South Korean FM Cho voices concerns over North Korea-Russia military cooperation

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul expressed concerns Friday over growing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, saying it could potentially help Pyongyang's ability to "threaten security on the Korean Peninsula and beyond." Cho made the remarks during a UN Security Council (UNSC) briefing on the Ukraine issue at UN headquarters in New York on the eve of the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "If and when it turns out to be the cas

Feb. 24, 2024

S. Korea to designate July 14 as day for N. Korean defectors

The Yoon Suk Yeol government will officially designate July 14 as a day to commemorate North Korean defectors, symbolically coinciding with the day when the law ensuring support for their resettlement in South Korean society took effect in 1997. South Korean Unification Minister Kim Young-ho announced the official designation on Wednesday while attending the inauguration ceremony of the Special Committee for Accompanying Residents with Backgrounds from North Korea established under the auspices

Feb. 21, 2024

US restates its goal of 'full' Korean Peninsula denuclearization

The State Department on Tuesday reiterated the United States' goal to achieve the "full" denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, after North Korea signaled openness to improving ties with Japan as long as Tokyo does not take issue with its "right to self-defense." Last week, Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida might be able to visit Pyongyang if Tokyo "drops its bad habit" of taking issue

Feb. 21, 2024

N. Korean missile used against Ukraine contained US, European parts: CNN

A North Korean ballistic missile that Russia fired against Ukraine last month contained many parts traced to companies in the United States and Europe, CNN reported Tuesday, citing a research report. The Britain-based organization, Conflict Armament Research, produced the report that examined 290 components from remnants of a North Korean missile retrieved from Kharkiv in Ukraine, and discovered that 75 percent of the components were designed and sold by companies incorporated in the US, accordi

Feb. 21, 2024

Putin's car gift to Kim showcases 'special' bond, defying UN sanctions

Russian President Vladimir Putin presented North Korean leader Kim Jong-un with a gift of a Russia-produced car exclusively "for his personal use," North Korean state media reported Tuesday. The South Korean government decried the gift as a breach of UN Security Council resolutions. The Rodong Sinmun, which primarily targets internal audiences as North Korea's most widely circulated newspaper, featured the news on its front page without disclosing specifics about the vehicle gifte

Feb. 20, 2024

Decade after UN report, NK human rights 'worst in world': Turner

The human rights situation in North Korea has remained the worst in the world, even 10 years after the UN released its first report unveiling systematic human rights abuses and violations by the North Korean regime, the US special envoy for North Korean human rights said Monday. One defector, however, asserted that North Korean people have started to adopt the notion of "human rights violations," attributing this shift to the international community's concerted efforts to shed lig

Feb. 19, 2024

N. Korea touts sole leadership system on key anniversary

North Korea called Monday for loyalty to its leader Kim Jong-un and touted the monolithic leadership system as it marked the 50th anniversary of the announcement of the country's key guiding principle. In an editorial piece, the Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper, highlighted late leader Kim Jong-il's announcement in 1974 of the monolithic ideological principle of "Kimilsungism." "The sole leadership system bolsters our revolution and is also the dignity and

Feb. 19, 2024

S. Korea, US, Japan call for N. Korea to take 'immediate' steps to end 'all' human rights abuses

South Korea, the United States and Japan urged North Korea on Saturday to take "immediate" steps to end "all" human rights violations as they marked the 10th anniversary of the release of a landmark UN report on the reclusive state's rights abuses. The three countries' missions to the United Nations released a joint statement commemorating the anniversary of the 2014 UN Commission of Inquiry report that accused the North Korean regime of "systematic, widespread

Feb. 18, 2024

N. Korean leader apparently skips visit to mausoleum on late father's birthday

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appears to have skipped a visit to a mausoleum for his late father, Kim Jong-il, for yet another year on the occasion of the former leader's 82nd birthday. The North's Korean central News Agency reported Saturday that key officials, including Premier Kim Tok-hun and Choe Ryong-hae, chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly, visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun the previous day. It did not carry any report on Kim's at

Feb. 17, 2024

N. Korea denounces S. Korea, US over aerial surveillance

North Korea on Saturday accused South Korea and the United States of heightening tensions on the Korean Peninsula with aerial reconnaissance activities. In a commentary carried by the Korean Central News Agency, the North said that Seoul and Washington have been stepping up their "spying activities" this month, calling such a move a "stern provocation" against the country. The North claimed the countries attempted to secure information on the North's inner regions by con

Feb. 17, 2024

Kim's sister says N. Korea open to better ties with Japan

The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Thursday said the regime is open to improving its relationship with Japan, including inviting the Japanese leader to Pyongyang. Kim Yo-jong's remark came after Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said during a speech last week that he feels a "strong need" to change the current relationship between Tokyo and Pyongyang, and that he is currently making related activities. In a statement released through the Korean Central News Agency, the si

Feb. 15, 2024

NK leader oversees test-fire of new surface-to-sea missile

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has supervised the test-firing of a new surface-to-sea missile and ordered a tighter defense posture near the western maritime border, state media reported Thursday. North Korea test-launched the new missile, named Padasuri-6, on Wednesday, the Korean Central News Agency said. A day earlier, South Korea's military said the North fired several cruise missiles off the eastern port city of Wonsan. The KCNA said the missile hit a target after flying over waters i

Feb. 15, 2024

North Korea hacked Yoon official’s emails last year

North Korea appears to be behind the hacking of a presidential official’s email account in November last year, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service believes. In a release responding to a news report on Wednesday, the presidential office said Wednesday that a private email account belonging to an administrative official was targeted in a cyber attack ahead of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s state visit to France and the UK in November. Citing the NIS, the release said the cyber

Feb. 14, 2024

N. Korea's ruling party delegation chief meets Russian communist party leader: report

North Korea's ruling party chief delegate has held talks with Russian Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov, Russian media said, amid deepening bilateral ties in the military and other sectors. Kim Su-gil, an alternate member of the political bureau of the Workers' Party, met with Zyuganov on Tuesday at the Russian State Duma, the lower house of Russia's legislature, the RIA Novosti news agency said. During their meeting, Kim was quoted as saying that Pyongyang pays special atte

Feb. 14, 2024

N. Korea could conduct localized provocation on border island: ex-Seoul official

North Korea could undertake localized provocations this year, such as suddenly occupying a South Korean border island, a former senior Seoul official said Tuesday, amid concerns over the possibility of the North's saber-rattling ahead of the April parliamentary elections in the South. Speaking at a forum, Kim Sung-han, who served as President Yoon Suk Yeol's national security adviser from 2022-2023, noted that Pyongyang might undertake "peacetime" provocations that would fall

Feb. 14, 2024

Near-quarter of N. Koreans own mobile phones: study

An estimated six million North Koreans have cellular phones as of 2021, a recently published report by a state-run think-tank said, indicating a wave of change among the people living under the oppressive regime. The Korea Institute for National Unification conducted a study on how distribution of mobile phones is affecting North Koreans' quality of life, in which they presumed that a little over 23 percent of some 25.7 million North Koreans own smartphones. The consensus was based on estim

Feb. 13, 2024

Kim Jong-un’s rhetorical aggression to intensify throughout year: experts

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will likely continue his verbal aggression, on top of weapons tests and military exercises through the remainder of the year, experts in Seoul believe. In the latest threats made on the founding anniversary of the Korean People’s Army on Thursday, Kim said he was willing to obliterate the country’s enemies -- namely South Korea and the US -- stressing the North’s “combat readiness.” “If hostile forces attempt to touch the dignit

Feb. 12, 2024

N. Korea says it newly developed shells for multiple rocket launcher

North Korea said Monday it has newly developed controllable shells for a multiple rocket launcher and its ballistic control system as part of its push to expand its weapons arsenal. The Academy of Defence Science conducted a test firing of 240 mm-caliber controllable multiple rocket launcher shells on Sunday in a bid to evaluate their accuracy and prove their advantages, according to the Korean Central News Agency. "The development of 240 mm-caliber controllable multiple rocket launcher she

Feb. 12, 2024

N. Korea sets sights on Fourth Industrial Revolution technology

North Korea appears to be setting its sights on Fourth Industrial Revolution technology, such as artificial intelligence, in a bid to explore ways to expand its applications. The Rodong Sinmun, North Korea's main newspaper, reported Dec. 24 that global competition for science and technology has been intensifying, citing efforts to apply AI to the education sector and the increased use of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technology. The Korean Central Broadcasting Station, the

Feb. 11, 2024

Unification minister vows to push for reunion of separated families despite N. Korean provocations

South Korea's point man on North Korea said Saturday the government will keep pushing for the reunion of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War, saying Pyongyang's provocations will not deter Seoul's drive. Kim made the remark after attending an annual gathering of separated families and others who were born in North Korea but ended up south of the border following the war. To mark the Lunar New Year, they came to pay their respects to their ancestors and family members in N

Feb. 10, 2024