Korea

After years of debacle, South Korea has managed to rebound his birth. Now it’s time to find out how the hell has done it

by

Demographic statistics is nothing more than that: Demographic Statistics. Pure and hard mathematics, with objective and reading data. For years, however, their chronicles in South Korea transmit a dire air, as of announced death. And it’s normal. The country has seen how its birth rate descended to such low dimensions that in 2024 the country had to declare itself in “demographic emergency” and assume officially that it is a “society Super aging“ Now that seems to be changing little by little, which raises two questions: Has Korea achieved out of the demographic hole in which it has been immersed for years? And if so, how? They are key issues for Seoul, but also for other neighboring countries with birth problems, such as China either Japan. What happened? That against all forecast, South Korea Start to get used to to their demographic statistics arrive accompanied by positive signs. That does not mean that they are good at all, the country has managed to stop its demographic bleeding or its fertility rate stands above “Replacement level”; But they are favorable news after all. And that did not happen for a long time. A figure: 20,717. The latest data published by Statistics Korea show that in April they were born in the country 20,717 babies8.7% more than 19,059 counted during the same month of 2024. The data is interesting because it leaves several positive readings. The first is that three years ago the number of monthly lights remained below the 20,000 barrier. The second is that this 8.7% growth shows the highest year -on -year increase in the last three and a half decades. You have to go back to 1991 to find another similar percentage. More babies, more weddings. There are not only more babies. There are also more couples giving the ‘yes I want’. The data Statistics Korea show that in April 18,921 marriages in the country were formalized, which leaves an interannual increase of 4.9%. The data invites optimism for another reason: it is the thirteenth consecutive month in which this indicator is green. It may seem a minor issue, but in the South Korean society couple and birth They go hand in. There are studies that calculate that less than 5% From babies they are born out of marriage. Coincidence or trend? That is the question that surveys the birth data of Korea. Especially since the last years have been marked by the shadow of the pandemic, which modes to take many couples to postpone their wedding plans or even the decision to become parents. In his favor the country has to They are not the first in positive. Seoul already said goodbye to 2024 with a positive birth rate (the number of births 3.6% increased), something that had not happened for a decade. Looking for the causes. At this point, the question is obvious: beyond the influence of the pandemic, is there any factor that explains the rebound in birth in the country? The question is interesting for South Korea, but also for other nations that have been dealing with demographic challenges, such as Japan, China, Russia or many European nations, including Spainwhich in recent years has gained population thanks basically to foreigners. “The increase in births seems to be influenced by the increase in marriages since last year, the growth of the population of women between 30 and 39 years and various birth promotion policies by central and local governments,” Clarify Statistics Korea to the Yonhap News agency. In summary, after the birth rebound in Korea there would be three major factors: more weddings, the effect of the ‘Probebé’ policies and that in the country there are more women in the first section of the thirties. A concept: echo boombe. At least part of the demographic change would therefore be explained thanks to demography itself. And the key is in a certain group of the cohort of the echo boomers. The Guardian remember That the population born between 1991 and 1995 begins to reach the “ideal” age to marry and have children and that group has grown sensitively. If in 2020 there were about 1.51 million women between 30 and 34 years old, now there are already 1.65 million. To its possible effect, the wide range of policies that for years have deployed the South Korean authorities (both regional and state) to encourage the formation of couples and birth rate are added. And that includes from the delivery of generous ‘Baby checks’ to the application of Fiscal incentives, parental permitsinitiatives for Improve food of mothers or even appointment programs (with prize included) to form new couples. Well but not perfect. The latest data from Statistics Korea are good, but they are far from being perfect and of course they do not allow South Korea to launch the bells on the flight. On the contrary. Although birth is emerging, the country’s fertility rate remains at 0.79far from the replacement level that the country needs to keep its population stable without depending on immigration. In addition, although the number of births with respect to 2024 has increased, they remain clearly insufficient to stop the fall of the national census. The reason? Babies are born, but in the increasingly aging Korean society there are also more deaths. The deaths grew 0.8% year -on -year in April until adding 28,785. Images | Nathan Q (UNSPLASH) and Tommao Wang (UNSPLASH) In Xataka | Throughout Europe, birth rate collapses as soon as women begin to earn more money. Except in Sweden

North Korea has just opened its own “Benidorm” for 20,000 tourists. The mystery is now who will go there

by

To Kim Jong-un we usually see him dispatching with uniformed subordinates or supervising missile throws, always cooling in his everlasting MAO neck suit. Much less common is to see it as This Tuesdaywhen it was recorded sitting in a folding chair with a soda and a package of cigarettes while contemplating how people slid down a huge water slide. Nothing strange if we consider that what Kim was doing was neither more nor less than inaugurate The “New Benidorm” North Korea. The Great question Now, after the fanfare and pomp of the inauguration is: How the hell is intended to fill it a hermetic and suspicious country of foreign tourism? Welcome to Wonsan Kalma. North Korea already has His particular Benidorm. Officially, with opening tape cut and fireworks included. Tuesday The leader of the nation, Kim Jong-un, went to the new Megacomplex Kangwon tourist to preside over the start -up of one of its biggest projects: a Marina D´or to the Korean, with aquatic parks, hotels, beach kilometers and ability to accommodate 20,000 guests. MAO NECK WITHOUT. Kim Jong-un is more or less common to see him dispatched with subordinates, meeting with other leaders and supervising missile launches or warships (not always). And in all these cases its aesthetic is usually identical: gray or black suit, usually of the mao neck, and sober expression. Wonsan Kalma is a place of recreation, so there he offered a more informal picture and enjoyed a mass bath which K-pop star. Kim also appeared accompanied by his wife, Ri Sol-Juwho had had a year and a half away from the spotlights, and his daughter Ju-Aeof 12 years already the one that usually signs up as the future heiress of the family saga. Next to them Kim walked along Wonsan beach, inspected the hotels and even sat on a folding chair (refreshment and pitillo by hand) to see how a comrade slid down a water slide. Neither easy nor fast. Wonsan-Kalma is news because North Korea He has just given it By inaugurated, but in reality the project is not new, much less unknown. Moreover, he has been talking about him since 2013, when Kim Jong-un, then just enthroned in the Korea Workers Party advertisement His desire to turn Wonsan into a “tourist city.” Curious bet if one takes into account that the authorities had used the region to Try your missiles. That Kim opts precisely in that area of ​​North Korea is no coincidence: he grew up there, surrounded by luxury, and his coast is bathed by the sea of ​​Japan. The idea was that the new tourist complex was Ready in 2022but on the way several inconveniences crossed: the covid and a serious shortage of materials aggravated by international sanctions, so that his calendar was expanding until he went into the second half of the decade. Last summer the state agency KCNA slid that Wonsan Kalma could be ready in May. It will take something else: you will start receiving visitors July 1. And who will visit it? We know that Wonsan Kalma has hotels, aquatic parks, pools with slides, four kilometers of beachrestaurants and commercial areas, but what is not so clear is how North Korea will manage to fill it. Especially since the government itself remembers that it has the capacity for tens of thousands of visitors: their accommodations can host 20,000 people And in his day he slid that the capacity of the complex would be even greater. The KCNA agency only states that Wonsan-Kalma will begin offering services to “National Clients” As of July 1, without mention of plans to promote the complex or capture visitors outside the country. To the inauguration of Wonsan Kalma, yes, a delegation of Russian authorities including the ambassador, one more sample of the approach between Pyongyang and Moscow. Gesture question. It is not easy to know what plans Kim has in tourism, one of the few legal channels available to the nation to capture foreign currencies; But over the last months the North Korean regime has given forward steps (and Also some other behind) to open timidly to foreign tourism, knocked out after pandemic. By mid -2023 the restrictions They relaxedmonths later the country began to receive Russian visitors already early this year He surprised the world when opening its doors to a reduced handful of Western tourists. That did not last long. Weeks later He turned back. In April the capital celebrated a marathon in which allowed Run to foreigners, especially Russians and Ethiopians. Looking at Russia. The CNN Precise that at the moment the Russians seem to be the only ones who will have it more or less easy to step on the new tourist complex. One of his agencies, Vostok Intur, is in fact promoting several packages for the coming months with Pyongyang scale. Your price? Around 1,800 dollars. In 2019 North Korea received some 300,000 visitors foreigners, especially Chinese, who generated a flow of between 90 and 150 million dollars. Images | KCNA In Xataka | North Korea has revealed a small manhattan of 10,000 apartments. The problem is what is behind the facade

The US attack on Iran was a forceful message to the development of nuclear weapons. Less for North Korea

by

It is very possible that a nation has been stuck to television by observing everything that happened in Iran. About 20 years ago, North Korea began Send engineers Specialized in the excavation of deep tunnels to Tehran. Two decades later, what was learned was tested through the greater furtive attack of the United States against Iranian underground nuclear facilities. A nuclear lesson. They had several analysts In the CNN than the recent ones United States bombings by deployment of b-2 bombersThey have caused an immediate shock not only in the Middle East, but also in Eastern Asia. For experts, this act of force launches a clear (and dangerous) message to North Korea: without nuclear weapons, You are vulnerable. For Kim Jong Un, which has been reinforcing for years Your atomic program As the Central Survival Pilar of the regime, the US attack confirms a long sustained narrative: nuclear deterrence is the only reliable shield against a regime change from the outside. Thus, far from determining proliferation, military action against Iran could accelerate Pyongyang’s arms expansion, in addition to strengthening its Strategic Alliance With Russia, which has become A military lifeguardtechnological and vital economy For the North Korean regime since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. The Moscow-Pyongyang axis. We have gone counting. Since 2024, North Korea and Russia have Institutionalized your cooperation in a strategic agreement of broad scope. According to A report of the multilateral sanctions monitoring team, Pyongyang has sent More than 14,000 soldiers and millions of ammunition, including missiles and rockets, to support the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In return, has received Air defense systems, anti -aircraft missiles, electronic warfters, critical military technology and refined fuel. Plus: the ability to Build Shaheds. This exchange not only finances the North Korean military program, but allows you to access to advanced technologiesdirect experience in modern war and an alternative source of resources to Western sanctions. In the eyes of the North Korean regime, the pact is not only pragmatic but necessary in the face of international isolation, and the attack on Iran makes it even more indispensable. Examples feeding the paranoia. From that perspective, the strategic message could not be clearer to Kim: countries that do not have nuclear weapons are exposed to American intervention. Iraq was invaded without having weapons of mass destruction. Libya left his nuclear program in exchange for diplomatic normalization, just to see Gaddafi overthrown years later. Iran signed the nuclear agreement and maintained its enrichment below the arms threshold, According to the OIEAbut it was still attacked. Two certainties. In contrast, North Korea has already done Six nuclear testshe owns between 40 and 50 active heads and has developed ballistic missiles Intercontinental capable of reaching the United States. Its arsenal, which includes multiple launch vectors, makes Pyongyang an actor with real deterrence and radically differentiates it from Iran. For Victor Cha, from CSIS, American bombings to Iran reinforce in Kim two certainties: The United States does not have a viable military option against the North Korean nuclear program, and its decision to maintain and expand its nuclear arsenal was correct. First nuclear submarine of North Korea Tripartite deterrence. In addition, there is a difference against Iran: North Korea has a Triple Defense System that complicates any American military option. First, its own nuclear arsenal, second, the defensive alliance with Russia, which allows Moscow to intervene automatically in case of attack, and third, the legal and political need of Prior consultation With South Korea, required by the bilateral treaty with Washington, which converts any action into a regional and diplomatic high voltage issue. In this regard, Professor Lim Eul-Chul warnedfrom the Kyungam University, which attacking North Korea could detonate a Total nuclear wargiven your ability to respond. “It’s not Iran,” LEIF-AMER EASLEY emphasizesby Ewha Womans University. Pyongyang can Attack directly To the United States and, in addition, Seoul is shot from most of its weapons systems. Deterrence when rearma. The foreseeable consequence of the attack on Iran is a hardening of the North Korean position. The regime could Accelerate your tests Ballistics, advance in new eyes, experiment with long -range propulsion and expand your attack vectors. I would also do it under the mantle Russia protector and in open indifference to the resolutions of the UN Security Council, whose coercive effects have been reduced to a diplomatic formality. In strategic terms, North Korea’s reaction will probably not be defensive but expansive: Technological cooperation with Moscow, joint military exercises, transfer of ballistic knowledge and new forms of economic and military interdependence. The TNP. They remembered In The Conversation That the non -proliferation treaty, adopted in 1968, was a commitment between the five recognized nuclear powers (United States, Soviet Union, France, United Kingdom and China) to not transfer nuclear weapons and commit, at least formally, to disarmament. In return, other countries promised not to develop atomic weapons. The treaty, then reinforced with the additional protocol of the OIEA, endowed the nuclear inspection agency for broad powers for Verify peaceful use of atomic energy. It was the Oiea who first warned in 2003 about the suspicious enrichment of Uranium in Iran. And it was also this organization that, weeks before the recent bombings, denounced the Iranian breach for the first time in twenty years. A fragile pact. However, effectiveness of the TNP It has been undermined for decades. The nuclear powers never fulfilled their disarmament commitments. In the case of North Korea, He withdrew from the treaty In 2003, he performed his first nuclear test in 2006 and today could possess up to 50 eyelets. Israel, meanwhile, never formally joined, and maintains a unpacked arsenal. India, Pakistan and North Korea have stayed out or have been disconnected. In other words, the covenant has weakened by its own architecture that, although universal, is structurally vulnerable. Iran and North Korea. To all this, the professor of economics underlined Anthony Burke that Iran now has Two roads. The first would be to reconstruct its uranium enrichment capacity and acquire … Read more

In South Korea there is a curious phenomenon that keeps economists and fans of the K-Pop in suspense: the return of BTS

by

For a time BTS’s careerone of the most popular K-Pop bands on the planet (if not the most popular), seemed unstoppable. Their sales added millionslike his Fans legions Inside and outside South Korea or its fame in the music industry, which soon extended to the Anglopartla market. The Septeto broke barriers, crowned in the Billboard 200 And even posed with Joe Biden In the White House. In 2022 however things changed. At its peak, the Boy Band advertisement A temporary pause forced by something that had little to do with music: the mili. Now its seven members have fulfilled the obligations with Seoul and You talk already next resentment With a background question: what will you mean for the K-Pop, a cultural industry Milmillonaria In full transformation? When BTS hung the rifle. In South Korea the law is relentless: all men between 18 and 28 must Comply with mandatory military service (or social volunteering) for a period ranging between 18 and 21 months. The rule provides some exemptions for athletes, dancers or young people who have achieved large awards in their disciplines and suppose a pride for the country. The same does not happen with K-pop singers. At most they can, thanks to a reform approved in 2020, delay recruitment up to 30 years. Hence In 2022 BTS members did something strange in a formation uploaded to the crest of the wave and with a growing fame both inside and outside Korea: they announced a break to do the mili. Its seven components do not have the same age or enlisted at the same time, hence the band’s reunion It was announced already by then by 2025. And the date came. The oldest component, Jin, was enlisted in December 2022 and ended his service in June 2024which has allowed him to return to the stage and resume his solo career. In recent weeks, RM, V, Jimin and Jung Kook have also graduated. The last to fulfill its obligations with the South Korean state, Suga, did it Just a few days ago. In practice, Remember Nikkeithat means that (if there are no surprises) in July all members of the Boy Band They will be able to resume their joint career. And, as expected, that has unleashed the expectation of the international press and its fans. The agency that represents the band has confirmed to The New York Times That he still cannot relieve any return plan, but that has not prevented BTS fans from being celebrated and some leaks jump. A few days ago Variety It echoed of an exclusive of The Korea Herald That states that the group will return to the stage in more or less nine months, towards March next year. Nikkei does not specify so much, but reveals That the band’s environment rules out that a stage is once again on the stage. Much more than pop music. That BTS’s return plans (despite being diffuse still) have monopolized holders in the means of reach of The BBC, CNN either Tnytreveals that Boy Band South Korean is much more than a popular group. BTS is relevant for several reasons. And not all strictly musical. Beyond its success in the West or to break molds by crowning the Billboard 200, BTS is a key exponent of Hallyu, The “Korean wave” that has expanded the culture, music and cinema of the country far beyond its borders. In 2024 Asia Fund Managers assuredciting a survey of the South Korean government itself, which the Hallyu wave added around 225 million fans throughout the world, far from the 9.26 million that its first survey had shown, made in 2012. According to its calculations, in 2023 there were more than 1,700 Hallyu fans clubs in 119 countries and much of them (68%) focused on the K-Pop. It’s culture … and it’s money. Asia Fund Managers remember Also that the influence of the K-Pop is not limited to the music industry or the concert circuit. That there are more pending people of South Korean groups translates into greater interest in the country’s culture, their language, kitchen, tourism or fashion, which has a measurable impact on Wones. Wion ensures that the global value of exports of products and services related to the K-POP exceeded 5,000 million dollars in 2018, a stratospheric figure compared to 40 million only two decades ago. The figures should be handled cautiously, but give an idea of ​​the mayor of the K-Pop as a cultural industry. There is Who esteem which in 2018 contributed 1.7% of South Korea’s GDP. “K-pop has become an important cultural force, influencing fashion, beauty and language trends,” Reflect ROMADHONI FAILUATE IN MEDUM. “This has contributed to promoting South Korean culture and tourism, generating an increase in income in these sectors.” And what does BTS suppose? In 2022 Korea Science published A report which reflects that in full international expansion the “BTS effect” came to boost exports of consumer goods of South Korea worth $ 1.1 billion. In 2021, during An interview In the NPR, Vanek Smith went even further and estimated that the Boy Band It contributes hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars every year to the South Korean economy. Its effect reminds in a way that of Taylor Swift, whose activity reverses in thousands of millions of dollars for the United States, according to the Federal Reserve. The K-Pop in crisis? Yeah Filtration of The Korea Herald It is correct and BTS returns to the stage in March 2026, the big question is … will it meet the same K-Pop in 2022, when the group announced its temporal break? During this time already measured, some members have continued with solo careers and during these last years their agency has strategically launching issues and videos to keep interest in the Boy Band. The K-POP scene also has other outstanding representatives, such as Blackpink, Seventeen either Newjaans. However, during the last years There has been multiple voices that have identified symptoms of Crisis in the K-Pop. … Read more

If the question is how far Russia’s help comes to North Korea, the answer has a war name in Ukraine: Shahed

by

At the beginning of June more than what is behind that convergence between Moscow and Pyongyang was known. It was known by The protagonists themselves that North Korea had been sending armament for months and soldiers to Russia in his invasion to Ukraine. In return, Russia was giving him what Kim longed for: A functional army. Therefore, the question in the air seemed clear: how much “? The answer has name and origin … in Iran. The Moscow-pyongyang axis. Revealed it in an extensive interview The War Zone Medium General Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukrainian military intelligence. Apparently, Russia has begun to transfer critical technology to North Korea for the Drones production Long -range Kamikazes and high -precision ballistic missiles, transforming Pyongyang into a key node of Russian war machinery and altering military balance in Asia. Shahed. Among the ceded systems, the ability to manufacture the Shahed-136 drones (known in Russia as Geran), originally from Iranian design and responsible for much of the massive air attacks About Ukraine. Russia already manufactures about 2,000 drones Shahed a month and plan to raise that figure 5,000so the outsourcing towards North Korea responds to a need to maintain the offensive rhythm without saturating its own industry. Providing Pyongyang with this capacity also means giving the possibility of saturate the defenses South Korean antialeas or even re -export drones to Russia for use in Ukraine, feeding a cycle of arms collaboration that consolidates a new authoritarian axis in the global war setting. A Shahed 136 Iranian drone The KN-23 under Russian tutelage. The benefits for North Korea do not end in drones. Budanov details How Moscow has significantly improved North Korean ballistic capacity, especially the KN-23 missile (also known as Hwasong-11), that in its first lots sent to Russia It was useless for its low precision and structural failures. However, thanks to direct technical cooperation with Russian specialists, the missiles have been redesigned until reaching a level of lethal precision, with implications that greatly exceed the Ukrainian conflict. The technological transfer also extends to the system of Air-Aire missiles long range and, possibly more worrying, to submarine systems capable of launching nuclear ballistic missiles. KN-23 The nuclear unknown. Although Budanov does not reveal exact details in the interview, Yes, it makes clear that the development of the naval component of the North Korean nuclear deterrence It is being directly supported by Moscow, which clearly amplifies the destructive potential of Pyongyang and, what is doubtful, alters the strategic balance in the Asian northeast. Korean ammunition. Support is not just technician and we have gone counting. North Korea has provided Russia with an artillery arsenal that includes since Obuses D-74 122 mm to self -propelled cannons 170 mm Koksan and multiple launcher 240 mm mlrs. The latter, According to Budanovthey have proven precise and troops in the field Battle, which explains that Russia has already received 120 units and it is expected that the shipments continue. And much more. In addition, Korea has sent about 11,000 soldiers To the Russian Oblast of Kursk, evidencing that his commitment to Moscow goes far beyond logistics. He also recalled the agreement reached by the Secretary of the Russian Security Council, Serguéi Shoigú, during his visit to Pyongyang, whereby the Entrance of “Labor migrants” North Koreans to replace the exit of Central Asian workers, considered vulnerable to Western infiltration. Budanov warns That many of these “workers” could end up signing military contracts, becoming de facto in Russian soldiers of North Korean nationality, thus expanding the North Korean presence in the front without officially declaring it. Military survival. If you want also, strengthening North Russia – Corea It responds not only to immediate operational needs, but to long -term strategic interests. Moscow obtains armament, soldiers and time. On the other sidewalk, Pyongyang receives technology, implicit diplomatic support and A unique opportunity to position themselves as military power beyond the Korean peninsula. Collaboration is based on a logic of mutual survival: While Russia seeks Nuclear weapons Operational and advanced drones, raising their threat capacity, for example, South Korea and other actors in the region. Challenge to global balance. The alliance, therefore, is not just a regional problem as we indicate A few weeks ago: marks a change in the dynamics of global power, where authoritarian actors share sensitive military technology to avoid sanctions, accelerate their ambitions and challenge established balances. The battlefield in Ukraine, in this context, becomes, again, the laboratory of a new war architecture that now It transcends its borders. Image | National Police of UkrainePresidential Executive Office of Russia, MEHR News Agency, VITALY V. KUZMIN In Xataka | North Korea has been sending armament for months to Russia. In return, Russia is giving him what longs for her: a functional army In Xataka | Russia has confirmed one of the great unknowns of war in Ukraine: North Korea accompanies them and not only with troops

North Korea has run out of the Internet this weekend. The question is who uses the Internet in this country

by

The Internet connection of all North Korea has fallen for several hours this weekend. At first it seemed reasonable to anticipate that the interruption of the connection could be caused by A cyber attack from the outside as response to attacks against foreign institutions and companies Orchestrated by Lazarusa group of hackers North Korean elite. However, according to ReutersSeveral experts defend that the origin of the problem lies in North Korea and not in an external cyber attack. Junade Ali, a United Kingdom researcher who monitors the behavior of the North Korean Net They hold which seems to be an internal problem and not an attack from abroad due mainly to the fact that connections through China and Russia were also affected. In any case, the main news services of the country, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Air Koryo airline were some of the web pages that remained inaccessible for several hours. North Korean citizens do not have free Internet access North Korea has one of the most restricted Internet connection infrastructure on the planet. The North Korean government controls it in a strong way with the purpose of preserving the isolation of the country against abroad and ensuring that the administration led by Kim Jong-un exercises absolute control over the information that citizens can access. In practice, the main consequence of this strategy is that North Koreans have a much more limited Internet vision than that we can form the users of other countries. Some north Korea institutions do have total access, or almost total, to the Internet Interestingly, some north Korea institutions do have total, or almost total access to the Internet. The hackers They work for the government, the political elite, the army, government agencies and scientists presumably access to many more resources on the Internet than citizens, although these groups also They are subject to strict supervision of the administration. An interesting note: North Korea is connected to the outside only through two fiber optic links. One of them links this country with China thanks to a connection managed by China Unicom, and the other unites Russia. Whatever the most shocking thing for people who live outside this enigmatic Asian country is that citizens only have access to a completely closed national intranet and controlled by the government known as Kwangmyong (in Spanish it means ‘bright light’). As we can intuit, this Intranet is isolated from the Internet and only brings together a few resources that the Kim Jong-un government considers appropriate so that they can be enjoyed by citizens, such as news and propaganda of the government itself, an internal email service, educational websites and several encyclopedias that, again, are controlled by the administration. This is all. Image | Lukas Kindl More information | Reuters In Xataka | North Korea has been sending armament for months to Russia. In return, Russia is giving him what longs for her: a functional army

North Korea threw his “greatest war boat,” he sank instantly and now he is trying to recover it with … balloons

by

Last week a relevant event occurred in North Korea. The nation presented in society a destroyer who was going to become the largest warship in the nation, and for this he had announced the bombing and dish with all kinds of political representations. However, just touching water, The ship sank and ended sideways. Kim Jong-un did not come out of his astonishment and promised fix the ship In the short term. The space is showing that they are trying, although with mixed results. Balloon hypothesis. Satellite images over the weekend revealed the appearance of a kind of balloons Around the ship. South Korean and Western experts have speculated that these balloons could have various functions: Avoid new water leaks, prevent recognition from drones or relieve the weight that fell on the still stranded part on the dock. The objects have a form reminiscent of small airships or aerostatos, and some seemed to be equipped with stabilizing fins. Although traditional flotation structures such as those used by the United States (for example, air cameras under the helmet) were not detected, analysts believed that North Korean technical resources limit the options of rescue available. The position of the ship then, embedded between earth and sea, further aggravated the technical challenge, since any attempt to straighten it could fracture the keel and condemn the ship to its total scratch. Precarious advance. With this week’s entrance the satellite images captured by Planet Labs showed a great change. The North Korean frigate of Choi-Hyun class seems Finally straightened and now floated on its own in the port of Chongjin. This advance represented a modest achievement after public embarrassment that the accident for Kim Jong Un, who personally witnessed the disaster. Although Pyongyang had initially affirmed that the damage was minor and that the repair would take “About ten days”the complexity of the situation, the lack of adequate facilities and the little transparency of the regime generate doubts about the true state of the ship. Beyond Parallel and 38 North have confirmed that They have been completed the first rescue operationsbut they warn that it is still A long way to go before the frigate can be considered restored or ready for incorporation into the fleet. Technical details and limitations. The most recent image shows the boat (about 5,000 tons of displacement) floating in the center of the port, surrounded by other auxiliaries and with what they seem to be, again, rescue balloons and temporary ramps around them. Although the ship has recovered a vertical position, it presents a slight inclination towards port, indicating that it still water is being pumped and stabilizing the structure. They have not been able to accurately evaluate the damage to the helmet due to the limited resolution of the images, but experts Like Jennifer Junof the CSIS, insist that continuous monitoring will be key to assess Real progress of the works. Since the Hambuk shipyard in Chongjin does not have a functional dry dock, it is possible that the ship should be transferred to another installation if severe structural damage is confirmed, something that cannot be discarded yet. Political pressure and propaganda. What’s doubt, the political pressure imposed by Kim Jong una (who ordered that the ship was repaired before the next plenary session of the Central Committee at the end of June) has added an almost theatrical emergency component to recovery efforts. However, both analysts and South Korean military sources consider extremely unlikely that this period can be fulfilled. The reason? The lack of a Public Evaluation credible the state of the ship and the insistence of the regime to project efficiency at all costs contrast with the visible evidence: blue canvases covering damaged sections and the suspicion of internal deformations in the keel, which could inevitably compromise the integrity of the helmet. A touched symbol. As we countthe injured frigate is the second unit of its class, after the launch of the Choi Hyon in Apriland represents the most ambitious attempt of North Korea of ​​modernizing its naval power. Equipped with multiple weapons systems, these vessels are intended to be a symbolic response to the naval presence of South Korea and the United States in the region. However, the failure of the launch and the improvised rescue works have exposed the technical and logistics limitations of the country. As now He pointed 38 Norththe ruling was probably due to a malfunction of the launch mechanismwhich left the helmet trapped by the bow on the ground while the stern rushed into the water. The result was a stranded vessel in A highly unstable anglethe worst possible scenario for any naval rescue operation. Uncertain end. In summary, and although the regime can proclaim having made an advance by having put the frigate again afloat, the operational reality seems Much more uncertain. The lack of visual evidence of the state of the helmet, the absence of a suitable dry dock and the political pressure For fulfilling unreal terms they draw a panorama in which the ship could end up being more useful as a propaganda symbol than as a functional element of the North Korean navy. At the moment, the ship remains in a floating limbo: straightened, or almost, and without being operational. And above all, exposed to International viewdespite all attempts for cover Its rugged story and progress. Image | Sentinel-2, CSIS/BEYOND PARALLEL/MAXAR In Xataka | The ridiculous premiere of the “Greater War Ship” of North Korea has a great suspect: Kim Jong-un In Xataka | North Korea has been sending armament for months to Russia. In return, Russia is giving him what longs for her: a functional army

The latest in Robotics of South Korea is not humanoid or works in factories. Does something out of the ordinary: Parkour

by

The physical state. As detailed in A video available on YouTube, the first step is taken by the planner, which generates possible routes from a map of the environment. That map is continuously updated with sensor and simulations data. Then, a neuronal network rules out risky options and stays with the most efficient. The tracker, on the other hand, guides the precise movements of the robot. It was trained through reinforcement learning, a technique based on trial and error, which prepared it to adapt to dynamic and challenging scenarios. To save calculation time, Raibo reuses their own footprints: the hind legs step on where they did the front before. Raibo training simulation As they count, the robot was able to run on irregular surfaces, overcome stones, cross inclined ramps, climb stairs and even jump gaps of more than one meter. It reached a speed of 2.7 meters per second. And the most surprising: if the goal moved, the robot detected and recalculated its route without help, without stopping and without losing control. Meanwhile, robotics does not stop in the rest of the world. Raibo’s advance is not an isolated case. It is part of a global wave of developments in which robotics and AI are more and more intertwined. Without ia, robots would continue to be little more than a set of sensors and engines. With AI, they are able to interpret their environment, make decisions and execute complex tasks with autonomy. Companies like Google are betting on it. With Gemini Roboticstheir last great project, have designed a system capable of controlling different types of robots in real time, understanding human language, pointing to 3D objects and adapting to new situations without prior training. The search engine giant says that his performance in unforeseen tasks doubles that of previous models. For now, this technology is in the test phase, but Google already collaborates with companies such as Apptronik or Boston Dynamics to integrate it into advanced humanoids. China is also accelerating. And it is not the only region that is investing strong in this direction. In China, humanoid robots not only train: they compete. A few weeks ago, The country celebrated a Kickboxing tournament Between four G1 robots by Unitree Robotics. He was broadcast live and showed how these machines were able to dodge blows, get up alone after falling and continue fighting with surprising agility. They are 35 kilos robots and up to 23 degrees of freedom, designed with state -of -the -art sensors, and according to organizers, new multisport competitions are already in preparation. Robots developed in China in a boxing ring And there are already robots working in real factories. Meanwhile, in the United States, some humanoid robots have left the laboratory and are entering real factories. One of them is Figure 01, that has long worked in a BMW plant in South Carolina. This robot, developed by the Figure company, can open doors, climb stairs and manipulate objects autonomously. Of course, it still moves slowly and needs to be connected by cable permanently. Parkour as the advancement of the future. All this helps to understand why Raibo’s case is so fascinating. It is not humanoid, nor has it been created for industry or home. But it shows that, combining real -time decision algorithms with light hardware and advanced training, it is possible to create machines that not only execute orders, but also improvise and have an agility that causes vertigo. Touch to wait to know how these advances find a place in really useful applications. There will be the real leap. Images | Robotics & Artificial Intelligence Lab In Xataka | Nvidia desperately seeks engineers for its Taiwan R&D center. They even accuse you of “stealing them” to TSMC

Now we know why North Korea has never left Ukraine. Send missiles to Russia has made it a power

by

For a while nobody has heard more about North Korean troops In the Ukraine War. However, the nation has never left the conflict in Eastern Europe. In fact, now it has been known The scope of the collaboration between Moscow and Pyongyang. While North Korean missiles arrived in Russia, another package of measures and artillery has been transforming the military capacity of North Korea. A war and its missiles. I told yesterday The Guardian. A prepared report For the UN sanctions multilateral group of the UN, it has revealed that Russia is using North Korean armamentincluding ballistic missiles and heavy artillery, to intensify their attacks against Ukrainian cities and destroying critical civil infrastructure. According to this consisting team by 11 countries (Among them the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan and several EU nations), the Kim Jong-un regime has sent Moscow More than 20,000 containers With ammunition since September 2023, equivalent to some nine million projectiles of artillery and rockets. This massive arms supply, a VIOLATION OF RESOLUTIONS The UN Security Council has allowed Russia to hold and intensify its long -distance bombing campaign, especially in urban areas such as Kyiv and Zaporiyia. From Korea to Russia. The revelation arrives shortly after Kim and Putin signed An association treaty Comprehensive strategic in the summer of 2024. The same compromises both powers to Attend mutually If one of them is attacked. This pact formalizes a military alliance that already It had been brewing de facto through the systematic exchange of armament, technology and military personnel. The transfer of weapons It is not limited To projectiles: North Korea has supplied Russia Balistic missilesLong -range multiple launches, self -propelled cannons and other advanced ammunition, sent by sea, air and rail. Military Renaissance. For decades, North Korea dragged a chronicle inability to modernize His army. Isolated by international sanctions, devastated by natural disasters and impoverished by its own autarkic policy, Pyongyang maintained an oxidized military apparatus, with Soviet technology from the mid -twentieth century and insufficient resources to update it. However, and as explained this week The New York TimesRussian invasion to Ukraine has offered Kim Jong-un an unexpected opportunity: a military power needy ammunition, soldiers and conventional material. In exchange for supplying those millions of projectiles and thousands of troops, Kim has received from Moscow Fuel, food, technological assistance and a flow of weapons, components and knowledge that have completely transformed the North Korean military industry. Expanding arsenal. Thanks to this tacit exchange pact, North Korea has multiplied its capacity Armamentistic HE They have identified Modernized tanks with electronic war systems, attack drones led by artificial intelligence, advanced anti-aircraft systems, air-air missiles and naval destroyers equipped with supersonic cruise missiles. Ha also Test missiles Antiacera under the direct supervision of Kim, who has intensified his visits to ammunition factories and military facilities. He kamikaze drones trial With self -destruction capacity, directed by AI, it has been one of the most striking acquisitions, reducing the South Korea gap in the field of conventional weapons. These improvements reflect a Russian technological transfer that would have been unthinkable in the recent past. Troops, experience and diplomacy. Kim has not only exported ammunition. I remembered the Times that has also sent up to 15,000 soldiers North Koreans to the Russian Front, mainly in the Kursk region. Although Moscow initially hid his presence, in the end he recognized his participation as “significant”. For the North Korean regime, this deployment has an incalculable formative value: thousands of soldiers get real experience in combat, returning as veterans, something that not even the South Korean army can exhibit. According to analyststhis symbolic and strategic component full of pride to Kim and reinforces its internal and external image, providing it with greater margin of maneuver against key actors such as Trump or Jinping. If you want also, the result is a north Korea more assertivewith renewed military muscle and expanded negotiation capacity. North Korea nuclear submarine A pact without sanction. It is another of the legs that derive from the alliance. The Cooperation with Russia has allowed North Korea avoid effectively The sanctions of the UN Security Council, which explicitly prohibit the arms trade with the Kim regime. Plus: The Ukrainian conflict has facilitated A perfect route To overcome those restrictions. Moscow needs projectiles and soldiers, Pyongyang Technology and validation. The relationship, which began as A practical exchangehas been institutionalized with the signing of that alliance treaty that we commented. Since then, North Korea has intensified the construction of new destroyers Navales, has reactivated its program Nuclear submarines and has expanded its ammunition industry, multiplying by four its production of artillery projectiles. Naval ambitions. And of all, one of the most disturbing advances We commented recently: The presentation of Choe Hyon destroyerthe first of its class in decades, armed with cruise missiles similar to Russian 3m22 Zirconpotentially nuclear. To this is added the construction project of A nuclear submarinewhose only possibility is a qualitative leap in Pyongyang’s offensive capacity. Although many experts doubt that Moscow dares to share naval nuclear technology (especially a compact reactor for submarines), the fact that North Haya publicly shown The beginning of its construction suggests an unprecedented level of ambition. Its existence, even incomplete, already alters the strategic calculations of the United States and Japan in the Pacific. Errors and improvisations. No doubt, this meteoric advance is not exempt from errors: the recent shipwreck Of the second destroyer, which occurred shortly after his launch, caused Kim’s anger and the arrest of several officers. The incident reveals the pressure that the North Korean leader is exercising on his technical and military apparatus to accelerate development deadlines. Even so, with the support of Russia, these failures do not seem to stop the general rhythm of modernization. Kim has proposed to fulfill the ambitious arms program announced in 2021, and with the resources and knowledge acquired from Moscow, it is closer than ever to achieve it. Power rebalancing. Meanwhile, for Seoul, Tokyo and Washington, the North Korean military transformation … Read more

North Korea was going to throw his greatest war boat and ended up sinking it into the sea. Everything points to a culprit: Kim Jong-un

by

Making a fool of it is something that It is not anyone’s pleasure. Surely you have ever stumbled down the street and looked around to see if someone had seen you. Now, imagine that what stumbles is a Military ship of 5,000 tons and several million dollars and sinks at the time of its premiere. That is what happened last week when Kim Jong-un He witnessed how His brand new war ship sank before the impotence of all those present and under the watchful eye of the rest of the planet. And everything indicates that the error was because, as the Spanish proverb points, the hurry are not good. Short. Days before the event, satellite images They showed both the vessel and a scenario in which what seemed to be an observation zone. Probably, the place from which Kim Jong-un was going to witness that historic moment. And the truth is that it was historic, but not for the reasons he would have wanted. On May 23, during the launch ceremony of the new North Korean destroyer (the second of its most advanced class), all attendees in the front row and the world was witnesses of a Technical failure that ended in disaster: the ship overturned. That symbol of power, with 143 meters in length and 74 vertical missile launch cells, ended up ridiculous. How do we float it? Satellite images later Analyzed by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, or CSIS, they showed the ship partially sunken with tarps that covered the disaster. And, although at first the rush was blamed, we now have more clues about everything that could go wrong. Obviously, there is no official information from North Korea, but in The New York Timeswe can see that there are analysts who are quite clear what the problem was. Or the sum of them. Image | CSIS/BEYOND PARALLEL/MAXAR When a ship is finished, there is Several ways to ‘throw it’ into the water. We have the sliding launch in which the ship slides on a ramp into the water. The dry dock in which the ship is built in a dry dock and, once finished, the water dike is filled (That is done with cruises). Also the mechanical launch by cranes, the launch with airbags that are placed under the ship and allow it to slide to the water. And the side launch that drops the side ship into the water. Normally, a single technique is used, but in the North Korean destroyer disaster it seems that sliding and side techniques were used. And not because that’s how it was planned. Perfect storm. As noted The New York TimesIt was the first time that analysts watched North Korea use the side launch to throw a war ship. This technique is sure if it is done well, but in Large ships It is more likely that a problem appears, with dire consequences if it happens. The reading of the analysts is that, using that technique for a 5,000-ton ship points to a lack of experience added to the political pressures by Kim Jong-un to achieve rapid results. The destroyer was manufactured in the port city of Chongjin that has experience assembling ships of such magnitude, but not something as huge as this ship. This puts on the table that a possible trigger was that inexperience When throwing such large ships. In the absence of a dry dike of the appropriate size, it is estimated that the engineers tried the lateral launch to throw it into the water, but the angle was not correct and, when trying to slide it, the ship was unbalanced and ended up lying on the right side. When it goes well, as happened with this fighting ship of 3,500 tons in 2013, it is worth seeing: And it can also go wrong: The hurry are not good. Interestingly, this destroyer is from Choe Hyun classwhose first model was inaugurated successfully Last month. It was going to be the second great frigate of North Korea and the new example of that naval remodeling that Kim Jong-un is promoting. And the precedents were good: the first It was built In the city of Nampo and, because it is a larger shipyard, they could put it afloat through the technique of dry dock. There were no major problems and, at the inauguration, the ruler saw how test missiles were thrown successfully. However, there are hurry in the government dome to follow demonstrating to the world its military potentialwhich has led the president to visit the shipyards who are building new ships to accelerate delivery deadlines. In addition, there are information They point out that, although the ship could have thrown out correctly, the ocean exit street is narrow and has a questionable depth. I made a. pic.twitter.com/urflog6leo – Dr. Jeffrey Lewis (@armsControlwonk) May 22, 2025 Firm hand. And who will pay for this? At the moment, the ridiculous has resulted in several arrests of members of the responsible shipyard itself. The Central News Agency of Korea reported that the chief engineer, a senior armament official and another member of the installation had been arrested, and Kim himself described The accident as a “criminal act”, demanding An urgent restoration of the ship before June. Country engineers estimate that, pumping seawater, they can straighten the ship and repair damage. And it will take about ten days to do it, but it seems complicated because, after a week, Keep as it was. Sentinel-2 images of May 23 and 28. Despite the clouds, we can see that the destroyer continues exactly at the same point And sarcasm. From South Korea, which always have an eye and a half placed in what their neighbors doThey think something else. Yang UK is an expert in North Korean military affairs of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul and, as Tnyt comments, the incident may not be only an accident, but something caused by a structural imbalance on the ship itself. … Read more

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.