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Father, son indicted on exports of banned machinery to DPRK
U.S. prosecutors have indicted a Taiwanese father and son on charges related to the supply of machinery to North Korea that could be used in the production of weapons of mass destruction. Hsien Tai “Alex” Tsai, 67, and his son, Yueh Hsun “Gary” Tsai, 36, were charged during a Monday afternoon hearing at federal court…
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Spring International Trade Fair set for next week
Pyongyang’s Spring International Trade Fair is due to open next week, the state-run Korea Central News Agency reported Monday. This year’s event will run from May 13 to 16 and will bring together companies from Germany, Malaysia, Mongolia, Switzerland, Singapore, Australia, Italy, Indonesia, China, Poland and Taiwan, KCNA said. Vendors will show machines, electric and electronic products,…
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DPRK inventors receive WIPO awards
Last week, the Korean Central News Agency reported that seven local inventors received awards from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The awards were handed out last Wednesday and were part of events to mark world intellectual property day on April 26. I was intrigued at how WIPO had found these inventors, so I contacted…
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The importance of data security
When South Korean workers began leaving the Kaesong Industrial Zone a couple of weeks ago, they returned across the border in cars and trucks laden with as much finished merchandise as possible. Plastic-wrapped packages and boxes didn’t just fill the interior of cars but were stacked high on the roof, sometimes even covering the car’s…
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Possible evidence of DPRK’s February nuclear test detected
A nuclear monitoring station in Japan has recorded what could be the first detection of radioactive noble gases from February’s nuclear test in the DPRK. The station is in Takasaki, about 100 kilometers northwest of Tokyo and about 1,000 kilometers from North Korea’s Punggye-ri nuclear test site, and is operated by the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban…
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Medicine database developed at Pyongyang Medical College Hospital
Pyongyang Medical College Hospital at Kim Il Sung University has developed a database of thousands of drugs, according to North Korean TV and radio reports. The “clinical medicine information service system” contains details on 12,000 pharmaceuticals and 154,000 kinds of medicines from more than 50 countries, according to a report carried by Voice of Korea.…
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Noul industrial computer touted
North Korea’s KCNA news agency carried some images on Thursday of what it claims is North Korea’s latest computer. The machine, called “Noul” (??), was developed by Noul Technology Joint Venture and it targeted at industrial applications, KCNA said. It’s available in two models: one with a 5.7-inch screen and one with a 10.4-inch screen. The…
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Phoenix regains Sinji brand name
Phoenix Commercial Ventures, one of North Korea’s few domestic/foreign IT joint ventures, has reacquired rights to the Sinji brand, trademark and associated intellectual property rights, it said Monday. Sinji was launched in 2005 as a software development company as a 50/50 joint venture with the Korea Committee for the Promotion of External Economic Cooperation (CPEEC), which reports to directly…
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North Korea conducts nuclear test
North Korea conducted an underground nuclear test on Tuesday, according to state media. The test involved a “lighter, miniaturized atomic bomb,” reported the Korea Central News Agency. “The test was conducted in a safe and perfect way on a high level with the use of a smaller and light A-bomb unlike the previous ones, yet…
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Pyongyang’s solar street lamps
New solar-powered street lamps were featured on the main 8pm evening news on North Korean state TV this week. The solar panel and battery combo that powers the lamps was developed by Kim Chaek University of Technology and was introduced by an associate professor at the university named Cho Hyon Ho. From the images, it’s possible…
