Close aide to N. Korean leader presumed to be reinstated after suspected reeducationJo Yong-won, a North Korean party secretary considered one of the closest aides to leader Kim Jong-un, appears to have been reinstated following months of suspected disciplinary reeducation, according to Seoul officials and sources, Tuesday. Jo was reported by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) to be among a group of high-level officials who accompanied Kim on his visit to the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang on Friday to mark Moscow's 80th Victory Day anniversary, according to Seoul's unification ministry. It was the first time that North Korea's media has mentioned Jo by his name and title since he was last listed among the attendees at groundbreaking ceremonies on Feb. 28 for regional industrial factories. His absence had fueled speculation about a possible change in his official status. On April 27, the KCNA also published photos showing Jo among officials attending an event in Pyongyang to evaluate industrial products from new factories, but he was not mentioned by name or title at the time. "Considering that (Jo's) name and title were listed in the state media report, his status appMay 13, 2025By Yonhap
UN to host 1st high-level meeting on N. Korea's human rights violationsThe United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) will hold its first high-level meeting next week over human rights abuses and violations by North Korea, diplomatic and civic group sources said Monday. In a circulated letter, UNGA President Philemon Yang announced a plan to convene a high-level plenary meeting on May 20 to address North Korea's human rights violations, in accordance with a relevant UNGA resolution adopted in December last year, the sources said. It marks the first time that a high-level meeting on the North Korean human rights situation will be hosted by the UNGA. A previous high-level meeting on the subject, held in September 2014 during a UNGA session, was hosted by the South Korean and U.S. governments along with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. A foreign ministry official told Yonhap News Agency that the ministry is currently reviewing options to dispatch a senior official from Seoul, the top envoy to the U.N. or another representative to the meeting.May 12, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea says 20,000 homes to be built in 130 rural areas this yearAround 20,000 housing units will be built across 130 agricultural areas in North Korea this year as part of efforts to close the gap between urban and rural regions, the North's mainstream newspaper reported Sunday. "This year as well, some 20,000 agricultural homes are being built in various and unique styles across 130 cities and counties, showcasing the vitality of the party's rural revolution platform," the Rodong Sinmun daily said in an article. Several regions, including the Rajin and Sonbong districts in the city of Rason, are nearing the completion of new homes, while around 500 architects are currently working in Pyongyang on housing designs, the newspaper also said. The news report appears to highlight ongoing efforts to upgrade infrastructure in North Korea's rural areas, as the country pushes forward with a major construction plan, the Regional Development 20x10 Policy, aimed at annually building modernized factories in 20 cities and counties over a 10-year period. In a separate article Sunday, the Rodong Sinmun acknowledged disparities in living standards between urban and rMay 11, 2025By Yonhap
Will Pope Leo XIV make a historic visit to North Korea?Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born pope, is expected to visit South Korea in 2027 for World Youth Day, and hopes are rising within the Korean Catholic community that he may also attempt a historic visit to North Korea. According to the Korean Catholic Church on Friday, Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to attend the 2027 World Youth Day in Seoul. The global Catholic event, which began in 1984 and is held every two to four years, typically includes a papal visit. During the event, the pope presides over an opening Mass and other major ceremonies, spending about a week in the host country. Pope Francis confirmed Seoul as the next host city at the 2023 World Youth Day in Lisbon. If the trip proceeds, it will mark the fourth papal visit to South Korea. The most recent was Pope Francis’s visit in August 2014, which was also his first trip to Asia following his election. He stayed in Korea for five days. Many in the Korean Catholic community see papal visits as both a moment of spiritual significance and a diplomatic opportunity to elevate Korea’s presence on the world stage. Pope Leo XIV hasMay 10, 2025By KTimes
N. Korea's Kim says participation in Russia's war against Ukraine justifiedNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has said the North's deployment of troops to Russia to support its war against Ukraine was "justifiable," calling it an exercise of sovereign rights under a mutual defense treaty with Moscow, Pyongyang's state media reported Saturday. Kim made the remarks during his visit to the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang the previous day to mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union's defeat of Nazi Germany during World War II, known as Victory Day, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Citing a mutual defense treaty signed last year with Russia, Kim said he issued the order to send the North's troops to Russia to "liberate" the Kursk front-line region as he was determined to faithfully implement the treaty. "Our involvement in the war was justifiable, and this belongs to our sovereign rights," Kim said during a congratulatory speech, calling the North's troops engaged in combat against Ukraine "heroes." Last month, North Korea acknowledged for the first time that it has dispatched troops to fight alongside Russia against Ukraine. Seoul's spy agency saiMay 10, 2025By Yonhap
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
