Trump could discuss 'tacit' NK nuke acceptance with Kim in possible summit: ex-officialWASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump could put on the table the "tacit" acceptance of North Korea's nuclear program, a peace treaty and an end to South Korea-U.S. military exercises should a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un take place, a former U.S. official has said. Anthony Ruggiero, who served as the National Security Council's (NSC) director for North Korea during the first Trump administration," made the comment in an opinion piece published by The Hill, a U.S. media outlet, on Thursday as Trump recently expressed his intention to meet Kim later this year. Speculation has continued that Trump could seek a meeting with Kim during his next trip to Asia, likely to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, China, in November, as The Wall Street Journal recently reported. "Negotiations with Kim will likely include at least a tacit acknowledgement of North Korea's nuclear weapons program," he said. Ruggiero went on to say, "In addition to Washington's acceptance of North Korea's nuclear program, Trump could offer a peace treaty formally ending the K22h agoBy Yonhap
N. Korea completes new railway station at Wonsan-Kalma resortNorth Korea has finished building a railway station at the Wonsan-Kalma tourist area on the east coast, state media said Friday, as the nation seeks to nurture tourism. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said a ceremony marking the completion of Myongsasimni Railway Station took place the previous day, attended by high-ranking officials, including Vice Premier Pak Hun. State media lauded the 7,000-square-meter station as a "model of Korean-style local railway station," built to serve the needs of tourist travel. The resort, one of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's signature development projects, officially opened in June 2025 and can reportedly hold up to 20,000 visitors at a time. While visiting the resort in June to inspect its facilities, Kim unveiled plans to modernize railway stations in provincial cities across the country, urging officials to draw on lessons from the project. Kim also flagged "some shortcomings" in the station's construction at that time, according to the KCNA, calling on workers to tighten quality control and upgrade the skills of the construction team. A KCNA p1d agoBy Yonhap
N. Korea slams US arms sale to S. Korea as proof of 'persistent' hostilityNorth Korea denounced Thursday a potential U.S. arms sale to South Korea and a plan to fund millions of dollars for documenting North Korean human rights violations as proof of continued hostility toward Pyongyang. A spokesperson for the North's foreign ministry issued the criticism, referring to a recent announcement last week by the U.S. State Department on its approval for a potential sale of AIM-9X air-to-air missiles and related equipment to Seoul. South Korea had requested the purchase of 103 AIM-9X Sidewinder Block II tactical missile and 10 guidance units, among other defense items. The department has also put out a notice of funding opportunity to document human rights abuses and to counter North Korean propaganda, a project for which it has allotted up to $2.96 million. "The above-said acts are another case proving the persistence and sequence of the U.S. hostile moves to add a new threat to the security sphere of the DPRK and create instability in the social system of our state," the spokesperson said in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency. "The reality clearl2d agoBy Yonhap
N. Korea's nuclear capabilities grow 100,000 times over 30 years: unification ministerUnification Minister Chung Dong-young said Thursday North Korea's nuclear capabilities have grown 100,000 times over the past 30 years, insisting that pursuing North Korea's complete denuclearization is no longer sustainable. Chung made the remarks at a forum, as Pyongyang has continued to advance its nuclear capabilities and claimed its nuclear status is "irreversible," while ruling out denuclearization talks. "It is evidently the harsh truth that the approach of pushing for the complete denuclearization (of North Korea) pursued in the past is no longer sustainable," Chung said in his opening speech at the annual Global Korea Forum. He said North Korea's nuclear capabilities have expanded "100,000 times" over more than three decades since 1992, adding Pyongyang was strengthening its nuclear programs even at this "very moment." To highlight North Korea's nuclear capabilities, Chung cited the 90 grams of plutonium that Pyongyang had reported to the International Atomic Energy Agency in 1992 and the 57 nuclear weapons, a figure that U.S. President Donald Trump specified last week as the No2d agoBy Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim presides over party meeting, with no mention of Trump's overtureNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called for "extraordinary responsibility and high prudence" in carrying out major state projects during a key party meeting, state media reported Wednesday. He made the remarks while presiding over the fourth enlarged meeting of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea's (WPK) political bureau the previous day. But the North's leader made no mention of U.S. President Donald Trump's recent overtures to him. Trump has hoped to reengage with Kim this year. The politburo meeting was held to review progress on the 2026 policy tasks adopted earlier this year at the WPK's ninth congress, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Kim pointed to "a series of deviations," which he attributed to "the immature operation and leadership of the economic guidance organs failing to keep abreast of our greater ideals and progress," the KCNA said. The report did not specify what these "deviations" refer to. "Such shortcomings can be overcome and eliminated by the efforts redoubled with a new determination and struggle will," Kim said, according to the report. He also sAug 26, 2026By Yonhap
Expert says chance of Trump-Kim meeting is 'slim to none'WASHINGTON — A prominent expert said Tuesday that he sees a "slim-to-none" chance of another meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, noting that the resumption of their summitry depends on how low the United States sets the bar or how willing Trump is to make concessions. Bruce Klingner, senior fellow at the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation, made the remarks during a forum in Washington, amid speculation that Trump could seek a summit with Kim during his next trip to Asia, likely to attend a regional forum in Shenzhen, China in November. "I think overall, the chance of a meeting is sort of slim to none, and slim just rode out of town," he said during the forum hosted by the Korea Economic Institute of America. "But it could still happen. It depends on sort of how low the U.S. sets the bar or how willing Trump is to offer concessions," he added. Klingner's comment came amid growing expectations for Trump's potential outreach to Kim, which some observers said might be an effort to win a diplomatic feat and burnish his image as a peacemaker, wAug 26, 2026By Yonhap
North Korea denuclearization missing from US readout as Trump pushes for Kim talksThe United States conspicuously omitted any reference to "the denuclearization of North Korea" from its readout of a phone call between the top diplomats of South Korea and the U.S., raising speculation that Washington is creating diplomatic room for renewed engagement with Pyongyang. South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by phone Monday to discuss a range of bilateral issues, with both sides stressing the need for close coordination between the allies. The two governments, however, differed notably in how they described discussions on North Korea. According to South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cho and Rubio "agreed to preserve the strong South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture while maintaining close communication and coordination for peace on the Korean Peninsula and to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue." Cho also told Rubio that Seoul "would work to ensure that U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent messages toward Pyongyang could lead to the resumption of U.S.-North Korea dialogue and contribute to peace on the KoreanAug 25, 2026By Park Ji-won
N. Korea, Belarus near visa-waiver agreement for ordinary citizens: reportNorth Korea and Belarus are close to signing a visa-waiver agreement for ordinary citizens, Belarus' state media has reported. The report by the Belarusian news agency BelTA on Sunday (Belarus time) said Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov discussed ways to enhance mutual times with his North Korean counterpart, Choe Son-hui, including the pending deal. "We will sign it in the very near future," Ryzhenkov was quoted as saying. "We discussed the entire range of bilateral relations, including the upcoming contacts through the foreign ministries and the signing of a number of agreements, including this important agreement on visa-free travel for citizens." The report said only "some technical details" were left to be work out. The move is believed to be a follow-up to the March summit in Pyongyang between Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, where they signed an agreement on friendship and cooperation. At that time, Lukashenko was seen receiving an assault rifle as a present from Kim. In another sign of deepening ties, Belarusian Prime MinistAug 24, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea slams Japan's Yasukuni shrine visits as 'neo-militarist frenzy'North Korea on Monday slammed Japanese politicians for visiting the controversial Yasukuni Shrine and sending ritual offerings, criticizing the move as "neo-militarist frenzy." The North issued the criticism in a commentary carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), accusing them of harboring militaristic ambitions by paying respects at the shrine on Aug. 15, the anniversary of Japan's 1945 surrender in World War II. The Yasukuni Shrine honors some 2.46 million Japanese war dead, including 14 Class A criminals convicted by international tribunals for their roles in World War II. This year's visit carried even graver meaning, the KCNA said, coming alongside what it called Japan's "dangerous military moves that were unseen in past governments." It cited Japan's operational deployment of preemptive-strike weapons, revisions to its defense industry laws and attempts to revise nuclear-related legislation as evidence. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's "surprise remote worship" revealed her "scheme to heighten the reinvasion mood" across the country and her efforts to "realize herAug 24, 2026By Yonhap
No signs of additional deployment of NK troops to Russia detected: S. Korean militaryNo signs have been detected of any imminent dispatch of additional North Korean troops to Russia, a lawmaker said Sunday, citing a report from the South Korean military. North Korea, however, is believed to continue making preparations for a possible deployment of additional troops to Russia, according to Rep. Yoo Yong-won of the main opposition People Power Party. In a report submitted to the lawmaker, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) said, "North Korea continues to prepare for deployment, but no sign of an imminent deployment of additional troops has been identified." The assessment comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed last month that Russia was preparing to bring in an additional 30,000 North Korean troops to a border region in the southwest to assist its war against Ukraine. A military official confirmed that the North appeared to be internally preparing for the possibility of an additional deployment, but no movement pointing to actual preparations has been detected at the working level so far. Last week, Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leAug 23, 2026By Yonhap
