Immediate inter-Korean summit infeasible, Lee Jae-myung saysHolding an inter-Korean summit is necessary but it would be difficult in the near future, Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea, said Monday. Asked by reporters about his unification policy, Lee said he would push to resume talks with Pyongyang if he becomes president, hinting at reversing the Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s policy focused on deterrence against ― rather than negotiation with ― the North regime. “I don’t know if it would be possible. It is going to be very difficult, given the circumstances. But of course we should prepare and make it possible,” Lee said. Lee's stance is somewhat different from the usual stance of liberal administrations in the past, which used to set inter-Korean talks as a policy priority. This reflects the current inter-Korean relations which have been at their lowest in decades, with the North identifying the South as a separate and hostile nation and strengthening military ties with Russia in recent years. Since taking office in January, U.S. President Donald Trump has made clear that he wants tMay 26, 2025By Jung Min-ho
Security concerns behind N. Korea's objection to UNESCO Geopark status for S. Korean islandsSecurity concerns have been cited as the reason behind North Korea's objection to a UNESCO Global Geopark designation for a group of South Korean western border islands, diplomatic sources said Monday. North Korea cited "security reasons" when it filed an objection with UNESCO earlier this month to the agency's consideration of the Baengnyeong, Daecheong and Socheong islands for UNESCO Global Geopark status, according to the sources. In November, South Korea's Incheon government submitted the islands just south of the Northern Limit Line (NLL) — the de facto maritime border with North Korea — to UNESCO for consideration as a UNESCO Global Geopark. The regional government later said North Korea had filed a written objection May 19, resulting in a halt to the designation process. The sources said North Korea's latest action was confirmed informally, suggesting it may take more time for the South Korean government to receive an official notice from UNESCO, as the process requires the complainant's consent. North Korea's objection is likely tied to its refusal to recognize the NLL as theMay 26, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korean officials mourn death of ex-Vietnamese President Luong at embassy in PyongyangA group of North Korean officials has visited the Vietnamese Embassy in Pyongyang to mourn the death of former Vietnamese President Tran Duc Luong, the North's state media reported Monday. Officials from the foreign ministry, the external economic relations ministry and a diplomatic affairs unit paid the condolence visit the previous day to mourn the death of the former president, who contributed to the development of bilateral ties, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. Luong died Tuesday at the age of 88. While in office, he traveled to North Korea in May 2002 to hold a summit with then North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, the first visit to the North by a Vietnamese president in 45 years. The two countries are marking the 75th anniversary of establishing formal diplomatic relations in 1950 by designating 2025 as a year of friendship.May 26, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea urges US to stop military threatsNorth Korea on Sunday called on the United States to abandon its military threats against others if it has concerns about its mainland safety. The head of the policy office at the North's defense ministry released a statement, carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), claiming that "the security guarantee of the U.S. mainland" depends on giving up "military threats and aggressive attempts" against other nations. "Recently, the U.S. military is hell-bent on inciting the 'threat' from the DPRK to its mainland while attempting to increase the arms buildup on the largest scale," the statement read, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The statement added that U.S. military officials are "picking a quarrel with the DPRK's self-defensive measures for bolstering up its nuclear force on several occasions, unhesitatingly making provocative remarks hinting at the possibility of outbreak of a war with the DPRK." Citing a recent U.S. test of an intercontinental ballistic missile, the statement said it was an "illogical way of thinking" thaMay 25, 2025By Yonhap
North Korea detains officials over warship accident, state media saysNorth Korea has detained shipyard officials responsible for a recent major accident during the launch of a new warship, state media said on Sunday. The failed launch that crippled the 5,000-tonne warship was witnessed by leader Kim Jong Un who said the accident damaged the country's dignity and vowed to punish those found responsible. The mishap likely occurred in front of a large crowd at the northeastern port of Chongjin, increasing the public humiliation for Kim who tried to show off military might, experts say. As the investigation into the case intensified, law enforcement authorities arrested the chief engineer of the Chongjin Shipyard among others, state KCNA news agency reported on Sunday. Satellite imagery shows the warship, covered in blue tarps, lying on its side, with the stern swung out into the harbor, but the bow remaining on the side slipway, according to the U.S.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Kim has ordered the ship restored before a ruling party meeting in June. KCNA said the rehabilitation plan was pushing ahead. Against U.S. military builMay 25, 2025By Reuters
N. Korea in 'strongest strategic position' in decades: US intel reportWASHINGTON — North Korea stands in its "strongest strategic position" in decades, a U.S. intelligence report showed Friday, as the recalcitrant regime has been doubling down on its pursuit of advanced weapons that can threaten U.S. forces and allies in Northeast Asia, and the U.S. mainland. The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) under the U.S. Department of Defense offered the analysis in the "2025 Worldwide Threat Assessment" that covered a wide range of security challenges from North Korea, China, Russia, Iran, and other state and non-state actors. The assessment came amid deepening concerns over North Korea's evolving nuclear and ballistic missile threats and its military alignment with Russia based on the two countries' "comprehensive strategic partnership" treaty signed in June last year. "North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is increasingly confident in his international political legitimacy and regime security," the DIA said in the report. "North Korea is in its strongest strategic position in decades, possessing the military means to hold at risk U.S. forces and U.S. allies in NortheMay 24, 2025By Yonhap
Satellite photo shows N. Korea's new warship capsized at shipyardNorth Korea's new warship that failed to properly launch into the sea this week lies partially submerged on its side while being draped over with tarpaulins, a British research organization has said, citing commercial satellite imagery. The Open Source Centre posted the image taken Thursday of the warship at a shipyard in North Korea's northeastern city of Chongjin on X, a day after the 5,000-ton naval destroyer's failed launch ceremony. "High resolution satellite imagery from @AirbusSpace shows the ship lies partially submerged on its side, tarpaulins draped over the wreckage in a visible attempt to contain the disaster," it said. North Korea said Thursday the warship experienced a "serious accident" during its launch and some sections of its bottom were "crushed." North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who attended the ceremony, called the accident a "criminal act" that could not be tolerated. South Korea's military said the North appears to have failed in using a side launching technique and the destroyer remains partially capsized in the sea. On Friday, the North said it has launched an invMay 23, 2025By Yonhap
Pyongyang decries UN General Assembly meeting on NK human rights as 'provocation'North Korea on Friday decried a recent high-level U.N. Assembly meeting on the country's human rights situation as a "politically motivated provocation," vowing not to overlook such a smear campaign by "hostile forces." The North's Korea Association for Human Rights Studies issued the criticism, carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), regarding the first high-level U.N. General Assembly session convened Tuesday to address North Korea's human rights abuses. During the meeting, North Korean escapees, activists and others called for international action to improve the human rights situation in North Korea, with two defectors from the country sharing insider accounts of the issue. The association accused Washington, Seoul and other countries of a "heinous politically motivated provocation" for viciously picking on the human rights situation in North Korea, denouncing the meeting as a contravention of the U.N. Charter and international law, which respect sovereignty and noninterference in internal affairs. "The U.N. has never been openly used as an arena for confrontation, plot andMay 23, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea launches investigation into warship accidentNorth Korea has launched a full-scale investigation into the recent warship accident that occurred during the destroyer's launch but said the extent of the damage is "not serious," state media reported Friday. Part of a newly built 5,000-ton destroyer was damaged during the launch ceremony in the eastern port city of Chongjin on Wednesday, an accident that the North's leader Kim Jong-un slammed as a "criminal act" that cannot be tolerated. "Detailed underwater and internal inspection of the warship confirmed that, unlike the initial announcement, there were no holes made at the warship's bottom," according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The hull's starboard was scratched, and some amount of seawater flowed into the stern section through the "rescue channel," it added. A group of investigators reported to the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers' Party that it will take two or three days to keep the balance of the warship by pumping out the seawater from the flooded chamber, and some 10 days might be needed to restore the warship's side. The commission assessed thatMay 23, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea fires multiple cruise missiles into East Sea: JCSNorth Korea fired multiple cruise missiles toward the East Sea on Thursday, South Korea's military said, a day after a "serious" accident occurred during Pyongyang's launch of a new warship. The launches took place as North Korea said earlier in the day that parts of a new naval destroyer were "crushed" during its launch ceremony Wednesday, with the North's leader Kim Jong-un calling it a "criminal act" that could not be tolerated. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the North's missile launches at about 9 a.m. from the Sondok area in South Hamgyong Province, without providing further details, such as the number of missiles fired. The military believes the missiles may have been fired from a maritime platform and are conducting a detailed analysis with U.S. intelligence authorities. In February last year, North Korea test-fired a new surface-to-sea missile, named Padasuri-6. Authorities are looking into the possibility that the latest launch may have involved a variant of the anti-ship missile. The JCS said it is closely monitoring North Korean activities so that Pyongyang doMay 22, 2025
