Kim Il-sung

North Korea is a mysterious place for most Americans. Even senior U.S. diplomats rarely set foot there, let alone meet top North Korean officials face to face. The country is no enigma for Selig Harrison, though. The outspoken scholar and former reporter has visited 11 times since 1972 and regularly interviews powerful North Koreans. While the United States is perplexed about what it can do to stop North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons, Harrison believes his contacts in the North have given him the answers. Harrison sees North Korea as a struggling country that should be pitied, not feared. He says North Korea wants ... Read Full Story

North Korea's Arirang propaganda performance -- the world's largest gymnastic display -- has opened in front of huge crowds, official media in the communist state said Tuesday. The 80-minute show opened at May Day Stadium Monday night, according to the Korean Central News Agency. It said this year's show has added new scenes to highlight the country's campaign to build a "great, prosperous and powerful nation." The stadium was packed with soldiers and workers as well as diplomats, international agency representatives, tourists and Koreans living abroad, the agency reported. The performance named after a famous Korean folk song began in 2002 to mark the ... Read Full Story

North Korea faces its worst crisis in 15 years due to international tensions over its nuclear weapons and uncertainty about the health of leader Kim Jong-Il, a South Korean think tank said. The Korea Development Institute said in a report that any breakthrough in the nuclear stand-off will be difficult, with the communist state insisting on being treated as a nuclear-armed state. The North will not have enough food for its people and the economy will shrink in the second half of this year unless it settles the dispute, the institute said. It earlier predicted that total grain production may reach around 4.29 million ... Read Full Story

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Il, appearing gaunt and thin, made a rare televised appearance Wednesday to pay homage to his late father Kim Il-Sung at a national memorial service. It was only the second time that contemporaneous footage of the 67-year-old has been aired on state television since his reported stroke last August. Kim limped slightly as he entered Pyongyang Indoor Stadium and took a seat on stage, a video clip seen in Seoul showed. The film showed the leader with thinning hair when he bowed his head for a brief silent tribute to mark the 15th anniversary of his father's death. Kim was ... Read Full Story

South Korea's normally publicity-shy intelligence agency is creating a stir among liberal groups with a "spot the spy" flash video game offering a variety of prizes. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) is hosting the game on its website (www.nis111.co.kr) to mark the anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War on June 25, 1950. The game, which runs from June 22 to July 21, challenges users to pick out spies and those who sympathise with communist North Korea. Two hundred lucky winners will receive laptop computers, digital cameras and game consoles. Bloggers who link the game to their personal web pages will get premium ... Read Full Story