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Acting president slams North Korea’s ‘illegal arms trade’ with Russia
Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Friday said that North Korea’s ongoing illegal arms trade with Russia has allowed the “degenerate” regime to plot new forms of provocations. “Through illegal arms trade with Russia, (North Korea) has been plotting new forms of provocations by upgrading its weapons system aimed to threaten us,” Han said in a speech marking the 10th West Sea Defense Day. Friday’s ceremony was held at the national cemetery in Daejeon to honor and remember the 55 s
March 28, 2025 -
N. Korean drones unveiled this week likely use AI to identify, strike S. Korean, US equipment: lawmaker
North Korean drones unveiled this week likely incorporate artificial intelligence technology to identify and autonomously strike South Korean and US military equipment, a South Korean lawmaker said Friday. Rep. Yu Yong-weon of the ruling People Power Party made the analysis after the North's state media reported Thursday the country's leader Kim Jong-un oversaw tests of "suicide attack" drones equipped with new AI technology earlier this week. State media photos showed the drones striking target
March 28, 2025 -
Arrangements for North Korean leader Kim's visit to Russia underway: report
North Korea appears to have deployed 3,000 more troops to Russia: JCS Arrangements are currently being made by Pyongyang and Moscow for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's visit to Russia by the end of the year, local media reported Thursday, citing a Russian state-run news agency. Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said that on top of preparations for Kim's Moscow visit, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's visit to Pyongyang is also being arranged, according to Tass. If the visi
March 27, 2025 -
N. Korea presumed to send at least 3,000 more troops to Russia: JCS
North Korea appears to have additionally dispatched at least 3,000 soldiers to Russia in January and February in support of Moscow's war against Ukraine, South Korea's military said Thursday. The assessment came amid concerns that North Korea and Russia's deepening military alignment could lead to Moscow transferring advanced arms technologies to Pyongyang in return for the troop deployment. "Of the some 11,000 North Korean soldiers dispatched to Russia, 4,000 casualties have occurred, and it ap
March 27, 2025 -
N. Korea releases photos of what appears to be airborne control aircraft for 1st time
North Korea on Thursday disclosed what appears to be an airborne early warning and control aircraft for the first time and said leader Kim Jong-un supervised tests of "suicide attack drones" equipped with artificial intelligence technology. The Korean Central News Agency published photos of the airplane while reporting Kim supervised performance tests of drones with AI technology and a reconnaissance drone Tuesday and Wednesday. Kim oversaw the tests while guiding defense science research projec
March 27, 2025 -
North Korea 'probably prepared' for nuclear test to gain edge in talks: Gabbard
North Korea is likely ready to conduct another nuclear test to gain the upper hand in potential negotiations, US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard stated Tuesday, citing Pyongyang’s expanding strategic weapons program and growing ties with Russia as additional factors strengthening its negotiating position against Washington. “North Korea is probably prepared to conduct another nuclear test on short notice and continues to flight test ICBMs to demonstrate their increasing capabilit
March 26, 2025 -
N. Korea warns of overwhelming response over S. Korea-US-Japan naval drills
North Korea on Tuesday denounced recent joint naval drills by South Korea, the United States and Japan, warning of "overwhelming" and "decisive" responses to any provocations from hostile countries. The state-run Korean Central News Agency issued the message in a commentary, referring to the trilateral joint maritime drills conducted in international waters off South Korea's southern resort island of Jeju from Monday through Thursday last week. The naval drills -- the first of their kind this ye
March 25, 2025 -
N. Korea slams S. Korea-US military drills, threatens to bolster striking power
North Korea on Monday denounced the latest annual joint military drills by South Korea and the United States, warning it will continue to strengthen its striking power to overwhelm any threats from its enemies. The disarmament and peace institute at North Korea's foreign ministry issued the condemnation after Seoul and Washington wrapped up their 11-day annual Freedom Shield exercise Thursday. Calling the exercise a "planned and provocative nuclear war rehearsal," North Korea said the aggressive
March 24, 2025 -
N. Korean leader vows to 'invariably' support Russia's war against Ukraine
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has reaffirmed his willingness to "invariably" support Russia's war against Ukraine during his meeting with a top Russian security official, according to Pyongyang's state media Saturday. Kim held "important and useful" discussions with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu in Pyongyang the previous day, according to the Korean Central News Agency. The former Russian defense minister arrived in North Korea hours before the talks. At the meeting, both si
March 22, 2025 -
Russia's top security official discusses Ukraine, peninsula issues with NK leader
Russia's top security official met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang on Friday and discussed the war in Ukraine and other security issues, including the Korean Peninsula, Russian media outlets reported. Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu also delivered a message from Russian President Vladimir Putin to Kim, according to the TASS and Sputnik news agencies. The meeting lasted for over two hours. Shoigu said he discussed the "beginning of a dialogue" with the United St
March 21, 2025 -
Two N. Koreans found adrift in West Sea being investigated in S. Korea
Two North Korean nationals who were found adrift on a wooden boat in the West Sea earlier this month are currently under investigation by South Korean authorities, the military said Friday. According to military authorities, a South Korean Navy P-3 maritime patrol aircraft detected the small vessel drifting approximately 170 kilometers west of Eocheongdo, an island in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, at 11:17 a.m. on March 7. Upon confirming the vessel’s origin with the Coast Guard, the military f
March 21, 2025 -
Putin top security aide Sergei Shoigu to meet Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang amid ceasefire push
Russia's top security official, Sergei Shoigu, has arrived in Pyongyang to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and other officials, Russia’s state-run TASS news agency reported Friday. The visit by Shoigu, who serves as the secretary of Russia's Security Council, came just days after the Kremlin said Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to a limited 30-day ceasefire on energy targets during a phone call with US President Donald Trump, who has pushed for a swift end to Russia
March 21, 2025 -
N. Korea successfully test-fired latest anti-aircraft missile system: KCNA
North Korea has successfully test-fired its latest surface-to-air missile system, which was recently put into full-scale production, as leader Kim Jong-un oversaw the test, state media reported Friday. The test-firing was conducted by the country's Missile Administration on Thursday to "examine the comprehensive performance" of the missile system being mass-produced at a munitions' industry enterprise, the Korean Central News Agency noted. Kim oversaw the test alongside key members of the party'
March 21, 2025 -
North Korea's bitcoin reserve thought to be 3rd largest in world: report
With authorities identifying North Korean hackers to be behind multiple recent cryptocurrency hackings, the totalitarian communist state is now thought to have a bigger bitcoin stash than any other nation in the world besides the United States and the United Kingdom. Binance News, a news platform of global cryptocurrency exchange business firm Binance, recently reported that North Korea's allegedly state-run hacker syndicates are believed to have accumulated 13,562 BTC, valued at $1.14 billion.
March 18, 2025 -
N. Korea urges fight against anti-socialism at meeting of heads of 'neighborhood units'
North Korea has convened a nationwide meeting of heads of the most basic administrative unit and urged a fight against anti-socialism, state media reported Tuesday, in what is seen as a measure to heighten state scrutiny and control over the general public. North Korea held the meeting of heads of "neighborhood units" Sunday and Monday in Pyongyang to discuss measures to implement and renovate such units in line with "demands of the new era," according to the Korean Central News Agency said. A n
March 18, 2025