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Are North Koreans watching "Squid Game?" Will Pyongyang accept an offer of millions of COVID-19 vaccines? We tackle these questions and more in a roundtable discussion hosted by @JaccoZed on our latest episode of the NK News Podcast.https://www.nknews.org/category/north-korea-news-podcast/latest/has-squid-game-been-smuggled-into-north-korea-nknews-podcast-ep-212/908301 …

Kim Jong Un has been in power for a decade during the administrations of three different U.S. presidents. NK News polled experts for their thoughts on Washington's best decisions on North Korea over the last ten years. Here's what we found:https://www.nknews.org/2021/12/in-bidens-washington-north-korea-barely-moves-the-needle/ …

ANALYSIS: The U.S. appears to be showing diminished interest in North Korea under the Biden administration. @andreilankov writes on visiting Washington and gauging policymakers' current feelings towards the DPRK.https://www.nknews.org/2021/12/in-bidens-washington-north-korea-barely-moves-the-needle/ …

The U.S. will sanction North Korea's central prosecutor's office, one of its animation studios and a high-level official. These mark the Biden administration's first sanctions towards the DPRK, having previously said it would continue the existing regime.https://www.nknews.org/2021/12/us-to-impose-new-sanctions-against-north-korea-for-first-time-under-biden/ …

The U.S. is still willing to talk to North Korea "without preconditions" despite over a year of stalemate. Seoul's unification minister on Thursday also urged Pyongyang to respond to Washington's olive branch as soon as possible.https://www.nknews.org/2021/12/us-still-game-to-talk-to-north-korea-without-preconditions-ambassador-to-un/ …

Kim Jong Un set an ambitious year-end deadline to build 5,000 new homes in a mining town — and it appears to be on schedule. Recent satellite imagery shows workers putting the final touches on the buildings, suggesting that construction is nearly done.https://www.nknews.org/2021/12/north-korea-sees-progress-on-transforming-backward-mining-town-imagery/ …

2021 saw no shortage of interesting books on North Korea, exploring everything from culture to history. NK News presents our guide on what to buy this holiday season for every kind of DPRK watcher:https://www.nknews.org/2021/12/gift-guide-the-best-books-for-north-korea-watchers-this-holiday-season/ …

One of Washington's best moves with North Korea over the last decade was holding summits with Kim Jong Un, some experts told NK News. "The meetings created a new avenue for negotiation and brought Kim out of North Korea to the world," said @Doug_Bandowhttps://www.nknews.org/2021/12/10-years-of-kim-jong-un-what-was-washingtons-best-north-korea-decision-so-far/ …

"One issue where my interlocutors demonstrated a complete agreement is the assessment of the Biden administration’s attitude to North Korea. All agree: The DPRK is very low on the administration’s priority list," writes @andreilankovhttps://www.nknews.org/2021/12/in-bidens-washington-north-korea-barely-moves-the-needle/ …

The U.S. will impose new sanctions on North Korea: -Marks the first such measures under the Biden administration -Aimed at Pyongyang's prosecutor's office, an animation studio and a top official -Seven foreign individuals and entities also targetedhttps://www.nknews.org/2021/12/us-to-impose-new-sanctions-against-north-korea-for-first-time-under-biden/ …

Washington still wants to hold dialogue with North Korea, according to U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield. "We have made clear since the beginning of this administration that we are prepared to meet them without preconditions."https://www.nknews.org/2021/12/us-still-game-to-talk-to-north-korea-without-preconditions-ambassador-to-un/ …

An ambitious project to build 5,000 new homes in a "backwards" North Korean mining town appears to be on track to meet its deadline. Satellite imagery from October shows that finishing touches such as colorful roofing were being applied.https://www.nknews.org/2021/12/north-korea-sees-progress-on-transforming-backward-mining-town-imagery/ …

South Korean families separated by the Korean War are losing hope on being reunited, as many are now elderly and in poor health. According to a new survey, 82% of respondents said they have no idea if their relatives are still alive in North Korea.https://www.nknews.org/2021/12/families-separated-by-korean-war-giving-up-hope-of-meeting-loved-ones-survey/?t=1646919951153 …

The U.S. will use a new Long Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR) built in Alaska to project the country from missile attacks from the Indo-Pacific. North Korea notably boasted of successfully testing a Hwasong-8 hypersonic missile two months ago.https://www.nknews.org/2021/12/us-builds-new-radar-to-detect-ballistic-hypersonic-missiles-from-indo-pacific/ …

U.S. lawmakers are warning against an end-of-war declaration with North Korea, calling the move "premature." In a signed letter on Tuesday to National Security Advisor Jake Sulivan, 35 Republican representatives outlined their opposition to the proposal.https://www.nknews.org/2021/12/us-lawmakers-urge-white-house-to-reject-end-of-war-declaration-with-north-korea/?t=1646885384726 …

2017 was the height of "fire and fury" between the U.S. and North Korea. In the latest entry of our multipart column series, an ex-foreign diplomat writes on being in Pyongyang during this turbulent time for both countries.https://www.nknews.org/2021/12/a-diplomats-life-on-the-ground-in-pyongyang-during-the-fire-and-fury-era/ …

OP-ED: An end-of-war declaration would provide necessary incentive for Kim Jong Un to denuclearize. "North Korea has made it clear that denuclearization will require a peace process that includes concrete steps toward a peace treaty," writes @christineahnhttps://www.nknews.org/2021/12/a-declaration-to-end-the-korean-war-can-improve-american-and-korean-security/ …

NEW: What was Washington’s best decision towards North Korea in Kim Jong Un’s first decade of power? We ask the experts for their thoughts on White House policy from 2011 until now:https://www.nknews.org/2021/12/10-years-of-kim-jong-un-what-was-washingtons-best-north-korea-decision-so-far/ …

NEW ANALYSIS: North Korea appears to be on the back burner for the Biden administration. “Once Donald Trump left the job, North Korea drifted away from the White House priority list,” writes @andreilankovhttps://www.nknews.org/2021/12/in-bidens-washington-north-korea-barely-moves-the-needle/ …

NEW: The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control will impose new sanctions on North Korea, an informed source told NK News on Friday. These will be aimed at Pyongyang’s central prosecutor’s office, an animation studio and a high-level official.https://www.nknews.org/2021/12/us-to-impose-new-sanctions-against-north-korea-for-first-time-under-biden/ …