2016 in North Korea

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2016 in South Korea

In the year 2016, North Korea conducted two nuclear tests: one in January and the other in September. Additionally, the country conducted several missile tests. As consequence, the United Nations Security Council adopted three resolutions against North Korea.

The 7th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea was held in May. In August North Korea took part in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, winning two gold, four silver, and two bronze medals.

## Incumbents

[edit]

* Party Chairman and State Chairman: Kim Jong Un
* President of the Supreme People's Assembly: Kim Yong-nam
* Premier: Pak Pong-ju[1]

## Events

[edit]

### January

[edit]

* A 5.1 magnitude earthquake near Sungjibaegam, North Korea, was suspected to be a nuclear explosion at the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site. North Korea announced it had conducted a hydrogen bomb test (January 2016 North Korean nuclear test).[2][3][4][5][6]

### February

[edit]

Kim Jong Un's written order on launching Kwangmyŏngsŏng-4

* The satellite Kwangmyŏngsŏng-4 was launched on 7 February on board the carrier rocket Kwangmyongsong.[7]
* 7 February: S.K. began official consultations with the United States on THAAD missile defense deployment.[8]
* 10 February: South Korea shuts down the joint Factory Park with North Korea, the Kaesong Industrial Park, over nuclear test and rocket.[9][10]

### March

[edit]

* The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopts Resolution 2270 on 2 March, condemning the nuclear test and rocket launch by North Korea and imposing sanctions on it.[11]
* The United Nations Security Council adopts Resolution 2276 on 24 March, extending the mandate of the Panel of Experts on North Korea's weapons of mass destruction until 24 April 2017.[12]
* Security researchers have tied a recent spate of digital breaches on Asian banks to North Korea. If confirmed it would be the first known case of a nation using digital attacks for financial gain.[13]

### April

[edit]

* 13 North Koreans working in a Korean restaurant in Ningbo, Zhejiang, China, defect and arrive in Seoul on 7 April.[14][15]
* A test of the Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile on 15 April (Day of the Sun) ends in failure.[16]
* A submarine-launched missile is tested on 23 April but flies only 19 kilometres (12 mi).[17]

### May

[edit]

April 25 House of Culture decorated for the 7th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea

* 7th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea[18]

### August

[edit]

* 3 August: North Korea fires a ballistic missile from South Hwanghae Province in the west of the country to the Sea of Japan.[19]
* 11 August: Egypt customs seizes more than 30,000 rocket-propelled grenades of North Korean production, off a ship.[20][21]
* Egypt customs seized the cargo of ship Jie Shun, on arrival at Ain Sukhna port, Red Sea, on 11 Aug, after Egyptian authorities were alerted by the US intelligence on possible shipment of North Korean arms on board of this ship. The arms were hidden under bins of iron ore.[20][21]
* It was later revealed in 2017 that much to Egypt embarrassment, it was revealed later, that ammunitions actually, were bought by Egypt itself, against the UN sanctions imposed on North Korean arms trade. Later the Jie Shun was taken to Al Adabiyah port, berthed there on 27 Aug. Since 27 Aug and as of 2 October 2017, the ship stopped transmitting its Automatic identification system.[20][21]
* 17 August: Thae Yong-ho, North Korea's deputy ambassador to Britain, defects.[22]
* 25 August: North Korea makes a major technological breakthrough by launching a ballistic missile from a submarine near Sinpo. It flies about 300 miles before falling into the sea inside Japan's air defense identification zone.[23][24]

### September

[edit]

* 9 September: N.K. conducts its fifth nuclear test, amid international condemnation.[25][26]

### November

[edit]

* 30 November: The UN Security Council unanimously issued resolution 2321, strengthening its sanctions regime against the DPRK, in response to that country's 9 September nuclear test.[27]

## Unknown

[edit]

* In 2016, Christmas was celebrated in North Korea, but with the religious overtones downplayed.[28]

## Sports

[edit]

North Koreans observe a training session for gymnastics at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

* Pak Chol wins the Pyongyang Marathon in the men's professional event and Kim Ji-hyang in women's.[29]
* August:[30] North Korea wins two gold, four silver, and two bronze medals at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.[31]
* World champions at the 2016 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup and the 2016 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup[32]

## See also

[edit]

* List of years in North Korea

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Korea, North". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
2. ^ "North Korea claims 'successful' detonation of hydrogen bomb test". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 6 January 2016.
3. ^ (AP)
4. ^ "North Korea Quake Near Nuclear Site Was Artificial, Says South". 6 January 2016. Archived from the original on 19 January 2017 - via www.bloomberg.com.
5. ^ "North Korea nuclear H-bomb test claims provoke scepticism and condemnation – as it happened". The Guardian. UK. Archived from the original on 14 January 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
6. ^ Sharp, Andy; Kim, Cynthia; Kim, Sam (5 January 2016). "North Korea Quake Near Nuclear Site Was Artificial, Says South". Bloomberg News. USA. Archived from the original on 14 January 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
7. ^ "Here's what we know about Kwangmyongsong-4 so far". North Korea Tech. Archived from the original on 22 September 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
8. ^ Lee, Hee Ok (2 March 2017). "THAAD: A Critical Litmus Test for South Korea-China Relations". 38 North, U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University's Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies. USA. Archived from the original on 2 March 2017. Retrieved 7 March 2017. "The decision to deploy THAAD has, in fact, severely damaged relations between China and South Korea, countries that have generally seen eye to eye on the North Korean nuclear issue. When North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test in January 2016, China issued a statement strongly condemning the North.[2] Despite that, the ROK proceeded on February 7, 2016 to begin official consultations with the United States on THAAD deployment. China fought the proposal from the start, contending that the potential step would violate its security interests and disrupt the strategic balance. China regularly voiced its criticism of the prospective deployment in even stronger terms, expressing hope that it would be "relinquished," warning that it would "wreck" bilateral relations and linking it to a "sword dance by the US aiming at China." When the ROK ultimately decided to deploy the system, China immediately said it had "expressed its strong dissatisfaction with and resolute opposition to the decision.""
9. ^ Choe, Sang-hun (10 February 2016). "South Korea to Shut Joint Factory Park, Kaesong, Over Nuclear Test and Rocket". The New York Times. USA. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
10. ^ "N. Korea keeps Kaesong complex intact one year after shutdown". Yonhap News Agency. ROK. 21 February 2017. Archived from the original on 7 March 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
11. ^ "Security Council Imposes Fresh Sanctions on Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Unanimously Adopting Resolution 2270 (2016)". un.org. Archived from the original on 17 March 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
12. ^ UN Security Council (24 March 2016). "Security Council Grants Mandate Extension for Expert Panel Helping Sanctions Committee on Democratic People's Republic of Korea". United Nations. Archived from the original on 9 April 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
13. ^ Perlroth, Nicole; Corkery, Michael (26 May 2016). "North Korea Linked to Digital Attacks on Global Banks". The New York Times. USA. Archived from the original on 1 March 2017. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
14. ^ Ripley, Will (20 April 2016). "N. Korean waitresses: 'Defectors' tricked". CNN. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
15. ^ Kwon, K.J.; Botelho, Greg (8 April 2016). "13 North Korean restaurant workers defect". CNN. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
16. ^ Schmidt, Michael S.; Choe, Sang-Hun (15 April 2016). "North Korea Ballistic Missile Launch a Failure, Pentagon Says". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
17. ^ Choe, Sang-Hun (23 April 2016). "North Korea Fires Ballistic Missile From Submarine, South Says". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
18. ^ Frank, Ruediger (11 November 2015). "The 7th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea in 2016: Return to a "New Normal" or Risk a "Take-Off"?". 38 North. U.S.-Korea Institute (SAIS). Archived from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
19. ^ "North Korea Fires Ballistic Missile Into Sea: South Korea". The New York Times. Reuters. 2 August 2016. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
20. ^ a b c Warrick, Joby (1 October 2017). "A North Korean ship was seized off Egypt with a huge cache of weapons destined for a surprising buyer". The Washington Post. USA. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
21. ^ a b c Schkvarkin, Erofey (2 October 2017). "Chinese freighter with North Korean arms seized in Egypt". Maritime Bulletin. Archived from the original on 2 October 2017. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
22. ^ Faiola, Anthony; Fifield, Anna (17 August 2016). "North Korea's deputy ambassador to Britain defects from London". The Washington Post. USA. Archived from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
23. ^ Fifield, Anna (4 April 2017). "North Korea fires a ballistic missile as Trump prepares to host China's Xi". Washington Post. USA. Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
24. ^ Fifield, Anna (25 August 2016). "North Korea hails 'greatest success' of submarine-launched ballistic missile". Washington Post. USA. Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
25. ^ Choe, Sang-Hun; Perlez, Jane (8 September 2016). "North Korea Tests a Mightier Nuclear Bomb, Raising Tension". The New York Times. USA. Archived from the original on 25 September 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
26. ^ Forsythe, Michael (9 September 2016). "North Korea's Nuclear Blasts Keep Getting Stronger". The New York Times. USA. Archived from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
27. ^ UN Security Council (30 November 2016). "Security Council Strengthens Sanctions on Democratic Republic of Korea, Unanimously Adopting Resolution 2321 (2016) – With Secretary-General Hailing Measures as 'Toughest Ever', Some Warn against Military Build-up on Peninsula". United Nations. Archived from the original on 12 December 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
28. ^ Talmadge, Eric (2016). "Christmas in N. Korea: Lights and trees, but void of Jesus". AP.
29. ^ "More Than 1,600 Runners Take Part in Pyongyang Marathon". VOA. Associated Press. 10 April 2016. Archived from the original on 24 September 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
30. ^ "Rio 2016 Olympics – Medals, Results & Video Highlights". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 9 March 2017. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
31. ^ "Democratic People's Republic of Korea – National Olympic Committee (NOC)". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
32. ^ "2016 a dream double year for DPR Korea". Asian Football Confederation. 5 December 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2017.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Armstrong, Charles K. (2017). "North Korea in 2016: Much More of the Same". Asian Survey. 57 (1): 119–127\. doi:10.1525/as.2017.57.1.119. ISSN 0004-4687.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2016 in North Korea.

Wikinews has news related to:

North Korea

* "Kim Jong Un's birthday still not a holiday". Daily NK. – analysis of the 2016 calendar
* "North Korea 2016/2017". Amnesty International.
* "North Korea: Events in 2016". Human Rights Watch.
* "Former Official Details North Korean Diplomacy In 2016". Forbes.

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