N. Korea completes Kalma beach resort, set for opening next monthNorth Korea has completed the construction of a large-scale beach resort in the eastern coastal region of Kalma, with leader Kim Jong-un touting it as one of the country's greatest feats this year, state media reported Thursday. The completion ceremony for the new Kalma coastal tourist area was held "with splendor" the previous day with Kim in attendance, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The KCNA described the new site as housing hotels and hostels capable of accommodating nearly 20,000 guests, both domestic and foreign. The resort is equipped with facilities for sea swimming, sports and recreation, as well as commercial and public catering services. The facilities are "fully equipped with all conditions and cultural life bases for providing the beauty of the scenic spot ... in all seasons, excitingly picturing a 4-km-long stretch of beach," the news outlet said. Kim cut the ribbon during the ceremony and toured the resort area, including an outdoor pool and hotels, noting that what the country has thrown energy into for a long time has become a "brilliant reality." The KCNA saJun 26, 2025By Yonhap
Defectors testify to executions by firing squad of N. Koreans for watching S. Korean TV dramasWatching or distributing South Korean TV dramas or K-pop songs is being punished by execution by firing squad in North Korea, with one young man shot to death in public on such charges, North Korean defectors testified Wednesday. The testimonies were given during public sessions hosted by the U.N. Human Rights Office in Seoul to shed light on the human rights situation in North Korea over the past decade. Kim Il-hyuk was among several North Korean defectors who spoke at the sessions, having fled the North and arrived in South Korea in recent years. "One 22-year-old man, whom I had known, was executed by firing squad in public for the crime of distributing three South Korean dramas and 70 K-pop songs," Kim said during a session. "Such public executions by firing squad took place about twice every three months, with up to 12 people shot to death in a single session. Half of them were those condemned for (violating) the law prohibiting reactionary ideologies and culture," Kim noted. Kim, a former resident of Kangryong in South Hwanghae Province, defected to South Korea in May 2023 by crossinJun 25, 2025By Yonhap
Unification ministry greenlights NGO outreach to North KoreaThe Ministry of Unification recently approved a series of requests from civic groups to establish contact with North Korea, signaling the Lee Jae Myung administration’s push to revive dialogue with Pyongyang. According to the ministry Wednesday, three such approvals have been granted since June 19, with the most recent occurring the previous day. "Following consultations with relevant government agencies, we have approved civilian requests to contact North Korean residents about humanitarian aid, as well as religious, social and cultural exchange purposes," a ministry official said. The official added that the decision was aimed at restoring communication channels between the two Koreas at the civilian level and fostering a peaceful atmosphere on the Korean Peninsula. On Tuesday, the ministry approved a request from the Foundation for Inter-Korea Cooperation, a private nonprofit organization, to engage North Korean residents through online cultural exchanges. The foundation is currently led by Im Jong-seok, who served as presidential chief of staff under former President Moon Jae-in, wJun 25, 2025By Lee Hyo-jin
N. Korea stages anti-US mass rallies on Korean War anniversaryNorth Korea has staged various rallies and events inciting anti-American sentiment and pledging retaliation as the country marks the 75th anniversary of the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War, state media reported Wednesday. Students, female workers and members of North Korea's largest women's organization gathered in Pyongyang the previous day, vowing to retaliate against the United States over what were described as Korean War atrocities, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). During the meetings, a video depicting "abominable" crimes committed by the U.S. was shown, and young participants warned that they are "sternly renewing a pledge to retaliate against ... imperialist U.S. invaders," the KCNA reported. In North Korea, June 25, the day the Korean War broke out in 1950, is observed as the day of struggle against U.S. imperialism, with mass rallies held throughout June to reaffirm and incite anti-American sentiment. Also on Tuesday, agricultural workers and members of a farming association held a similar rally in the coastal town of Susan, while an exhibition of artworksJun 25, 2025By Yonhap
US State Dept. reaffirms NK denuclearization goal after Washington strikes on Iranian nuke facilitiesWASHINGTON — A State Department spokesperson on Tuesday reiterated the Trump administration's commitment to the "complete denuclearization" of North Korea, after the United States launched strikes at key nuclear facilities in Iran over the weekend. Tammy Bruce, the spokesperson, made the remarks in response to a question over whether there is a lesson for Pyongyang to learn from the U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. "President Trump, in his first term, made significant outreach to North Korea. And what I can say, of course ... they've got their own nuclear program in North Korea, that we remain committed to the complete denuclearization of North Korea, that remains a commitment," Bruce said. "If the North Korean nuclear issue can't be resolved through dialogue ... I'm not going to speculate on hypotheticals at this point." On Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. conducted precision strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites in Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan in a military operation that he claimed had obliterated the Islamic Republic's nuclear enrichment facilities. TJun 25, 2025By Yonhap
Abductee family group to consider not sending leaflets to N. KoreaA South Korean civic group representing families of abductees held in North Korea said Tuesday it will consider suspending the distribution of anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border. Choi Seong-ryong, the head of the group, said he received a positive message by phone from a high-ranking government official on Monday and will later decide whether to stop sending leaflets to North Korea after discussions with group members. The remarks came after Choi told reporters a week ago that his group is willing to halt the leaflet distribution if President Lee Jae Myung helps confirm the life or death of abductees through dialogue with the North and meets and comforts families of the abductees, particularly those in their 90s. The unification ministry, in charge of inter-Korean affairs, said its new vice minister has held a phone conversation with Choi. "In phone talks with Choi held Monday afternoon, Vice Unification Minister Kim Nam-jung delivered a message requesting a halt in distributing leaflets and promised to listen to the opinion of abductee families," a ministry official told reporterJun 24, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea holds key party meeting on H1 performance without disclosing leader Kim's speechNorth Korea has held a key party meeting to review the implementation of state policies in the first half of the year, state media reported Tuesday, without disclosing details of a speech by its leader Kim Jong-un in a rare move. The North convened the 12th plenary session of the eighth Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) from Saturday to Monday, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The meeting was held to review policy performances in the first half and discuss policy directions for the second half, the KCNA said. The North's leader Kim, who presided over the latest party meeting, delivered a speech, but state media did not disclose details. It remains uncertain whether Kim issued any message targeting the United States or South Korea during his speech. South Korea's unification ministry said it was rare for North Korea to forgo disclosing Kim's speech and exclude diplomacy from areas of discussions at the meeting. The North's party meeting had garnered attention over whether Kim would issue messages toward Washington and Seoul as U.S. President DJun 24, 2025By Yonhap
North Korea on edge after US strikes IranThe recent U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities are reverberating in Pyongyang, where officials see the attacks as a possible warning that President Donald Trump might one day consider similar military action against North Korea’s own nuclear program. Although many analysts deem a preemptive U.S. strike on the North unlikely, citing its more advanced nuclear arsenal and the region’s volatile geopolitics, the Iran episode could still force Pyongyang to rethink its strategic assumptions. On Monday, North Korea’s state-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported on the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel, quoting statements from Russia and Iran without offering commentary of its own. Later in the day, the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) released a statement from a foreign ministry spokesperson condemning the U.S. airstrikes on Iran that occurred early Saturday. "The Democratic People's Republic of Korea strongly denounces the attack on Iran by the U.S., which severely violated the U.N. Charter and violently trampled down the territorial integrity and securitJun 23, 2025By Lee Hyo-jin
Vice unification minister stresses need to 'disentangle' fractured inter-Korean tiesNew Vice Unification Minister Kim Nam-jung said Monday the government needs to start with small steps, including reopening now-suspended inter-Korean communication lines, to "disentangle" fractured relations and build trust with North Korea. Kim made the remarks in his inauguration speech, as he took office as the first vice unification minister under President Lee Jae Myung, who has pledged to ease military tensions and pursue dialogue with North Korea to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula. "Starting from small things, like opening communication lines between the South and the North, the raveled inter-Korean relations should be disentangled," Kim noted. "Inter-Korean trust should be build piece by piece, without haste even though there is a long way to go." As inter-Korean ties drastically soured under the previous Yoon Suk Yeol administration, North Korea has shut down communication with South Korea since April 2023. South Korea continues to place daily calls to the North through an inter-Korean liaison communication line and a military hotline, but the calls have gone unansweredJun 23, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim Jong-un takes center stage in murals over predecessorsMosaic murals installed at a factory in Pyongyang place current North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the center between his predecessors, North Korean TV footage has shown, signifying the ongoing campaign to cement his standalone authority. The state-run Korean Central Television featured the textile mill in the North Korean capital during a news report late Saturday, introducing it as the site Kim visited for an on-site inspection in 2016. Mosaic murals of Kim and the two former North Korean leaders — Kim's father Kim Jong-il and grandfather Kim Il-sung — were installed outside the factory, with the current leader positioned at the center between them. Such murals are often used in North Korea as propaganda tools promoting the authority of the ruling Kim family. It is rare for Kim Jong-un to be placed at the center, as the family is typically portrayed in generational order, from Kim Il-sung to Kim Jong-un, in these murals. A set of Kim family murals featuring Kim Jong-un at the center was first seen in October 2022 during a ceremony marking the completion of a greenhouse factory in RJun 23, 2025By Yonhap
