S. Korea voices regret over China, Russia defending N. Korea in joint statementSouth Korea expressed regret Friday over China and Russia's defense of North Korea in a joint leaders' statement despite its nuclear ambitions, urging them to "persistently" press Pyongyang to return to denuclearization talks. In the joint statement issued after the summit in Moscow between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, the two countries called on "relevant countries to abandon policies of unilateral coercive measures and pressure" against the North, and stop the trend of "militarizing Northeast Asia," according to Russian media reports. The "relevant" countries appeared to refer to the United States and its allies, such as South Korea, and by "coercive measures," they likely meant the U.N. sanctions imposed on the recalcitrant regime. "We express regret that the recent joint statement by China and Russia made no mention of North Korea's unlawful nuclear development provocations. Instead, it appeared to defend North Korea and unfairly shift the blame for escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula," Seoul's foreign ministry said. "At thisMay 9, 2025By Yonhap
Putin meets N. Korean military delegation during Victory Day parade in MoscowRussian President Vladimir Putin on Friday met with a North Korean military delegation during a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory in World War II held in Moscow. Following his speech and the conclusion of the military parade in Moscow's Red Square, Putin greeted top Russian military commanders and dignitaries at the ceremony. At the end of the line, he shook hands with members of the North Korean delegation, including Kim Yong-bok, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army, and Sin Hong-chol, North Korea's ambassador to Russia. Kim saluted Putin upon seeing him, while Putin offered a handshake while expressing warm remarks. The Russian president also greeted other North Korean officials, including Ri Chang-ho, director of the North's Reconnaissance General Bureau, and Sin Kum-chol, director at the operations bureau of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army. Kim, Ri and Sin are all sanctioned by South Korea, the United States and the European Union for their alleged involvement in dispatching North Korean troops to supportMay 9, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim visits Russian Embassy in Pyongyang to mark Victory Day: KCNANorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang on Friday to mark the 80th anniversary of Russia's World War II victory over Nazi Germany, pledging steady development of relations with Moscow. Accompanied by his daughter and top party and state officials, Kim visited the Russian Embassy on Friday morning to convey his best wishes to the Russian leadership and people, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. In a congratulatory speech at the embassy, Kim praised the Soviet army's victory over fascism, reaffirming North Korea's "steadfast" commitment to "steadily consolidate and develop the long tradition of the DPRK-Russia relations ... and the invincible alliance," the KCNA reported. DPRK stands for the official name of North Korea, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. He said his embassy visit is a clear demonstration of North Korea's strong will to promote regional peace and security through the North Korea-Russia friendship, noting that the ties have evolved into "long-standing strategic relations." "Pyongyang and Moscow will always be together," the KMay 9, 2025By Yonhap
Activists send leaflets to N. Korea urging return of abducteesKorean families of those abducted by North Korea have sent large balloons filled with leaflets to the North, urging the regime to repatriate their loved ones, a group representing such families said Friday. Three giant latex balloons were flown northward from a Korean border area in Gangwon Province the previous night, carrying some 1,000 leaflets about abductees in North Korea, the civic group said. It marks the group's latest controversial leaflet campaign, following its previous balloon launch from the Korean border city of Paju on April 27. Through its on-and-off leaflet campaign, the group has demanded information on the whereabouts of seven people abducted by the North, including Megumi Yokota from Japan and five other Koreans abducted as high school students in the 1970s, and has called for their repatriation. Citing data from a GPS signaling device attached to one of the balloons, the group said it landed in an area of North Korea's Kumgang county near the inter-Korean border. The group's leader said he will not stop sending leaflet balloons until he confirms whether his abductedMay 9, 2025By Yonhap
No inter-Korean trade recorded for two consecutive years since 2023: White paperInter-Korean trade remained at “zero” for the second consecutive year, with no personnel exchanges, underscoring the ongoing freeze in relations between the two Koreas, according to a white paper released Friday by the Ministry of Unification. The annual publication outlines the South Korean government's unification policies and North Korea policies over the past year, and provides details on the current state of inter-Korean relations. According to the white paper's trade statistics, inter-Korean trade has stayed at zero since 2023 — a stark contrast to 2015, when trade volume peaked at approximately 3.8 trillion won ($2.714 billion) during the height of operations at the Kaesong Industrial Complex. Inter-Korean trade originally began in July 1989 under the Roh Tae-woo administration. The report also revealed that there have been no personnel exchanges between the two Koreas in the four consecutive years since 2021. During this period, only one family reunion took place — a private meeting in which a Korean citizen living abroad visited North Korea to reunite with family and lateMay 9, 2025By Anna J. Park
Russian envoy touts NK troop deployment as demonstration of bilateral partnership: KCNARussia's top envoy to North Korea has touted Pyongyang's troop deployment as a demonstration of the two countries' partnership during a reception marking the 80th anniversary of Moscow's World War II victory over Nazi Germany, the North's state media said Friday. Russian Ambassador Alexandr Matsegora made the remarks during a reception marking the 80th anniversary of Russia's Victory Day, held the previous day at a hotel in Pyongyang, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. "The operations for liberating the Kursk area proved that the Russian Federation and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea are a comprehensive strategic partnership and allies," the KCNA quoted Matsegora as saying in his speech at the event. Recalling Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent message thanking North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for the troop deployment, the ambassador also noted that cities, villages and squares reclaimed by Russia will be named after "North Korean heroes" and monuments honoring them will be erected. Last month, both Russia and North Korea officially confirmed the deployment of NoMay 9, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea, Belarus discuss cooperation in agriculture, machinery: KCNANorth Korea and Belarus have discussed ways to bolster cooperation in various fields, including agriculture and machinery, during a meeting of their intergovernmental joint committee for trade and economic cooperation, the North's state media reported Friday. The meeting took place in Pyongyang the previous day, represented by North Korea's Vice Premier Jong Myong-su and Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Shuleiko, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. "Issues of practical mutual cooperation in various sectors, including agriculture, machinery, public health, trade and education, were discussed in detail during the meeting," the KCNA noted. The two sides also signed a protocol following the third session of the joint trade committee, the KCNA said, without disclosing its details. A government delegation from Belarus, led by Shuleiko, arrived in Pyongyang on Tuesday to attend the meeting, the first session of the joint cooperation committee since the second session held in June 2006. Belarus is one of the few countries that North Korea is turning to for economic cooperation amid tMay 9, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim oversees missile test, emphasizes combat readiness of nuclear forcesNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has overseen a joint strike drill involving long-range artillery and a short-range tactical ballistic missile while emphasizing the combat readiness of its nuclear forces, state media reported Friday, a day after the country launched multiple ballistic missiles. The drill was aimed at familiarizing military units with the weapons' operations, and the test-fire verified the reliability of the command and mobilization system to quickly react during a nuclear crisis, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The drill involved a 600-millimeter multilayer rocket system and the Hwasongpho-11-Ka tactical ballistic missile, according to the KCNA. "Stressing the need to steadily enhance the pivotal role of the nuclear force in all aspects of the strategy to deter war and the strategy to fight war," Kim said, according to the KCNA report. "It is very important to steadily perfect the normal combat readiness of the nuclear force." Between 8:10 a.m. and 9:20 a.m. on Thursday, South Korea's military detected the launch of multiple short-range ballistic missiles of vMay 9, 2025By Yonhap
Seoul, Washington, Tokyo condemn N. Korea's ballistic missile launchSenior officials from South Korea, the United States and Japan jointly denounced North Korea's short-range ballistic missile launch on Thursday, agreeing to respond firmly to Pyongyang's provocations and threats through close trilateral collaboration. Deputy envoy-level officials on North Korean nuclear issues from the three countries made the joint commitment during a phone call held shortly after North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles earlier in the day, the foreign ministry said. Between 8:10 a.m. and 9:20 a.m., South Korea's military detected the launch of multiple short-range ballistic missiles of various types from the North's eastern coastal city of Wonsan, the fourth ballistic missile test by the country so far this year. The South Korean military speculated that the launch may have been part of a performance test linked to North Korea's arms transactions with Russia. The officials from the three countries shared their assessments of the launch and denounced it as a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions and a "serious threat" to peace and security onMay 8, 2025By Yonhap
US decries N. Korea's missile launches, calls on it to refrain from 'unlawful,' 'destabilizing' actsThe United States condemns North Korea's ballistic missile launches and calls on the recalcitrant regime to refrain from further "unlawful" and "destabilizing" acts, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said Wednesday. The command issued a statement shortly after Pyongyang fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea in its first such launch since March. "We are aware of the DPRK's multiple ballistic missile launches and are consulting closely with the Republic of Korea and Japan, as well as other regional allies and partners," the command said. DPRK is short for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "The United States condemns these actions and calls on the DPRK to refrain from further unlawful and destabilizing acts," it added. The command said that it continues to monitor the situation, reiterating that America's commitments to the defense of South Korea and Japan remain "ironclad."May 8, 2025By Yonhap
