U.S. leaves out N. Korea from terrorism sponsors list

[Disir]

WASHINGTON, June 19 (Yonhap) -- The United States left out North Korea from its list of states sponsoring terrorism despite calls for adding Pyongyang to the list in the wake of a massive hacking attack on Sony Pictures late last year.

"The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is not known to have sponsored any terrorist acts since the bombing of a Korean Airlines flight in 1987," the State Department said in Country Reports on Terrorism 2014, referring to the North's official name.

North Korea was put on the U.S. terrorism sponsor list for the 1987 midair bombing of a Korean Air flight that killed all 115 people aboard. But the U.S. administration of former President George W. Bush removed Pyongyang from the list in 2008 in exchange for progress in denuclearization talks.

Calls grew for redesignating Pyongyang as a state terrorism sponsor after the FBI determined the North was responsible for the cyber-attack on Sony Pictures last November, but the State Department was negative about its effectiveness.

The latest report said that the North was removed from the list "in accordance with criteria set forth in U.S. law, including a certification that the DPRK had not provided any support for international terrorism during the preceding six-month period and the provision by the DPRK of assurances that it would not support acts of international terrorism in the future."

....The report also said that the U.S. recertified North Korea in May as a country "not cooperating fully" with U.S. counterterrorism efforts. It also said the North is not a member of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on money laundering.

"In July 2014, it was admitted as an observer, but not a full member," it said. "Nevertheless, the DPRK failed to demonstrate meaningful progress in strengthening its anti-money laundering/countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) infrastructure."
U.S. leaves out N. Korea from terrorism sponsors list

Oh, I'm sure they are relieved.

 

[waltky]

So much for extending an olive branch...

North Korea Warns it Has Restarted All Nuclear Bomb Fuel Plants
Sep 15, 2015 — A day after threatening long-range rocket launches, North Korea declared Tuesday that it has upgraded and restarted all of its atomic fuel plants so it can produce more — and more sophisticated — nuclear weapons.

Neither announcement was entirely unexpected, and outside analysts see the back-to-back warnings as part of a general North Korean playbook of using claimed improvements in its nuclear and missile programs to push for talks with the United States that could eventually provide the impoverished country with concessions and eased sanctions. But the threats could deepen a standoff between North Korea and the U.S. and its allies because they strike at Washington's fear that each North Korean rocket and nuclear test puts it another big step closer to its stated goal of an arsenal of nuclear-tipped long-range missiles that can hit the U.S. mainland.

North Korea has spent decades trying to develop just such a weapon, and while it is thought to have a small arsenal of atomic bombs and an impressive array of short- and medium-range missiles, it has yet to demonstrate that it can produce nuclear bombs small enough to place on a missile or can make reliable long-range missiles. Still, it has conducted three past nuclear tests and a series of steadily improving long-range rocket launches, and some analysts see Tuesday's announcement as foreshadowing an upcoming fourth nuclear test, which would push North Korea further along in its nuclear aims.

A screen at the General Satellite Control and Command Center shows the moment North Korea's Unha-3 rocket is launched in Pyongyang, North Korea.

North Korea said Tuesday in its state media that, as it pledged to do in 2013, the plutonium and highly enriched uranium facilities at its main Nyongbyon nuclear complex have finally been "rearranged, changed or readjusted and they started normal operation." It said its scientists had improved "the levels of nuclear weapons with various missions in quality and quantity." North Korea, an autocracy run by the same family since 1948, closely controls information about its nuclear program, which it describes as a sovereign right meant to combat U.S. military hostility. As a result, just what is happening at Nyongbyon is unclear. North Korea booted out international inspectors in 2009, and independent assessments by outside experts since then have been spotty.

At various points in the decades-long standoff over its nuclear ambitions, North Korea has said it has shut down or restarted its atomic fuel production. In 2013, it restarted a plutonium reactor that had been shuttered under a 2007 disarmament agreement. Satellite imagery earlier this year showed signs it still wasn't operating fully. A uranium enrichment facility unveiled to a visiting American scientist in 2010 presumably gives North Korea a second way to make fissile material for bombs. On Monday, the North's aerospace agency said it is ready to launch new satellites aboard long-range rockets as part of celebrations of next month's ruling communist party anniversary.

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[waltky]

No such thing as a 'peaceful' nuclear bomb...

North Korea's nuclear bombs more 'powerful than Hiroshima,' envoy says
Oct. 1, 2015 - Ambassador Hyon Hak Bong said the threat of sanctions would not prevent North Korea from launching rockets for what Pyongyang has called "peaceful purposes."

North Korea's ambassador to Britain said Pyongyang could launch rockets "at any time," and that North Korea could send nuclear warheads 10 times more powerful than the Hiroshima atomic bomb across the Pacific. In an unusual public appearance on Wednesday, Ambassador Hyon Hak Bong said the threat of sanctions would not prevent North Korea from launching rockets for what Pyongyang has called "peaceful purposes," The Guardian reported. "Launching satellites is the work performed by every country. It is the legitimate right of a sovereign state to develop a space program," Hyon told an audience at London's Chatham House. "They wouldn't use any such kind of sanctions against other countries."

North Korea preparing to launch the Unha-3 in 2012. The United States and South Korea have opposed any plans for such launches because officials believe the program is a cover for missile tests.

The United States and South Korea have opposed the launches because officials believe the program is a cover for missile tests. Any rocket launch would be a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, and the international community has warned Pyongyang against acts of provocation. South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se recently warned more sanctions could follow in the wake of a North Korea launch, but on Wednesday Hyon said if the United States increases sanctions, Pyongyang would fight back, South Korean outlet Oh My News reported.

The United States recently imposed new sanctions against two North Korean firms, Korea Mining and Development and Hesong Trading Corp. According to the U.S. State Department, on Sept. 24, the companies were found to have engaged in missile technology proliferation activities that require additional sanctions under Executive Orders 12398 and 13222. North Korea sanctions also were recently implemented in Britain.

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North Korea freight train en route to launch pad, report says
Oct. 1, 2015 - The United States, South Korea and Japan have all confirmed the train is headed for the launch pad.

A freight train has begun moving in the direction of North Korea's Sohae Satellite Launching Station in Tongchang-ri, North Pyongan province. The train headed for North Korea's rocket launch pad was first spotted on Thursday, an unidentified source told Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun. Yonhap reported the contents of the freight train were unknown, but it was unlikely given the timing of transportation and the assembly required, a missile launch could take place prior to Oct. 10, the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party.

The 'Unha-3' lifts off on Dec. 12, 2012 from North Korea's Sohae Satellite Launching Station in Tongchang-ri, North Pyongan province. A freight train has begun moving in the direction of the launch pad, according to Japan press.

The United States, South Korea and Japan have all confirmed the train is headed for the launch pad, South Korean outlet News 1 reported, and was likely to have departed from a special weapons facility in Sanum-dong, a district in Pyongyang. The confirmed train movement is the latest sign of activity since early September, when North Korea said that it plans to launch satellites. Since the announcement, the station where the rocket would be placed has shown little to no sign of activity.

Given the low levels of movement, Pyongyang does not have time to prepare a launch by mid-October, according to analysts Jack Liu and Joseph S. Bermudez on Sept. 15. The Asahi reported that while freight train movement was confirmed, the activity could be a decoy to mislead the United States, South Korea and Japan.

North Korea freight train traveling to launch pad - UPI.com

Related:

The United States imposed new sanctions against two North Korean firms, citing proliferation activities.
Oct. 1, 2015 - The U.S. sanctions against two North Korean organizations also apply to any of its subunits and successors, and are to be imposed for two years.

Pyongyang's Korea Mining and Development Corporation and Hesong Trading Corporation were found to have engaged in missile technology proliferation activities that require additional sanctions, according to a statement from the State Department issued Thursday. The sanctions, effective Sept. 24, place restrictions on U.S. arms traders and manufacturers, banning them from selling technology to the firms listed. The companies were found to be in violation of Executive Orders 12398 and 13222.

The U.S. sanctions against KOMID and Hesong also apply to any of its subunits and successors, and are to be imposed for two years. During that time, any items on the U.S. Munitions List are banned from transfer to the firms, and no U.S. government contracts can be forged with the organizations listed. South Korean news agency Yonhap reported Korea Mining and Development Corporation is already subject to U.S. sanctions under the Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Act, and that Hesong Trading Corporation is on a list of firms under U.N. sanctions. The recent measures follow a Sept. 2 State Department decision to impose sanctions against RyonHap-2, a North Korean military weapons development firm.

North Korea's failure to comply with demands to denuclearize has led to sanctions against the country, and against its foreign partners. In July the Treasury Department blacklisted Singapore shipping firm Senat Shipping for purchasing weapons on behalf of Pyongyang and providing extensive support. The Treasury froze all the firm's assets in the United States and banned U.S. citizens from business dealings with Senat. North Korea sanctions also were recently implemented in Britain. Voice of America reported the British Foreign Office announced new sanctions on Wednesday, against 33 North Korean individuals and 36 entities representing Pyongyang, including KOMID and Room 39, a clandestine organization that oversees Pyongyang's foreign currency slush fund.

U.S. imposes new sanctions against North Korea entities

 

[waltky]

NKorea Willing To Sign Peace Treaty With US...
:thumbsup:
North Korea reportedly willing to sign peace treaty with US to end conflict
October 18, 2015 - North Korea reportedly rejected the idea of resuming talks to abandon its nuclear program on Saturday, but said it would welcome negotiations for a peace treaty with Washington.

North Korea’s foreign ministry made the statement one day after President Obama and South Korean President Park Geun-hye said they were ready to open talks with Pyongyang on sanctions if they were serious about dissolving its nuclear program, according to Reuters. “If the United States insists on taking a different path, the Korean peninsula will only see our unlimited nuclear deterrent being strengthened further,” the North said in a statement. North and South Korea are still technically at war after signing a truce in 1953 to temporarily end their conflict. The U.S. also signed the deal after backing the South.

Obama, while meeting with Park on Friday, said Iran had been prepared to have a “serious conversation” about the possibility of giving up the pursuit of nuclear weapons. He said there’s no indication of that in North Korea’s case. "At the point where Pyongyang says, `We're interested in seeing relief from sanctions and improved relations, and we are prepared to have a serious conversation about denuclearization,' it's fair to say we'll be right there at the table," Obama told a joint news conference. In a joint statement after Friday’s meeting, the U.S. and South Korea said that if North Korea decides to launch another rocket into space or test a nuclear explosion, “it will face consequences, including seeking further significant measures by the U.N. Security Council.” The statement also said they would never accept North Korea as a nuclear weapons state.

North Korea had walked away from talks involving the U.S. and four other countries in 2008 and continued to conduct nuclear tests. It claims the only way to end conflict with Washington is to sign a peace treaty. Park’s visit Friday further strengthened South Korea’s ties with the U.S. U.S. retains 28,500 troops in South Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War, and nearly 50,000 troops in Japan. Obama called the U.S.-South Korean alliance "unbreakable." Park called it a "lynchpin" of regional security.In August, the two Koreas threatened each other with war after two South Korean soldiers were wounded by land mines Seoul says were planted by the North. The tensions have since eased, and the two sides have agreed to resume next week reunions of Korean families divided by the Korean War. The Obama administration has faced criticism from hawks and doves alike for a lack of high-level attention on North Korea, which estimated to have enough fissile material for between 10 and 16 nuclear weapons.

North Korea reportedly willing to sign peace treaty with US to end conflict

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Families gather for rare North, South Korea reunion
Oct 19, 2015: Close to 400 South Koreans, many of them elderly and nearly all in a state of fevered anticipation, gathered Monday before crossing into North Korea for a rare reunion with separated family members.

Beginning Tuesday in the North Korean resort of Mount Kumgang, it will be only the second such reunion in the past five years; the result of an agreement the two Koreas reached in August to de-escalate tensions that had pushed them to the brink of armed conflict. Tens of millions of people were displaced by the sweep of the 1950-53 Korean War, which saw the frontline yo-yo from the south of the Korean peninsula to the northern border with China and back again. The chaos and devastation separated brothers and sisters, parents and children, husbands and wives. Because the conflict concluded with an armistice rather than a peace treaty, the two Koreas technically remain at war and direct exchanges of letters or telephone calls are prohibited.

The reunion programme began in earnest after a historic North-South summit in 2000, but the numbers clamouring for a chance to participate have always far outstripped those actually selected. The 394 people gathered in Sokcho city on South Korea's northeast coast were called to the reunion by 100 North Koreans chosen to take part in the event. All were to spend the night in the Hanwha resort in Sokcho before an early start to the heavily-fortified border nearby and then on to Mount Kumgang. Over the next three days, they will sit down with their North Korean relatives six times -- both in private and in public meetings.

With more than 65,000 South Koreans currently on the waiting list for a reunion spot, they represent the lucky few, although the event itself is very bittersweet. Each interaction only lasts two hours, meaning the family members have a total of just 12 hours to mitigate the trauma of more than six decades of separation. And for those in their 80 and 90s, the final farewell on Thursday after three days is tainted by the near certainty that there will never be another meeting. On Friday, 100 selected South Koreans will gather in Sokcho for the second stage of the reunion, when they will get to see the North Korean relatives they requested.

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[Unkotare]

No treaty with that fucking Orwellian nightmare state would be worth the paper it might be printed on.

 

[waltky]

Enough plutonium for 6 nuclear bombs with KN-08 missile range to hit California...

North Korea has secured 88 pounds of plutonium, Seoul official says
Dec. 25, 2015 - A minimum of 13 pounds of plutonium is required to manufacture a nuclear weapon.

South Korea's Defense Ministry said North Korea is capable of producing a nuclear weapon, using less than 13 pounds of plutonium. A government official in Seoul who spoke to South Korea press on the condition of anonymity said North Korea has secured 88 pounds of plutonium, and capable of producing one weapon of mass destruction, South Korean outlet Newsis reported Friday, local time. Yonhap reported a minimum of 13 pounds of plutonium is required to manufacture a nuclear weapon, and North Korea can manufacture 6-7 weapons.

North Korea has secured 88 pounds of plutonium, and capable of producing one weapon of mass destruction​

In August, North Korea reportedly restarted its Yongbyon Reactor 2 to resume plutonium production, South Korea press reported. In early 2013, Pyongyang had already begun building light water reactors at Yongbyon. North Korea's nuclear arsenal continues to grow, even as the country has come under attack from the international community for its weapons program. The Institute for Science and International Security issued a report in October stating Pyongyang has enough nuclear material to build 22 nuclear weapons, and more specifically, between 66 and 88 pounds of separated plutonium in late 2014.

The report had stated activities captured in commercial satellite imagery at the Yongbyon nuclear site indicated spent fuel has been removed for chemical processing, and the fuel could have been used for nuclear tests. North Korea could produce weapons from plutonium or weapons-grade uranium, the report said, and could make a median of 22 nuclear weapons, but more information is needed on the size of North Korea's centrifuge program.

North Korea has secured 88 pounds of plutonium, Seoul official says

See also:

Analysts: North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile simplified
Dec. 23, 2015 - The changes have significantly improved the potential reliability of the ICBM.

North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile, displayed during its October military parade, has been simplified and its deployment could be postponed to 2020. John Schilling and other analysts wrote on 38 North, a Johns Hopkins University website dedicated to North Korean issues, the KN-08 ICBM that North Korea put on show has been shortened and simplified, with two rather than three stages.

A blunt warhead or reentry vehicle also has replaced the narrow triconic design capable of reducing concentrated heat loads, the analysts stated. The changes have significantly improved the potential reliability of the ICBM, but according to Schilling, Jeffrey Lewis and David Schmerler, the missile's performance has not changed and "remains quite marginal for an ICBM."

A Chinese state newspaper featuring a front-page story on North Korea's military parade. North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile displayed during its October military parade has been simplified​

The analysts added that while the previous model had a launch success rate of 30-40 percent, the new model's rates are higher and range between 50-60 percent. "But it also means the missile will be much less accurate, and much slower at the end of its flight," the analysts wrote.

Another unidentified military expert has said the low success rate of North Korea's ICBM posed problems for Pyongyang, but the new design of the reentry vehicle shows that the technology has made progress, Yonhap reported. Schilling and the other analysts wrote North Korea could have obtained the new structural technology from Ukrainian sources, and that with a lighter warhead, the new KN-08 would have a range of about 5,592 miles.

Analysts: North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile simplified