29 Chinese fishermen kidnapped by North Koreans have finally been freed and are now home in China. more ›

Three Chinese fishing boats were allegedly seized by a North Korean ship in Chinese waters last week. The unidentified hijackers are demanding a ransom of RMB1.2 million. If that sum is not handed over by the end of today, they threatened to "dispose" of the captives. more ›

Yet another Kim Jong-Un Photoshop meme is gaining momentum on the web. Just check out these doctored photos. more ›

For those who have the rare opportunity, the train linking Dandong in China to Pyongyang in North Korea offers a unique glimpse of the most closed country in the world. [AFP] more ›

China has officially announced that it's ending its time-honored practice diplomatic practice of sending North Korean refugees back to the DPRK to face possible execution, with official Chinese government sources saying refugees being sent back is effectively "the end of their lives". more ›

Korean folk song Arirang as performed by North Korea's National Symphony Orchestra. more ›

About 100 North Koreans living in the border city of Dandong in Liaoning province gathered last Thursday to celebrate their identity. [Euronews] more ›

North Korea unveils giant statues of its former leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il amid the communist state suffering major blow as its long-range rocket fails. [Euronews] more ›

Oh, how the internet loves to kick a socialist-totalitarian dog when it's down. Look for the upcoming "He's Just Not That Into Six-Party Talks" to hit theaters later this year. more ›

In a major embarassment to North Korea and the country's new leader, Kim Jong-un (also known as Üter Zörker), their controversial rocket launch has not exactly gone to plan. The Glorious Nation briefly managed to get it's rocket up, but only for one underwhelming minute before it plunged back down again, shamefully failing enter into orbit. No words of comfort were offered to orbit, who has always been insecure about the size of her curvature and may or may not believe she was responsible. Instead, North Korea slumped into an icy silence lasting for hours, before finally admitting to the world what had happened. more ›

Things are looking rather festive up north in the DPRK, despite the ongoing furore over a rocket launch that the United States and allies say is a ballistic missile test in violation of a United Nations ban. The Spring Friendship Art Festival opened yesterday in Pyongyang to to celebrate the centennial of the birth of Kim Il-sung, the founder of North Korea. The Choson Sinbo, a DPRK-owned paper published in Japan, said the festival, which runs till April 19, would bring together about 800 artists from 23 countries. International delegations have been made to visit the supposed birthplace of the Eternal President at Mangyongdae to be "briefed on the glorious and revolutionary history of Kim Il Sung". Also read the KCNA report of the festival here. more ›

“The ardent yearning for leader Kim Jong Il has inspired us to make fresh innovations in the project. We have been devoting all our efforts to finishing the project in time, even under the strained situation caused by the Lee Myung Bak regime of south Korea.” more ›

Sina Weibo, China's most popular equivalent of Twitter, has become the battlefield between North and South Korea. more ›

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That's Shanghai's deputy editor Leslie Jones recently visited North Korea to get a glimpse at life after the death of Dear Leader Kim Jong-il, and ponders questions like whether or not the mass public mourning that took place in Kim's honor was actually forced. more ›

China has secured the rights to build three new piers in the North Korean special economic zone of Rason and will be entitled to utilize the piers for 50 years, according to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency. more ›

The first bronze statue of late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has been unveiled in Pyongyang as part of celebrations marking what would have been his 70th birthday this week. [AP] more ›

Last Friday, rumours that Kim Jong-un was assassinated at the Beijing embassy began on Weibo, hopped over to Twitter, then went around the world. The "Great Successor", as it turns out, is still alive and kicking, and the rumours were actually sparked by his daddy's 70th birthday celebrations (even though he's pickled kimchi now). more ›

Jende Huang writes on Sino-NK about the illicit trade in crystal meth between North Korea and China. Curiously, China doesn't seem to be too keen in reprimanding the DPRK for the production and export of meth, or bingdu (冰毒) in Chinese. more ›

Watched that video of the five young North Korean accordionists' rendition of A-ha's Take On Me and still haven't had enough? Now, here's a North Korean group named Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble performing Modern Talking's Brother Louie! more ›

Remember that video of the five young North Korean accordionists' rendition of A-ha's Take On Me? It's totally gone viral since we showed it to you last Friday (watch it if you haven't!). Evan Ramstad, the Wall Street Journal's Seoul correspondent, caught up with Morten Traavik, the artist behind the performance that will soon open at Barents Spektakel, an international arts fest in Norway. He writes of Traavik's long labour of love in making the project happen: more ›

A group of young accordion players from Pyongyang's Kum Song School perform Take On Me by A-ha as part of a multi-genre project that opens next week at Barents Spektakel, an arts festival in Norway. Seriously, now. What would the Dear Leader think as he looks down on this from wherever he is now in socialist paradise? more ›

South Korea's Chosun Ilbo has translated some very interesting comments by Kim Jong-nam -- the eldest son, and at one point, the presumed successor of the late Kim Jong-il -- made to Yoji Komi, an editor at the Tokyo Shimbun daily, in private emails sent between 2004 and 2011. In the emails, Kim reveals he has never met his half-brother Kim Jong-un, that his regime will not last very long, and that the "Great Successor" once went to Japan on a fake passport. He also admitted to being "protected" by the Chinese government: more ›

Raw footage from the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA): The Associated Press opens its latest full news bureau in Pyongyang located inside the KCNA headquarters. more ›

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All the things you'd want to do this Monday through Thursday. On the schedule this week: The general manager of Koryo Tours Simon Cockerell talks about North Korea, there's some Tuesday night music happened at Yuyintang and Mao Livehouse, take a stroll on the Bund for Wednesday, or check out an art gallery for Thursday! Read on for all the details, or head on over to our calendar for more! more ›

Watch the documentary after the jump... more ›

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