Rights commission urges North Korea to release 6 detaineesThe National Human Rights Commission of Korea has urged North Korea to release six South Korean citizens held against their will by the regime, it said on Friday. According to the commission, its representative, Lee Han-byeol, attended the Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) meeting held Thursday in Geneva, where she called on the North to release Christian missionaries ― Kim Jung-wook, Kim Kook-kie and Choi Chun-gil ― as well as three North Korean defectors. “At the UPR meeting, we emphasized the need for the immediate repatriation of six of our citizens detained in North Korea, the need to inform North Korean defectors in South Korea of the whereabouts of their families in the North, the need for the immediate repatriation of prisoners of war and the need to hold a reunification event for separated families,” the commission said. North Korea has long been a merciless land for Christian missionaries over the decades. But for South Korean believers, it has been even more so. In 2013, Kim Jung-wook was arrested there and sentenced to hard labor for life on chargMar 28, 2025By Jung Min-ho
Seoul says will work for prompt repatriation of 2 N. Koreans found adrift near borderSouth Korea will work toward the prompt and safe repatriation of two North Koreans who were found adrift in waters south of the inter-Korean maritime border last month, the unification ministry said Friday. "(The government) will have consultations with related bodies for the North Korean residents' prompt and safe return," Kim In-ae, the ministry's deputy spokesperson, said in a regular press briefing. In March, the South Korean military found two North Koreans aboard a wooden boat drifting on the southern side of the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the Yellow Sea, in what was believed to be an accidental border crossing. They reportedly did not express a desire to remain in South Korea, prompting the South Korean government to arrange for their return home. The government's reaction followed a news report that the United Nations Command had recently sent a notice via a hotline regarding the repatriation of the North Koreans at South Korea's request, but North Korea had shown no response. (Yonhap)Mar 28, 2025By yonhap
Kim Jong-un could visit Russia in May: sourcesNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un may visit Moscow in May on the occasion of Russia’s Victory Day, as the two countries have been solidifying bilateral military cooperation. The visit, if it occurs, would be another public display of a growing friendship between Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin. This assessment was based on a recent meeting between Kim and Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu in Pyongyang. “We are closely monitoring for signs of the North Korean leader’s potential visit to Russia,” a senior unification ministry official said on condition of anonymity. Although the timing and exact location of Kim’s trip is unknown, some analysts speculate the timing of Kim’s possible visit could be either May or September when the Eastern Economic Forum takes place. The possibility of Kim not visiting Russia cannot be ruled out either, according to the analysts. A recent increase in high-level exchanges could be another sign that the two nations are preparing for a leaders’ summit. Friendly ties between Russia and North Korea have been expanding across allMar 27, 2025By Kwak Yeon-soo
N. Korea presumed to send at least 3,000 more troops to Russia: JCSNorth Korea appears to have additionally dispatched at least 3,000 soldiers to Russia in January and February in support of Moscow's war against Ukraine, South Korea's military said Thursday. The assessment came amid concerns that North Korea and Russia's deepening military alignment could lead to Moscow transferring advanced arms technologies to Pyongyang in return for the troop deployment. "Of the some 11,000 North Korean soldiers dispatched to Russia, 4,000 casualties have occurred, and it appears that some 3,000 or more have been additionally dispatched in January and February," the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. In addition to the troop deployment, the JCS said the North continues to supply missiles, ammunition and artillery equipment to Russia, including "a considerable amount of short-range ballistic missiles and around 220 pieces of 170 millimeter self-propelled howitzers and 240 mm rocket launchers." The South's military said the North appears to be making technological upgrades to launch another military spy satellite, although there are no imminent signs of such a lMar 27, 2025By yonhap
N. Korea releases photos of what appears to be airborne control aircraftNorth Korea on Thursday disclosed what appears to be an airborne early warning and control aircraft for the first time and said leader Kim Jong-un supervised tests of "suicide attack drones" equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) technology. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) published photos of the airplane while reporting Kim supervised performance tests of drones with AI technology and a reconnaissance drone Tuesday and Wednesday. Kim oversaw the tests while guiding defense science research projects of the Unmanned Aeronautical Technology Complex and the detective electronic warfare research group. Photos showed Kim instructing military officials inside what appears to be an airborne early warning and control aircraft, similar to the Peace Eye, which is operated by the South Korean Air Force and produced by Boeing. An airborne early warning system detects aircraft and vessels using radar, acting as "eyes in the sky." The KCNA also released photos of the suicide drone test, showing the AI-powered drones successfully hitting ground targets, including a tank. During the inspection,Mar 27, 2025By yonhap
N. Korea slams Japan's new military command for self-defense forces operationsNorth Korea on Wednesday denounced Japan's launch of a new military command aimed at better integrating its self-defense force units, claiming Tokyo is in the final stage of preparing to become a "war state." Japan on Monday launched the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) Joint Operation Command, a new command designed to oversee joint operations of its ground, maritime and air defense forces, in a bid to better respond to emergency situations and smoothly coordinate with U.S. troops in Japan. North Korea said Japan established the command for the "practical" use of long-range missiles as it has focused on preparations to become a war state for overseas aggression over the past 80 years since its defeat in World War II. "Such a preparation has entered the final stage," the Korean Central News Agency said in a commentary. Citing Japan-led joint military drills with 11 nations last year and a trilateral naval exercise among South Korea, the United States and Japan in March, North Korea claimed Japan is gearing up to reach the front lines to realize its wartime militarism. North Korea has shown a senMar 26, 2025By yonhap
NK leader has 'no intention' of negotiating away nukes, seeks 'tacit' nuclear power recognition: US assessmentNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has no intention of negotiating away his regime's nuclear and other "strategic" weapons programs, a U.S. threat report said Tuesday, as a top intelligence official viewed Pyongyang as seeking at least "tacit" recognition as a nuclear power. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) released the Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community, as DNI Tulsi Gabbard said North Korea may be ready to carry out another nuclear test "on short notice" and continue intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests to show its negotiation leverage. The assessment came as U.S. President Donald Trump has voiced his openness to resuming dialogue with Kim amid speculation that Trump could focus on reducing threats from Pyongyang rather than on ridding it of its nuclear arms despite his stated pursuit of the "complete" denuclearization of North Korea. "Kim has no intention of negotiating away his strategic weapons programs, which he perceives as a guarantor of regime security and national pride, because they threaten the homeland, U.S. forces iMar 26, 2025By yonhap
UNHRC adopts final report on review of N. Korean human rightsThe U.N. Human Rights Council (UNHRC) adopted Tuesday the final report of its regular review of North Korea's human rights situation, urging the reclusive regime to implement its recommendations to improve human rights conditions for its people. The report on the universal periodic review (UPR) was adopted at the 58th session of the UNHRC in Geneva, about four months after Pyongyang underwent its fourth UPR in November last year for the current 2022-27 cycle, Seoul's foreign ministry said. The UPR is a mechanism established by the UNHRC in 2008 to conduct a periodic human rights review of all U.N. member states by their peers every 4.5 years. At the session, South Korean Ambassador to Geneva Yun Seong-deok voiced regret that the North rejected nearly half of the 294 recommendations made by the member states, urging Pyongyang to accept and implement them. Yun voiced deep concern over the negative impact of the North's militarization on human rights, calling for the immediate release of three detained South Korean missionaries and resolving issues related to abductees, detainees and prisonMar 25, 2025By yonhap
Russia agrees to NK doctors' internships in Moscow hospitals, pharmaceuticals modernizationRussia has agreed to continue North Korean doctors' internships in Moscow hospitals and assist the North in modernizing its pharmaceutical products, including antibiotics, the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang said Tuesday. The Russian Embassy disclosed the agreement on its Facebook account, citing Ambassador to North Korea Alexandr Matsegora's meeting with Vice Public Health Minister Jon Sol-ryong the previous day. Jon returned to North Korea on Monday after his visit to Russia, accompanied by a working-level delegation from his ministry, to discuss bilateral cooperation on public health. The embassy said that during Jon's visit, Russia agreed to allow doctors from Pyongyang to continue their internships at top medical centers in Moscow in various fields, including cardiology and oncology. Moscow also agreed to assist in the modernization of North Korean pharmaceuticals, particularly the production of modern antibiotics, according to the embassy. Both sides also discussed creating new medical institutions in North Korea, while Pyongyang expressed its willingness to share information regardingMar 25, 2025By yonhap
N. Korea to host large-scale art festival for founder Kim Il-sung's upcoming birthdayNorth Korea on Tuesday announced the hosting of a large-scale art festival to mark the birth anniversary of national founder Kim Il-sung next month. The April Spring People's Art Festival will take place at several venues in Pyongyang, including the People's Palace of Culture, from April 10-17, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported ahead of Kim's birthday on April 15. The KCNA described the festival as celebrating Kim's revolutionary life and achievements, as well as current leader Kim Jong-un's guidance of the nation toward power and prosperity and the determination, loyalty and ethics of the North Korean people. Members of art troupes from institutions, companies, factories and farms across the regions will participate in the festival, the KCNA said. The birth anniversary of Kim Il-sung, the grandfather of the current leader, is one of North Korea's most-celebrated national holidays, alongside that of Kim Jong-il, the predecessor and father of the incumbent leader. (Yonhap)Mar 25, 2025By yonhap
