NKorea

US targets shipping lines over North Korean coal

Washington (AFP) - The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on Chinese and Vietnamese shipping lines for transporting North Korean coal, part of a promised effort to step up enforcement of sanctions. The Treasury Department said it was taking action against three companies based in mainland China, two operating in Vietnam and one based in Hong Kong along with four vessels. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that the firms and ships transported coal out of North Korea in defiance of UN sanctions and despite concerns that the production relies on forced labor in prison camps. North Kor...

US denounces China on North Korea sanctions as Trump hopes fade

Washington (AFP) - The United States on Tuesday sharply criticized China for not enforcing sanctions on North Korea and vowed to step up its own efforts, as hopes fade for a last-minute breakthrough under outgoing President Donald Trump.The State Department launched a new website, DPRKrewards.com, that will offer payouts of up to $5 million for tips to boost sanctions on North Korea, including on businesses in China."I want to tell you more are forthcoming," Alex Wong, the US deputy special representative on North Korea, said of sanctions.In a speech at the Center for Strategic and Internation...

North Korean man in Malaysia challenges US extradition bid

Kuala Lumpur (AFP) - A North Korean man launched a legal challenge Friday against a US bid to extradite him from Malaysia over allegations he supplied goods to his country in breach of sanctions.Mun Chol Myong, who has lived in the Southeast Asian country with his family for a decade, was arrested last year following an extradition request from Washington.He denies FBI claims that he led a criminal group that violated sanctions by supplying luxury goods to North Korea and laundered funds through front companies.A Malaysian court in December approved his extradition to the United States, but Mu...

North Korean hackers in league with Russian cybercriminals: researchers

Washington (AFP) - North Korean hackers are probably working with Russian-speaking cybercriminals on ransomware and other malicious software, researchers said Wednesday.Security firm Intel 471 said in a report it found links between North Korean hacker group Lazarus, known for attacks on banks worldwide, and a Russian-operated malware operation called TrickBot.TrickBot is described in the report as a "malware-as-a-service offering, run by Russian-speaking cybercriminals, that is not openly advertised on any open or invite-only cybercriminal forum or marketplace." It works with "top-tier cyberc...

Kim showed off executed uncle's headless body: Trump

Seoul (AFP) - The headless body of Kim Jong Un's executed uncle was displayed to senior North Korean officials, US President Donald Trump told the author of an upcoming book on the US president.Jang Song Thaek, the North Korean leader's uncle by marriage and a hugely powerful figure within the regime, was purged for treason and corruption in 2013, in what was widely seen as Kim mercilessly asserting his authority.Kim "tells me everything. Told me everything," Trump told the Washington Post investigative journalist Bob Woodward, according to his forthcoming book "Rage". "He killed his uncle and...

'Magical force': New book reveals Trump-Kim letters

Washington (AFP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un deployed flattery and florid prose in the letters that forged his diplomatic courtship of Donald Trump, according to a new book on the US president.The pair's personal relationship has been a key driver of diplomacy between Washington and Pyongyang, veering from mutual insults and threats of war to a declaration of love from Trump."Rage" by Washington Post investigative journalist Bob Woodward unveils 25 letters the pair exchanged, in which Kim uses over-the-top wording as he fawns over Trump while they formed a most unusual friendship.Address...