N. Korean leader urges bolstering war deterrence, citing US nuclear threats

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has once again called for enhancing the country's war deterrence, including the readiness of its nuclear capabilities, in response to what he described as growing nuclear threats from the United States, state media said Wednesday. Kim made the remarks during his inspection of "strategic missile bases," the Korean Central News Agency said in an English-language dispatch. The report did not specify the location or the date of the inspection. "As

Oct. 23, 2024

NK leader's sister accuses S. Korea, Ukraine of provocation, likens them to 'bad dogs bred by the US'

The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un slammed South Korea and Ukraine on Tuesday for what she claimed was a military provocation against Pyongyang, likening the two countries to "bad dogs bred by the US." The statement by Kim Yo-jong, vice department director of the central committee of the ruling Workers' Party, came days after South Korea's spy agency said the North was sending troops to fight alongside Russia in the war in Ukraine. "A military provoca

Oct. 22, 2024

S. Korea, UK to initiate 2+2 talks, boost defense ties

Top diplomats of South Korea and the United Kingdom have agreed to launch foreign and defense ministerial "2+2" talks early next year in a bid to strengthen their joint response to regional and global security threats, while pledging further cooperation on co-developing defense capabilities, according to a joint statement released Tuesday. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy met for the 9th Korea-UK Foreign Ministers' Strategi

Oct. 22, 2024

Russian, N. Korean flags displayed together on Ukraine battlefield

A pro-Russia Telegram account has posted a photo showing the Russian and North Korean flags side by side on a Ukrainian battlefield, indicating that North Korea has likely sent troops to support Russia in its prolonged war with Ukraine. The image, shared by a blogger named @rvvoenkor_bot on Monday, showed the two flags raised together over a mine in Pokrovsk, one of the strongholds on Ukraine's eastern front. The blogger said that the North Korean flag has recently been raised on a hill at

Oct. 22, 2024

N. Korea sends about 20 trash balloons toward S. Korea: JCS

North Korea has floated about 20 balloons carrying trash toward South Korea since Saturday night, and some 10 objects from the balloons were found in the border county of Cheorwon, the South Korean military said Sunday. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said the trash-loaded balloons were sent across the border between Saturday night and early Sunday and the fallen objects were household waste, such as paper and vinyl, and included no hazardous items. The number of dropped items does not necessarily cor

Oct. 20, 2024

Russia prepares Korean-language questionnaire for N. Korean soldiers: CNN

Russia appears to have prepared a Korean-language questionnaire to facilitate the distribution of military equipment to North Korean soldiers deployed in its territory, CNN reported. The questionnaire, provided by the Ukrainian Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security (SPRAVDI), is seen as further evidence that North Korean troops may be joining Russian forces in the conflict in Ukraine. The questionnaire includes instructions requesting soldiers to provide their hat, uniform

Oct. 20, 2024

Xi expresses willingness to promote regional, global peace in message to NK leader

Chinese President Xi Jinping has sent a message to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, expressing a willingness to move relations between the two countries further forward and to promote regional and global peace, Pyongyang's state media reported Sunday. Xi sent the message on Wednesday in response to a message that Kim had earlier sent on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of China's founding in 1949, according to the North's Korean Central News Agency. "China and the DPRK ar

Oct. 20, 2024

N. Korea warns countries joining US-led sanctions monitoring team will pay 'dear price'

North Korea's top diplomat has criticized a new multilateral sanctions monitoring team led by the United States as "unlawful and illegitimate" and warned the participating countries will "pay a dear price," state media reported Sunday. North Korea's Foreign Minister Choi Sun-hui issued a statement condemning the sanctions regime after South Korea, the US, and Japan on Thursday announced the launch of the monitoring mechanism with eight other countries, following Rus

Oct. 20, 2024

N. Korea claims discovering remains of drone sent from S. Korea in Pyongyang

      North Korea claimed Saturday it has discovered remains of at least one drone sent from South Korea, describing it as the same type displayed on the South's Armed Forces Day in Seoul earlier this month. Pyongyang has accused Seoul of sending drones carrying anti-North Korean propaganda leaflets over the capital. But South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun said that he could not confirm the North's allegations. A North Korean defense ministry spokesperson said in a stateme

Oct. 19, 2024

US 'highly concerned' over reported NK troop dispatch for Russia's war in Ukraine: NSC spokesperson

The United States is "highly concerned" about North Korea's reported dispatch of troops to support Russia in its war against Ukraine, a White House official said Friday, noting that Washington will consult with allies on the implications of "such a dramatic move" if the report is true. On Friday, Korea time, South Korea's National Intelligence Service confirmed the North has decided to send around 12,000 troops to support Russia in the war and has already be

Oct. 19, 2024

North Korea sends troops to support Russia in Ukraine war: NIS

North Korea has dispatched special forces to support Russia in its war against Ukraine, with the first batch already having arrived in Russia and a second group of North Korean troops expected to follow soon, South Korea's intelligence agency claimed on Friday. The National Intelligence Service said it "confirmed that North Korea began its participation in the war by transporting special forces to Russia via Russian Navy transport ships from Oct. 8 to 13." However, the NIS provided no

Oct. 18, 2024

Kim Jong-un drills front-line troops, branding S. Korea as 'foreign, hostile'

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un doubled down on the legitimacy of using offensive forces against South Korea in the event of a contingency, drilling into front-line troops the notion of South Korea as both a "foreign" and "hostile" country. Kim on Thursday visited the headquarters of the Korean People's Army's 2nd Corps positioned on the front lines near the inter-Korean border, with Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea Pak Jong-chon

Oct. 18, 2024

NK's gradual unveiling of constitutionalizing ‘2 hostile Koreas’ exposes dilemma: experts

After a week of silence following its parliamentary session, North Korea on Thursday effectively claimed to have revised its constitution to declare South Korea a "hostile state" while reporting on the severance of inter-Korean routes. The Rodong Sinmun, the most widely circulated newspaper in North Korea, reported Thursday on its front page that the General Staff of the Korean People's Army on Tuesday implemented measures to sever roads and railways connecting the two Koreas alon

Oct. 17, 2024

N. Korean hackers steal $3b in cryptocurrency since 2017 to fund nuclear program: report

North Korean hackers have stolen an estimated US$3 billion worth of cryptocurrency since 2017, using the funds to support the regime's nuclear and missile programs, a Microsoft report showed Thursday. Of that amount, between $600 million and $1 billion was stolen just last year, based on Microsoft's Digital Defense Report for 2024. The report highlights that these stolen funds have financed over half of Pyongyang's nuclear development efforts. Since last year, Microsoft has identi

Oct. 17, 2024

NK constitution 'clearly' defines S. Korea as 'hostile' state: KCNA

North Korea said Thursday its constitution clearly defines South Korea as a "hostile state," highly suggesting that Pyongyang has amended its constitution in line with leader Kim Jong-un's order to codify the South as an enemy, not a partner for reconciliation and unification. The Korean Central News Agency made the report while reporting on the North's blowing up earlier this week of roads and railways connected to South Korea that were once considered key symbols of inter-K

Oct. 17, 2024

S. Korea, US, Japan align on response to NK escalating provocations

South Korea, the United States and Japan have agreed to coordinate their responses to North Korea's recent escalating provocative steps targeting South Korea, based on a shared assessment of the current situation on the Korean Peninsula, US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said Wednesday. Campbell said South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun and Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Masataka Okano "were able to conduct a deep and sustained review of the situation on the

Oct. 16, 2024

S. Korea 'closely' monitoring possibility of N. Korea sending troops for Ukraine war

The defense ministry said Wednesday it is "closely" monitoring for signs of North Korea possibly sending troops to support Russia in its war against Ukraine, following media reports of Russia forming a battalion of North Koreans. Ukrainian media outlets earlier reported that Russia is organizing a special battalion that is expected to include up to 3,000 North Koreans due to manpower shortages amid concerns over deepening military cooperation between the two countries. "As there

Oct. 16, 2024

N. Korea's state media keeps mum about its explosion of inter-Korean roads

North Korea's state media on Wednesday remained silent about its explosion of inter-Korean roads connected to South Korea the previous day. North Korea blew up parts of the Gyeongui and Donghae roads north of the Military Demarcation Line on Tuesday, a move seen as highlighting its commitment to severing ties with South Korea. In August, North Korea cut off the Gyeongui and Donghae railways. The Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper targeting the domestic audience, did not carry an

Oct. 16, 2024

Kim Jong-un charts military action over alleged drone incursion

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Monday convened an unprecedented meeting resembling a national security council, where he outlined the course of "immediate military action" in response to what his regime alleges was a South Korean drone incursion over Pyongyang, state media reported Tuesday. The meeting came four days after North Korea’s Foreign Ministry's statement that accused South Korea of sending drones into Pyongyang’s airspace on three occasions -- Oct. 3, 9,

Oct. 15, 2024

N. Korean leader's sister accuses S. Korean military of flying drones over Pyongyang

Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, accused the South Korean military on Monday of sending unmanned drones carrying leaflets over Pyongyang in recent days, while also blaming the United States for the incident. "We clearly know that the main culprit behind the Pyongyang drone incident is the trash of the South Korean military," Kim said in a statement carried by North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency. She, however, provided no eviden

Oct. 14, 2024