N. Korea unilaterally applies for taekwondo's inscription as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage

North Korea has unilaterally applied to list taekwondo, a traditional Korean martial art, as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, the UNESCO website showed Friday. The North submitted an application to the UNESCO headquarters in March to include taekwondo on the ICH list, according to the UNESCO website. UNESCO's Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage is expected to decide on the application in 2026, after assessing taekwondo's qualificat

Aug. 9, 2024

N. Korea names 4 new ambassadors in less than 10 days

North Korea has named new ambassadors to four countries since late July, marking its first ambassadorial appointments since February 2021 after the COVID-19 pandemic. From July 30 to Thursday, North Korea's Foreign Ministry announced the appointments of ambassadors to Vietnam, Singapore, Romania and Cuba on its official website. Han Su-chol has been appointed as the ambassador to Cuba, the Foreign Ministry announced Thursday, without providing further details. Han is believed to be the indi

Aug. 9, 2024

Samsung phones for N. Korean Olympians could breach UN sanctions: Seoul

The South Korean government on Thursday flagged that North Korea's receipt of Samsung-gifted smartphones, specially customized for all athletes competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics, could constitute a violation of UN sanctions. The International Olympic Committee has provided all athletes at the Paris Olympics with specially designed Olympic Edition Galaxy Z Flip6 smartphones from Samsung Electronics, an official event sponsor. The Unification Ministry in Seoul said the North Korean Olympic

Aug. 8, 2024

NK leader describes recovery work in flood-hit region as 'revolutionary construction'

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has attended a ceremony to dispatch young workers to flood-affected areas on the northern border, describing the restoration efforts as a "gigantic revolutionary construction campaign," state media said Wednesday. The border city of Sinuiju and Uiju County in North Phyongan Province were recently struck by heavy rains. While North Korea has not released detailed information on the damage, South Korean media outlets have reported that the number of dead o

Aug. 7, 2024

N. Korea denounces Germany for joining UN Command

North Korea criticized Germany for its recent entry into the United States-led UN Command, calling it an act of ruining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, its state media said Tuesday. On Friday, Germany formally joined the multinational mechanism overseeing the armistice of the 1950-53 Korean War as the 18th official member state. The North "strongly denounces Germany's entry into the United Nations Command, regarding it as an act of wrecking peace and stability on the Korea

Aug. 6, 2024

N. Korean leader Kim attends ceremony commemorating tactical ballistic missile weapon system

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has attended a ceremony to commemorate the transfer of a new-type tactical ballistic missile weapon system, which serves as the "pivot military hardware" in the armed forces, state media reported Monday. Kim attended the ceremony, which took place Sunday, showcasing 250 new-type tactical ballistic missile launchers, according to the Korean Central News Agency. Kim also delivered a speech, stating that an important task specified in the practical guidelin

Aug. 5, 2024

N. Korea open to Russian flood aid, snubs S. Korean offer

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un showed starkly different responses through state media to humanitarian aid offers from South Korea and Russia aimed at assisting in the recovery of its flood-stricken northwestern region bordering China. Kim lauded Moscow's gesture as "heartfelt sympathy from the closest friends," while he remained silent on Seoul's outreach and vehemently criticized the South Korean media's coverage of flood damages as a "vicious smear campaign,"

Aug. 4, 2024

S. Korea proposes flood aid, talks with N. Korea

The South Korean government on Thursday publicly offered humanitarian aid to flood-hit North Korea, calling on Pyongyang to engage in talks to discuss the specifics and delivery of the relief assistance. "We express our willingness to swiftly provide urgently needed supplies to assist the flood victims in North Korea from a humanitarian and fraternal standpoint," Park Jong-sul, the secretary-general of South Korea's Red Cross, which works with the government on humanitarian effort

Aug. 1, 2024

[From the Scene] First monument erected at border to honor N. Korean defectors

PAJU, Gyeonggi Province -- A monument titled "Courage for Freedom" was unveiled on Thursday in the border city of Paju, offering South Korean visitors a vantage point overlooking North Korean territory. The monument honors the bravery of North Korean defectors who undertook perilous journeys in pursuit of freedom and poignantly commemorates the countless North Koreans who tragically perished while attempting to escape. This monument -- the first dedicated to North Korean defectors and

Aug. 1, 2024

Morocco, Korea remember Korean War sacrifices, tout thriving ties

Morocco and Korea recalled the sacrifices of martyrs and thriving bilateral ties, marking the accession of King Mohammed VI to the throne in 1999. This year is the 25th anniversary of Mohammed VI's appointment as the Moroccan monarch, succeeding his father, King Hassan II. In his remarks, Moroccan Ambassador to Korea Chafik Rachadi highlighted the longstanding ties between Morocco and Korea, noting that Korea's first embassy in Africa was established in Morocco. While diplomatic relati

Aug. 1, 2024

ASEAN, Indo-Pacific partners call for N.Korea to comply with UN resolutions

Major Southeast Asian nations and their Indo-Pacific partners, including South Korea and the United States, have called for North Korea to "fully comply" with U.N. Security Council (UNSC) resolutions banning its nuclear and missile programs, as they wrapped up an annual ministerial meeting in Laos last week. The chairman's statement from the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), released Tuesday, also called on countries to "fully implement" UNSC resolutions on North Korea and mak

July 31, 2024

NIS closely watching N. Korea-China ties amid signs of rift

South Korea's intelligence agency is closely watching relations between North Korea and China, amid increasing signs of the two countries growing apart, officials said Wednesday. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) said it is monitoring any unusual moves after learning that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has apparently instructed his diplomats stationed in China "not to mind Beijing" when they are on the job. South Korea's JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported earlier in the

July 31, 2024

Covert agent identity leaks trigger alarm over S. Korea's intelligence operations

An ongoing investigation into the leak of military secrets, including personal details of South Korean covert agents abroad, has raised serious concerns about the potential impact on the human intelligence operations critical for gathering information on North Korea. South Korea's Defense Ministry confirmed Tuesday that its central military court issued an arrest warrant for a civilian military employee of the Korean Defense Intelligence Command "on charges including leaking military s

July 31, 2024

No exchange between Koreas' separated families since Feb. of last year

South Koreans with relatives in North Korea have not been in contact with their kin across the border for over a year, government data showed Tuesday, highlighting the increasingly worsening relations between Seoul and Pyongyang. According to the Ministry of Unification, there has been no contact between the separated families of the Koreas at the civilian level since February of last year. This refers to individuals connecting with their relatives through a non-government broker, which must b

July 30, 2024

NK trash balloons disrupt Incheon Int'l Airport operations on 12 occasions: lawmaker

North Korea's recent campaign of launching trash-carrying balloons toward South Korea has disrupted operations of Incheon International Airport, the South's main gateway, on 12 occasions, a lawmaker said Tuesday, citing government data. According to data from the Seoul Regional Aviation Administration submitted to Rep. Yang Bu-nam of the main opposition Democratic Party, runways at the airport have been shut down for a total of 265 minutes across 12 occasions due to the balloons sent f

July 30, 2024

N. Korea's Kim attends events marking 71st anniversary of armistice signing

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met with war veterans and attended celebrations marking the 71st anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War, the North's state media said Sunday. The Korean War broke out on June 25, 1950, when tank-led North Korean troops invaded South Korea. The United States and 20 other allied countries fought on the side of South Korea under the UN flag. The conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, on July 27, 1953. Kim attended a

July 28, 2024

N. Korean leader says 'kindred' ties with China to be 'firmly' carried forward

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has said "kindred" relations with China will be "firmly" carried forward as he visited a monument symbolizing bilateral ties, state media reported Saturday, amid suspected signs of strain between the traditionally friendly countries. On Friday, Kim visited the Friendship Tower in Pyongyang, which was erected to commemorate China's participation in the 1950-53 Korean War, and paid tribute to fallen Chinese soldiers during the war, a day ahe

July 27, 2024

N. Korea sends some 500 trash balloons into S. Korea earlier this week

North Korea's latest round of its balloon campaign involved around 500 balloons carrying scrap paper and plastic sheets, including those that fell on the presidential office compound in the capital, South Korea's military said Thursday. In what marked the second of its kind this week alone, North Korea launched the trash-carrying balloons the previous day, as the South Korean military blared anti-Pyongyang broadcasts in full scale through its border loudspeakers in response to the repe

July 25, 2024

US sanctions China-based individuals, entities accused of supporting NK missile, space programs

The United States on Wednesday slapped sanctions on a China-based network of six individuals and five entities for their alleged involvement in the procurement of items supporting North Korea's ballistic missile and space programs. The Treasury Department issued the sanctions after Pyongyang's persistent launches using ballistic missile technology, including a failed attempt at a military spy satellite launch in May, in breach of UN Security Council resolutions. The department stressed

July 25, 2024

Koreas in 'fierce' cultural battle to win hearts of N. Koreans: minister

Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho on Tuesday emphasized that South Korea's cultural wave is fiercely battling the cultural indoctrination of the Kim Jong-un regime to win the hearts and minds of North Koreans. "With the influx of external culture and information such as South Korean soap operas and K-pop, many North Koreans are consuming Juche culture by day, South Korean culture by night," Kim said in his keynote speech at the 2024 International Dialogue on North Korean Human Righ

July 24, 2024