N. Korea's delegation of elite military academy leaves for Russia amid deepening tiesA North Korean delegation, led by the chief of the country's major military school, has left for Russia, Pyongyang's state media reported Tuesday, amid deepening military cooperation between the two nations. Kim Kum-chol, president of Kim Il Sung Military University, departed Pyongyang the previous day to visit the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The KCNA did not disclose the purpose of the delegation's trip, but it appears to be aimed at boosting exchanges and cooperation between military education institutions between the North and Russia. Kim's last known trip to Russia was in July 2024, after North Korea and Russia signed a mutual defense treaty the previous month amid deepening military cooperation. Kim Il Sung Military University, named after the North's late founder, is a training institute for military officers. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is known to have taken courses at the school after returning to Pyongyang following study in Switzerland. Kim, the president of the military school, wasJul 1, 2025By Yonhap
France freezes assets of N. Korean diplomat posted in Paris, citing UN sanctionsThe French government has frozen the assets of a North Korean diplomat based in Paris and also imposed economic sanctions against his two suspected family members, citing United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, documents showed Monday. France's Ministry of Economy and Finance froze all the assets owned or controlled by Kim Chol-yong, a North Korean counselor based in Paris, and prohibited both direct and indirect funding or economic support for entities and individuals under his control following an order by the minister on April 30. Along with Kim, two North Korean individuals suspected to be his family members were also placed on the economic sanctions list. The sanctions, announced in the French government gazette in early May, will remain in effect for six months until early November. The French government cited UNSC Resolutions 1540 and 2270, adopted in 2004 and 2016 respectively, as the basis for imposing the sanctions. The French ministry did not provide specific reasons for the sanctions against the North Koreans, but one suspected cause could be the smuggling of prohiJun 30, 2025By Yonhap
S. Korea says N. Korea notified UN Command of fortification plans inside DMZNorth Korea has informed the U.S.-led U.N. Command (UNC) of its plans to build fortifications inside the border between the two Koreas, Seoul's defense ministry said Monday, marking the first notification of its kind in more than six months. The North notified the multinational command tasked with monitoring inter-Korean border activities Wednesday that it would resume construction of barriers and barbed wire fences on its side of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), according to the Dong-A Ilbo, a local newspaper. When asked about the report, a ministry official confirmed the notification did take place, while a UNC official declined to comment about its communication with the North Korean military. Since April last year, North Korea has deployed troops near the military demarcation line (MDL) within the DMZ to plant mines, erect anti-tank barriers and reinforce barbed wire fences after the country's leader Kim Jong-un described inter-Korean ties as those between "two states hostile to each other" in late 2023. Last October, North Korea unveiled that it had informed the UNC it would cut off alJun 30, 2025By Yonhap
Pyongyang subway system renovated with modern conveniencesThe subway system in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang has undergone a major facelift in recent years to add modern conveniences, a pro-North Korea media outlet reported Monday. "The Pyongyang subway system is embracing new changes from the 2010s through the 2020s," said the Choson Sinbo, a pro-North Korean newspaper based in Japan. It said remodeling was recently completed at several metro stations, including the Moranbong, Jonu and Pulgunbyol stations. With high-domed ceilings and lamps brightening the interior, the subway stations and platforms in Pyongyang seen in images on the website of the Choson Sinbo stand in sharp contrast to a Yonhap News Agency photo taken in 1992, which depicted the system as a dark underground facility without benches or electronic information boards. The latest Choson Sinbo photos showed subway platforms equipped with electronic information boards and TV monitors, with passengers reading newspapers or using smartphones on the brightly lit platforms. North Korea launched the subway service in the capital in 1973, with national founder and then leader KimJun 30, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim meets Russian culture ministerNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has met with Russia's Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova in Pyongyang and discussed ways to further deepen cooperation in culture and the arts, the North's state media reported Monday. The meeting took place Sunday at the headquarters of the ruling party's Central Committee and was also attended by Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexandr Matsegora, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. Leading a culture ministry delegation, Lyubimova arrived in Pyongyang on Saturday at the invitation of the North's culture ministry to mark the first anniversary of the countries' comprehensive strategic partnership treaty. During the meeting, Kim appreciated the broad and in-depth exchanges and cooperation seen across various sectors since the treaty's signing, saying they have made tangible contributions to the mutual development and well-being of the two countries' peoples, the KCNA said. Kim also noted that exchanges in culture and the arts play a great role in strengthening the foundation of the public mindsets of the two countries and firmly consolidating the tieJun 30, 2025By Yonhap
Indonesian cargo ship captain convicted of visiting N. Korea from Busan without permissionAn Indonesian captain of a cargo ship has been convicted for making unauthorized voyages between South Korea and North Korea earlier this year. On Saturday, the Busan District Court sentenced the man, who is in his 50s, to eight months in prison, suspended for two years. The captain made a round trip from Busan to Wonsan, a major port city on North Korea’s eastern coast, between February and March after falsely reporting his itinerary to South Korean authorities. The captain and seven other Indonesian crew members were aboard the 1,517-ton vessel, which is registered in Mongolia and owned by a Taiwanese company. Under the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Act, any people, including foreign nationals, who intend to take out or bring in goods between South Korea and North Korea must obtain approval from the Ministry of Unification. The captain admitted he had traveled to North Korea to sell 450 tons of meat products. On Feb. 9, the captain told South Korean authorities that he planned to sail to the open sea before departing for Wonsan, where the ship arrived three days later. The vesJun 29, 2025By Jung Min-ho
Russian culture minister visits N. Korea amid deepening tiesRussia's Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova has visited North Korea to mark the first anniversary of the two countries' comprehensive strategic partnership treaty, the North's state media reported Sunday. A Russian culture ministry delegation led by Lyubimova arrived in Pyongyang on Saturday at the invitation of the North's culture ministry to commemorate the treaty's anniversary, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The two countries signed the bilateral treaty, which includes a mutual defense clause, on June 18 last year during Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Pyongyang for summit talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Ahead of Lyubimova's visit, performers from the Pyatnitsky Choir and the Gzhel Moscow National Academic Theatre of Dance also arrived in Pyongyang. While the KCNA did not mention any scheduled performances, they are expected to take part in celebratory and cultural exchange events. The Pyatnitsky Choir is known for being invited to perform in the North's cultural festivals held around the time of the birth anniversary of its late founder Kim IlJun 29, 2025By Yonhap
Trump says US will 'get conflict solved' with N. Korea if there is oneWASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that the United States will "get the conflict solved" with North Korea if there is one, reiterating that he has had a "good" relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Trump made the remarks during a press availability, apparently reiterating his openness to reengaging with the recalcitrant regime, as his administration has stated its commitment to the "complete denuclearization" of North Korea. "If there is a conflict ... I get along with him very, very well, and we'll get the conflict solved with North Korea," Trump said, when asked to confirm an NK News report that he had sent a letter to Kim, which North Korean diplomats in New York refused to accept. "I've had a good relationship with Kim Jong-un, and I've gotten along with him really great. So we'll see what happens," he added. It remain unclear what he meant by the "conflict with North Korea," but he was apparently referring to military tensions that have persisted on the Korean Peninsula as Pyongyang has been doubling down on its nuclear and missile programs. His commeJun 28, 2025By Yonhap
Military restores dismantled guard posts inside DMZThe military has restored all of the 11 guard posts inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas that had been dismantled under a 2018 inter-Korean military tension reduction pact, an opposition lawmaker said Friday. The 19.6 billion-won ($14.4 million) project to restore the guard posts concluded last month, according to a report submitted to Rep. Kang Dae-sik by the Army. As part of the 2018 military deal, the two Koreas dismantled 10 guard posts and disarmed one guard post, without physically dismantling it, inside the DMZ each, but they have both taken steps to restore and rebuild them after Pyongyang unilaterally scrapped the agreement in 2023. Following the move, the number of South Korea's guard posts had been reduced to around 70, less than half of the North's 150. But a declassified report showed last year that South Korean officials dispatched to verify the North Korean guard posts had difficulties accessing their underground facilities, barring them from properly checking them. Troops were reportedly conducting surveillance operations at the restored front-lineJun 27, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea unveils grand beach resort as it seeks to exploit sanctions loopholeNorth Korea has officially opened its long-delayed Wonsan-Kalma coastal tourist zone, signaling a renewed push to generate foreign currency through tourism — one of the few sectors not explicitly banned under United Nations sanctions. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presided over the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Tuesday, joined by his wife, Ri Sol-ju, and daughter, Kim Ju-ae. The event marked the culmination of more than a decade of planning for what Pyongyang has billed as a “world-class coastal resort” aimed at attracting both domestic and foreign tourists. The complex, located on the east coast near the military port city of Wonsan, includes high-rise hotels, beaches, swimming pools, shopping centers and recreational facilities designed to accommodate up to 20,000 visitors. According to the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency, the site will open to North Korean citizens on Tuesday, with foreign tourist access to be phased in later. The move to open the Wonsan-Kalma resort comes as North Korea’s economy remains under severe strain from international sanctions targetingJun 27, 2025By Kim Hyun-bin
