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IBM, HP find North Korean gold in their supply chains
Almost 70 companies publicly traded on U.S. stock markets have found North Korean gold in their manufacturing supply chains. Among the more prominent names are electronics companies IBM, HP, Garmin, Philips and Seagate, U.S. kitchenware retailer Willams Sonoma. The discoveries were disclosed in reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that are the result of a new…
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North Korea driving instructions come to Google Maps
North Korea has strict controls on internal movement, a scarcity of private car ownership and almost no Internet users. And now it’s also got satellite navigation through Google Maps. The service is available through the web and mobile apps and allows users to calculate travel time by car or foot between points of interest in the…
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Red Army Faction satellite dishes are new addition
Four remaining members of the Japanese Red Army Faction terrorist group living on the outskirts of Pyongyang might not be enjoying as free a lifestyle as recently portrayed. The four are the last members of a group of nine who hijacked JAL351, a Boeing 727, on March 31, 1970, and eventually took the aircraft to Pyongyang. They have been…
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North Korea attacks US funding of anti-censorship projects
North Korea’s state-run news agency issued a sharp criticism over the weekend of U.S. funding of technology projects that attack censorship. The commentary, published on Saturday, points to dissatisfaction among the North Korean elite with U.S. funding of projects that enable the free flow of information and bypass Internet censorship. It comes as U.S. State Dept.’s Bureau of Democracy,…
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US brings Global Hawk drone to Japan
The U.S. Air Force’s Global Hawk drone landed in Japan for the first time on Saturday. The aircraft is one of the most advanced unmanned craft in the world and is typically used for surveillance and eavesdropping missions from its perch at around 60,000 feet — well above the level of commercial aircraft but lower than the…
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North Korea digital TV imports see big jump
Imports of digital TV sets to North Korea are sharply higher in the first few months of this year compared to last year, according to Yonhap News. Citing data from the Korea International Trade Association, Yonhap said China shipped just under $18 million worth of digital TVs to North Korea in the first four months of…
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Latest UN images shows life in North Korean nursery, hospital
A visit to North Korea by the executive director of the UN World Food Programme this week has provided a glimpse inside a handful of state-run establishments that care for babies and new mothers. The pictures, shot by the WFP on May 20, showed several stops on the visit by Ertharin Cousin, which lasted from May…
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Revealing Pyongyang through a new lens
Singapore-based photographer Aram Pan is providing a new way to look at Pyongyang through some spectacular panoramic images and GoPro videos. Pan has just arrived back from his latest trip to the country and has already posted a nighttime image of Kim Il Sung Square and a daytime image from Mansudae Hill. I brought along…
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Pyongyang building collapse underlines North Korea’s news blockade
The revelation by North Korean state media on Sunday that Pyongyang suffered a major construction accident underlines how strong the regime’s grip on information flow remains, despite cracks appearing in recent years. The accident occurred on Tuesday, according to the domestic media reports, but the world didn’t hear anything about the incident until those first…
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Spring International Trade Fair doubles in size
The 17th annual Pyongyang’s Spring International Trade Fair was held last week and attracted around 300 companies, according to domestic media reports. The 2014 fair appears to have significantly grown in size from 140 companies in 2013 and for the first time occupied two halls at the Three-Revolution Exhibition House: the New Technology Innovation Hall…
