Special to WorldTribune.com By Lee Jong-Heon, East-Asia-Intel.com SEOUL — Ri Yong-Ho, the most ardent supporter of late North Korean ruler Kim Jong-Il’s “military-first” policy, was purged because he had complained about youthful new ruler Kim Jong-Un’s push for policy changes, sources and officials in Seoul say. But Ri’s dismissal could encourage his supporters and hardline […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Lee Jong-Heon, East-Asia-Intel.com China is building a massive highway and rail network along the border with North Korea in an apparent bid to tap into its neighbor’s natural resources and to secure easy access for troops in case of an emergency in the destitute nation. China will spend more than $10 […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Lee Jong-Heon, East-Asia-Intel.com A growing number of North Koreans are starving to death, even in the country’s grain belt on the southwest coast, despite increased crop yields because soldiers and state officials are extorting the grain. A defector who fled the North last summer said members of the ruling class would […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Lee Jong-Heon, East-Asia-Intel.com North Korean troops deployed in a remote area hijacked Chinese fishing boats for ransom earlier this month, government officials and analysts in Seoul said. A North Korean gunboat seized four Chinese boats with more than 30 Chinese fishermen on May 8 and demanded cash for their return. The […]
