N. Korea fires CRBMs, artillery rockets toward West Sea: JCSNorth Korea fired multiple close-range ballistic missiles (CRBMs) and artillery rockets toward the West Sea on Tuesday, South Korea's military said, amid speculation that Chinese President Xi Jinping may visit North Korea soon. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the missiles launched from the Jongju area of North Phyongan Province at around 1 p.m., without elaborating on the details. CRBMs refer to ballistic missiles that have a relatively short range of less than 300 kilometers. The missiles flew some 80 kilometers before landing at sea, the JCS said, noting it is analyzing the exact specifications of the launch with the U.S. side. The JCS said North Korea fired various types of projectiles, including CRBMs and shells from multiple rocket launchers in what appeared to be a rare launch of a mix of such weapons. The launch is also believed to have involved "suicide drones." "We have stepped up surveillance and monitoring in preparation for possible additional launches and are closely sharing related information with the United States and Japan while maintaining a full readineMay 26, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea to hold key party meeting in late June: KCNANorth Korea will convene a plenary meeting of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) next month for an interim review of state and party policies for this year, state media reported Monday. The WPK's political bureau has decided to hold the second plenary meeting of the ninth central committee in late June, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The meeting will be convened "in order to have an interim review of the implementation of the party and state policies for 2026 and discuss the work in the second half of the year and a series of important issues," the KCNA said, without providing further details. The North has recently been holding plenary meetings regularly at the end of June and December, while also convening them when important issues need to be discussed. It remains to be seen whether North Korea will make major decisions regarding its policy stance against South Korea or the United States at the upcoming meeting, amid speculations Chinese President Xi Jinping may visit the North soon. The planned June meeting comes as North Korea seeks to implement follow-up mMay 25, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim sends condolences to Xi over deadly coal mine blastNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has sent a message of condolences to Chinese President Xi Jinping over a deadly gas explosion at a coal mine in northern China, state media reported Monday. A gas explosion at a coal mine in northern China's Shanxi Province on Friday killed 82 people and injured 182 others, while two remained unaccounted for, marking the country's worst mining disaster in nearly two decades, according to foreign media reports. "Upon hearing the sad news that a gas explosion accident at a coal mine in Shanxi Province of your country claimed heavy casualties, I express deep sympathy to you, Comrade General Secretary, and the Chinese party, government and people and to the bereaved families of the victims," Kim said in a message dated Sunday, according to the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Kim also expressed hope that the Chinese people "will eradicate the aftermath of the damage as soon as possible" and that "the bereaved families will overcome their sorrow and regain a stable life."May 25, 2026By Yonhap
Pyongyang brands Japan's security overhaul bid as move to become 'war state'North Korea has stepped up its criticism of Japan's push to overhaul its key security legislation, denouncing it as "reckless militaristic acts." Pyongyang accused Tokyo of seeking to turn itself into a "war state" in a bid to revive "the Empire of Japan" and said that it "has exploited the good will of the international community to revive militarism," according to an article published by Rodong Sinmun, the official mouthpiece of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, Saturday. Pyongyang's latest criticism came as Tokyo moves to revise its three key security documents — the National Security Strategy, National Defense Strategy and Defense Buildup Program — within this year, a drive widely seen as a response to China's growing military presence in the region and other regional security threats. "If Japan attempts yet another invasion, it will bring about consequences far more devastating to itself than in the past," it warned. The latest broadside follows a similar attack earlier this month, when Pyongyang branded the move "a brazen challenge to global peace and humanity."May 23, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea slams Washington's arms deal with Seoul, vows to bolster military deterrentNorth Korea on Thursday warned of countermeasures against Washington's recent approval of arms sales to Seoul, denouncing it as part of a "reckless military buildup." In a commentary carried by the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Pyongyang said the buildup would incite it to further strengthen its military deterrent, vowing to redouble efforts to bolster its defense capabilities. Earlier this week, the U.S. State Department authorized a potential sale to South Korea of MH-60Rs multi-mission naval helicopters and an upgrade program for the AH-64E Apache chopper, worth a combined $4.2 billion. The MH-60R is a naval helicopter used for anti-submarine warfare, maritime surveillance, surface warfare, and search and rescue operations. Pyongyang denounced the approval as Washington's scheme to use Seoul as its "armed shock brigade" in pursuit of "strategic hegemony in the Asia-Pacific region." "Such a unilateral arms build-up that goes beyond the defensive nature will only provoke the other party's corresponding measures for securing overwhelming military muscle," it warned. "The graviMay 21, 2026By Yonhap
Kim-Trump summit could be discussed if Xi visits Pyongyang: unification ministerUnification Minister Chung Dong-young said Thursday a summit between Pyongyang and Washington could be on the agenda if China's leader Xi Jinping visits North Korea. Xi is speculated to make a state visit later his month or early next month, sources said the previous day, citing recent visits by Xi's security guards and ceremonial staff to Pyongyang as indicators. If that happens, a Kim-Trump summit "will surely be discussed," Chung told reporters outside the government complex in Seoul, though he acknowledged the visit had yet to be confirmed by Beijing. "Gigantic tectonic plates are in motion," he said, referring to a series of recent summits among the United States, China and Russia. "Now is time for us to deeply contemplate strategic options for stability, peace and mutual prosperity amidst these tectonic changes in the geopolitical landscape of Northeast Asia surround the Korean Peninsula," he said. Seoul has been seeking to repair strained inter-Korean relations. It is said to have worked to place North Korea-related issues on the agenda of the recent Trump-Xi summit.May 21, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea briefly reports on women's football team's AFC final bidNorth Korea's state media on Thursday briefly reported on its women's football club's advancement to the final of a top Asian club tournament, after beating a South Korean rival. In a short dispatch, the North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the semifinal between "the Naegohyang Team of the DPRK and the Suwon Team of the ROK" took place in South Korea the previous day, using the acronym of each country's official name. "The Naegohyang Team beat its rival 2:1 and advanced into the final" of the Asian Football Confederation Women's Champions League," it said. It was the first KCNA report on the team since March 29, when it covered the team's quarterfinal victory. The dispatch omitted several details surrounding the match, including the South Korean crowd's reception of the visiting team and the torrential rain that drenched the pitch. The Rodong Sinmun, the official paper of the ruling Workers' Party and one of the few publications accessible to ordinary North Koreans, did run photos of players competing in the downpour. South Korean national flags on the players' uniforms, however, wMay 21, 2026By Yonhap
1st inter-Korean women's football match in South in years kicks offSouth Korea's Suwon FC Women face North Korea's Naegohyang Women's FC Wednesday night in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, in what will be the first inter-Korean sports match on South Korean soil in seven-and-a-half years — a match that carries political weight far beyond the pitch. Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, speaking at a National Assembly session Wednesday ahead of the evening kickoff, framed the match as an opportunity to set a "positive precedent" for inter-Korean ties. "I think the arrival of the North Korean sports team marks a meaningful milestone, as it is the first time a North Korean athletic team has set foot in the South in seven-and-a-half years," Chung said. "The ministry will carefully manage the situation in hopes that the event can help restore the long-fractured trust between the two Koreas." Chung explained that while Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Chae Hwi-young would attend the match in person, he chose not to. “The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) requested our assistance in ensuring that the AFC Women's Champions League could be held independently oMay 20, 2026By Park Ji-won
InterviewActivist bets on sports to reopen door between Seoul, PyongyangNorth Korean footballers will play in the South for the first time in years on Wednesday evening, when Naegohyang Women's FC faces Suwon FC Women in a match that offers a rare glimpse of inter-Korean sports engagement. For Kim Kyung-sung, a veteran civic activist who has spent more than two decades using sports to help build bridges between the two Koreas by promoting South-North sports exchanges, the occasion was encouraging — but he warns that the way Seoul is handling it could jeopardize more than the match. Kim said Seoul must drop what he calls the "inter-Korean frame" and treat North Korea strictly as an international sports counterpart if it wants to keep the door to dialogue open. “North Korea has already declared the South and the North to be ‘two hostile states,’” Kim said during an interview with The Korea Times. “From their point of view, there is effectively no inter-Korean exchange anymore and if Seoul keeps using that framework, Pyongyang is likely to bristle.” Kim said sports remains one of the few areas where Pyongyang shows willingness to follow internatioMay 20, 2026By Jung Min-ho
North Korean officials tour drone operator training facility in Russian Far EastNorth Korean officials toured a key facility for training drone operators in Russia’s Far East on Friday, local authorities reported, amid efforts to boost economic and scientific exchanges. North Korea's South Pyongan Province delegation has been visiting Russia’s Far Eastern Amur region since last Monday and toured the Center for Drone Competencies in Belogorsk last Friday, according to the regional parliament. At the Center for Drone Competencies, North Korean officials from the provincial parliament learned about the region’s achievements in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and their use in the military, agriculture, monitoring and logistics. The delegation reportedly observed “drone operations” and learned how to control and maintain UAVs, with special attention paid to “training specialists in the operation of unmanned systems and developing educational programs for young people.” The center was created in 2023 and trains UAV operators from among Russian servicemen participating in the Ukraine war. It closely collaborates with the national military and also provides drMay 19, 2026By NK News
