This year’s listing appears to be based primarily on past events: Although North Korea, formally known as 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, it did in 2002 admit to kidnapping Japanese citizens. And, even though the DPRK is a party to six international conventions and protocols relating to terrorism, “Pyongyang has not taken substantial steps to cooperate in efforts to...

Maurice Strong Update: Kofi Annan’s resigned-and-disgraced Special Envoy for North Korea hired his own stepdaughter, in violation of U.N. rules.

Coincidence? Having remained fairly silent on the North Korea Human Rights issue, President Bush had some direct words for the North, on this of all weeks: U.S. President George W. Bush on Thursday poured oil on the flames by again calling North Korean leader Kim Jong-il a “tyrant”. He also said Kim was a “dangerous person” with “huge concentration camps” who “starves his people” and “threatens and brags.” Saying that George W. Bush “poured oil on the flames” is a...

Soccer Riot Update: To no one’s astonishment, the North Korea-Japan game won’t take place in Pyongyang after all. It will be held in a third country with no fans present. The North Koreans were fined 20,000 Swiss francs, which is probably enough to buy you nice, hot cup of cocoa or a shiny new cowbell. Here’s a first-hand report. The Iranians got written up, too: FIFA also fined the Iranian football federation 30,000 francs ($31,665 Cdn) for crowd disturbances after...

From the Yomiuri Shimbun: The Japanese government will demand that the issue of North Korea’s nuclear arms development be addressed at the U.N. Security Council if Pyongyang continues to refuse to participate in six-way talks on the topic, The Yomiuri Shimbun learned Thursday. It also was learned that Japan, the United States and South Korea will hold a meeting of high-level officials in May over the process to bring the case to the United Nations. In a meeting Wednesday night...

The trade pressure on China appears to be building.

This year’s listing appears to be based primarily on past events: Although North Korea, formally known as 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, it did in 2002 admit to kidnapping Japanese citizens. And, even though the DPRK is a party to six international conventions and protocols relating to terrorism, “Pyongyang has not taken substantial steps to cooperate in efforts to...

Maurice Strong Update: Kofi Annan’s resigned-and-disgraced Special Envoy for North Korea hired his own stepdaughter, in violation of U.N. rules.

Coincidence? Having remained fairly silent on the North Korea Human Rights issue, President Bush had some direct words for the North, on this of all weeks: U.S. President George W. Bush on Thursday poured oil on the flames by again calling North Korean leader Kim Jong-il a “tyrant”. He also said Kim was a “dangerous person” with “huge concentration camps” who “starves his people” and “threatens and brags.” Saying that George W. Bush “poured oil on the flames” is a...

Coincidence? Having remained fairly silent on the North Korea Human Rights issue, President Bush had some direct words for the North, on this of all weeks: U.S. President George W. Bush on Thursday poured oil on the flames by again calling North Korean leader Kim Jong-il a “tyrant”. He also said Kim was a “dangerous person” with “huge concentration camps” who “starves his people” and “threatens and brags.” Saying that George W. Bush “poured oil on the flames” is a...

Soccer Riot Update: To no one’s astonishment, the North Korea-Japan game won’t take place in Pyongyang after all. It will be held in a third country with no fans present. The North Koreans were fined 20,000 Swiss francs, which is probably enough to buy you nice, hot cup of cocoa or a shiny new cowbell. Here’s a first-hand report. The Iranians got written up, too: FIFA also fined the Iranian football federation 30,000 francs ($31,665 Cdn) for crowd disturbances after...

Kristof: You’re e-mailing me and wondering where the fisking is. The answer is, “it’s on the way.” I’m fighting above my weight, and the man reads and links NKZone (and I can thank him for that without agreeing with a thing he says). Thanks for the comments, and please keep them coming. I will make use of them and give due credit. There’s very little time this week. Update: I’m not sure how much work I need to do now...

Kristof: You’re e-mailing me and wondering where the fisking is. The answer is, “it’s on the way.” I’m fighting above my weight, and the man reads and links NKZone (and I can thank him for that without agreeing with a thing he says). Thanks for the comments, and please keep them coming. I will make use of them and give due credit. There’s very little time this week. Update: I’m not sure how much work I need to do now...

“Washington needs to forget its obsession that South Korea has to take sides if the U.S and China are involved in a conflict.” —South Korean National Security Council Spokesman I’ll just let you digest that one. Now, Korea may well reasonably draw that conclusion and make it known to Washington through diplomatic channels that that “Mutual Defense Pact” stuff shouldn’t be taken at face value. In fact, I’ve advocated us informing the South Koreans of the same thing and drastically...

Predictably, China is pouring cold water on a leaked U.S. strategy to bring North Korea before the U.N. Wang Guangya told reporters a U.S. attempt at a Security Council resolution “would destroy the whole process” to resolve the North Korean nuclear dispute and “push a solution to this issue even farther away.” China is working with the other parties to get the talks back on track as soon as possible, he said. Of course it is. What China really wants...

“Washington needs to forget its obsession that South Korea has to take sides if the U.S and China are involved in a conflict.” —South Korean National Security Council Spokesman I’ll just let you digest that one. Now, Korea may well reasonably draw that conclusion and make it known to Washington through diplomatic channels that that “Mutual Defense Pact” stuff shouldn’t be taken at face value. In fact, I’ve advocated us informing the South Koreans of the same thing and drastically...

Predictably, China is pouring cold water on a leaked U.S. strategy to bring North Korea before the U.N. Wang Guangya told reporters a U.S. attempt at a Security Council resolution “would destroy the whole process” to resolve the North Korean nuclear dispute and “push a solution to this issue even farther away.” China is working with the other parties to get the talks back on track as soon as possible, he said. Of course it is. What China really wants...

Predictably, China is pouring cold water on a leaked U.S. strategy to bring North Korea before the U.N. Wang Guangya told reporters a U.S. attempt at a Security Council resolution “would destroy the whole process” to resolve the North Korean nuclear dispute and “push a solution to this issue even farther away.” China is working with the other parties to get the talks back on track as soon as possible, he said. Of course it is. What China really wants...