N. Korean, Chinese premiers discuss expanding exchanges, cooperation on 65th anniv. of friendship treatyNorth Korean Premier Pak Thae-song has met with his Chinese counterpart in Beijing to discuss ways to expand exchanges and cooperation between the two countries, Pyongyang's state media reported Sunday. Pak met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on the occasion of an event marking the 65th anniversary of the signing of a friendship treaty between the two nations the previous day, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). During the meeting, the two sides discussed expanding exchanges and cooperation across all spheres, in line with an agreement reached by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping during their summit talks in Pyongyang last month. Pak said relations between Pyongyang and Beijing have "reached a new high level," while vowing to strengthen their friendship and solidarity. In response, Li noted that it was the "steadfast" policy of the Chinese government to defend and consolidate their relations with Pyongyang, while describing the North Korea-China relationship as "neighbors sharing destiny." A North Korean delegation led by Pak arrived in Beijing8h agoBy Yonhap
China celebrates 65th anniversary of treaty with N. KoreaBEIJING — China has marked the 65th anniversary of its friendship treaty with North Korea with a celebratory event. The Chinese foreign ministry said Saturday the event took place in Beijing the previous day, with Cai Qi, director of the general office of the Chinese Communist Party's central committee, and North Korean Premier Pak Thae-song on hand, among others. In his speech, Cai noted the continuous development of the countries' bilateral ties since the signing of the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance on July 11, 1961. "Under the strategic guidance of the leaders in the two nations, our relationship has entered a new historical phase," Cai said, according to the ministry. "With the leaders' important consensus as strategic guidelines, I hope we will inherit our traditional friendship and take socialist projects and friendly cooperation ties to a new level." In response, Pak said the recent summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Pyongyang provided "strong momentum" to further deepen their bilateral relations. "Let's ex21h agoBy Yonhap
NK leader denounces corruption in military at rare meetingNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un denounced corruption in the military as he attended a joint meeting of the ruling party, government and army, state media said Saturday. The rare meeting was held in Pyongyang, Friday, "to give a warning to all sorts of anti-revolutionary, anti-socialist, anti-people acts going against the trend of the times," the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in an English dispatch. In particular, the meeting addressed the case of Pak Hui-chol, former vice-director in charge of organizational affairs of the General Political Bureau of the People's Army, who the agency said was punished by the Supreme Court for engaging in various forms of corruption. "During the past four years when he had been in a responsible post of the political organ, he created special illusions about him while being engrossed in all sorts of abuses of authority and arbitrariness, and received a large amount of bribes from dishonest elements obsessed with greed and thirst for a high post and embezzled them," the KCNA said. "Pak Hui Chol's scandals are extra-large crimes that go beyo1d agoBy Yonhap
Kim, Xi stress commitment to deepening strategic cooperation in messages marking treaty anniversaryNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping have reiterated their shared commitment to strengthening strategic cooperation between the two countries in their messages marking the 65th anniversary of the signing of a friendship treaty, Pyongyang's state media said Saturday. The leaders exchanged the messages, pointing to the shifting international security situation, the Korean Central News Agency reported, as a Sino-U.S. rivalry is intensifying, with Seoul, Washington and Tokyo continuing to reinforce cooperation in confronting shared challenges. The exchange followed their summit talks in Pyongyang last month, which came at a time when Beijing was seen striving to improve relations with North Korea, which has drawn closer to Russia through deepening military, diplomatic and economic cooperation. In his missive, Kim highlighted his readiness to develop the bilateral relationship into a "model of the most powerful and strategic relations" between socialist countries by guiding it to a "new height," together with the Chinese president. "The DPRK-China friendly and coop1d agoBy Yonhap
Xi meets N. Korea's premier ahead of 65th anniv. of friendship treatyChinese President Xi Jinping met North Korea's premier in Beijing on Friday ahead of an event marking the 65th anniversary of the signing of a friendship treaty between the two nations, news footage aired by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV showed. North Korean Premier Pak Thae-song arrived there earlier in the day for a three-day visit to attend the event commemorating the treaty anniversary at the invitation of China's Communist Party, according to the report. The Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance was signed July 11, 1961, by late North Korea founder and former leader Kim Il-sung and then Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Pyongyang's state media, reported on Pak's planned visit to Beijing the previous day, without specifying a detailed schedule. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping held summit talks in Pyongyang last month and vowed to strengthen bilateral ties through expanded exchanges across multiple sectors, from economy to culture, as well as more frequent high-level visits. At that time, Xi stressed t2d agoBy Yonhap
N. Korea to expand intelligence agency's role against 'potential enemies'North Korea has called for expanding the functions and missions of its intelligence agency against "potential enemies," state media said Friday, in a move seen as aimed at strengthening its intelligence gathering against South Korea. The discussion took place at the first enlarged meeting of the ninth Central Military Commission, presided over by leader Kim Jong-un, the previous day, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. The meeting addressed ways to enhance the Korean People's Army's combat readiness and modernization. "The meeting suggested tasks and ways for expanding in a many-sided way the functions and missions of the General Reconnaissance and Intelligence Bureau (GRIB)," the report said, describing the bureau as playing "a pivotal role in controlling the potential enemies' threats and gathering key information." It also called for enhancing its military reconnaissance and intelligence capabilities "in a radical way," according to the KCNA report. The report did not specify in detail how the bureau's intelligence-gathering capabilities would be expanded. North Korea is be2d agoBy Yonhap
N. Korea slams S. Korea-Japan military cooperation as 'self-destruction'North Korea on Thursday denounced military cooperation between Seoul and Tokyo as "a foolish act of courting self-destruction." The statement came from Kang Chol-su, section chief of North Korea's Institute of Enemy State Studies, in a commentary carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Kang argued the cooperation would do nothing to weaken North Korea's deterrence capabilities, saying there would "never be a change in the absolute mechanical structure of no retreat built in the Korean Peninsula by the strongest nuclear weapons state." He pointed to the recent defense ministerial talks between Seoul and Tokyo, along with South Korea's jets refueling at a Japanese air base earlier this year, warning these developments "should not be overlooked." According to Kang, the deepening security ties are laying the groundwork for a "logistics support agreement" that would let the two countries supply "each other with munitions, including ammunition, in contingency." "Japan's security cooperation is precisely a confrontation cooperation targeting the DPRK," he said, calling it part of a broJul 9, 2026By Yonhap
S. Korea, US, Japan reaffirm NK denuclearization commitment, vow to boost economic security tiesThe top diplomats of Korea, the United States and Japan have reaffirmed their commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and vowed to continue efforts to pursue dialogue with North Korea, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday. The commitment was made during trilateral talks held Tuesday on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Ankara between Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, according to the ministry. "The ministers shared assessments of the situation on the Korean Peninsula and agreed to maintain close coordination on North Korea-related policies, including efforts to counter Pyongyang's illicit cyberactivities," the ministry said in a release. "While reaffirming their commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, they also agreed to continue efforts to maintain peace and stability through dialogue and diplomacy," it added. The ministers also exchanged views on regional and global developments, including the situation in the Middle East, and plJul 8, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim pays tribute to founder on 32nd death anniversaryNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Wednesday visited the mausoleum of late state founder Kim Il-sung to mark the 32nd anniversary of his death, Pyongyang's state media said. Flanked by senior officials, Kim Jong-un paid tribute to his grandfather at midnight at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the embalmed bodies of Kim Il-sung and his son, Kim Jong-il — the current leader's father — lie in state, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "Comrade Kim Jong-un made deep bows to them, praying for their immortality," the KCNA said, referring to the two former leaders. Kim Il-sung died of heart failure on July 8, 1994, at 82, while Kim Jong-il died of a heart attack on Dec. 17, 2011, at age 69. This year's commemoration is expected to be modest by North Korean standards as the country typically reserves its biggest ceremonies for fifth and 10th anniversaries. This year's falls outside that cycle. The visit came as the North's leader has spent years building his own image as leader, leaning less on the legacies of his father and grandfather to justify his rule.Jul 8, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea issues stamps marking key treaty with China, Xi's Pyongyang visitNorth Korea has issued new stamps to mark the 65th anniversary of the signing of its mutual defense treaty with China and Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Pyongyang last month. The Pyongyang-based Korea Stamp Corp. unveiled the two stamps on its website — one commemorating the signing of the North Korea-China Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance on July 11, 1961, by the North's state founder Kim Il-sung and then Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai, and the other marking Xi's June 8-9 state visit to North Korea, his first in seven years. The corporation described the summit between the two leaders as "a historic occasion that opens a new era of friendship and cooperation, carrying on the tradition through generations and blazing a trail toward a more beautiful future." At the summit, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Xi vowed to strengthen bilateral ties through expanded exchanges across multiple sectors, from economy to culture, as well as more frequent high-level visits. The two leaders have since exchanged letters on the occasion of Xi's birthday on June 15 aJul 7, 2026By Yonhap
