N. Korea opens memorial honoring own troops killed in Russia's war with UkrainePyongyang has opened a memorial honoring North Korean troops killed while fighting alongside Russia in the war against Ukraine, with leader Kim Jong-un stressing the need to strengthen Pyongyang-Moscow ties into a "powerful bulwark" in a ceremony marking its opening, state media reported Monday. The North held the opening ceremony of the Memorial Museum of Combat Feats at the Overseas Military Operations in Pyongyang the previous day on the occasion of the first anniversary of the "liberation" of the Kursk region from Ukraine forces, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The ceremony was held to mark Russia's recapture on April 26, 2025, of the front-line Kursk region from Ukraine, attended by key officials from North Korea and Russia, including Russia's parliamentary speaker and defense minister, the report said. Since 2024, North Korea has sent around 15,000 combat troops and conventional weapons to Russia to support Moscow's war against Ukraine. Seoul's spy agency earlier said about 6,000 North Korean soldiers were estimated to have been killed or injured in the prolongApr 27, 2026By Yonhap
NK's Kim meets visiting Russian defense minister, Duma speaker amid stronger military tiesNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un met with the speaker of Russia's lower house and the defense minister in Pyongyang on Sunday, foreign media reports said, reaffirming the close military alliance between the two nations. Kim met Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, who visited the country to attend the opening ceremony of a memorial museum honoring soldiers killed while fighting for Russia in its war with Ukraine, according to Russia's Tass news agency. During the meeting, Volodin conveyed Russian President Vladimir Putin's congratulations on Kim's reelection as chairman of the State Affairs Commission. He also expressed gratitude for North Korea's "fraternal support" for Russia, saying: "We jointly honor the memory of those heroes who gave their lives for the freedom of our homeland. This is truly a gesture from a friend," according to Tass. Bilateral ties between Kim and Putin "have become key to building the future, especially during the most difficult times," Volodin added. North Korea was set to open the Memorial Museum of Combat Feats in Overseas Military Operations in PyongApr 26, 2026By Yonhap
Russian delegation visits N. Korea for opening of museum honoring soldiers killed in Ukraine warA Russian delegation led by the country's Duma speaker arrived in Pyongyang to attend a ceremony marking the opening of a memorial museum honoring soldiers killed while fighting for Russia in its war with Ukraine, North Korea's state media reported Sunday. The delegation led by Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of Russia's lower house of parliament, arrived in Pyongyang on Saturday and was greeted by Jo Yong-won, chairman of the North's Supreme People's Assembly, the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. North Korea is set to open the Memorial Museum of Combat Feats at the Overseas Military Operations in Pyongyang, honoring North Korean troops killed while fighting for Russia in the war against Ukraine. The North deployed around 15,000 combat troops to support Russia in the war after leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a strategic partnership treaty in June 2024. On April 26 last year, Russia declared it had recaptured the Kursk region from Ukrainian forces, with North Korean troops reportedly playing a role in the operation. Jo and Volodin held talks at theApr 26, 2026By Yonhap
Senior N. Korean diplomat reaffirms strengthening ties with Russia on anniversary of 2019 Kim-Putin summitA senior North Korean diplomat reaffirmed strengthening ties with Russia, Saturday, to mark the seventh anniversary of the first summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jong-gyu hailed the 2019 summit in Vladivostok in Russia's Far East in a statement on his ministry's website, saying it served as a "new turning point" in the development of bilateral relations. "Since the DPRK-Russia summit meeting in Vladivostok, the two peoples have developed the friendly and cooperative relations in a multifaceted way," he wrote. DPRK stands for the North's official name — the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. He cited the two leaders' signing of the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in another summit in Pyongyang in June 2024, saying it elevated relations to a "high level of alliance." The official also noted his country's deployment of troops in support of Russia's war against Ukraine as an example of the "enduring nature of the firm alliance and militant friendship" between the two countries. "It is our invariabApr 25, 2026By Yonhap
Russia's Duma speaker visits N. Korea for opening of museum honoring soldiers killed in Ukraine warVyacheslav Volodin, speaker of Russia's lower house of parliament, visited North Korea to attend the opening ceremony of a memorial museum honoring soldiers killed while fighting for Russia in its war with Ukraine, a report from Moscow said Saturday. Volodin, chairman of the State Duma, "has arrived in the DPRK on a working visit" to "take part in the opening ceremony of a memorial complex and museum ... honoring the courage of Korean servicemen who took part in the liberation of the Kursk region," Tass said, citing the Duma press service. DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name. Volodin will attend the opening ceremony Sunday "on the instruction of Russian President Vladimir Putin" and will also meet with colleagues from the North Korean parliament, Tass said. Jo Yong-won, chairman of the North's Supreme People's Assembly, received Volodin upon his arrival in North Korea, it added. North Korea is set to open the Memorial Museum of Combat Feats at the Overseas Military Operations, in Pyongyang, honoring the North's fallen soldiers who were kiApr 25, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea appoints new ambassador to SwedenNorth Korea has named a new ambassador to Sweden, the North's foreign ministry said Saturday, in the latest appointment of envoys overseas. Kim Chol-hae has been appointed as Pyongyang's new top envoy to Sweden, the ministry said on its website, after naming its new ambassadors to Britain and Indonesia earlier this week. Sweden has traditionally served as an intermediary for talks between the United States and North Korea, and was the first Western country to establish diplomatic ties with Pyongyang in 1973. Sweden also was the first Western country to resume diplomatic operations in Pyongyang following the COVID-19 pandemic when the North closed its borders.Apr 25, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea slams Japan PM's offering to war shrineNorth Korea criticized Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Saturday, for making a ritual offering to a controversial war shrine in Tokyo, calling it a "challenge to international justice." Takaichi sent an offering Tuesday to the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Japanese war dead, including 14 Class A criminals convicted by the Allied forces after World War II. Other prominent Japanese politicians visited the shrine. "(It) is blatant distortion of history and a challenge to international justice and peace," a Rodong Sinmun newspaper article read. "It is a place to pay respects to aggressors and war criminals who caused suffering that cannot be healed." The newspaper accused Tokyo of seeking to "disseminate" militarism through the shrine visits, calling on it to atone for the past. Japanese politicians have faced criticism for sending offerings or visiting the shrine, with neighboring countries, such as South Korea and China, viewing such actions as an attempt to glorify the country's militaristic past. Korea was under Japan's colonial rule from 1910-45, while China was invaded by Japan dApr 25, 2026By Yonhap
Unification minister rejects criticism of NK-related intel leak as 'political trick'Unification Minister Chung Dong-young on Thursday rejected allegations that his reference to North Korea's Kusong as one of its uranium enrichment sites constituted a leak of classified information, dismissing the criticism as a "political trick" hampering the national interest. The minister made the remarks to reporters as opposition lawmakers stepped up calls for his removal after Chung identified Kusong, along with Yongbyon and Kangson, as a region housing uranium enrichment facilities for the country's nuclear weapons program during a parliamentary session last month. Seoul and Washington have so far officially recognized Yongbyon and Kangson as the only uranium enrichment sites. The United States and opposition lawmakers criticized Chung's remarks as disclosing classified information shared by Washington, while Chung pushed back, saying that the remarks were based on publicly available information and meant to highlight the urgency of addressing the North's nuclear issue. On Thursday, Chung again rejected the criticism as "an overblown political trick" that will only "hamper the natApr 23, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea, Russia boost high-level exchanges to unprecedented level ahead of Kursk recapture anniversaryNorth Korea and Russia are dramatically expanding high-level exchanges, with three Russian ministers visiting the North at the same time, as they mark the first anniversary of the recapture of the Kursk region next week amid Moscow's war with Ukraine, according to Pyongyang's state media Thursday. Sectoral working-level meetings to boost North Korea-Russia cooperation and exchanges were held at a hotel in the Wonsan-Kalma eastern seaside resort region the previous day, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The meetings brought together Russian Natural Resources Minister Alexander Kozlov, who serves as the Russian chair of the bilateral committee on trade and economic cooperation; North Korea's External Economic Relations Minister Yun Jong-ho; Russia's Health Minister Mikhail Murashko; North Korea's Public Health Minister Kim Tu-won and others. Kozlov and Murashko also attended a ceremony the previous day to launch the construction of a hospital in the Wonsan-Kalma tourist district honoring North Korea-Russia friendship, the KCNA said. Speaking at the event, Murashko said the hospitApr 23, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea slams Japan's launch of military drone officesNorth Korea on Thursday slammed Japan's establishment of military drone offices, warning that the move would fuel Tokyo's "reinvasion" ambitions. The criticism came after Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force established two new offices earlier this month to oversee research and development, as well as the procurement and maintenance of unmanned assets, as part of efforts to boost its unmanned capabilities. "Japan's acquisition of unmanned systems ... would upgrade its reinvasion capability to a higher level, fueling militarists' war zeal and accelerating reinvasion," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The KCNA accused Japan of "working desperately to realize its reinvasion ambition" targeting neighboring countries, calling it "a grave development." North Korea pointed to Japan's acquisition of U.S.-made Tomahawk missiles, warning that the country is picking up the pace toward carrying out overseas reinvasions. "The international community should thoroughly monitor the military moves of the war criminal country, which is becoming more explicitly engaged in a reinvasion plot in disregApr 23, 2026By Yonhap
