N. Korea warns of overwhelming response over S. Korea-US-Japan naval drillsNorth Korea on Tuesday denounced recent joint naval drills by South Korea, the United States and Japan, warning of "overwhelming" and "decisive" responses to any provocations from hostile countries. The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) issued the message in a commentary, referring to the trilateral joint maritime drills conducted in international waters off South Korea's southern resort island of Jeju from Monday through Thursday last week. The naval drills — the first of their kind this year and since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to office in January — involved the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier and aimed to enhance deterrence against North Korea's military threats. The KCNA accused the trilateral drills of "escalating the already tense regional political and military situation to the extremes," noting they were conducted alongside the joint annual South Korea-U.S. exercise, "Freedom Shield." "The U.S.' adventuristic frenzy to dominate the entire Asia-Pacific, along with hostile forces, is completely exceeding all precedents," the KCNA said. The article also accuMar 25, 2025By yonhap
N. Korea slams S. Korea-US military drills, threatens to bolster striking powerNorth Korea on Monday denounced the latest annual joint military drills by South Korea and the United States, warning it will continue to strengthen its striking power to overwhelm any threats from its enemies. The disarmament and peace institute at North Korea's foreign ministry issued the condemnation after Seoul and Washington wrapped up their 11-day annual Freedom Shield exercise Thursday. Calling the exercise a "planned and provocative nuclear war rehearsal," North Korea said the aggressive and offensive nature of this year's drills was the highest in history, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "Having a formidable attack power that no one can stop and an overwhelming striking power is the surest guarantee to preventing war and effectively containing and controlling any threat and blackmail from aggressors," the institute said in a statement carried by the KCNA. North Korea vowed to "consistently renew and strengthen its responses in all areas to overwhelm any military act by its enemies," it added. North Korea has long denounced the allies' joint military drills asMar 24, 2025By yonhap
UN Human Rights Council to address concerns over N. Korea's troop dispatch to RussiaThe U.N. Human Rights Council is expected to address concerns over North Korea's troops dispatch to Russia to support its war in Ukraine in its latest resolution on Pyongyang's human rights situation, documents showed Sunday. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights unveiled the draft resolution on the human rights situation in North Korea, which was submitted by Poland and Australia on Thursday. The draft resolution urges North Korea to "refrain from the use of deadly and other excessive force at its borders and elsewhere, particularly where it would exacerbate civilian suffering, fuel human rights violations and destabilize international security." While past resolutions have called on Pyongyang to exercise restraint in the use of force at its borders and beyond, this year's draft explicitly highlights concerns over the potential impact on global security. The draft is expected to be adopted at the 58th session of the U.N. Human Rights Council, scheduled from April 2-4, after deliberation among member states. South Korea has co-sponsored the resolution for the third consecutMar 23, 2025By yonhap
N. Korea's new envoy to Bulgaria takes up office: state mediaNorth Korea's new ambassador to Bulgaria has taken up office, the North's state media reported Sunday. North Korean Ambassador to Bulgaria Ri Hak-mu presented a copy of credentials to Bulgaria's President Rumen Radev last Thursday, the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. With Ri presenting the credentials to the Bulgarian president, Radev "expressed deep thanks for this and asked the ambassador to convey his sincere greetings to" North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the KCNA said. Ri's predecessor, Ambassador Cha Kon-il, left the job in April last year, but the North's state media had been silent on who would replace Cha. Since 2003, North Korea had reportedly shut down its diplomatic missions in some nations, including Angola, Nepal, Bangladesh, Spain and Uganda. (Yonhap)Mar 23, 2025By yonhap
N. Korean leader vows to 'invariably' support Russia's war against UkraineNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has reaffirmed his willingness to "invariably" support Russia's war against Ukraine during his meeting with a top Russian security official, according to Pyongyang's state media Saturday. Kim held "important and useful" discussions with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu in Pyongyang the previous day, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The former Russian defense minister arrived in North Korea hours before the talks. At the meeting, both sides exchanged views on a wide range of issues related to defending the security interests of the two countries as well as regional and global issues, while confirming their consensus on these, according to the KCNA. Kim also said it is "the steadfast option and resolute will of the DPRK government to invariably support Russia in the struggle for defending the national sovereignty, territorial integrity and security interests in the future," the report said. DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name. Shoigu presented an "important signed letter" frMar 22, 2025By yonhap
Ukraine ceasefire, NK leader's trip to Moscow may top agenda for Shoigu-Kim meetingRussia's top security official may discuss ongoing efforts for a ceasefire in Russia's war against Ukraine and the North Korean leader's potential visit to Moscow during his talks with Kim Jong-un, experts said Friday. Earlier in the day, Sergei Shoigu, secretary of Russia's Security Council, arrived in Pyongyang to meet Kim, Russia's Tass news agency reported, marking the latest in a recent series of high-level exchanges between the two countries. Shoigu's trip to Pyongyang comes at a delicate time when Russian and Ukrainian officials have held separate talks with the United States for a ceasefire in the war and amid speculation that Kim may travel to Moscow in May. Experts said Shoigu, widely viewed as a "special envoy" for Russian President Vladimir Putin, is likely to share the latest details on the ceasefire negotiations and discuss the future of the two countries' cooperation amid deepening military cooperation. As North Korea has sent more than 11,000 troops to Russia's western front-line region of Kursk to support Moscow's war efforts since last year, attention has been paid to wMar 21, 2025By yonhap
Russia's top security official arrives in N. Korea for meeting with Kim Jong-un: reportRussia's Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu arrived in North Korea on Friday and was set to meet with leader Kim Jong-un, Russian and North Korean news outlets reported. Leading a delegation from Russia's Security Council, Shoigu arrived in Pyongyang and will meet with Kim and other North Korean officials, according to Tass and the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jong-gyu, Russian Ambassador Alexandr Matsegora and other officials greeted the delegation, which visited the Liberation Tower and laid a wreath, according to the North's state media. "The participants paid a silent tribute to the memory of the fallen fighters of the Soviet Army before looking round the tower," the KCNA said. The visit marks the latest in a recent series of high-level exchanges between North Korea and Russia, which have grown closer, with Pyongyang deploying thousands of troops to support Moscow in its war against Ukraine. Earlier this month, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko traveled to Pyongyang, where he met with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe SMar 21, 2025By yonhap
N. Korea raps US questionnaires on communist links for UN aid groups as new version of McCarthyismNorth Korea denounced the United States on Friday for sending questionnaires to U.N. aid agencies to ask whether they have any links to communism or an anti-U.S. stance, calling the move "the 21st century version of McCarthyism." The U.S. Office of Management and Budget sent 36 questions to international organizations, including the U.N.'s refugee agency and the International Committee of the Red Cross, to ask them to state whether they have "anti-American" beliefs or affiliation, according to British broadcaster BBC. The move came as the Trump administration is seeking to slash foreign aid as part of its push to cut the size of the federal government. Jo Chol-su, North Korea's ambassador to its mission at the United Nations office in Geneva, condemned the U.S. for using international organizations as a tool for implementing its strategy for hegemony, according to the Korean Central News Agency. "The U.S. is trying to subordinate the international organizations as the body executing "America first" policy which moves according to its baton and serves its interests," Jo said, calling theMar 21, 2025By yonhap
2 N. Koreans aboard wooden boat discovered in S. Korean waters in early March: military officialsTwo North Koreans aboard a wooden boat drifting in the Yellow Sea were discovered earlier this month and are now under questioning, military officials said Friday. The military took the two men into custody after a P-3 maritime patrol aircraft discovered the boat in waters 170 kilometers west of the Eocheong Island, south of the Northern Limit Line (NLL), the de facto inter-Korean maritime border, on March 7. The two men are believed to have likely crossed into South Korean waters accidentally and haven't clearly expressed their intent to defect to South Korea, as they have been under a joint probe with authorities. The government is currently reviewing measures to communicate with North Korea on their possible repatriation if they wish to return, considering inter-Korean hotlines have remained severed since April 2023. (Yonhap)Mar 21, 2025By yonhap
N. Korea warns of using 'deadliest military means' against S. Korea-US military drillsNorth Korea on Friday threatened to use the "deadliest military means" against joint annual military drills between South Korea and the United States. North Korea's defense ministry issued the threat in an article published by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), a day after the allies wrapped up the 11-day Freedom Shield exercise, which aimed to bolster joint defense capabilities against North Korean military threats. The ministry described the exercise as "military provocations," citing drills aimed at destroying secret underground tunnel networks and removing nuclear weapons. "This proves that the joint military exercises ... are no more than a rehearsal of war of aggression aimed at invading and occupying the DPRK from A to Z," the ministry said. DPRK stands for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The country's law stipulates "what means and methods should be used in contingency to remove hostile forces threatening the existence of our state," the article said, adding it is the armed forces' mission to strictly implement the law. "All options forMar 21, 2025By yonhap
