N. Korea conducts 1st test-firing of new warship's weapons systemsNorth Korea has conducted its first test-firing of key weapons systems on the country's new destroyer, with leader Kim Jong-un calling for accelerating the navy's capabilities to stage nuclear attacks, state media reported Wednesday. Under Kim's inspection, North Korea carried out the "combat application test" of weapons systems mounted on its new 5,000-ton destroyer named the Choe Hyon on Monday and Tuesday, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The North held a launching ceremony of the new multipurpose warship Friday, armed with weapons that it said will significantly enhance its naval operations. The destroyer is equipped with supersonic strategic cruise missiles, tactical ballistic missiles and other strike means. North Korea conducted a test-firing of supersonic cruise missiles, strategic cruise missiles, anti-aircraft missiles and 127-millimeter ship-based automatic guns Monday, the KCNA said. A test of firing ship-to-ship tactical guided weapons, the ship's automatic guns, smoke and electronic jamming guns took place the following day. The North's leader stressed thApr 30, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korean delegation visits Russia to bolster military ties, signaling deeper cooperationA North Korean military delegation has departed for Moscow, Pyongyang's state media said Tuesday, a day after the North officially confirmed for the first time that it has deployed troops to Russia to support its war in Ukraine. The delegation, led by Pak Young-il, deputy director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army (KPA), left Pyongyang on Monday to attend an international anti-fascism event in Russia, Pyongyang's state-run Korean Central News Agency reported. The dispatch offered no further details, but the trip coincides with preparations for Russia’s 80th Victory Day celebrations, set for May 9. Pak is a prominent figure within North Korea's military establishment, holding a significant position within the KPA General Political Bureau. This powerful body is tasked with maintaining political control and ideological purity within the armed forces, as well as ensuring loyalty to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. As deputy director, Pak likely plays a key role in shaping the military's political landscape, enforcing the directives of the ruling Workers' Party,Apr 29, 2025By Kim Hyun-bin
N. Korea's top newspaper carries Putin's message thanking troop deployment to RussiaNorth Korea on Tuesday published Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent statement thanking the country for sending its troops to Russia in its most-read local newspaper, a day after officially confirming the deployment. The Rodong Sinmun, a daily run by the governing party and read widely by domestic readers, published Putin's full statement, issued the previous day, recognizing North Korean troops' contributions to what he described as Russia's liberation of the Kursk border region from Ukraine. In a message issued Monday, Putin thanked North Korea and its leader Kim Jong-un for the active role played by North Korea troops in its war against Ukraine, saying that their bilateral friendship, forged on battlefields, will continue to grow in all areas. The statement claimed that the deployment was in accordance with international laws and the treaty on comprehensive strategic partnership, which Putin and Kim signed in June last year in Pyongyang. The same day, North Korea also officially confirmed for the first time that it had deployed troops to Russia, since thousands of its troops werApr 29, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's military delegation heads to Russia after confirmation of troop dispatch to fight UkraineNorth Korea's military delegation has left for Russia to attend an international event, the North's state media reported Tuesday, a day after Pyongyang confirmed for the first time that it has deployed troops to Russia to fight Ukraine in Kursk. Led by Pak Young-il, deputy director of the General Political Bureau of the North's Korean People's Army, the delegation departed Pyongyang the previous day to attend an international anti-fascism event in Russia, the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The KCNA's two-sentence dispatch did not elaborate further, but the trip comes as Russia is set to hold the 80th Victory Day celebrations on May 9. Speculation has risen over whether North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would travel to Russia around the time of the celebrations, following an invitation from Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit to Pyongyang in June last year. On Monday, North Korea officially confirmed that it had deployed troops to support Russia in its war against Ukraine, while Putin issued a statement thanking Kim for the troop deployment. Also on Monday, PutApr 29, 2025By Yonhap
Why did NK, Russia take months to confirm troop deployment?North Korea and Russia have officially confirmed Pyongyang's deployment of troops to support Russia's war in Ukraine for the first time, a move analysts interpret as a calculated signal that the two countries aim to cement their military alliance beyond the ongoing war. The announcement, made just days before Russia’s May 9 Victory Day celebrations, carries both symbolic and practical implications, analysts said, including North Korea seeking to gain leverage over the fate of its captives in Ukraine. On Monday, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Korea’s state-run media, praised its troops fighting alongside Russian forces in the Kursk region, calling them "heroes" in operations to repel what it described as "Ukraine’s invasion of Russian territory." "The operations for liberating the Kursk area to repel the adventurous invasion of the Russian Federation by the Ukrainian authorities were victoriously concluded," the KCNA reported, quoting the Central Military Commission, noting that the operations were conducted under the direct order of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. AApr 28, 2025By Lee Hyo-jin
S. Korea strongly condemns N. Korea's admission of troop dispatch to RussiaSouth Korea on Monday strongly condemned North Korea's first public admission of sending troops to Russia in support of its war against Ukraine, accusing Pyongyang of "mocking" the international community by justifying the deployment. The foreign ministry issued the statement after the North confirmed through its state media for the first time that it has deployed troops to Russia to aid Moscow's war in Kyiv under their mutual defense treaty. Pyongyang said the decision was made at the behest of its leader Kim Jong-un and claimed that it was fully legitimate in line with the treaty committing the two sides to providing military assistance in case either of them is attacked. "With their public admission of the deployment, while claiming they are fully in accordance with international law, they are once again mocking the international community. We strongly condemn this action," the ministry said. "The dispatch of the North Korean troops, along with broader military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, constitutes a grave violation of international norms, including the U.N. Charter,Apr 28, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea 'admitted to criminal acts' by confirming troop dispatch to Russia: SeoulSouth Korea's defense ministry criticized North Korea for its first-ever confirmation of troop deployment in support of Russia's war against Ukraine, saying the North admitted to its own criminal acts with such an announcement. Earlier in the day, North Korea confirmed that it has dispatched troops to Russia under "the order" of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in accordance with Pyongyang's mutual defense treaty with Moscow, claiming the North's soldiers helped Russia regain control of Kursk. "North Korean troops engaging in the Ukraine war is an illegitimate act that clearly violates the U.N. Charter and Security Council resolutions," ministry spokesperson Jeon Ha-kyou told a regular press briefing. "By officially acknowledging it, (the North) has admitted to its own criminal acts." Jeon also called the North's description of the troop deployment as being aligned with the spirit of international treaties a "deception." In a statement released earlier in the day, the North's Central Military Commission said the military activities of North Korean troops to Russia "fully conform to the spApr 28, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea, others have 'perpetuated' Russia-Ukraine war: US State Dept.North Korea and other third countries have "perpetuated" the Russia-Ukraine war and "bear responsibility," a State Department spokesperson said Sunday, hours after Pyongyang acknowledged its troop deployment to Russia for the first time. The spokesperson also repeated calls for Pyongyang to stop its troop deployment and Russia to end any support to the North. "Third countries, like the DPRK, that have perpetuated the Russia-Ukraine war, bear responsibility," the spokesperson said in response to a question from Yonhap News Agency. DPRK is short for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "We continue to be concerned by the DPRK's direct involvement in the war. The DPRK's military deployment to Russia and any support provided by the Russian Federation to the DPRK in return must end," the official added. The spokesperson also pointed out that Russia's training of North Korean soldiers violates multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions, which collectively impose a broad prohibition on providing or receiving military training or assistance to or from the DPRK.Apr 28, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea confirms troop deployment to Russia: KCNANorth Korea on Monday confirmed for the first time that it has deployed troops to support Russia in Moscow's war against Ukraine under their mutual defense treaty. The North's deployment was made by "the order" of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in accordance with Pyongyang's mutual defense treaty with Moscow, the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. Citing the North's Central Military Commission, the KCNA reported the first confirmation of troop deployment to Russia, months after thousands of North Korean troops were sent to Russia for combat in the front-line region of Kursk. "The operations for liberating the Kursk area to repel the adventurous invasion of the Russian Federation by the Ukrainian authorities were victoriously concluded," the KCNA said, adding that the subunits of the national armed forces participated in the operations "according to the order of the country's head of state," Kim Jong-un. After concluding that the situation met the conditions for invoking the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty with Russia, Kim "decided our armed forces' participatApr 28, 2025By Yonhap
Close aide to North Korean leader reappears after 2-month absenceJo Yong-won, a North Korean party secretary considered a close aide to leader Kim Jong-un, has reappeared in public after a two-month absence, a state media photo showed Sunday. The photo released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) showed Jo, along with other officials, attending a trade show for regional factories in Pyongyang from Tuesday to Saturday, marking his reappearance in state media. Jo was last seen in state media Feb. 28 while attending groundbreaking ceremonies for regional industrial factories. His prolonged absence had raised speculation about a possible purge. South Korea's unification ministry, which is in charge of inter-Korean affairs, said last week it was keeping close tabs on possible changes to his status. Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said that Jo's two-month absence suggests that he may have undergone "revolutionary" education, possibly for disciplinary purposes.Apr 27, 2025By Yonhap
