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
Activists send leaflets to N. Korea urging return of abducteesFamilies of those abducted by North Korea said Friday they sent leaflets to the North this week, calling for the repatriation of their loved ones, in the third such campaign this year. The families floated four giant latex balloons carrying leaflets from an unspecified location in the border town of Paju, about 30 kilometers northwest of Seoul, at around 9 p.m. Monday, a group representing the families said. The leaflets contained information on the seven people abducted by the North and urged the regime to confirm the whereabouts of the victims, including Megumi Yokota from Japan and five Koreans abducted as high school students in the 1970s. It marked the group's third balloon launch this year, following those conducted in Paju in April and the northern county of Cheorwon in May. The leaflet campaign has often drawn backlash from border residents and government officials who fear it could provoke retaliation from North Korea, jeopardizing border safety. Against such a backdrop, the group has held the balloon launches away from the public eye. Still, the group's leader said he will continJun 6, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea says damaged warship has been righted, to undergo repairsNorth Korea said Friday it has successfully righted a warship that partially capsized during a launch ceremony last month, adding the ship is currently moored at the pier for more repairs. The 5,000-ton destroyer tipped over and became partially submerged during the launch ceremony held in late May in the northeastern port city of Chongjin. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered the full restoration of the warship before a key party meeting set for late June. After a North Korean team restored the balance of the warship in early June, it moored the ship at the pier by safely conducting its end launching Thursday afternoon, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "The team will start the next-stage restoration after the reexamination by a group of experts into the overall hull of the destroyer," the KCNA said. North Korea said it will carry out detailed restoration work on the destroyer at a dry dock in the northeastern port of Rajin, a project that is expected to take seven to 10 days. The South Korean military said Thursday the North Korean warship that tipped over at the ChJun 6, 2025By Yonhap
Pyongyang slams Macron's criticism over N. Korea-Russia military cooperationNorth Korea on Thursday denounced French President Emmanuel Macron for criticizing the North's troop dispatch to Russia over the war against Ukraine. During a keynote speech at the Shangri-La security forum in Singapore last week, Macron said China should prevent North Korea from being engaged on European soil if Beijing does not want the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to be involved in Asia. A North Korean security expert on international affairs took issue with Macron's speech, describing it as "a paradox just like a guilty party filing the suit first," according to the Korean Central News Agency. "Quite contrary to the claim of Macron, the armed forces of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea did not 'intervene' in Europe but participated in the righteous liberation operations to repel the Ukrainian neo-Nazi forces who invaded the territory of the ally," the analyst said. The expert claimed "normal" military cooperation between the North and Russia can neither be a subject of criticism nor a pretext for NATO's military interference in the Asia-Pacific region.Jun 5, 2025By Yonhap
4 N. Koreans on wooden boat cross maritime border in East Sea: militaryA wooden boat carrying four North Korean residents drifted into waters south of the Northern Limit Line, the de facto inter-Korean maritime border, in the East Sea last week, the military said Thursday. "The military detected a small North Korean wooden boat in waters some 100 kilometers east of Goseong in Gangwon Province on the morning of May 27," a Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) official said. The four residents have been transferred to a relevant institution for questioning, following the joint operation with the Coast Guard, the official said. All four North Koreans, who are believed to have likely crossed into South Korean waters accidentally, were known to have expressed their intent to return to the North. The latest case came about three months after the military discovered a wooden boat carrying two North Koreans in the Yellow Sea on March 7. Seoul has sought to repatriate the two North Koreans, who also expressed their wish to return to the North, to no avail as Pyongyang has not responded to any inter-Korean communications. South Korea's unification ministry, in charge of inter-KoJun 5, 2025By Yonhap
Military says damaged N. Korean destroyer now in upright positionSouth Korea's military said Thursday a North Korean warship that was partially capsized during a botched launch ceremony last month now stands straight, with restoration efforts under way. The 5,000-ton warship tipped over and became partially submerged in a launch ceremony held in the northeastern port city of Chongjin on May 21. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un slammed the accident as an intolerable "criminal act" and ordered for the warship to be restored before a key party meeting set for late June. "The North Korean warship inclined at the Chongjin port returned to an upright position earlier this week and additional (restoration) efforts are believed to be in progress," Col. Lee Sung-jun, spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), told a regular press briefing. "Both South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities are closely monitoring activities at the Chongjin port and the nearby area," Lee said, projecting the North to first drain out water from the warship to meet Kim's order. The JCS official did not elaborate on whether the North could meet the deadline set by Kim, sayiJun 5, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim vows to 'unconditionally' support Russia in war against UkraineNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has vowed to "unconditionally" support Russia over the war against Ukraine and "responsibly" observe the articles of a mutual defense treaty signed between Pyongyang and Moscow, the North's state media reported Thursday. Kim made the remarks during his meeting with Russia's Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu the previous day in Pyongyang, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Shoigu, Russia's top security official, arrived in North Korea on Wednesday, amid deepening military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, highlighted by the North's troop dispatch to Russia to support the war against Ukraine. During the meeting, Kim affirmed that North Korea will "unconditionally support the stand of Russia and its foreign policies in all the crucial international political issues, including the Ukrainian issue," according to the KCNA. Kim also said his country will "responsibly observe the articles of the treaty" between the two nations, it reported, referring to the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty signed by him and Russian PresiJun 5, 2025By Yonhap
North Korea's state media reports on Lee's presidential win for the first timeNorth Korea's state media on Thursday reported on the outcome of South Korea's presidential election for the first time, saying that Lee Jae-myung was elected as South Korea's new leader. South Korea held the presidential election on June 3, two months after the former president was ousted over his martial law bid in December, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, referring to former President Yoon Suk Yeol. The KCNA briefly said Lee, a candidate from the Democratic Party of Korea, was elected as South Korea's president. The Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper catering to domestic readers, also carried the related report, two days after the election was held. It marked the first time that North Korea has reported on South Korea's latest presidential election. The North has not mentioned the South Korean political situation following Yoon's ouster. In the past, North Korea's propaganda outlets issued criticism over South Korea's presidential elections and its politics. But North Korea appears to have refrained from commenting on the South's political situation after its leader KJun 5, 2025By Yonhap
Russia's security chief meets Kim Jong-un to discuss Ukraine, peninsula issuesRussia's Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang for discussions on Ukraine and security issues involving the Korean Peninsula, the Russian Embassy in North Korea said Wednesday. In a Facebook post, the embassy said the two sides discussed cooperation in various fields and exchanged views on the situation surrounding the Ukrainian crisis and the Korean Peninsula. Shoigu departed for home later in the day, it added. Russia's Ria Novosti also reported on Shoigu's meeting with Kim, citing the embassy's social media post. The Russian news agency TASS reported earlier that Shoigu traveled to the North on instructions from President Vladimir Putin. The visit came amid speculation that Kim may visit Russia for a summit with Putin to mark the first anniversary of their signing of a mutual defense treaty in June last year, which led to North Korea's deployment of thousands of troops on the Russian side in the war against Ukraine. Citing Russia's Security Council, Tass said that Kim and Shoigu are expected to discuss the implementation of the coJun 4, 2025By Yonhap
