North Korea names new vice marshal...

North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency reports that Army General Hyon Yong-chol has been named vice marshal of the North’s Korean People’s Army. Hyon’s appointment by the National Defense Commission and the Central Military Commission of the Workers’ Party comes just two days after Chief of the General Staff of Korean People's Army Ri Yong-ho was dismissed from all party posts. The state-run news agency, however, did not clarify if Hyon will succeed Ri. A South Korean Unification Ministry official said Hyon’s promotion suggests he stands a high chance of succeeding Ri, but North Korea will first have to announce Hyon as the next Chief of the General Staff. The ministry official explained that Hyon was a field army commander and promoted to a four-star general along with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in September, 2010. He was also a member of the funeral committee for former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in December last year.
(KBS World Radio, 2012-07-17)

La Corée du Nord accusée d'avoir exporté des armes via la Chine...

Le Conseil de sécurité des Nations unies a publié un rapport sur les exportations illégales présumées d'armes par la Corée du Nord, via la Chine, vers des pays comme la Syrie. Vendredi, le Conseil de sécurité a publié les conclusions d'un panel d'experts enquêtant sur de possibles violations des sanctions onusiennes interdisant les exportations d'armes nord-coréennes. Le rapport fait état d'une importante cargaison de combustible pouvant être utilisé par des missiles balistiques découverte à bord d'un cargo arraisonné en octobre 2007. Les enquêteurs ont confirmé que cette cargaison avait été transportée depuis la Corée du Nord via Dalian, en Chine, en direction de la Syrie. Le document mentionne également des véhicules spéciaux de grandes dimensions transportés, selon les gardes-côtes japonais, de Chine en Corée du Nord. Ces véhicules pourraient être utilisés comme plate-forme de lancement de missiles balistiques. Il précise que ces véhicules n'auraient pas pu être fabriqués avec la technologie possédée actuellement par le Nord, mais ne mentionne pas l'implication de la Chine, se contentant d'indiquer que le panel poursuivra son enquête.
(Radio Japon international, le 30-06-2012)

North Koreans given prison sentences for spying in Ukraine...

Two North Koreans were reportedly arrested and sentenced to eight years in prison in Ukraine by intelligence authorities after they attempted to steal classified intelligence regarding missile technology. Ukrainian media report that Ryu Song-chul and Lee Tae-kil, both employees at a North Korean trade office in Belarus, traveled to Dnepropetrovsk in 2011 and were arrested after attempting to steal information from Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, which designs satellites and rockets. The North Koreans were said to be searching for intelligence regarding missile launch technology and increasing the range of its missiles with liquid fuel-fired engines. The North Koreans apparently received their sentence in late May on allegations of spying after Yuzhnoye employees informed authorities of their suspicious behavior.
(KBS World Radio, 2012-06-09)

Une espionne nord-coréenne présumée entendue par les services de renseignement sud-coréens...

Une réfugiée nord-coréenne accusée d’avoir dissimulé sa véritable identité est actuellement interrogée par des enquêteurs du service de renseignement sud-coréen, le NIS. Cette femme serait une espionne qui travaillerait pour le département de la sécurité d’État de la Corée du Nord, l’équivalent des services secrets au Sud. Dans une interview téléphonique, un haut responsable du gouvernement sud-coréen a fait savoir en effet qu’une certaine Lee Kyung-ae, âgée de 46 ans, s’est infiltrée fin 2011 en Corée du Sud, en se faisant passer pour une réfugiée. Il a rajouté que les interrogatoires en cours avaient pour objectif de comprendre exactement comment elle a pu arriver à Séoul et quelles sont ses missions.
(Radio Corée international, le 01-06-2012)

Two South Koreans arrested for espionage for North...

South Korean police have arrested 2 men in connection with the recent jamming of global positioning systems that affected much of the country's air and maritime traffic. The 2 South Korean businessmen have been charged with violating the country's national security law. Police say North Korean spies met the two men in the Chinese city of Dandong last July and instructed them to collect intelligence information. They say the suspects had made contact with people in the South Korean military industry in the hope of collecting data on jamming devices and military technology. One of the suspects, in his 70s, was on parole after having been sentenced to life in prison 30 years ago in connection with another espionage case.
Hundreds of commercial jets and ships in South Korea experienced GPS disruptions for more than 2 weeks earlier this month. The South Korean government says the North was responsible but North Korea denies any involvement.
(Japan Broadcasting Corporation, 2012-05-31)

La radiodiffusion internationale brouillée par la Corée du Nord...

On vient d’apprendre que la Corée du Nord brouillait les émissions étrangères pendant près de 18 heures par jour, afin d'empêcher ses habitants de les écouter. Cette nouvelle provient de Radio Free Asia, qui se réfère à un responsable d’un site lié à l’information et à la communication du pays communiste. D’après cette radio américaine, si le régime de Pyongyang, en proie à la pénurie d’électricité, en consomme autant pour bloquer les émissions des stations étrangères, c’est parce qu’il prend au sérieux l’influence de ces émissions internationales.
(Radio Corée international, le 11-05-2012)

Suspected North Korean jamming disrupts South's GPS...

South Korea says North Korea may be to blame for disruptions to its satellite-based global positioning system that have affected air travel and shipping. South Korea's Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs says the disruptions began last Saturday and have affected 412 aircraft leaving and arriving at Incheon and Gimpo airports. The maritime police in Incheon says ships travelling in the Yellow Sea have also been affected. A total of 122 vessels, including 8 patrol boats, have reported problems with their navigation systems. There have been no reports of safety problems stemming from the apparent jamming, because GPS plays only an assisting role in navigation. But the government is calling for caution as many small fishing boats rely solely on GPS for their navigation. A South Korean government official tells NHK that the disrupting signals apparently originate from around the North Korean city of Kaesong, near the military border between the 2 Koreas. South Korea is working to locate the source of the signals before filing a protest with the North through international organizations.
(Japan Broadcasting Corporation, 2012-05-05)