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Ukraine discloses diary of fallen N.K. soldier
Ukraine's military on Saturday disclosed the diary of a North Korean soldier killed in action in Russia's western front-line region of Kursk. Ukraine's special operations forces said the diary belonged to Jeong Kyeong-hong, equivalent to a private under South Korea's military ranking system. "The crime I committed cannot be forgiven but my fatherland gave me a new opportunity in life," Jeong wrote in an entry, noting he betrayed the North's ruling party after being given the opportunity to be pr
Dec. 29, 2024 -
Seoul sanctions 15 NK IT workers for illicit funding of weapons program
South Korea announced on Thursday that it has decided to slap unilateral sanctions on 15 North Korean information technology workers and one entity accused of illicit cyber activities to fund Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program. The sanctions, which will take effect Monday, subject 14 members of the General Bureau 313 of the North’s Munitions Industry Department, which is held responsible for a “mass dispatch” of North Korean IT workers to other countries, including China and Russia, to funnel f
Dec. 26, 2024 -
Zelenskyy says more than 3,000 N. Korean troops killed, wounded in Russian frontline
More than 3,000 North Korean troops have been killed or wounded in Russia's western frontline region of Kursk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said, raising concern about the potential deployment of additional North Korean troops and equipment to Russia. Zelenskyy unveiled the figure Monday on the social media platform X, a number far exceeding South Korea's estimate of around 1,100 North Korean casualties, including at least 100 killed. "According to preliminary data, the number of
Dec. 24, 2024 -
North Korea preparing to send more troops, suicide drones to Russia: Seoul
South Korea’s military has detected signs that North Korea is gearing up to increase its deployment of troops and military equipment to Russia as it focuses on bolstering its alliance with Moscow, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday. “(The North) has been reporting merely fact-based negative images (of the South on the political situation here) rather than the active criticism of the past,” the JCS said, pointing out that Pyongyang has scaled back its criticism of the South. “We expect the Nor
Dec. 23, 2024 -
2025 year of 'renewal' as big powers rethink tactics, not policies
North Korea also expects full-scale ‘Kim Jong-un-style’ renewal to usher in new era under his leadership The world stands on the brink of a sweeping era of "renewal," with major powers --including the United States, China, Russia, and even North Korea -- pursuing tactical shifts in domestic and foreign policies to outmaneuver and gain an edge over rivals, according to a Seoul-based think tank's geopolitical outlook for 2025. The Asan Institute for Policy Studies released its report on the 2025 i
Dec. 23, 2024 -
N. Korea portrays leader Kim as 'benevolent father' in flood recovery projects
North Korea touted the recovery of the country's flood-damaged northwestern regions as "miracles" in reports released Monday, using the occasion to portray leader Kim Jong-un as a "benevolent father." "The flood-hit areas of North Phyongan, Jagang and Ryanggang provinces have turned into ideal socialist villages," the North's Korean Central News Agency reported, referring to regions where recovery efforts have been under way since severe floods in late July. More than 15,000 modern dwelling hous
Dec. 23, 2024 -
N. Korean leader attends ceremony for rebuilt houses in flood-hit area: KCNA
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has attended a ceremony marking the completion of houses rebuilt after July's floods, emphasizing enhanced disaster response and self-rehabilitation, the country's state media reported Sunday. Recovery efforts have been under way in North Korea since late July when severe floods inundated large areas along the Amnok River near its northern border, reportedly leaving many dead or missing. Kim has inspected those flood-hit areas several times, while more than 15,000
Dec. 22, 2024 -
Unification minister vows efforts for return of S. Koreans detained in N. Korea
Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho vowed Saturday to make efforts to ensure the return of South Koreans detained in North Korea amid uncertainty over their fate after years of detention. Kim made the pledge in an end-of-year gathering of the Christian Council of North Korea in western Seoul, as six South Koreans, including three missionaries, remain detained in North Korea for eight to 11 years. "The government will continue to make efforts to confirm whether those detained are living and for them
Dec. 21, 2024 -
N. Korea slams S. Korea-US-Japan talks on Indo-Pacific as 'insult' to peace
North Korea on Saturday lambasted a recent trilateral meeting between South Korea, the United States and Japan that discussed peace in the Indo-Pacific region, deriding the talks as an "insult" to peace. The Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper, criticized the trilateral Indo-Pacific Dialogue that took place in Tokyo on Dec. 11, accusing Washington of being a "gangster-like" country destroying peace and its Asian allies of being accomplices. "The United States' history itself is one of war
Dec. 21, 2024 -
N. Korea's flood victims brought to Pyongyang write letters of thanks to leader Kim
North Korean victims of late July's floods in the country's northern border region have written letters of thanks to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un while wrapping up their four-month stay in Pyongyang, the North's state media reported Friday. In August, Kim ordered more than 15,000 vulnerable flood victims from the North Phyongan, Jagang and Ryangang provinces, including children, the elderly and sick people, to be brought to Pyongyang and provided with shelter. North Korea held
Dec. 20, 2024 -
N. Korea-linked hackers stole $1.34b from crypto platforms this year: Chainalysis
Hackers linked to North Korea stole more than $1.3 billion from crypto platforms this year, marking the largest ever annual amount that they have raked in from hacking activities, a report from a blockchain analysis firm showed Thursday. Chainalysis released its analysis on North Korea-affiliated hackers' activities, saying that they stole $1.34 billion across 47 incidents, marking a significant jump from roughly $660.50 million across 20 incidents recorded last year. "Hackers linked t
Dec. 20, 2024 -
N. Korea defends military alignment with Russia as 'normal' cooperative ties
North Korea on Thursday denounced the United States, South Korea and other nations for issuing a joint statement condemning military cooperation between the North and Russia, claiming they were "distorting and slandering" the essence of its "normal" cooperative ties with Moscow. An unnamed spokesperson at North Korea's foreign ministry released the statement as the US, South Korea, the European Union and eight other countries on Monday condemned growing military cooperat
Dec. 19, 2024 -
UN General Assembly adopts resolution on N. Korean human rights for 20th straight year
The UN General Assembly on Tuesday passed a resolution on North Korean human rights for the 20th consecutive year, calling for improvement in the reclusive state's human rights record. The adoption by consensus came as Seoul and Washington have stressed the importance of improvement in the North's human rights environment on the grounds that a repressive political climate has led the regime to continue to pursue its weapons development programs without allowing for public comment. The
Dec. 18, 2024 -
US sanctions 2 individuals, 1 entity involved in money laundering network to support N. Korea
The United States on Tuesday sanctioned two individuals and one entity involved in a network that launders illicit funds generated by North Korean IT workers and cybercrime to support Pyongyang, the Treasury Department said. The department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added two Chinese nationals and a UAE-based front company, named Green Alpine Trading, LLC, to its sanctions list. It accused them of facilitating money laundering and cryptocurrency conversion services that funne
Dec. 18, 2024 -
In North Korea, divorce could land you in labor camp: report
North Koreans who file for divorce are immediately subject to forced labor, a US-based news outlet recently reported, citing sources from within the communist state. According to a Radio Free Asia report on Monday, an anonymous source living in Yanggang Province, North Korea said that 12 couples saw their divorces finalized in court on Dec. 13. Immediately after the ruling, each person was sent to a military labor camp, the report said. "Last year, only the person who initially filed for
Dec. 17, 2024