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“Hack North Korea” focuses Silicon Valley on information flow
A hackathon that aimed to find new ways to get information in, out and around North Korea took place over the weekend in San Francisco. The event, called “Hack North Korea,” was organized by New York-based charity Human Rights Foundation and brought together programmers, human rights campaigners and defectors. Several teams spent the weekend working on ideas…
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Who’s using North Korean airspace?
Last week I wrote about the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s regulations on U.S. carriers or aircraft using North Korean airspace. They prohibit flight in most of the skies controlled by Pyongyang but allow it — with caution — in a portion east of 132 degrees East latitude. The ban is in place because of North…
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World risks becoming “numb” to North Korean missile tests, says US admiral
The top U.S. commander in the Pacific region says he’s worried that North Korea’s continued missile tests are helping establish them as something that’s normal. Speaking during a news conference at The Pentagon on Tuesday, Admiral Sam Locklear, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, said he was concerned that the international community was becoming “numb” to them.
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North Koreans learn about China’s Beidou satellite navigation system
Engineers from North Korea and seven other nations are being given training in technology related to China’s Beidou (Compass) satellite navigation system this week, according to Chinese media reports. The engineers are attending a course in Hubei province being put on by the National Remote Sensing Center. The organization is part of China’s Ministry of Science and…
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US missile shield to cost $5.8 billion over next five years
The planned expansion of the U.S. missile defense shield to guard against potential threats from North Korea and other nations will cost $5.8 billion over the coming years, according to an estimate released this week. The estimate was made by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) in response to a question from Jeff Sessions, a Republican senator for…
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What’s going on with North Korean airspace?
The shooting down of MH17 over Ukraine has raised awareness of a series of restrictions the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has placed on aircraft operating around the world, including over North Korea. North Korean airspace extends well beyond the land borders of the country to include a large portion of the Sea of Japan (East Sea) and,…
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South Korea’s new propaganda radio station faces static
South Korea’s latest attempt to sway the minds of the North Korean people looks like a dud before it’s even begun. This month, the South Korean military begins regular programming on a new shortwave radio station aimed at the DPRK, but the selection of frequency, low transmitter power and aggressive jamming means few if anyone in the…
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Pyongyang’s cooking website finally appears
A North Korean cooking website has appeared on the Internet more than two years after it was first reported to have launched. The website of the Korean Association of Cooks offers hundreds of recipes in addition to an introduction to restaurants in North Korea and details of the cooking association. State media first reported on its…
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Hackathon aims to harness Silicon Valley smarts on North Korea
A “hackathon” planned for August aims to harness the technical prowess of Silicon Valley in coming up with new ways to get information safely into North Korea. “Hack North Korea” will take place in San Francisco and has been organized by The Human Rights Foundation, a New York-based group that earlier this year helped sent USB thumb…
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US, others complain to ICAO over North Korean missile launches
The United States and several other nations have written to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) over North Korea’s failure to notify it of missile launches. Over the past couple of weeks, short and medium-range missile have been fired by North Korea into the sea to the east of the country on a handful of occasions. Each launch took place without a standard…
