N. Korea reports opening of new cross-border bridge with ChinaNorth Korea on Friday reported the opening of a new cross-border bridge linking its border city of Sinuiju with China's Dandong, highlighting its potential to strengthen economic ties between the two countries. The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the North Korea-China Amnok River Bridge was held the previous day, with senior officials from both countries attending, according to the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "The bridge is the creation reflecting the invincible vitality and development of the DPRK-China friendship, which has preserved its nature despite the trials of history," the KCNA said, adding that the bridge would "enable the two countries to boost bilateral economic relations." DPRK stands for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, China's Xinhua News Agency earlier reported the official opening of the bridge across the Amnok River, known as the Yalu River in China. North Korean Premier Pak Thae-song and Chinese Premier Li Qiang delivered congratulatory speeches via video link, while Ri Ryong-nam, North Korea's ambassador to China, and W1h agoBy Yonhap
N. Korea accuses Japan of 'sinister intention' over nuclear-powered submarinesNorth Korea on Thursday called Japan's push for nuclear-powered submarines a "stepping stone" toward nuclear weapons. An international security analyst, Pak Ju-won, made the claim in an article carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "It is the true intention of the Japanese neo-militarist force to formalize the possession of nuclear-powered submarines and secure a stepping-stone to the possession of nuclear weapons in the long-run," Pak said. Citing recent comments by Japanese officials, Pak claimed that Japan has the "sinister intention to create public opinion" in favor of writing the nuclear-related issue into its key security documents, which are due for revision by the end of the year. Late last month, Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said the government was keeping open the possibility of revising its three nonnuclear principles and acquiring nuclear-powered submarines. Japan, he said, should debate nuclear weapons and nuclear-powered submarines "without taboos." Pak said Japan has discarded "the veil of 'exclusive defense'" referring to its postwar policy of li17h agoBy Yonhap
New bridge between China, North Korea opensDANDONG, China — A big new bridge linking China and North Korea opened on Thursday, 12 years after its completion, deepening economic ties between the Asian giant and its isolated nuclear-armed neighbour. China is North Korea's largest trading partner and a vital source of diplomatic, economic and political support for the reclusive nuclear state, although ties have not always been smooth. Hundreds of people gathered on Thursday on the Chinese side for the opening of the 3,026-metre (9,927-feet) New Yalu River vehicle bridge. Trucks bearing the nations' flags began moving in both directions late morning, AFP reporters at the scene said, some of the North Korean vehicles decorated with flowers. "It's great," one woman who came to watch told AFP in the quiet northern border town of Dandong, which is dotted with a mish-mash of Chinese and Korean shops and restaurants. "It's already been over 10 years. It's certainly going to be good for business," she said, without wishing to be named, accompanied by her friend and her dog. The opening came a day after North Korea test-fired two types of cr22h agoBy AFP
N. Korea fires strategic cruise missiles, possibly from nuclear attack submarineNorth Korea said Thursday it test-fired two types of strategic cruise missile in the East Sea the previous day, in what may be the first launch from a 3,000-ton-class submarine it unveiled in 2023. "The test-fire aimed to examine the current mobilized posture of the underwater combat systems and contributed to getting the Navy skilled in performing its strategic missions and showcasing high reliability, trustworthiness and ability of the war deterrents of the DPRK," the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. DPRK stands for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The test was overseen by Kim Jong-sik, a member of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea, Jang Chang-ha, director-general of the Missile Administration and the Navy's underwater weapon system engineers, the report said. Experts said the missiles appeared to be launched from what the North called its first tactical nuclear attack submarine, Hero Kim Kun Ok. North Korea unveiled the vessel in September 2023 and described it as one of the "core underwater offensive me1d agoBy Yonhap
N. Korea could bolster drone capabilities through workers at Russian factory: reportNorth Korea could strengthen its military drone capabilities by gaining technical expertise through workers deployed to a major Russian drone production facility, potentially posing a new security threat to South Korea and U.S. forces in the region, a U.S. think tank report showed Wednesday. The report, jointly published by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the George W. Bush Institute, examined the security implications of North Korea's involvement in Russia's drone manufacturing industry, as well as the roles of China and Iran in supporting Moscow's war against Ukraine. According to a separate report issued by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) in September, Russia hosted an estimated 15,000 to 30,000 North Korean workers as of the end of 2025, some of whom were involved in manufacturing military drones. The report also said Moscow had established a student visa scheme to disguise North Korean workers as students. "North Korean labor also transfers technical know-how. Technicians sent to Alabuga will return to Pyongyang with invaluable lesson1d agoBy Yonhap
COVER STORY Zelenskyy's disclosure of NK POW transfer raises risks for families: expertsFor two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukrainian forces in January 2025 while fighting for Russia, their recent arrival in South Korea, where they requested to go, offers freedom and the prospect of a new life. But for their families left behind in the North, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s public disclosure of the transfer may have heightened potentially life-threatening risks, experts said Wednesday. They say the relatives may already have become vulnerable when the soldiers' capture was made public in January 2025, but the Kim Jong-un regime's retaliation against them could be harsher after Zelenskyy disclosed the soldiers' transfer to South Korea during his U.N. General Assembly speech on Sept. 23. Forced relocation, loss of official positions and tighter surveillance are among the possible consequences cited by the experts, although the families’ whereabouts and any punishments remain unconfirmed. “North Korea probably had already banished the families to remote mountainous areas and stripped those in official positions of their posts,” said Ahn Chan-il, a North1d agoBy Yi Whan-woo
Timeline of NK POW row between Seoul, KyivThe dispute between Seoul and Kyiv over the disclosed transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war (POW) to South Korea began with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's announcement of the move to world leaders on Sept. 23. "Recently, we sent two North Korean prisoners of war to the Republic of Korea," he said during his U.N. General Assembly speech in New York, referring to the official name of South Korea. President Lee Jae Myung wrote on social media the following day: "The Ukrainian side's decision to disclose the information in violation of a confidentiality agreement is deeply regrettable." He said the two sides had agreed to keep the transfer a secret because it is a "highly sensitive matter with significant implications for diplomacy, national security and the situation on the Korean Peninsula. Yet Dmytro Lytvyn, communications adviser to Zelenskyy, in a statement on Facebook denied any such agreement existed. In a Sept. 27 statement, Sung Ki-hong, South Korea's senior presidential secretary for public communication, criticized the Ukrainian government's handling of the issu1d agoBy Kim Bo-kyoung
New cross-border bridge between N. Korea, China to open Thursday: reportA bridge between North Korea and China will officially open to traffic this week after sitting idle for more than a decade following its construction, according to a Chinese news report on Wednesday. The New Yalu River Bridge, which connects the North Korean city of Sinuiju and Dandong in China, will open Thursday, according to China's Xinhua News Agency. There will be an opening ceremony on that day, the report said. The construction of the four-lane motor bridge began in October 2011 and wrapped up in October 2014, but it stood unused for years because North Korea did not finish the buildings and infrastructure on its side. Vehicles have recently been spotted crossing the 3,024-meter bridge, raising the possibility of a test run. The bridge, which is expected to boost trade and personnel exchanges between the two countries, opens after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged at their June summit in Pyongyang to raise their ties to a strategic level and enhance exchanges. It would supplement the existing Friendship Bridge, which opened in 1943 and has long1d agoBy Yonhap
N. Korea vows no bargaining over nukes marking centennial of anti-imperialist unionNorth Korea on Wednesday stressed the need to keep developing its nuclear arsenal for self-defense, in an editorial timed for the 100th anniversary of the founding of an organization considered the root of the Workers' Party of Korea. The front-page editorial in the Rodong Sinmun, the most widely read daily in the country, praised the spirit of "independence and anti-imperialism" at the center of the Down-with-Imperialism Union, formed by North Korean founder Kim Il-sung on Oct. 17, 1926. It called for "the strongest self-defensive capabilities" as the path to "complete and absolute sovereignty," and for bolstering the country's nuclear arsenal. "We accomplished the historic work of building our national nuclear forces in a short time and beyond all precedent," the editorial said. "By enshrining the policy of strengthening them in the constitution, we have ensured no one can bargain over our absolute strength any longer and secured a legal guarantee for its continued advancement," it said. North Korea stipulated the policy of strengthening its nuclear force in the constitution in Septembe2d agoBy Yonhap
US clamps down on N. Korean IT worker schemes affecting over 70 American firmsWASHINGTON — The U.S. Justice Department said Tuesday it has clamped down on North Korean remote IT worker schemes that affected more than 70 American companies and generated millions of dollars in revenue allegedly linked to the North Korean regime. The department announced a series of recent coordinated law enforcement actions in Ohio and Texas, including an indictment, two arrests and the seizure of 187 computers used by North Korean IT workers to obtain fraudulent employment at U.S. companies. "North Korea's rogue regime uses its pervasive IT worker schemes to raise revenue for various illicit purposes, including the development of weapons that could ultimately target the United States or its allies," Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg said in a department release. According to the department, North Korean IT workers used stolen or fabricated identities and virtual private networks to secure remote jobs at American companies. They relied on U.S.-based facilitators who hosted company-issued laptops and transferred earnings to North Korean-controlled acc2d agoBy Yonhap
