Venezuela y Corea del Norte suscribieron un memorando de entendimiento sobre cooperación deportiva entre ambos países, con el fin de apoyarse mutuamente en la “formación integral” de la ciudadanía para mejorar y conservar sus cualidades “físicas y morales”, informó este jueves el Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores en un comunicado. Full Text -> HolaNews

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During the inauguration of the Venezuelan Embassy in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in 2019, the Nicolás Maduro government declared its intentions to “expand the ties of friendship and cooperation between Caracas and Pyongyang.” While these allusions to a long-standing fraternity are constant in various official communiqués, both sides have chosen to gloss over certain uncomfortable facts as if they had selective amnesia. A careful analysis of Venezuelan-DPRK interactions seems to suggest that, rather than a case of “Socialist Solidarity” rooted in deep historical ties, what has really shaped this relationship has been the recent US efforts to isolate both countries. By Camilo Aguirre T. Full Text-> 38North

Traducción de cortesía -> Durante la inauguración de la Embajada de Venezuela en la República Popular Democrática de Corea (RPDC) en 2019, el gobierno de Nicolás Maduro declaró sus intenciones de “ampliar los lazos de amistad y cooperación entre Caracas y Pyongyang”. Si bien estas alusiones a una fraternidad de larga data son constantes en varios comunicados oficiales, ambas partes han optado por pasar por alto ciertos hechos incómodos como si tuvieran amnesia selectiva. Un análisis cuidadoso de las interacciones entre Venezuela y la RPDC parece sugerir que, más que un caso de “solidaridad socialista” arraigada en profundos lazos históricos, lo que realmente ha dado forma a esta relación han sido los recientes esfuerzos de Estados Unidos para aislar a ambos países.

Venezuela also expressed “serious concern” about the Panel of Experts looking into the matter because the U.N. presented “one single source” — an unspecified news media report — to Venezuela during its investigation. However, Maduro himself made the claim in front of news cameras at the Yellow House in Caracas on Sept. 30, 2019, just days after his top deputy Diosdado Cabello led a high-level delegation to North Korea. By Colin Zwirko. Full Text -> NKNews

North Korea state media delivered a veiled criticism of the United States in an article on the “situation in Venezuela,” days after the United States threatened to destroy any Iranian missiles shipped to the Latin American country. By Elizabeth Shim. Full Text -> UPI

U.N. investigators monitoring compliance with sanctions on North Korea are looking into a possible military and technology deal between Pyongyang and Venezuela and have warned Caracas that it could be in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions. By Luc Cohen and Michelle Nichols. Full Text -> The New York Times