[News Focus] What are the implications of Yoon naming Russia before NK?

President Yoon Suk Yeol's speech at the annual United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday raised the possibility that Yoon has made it official that North Korea now stands behind Russia in terms of Seoul's priority in foreign relations, which could signal a downturn ahead in the inter-Korean relationship. As the South Korean leader warned North Korea not to pursue information and technology from Russia needed to enhance its weapons-of-mass-destruction capabilities, in ret

Sept. 21, 2023

Kim Jong-un’s car escorted by Hyundai van in Russia

North Korean state-run media on Wednesday broadcast a documentary that featured North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's motorcade in Russia, notably escorted by vans manufactured by South Korea's auto giant, Hyundai Motor. The state-controlled Korean Central Television, which primarily targets the North's domestic audience, unveiled an hour-and-a-half-long documentary titled "A Historical Moment: Setting a New Milestone in North Korea-Russia Relations," providing a comprehensi

Sept. 21, 2023

Australian wife of Korean War veteran to be buried beside husband

The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs said Wednesday that it will bury the Australian wife of an Australian Korean War veteran next to her husband at the UN Memorial Cemetery in Busan. The burial ceremony, which the Australian Embassy in Seoul will hold the next day, came four years after Olwyn Green died at 96, leaving behind her wishes that she be reunited with her husband, Lt. Col. Charles Green. The COVID-19 pandemic had prompted the wait. Green, commanding officer of the 3rd batta

Sept. 20, 2023

N. Korea's Kim arrives in Pyongyang after Russia trip: state media

A special train carrying North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has arrived in Pyongyang after traveling to Russia for his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the North's state media reported Wednesday. The train reached Pyongyang on Tuesday evening, after completing "external revolutionary activities" that will shine in the history of strengthening friendly relations between North Korea and Russia, according to the Korean Central News Agency. Kim was welcomed by top party and

Sept. 20, 2023

Mosaic of N. Korean leader erected in Pyongyang as part of personality cult

A mosaic mural depicting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was erected in Pyongyang, state media reported Tuesday, as North Korea has been bolstering its leader's personality cult. The North held a ceremony unveiling the mosaic Sunday at Mangyongdae Revolutionary School, a school for children of the privileged class, on the occasion of its 75th founding anniversary, according to the Korean Central News Agency. The painting described Kim, wearing a red scarf around his neck, as smiling while b

Sept. 19, 2023

N. Korean leader returns home after trip to Russia: state media

Leader Kim Jong-un has crossed back into North Korea after a trip to Russia that "opened a new chapter" for the development of the bilateral relations between the two nations, Pyongyang's state media reported Tuesday. Kim passed through the Tumangang Railway Station on the border between the two countries on early Monday morning, according to the official Korean Central News Agency. Kim, who left Pyongyang on his armored train on Sept. 10, held a summit with Russian President Vlad

Sept. 19, 2023

Kim Jong-un heads home with drone gifts from Russia

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was on his way back to Pyongyang on Sunday, wrapping up a six-day trip to the Russian Far East that focused on military cooperation with Moscow amid blistering criticism from the international community for defying sanctions. As his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin stoked fears across the West and its allies over a potential arms deal, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said the military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow is "illegal and

Sept. 17, 2023

N. Korea's Kim holds talks with Russian defense minister on strengthening military cooperation: state media

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has held talks with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on strengthening bilateral military cooperation and exchange, state media reported Sunday. Kim held the talks in Vladivostok on Saturday as he is on a tour of Russia's Far East after holding a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin last Wednesday, according to the official Korean Central News Agency. They "exchanged their constructive opinions on the practical issues arising in further strengthe

Sept. 17, 2023

N. Korean athletes arrive in Hangzhou for Asian Games: reports

A group of North Korean athletes has reportedly arrived in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou to participate in the upcoming Asian Games. North Korea has registered 191 athletes to attend the Hangzhou Asian Games set to run from next Saturday to Oct. 8, according to the organizer's website. Some 60 North Korean athletes and coaches arrived at Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport on Friday evening, Chinese media reported. They first arrived in Dandong, northeastern China, on Friday by b

Sept. 16, 2023

US to seek further action over NK provocations, intl. law violations: NSA Sullivan

The United States will press for further action over North Korea's provocations and other breaches of international law, a senior US official said Friday, after a recent summit between Pyongyang and Moscow deepened concerns about a potential arms deal between them. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan made the remarks, assessing that North Korea's talks with Russia over its potential supply of weapons for use in the war in Ukraine have continued to "advance." North Korean

Sept. 16, 2023

N. Korea's Kim meets Russian defense minister, inspects nuclear-capable bombers, warship

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met with Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and inspected Russia's nuclear-capable bombers, missiles and a warship Saturday after he arrived in Russia's far eastern city of Vladivostok, Russian media reported. Kim has been touring Russia's Far East after his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday at the Vostochny space center amid growing concerns over possible military cooperation between the two countries. Russia'

Sept. 16, 2023

Pentagon warns N. Korea's arms support would prolong Ukraine war

The US Department of Defense warned North Korea Thursday that its arms support to Russia would not only prolong the war in Ukraine but also be tantamount to "directly" joining the killing of innocent Ukrainians. Deputy Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh made the remarks after this week's summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin raised the prospects of Pyongyang sending more ammunition to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine. "I thin

Sept. 15, 2023

N. Korean leader's train apparently en route to Russia's Khabarovsk after summit with Putin

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's special train appears to be moving toward Russia's Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk on Thursday, a day after his rare summit with President Vladimir Putin, according to sources. According to the sources, Kim's olive green, bullet-proof train appears headed toward the Russian city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur, where he will visit an aircraft factory, following his meeting with Putin held Wednesday at the Vostochny spaceport where he

Sept. 14, 2023

Putin accepts Kim’s invite to N.Korea

Russian President Vladimir Putin has accepted an invitation from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to visit North Korea, following their high-stakes summit where they mutually committed to strengthening their alignment against perceived "imperialists’ military threats." Kim extended the invitation to Putin after the reception of their summit at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Amur region of Russia's Far East on Wednesday, asking him to visit "at his convenience," Nor

Sept. 14, 2023

N. Korea's Kim pledges support for Putin at Russia's spaceport summit

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Wednesday pledged to throw his full support behind Russian President Vladimir Putin as the two isolated leaders held a rare summit at Russia's rocket launch facility, as concerns grow over a possible arms deal between Pyongyang and Moscow. Proposing a toast at an official dinner after the summit, Kim told Putin that the Russian army and people will triumph over "evil" forces, in apparent endorsement of its war in Ukraine. Kim said he was confid

Sept. 13, 2023

Kim, Putin meet at Russian spaceport, pledge support

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin met at Russia's primary spaceport, the Vostochny Cosmodrome, in the Russian Far East on Wednesday, signaling a closer alignment between the two increasingly isolated countries. Kim and Putin emphasized their shared commitment to supporting each other's internationally prohibited actions, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine and North Korea's weapons development, expressing their determination to elevate bi

Sept. 13, 2023

Kim-Putin summit at Russian space center: What does it mean?

Vostochny Cosmodrome, Russia's massive spaceport that is about 5,500 kilometers east of Moscow, drew international attention on Wednesday, as the leaders of two isolated countries, North Korea and Russia, met in a high-profile summit there. The spaceport sprawls across 551.5 square kilometers of land -- outsizing South Korea's state-run Naro Space Center by over 100 times. It began operation as the main spaceport there in 2016, replacing Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which had bee

Sept. 13, 2023

N. Korea fires ballistic missile toward East Sea: S. Korean military

North Korea fired an unspecified ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Wednesday, South Korea's military said. The Joint Chiefs of Staff announced the launch but gave no further details, pending an analysis. Pyongyang's latest saber-rattling came as its leader Kim Jong-un is on a trip to Russia this week to meet with President Vladimir Putin. The North last fired two short-range ballistic missiles on Aug. 30. (Yonhap)

Sept. 13, 2023

UN rights expert pins hopes on NK’s border easing

North Korea’s recent decision to slowly lift border shutdowns could help the isolated country re-engage with United Nations bodies on human rights, a UN rights expert said Monday on the last day of her trip to Seoul that started Monday last week. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, the North had kept its borders sealed, expelling rights and aid groups. Pyongyang last month approved the return of its citizens overseas. “I hope that the DPRK will restart its engagem

Sept. 12, 2023

Kim Jong-un flanked by military cadre enters Russia amid US warning

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, publicly flanked by a cadre of key military officers, has entered Russia via his armored private train following a lengthy journey from Pyongyang for a high-stakes summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Russian Far East. Putin's announcement on Tuesday that he will visit the Vostochny Cosmodrome space launch center in the region also suggests that the location is the likely venue for the meeting. The move strongly signals that the focus of the i

Sept. 12, 2023