N. Korean FM vows stronger ties with China in meeting with new envoy

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui has met with China's new ambassador to Pyongyang and vowed a "firm" willingness to further develop friendly ties between their nations, state media said Tuesday. Choe met Ambassador Wang Yajun, who paid a courtesy call on her, Monday, and the meeting was held in an amicable atmosphere, according to the Korean Central News Agency. "They expressed a firm stance to further develop the traditional and friendly relations between the North

May 9, 2023

[Graphic News] Number of N. Korean defectors coming to S. Korea reaches 34 in Q1

　The number of North Korean defectors coming to South Korea reached 34 in the first quarter, government data showed. 　After escaping the North, five men and 29 women reached the South in the January-March period, bringing the total number of the North’s defectors to 33,916, according to the data from Seoul’s Unification Ministry. 　The data compared with 11 people in the first quarter of last year and 25 tallied in the fourth quarter. 　The number of North Korean defectors coming t

May 8, 2023

NK hasn’t answered hotlines for a month

North Korea has refused to take regular phone calls from South Korea for a month, while stepping up criticism of the Yoon Suk Yeol government’s policy of strengthening coordination with the United States in countering and deterring escalating North Korean threats. Pyongyang has violated the inter-Korean commitment to hold calls through the liaison and military hotlines twice a day, in the morning and afternoon. But the Kim Jong-un regime has not provided any clear explanation for why it un

May 7, 2023

Satellite imagery suggests new construction near N. Korea's satellite launch station

Recent commercial satellite imagery indicates new construction is taking place at North Korea's major rocket launching site in a move likely aimed at modernizing the facility, according to a recent report from a U.S. think tank. A coastal area previously used for agricultural purposes near the Sohae Satellite Launching Station in the country's northwestern province of North Pyongan appears to be undergoing construction based on the satellite imagery taken Sunday, according to the 38 No

May 6, 2023

N. Korea intensifies criticism of S. Korea-US deterrence plan

North Korea's state media on Friday intensified Pyongyang's criticism of a recent summit agreement between South Korea and the United States on strengthening US extended deterrence. Citing articles carried by Chinese news outlets, the North's Korean Central News Agency reported that the summit agreement would create a new Cold War structure in Northeast Asia and increase risks of confrontation in the region. The KCNA also hinted that North Korea may carry out more provocations if

May 5, 2023

N. Korea steps up criticism of S. Korea-US deterrence plan

North Korean workers and members of social groups have joined the North's criticism of a recent summit agreement between South Korea and the United States on strengthening US extended deterrence, according to state media Thursday. The working class and trade union members held a protest in the border city of Kaesong the previous day, saying that the whole country was "enraged with the will to destruct the enemies," according to the Korean Central News Agency. The KCNA said partici

May 4, 2023

[Alliance in Action] S. Korea, US should aim to render NK nuclear weapons useless

South Korea and the United States should focus on rendering North Korea’s nuclear arsenal useless to gain the upper hand over North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, according to former US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg. Pyongyang’s expansion of its nuclear weapon stockpiles won’t make that big of a difference as long as the allies project the perception to Kim that the use of even one nuclear weapon will undoubtedly result in the “instant end” of his regime. &l

May 3, 2023

N. Korea's youth holds rally against S. Korea-US deterrence deal

North Korean youth and students held a rally to denounce a recent agreement reached by the leaders of South Korea and the United States on strengthening US extended deterrence, Pyongyang's state media said Wednesday. The official Korean Central News Agency reported that the protest was held in South Hwanghae province the previous day to "sternly punish" the US and South Korea, or what it called a "gangster" and "puppet" state, respectively. The KCNA said the pa

May 3, 2023

S. Korea to release report on N. Korea's economic, social situations for 1st time

South Korea's unification ministry said Tuesday it plans to publish a report on economic and social situations in North Korea for the first time in November to help better understand people's lives in the secretive regime. The report will include statistical analysis on social and demographic features in North Korea, and show changes in the North's economic and social situations, based on testimonies from the North's defectors, according to the ministry. Since 2010, the gover

May 2, 2023

[Graphic News] About 60% of young people say unification with North Korea unnecessary

About 60 percent of South Koreans in their 20s and 30s said unification with North Korea is not necessary, a survey showed, amid the ongoing impasse in inter-Korean relations and denuclearization talks. The survey, commissioned by a civic media group called Barun Media Citizen Action, found that 61 percent of people in their 20s and 30s say Korean reunification is “not absolutely necessary.” In comparison, 24 percent of them say unification with North Korea is “absolutely neces

May 2, 2023

N.Korea dismisses legitimacy of sending US nuclear submarine

North Korean state media on Monday refuted the legitimacy of deploying a US nuclear-armed submarine to South Korea, as part of its ongoing criticism of the new landmark nuclear deal signed by the leaders of South Korea and the United States. Pyongyang has released a spate of public statements that denounce the Washington Declaration inked by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and President Joe Biden on Wednesday. The new deterrence strategy aims to better address escalating nuclear and missile

May 1, 2023

N. Korea vows to bolster 'military deterrence' in response to Washington Declaration

North Korea will step up its "military deterrence" against South Korea and the United States, state media said Sunday, blasting this week's summit agreement between the two sides on strengthening the US extended deterrence as a "product of heinous hostile policy" against Pyongyang. The Korean Central News Agency ran a commentary criticizing President Yoon Suk Yeol's state visit to the US this week as "the most hostile, aggressive and provocative trip and a dang

April 30, 2023

Kim's sister says S Korea-US deterrence plan would result in 'more serious danger'

The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un slammed a new South Korea-US agreement bolstering Washington's nuclear deterrence efforts against North Korean threats on Saturday, saying the allies' plan will only result in "more serious danger." In North Korea's first response to the Washington Declaration adopted during President Yoon Suk Yeol's state visit to the US, Kim Yo-jong said that the agreement reflects "the most hostile and aggressive will of

April 29, 2023

[Contribution] From Tesla to Rimac -- a highway to EV mobility

Following its energy transition strategy, the European Union has announced that the production of petrol cars within the EU market will be halted after 2035, as confirmed by the European Parliament last week. Overall adherence to this goal among EU member states has thus far been encouraging. In 2021, 19 percent of all newly registered passenger vehicles in the EU were electric, with more than 1.2 million EV cars sold. In some countries, such as Norway, 75 percent of all newly registered cars we

April 25, 2023

Ukraine hopes for S. Korean arms in fight against Russia

Ukraine is hoping for South Korea's defense support in its fight against Russia, said the Ukrainian Embassy in Seoul on Monday. The comments came after President Yoon Suk Yeol said that South Korea could provide aid beyond humanitarian or financial support if Ukraine comes under large-scale attacks against civilians in an interview with Reuters on Wednesday. Korea can support Ukraine by providing state-of-the-art Korean-made defense equipment, said the embassy. "The continuation of tim

April 25, 2023

S. Korea to soon release English version of its report on N. Korea's human rights

South Korea's unification ministry said Tuesday it plans to release the English version of its report on North Korea's human rights situation within a few days. In late March, the government made public its report on the North's human rights violations for the first time, highlighting widespread rights abuses, such as public executions and torture. "We are preparing to release the English report within a few days," a ministry official told reporters on condition of anony

April 25, 2023

S. Korea, US sanction N. Korean tied to cybercrimes

South Korea and the US sanctioned a North Korean believed to be linked to cybercrimes meant to bankroll North Korea’s nuclear and weapons programs -- the first ban the two allies have jointly rolled out on a single individual. Sim Hyon-sop, the North Korean in question, worked for a North Korean bank already sanctioned by the United Nations Security Council resolutions, and was responsible for “creating fake accounts, money laundering and other illegal financial activities,” th

April 24, 2023

About 56% of people support developing nuclear weapons to counter N. Korea's threats

About 56 percent of South Koreans support developing nuclear weapons to counter North Korea's escalating nuclear threats, a survey showed Sunday. The survey of 1,008 adults, conducted by pollster Realmeter last week, found that 56.5 percent of respondents say they support building own nuclear weapons and the issue needs to be discussed at an upcoming summit between President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden. In contrast, 40.8 percent said they oppose developing nuclear weapons.

April 23, 2023

N. Korea says its status as nuclear weapons state 'final, irreversible'

North Korea's foreign minister said Friday that the United States and the West have no right to argue about its status as a nuclear weapons power, slamming a recent joint statement by the Group of Seven (G-7) diplomats as interference in internal affairs. In a statement, Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui took issue with the G-7 Foreign Ministers that condemned the North's unlawful ballistic missile launches and said Pyongyang "cannot and will never" have the status of a nuclear w

April 21, 2023

N. Korea begins countdown to first spy satellite launch

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered the launch of the country’s first military spy satellite to go ahead as planned, underscoring that his country can never give up its top priority goal of enhancing aerial observation and reconnaissance capabilities against the “escalating military threats” from South Korea and the United States. Kim unveiled the launch plan in his visit to the state-run National Aerospace Development Administration or NADA on Tuesday, claiming that it

April 19, 2023