New under secretary, noted for NK expertise, kicks off State Dept. workA new senior U.S. diplomat, noted for her expertise on diplomacy with North Korea, has begun her State Department work amid expectations on her role for the possible resumption of dialogue with the recalcitrant regime. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker started her official duty last week after the Senate confirmed her in a 59-36 vote last Tuesday, according to the department's schedule and Congress' website. Hooker undertook the senior-level position as U.S. President Donald Trump has signaled his openness to reengage with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, with his administration pursuing the "complete denuclearization" of North Korea. She previously served as senior director for Asian affairs at the National Security Council, a key post for U.S. policy toward the Indo-Pacific. She was deeply involved in preparations for Trump's summits with North Korean leader Kim in Singapore in June 2018, Hanoi in February 2019 and the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom in June 2019. From 2001-2014, Hooker served as a senior analyst for North Korea in the Department ofJun 10, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korean education delegation departs for Russia for int'l forumA North Korean delegation, led by Education Minister Kim Seung-doo, has left for Russia to attend an international forum of education ministers, state media reported Tuesday. The delegation left Pyongyang the previous day to participate in the third International Forum of Ministers of Education in Russia, the Korean Central News Agency said. The trip is the latest in a recent series of exchanges between Pyongyang and Moscow, which have drawn closer since the signing of a mutual defense treaty in June last year. Since then, the two countries have strengthened cooperation across various sectors, including defense, education, public health and the economy.Jun 10, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea says US entry ban not a matter of interest over its omission from listWhether the United States includes North Korea on its list of countries banned for domestic travel is not a matter of interest, the North's state media reported Tuesday, after Pyongyang was omitted from the list. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) published the response about a week after U.S. President Donald Trump's administration signed a travel ban on 12 countries, including Afghanistan, Myanmar, Haiti, Iran, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, citing protection against "foreign terrorists" and security threats. According to a news report in March, North Korea and Russia were also among the countries reviewed for the travel ban, but both were omitted from the final list. Citing a local international affairs analyst, the KCNA reported there is a strange interpretation suggesting North Korea's omission from the list may reflect the U.S.' "carrot" approach toward North Korea to open the door for the resumption of dialogue. North Korea said whether it was purely for technical reasons or for political purpose, only the U.S. can explain why North Korea was not included on the list, but "one obvioJun 10, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim reprimands poor construction capacity while inspecting hospital siteNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has inspected the construction site for a regional hospital, reprimanding the country's poor construction capacity and ordering a prompt qualitative improvement, state media said Tuesday. Kim gave the instruction during a visit to Kusong City Hospital in North Phyongan Province the previous day, where he inspected the construction progress, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. Kusong is one of three regions Kim selected in February to host exemplary hospitals as part of his broader order to build regional hospitals in 20 cities and counties annually starting next year, aimed at improving convenience for local residents. Last week, Kim inspected a hospital construction site in Kangdong County, just outside Pyongyang, which is also one of the three regions selected for the pilot hospital project. Many military personnel are currently being mobilized to large construction sites, but the "efficiency of using the workforce is not ensured at the up-to-the-standard level due to the non-specialization and inexperience in the organization and command of consJun 10, 2025By Yonhap
Passenger train service between Pyongyang, Moscow to resume next weekA passenger train service linking the North Korean capital of Pyongyang and Moscow will resume its operation next week after years of suspension over the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia's state-run railway operator has said. A railway service directly connecting the capitals of North Korea and Russia will start its operation June 17 under an agreement with North Korea's railway authorities, the Russian Railways said on its Telegram account Monday. The passenger train service will be in operation twice per month on the route spanning more than 10,000 kilometers, and the travel will take eight days. The Russian railway operator called it "the world's longest direct train route." A train bound for Moscow will depart from Pyongyang on the 3rd and 17th of every month, while a service heading to Pyongyang will leave from Moscow on the 12th and 26th of each month. Another train service linking Pyongyang and Russia's Khabarovsk, a city near Russia's border with North Korea, will start its once-per-month operation June 19. The move came as North Korea and Russia have been deepening their cooperation in vJun 10, 2025By Yonhap
Military says halting loudspeaker broadcasts depend on N. Korea's actionsSouth Korea's military said Monday whether to suspend anti-Pyongyang loudspeaker broadcasts along the border would depend on North Korea's actions, amid prospects that the new government will seek to mend ties and return to dialogue with the North. South Korea resumed loudspeaker broadcasts near the heavily fortified border a year ago, in response to the North's repeated launch of trash-carrying balloons across the border. The North has also blared loudspeaker broadcasts toward the South, causing inconveniences to border residents. "Our military decided on the resumption of loudspeaker broadcasts in June last year ... we are conducting it in a flexible manner in conjunction with the strategic and operational situation," Col. Lee Sung-jun, spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) told a regular press briefing, when asked about the possibility of halting such an operation. President Lee Jae-myung, who took office last week, has vowed to suspend anti-Pyongyang leaflet campaigns and loudspeaker broadcasts against North Korea as he seeks to improve frayed inter-Korean relations. Lee,Jun 9, 2025By Yonhap
Seoul voices 'regret' over leaflet campaign by families of abductees held in N. KoreaThe unification ministry voiced regret Monday over a recent anti-North Korea leaflet campaign staged by a group of families of those abducted by North Korea, "strongly" calling on them to suspend the campaign. Families of abduction victims launched four large latex balloons carrying leaflets into North Korea from the western border city of Paju last Monday, marking the group's third such campaign this year. The leaflets contained messages demanding information on and the return of seven people believed to have been abducted by the North, along with warning messages. "The unification ministry expresses regret over the third leaflet distribution by the group of families of abduction victims, despite our call for restraint," ministry spokesperson Koo Byuong-sam said at a press briefing. "We strongly urge a halt to leaflet sending, as it can heighten tensions in the Korean Peninsula (security) situation and threaten the lives and safety of residents near the border," he said. The ministry will work to ensure compliance with anti-leaflet regulations in cooperation with relevant government agenJun 9, 2025By Yonhap
NK defector given suspended prison term for trying to return to North in stolen busA North Korean defector was sentenced to a suspended prison term Monday for trying to return to the North in a stolen bus. The 30-something man was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for three years, after he stole a bus from a garage in Paju, some 30 kilometers northwest of Seoul, and attempted to drive it across a bridge near the inter-Korean border in October. "It does not appear that (the defendant) committed the crime with the political intention of praising or sympathizing with North Korea," the Goyang branch of the Uijeongbu District Court said in its ruling. "It partially shows the reality faced by North Korean defectors who have settled in the Republic of Korea, and is understood as a problem that the Republic of Korea must solve as it prepares for reunification," it added. The man, who was caught after ramming the bus into a barricade on the Tongil Bridge, was found to have defected alone in 2011 and struggled to make a living. His living conditions worsened after he injured a leg in 2018, and while longing for his family in the North, he was forced to vacate his accommJun 9, 2025By Yonhap
Rice planting in N. Korea completed after delay due to unfavorable weatherNorth Korea has completed rice planting nationwide, state media reported Monday, after this year's rice planting was delayed by several days due to unfavorable weather. "Helped by agricultural sector workers, laborers and supporters, rice planting in standard (cultivation) areas has been completed nationwide," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. This year's news reports announcing the completion of rice planting came about four days later than last year, when such reports were published June 5, apparently due to unfavorable weather conditions. The Rodong Sinmun, North Korea's most-read newspaper, also reported Monday that this year's spring weather, marked by early warming, frequent rain and heavy snow, has been very unfavorable for rice cultivation. "For these reasons, the optimal time for rice planting was delayed by more than a week in most areas," the Rodong Sinmun noted. The newspaper also said that the installation of large water pumps has been expanded in South Hwanghae Province, the biggest rice-producing region, while substations and water-pumping stations have also bJun 9, 2025By Yonhap
North Korea hit by major internet outage, analyst saysNorth Korea's internet was experiencing a major outage on Saturday, said a UK-based researcher, adding that the cause may be may be internal rather than a cyberattack. North Korea's main news web sites and its Foreign Ministry internet site were inaccessible, Saturday morning, according to checks by Reuters. "A major outage is currently occurring on North Korea's internet - affecting all routes whether they come in via China or Russia," said Junade Ali, a U.K.-based researcher who monitors the North Korean internet. North Korea's entire internet infrastructure is not showing up on systems that can monitor internet activities, he said. "Hard to say if this is intentional or accidental - but seems like this is internal rather than an attack," he said. Officials at South Korea's National Police Agency cyber terror response centre which monitors North Korea's cyber activities could not be reached for comment.Jun 7, 2025By Reuters
