Defense chiefs of S. Korea, US, Japan to dicuss NK threats

South Korea, the United States and Japan have agreed to hold a meeting of defense chiefs to discuss coordinating responses in the face of escalating missile and nuclear threats posed by North Korea, officials at South Korea's Ministry of National Defense said Wednesday. The defense ministerial meeting has been planned to coincide with the visit of US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to Seoul for the Security Consultative Meeting, an annual bilateral defense discussion with South Korea, schedu

Nov. 8, 2023

US envoy vows to make clear 'inextricable' link between N. Korea's human rights abuses, threats

The new US envoy for North Korean human rights issues pledged efforts Monday to shine a light on the "inextricable" connection between Pyongyang's rights abuses and its security threats. Ambassador Julie Turner made the remarks at a forum, underscoring that the "repressive political climate" in the North allows the recalcitrant regime to divert a large share of public resources to its weapons development programs. Her remarks came as a debate lingers over whether the res

Nov. 7, 2023

N. Korea steps up criticism against military cooperation among S. Korea. US, Japan

North Korea on Sunday said military cooperation between South Korea, the United States and Japan has entered a "very dangerous stage" that could drive the Korean Peninsula into the brink of a nuclear war. No one can ensure the military campaign between the three is not leading to "a nuclear war and the third world war," the Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper, said on Sunday. "We have established the strongest response strategy by arming ourselves with nuclear weap

Nov. 5, 2023

N. Korea diversifying cybercrimes amid drop in value of cryptocurrency: report

North Korea appears to be diversifying its cybercrimes to offset the declining value of cryptocurrencies it steals to fund its nuclear and missile programs, a report said Saturday. According to the report by Kim Bomi, a research fellow at the Institute for National Security Strategy, North Korea stole some $340 million worth of cryptocurrencies in the first three quarters of the year, which amounts to 29.6 percent of the total damage reported in the world, but is still less than the unprecedente

Nov. 4, 2023

N. Korea vows military action after US missile test

North Korea said Friday that it will carry out efforts to step up its military deterrence and take military action, following a US intercontinental missile test late last month, in a commentary released by the official Korean Central News Agency. An Air Force Minuteman III ICBM exploded over the Pacific Ocean following its launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. An anomaly was detected, the US Air Force said without elaborating further. South Korean defense officials attended the

Nov. 3, 2023

N. Korea slams US test launch of Minuteman III ICBM

North Korea lambasted the United States on Friday for its recent test of a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile as it vowed to respond to "reckless" provocations with "prompt, overwhelming and decisive counteraction." The US test-launched an unarmed ICBM at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, with a defense delegation led by Deputy Minister for Defense Policy Heo Tae-keun in attendance. It marked the first such observation by a South Korean delegation in se

Nov. 3, 2023

Family members of S. Korean detainees in N. Korea recognized as victims of abduction

The unification ministry said Thursday it has decided to recognize family members of long-term South Korean detainees in North Korea as victims of abductions by the isolated country. The decision came three months after civic groups dedicated to resolving the issue requested Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho in August to grant such family members the status specified in South Korea's law on supporting victims of North Korean abductions. The recognition will make the family members eligible f

Nov. 2, 2023

JCS says N. Korea might have provided Russia with short-range ballistic missiles

North Korea might have provided Russia with short-range ballistic missiles and portable anti-aircraft missiles in addition to artillery rounds for its war in Ukraine, a senior South Korean military official said Thursday. The Joint Chiefs of Staff made the assessment amid concerns over increasing military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow following the rare summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin in September. Military officials estimated about

Nov. 2, 2023

N. Korea appears to have resumed regular flights to Beijing

North Korea's national carrier appears to have resumed regular flights connecting Pyongyang and Beijing, a website showed Thursday, as the reclusive regime reopened its border following more than three years of border lockdown. The move comes after an Air Koryo flight landed in Beijing on Aug. 22, the first resumption of commercial flights since the North closed its border in January 2020 to fend off COVID-19. The Beijing Capital International Airport's website showed that a flight dep

Nov. 2, 2023

Xi says 'willing to make bigger contributions' in letter to NK leader

Chinese President Xi Jinping told North Korean leader Kim Jong-un that he is "willing to make bigger contributions" to "defend the region's peace, stability, development and prosperity," Pyongyang's state media said Thursday. Xi made the remarks as he replied to Kim's congratulatory message marking the 74th founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China. In the Oct. 1 letter, Kim pledged to "strive to consolidate" their bilateral relation

Nov. 2, 2023

NK closes embassy in Spain after shutting down 2 missions in Africa

North Korea has formally shuttered its embassy in Spain, marking its first such confirmed instance in Europe. The closure comes in the wake of North Korea's recent shutdowns of two of its diplomatic missions in Africa, which had reportedly been a source of illicitly generated hard currency for the Kim Jong-un regime. The North Korean Embassy in Madrid informed its closure to the Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain on Oct. 26, according to a diplomatic document released later on the part

Nov. 1, 2023

N. Korean envoy rejects report on Hamas using N. Korean arms as 'groundless'

North Korea's ambassador to the United Nations on Tuesday dismissed a recent report on the Hamas militant group's alleged use of North Korean weapons in its war against Israel as "groundless rumors." Speaking at a UN General Assembly session, Ambassador Kim Song commented on the report by "some mass media belonging to the US administration," accusing Washington of seeking to shift the blame for the war in the Middle East to a third country. Last week, the US-funded

Nov. 1, 2023

[Graphic News] Luxury goods imports from China to N. Korea increased over past 3 years: data

North Korea’s imports of luxury goods from China reached $28.5 million last year, despite pandemic border control and international sanctions, data from China’s customs office showed. Except for a temporary dip during the pandemic in 2021, the aggregate value of luxury goods imported from China to North Korea showed an upward trend, having risen from $22.8 million in 2020 to $40.6 million as of July 2023, according to the data from the General Administration of Customs of the People&

Oct. 31, 2023

100 US nuclear weapons should be committed to supporting S. Korea's security against NK threats: report

South Korea and the United States should modernize around 100 US tactical nuclear weapons to support the security of the South against North Korea's growing threats, a research report said Monday. The Asan Institute for Policy Studies and the Rand Corp. made the suggestion in a joint report, stressing the North has "already established a nuclear weapon force that could pose an existential threat" to South Korea and is "on the verge" of posing a serious threat to the US.

Oct. 30, 2023

S. Korea reiterates stance against forced repatriation of N. Korean defectors in China

South Korea's vice defense minister has renewed Seoul's opposition against forced repatriation of North Korean defectors in China, the latest in a series of diplomatic pressure being put on Beijing to address the issue. South Korea's Vice Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho made the remark in talks with Lt. Gen. Jing Jianfeng, deputy chief of staff of China's Joint Staff Department, on the margins of the Xiangshan Forum, an international security dialogue, in Beijing on Sunday, Seou

Oct. 30, 2023

N. Korean vessel stranded near eastern maritime border rescued by NK authorities: JCS

A North Korean vessel stranded near the de facto inter-Korean maritime border in the East Sea was towed away by North Korean authorities several hours after it was spotted by the South Korean military, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday. The 10-meter-long vessel was spotted by a South Korean patrol ship while drifting in waters 200 kilometers east of the coastal town of Jejin and around 3 km north of the eastern Northern Limit Line at 2:16 p.m. Sunday, according to the JCS. "It is known

Oct. 30, 2023

N. Korean FM slams trilateral statement on arms transfer to Russia

North Korea's top diplomat on Saturday criticized a trilateral statement released by Seoul, Washington and Tokyo earlier this week condemning the reclusive regime's arms transfer to Russia, calling it a "groundless criticism and defamation." North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui issued the statement via Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency, saying that others have "no right to interfere in the issues belonging to the national sovereignty of states.&q

Oct. 28, 2023

Unification minister says NK leader's daughter could be successor

South Korea's unification minister said Friday he leaves open the possibility that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's daughter, Ju-ae, could be the country's heir apparent given her public appearances. "We cannot rule out such a possibility at this point," Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho said during a parliamentary audit session when asked if the daughter could become the future successor of the reclusive regime. "We need to be open to the possibility when looking a

Oct. 27, 2023

Arrival of N. Korean arms in Russia 'almost certain': British defense ministry

Britain's defense ministry has said it is "almost certain" that North Korean munitions have arrived in western Russia for the country's use in its war against Ukraine amid persistent speculation over their arms transfers. The information followed Washington's revelation that Pyongyang had sent more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Moscow as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a rare summit last month. &quo

Oct. 27, 2023

S. Korea, US, Japan condemn N. Korea arms supplies to Russia

The top diplomats of South Korea, the US and Japan strongly condemned the supply of military equipment and munitions by North Korea to Russia, confirming some of the deliveries in a joint statement Thursday. Foreign Minister Park Jin and his US and Japanese counterparts -- Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, respectively -- said such supplies would raise the “human toll” in Russia’s war in Ukraine. “We remain resolved to support Ukraine&r

Oct. 26, 2023