NK REPORT

Only at MHI-NK News: UN Under Secretary General for Political Affairs to visit North Korea, By Hamish Macdonald Delegation will mark the first official visit to the DPRK by a UN political chief since 2010 —————————————————– North Korean iron, coal exports at zero in October: Beijing, By Leo Byrne Imports of other types of iron continued, however, despite PoE recommendations Chinese trade figures show North Korean exports of coal and iron ores dropped to zero in October, in line with UN measures prohibiting the trade passed earlier in the year. While China continued to buy DPRK coal and iron in August and September, stretching the wording of UN resolutions, the most recent trade figures indicate                              ——————————————————- What rumors of Tillerson’s ouster could mean for North Korea, By Jonathan R. Corrado At a critical time, the President’s relationship with the Secretary of State is troubled Rumors are swirling in DC that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson could soon be fired and replaced with current CIA Director Mike Pompeo. This possibility highlights divergences within the administration over, among other things, the U.S.’s top foreign policy priority: North Korea. Given the urgency of the situation and the focus it has received in time. ——————————————————– Kim Jong Un’s November: Got the guns, now for the butter, By Tristan Webb The return of Byungjin, and the continued role of Jo Yong Won, “Kim Jong Un’s shadow” November was full of interesting developments for those interested in the North Korean leadership and the ruling party’s narratives. This article reviews: the major (and almost certainly enduring) political significance of the Hwasong-15 launch; further signs, detected in this column since August, that there may be concern within the leadership about too much focus on The return of Byungjin, and the continued role of Jo Yong Won.                                 —————————————————– Number of malaria cases in N. Korea down for fourth consecutive year: WHO, By Dagyum Ji UN body says 5.6 million remain at risk, however Malaria cases in North Korea dropped for four consecutive years Malaria cases in North Korea have declined for four straight years, according to a new World Health Organization report.

Top MHI-NK Stories from around the web: Otto Warmbier’s parents hire lobbyists to push for sanctions on North Korea (The Hill)The parents of Otto Warmbier, the 22-year-old American who died after being held prisoner in North Korea, hired lobbyists to push for increased U.S. sanctions on the country days before the Trump administration imposed them. Fred and Cindy Warmbier hired McGuireWoods Consulting, the lobbying arm of law firm McGuireWoods, on Nov. 10 in an effort to “seek economic sanctions and state sponsor of terror designation against North Korea”. “We have retained Richard Cullen and McGuireWoods to advise and counsel us in connection with the death of our son Otto at the hands of North Korea,” Fred and Cindy Warmbier said in a statement released to The Hill from the firm. ——————————————————— No. of malaria-infected N. Koreans drops for 4th consecutive yr in 2016: report(Korea Herald) Citing a report by the World Health Organization, VOA’s Korean Service said the number of North Korean people contracting the disease in the reported year was tallied at 4,890, down from 7,010 in 2015, 10,535 in 2014, 14,407 in 2013 and 21,850 in 2015.In the 2010-2012 period, the number of North Korean malaria patients showed an uptrend, the report said. —————————————————— North Korea’s KCTV goes widescreen, stereo in big upgrade (North Korea Tech) North Korea’s main TV channel…debuted a substantial technical upgrade on December 4 when it switched to widescreen, high-definition broadcasting. Until Monday, North Korean TV had broadcast via satellite to Asia on a high-definition, widescreen channel, but programming in that format appeared for only a few seconds at the start and end of daily broadcasting. ———————————————————- How to Protect the World From North Korea (New York Times) U.S. policy toward North Korea should include more than just enhanced military deterrence. “For too long, American policy has searched in vain for a deft, simple solution to North Korea’s nuclear ambitions. The hope has been that the regime in Pyongyang would change, or that China would force it to capitulate…” ———————————————————- Have we got just three months to avert a US attack on North Korea? (The Guardian) Envoys say the US has till March to stop Kim Jong-un developing a nuclear missile that can hit Washington. The UN must act now to stop the slide to war. “This apparent March deadline, for what can only be considered a pre-emptive strike, was also mentioned to a former European parliamentarian by a senior US commander…”