Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

US President Donald Trump shakes hands with the Chairman of the Workers’ Party of Korea Kim Jong-un as the two leaders meet at the Korean Demilitarized Zone which separates North and South Korea on 30 June 2019.
White House/Shealah Craighead

UN chief welcomes possibility of resumed talks between US and DPR Korea

1 July 2019
Peace and Security

As the clicking of cameras and flash of lightbulbs captured on Sunday the first sitting United States President to set foot inside the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Secretary-General António Guterres offered his full support to a potentially reset relationship that may render a denuclearized Korean Peninsula.

The Guinean contingent of MINUSMA is composed of 850 soldiers, including 16 women, and is based in Kidal in the extreme north of Mali. Seen here, a Guinean UN peacekeeper takes up position in the town of Kidal.
MINUSMA/Harandane Dicko

Wednesday’s Daily Brief: ending rape in war, Khashoggi, forced displacement, North Korea and Mali

19 June 2019
Women

On Wednesday, these are the main stories: International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict; the UN independent investigator for the killing of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi presents findings which show State responsibility; in 2018, world hit record number of war-displaced people; South Korea sends food aid to North; new attack in northern Mali.

Digital technology being used to improve agricultural methods in the Philippines: Department of Agriculture experts, working with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) using drones to gather visual data on recently damaged rice crops in Magalang town in Pampanga province.
©Veejay Villafranca/NOOR for FAO

Monday’s Daily Brief: the future of food and digital tech, labour justice in focus, denuclearization, and Kosovo

10 June 2019
Economic Development

This Monday, top stories includes: a new report on risks and opportunities of digital technology; social justice for all at the centenary UN labour conference; updates on Iran’s and North Korea’s nuclear programmes; tackling today’s problems with food; and updates on the relations between Kosovo and Serbia.

An FAO and WFP assessment team visited Unpa County, North Hwanghae Province, in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in April 2019.
WFP/James Belgrave

North Korean families facing deep ‘hunger crisis’ after worst harvest in 10 years, UN food assessment shows

3 May 2019
Humanitarian Aid

More than 10 million North Koreans are suffering “severe food shortages” after the worst harvest in a decade, according to a United Nations food security assessment released on Friday.

A worker prepares meals in a WFP-supported children’s nursery and Hasong Kindergarten in Sinwon County in South Hwanghae Province, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. 9 May 2018.
WFP/Silke Buhr

Nearly four million North Koreans in urgent need, as food production slumps by almost 10 per cent

6 March 2019
Humanitarian Aid

The UN is calling for some $120 million to provide life-saving humanitarian aid, desperately needed by 3.8 million North Koreans, as it releases its 2019 Needs and Priorities Plan for the country.

A woman queues at a food distribution in Songchon County as part of the Food for Disaster Risk Reduction (FDRR) project in Songchon County, Democratic People's Republic of Korea. 26 January 2017.
WFP/Colin Kampschoer

‘Critical test’ for North Korea’s Government as civilian suffering remains rife, warns UN rights expert

11 January 2019
Human Rights

The human rights situation in Democratic People’s Republic of Korea – DPRK - remains “extremely serious”, and along with international demands for denuclearization, this constitutes a “a critical test” for the year ahead, a senior UN-appointed expert said on Friday.