Seoul retains 'peaceful coexistence' policy despite change in N. Korea's constitutionSouth Korea will continue to pursue its "peaceful coexistence" policy aimed at establishing peace with North Korea despite Pyongyang's recent constitutional revision viewed to be aimed at distancing itself from the South, the presidential office said Thursday. "The government will conduct a comprehensive review of details related to North Korea's constitutional revision," Cheong Wa Dae said. "Based on the review, the government will consistently pursue its peaceful coexistence policy for the Korean Peninsula," it added. North Korea's revised constitution, released by Seoul's unification ministry the previous day, reflected North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's policy shift unveiled in 2023 that regards the South as a separate country rather than a partner for eventual unification. The latest constitution removed the previous version's pledge to achieve Korean unification, while newly defining North Korean territory without reference to the South. The revision, however, stopped short of describing the South as an enemy, despite Kim having called the two Koreas "hostile" countries and Seoul theMay 7, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea not bound by NPT under any circumstances: UN envoyNorth Korea is not bound under any circumstances by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), its representative to the United Nations said in a statement released Thursday, calling any attempt to force Pyongyang to fulfill treaty obligations a "wanton violation" of international law. In the statement, dated May 6 and carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency, Kim Song, Pyongyang's permanent representative to the U.N., claimed his country's nuclear program reflects its "obligations under the law on nuclear forces policy and the constitution, which enshrined the country's legal status as a nuclear-armed state." "I denounce and reject in the strongest tone the brigandish and shameless acts of the specific countries, including the U.S., which are taking issue with the DPRK's realistic and just access to nuclear weapons through the legal route and exercise of its inherent defensive rights as a sovereign state," he added. DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's official name. The statement came as the 11th Review Conference of the Treaty on tMay 7, 2026By Yonhap
Unification ministry praises late ex-PM Lee Hong-koo's contribution to inter-Korean reconciliationThe unification ministry on Wednesday expressed condolences over the death of former Prime Minister Lee Hong-koo, praising his contributions to inter-Korean reconciliation and unification efforts. In a statement, the ministry said Lee, who passed away Tuesday at age 92, devoted himself to the development of South Korea's foreign, security and unification policies during his public service career. "The principled approach and balanced insight he showed for peace on the Korean Peninsula and the development of inter-Korean relations continue to resonate today," the released statement said. A scholar-turned-politician, Lee entered public service under the Roh Tae-woo administration in 1988 as unification minister and later served as a presidential aide and ambassador to Britain. During the Kim Young-sam administration, he was appointed South Korea's 28th prime minister in 1994. He also served as ambassador to the United States from 1998 to 2000, helping support diplomatic efforts in the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis.May 6, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea's revised constitution defines territory, drops reunification referencesNorth Korea's revised constitution has added a new territorial clause and dropped all references to unification, a document showed Wednesday, underscoring Pyongyang's push toward a "two hostile states" policy against South Korea. The revised constitution, reviewed by Yonhap News Agency at a press conference held at the unification ministry, showed that North Korea has defined its territory as the land bordering China and Russia to the north and South Korea to the south, along with its adjacent territorial waters and airspace. It did not, however, elaborate on the long-disputed maritime border between the two Koreas in the Yellow Sea, especially around the Northern Limit Line, the de facto maritime border. North Korea first adopted its constitution in September 1948 and amended it five times before introducing the socialist constitution in 1972. After 12 further amendments, it revised the document again this March, dropping "socialist" from the title. Notably, the constitution did not identify South Korea as a "primary foe," contradicting the widely held assumption that it would do so folMay 6, 2026By Yonhap
S. Korea highlights phased, flexible NK denuclearization approach at NPT eventSouth Korea has underscored a phased and flexible approach to North Korea's denuclearization at an event on Pyongyang's nuclear ambition and its challenges to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) regime, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday. During the event co-hosted with France in New York on Tuesday (U.S. time) on the sidelines of the 11th U.N. NPT Review Conference, Ha Wi-young, director-general for international security of the ministry, stressed the importance of maintaining the goal of North Korea's complete denuclearization. He also raised the need to pursue flexible strategies in tackling North Korea's nuclear issue, including phased approaches, citing shifting strategic conditions surrounding the Korean Peninsula. South Korea and France have jointly organized North Korea-related events since 2017 on the occasion of the U.N. NPT conferences. This year's gathering was attended by around 70 participants from governments, academia and international organizations. Kim Sang-jin, South Korea's deputy ambassador to the U.N., noted the advancements in North Korea's nuclear andMay 6, 2026By Yonhap
Pyongyang calling: North Korea shows off own-brand phonesNorth Korea has welcomed foreign visitors and firms to a trade fair this week, showcasing homegrown products including the latest model of its sleek Jindallae smartphone. Diplomatically isolated and under biting sanctions over its nuclear and weapons programmes, North Korea has an aging manufacturing base which analysts doubt has the ability to make high-quality consumer technology. Still, Pyongyang has touted Jindallae — "azalea" in Korean — as a convenient way for citizens to stay connected, albeit through a strictly controlled domestic network. The devices, which come in a range of colours and feature a large circular camera module with multiple lenses, have been on display at the Pyongyang Spring International Trade Fair, the country's largest. AFP images showed visitors browsing stalls at the event on Monday, with state media saying "more than 290 enterprises and companies" from North Korea, Russia, China, Mongolia, Switzerland and Thailand were represented. There was no information on how many people attended or where they had come from. Jindallae was first unveiled in 2017, andMay 5, 2026By AFP
Chinese envoy voices hope for stronger taekwondo exchanges with N. KoreaChina's top envoy to North Korea has visited a key taekwondo facility in Pyongyang to highlight the importance of sports exchanges involving the traditional Korean martial art between the two countries, according to the Chinese Embassy in Pyongyang on Monday. According to the embassy, Chinese Ambassador to North Korea Wang Yajun visited Taekwondo Hall in Pyongyang on Saturday, where he was briefed by the North Korean taekwondo governing body on the state of the development of taekwondo and watched a demonstration performance. Wang was accompanied by several officials of the North Korean foreign ministry. The Chinese Embassy said North Korea has some 5,000 expert taekwondo athletes across the country, with each province having dedicated universities in the martial art form. During the visit, Wang recognized the long and rich history of taekwondo and how it shares spiritual commonalities with the traditional culture of Chinese martial arts, expressing hope that the sport would "contribute to the endless development of relations" between China and North Korea by emotionally connecting the pMay 4, 2026By Yonhap
Former North Korean diplomat peels back curtain on Pyongyang’s foreign policy apparatusNorth Korea’s diplomats are often seen delivering rigid statements from behind podiums, but a new insider account suggests the real work of Pyongyang’s foreign service happens far from public view. Drafting reports for Kim Jong-un. Navigating turf battles between rival state and party organs. Moving hard currency through overseas embassies under mounting pressure. That is how Han Jin-myung, a former third secretary at North Korea’s embassy in Vietnam who defected in 2014, describes the inner workings of Pyongyang’s foreign policy apparatus, based on a series of conversations with Nicholas Levi, a senior researcher at the Institute of Mediterranean and Oriental Cultures at the Polish Academy of Sciences. Those accounts underpin a new English-language book, “I Was a North Korean Diplomat: Inside the Secret World of Pyongyang’s Foreign Service,” published independently in late March. It offers a rare inside look at one of the world’s most opaque diplomatic systems, portraying North Korea’s embassies and foreign ministry as instruments of regime survival as much as channelMay 4, 2026By NK News
N. Korea slams Japan's move to revise key security documentsNorth Korea on Monday criticized Japan over its move to overhaul key security legislation, calling it "a brazen challenge to global peace and humanity." The North's criticism came as Japan has been seeking to revise its three key security documents — the National Security Strategy, National Defense Strategy and Defense Buildup Program — within this year. The effort is widely seen as a response to China's growing military presence in the region and other regional security threats. Pyongyang denounced the move as a "sly scheme" by Japan to "realize their ambition of reinvasion amid escalating global tensions," according to an article published by Rodong Sinmun, the official mouthpiece of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea. The article stressed the revision's core provisions include an increased defense budget, the lifting of restrictions on arms exports and the expansion of military capabilities, concluding the changes are "undoubtedly aimed at reviving its arms industry and increasing its war capability."May 4, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea shoots back at hacking allegationsNorth Korea on Sunday dismissed allegations that it had been the mastermind behind a recent international hacking case, accusing the United States of pushing "an absurd slander to tarnish the image of our country" by spreading false information. In a response provided to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), a spokesperson for the North's foreign ministry claimed that the U.S. was building a narrative about the unfounded "cyber threat" from Pyongyang. "Recently, the U.S. government organs, reptile media organs and plot-breeding organizations are trying to spread incorrect understanding of the DPRK to the international community, talking about the non-existent 'cyber threat' from the DPRK," the spokesperson said, referring to North Korea by its official name, Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "One common point in their unilateral assertion is that all cyber-related frauds in different parts of the world are related to us and that the U.S. boasting of the world's best cyber technical power is the world's greatest 'victim.' "It is quite unreasonable for the U.S., which resoMay 3, 2026By Yonhap
