N. Korea says 'serious accident' occurred during new destroyer's launch ceremonyNorth Korea said Thursday a "serious accident" occurred the previous day during a ceremony to launch a new warship, with its leader Kim Jong-un calling it a "criminal act" that could not be tolerated. The accident took place Wednesday at a shipyard in the eastern port city of Chongjin during a ceremony to launch a newly built 5,000-ton destroyer, attended by the North's leader, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Citing "inexperience command and operational carelessness" in the course of the launch, North Korea said a "serious accident" occurred as the launch slide of the stern departed first and was stranded while the flatcar failed to move in parallel. Some sections of the warship's bottom were "crushed," destroying the balance of the warship, and the bow couldn't leave the shipway, it reported. After watching the whole course of the accident, Kim said, "It was a serious accident and criminal act caused by absolute carelessness, irresponsibility and unscientific empiricism which is out of the bounds of possibility and could not be tolerated," according to the KCNA. He orMay 22, 2025By Yonhap
Rubio says appointment process underway to find 'right person' for NK human rights envoyU.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that an appointment process is taking place to find the "right" person to fill the State Department post for special envoy for North Korean human rights issues. The secretary made the remarks during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, responding to a question by Rep. Young Kim about whether he has a plan to appoint someone to fill the post that has been vacant since former Special Envoy Julie Turner left in January. "Yes and obviously, that's going through the process of the presidential personnel for the appointment process to find the right person ... make sure the vetting is cleared and so forth," Rubio said. He noted that initially, the administration prioritized appointments of assistant secretaries and other Senate confirmed positions. "We are working through it, but obviously our intention is to have someone as the statute requires," he said. Questions have lingered over whether the Trump administration would name a new special envoy amid a sense that it is paying less attention to foreign human rights issues. The appointmentMay 22, 2025By Yonhap
Russia coordinating N. Korean leader Kim's visit: reportThe Russian government is coordinating North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's visit to the country, but it is too early to discuss the timing, a Russian news report said Wednesday, citing Russia's deputy foreign minister. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko confirmed that President Vladimir Putin had invited Kim to pay an official visit to Russia and expressed hope that the timing, schedule and agency would be coordinated through diplomatic channels, Russian news agency Ria Novosti reported. Rudenko was also quoted as saying that it is still premature to specify a date for the visit, but Moscow hopes Kim will make the trip to Russia. Kim and Putin last held a summit in June last year in Pyongyang, where they signed a mutual defense treaty as the two countries aligned closely in the military and other sectors. At that time, Putin invited Kim to Moscow. Kim has visited Russia twice so far, in 2019 and 2023, for talks with Putin, but both trips took place in Russia's eastern regions near North Korea, due apparently to security and logistical reasons. Kim skipped Russia's high-profile VMay 21, 2025By Yonhap
Defectors, activists, supporters call for action to improve NK human rights in UN meetingNorth Korean escapees, activists and supporters made an emphatic call for global action to enhance the human rights situation in North Korea during a high-level U.N. General Assembly meeting on Tuesday, with a defector delivering a reverberating message: "silence is complicity". They participated in the rare meeting on Pyongyang's human rights violations, with two defectors sharing accounts of their tribulations in the repressed country. North Korean Ambassador to the U.N. Kim Song bristled at the meeting, repeating claims of a Western plot to "politicize" and "weaponize" human rights issues. The meeting, the first of its kind at the General Assembly, proceeded in line with last year's North Korean human rights resolution that called for a high-level plenary meeting, featuring testimony by civil society representatives and other experts, to address the human rights abuses in the North. Participants highlighted a close link between North Korea's human rights and its regime's advancing weapons programs, noting the repressive culture in the country has allowed Pyongyang to forge ahead withMay 21, 2025By Yonhap
Civic groups urge post-election gov't to halt leaflet, loudspeaker campaigns against N. KoreaCivic groups involved in inter-Korean exchanges called on the post-election government in South Korea on Tuesday to halt leaflet and loudspeaker campaigns against North Korea in the border area in an effort to ease inter-Korean tension. Three civic groups, including the NGO Council for Inter-Korea Cooperation and the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation, issued the call at a joint event ahead of the June 3 presidential election. The groups said the newly elected government must actively work to prevent armed conflict with North Korea and ease inter-Korean tensions by suspending anti-North leaflet campaigns and loudspeaker broadcasts along the border, as well as military drills. They also proposed restoring severed communication lines between Seoul and Pyongyang, resuming inter-Korean military talks and reinstating the September 19 Military Agreement. Last year, South Korea fully suspended the 2018 inter-Korean military agreement aimed at easing military tensions in the wake of North Korea's trash balloon campaigns and attempts to disrupt GPS signals near border islands. The gMay 20, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim could face war crime probe for supporting Russia's war against UkraineNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un could face a war crime probe at the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) for supporting Russia's war against Ukraine, a former chief of the ICC said Monday, adding that it is the right time for Kim to be brought to justice. Song Sang-hyun, former president of the ICC, made the remarks at an international conference in Seoul, as North Korea confirmed for the first time last month that it has deployed troops to Russia to support Moscow's war against Ukraine. Kim has not yet been referred to the ICC despite his human rights violations in North Korea, but legal standards have been met now for Ukraine to pursue a case against him at the ICC over the North's assistance in the Russia-Ukraine war, the former ICC president noted. "The time is right to bring Kim Jong-un before the ICC," Song said in his keynote speech at the event, adding that Pyongyang's military assistance to Russia provided Ukraine with the legal standards to file a complaint against North Korea as a victim. "There is an opportunity for Ukrainian authorities, as the victim, to file a coMay 19, 2025By Yonhap
Military says N. Korea likely received Russian support for air-to-air missilesSouth Korea's military on Monday raised the possibility that North Korea received technological assistance from Russia in developing a new air-to-air missile following the North's test of the weapon last week. On Saturday, the North's state media reported North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw anti-air combat and air raid drills by an air force flight group earlier in the week, unveiling what appeared to be a live-fire drill involving a new air-to-air missile launched from a MiG-29 fighter jet. "We believe there is an association," Col. Lee Sung-jun, spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), told a regular press briefing, when asked whether the North received arms and advanced technology from Russia in exchange for its troop deployment. Lee said, however, that further analysis is necessary to determine the extent and scope of Russia's possible technological assistance. The JCS official added that it will likely take "considerable" time for the North to deploy such weapons systems for combat use. "There have been many cases in which the North attempted to deceive or exaggerate...May 19, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim pays tribute to prominent military figureNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has paid respects at the tomb of Hyon Chol-hae, who is known to have played a key role in grooming him for leadership, to mark the third anniversary of his death, the North's state media reported Monday. Kim visited the Patriotic Martyrs Cemetery in Sinmi-ri the previous day and laid a flower to mark the third anniversary of Hyon's death, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. Hyon, marshal of the Korean People's Army, died at 87 on May 19, 2022. He is known to have played a key role in assisting Kim Jong-il, the father of the current leader, in consolidating control over the military and in preparing Kim Jong-un as his successor. In 2022, North Korea held a state funeral for Hyon, chaired by Kim Jong-un. Kim also visited Hyon's tomb on the first and second anniversaries of his death. "Still vivid in my memory is Comrade Hyon Chol-hae, who was always with General Kim Jong-il. He was a shadow of the great General," Kim was quoted as saying by the KCNA. "He will live forever in our minds, always reminding us of the era of Kim Jong-il and encouraging us iMay 19, 2025By Yonhap
NK university resumes Chinese language test for first time in 5 yearsAn elite university in North Korea has resumed its Chinese language proficiency test for the first time in five years, according to a website of the Chinese Embassy in Pyongyang on Sunday. The North's Pyongyang University of Science and Technology resumed its Chinese language proficiency test called HSK on Saturday, with the Chinese ambassador to Pyongyang, Wang Yajun, attending the test. The language test in Pyongyang resumed for the first time in five years since the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement, Wang said he expects the resumption of the Chinese language test to "encourage more young North Koreans to join the ranks of Chinese language learners." The move comes amid signs of North Korea and China working to mend ties, which had not been at their best as Pyongyang recently aligned closely with Moscow by deploying troops to support Moscow in the war against Ukraine.May 18, 2025By Yonhap
