-
N. Korea pushes ahead with final phase of Pyongyang housing project
North Korea is pressing ahead with efforts to complete the last stage of a five-year housing project to build 50,000 homes in Pyongyang by the end of this year, state media said Monday. The structural construction for 10,000 apartments in the Hwasong area in Pyongyang is fully under way as part of the housing project launched in 2021, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The KCNA said special military units have made improvements in construction procedures to reduce the time it ta
May 5, 2025 -
NK leader inspects tank factory, voices satisfaction over indigenous tanks
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has inspected a tank factory and expressed satisfaction over the upgraded structural design of indigenous tanks, while emphasizing the need to modernize the military with advanced tanks, the North's state media reported Sunday. Kim inspected the factory's production status, modernization and progress in implementing research tasks related to core tank technology, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. It did not disclose the name or location of the factory or
May 4, 2025 -
Russia-N. Korea partnership will impact Trump's leverage in diplomacy toward Pyongyang: expert
WASHINGTON -- North Korea's deepening partnership with Russia is a variable that will impact US President Donald Trump's leverage in future diplomacy with Pyongyang, a US expert said Friday, as the reclusive regime's reliance on Moscow has significantly lessened the need for dialogue with the United States. During a podcast, Sydney Seiler, former intelligence officer at the US National Intelligence Council, made the remarks amid expectations that Trump might seek to revive his personal diplomacy
May 3, 2025 -
Road bridge linking N. Korea, Russia to bolster economic cooperation: KCNA
North Korea said Thursday the construction of a road bridge linking the North and Russia across the Tumen River will provide a "substantial guarantee" for bolstering economic cooperation between the two nations. North Korea and Russia held a ceremony simultaneously in their respective border cities of Rason and Khasan on Wednesday to launch the construction of the motor bridge linking the two nations, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). In June last year, North Korea and Russia a
May 1, 2025 -
N. Korea tests new 5,000-ton destroyer amid suspicions of Russian tech support
North Korea has conducted weapons tests of its new 5,000-metric-ton multipurpose destroyer, a Choe Hyon-class vessel, state media reported Wednesday, marking a major step in its naval modernization and fueling speculation of technological support from Russia. According to The Rodong Sinmun, the tests were carried out over two days on Monday and Tuesday, following the ship’s launch ceremony Friday. The trials were intended to evaluate the vessel’s weapon systems and overall combat performance. On
April 30, 2025 -
Putin thanks North Korea for military deployment: KCNA
Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed gratitude for North Korea’s military support in Russia’s war against Ukraine, North Korean state media reported Tuesday. In a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency, Putin praised the deployment of North Korean forces to Russia’s Kursk region, describing it as consistent with international law and the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty signed between the two countries in June last year. “The dispatch fully conforms to internatio
April 29, 2025 -
N. Korea's military delegation heads to Russia after confirmation of troop dispatch to fight Ukraine
North Korea's military delegation has left for Russia to attend an international event, the North's state media reported Tuesday, a day after Pyongyang confirmed for the first time that it has deployed troops to Russia to fight Ukraine in Kursk. Led by Pak Young-il, deputy director of the General Political Bureau of the North's Korean People's Army, the delegation departed Pyongyang the previous day to attend an international anti-fascism event in Russia, the North's Korean Central News Agency (
April 29, 2025 -
NK formalizes troop deployment, signals deeper alliance with Russia
North Korea’s first official acknowledgment of its troop deployment to support Russia’s war in Ukraine, following around six months of silence, on Monday comes at a timely moment domestically to frame its participation in a more favorable light, as Russia claims momentum on the battlefield has shifted in Moscow’s favor ahead of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Observers in Seoul view that Pyongyang’s announcement is externally aimed at securing reciprocal commitments — effectivel
April 28, 2025 -
Top Russian general confirms N. Korean troop dispatch to Ukraine war
Russia's top general has confirmed for the first time that North Korean troops have been fighting in Russia's war against Ukraine as he held talks with President Vladimir Putin. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, made the confirmation of the North Korean troop deployment in a videoconference with Putin on Saturday, noting the North Korean troops had played a crucial role in the liberation of the Kursk border region. "I want to point out the participation of
April 27, 2025 -
N. Korea denounces Japan PM's offering to war shrine
North Korea has criticized Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba for making a ritual offering to a controversial war shrine in Tokyo, saying that it again demonstrated Japan's pursuit of militarization. The North's Korean Central News Agency issued the criticism in a commentary dated Saturday, after Ishiba sent an offering last week to the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Japanese war dead, including 14 Class A criminals convicted by the Allied forces after World War II. A bipartisan group of Japa
April 27, 2025 -
North Korea launches 5,000-ton warship
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presided over the launch of a new 5,000-ton destroyer on Friday in Nampho Shipyard, underscoring his ambition to transform the country into a maritime power capable of extended-range operations. The destroyer, named Choe Hyon after a revered anti-Japanese revolutionary figure, was revealed during a high-profile ceremony marking the 93rd anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Attend
April 26, 2025 -
North Korea unveils new destroyer, pledges to strengthen naval power
North Korea has unveiled its new destroyer for the country's navy as part of its broader plan to enhance maritime power, the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Saturday. On Friday, Pyongyang held a launching ceremony of its new 5,000-ton multipurpose destroyer at a shipyard in the North's western port city of Nampho, according to the report by the KCNA. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended the ceremony with his daughter, known as Ju-ae, and examined the newly built naval warship,
April 26, 2025 -
N. Korea denounces US for deploying B-1B strategic bombers to Japan
North Korea on Friday denounced the United States for deploying B-1B strategic bombers to Japan, arguing that such deployment would pose a threat to security in the region. The North's state-run Korean Central News Agency published the criticism in an article, accusing Washington of stationing its bomber in Japan for a long-term period and escalating tensions in the region to a record high by using Japan and South Korea as outposts. On April 15, a US bomber task force, comprising B-1B Lancer air
April 25, 2025 -
N. Korea says treaty with Russia guarantees peace, security in Eurasia
North Korea on Thursday touted its mutual defense treaty with Russia as a "guarantee" safeguarding peace and security in Eurasia, marking the sixth anniversary of leader Kim Jong-un's first summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Rodong Simun, a mainstream newspaper published by North Korea's Workers' Party, carried the message, a day before the country marks the sixth anniversary of Kim's first summit with Putin in the Russian border city of Vladivostok on April 25, 2019. The two coun
April 24, 2025 -
US special envoy for NK human rights remains vacant
The position of US special envoy for North Korean human rights issues has remained vacant for more than three months since the start of US President Donald Trump’s second term. According to the US Department of State on Wednesday, Julie Turner — who had held the post since October 2023 — now serves as acting deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. Her departure came as part of a broader reshuffle during the administrative transition — a common process in wh
April 23, 2025