on even closer cooperation with the communist dictatorship. To this end, representatives of the two countries signed several cooperation agreements in the area of technology. The agreements concerned energy, the environment, agriculture and food, closer cooperation on research and student exchange programmes. - RUSSIA: North Korea owes around 11 billion dollars in outstanding loans from Russia dating back to the Soviet era. The once close relationship has cooled markedly over recent years. In the summer of 2011 then president Dmitry Medvedev and Kim Jong Il, the strongman in Pyongyang at the time, who was already weakened by illness, attempted to breathe new life into the relationship. They announced a series of joint projects, but few went beyond declarations of intent. For example, a pipeline intended to pipe Russian natural gas to South Korea via North Korean territory has not been built. - CUBA: North Korea and Cuba cooperate in the fields of energy, agriculture and biotechnology among others. They have maintained diplomatic links since 1960. The Cuban government responded to the death of "Comrade" Kim Jong Il in December 2011 with three days of official mourning.


Source : Sapa-dpa /cj
Date : 05 Apr 2013 14:5

 

[satanboy]

so nobody then

 

[killadoob]

Gary you are absolutely spamming with north korea dude, honestly this is about the 4 or 5th thread you have made.

Calm down you can update the other 4 threads you made surely? i am going to put the new article in one of the other threads as this is becoming ridiculous boet.

 

[Celine]

ag seriously, NK won't attack anyone with their toy missiles. i'm sure they know what the consequences would be if they were to do such an idiotic thing. what would their purpose be attacking a country?

 

[Grant]

North Korea / Iran - student exchange ?

 

[Redeemed]

Mah eyes! Mah eyes!

 

[*TJR*]

This is truly an internationally important invent which if spiraled out of control, might pose risks to the world.

Thank you Garyvd for keeping us informed, irrespective how minute or repetitive your reporting may seem.

 

[Shake&Bake]

This is truly an internationally important invent which if spiraled out of control, might pose risks to the world.

Yes - great invention, whatever it is

Thank you Garyvd for keeping us informed, irrespective how minute or repetitive your reporting may seem.

Indeed - Google Reader - who cares now?

 

[Celine]

Embassies face decisions as tensions rise in North Korea

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/05/world/asia/koreas-tensions/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

(CNN) -- Foreign diplomatic missions in North Korea face an ominous decision after Pyongyang said Friday it could not guarantee the safety of embassies and international organizations in the event of armed conflict.

Tensions on the Korean peninsula remain in a heightened state amid new reports that North Korea has prepared missiles for launch, while South Korea has deployed naval destroyers to its coasts.

The British Foreign Office said North Korea told British officials that it would not be able to guarantee the safety of diplomats in the capital if fighting breaks out.

Several diplomatic missions said the North Koreans held a meeting Friday for ambassadors in which they asked whether anyone needed assistance in evacuating their personnel.

"We are consulting international partners about these developments," the British Foreign Office said in a written statement. "No decisions have been taken, and we have no immediate plans to withdraw our embassy."

A spokesman for Sweden's ministry of foreign affairs said the North Koreans "did not urge us or ask us to evacuate," but offered assistance for those who wanted to leave.

The Swedish Embassy in North Korea acts "as the United States' interim protecting power and provides basic consular services to U.S. citizens traveling in North Korea," according to the U.S. State Department.

The Swedish Embassy remains open and operational, the spokesman said.

Russian state media reported a more specific suggestion for its diplomats.

North Korea asked the Russian Embassy to consider a possible evacuation of its staff because of the tensions, Denis Samsonov, spokesman for the embassy, told Russian state media.

France's foreign ministry state it was taking the situation "seriously." It said it had no current plans for evacuations of personnel or French nationals in the country.

The developments come as two medium-range missiles have been loaded onto mobile launchers on the East coast of North Korea, a U.S. official told CNN on Friday. A second U.S. official said intelligence on that is not definitive.

The account followed a report by South Korea's semi-official Yonhap news agency, citing military sources in Seoul, that the two missiles were ready to be launched. Yonhap said the missiles have been hidden in an unidentified facility.

In response, South Korea has sent Aegis destroyers equipped with advanced radar systems to both of its coasts, Yonhap said, citing navy sources.

The United States would "not be surprised" if North Korea launched a missile, White House spokesman Jay Carney said Friday. "We have seen them launch missiles in the past and the United Nations Security Council has repeatedly condemned them as violations of the North's obligations under numerous Security Council resolutions."

New regional tensions were triggered by North Korean saber rattling, including threats to launch nuclear strikes, and the flexing of military prowess by the United States and South Korea in response.

These followed the imposition of stepped up U.N. sanctions against the North after its latest nuclear test in February.

North Korea has also said it planned to restart "without delay" a reactor at its main nuclear complex that it shut down five years ago as part of a deal with the United States, China and four other nations.

Most observers say the North is still years away from having the technology to deliver a nuclear warhead on a missile.

And many analysts say the increasingly belligerent talk is aimed at cementing the domestic authority of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

A U.S. State Department spokeswoman said Thursday the situation did "not need to get hotter," reflecting efforts by the Obama administration to ease its rhetoric and cool tensions.

But the latest developments by North Korea, which has accused the United States of pushing the region to the "brink of war," could signal a missile launch soon, officials have said.

The missile components, U.S. and South Korean officials have said, are consistent with those of a Musudan missile, which has a 2,500-mile range, meaning it could threaten South Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia.

U.S. reducing rhetoric that feeds North Korean rhetoric

It is believed a missile launch would be a "test" launch rather than a targeted strike.

That is because it appears the North Koreans have only moved the components so far. The United States is waiting to see whether North Korea issues a customary notice to its airmen and mariners to stay out of the region.

Communication intercepts in recent days also seem to show that Pyongyang might be planning to launch a mobile ballistic missile in the coming days or weeks, another U.S. official said.

Wednesday, the United States announced it was sending ballistic missile defenses to Guam, a Western Pacific territory that is home to U.S. naval and air bases. North Korea has cited those bases when listing possible targets for missile attacks.

North Korea: Our global fear and fascination

Pentagon officials, while decrying North Korean rhetoric, said recent announcements of U.S. military deployments in response to belligerent statements by Pyongyang may have contributed to the escalating tensions.

As the bombast reaches a fever pitch, the United States is refining its message. The Pentagon now says it is working to decrease the temperature as it maintains a frank and vigilant stance toward the threats.

Starting Wednesday, North Korea also barred South Korean workers and managers from entering the Kaesong industrial complex, an economic cooperation zone that sits on the North's side of the border but houses operations of scores of South Korean companies.

It also repeated a threat from the weekend to shut down the complex, where more than 50,000 North Koreans work.


i seriously did not think these people would be that stupid to even think of launching any kind of an attack. offering assistance for foreigners to leave the country, means they are planning something stupid.

 

[Haldex]

Does anyone else think this is just made up stories? NK just sitting twiddling their thumbs while the propaganda machines spew out pre war tension stories?
There's so much news about this and majority lambasting NK.

 

[killadoob]

Does anyone else think this is just made up stories? NK just sitting twiddling their thumbs while the propaganda machines spew out pre war tension stories?
There's so much news about this and majority lambasting NK.

Nope, have you missed what the North Koreans are saying. They said get out of the country by april 10th we cannot guarantee your safety. That is a direct quote from the North koreans. This isn't like iran where the media machine is making the rest of the world think iran want to nuke the planet.

This situation is very real; and chances are war seems much much higher than ever. Sure they have made bold statements in the past but there has never been anything said or done that is this bad. It isn't the media pushing for a regime change here, this war could go live at any moment.