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N. Korea's Kim oversees cruise missile test from destroyer
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has overseen another test-firing of strategic cruise missiles from the Choe Hyon destroyer, state media reported Wednesday, as South Korea and the United States have kicked off their annual springtime military drills. The North's leader observed the test via video Tuesday, stressing that it is important to maintain and expand a "powerful and reliable nuclear war deterrent," according to the Korean Central News Agency. Photos published by state media showed Kim's d
March 11, 2026 -
North Korean leader signals closer Pyongyang-Beijing cooperation in letter to Xi
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reaffirmed Pyongyang’s commitment to strengthening relations with Beijing in a reply to a congratulatory message from Chinese President Xi Jinping, the state-run Korean Central News Agency said Tuesday. The North Korean leader sent the letter to Xi on Monday in response to the Chinese leader’s message congratulating him on his reelection as general secretary of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea during the party’s congress held last month. In the message, Kim Jong
March 10, 2026 -
Kim Jong-un’s sister issues stark warning over South Korea-US military drills
Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, warned Tuesday that joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States could lead to “unimaginably terrible consequences,” as the allies began their annual spring drills on the Korean Peninsula. Kim, a department director in the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, issued the warning in a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency a day after South Korea and the US launched their annual joint exerc
March 10, 2026 -
N. Korean leader's sister warns of 'terrible consequences' amid S. Korea-U.S. military drills
The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Tuesday condemned the ongoing joint military drills between South Korea and the United States, warning of "unimaginably terrible consequences." Kim Yo-jong, a department director at the ruling party, issued the warning in a press statement a day after Seoul and Washington kicked off their annual springtime military exercise, the Freedom Shield, for a 11-day run. "The muscle-flexing of the hostile forces near the areas of our state's sover
March 10, 2026 -
N. Korea to hold congress of largest youth organization next month
North Korea will hold a congress of the country's largest youth organization next month as a follow-up to a recent party congress in a bid to spur the implementation of party decisions, state media said Tuesday. The Socialist Patriotic Youth League, the country's largest youth organization, decided at a meeting the previous day to convene a congress in late April in Pyongyang, the Korean Central News Agency said. The KCNA said the congress was called to mobilize young people nationwide and stren
March 10, 2026 -
N. Korea cancels int'l marathon due to some reasons: tour agency
North Korea has decided to cancel the 2026 Pyongyang International Marathon, originally set for April 5 in the country's capital, due to some reasons, a Beijing-based tour agency said Monday. Koryo Tours, which specializes in travel to North Korea, broke the news on its website, saying, "This decision was communicated to us by the DPR Korea Athletics Association and has been confirmed as final." DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the official name of North Korea. The agen
March 9, 2026 -
Kim Jong-un projects 'socialist family' ideals in Women's Day attendance with 'beloved daughter'
The North Korean regime could be projecting the idea that the country is "one big socialist family" through Kim Jong-un and his daughter's attendance of a Women's Day event, seeking to coagulate society and further consolidate the "beloved daughter." Pyongyang's state media said Monday that Kim attended a concert marking International Women’s Day Sunday at Pyongyang Indoor Stadium, accompanied by his wife Ri Sol-ju and daughter known as Ju-ae. The North Korean people welcomed their leader as he
March 9, 2026 -
Unification minister points to N. Korea's Kusong as 3rd site hosting uranium enrichment facility
Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said Friday that North Korea is operating another uranium enrichment facility in the northwestern region of Kusong, along with previously reported ones in Yongbyon and Kangson. Chung made the remarks at a parliamentary committee session in a rare revelation of information about North Korea's nuclear weapons programs. The government has previously officially identified Yongbyon and Kangson as the main locations hosting the North's uranium enrichment facilitie
March 6, 2026 -
N. Korea's Kim oversees strategic cruise missile test from new destroyer
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has overseen a test-firing of strategic cruise missiles from a new destroyer ahead of its commissioning, noting that equipping the navy with nuclear weapons is making "satisfactory progress," state media reported Thursday. Kim inspected the Choe Hyon at a shipyard in the western port city of Nampho on Tuesday and Wednesday to review its crew members' combat training and assess its operational capabilities, according to the Korean Central News Agency. Kim oversaw t
March 5, 2026 -
Ukraine war likely to shape North Korean drone development: report
North Korean military forces are gaining unprecedented experience in uncrewed aerial warfare through the ongoing war in Ukraine, exposure that is likely to influence Pyongyang’s future drone development and production, according to a new analysis by a Washington-based research group. According to a report released by Beyond Parallel, a Center for Strategic and International Studies project that monitors North Korea, North Korean forces are learning from the conflict both as operators and targets
March 4, 2026 -
Is North Korean leader rattled by downfalls of Maduro and Khamenei?
North Korea’s sharply worded condemnation of recent US strikes on Iran has fueled debate over whether its leader Kim Jong-un feels unsettled by the dramatic downfalls of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. And experts said the lesson for Kim may be less about fear than survival. Rather than pushing him toward talks with Washington, such events could reinforce his belief that only a credible nuclear deterrent guarantees regime security — a strate
March 3, 2026 -
Lee urges N. Korea to resume dialogue, join in shaping 'new future'
President Lee Jae Myung on Sunday urged North Korea to return to the negotiating table with the United States and join efforts to shape what he called a "new future," vowing to actively communicate with Washington and neighboring countries. Lee made the remark in his first address marking the March 1 Independence Movement at the COEX exhibition center in southern Seoul as he marked the 107th anniversary of the nation's 1919 independence movement, a watershed event during Japan's 1910-45 brutal o
March 1, 2026 -
N. Korea ships 33,000 containers of weapons to Russia: Seoul
North Korea is believed to have shipped some 33,000 containers of military supplies, including weapons and ammunition, to Russia as part of its support for Moscow in the war with Ukraine, a military intelligence unit said Sunday. The shipped volume, in terms of ammunition, could amount to over 15 million 152-mm artillery shells, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) under the defense ministry said in a report submitted to Rep. Kang Dae-sik of the main opposition People Power Party. The assessmen
March 1, 2026 -
N. Korea releases rare photo of leader's daughter firing rifle
North Korea on Saturday released a rare solo photo of leader Kim Jong-un's daughter Ju-ae taking aim at a target with a sniper rifle, after she took center stage with her father at a key military parade. In a photo released by the Korean Central News Agency, Ju-ae, wearing a leather coat, was seen taking aim at a target and firing the rifle, marking an unusual instance in which she appeared alone without Kim or other officials in an image distributed by Pyongyang. The KCNA also released a photo
Feb. 28, 2026 -
NK leader's sister confirmed to serve as director of ruling party's general affairs department
Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was confirmed to have taken the post of director of the general affairs department of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, according to state media Saturday. Kim was promoted to a party department chief at the WPK's plenary meeting Monday held in the midst of the ninth party congress that concluded a weeklong run Wednesday, but details of her official title were not disclosed at that time. But the North's state media called her
Feb. 28, 2026