From wn

North Korea said Monday it has decided to close its only direct diplomatic link with Washington, CNN reports.

The move was made days after the United States slapped sanctions on the country’s leader, Kim Jong Un, and other officials over human rights abuses.

Pyongyang and Washington do not have formal diplomatic relations, but North Korea’s mission to the United Nations in New York has acted as the main communication conduit between the two countries.

Now it will deal with Democratic People’s Republic of Korea – U.S. relations “under the wartime law of the DPRK,” according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Korea’s state-run news agency.

“The DPRK government sent the U.S. government a message on July 10 through the DPRK permanent mission to the UN in connection with the fact that the U.S. recently impaired the dignity of the supreme leadership of the DPRK by releasing what they call ‘report on human rights,’ and ‘lists of targets of special sanctions’ related to the DPRK.” – KCNA

The U.S. sanctions announced last week marked the first time Washington sanctioned Kim personally. Administration officials said Kim was “ultimately responsible” for what they called “North Korea’s notorious abuses of human rights.”

Pyongyang is already subject to heavy U.S. sanctions for its past nuclear and missile activity. But Wednesday’s action marked the first time regime officials had been sanctioned for human rights abuses

North Korea said it would take “practical actions” against the United States since it “refused to comply” with a demand that the sanctions measure be withdrawn, the KCNA reported Monday. The first phase of “stage by stage” actions would be cutting off the New York contact channel, the report said.

WN.com, Jim Berrie

For more on this story go to:  http://article.wn.com/view/2016/07/12/North_Korea_Closes_Only_Communications_Link_With_US/

Related story:

10 crazy facts about North Korea that’ll give you the creeps

From EMGN

If weird and scary had a baby, it’d be North Korea. Regularly threatening to “turn Washington and Seoul into flames and ashes,” the Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un is known for having a bit of a bad temper. However, there are many things we do not know about the self-proclaimed ‘Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.’ Without the freedom and expression and harsh travel limitations, it is hard to tell what’s real and what’s absolute horsesh*t in North Korea. Here are a few crazy facts about North Korea that are true – most likely.
1. Visiting Kim Jong-Il’s body is the thing to do.
emgn north korea pic 1blogspot

Yes, that’s right. You can visit Kim Jong-Un’s father and former North Korean leader in a state mausoleum. There, he’ll rest eternally, well-preserved in a glass tomb. Even Western tourists can enter the mausoleum and catch a glimpse of the Kim Jong-Il’s dead body.
2. Citizens are allowed 28 haircuts.
emgn north korea pic 2pinimg

Supreme leader Kim Jong-Un released a hairstyle catalog, containing the only 28 hairstyles that North Korean citizens are allowed to have. Young men have to keep their hair at a maximum length of two inches, while older men can grow it up to three inches (whoop whoop, freedom!). Married women are told to keep their hair short, while cheeky singles can rock up to the party with longer locks.
3. About half of North Korea’s population live in extreme poverty.
emgn north korea pic 3abc

Fifty percent of North Korea’s population live in extreme poverty. While keeping a large army and testing expensive weapons, the country’s economy can barely feed its own people. According to US News, “The standard of living has deteriorated to extreme levels of deprivation in which the right to food security, health and other minimum needs for human survival are denied.”

4. Satellites detected a network of labor camps.
emgn north korea pic 4novate

In the totalitarian system, the most crucial survival strategy is absolute obedience. As soon as citizens ‘misbehave’ (i.e. express their actual thoughts), they’re facing the danger of being locked away for a very long time. Reportedly, satellite photos of North Korea revealed the existence of hidden labor camps, where people are kept as slaves, living in prison barracks. Of course, North Korea keeps denying such accusations, claiming that “no human rights violations in our people-centered socialism.” People-centered socialism? Debatable.
5. They have only three TV channels.
emgn north korea pic 5ytimg

God, they must be so freaking bored! Seriously, what are they doing all day? They’re very occupied not ending up in certain people-centered labor camps, obviously. Like everything else, North Korean news is very biased, only allowing for standpoints that have been approved by the Supreme Leader himself.
6. The so-called ‘Peace Village’ is an uninhabited propaganda village.
emgn north korea pic 6destinationtbd

Within a well-guarded, demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea you can find one village on each side of the border. The North Korean village Kijong-dong appears to have everything people could ask for – great living conditions, superb schools and beautiful surroundings. Unfortunately, the village is completely uninhabited – it has only been erected in order to trick their neighboring country into believing that North Korea’s citizens greatly benefit from the country’s flourishing economy.
7. North Korea has a three-generation punishment rule.
emgn north korea pic 79gag

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, we had to prove you wrong. Reportedly, North Korea has a three-generation punishment rule. So if your grandfather disobeyed, you would probably end up in prison (or worse) as well.
8. Kim Jong-Un went to a Swiss boarding school.
dailymail

According to the Dailymail, Kim Jong-un went to a Swiss boarding school – and proved to be an academic failure. Obsessed with video games, he hardly passed any exams and struggled speaking both English and German. In the end, he left the International School Of Berne without any exam results.
9. South Koreans are scared of North Koreans digging tunnels into their territory.
emgn north korea pic 9world

Ever since four secret tunnels have been found between 1974 and 1990, some South Koreans are extremely paranoid. One of them is Lee Jong-chang, a Roman Catholic priest, who lives in fear of “hordes of crack North Korean troops streaming out and taking the whole city hostage.” Obviously, North Koreans are completely oblivious to the existence of any secret tunnels.
10. North Korea has the world’s fourth-largest standing army.
emgn north korea pic 10morningsunbd

With 1,190,000 active personnel and 600,000 reserves, North Korea’s army is the world’s fourth-largest. The Korean People’s Army (KPA), as it’s called, even comprises a special forces section. These special forces were supposedly responsible for the Blue House Raid in 1968, an assassination attempt of the South Korean president Park Chung-hee .

For more on this story go to: http://emgn.com/entertainment/10-crazy-facts-north-korea-thatll-give-creeps/