N. Korea marches in Russia's Victory Day parade in show of military bond: SeoulThe unification ministry said Monday that North Korea's participation in Russia's Victory Day parade was to display the two nations' deepening military ties. "By marching in Russia's Victory Day parade for the first time, North Korea showed off its military ties with Russia," Yoon Min-ho, the ministry's spokesperson, said at a regular briefing. On Saturday, North Korean troops marched at Red Square in Moscow, carrying their national flag alongside a banner marking Victory Day, which commemorates the Soviet victory over Germany in World War II. "The Korean People's Army combined ground, naval and air forces contingent joined in the Moscow Victory Day Parade," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Sunday, adding that the march took place at Moscow's invitation. Following the parade, Russian President Vladimir Putin met the contingent commander and "expressed his gratitude," the KCNA added. The parade marked the first time North Korean troops have publicly marched on Russian soil in such a ceremony.May 11, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea flags hantavirus danger amid cruise ship outbreakNorth Korea has raised the alarm over the danger posed by the hantavirus after an outbreak on a foreign cruise ship has killed three passengers, echoing its response to the COVID-19 pandemic years earlier. The Rodong Simnum, the ruling Workers' Party's official newspaper, reported Monday on the outbreak of the Andes strain of the virus on a ship sailing in the Atlantic Ocean, describing it as "raising concerns from the international community." The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a Level 3 emergency response over the outbreak, activating its emergency operations center, it added. The paper urged the public to minimize contact with infected rodents, maintain cleanliness at home and in the workplace, and practice good personal hygiene to reduce the risk of infection. The report followed an earlier dispatch Friday, when it covered the first fatality aboard the MV Hondius, which had departed from Argentina. The coverage appears intended to alert the public to the potential risk of the virus reaching the country. It echoed Pyongyang's response to COVID-19, when it seMay 11, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea pushes rice transplanting drive amid food shortagesNorth Korea urged its people to intensify efforts toward this year's grain harvest, state media reported Monday, as the country continues to grapple with food shortages. In an editorial, the Rodong Simnun, the ruling Workers' Party's main newspaper, called on the public to "concentrate all efforts on rice transplanting and completing it in a timely manner" in order to meet annual grain targets. The paper described rice transplanting as "a key business" in achieving production goals and fulfilling directives from the party's key congress, held in February. It stressed agricultural output is central to the party's agenda, invoking leader Kim Jong-un's stated priority that "the most urgent job facing us is to resolve people's food problems by farming the land well." North Korea typically begins rice farming in mid-March, with the transplanting phase wrapping up by late May or early June. It routinely deploys soldiers and students alongside civilian laborers during the transplanting season.May 11, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korean media say Putin thanked military commander after Victory Day paradeRussian President Vladimir Putin thanked a North Korean military commander after North Korean troops took part in Russia's Victory Day military parade, the North's state media reported Sunday, in the latest sign of deepening ties between the two countries. North Korean troops marched in Moscow's Red Square on Saturday in the parade marking the 81st anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, the North's Korean Central News Agency said in a dispatch. Putin met the commander of the marching unit after the ceremony and "expressed his gratitude," the agency said, noting the troops' participation came at Russia's invitation. Russian media earlier said it was the first time North Korean soldiers had marched alongside Russian troops in the annual Victory Day parade. North Korea's main newspaper, the Rodong Sinmun, also carried the news on its first two pages, along with photos. The paper published excerpts from Putin's speech, while also noting his meeting with the North Korean military commander. Pyongyang has deployed around 15,000 combat troops to support Russia in theMay 10, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korean troops march in Russia's Victory Day parade for 1st timeNorth Korean troops marched in Russia's Victory Day military parade held in Moscow on Saturday, according to footage released by Russia's Tass news agency, in a show of the growing military ties between the two nations. In footage posted on Tass' social media accounts, North Korean soldiers were seen marching in formation through Moscow's Red Square while carrying the North Korean national flag and a banner marking Russia's Victory Day, which commemorates the Soviet victory over Germany in World War II. As the North Korean troops appeared in Red Square, North Korean Ambassador to Russia Sin Hong-chol and other officials applauded and welcomed them. It marked the first time North Korean soldiers have marched alongside Russian troops in the annual Victory Day parade, Tass reported. Pyongyang deployed around 15,000 combat troops to support Russia in the war after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a strategic partnership treaty in June 2024. Earlier in the day, Kim sent a congratulatory message to Putin on Russia's Victory Day celebration, reaffirmingMay 9, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim reaffirms commitment to deepening ties with Russia in Victory Day messageNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent a congratulatory message to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Russia's Victory Day celebration, reaffirming Pyongyang's commitment to prioritizing and deepening ties with Moscow, state media reported Saturday. Kim extended his "sincerest congratulations" on the occasion of the 81st Victory Day and expressed satisfaction with the current "brilliant history of independence, dignity, peace and prosperity" shared by the two countries, according to the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "Reaffirming the stand of the government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to give top priority to and steadily develop the alliance-like comprehensive strategic partnership between our two countries, I affirm once again that we will always faithfully fulfill the obligations under the inter-state treaty between the DPRK and Russia," Kim said, using the North's official name. In June 2024, Kim and Putin signed a "comprehensive strategic partnership" treaty, effectively reviving the two countries' Cold War-era military alliance. After the signing,May 9, 2026By Yonhap
North Korean ‘K9-type’ howitzer poses new military threat to SouthNorth Korea has reportedly developed self-propelled artillery capable of striking Seoul and the greater capital area, raising concerns that the North is escalating its long-range artillery threat. According to North Korea’s Rodong Sinmun, Friday, leader Kim Jong-un visited a key munitions factory two days earlier to inspect a new weapons system. It included self-propelled artillery equipped with a 155-milimeter gun, comparable in caliber to South Korea’s K9 howitzer, but reportedly with a range exceeding 60 kilometers, while the K9 has an approximate range of 40 kilometers. The official newspaper of the Workers' Party, the Rodong Sinmun reported that Kim described the country’s 155-milimeter self-propelled artillery as a “new-generation artillery weapon with very high mobility and firepower” and said that the system would be deployed within the year to three battalions along the southern border. Defense experts said that if North Korea’s claim of developing a system with a range exceeding 60 kilometers is accurate, it would place Seoul within striking distance. “It appears NMay 8, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
N. Korea to deploy new long-range artillery along border with S. Korea this year: KCNANorth Korea plans to deploy a new self-propelled howitzer along its border with South Korea by the end of this year, state media said Friday, as it seeks to bolster its defense capabilities. According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited a munitions factory Wednesday to review production of a "new-type 155 mm self-propelled gun-howitzer" destined for three battalions to be stationed at a long-range artillery unit along the "southern border." The self-propelled gun-howitzer has a striking range exceeding 60 kilometers, the report said, which is enough to place Seoul within firing range of North Korean front-line positions. Kim "reaffirmed that the year 2026 will also record an unprecedented upgrade in the course of struggle for bolstering up the national defense capability of the country," the KCNA said, urging cadres to achieve "signal successes every day" through intensified efforts to strengthen military readiness. In a separate KCNA report, Kim visited the 5,000-ton warship Choe Hyon on Thursday to observe a maneuvering assessment test aheaMay 8, 2026By Yonhap
Gov't takes low-key approach as NK football team's visit tests inter-Korean relationsThe planned inter-Korean match between Suwon FC Women and Pyongyang’s Naegohyang Women’s FC on May 20 is drawing attention for being held in South Korea after the North defined the South as "hostile enemy state" and abandoned the principal of unification in its new Constitution. Co-organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the Korea Football Association (KFA) and Suwon Special City, the AWCL Final 2026 is Asia's premier women's club tournament, running from May 17 to 23. The winner will meet the victor of the other semifinal between Melbourne City FC and Tokyo Verdy Beleza in the final on May 23. The Ministry of Unification and Cheong Wa Dae “welcomed” the scheduled visit, but remain quiet regarding any direct involvement in the event, saying they will provide procedural support for the Pyongyang team, such as handling the issuance of travel documents. The two Korean teams will stay at the same hotel in accordance with AFC rules, but will eat and be assigned rooms on separate floors, a unification ministry official said. The North Korean team is also required to passMay 7, 2026By Park Ji-won
N. Korea dials down hostility toward Seoul in revised constitution: NISNorth Korea has significantly tamped down its hostility toward South Korea in its recently revised constitution, while maintaining leader Kim Jong-un's stance on treating the Koreas as two states, Seoul's spy agency said Thursday. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) made the assessment during a closed-door briefing to the parliamentary intelligence committee, according to Rep. Park Sun-won of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. "Although (North Korea's constitution) mentioned that (the North) will never tolerate any infringement on its territory bordering the Republic of Korea, there were no hostile remarks toward the South whatsoever," the lawmaker quoted the NIS as saying, referring to South Korea by its official name. "While it made the two-states stance clear, it significantly toned down hostility (toward the South)." The revised constitution also stopped short of describing the South as an enemy or a target to be taken down in the event of a war, the NIS noted, according to the lawmaker. The constitution shows that the North is clearly seeking to sever ties with the South but sMay 7, 2026By Yonhap
