NK REPORT

Only at MHI-NK News: Construction ongoing near Ryomyong Street, images show, By Hamish Macdonald  Despite much-lauded completion of the project, building activity near Kim Il Sung University continues Large-scale construction activities continue behind one of North Korea’s marquee building projects – Ryomyong Street – exclusive MHI-NK Pro images of Pyongyang in September reveal. The construction activity is located on the western end of the street, adjacent to Kim Il Sung University Building 3, which was also a major part of the completed project.Ryomyong Street was a high priority for North Korea’s leadership, and it featured heavily in state media in the run-up to its public unveiling in April.The street, which features over 50 new buildings, was completed in just over a year. New anti-U.S., pro-North Korean leaflets appear in central Seoul, By Dagyum Ji Propaganda condemns Donald Trump, “decapitation strike” plans Propaganda leaflets potentially sent by balloon from North Korea have been found in South Korea’s capital, photos provided to NK News this week showed. The pro-North leaflets, which attack the Trump administration and current U.S. policy towards the DPRK, were spotted on Mount Bukhan in northern Seoul between Tuesday and Thursday. Kaesong complex to be “more vigorously operated”: North Korean state media, By Dagyum Ji Report released to refute claims of secret garment factories operating at KIC North Korean state-run outlets Uriminzokkiri and Arirang-Meari claimed on Friday that the factories in the Kaesong Industrial Complex (KIC) will be “more vigorously operated” in the future. The editorials come in response to a Radio Free Asia (RFA) report on Monday claiming that Pyongyang has been running secret garment factories at the formerly inter-Korean industrial zone. North Korean textile exports continue to rise ahead of embargo, By Leo Byrne 90-day grace period could allow the trade to continue for now North Korean exports of textile products continue to rise in August, hitting yearly highs ahead of a UN embargo which came into force on September 11. Recently released trade figures from Beijing’s General Customs Administration collated by the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) show the DPRK’s textile exports to China rose by nearly USD$62 million Russia’s “ambassador-at-large” and Moscow’s North Korea multilateralism, By Anthony V. Rinna Why did Oleg Burmistrov meet with Choe Son Hui last week? On September 29, Choe Son Hui, the North Korean foreign ministry’s senior official for North American affairs, met with senior Russian foreign affairs official Oleg Burmistrov in Moscow. The meeting came at a time of high tensions between the U.S. and North Korea. Why South Koreans would stand up to the North, By Peter Ward The Republic of Korea would not simply roll over in the event of a U.S. withdrawal North Korea is rapidly developing intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) that will, one day soon, be capable of hitting the continental United States.  There is talk in certain quarters that the North may use this potential to force the U.S. to choose between Seoul and San Francisco, and if pressed, the Trump administration, or the one them.

Top MHI-NK Stories from around the web: Germany is struggling to shut down a hostel funding North Korea. The hostel is fighting back. (Washington Post) After successive rounds of U.N. sanctions cut off much of North Korea’s business dealings, some of the most public resistance has come from a rather surprising entity: a low-budget youth hostel in Berlin… China Orders North Korean Businesses to Close (Voice of America) China has ordered all North Korean-owned businesses in the country to close by early January. The decision supports sanctions placed by the United Nations on North Korea for its continued development of nuclear weapons and missiles.The move was announced in late September. It is expected to sharply limit the flow of money to North Korea. China’s commerce ministry said that North Korean companies — including joint operations with Chinese companies –must close within 120 days of September 11. That is the date the U.N. resolution was approved. The decision is expected to affect about 100 restaurants operated by North Koreans. About one fourth of them are in Beijing. U.S. President Donald Trump will travel to Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam, and the Philippines from November 3 to November 14. Last week, the Trump administration released a statement on the trip. It said, “The president’s engagements will strengthen the international resolve to confront the North Korean threat and ensure the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” Trump will take part in meetings with leaders in the area. He is expected to talk about trade and the North Korean nuclear threat. The Japan-US relationship: How strong is the glue? (Asia Times) In Japan questions are being asked about possible ‘de-coupling’ of the Japan-US defense relationship if Tokyo seeks an independent nuclear capability. “The US government needs to clearly recognize Japanese expectations. A North Korean missile striking Tokyo will certainly get a violent US response…” The case for brinksmanship with North Korea (Washington Post) Trump’s threats against Pyongyang may actually work. “There may be a method to the apparent madness in Trump’s approach, even if he has not done a coherent job of explaining it. Nuclear experts agree that North Korea’s weapons program, and its threat to U.S. soil, is advancing every day… China and Russia’s Dangerous Entente (Wall Street Journal)Beijing and Moscow have developed a good-cop/bad-cop routine that will frustrate efforts against North Korea. “The budding partnership between these two great powers—who were riven for decades by high levels of mistrust—is a natural response to the adversity and confrontation in the U.S.-Russian relationship…