# data[].attributes.body
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/01/world/asia/north-korea-nuclear-escalate.html?searchResultPosition=3

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
North Korea Vows to Escalate Nuclear Threat Against the South

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Kim Jong-un told a Workers’ Party meeting that his country must mass-produce nuclear missiles that could hit South Korea.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
South Koreans’ Steely Nerves Are Shaken by North Korean Drones

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
With tensions on the Korean Peninsula on the rise, many in the South were rattled when five drones from the North successfully crossed the border without being shot down.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
North Korea denies arming Russia’s Wagner group

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Denial comes after the US accused North Korea of supplying rockets and missiles to the Russian private military company.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-64494094

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
North Korea-linked hackers stole $1.7bn of cryptocurrency in 2022

North Korea-backed hackers stole $1.7bn (£1.4bn) of crypto in 2022, says blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis.

This nearly quadruples the country's previous record for cryptocurrency theft - $429m in 2021.

The loot also made up 44% of the $3.8bn stolen in crypto hacks last year, which the firm called "the biggest year ever for crypto hacking".

Experts have said the country, facing heavy sanctions, is turning to crypto theft to fund its nuclear arsenal.

North Korea has conducted six nuclear tests and analysts expect the seventh one this year, as the country accelerates its nuclear weapons programme under leader Kim Jong-un. Last year, Pyongyang launched a record number of ballistic and other missiles. This is despite the country's struggling economy.

"For context, North Korea's total exports in 2020 totalled $142m worth of goods, so it isn't a stretch to say that cryptocurrency hacking is a sizable chunk of the nation's economy," Chainalysis said in a report on Wednesday.

These hackers typically launder crypto through "mixers", which blend cryptocurrencies from various users to obfuscate the origins of the funds, the firm said.

Other experts have also said that North Korea launders stolen crypto through brokers in China and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

Last month, the FBI confirmed that North Korea-affiliated Lazarus Group was responsible for a $100m crypto heist on a blockchain network called Horizon bridge last year.

Overall, decentralised finance protocols, or DeFi, accounted for over 82% of cryptocurrency stolen in 2022, Chainalysis' report said.

DeFi users know what will happen to their funds when they use them because smart contract codes governing these protocols are publicly accessible by default.

But this transparency also makes DeFi particularly attractive to hackers, who can scan the codes for vulnerabilities and "strike at the perfect time" to maximise their loot, according to the report.

David Schwed, chief operating officer at blockchain security firm Halborn, noted that DeFi developers "prioritise growth over all else", and funds that could be used to enhance security are often directed instead to rewards, in order to attract users.

DeFi developers can take a leaf from traditional financial institutions in making their platforms more secure, Mr Schwed said.

For instance, they can simulate different hacking scenarios to test their protocols, or design mechanisms to pause or halt transactions when suspicious activity is detected.

"You don't need to move as slow as a bank, but you can borrow from what banks do," he said.

Copyright 2023 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.

Beta Terms By using the Beta Site, you agree that such use is at your own risk and you know that the Beta Site may include known or unknown bugs or errors, that we have no obligation to make this Beta Site available with or without charge for any period of time, nor to make it available at all, and that nothing in these Beta Terms or your use of the Beta Site creates any employment relationship between you and us. The Beta Site is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis and we make no warranty to you of any kind, express or implied.

In case of conflict between these Beta Terms and the BBC Terms of Use these Beta Terms shall prevail.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Crypto theft: North Korea-linked hackers stole $1.7b in 2022

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Experts say the country, facing heavy sanctions, is turning to crypto theft to fund its nuclear arsenal.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/2/2150625/-North-Korea-to-send-troops-police-to-Ukraine-but-pulls-back-on-plan-to-send-laborers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A South Korean news report says that North Korea is planning to send as many as 500 troops and police to the Donbas region of Ukraine to help as workers.

North Korea 🇰🇵 will send policemen to the occupied Donbass 🇺🇦 as workers, and also military, a South Korean 🇰🇷 news report says.

Their exact number is unknown, but there are likely 300-500 🇰🇵 security forces who will arrive in Donbas in February or March. pic.twitter.com/rzNpD4Bb9l
- Jason Jay Smart (@officejjsmart) February 2, 2023

But this plan is different than what North Korea had previously committed to doing for Russia - sending laborers. Apparently the dumpster fire that is the Russian occupation is just too much for even North Korea.

Police and military will be sent instead. What they'll be doing isn't exactly clear.

Less than a week after North Korea promised to "always stand in the same trench" with Russia, it seems even Pyongyang is losing faith in Vladimir Putin's war machine.

After promising last November to help Russia rebuild bombed out parts of occupied eastern Ukraine, North Korean authorities picked out laborers to send and then even recruited some more-but they have now thought better of sending them, according to Daily NK.

.........

Instead, Pyongyang has reportedly decided to appease Russia by sending military and security personnel to eastern Ukraine. A source cited by Daily NK on Thursday said the North Korean government on Jan. 20 ordered several of its trading companies located in Russia to pick out personnel to be sent to the occupied territories.

Between 300 and 500 Korean men aged 19 to 27 are expected to be tossed into eastern Ukraine, though the tasks they will be assigned are not entirely clear.

-------------------------------------------------

Russia's killer robot (i.e. unmanned ground vehicle) called Marker has allegedly arrived in Ukraine. Let's see how long it lasts.

---------------------------------------------------------

Ukraine is easily now the most heavily mined country in the world.

6,200 out of the 880,000 hectares of mined territory in the Kherson/Mykolaiv has been checked by sappers. They found 57,000 explosive devices. It is going to take a long time to demine Ukraine. This isn't even the most heavily mined area of the country. https://t.co/s6UjUzt9v3 pic.twitter.com/iI0TKhVS7S
- Andrew Perpetua (@AndrewPerpetua) February 2, 2023

------------------------------------------------------

Now there's only 11.

-------------------------------------------------------

Help from Israel should have come a long time ago, but better late than never. And assuming it was Israel that attacked Iran, those strikes on weapon production facilities will help Ukraine too.

The photo Twitter says is potentially sensitive is just a photo of Netanyahu.

🇮🇱#Israel'i Prime Minister Netanyahu said that he is "definitely considering providing military aid to 🇺🇦#Ukraine"

Regarding the possibility of supplying the anti-missile defense system, he said: "I am definitely thinking about it as well pic.twitter.com/6PHhjZQvcZ
- C4H10FO2P (@markito0171) February 1, 2023

----------------------------------------------------------

And even Switzerland is now trying to find a way to help the effort to send tanks to Ukraine.

Currently, the Swiss armed forces have about 300 Leopard 2A4 tanks in service. Most of them are manufactured in Switzerland, 35 bought from Germany. Nearly 100 of these have been mothballed for 10 years, ready for decomissioning. But they remain operable. https://t.co/RRSrbDI2DL
- NOËL 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) February 2, 2023

--------------------------------------------------------

Gratuitous cat video.

-------------------------------------------------

And a gratuitous video of cooking borscht.

One of the many recipes of Ukrainian borshch - the video's author added a speech by Boris Johnson as a soundtrack.

Have you tried borshch? Did you like it?

📹: natali_black_natali/TikTok pic.twitter.com/M3jZphfPs9
- Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) February 2, 2023

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
North Korea to send troops, police to Ukraine, but pulls back on plan to send laborers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A South Korean news report says that North Korea is planning to send as many as 500 troops and police to the Donbas region of Ukraine to help as workers. North Korea 🇰🇵 will send policemen to the occupied Donbass 🇺🇦 as workers, and also military, a South Korean 🇰🇷 news report says.

# data[].attributes.body
https://naturalnews.com/2022-11-03-north-korea-missile-launch-threatens-south-korea.html

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Bypass censorship by sharing this link:

( Natural News) North Korea launched at least 23 missiles into the ocean on Wednesday, November 2, one of which came down less than 60 kilometers (40 miles) off the coast of South Korea. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol called it " territorial encroachment."

According to Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), one of the missiles that Pyongyang launched was a short-range ballistic missile that landed close to South Korean territorial waters for the first time since the division of Korea.

It was also the most missiles fired by the North in a single day, and it was the first time a ballistic missile had landed near South Korean waters since the peninsula was divided in 1945.

JCS noted that the missile landed in international waters 167 kilometers (104 miles) northwest of South Korea's Ulleungdo island, which was located around 26 kilometers south of the Northern Limit Line (NLL) - the de facto inter-Korean maritime border that North Korea does not recognize.

The launches came only hours after Pyongyang urged an end to extensive military drills between South Korea and the United States, claiming that such "military rashness and provocation can no longer be permitted."

John Kirby, the White House's national security spokesman, described the North Korean launches as "reckless" and promised that the U.S. would take steps to ensure that it has the military resources necessary to defend its treaty allies Japan and South Korea.

The missile touched down south of the Northern Limit Line (NLL), a contentious maritime border between North and South Korea, but outside of South Korea's territorial seas.

"Strictly speaking, it did not land in our territory, but in the Exclusive Economic Zone under our jurisdiction, therefore it was not subject to interception," a senior presidential official responded when asked whether the missile was heading toward the South's territory and if it should have been intercepted. (Related: North Korea's satellites revealed to be in "ideal position" to unleash EMP attack on America's most populated cities.)

Kirby said the U.S. has received information that North Korea is covertly supplying Russia with a "significant" number of artillery shells for its conflict in Ukraine. He added that Washington will also consult with the United Nations on accountability issues regarding the shipments. He also noted that North Korea was trying to hide the shipments by passing them through nations in the Middle East and North Africa.

North Korea escalates provocations

North Korea is also getting into the nerves of Japan. On Wednesday, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters that North Korea is launching missiles at an "unprecedentedly high frequency." Kishida has already called for a National Security Council meeting to be held as soon as possible due to the rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Japan's Ministry of Defense said North Korea conducted another launch, which included at least one more ballistic missile toward the east that fell into the sea outside of Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone.

"North Korea has rapidly escalated its provocations, launching more than a dozen missiles today alone and reportedly firing more than 100 artillery shells into the Japan sea since announcing an extremely provocative statement earlier in the day," said Toshiro Ino, Japan's deputy minister of defense.

The ballistic missile flew a short distance at a maximum altitude of fewer than 50 kilometers. No damage to aircraft or vessels has been reported.

Meanwhile, Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong tweeted on Wednesday: "North Korea's unprecedented launch of multiple ballistic missiles is recklessly threatening the security of the Republic of Korea. Pyongyang must cease this action."

Visit WWIII.news for more news about the conflict between North and South Korea.

Watch the video below to learn more about North Korea's missile attacks.

More related stories:

North Korea tells citizens to buckle up for more food shortages until 2025.

Trump considering "sudden strike" on North Korea as time is running out for peaceful resolution.

North Korea could be capable of launching nuclear attack on U.S. homeland, general warns.
Sources include: Reuters.com Edition.CNN.com Brighteon.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
North Korea's launch of multiple ballistic missiles threatens South Korea

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
North Korea launched at least 23 missiles into the ocean on Wednesday, November 2, one of which came down less than 60 kilometers (40 miles) off the coast of South Korea. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol called it "territorial encroachment." According to Seoul's Joint Chiefs of

# data[].attributes.body
https://twitter.com/LauraLoomer/status/1628259606219616262

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
JUST IN: President Trump just issued a new statement on North Korea and Kim Jung Un!

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
JUST IN: President Trump just issued a new statement on North Korea and Kim Jung Un! https://t.co/Rs1G2snwME

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
JUST IN: President Trump just issued a new statement on North Korea and Kim Jung Un! pic.twitter.com/Rs1G2snwME
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) February 22, 2023

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
JUST IN: President Trump just issued a new statement on North Korea and Kim Jung Un! https://t.co/Rs1G2snwME

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
JUST IN: President Trump just issued a new statement on North Korea and Kim Jung Un! https://t.co/Rs1G2snwME

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
JUST IN: President Trump just issued a new statement on North Korea and Kim Jung Un!

# data[].attributes.body
https://twitter.com/SaycheeseDGTL/status/1627695763235930115

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
Kim Jong Un's sister warns the U.S. that unless it stops conducting military exercises with its allies in the region, North Korea will turn the Pacific Ocean into a "firing range"

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
Kim Jong Un's sister warns the U.S. that unless it stops conducting military exercises with its allies in the region, North Korea will turn the Pacific Ocean into a "firing range" https://t.co/tN4an4UDjR

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
Kim Jong Un's sister warns the U.S. that unless it stops conducting military exercises with its allies in the region, North Korea will turn the Pacific Ocean into a "firing range" pic.twitter.com/tN4an4UDjR
— SAY CHEESE! 👄🧀 (@SaycheeseDGTL) February 20, 2023

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
Kim Jong Un's sister warns the U.S. that unless it stops conducting military exercises with its allies in the region, North Korea will turn the Pacific Ocean into a "firing range" https://t.co/tN4an4UDjR

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Kim Jong Un's sister warns the U.S. that unless it stops conducting military exercises with its allies in the region, North Korea will turn the Pacific Ocean into a "firing range" https://t.co/tN4an4UDjR

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Kim Jong Un's sister warns the U.S. that unless it stops conducting military exercises with its allies in the region, North Korea will turn the Pacific Ocean into a "firing range"

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/national-international/north-korea-fires-missile-south-korean-military-says/2979205/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon

South Korea's military said North Korea on Saturday fired one suspected long-range missile from its capital toward the sea, a day after it threatened to take strong measures against South Korea and the U.S. over their joint military exercises.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul said the ballistic missile was fired at around 5:22 p.m. from an area in Sunan, the site of Pyongyang's international airport. It didn't immediately say where the weapon landed.

North Korea's Foreign Ministry on Friday threatened with "unprecedently" strong action against its rivals, after South Korea announced a series of planned military exercises with the United States aimed at sharpening their response to the North's growing threats.

The launch was North Korea's first known testing activity since Jan. 1, when it test-fired a short-range weapon.

North Korea is coming off a record year in weapons demonstrations with more than 70 ballistic missiles fired, including intercontinental ballistic missiles with potential range to reach the U.S. mainland. The North also conducted a slew of launches it described as simulated nuclear attacks against South Korean and U.S. targets in response to the allies' resumption of large-scale joint military exercise that had been downsized for years.

North Korea's missile tests have been punctuated by threats of preemptive nuclear attacks against South Korea or the United States over what it perceives as a broad range of scenarios that put its leadership under threat.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un doubled down on his nuclear push entering 2023, calling for an "exponential increase" in the country's nuclear warheads, mass production of battlefield tactical nuclear weapons targeting "enemy" South Korea and the development of more advanced ICBMs.

He showcased more than a dozen ICBMs last week during a massive military parade in the capital, Pyongyang. The unprecedented number of missiles underscored a continuation of expansion of his country's military capabilities despite limited resources while negotiations with Washington remain stalemated.

Those missiles included a new system experts say is possibly linked to the North's stated desire to acquire a solid-fuel ICBM. North Korea's existing ICBMs, including Hwasong-17s, use liquid propellants that require pre-launch injections and cannot remain fueled for prolonged periods. A solid-fuel alternative would take less time to prepare and is easier to move around on vehicles, providing less opportunity to be spotted.

The North Korean statement on Friday accused Washington and Seoul of planning more than 20 rounds of military drills this year, including large-scale field exercises, and described its rivals as "the arch-criminals deliberately disrupting regional peace and stability."

The statement came hours after South Korea's Defense Ministry officials told lawmakers that Seoul and Washington will hold an annual computer-simulated combined training in mid-March. The 11-day training would reflect North Korea's nuclear threats, as well as unspecified lessons from the Russia-Ukraine war, according to Heo Tae-keun, South Korea's deputy minister of national defense policy.

Heo said the two countries will also conduct joint field exercises in mid-March that would be bigger than those held in the past few years.

South Korea and the U.S. will also hold a one-day tabletop exercise next week at the Pentagon to sharpen a response to a potential use of nuclear weapons by North Korea.

The exercise, scheduled for Wednesday, would set up possible scenarios where North Korea uses nuclear weapons, explore how to cope with them militarily and formulate crisis management plans, South Korea's Defense Ministry said.

North Korea has traditionally described U.S.-South Korea military exercises as rehearsals for a potential invasion, while the allies insist that their drills are defensive in nature.

Copyright AP - Associated Press

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
North Korea Fires Missile, South Korean Military Says

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
South Korea's military said North Korea on Saturday fired one suspected long-range missile from its capital toward the sea, a day after it threatened to take strong measures against South Korea and the U.S. over their joint military exercises. The Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul said the ballistic missile was fired at around 5:22 p.m.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
North Korea's only English-language newspaper, The Pyongyang Times (평양타임즈), has firmed up its online presence with its own URL: pyongyangtimes.com.kp .

The newspaper's articles have been available as a subsection of the Naenara (내나라) website and the new address isn't a new website but a link directly into that Naenara section. The same site also hosts articles from the French-langauge counterpart, Nouvelles de Pyongyang.

The news isn't much different from the rest of the propaganda output from North Korea, so regular watchers of KCNA are unlikely to find much of interest in the newspaper.

The printed newspaper was first published in 1965 and the newspaper claims it is published weekly and distributed to over 120 countries.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
North Korea's only English-language newspaper, The Pyongyang Times (평양타임즈), has firmed up its online presence with its own URL: pyongyangtimes.com.kp . The newspaper's articles have been available as a subsection of the Naenara (내나라) website and the new address isn't a new website but a link directly into that Naenara section.

# data[].attributes.body
North Korea calls U.S. pledge of tanks to Ukraine 'unethical crime' | Reuters

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
SEOUL, Jan 29 (Reuters) - North Korea on Sunday criticized for a second day a U.S. decision to send tanks to Ukraine, calling it an "unethical crime" aimed at perpetuating an unstable international situation.

Washington's allegations that North Korea has provided arms to Russia are a "groundless rumor" to justify its own military aid to Ukraine, Kwon Chung-keun, director of U.S. affairs at North Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a statement carried by state news agency KCNA.

"The U.S. is working hard to supply such offensive weapons as (main battle tanks) to Ukraine at any cost in disregard of the just concern and criticism of the international community," the statement said. "This is an unethical crime aimed at keeping the international situation unstable."

The baseless claims of North Korea-Russia arms deals are a "grave provocation that can never be allowed" and perpetuating them will bring a "really undesirable result", Kwon added.

On Saturday North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's powerful sister, Kim Yo Jong, denounced U.S. pledges of battle tanks to Ukraine, claiming Washington was "further crossing the red line" to win hegemony by proxy war, KCNA reported.

Nuclear-armed North Korea launched an unprecedented number of missiles last year, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. U.S. and South Korean officials have also warned the North could be preparing for its first test of a nuclear device since 2017.

The White House said in December that North Korea completed an initial arms delivery of infantry rockets and missiles to a private Russian military company, the Wagner Group, to shore up Russian forces in Ukraine.

Reporting by Josh Smith; Editing by Cynthia Osterman

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
North Korea calls U.S. pledge of tanks to Ukraine 'unethical crime'

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
SEOUL, Jan 29 (Reuters) - North Korea on Sunday criticized for a second day a U.S. decision to send tanks to Ukraine, calling it an "unethical crime" aimed at perpetuating an unstable international situation. Washington's allegations that North Korea has provided arms to Russia are a "groundless rumor" to justify its own military aid to Ukraine, Kwon Chung-keun, director of U.S.

# data[].attributes.body
North Korean balloon briefly spotted over South Korea, Seoul says | Reuters

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
North Korean balloon briefly spotted over South Korea, Seoul says

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
South Korea’s military said on Monday it had tracked a North Korean balloon over its territory, but determined it did not pose a threat.

# data[].attributes.body
Josh Smith - Senior Correspondent - Reuters News Agency | LinkedIn

# data[].attributes.body
Josh Smith’s Profile | Reuters Journalist | Muck Rack

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Josh Smith’s Profile | Reuters Journalist | Muck Rack

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Find Josh Smith of Reuters’s articles, email address, contact information, Twitter and more