NORTH KOREAN LEADER REVEALS DAUGHTER TO THE WORLD

Kim Jong-un appeared with his daughter, Kim Chu-ae, at an inspection of North Korea’s latest intercontinental ballistic missile launch.
The leader’s personal life is considered state secret and is rarely revealed to the public.
State media declared that the father-daughter appearance showed Kim’s devotion to his country and family.
Some analysts speculate that the surprise appearance suggests she may be the chosen successor.
Even though North Korea has a deeply patriarchal political culture, Michael Madden, director of North Korea Leadership Watch, told the Guardian that this does not automatically disqualify women from becoming leaders as Kim has already promoted his sister to senior positions and appointed Choe Son-hui as the country’s first female foreign minister.

NORTH KOREAN BORDER CITIES IN STATE OF EMERGENCY AFTER 200KG GOLD STOLEN

Authorities in Hyesan and other border cities declared a state of emergency after 200 kilograms of gold bars (worth U.S. $12 million) were stolen.
The three masked bandits who appeared to have had special military training overpowered two soldiers on guard duty and rode off into the countryside.
North Korea produces between two and four metric tons of gold annually, with part of the gold entering its central bank and most of it given to the Kim family.
There is no market for gold in North Korea so the authorities are desperately searching for the robbers to prevent the loot from being smuggled to China.
All former special force soldiers in North Pyongan province, home to North Korea’s main gold production facilities, were put on the list of suspects and interrogated.
A source told Radio Free Asia that many people secretly support the theft as the gold would otherwise be used to fund the government instead of helping the people with their financial struggles.

SEK Studio was founded by Kim Il-sung in the 1950s and has been an ideal choice for subcontract work due to North Korea’s low-cost labor.
The U.S. Treasury designated seven companies based in China, Singapore, Hong Kong and Russia for doing business with Pyongyang’s SEK Studio.
The U.S. imposed sanctions to target North Korea’s animation industry by freezing U.S.-banked assets of those targeted, blocking U.S. entities from transacting with them and revoking or denying their U.S visa.
The animation studio has been involved in at least 1,200 films and TV shows, and may have helped animate The Simpsons, The Lion King, Pocahontas, and even the extremely popular South Korean children’s TV show, Pororo.
SEK Studio had previously been sanctioned by the U.S. in December 2021.
New sanctions were also made against North Korea’s border control authorities for their efforts to stop defectors from escaping, including planting landmines and imposing shoot-on-sight orders.

Authorities launched measures near Pyongyang to stop the spread of Avian influenza with a focus on migratory bird habitats.
Provincial quarantine offices also began slaughtering birds at ostrich ranch and chicken factories, which supply side dishes to residents and the military.
This will likely result in rising meat prices and impact on the country’s worsening food crisis.
Some officials took bribes to sell infected poultry at lower prices.
A source told Daily NK that “Many people are worried because there are lots of other diseases going around as we enter the winter season.”