Xi arrives in Pyongyang as N. Korea leader offers personal welcomeChinese President Xi Jinping arrived in North Korea on Monday, China's state media reported, with leader Kim Jong-un making a rare public appearance at the airport to personally welcome Xi, who is on a two-day state visit that also marks his first trip to Pyongyang in nearly seven years. Xi landed in Pyongyang earlier in the day at the invitation of Kim, China's Xinhua News Agency reported. He was accompanied by his wife, Peng Liyuan, as well as Cai Qi, director of the general office of the Communist Party's central committee, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. News footage aired by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV showed Kim and his wife, Ri Sol-ju, personally welcoming Xi and Peng at the airport in Pyongyang. The two leaders shook hands after Xi descended from the aircraft, while North Korean children presented bouquets to the Chinese president and his wife. A red carpet had been laid out at the airport ahead of Xi's arrival, and large national flags of North Korea and China were displayed on the terminal building, according to earlier reports. According to Xinhua, Xi later attended a welcomeJun 8, 2026By Yonhap
China's Xi vows 'unwavering' ties with N. Korea ahead of Pyongyang visitChinese President Xi Jinping called for stronger ties and deeper strategic communication with North Korea, declaring relations between the two nations are entering a new chapter, ahead of his state visit to Pyongyang on Monday. "Relations between the two countries stand at a new historical starting point, facing new development opportunities and shouldering new missions of the times," Xi wrote in a piece carried Monday on the front page of the Rodong Simun, the official newspaper of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea. The message was released as Xi was set to arrive in North Korea later in the day on a two-day state visit, marking his first trip to Pyongyang in nearly seven years. He said both sides should "deepen strategic communication and firmly steer China-DPRK relations in the right direction," calling for the two to uphold their tradition of high-level exchanges and maintain "close contacts like relatives." DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's official name. Recalling his six previous meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Xi said the relatJun 8, 2026By Yonhap
Xi's planned Pyongyang visit reflects China’s influence bid, NK's nuclear ambitionsChinese President Xi Jinping’s upcoming visit to Pyongyang is drawing attention not only as his first trip to North Korea in seven years, but also because it reflects the different strategic goals Beijing and Pyongyang hope to pursue through closer ties. Xi was scheduled to arrive Monday for a two-day visit — his first to the North Korean capital since June 2019 — coming nine months after he met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Beijing during events marking the 80th anniversary of China's victory in World War II. Analysts say Beijing is seeking to reassert its influence over North Korea at a time when Pyongyang has deepened military cooperation with Russia and accelerated the expansion of its nuclear arsenal. Pyongyang, meanwhile, appears intent on using the summit to widen diplomatic space for its claim to permanent status as a nuclear-armed state. Seoul has publicly expressed hope that Beijing will play a constructive role in issues related to the Korean Peninsula. The Ministry of Unification has likewise said it hopes Xi’s visit will contribute to peace and coexistence in NoJun 7, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
N. Korea exports 1.5 mil. tons of coal in 2025 despite sanctions: lawmakerNorth Korea continued illegal exports of coal and minerals last year in violation of United Nations sanctions, with coal exports reaching 1.5 million tons, a lawmaker said Sunday, citing South Korea's spy agency. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) assessed that North Korea's imports of refined oil from China and Russia in 2025 also exceeded seven times the 500,000-barrel cap set by the U.N., according to Rep. Yu Yong-weon of the main opposition People Power Party. "North Korea has continued to export minerals, such as coal and iron ore, which are completely banned under U.N. Security Council sanctions resolutions, by using both North Korean-flagged and foreign-flagged cargo vessels from China, Russia and third countries, in addition to smuggling in refined petroleum products," Rep. Yu said in a press release. "In particular, North Korea's coal exports were estimated at around 1.5 million tons, and it is believed to have recently sought to increase exports to China and third countries by falsely labeling the coal as Russian in origin," he added. U.N. Security Council resolutions banJun 7, 2026By Yonhap
NK leader's sister says Pyongyang's nuclear status 'irreversible'The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has said her country's status as a nuclear-armed state is absolutely irreversible, calling it a "line of no retreat" and vowing not to tolerate any threats against it, the North's state media reported Sunday. Kim Yo-jong made the remarks in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), in which she reiterated Pyongyang's position that its nuclear weapons program is nonnegotiable while rejecting international efforts aimed at denuclearization. "The DPRK's status as a nuclear weapons state is the line of no retreat, and it is a stark reality whether anyone recognizes it or not," said the statement released Saturday, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Her remarks came a day ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's scheduled visit to Pyongyang, apparently aimed at underscoring that Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program is not subject to discussions between Xi and Kim Jong-un. With Xi set to travel to Pyongyang, a U.S. State Department spokesperson on Friday highlighted tJun 7, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim attends navigation test of destroyer Kang KonNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has attended the navigation test of a naval destroyer, state media reported Saturday, calling for strengthening the navy's combat capabilities and nuclear deterrent. Kim boarded the destroyer Kang Kon, Thursday to assess its maneuvering and operational condition, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. Building a powerful navy capable of "reliably taking charge of a part of the nuclear war deterrent" and striking the enemy "under the water or on the water" was "the most important core task" in the party's five-year national defense development policy, he said. Kim expressed confidence that the navy's modernization targets under the five-year plan, including the development of "underwater secret weapons" and the construction of 10,000-ton destroyers, would be "surely carried out" by the country's munitions workers and scientists. He ordered the destroyers Choe Hyon and Kang Won to be commissioned "as soon as possible." Photos released by the KCNA showed his daughter Ju-ae accompanying him. The 5,000-ton Kang Kon has had a troubled path to service. The warJun 6, 2026By Yonhap
US open to dialogue with N. Korea, committed to complete denuclearization: State Dept.WASHINGTON — The United States remains open to dialogue with North Korea "without preconditions," and committed to the "complete" denuclearization of the recalcitrant country, a State Department spokesperson said Thursday. The spokesperson's remarks came after Pyongyang's state media reported Thursday (Seoul time) that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited a newly launched nuclear material production facility earlier this week, vowing to "exponentially" strengthen the country's nuclear arsenal. "The United States remains open to dialogue with North Korea without preconditions," the spokesperson said in response to Yonhap News Agency's request for comment. "The United States remains committed to the complete denuclearization of North Korea." The comment reaffirmed a desire by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to reengage with North Korea amid growing concerns that Pyongyang has been doubling down on its nuclear and ballistic missile programs in the absence of diplomacy with Washington and Seoul. The North's official Korean Central News Agency reported on Kim's visit to theJun 5, 2026By Yonhap
Unification minister floats 4-way peace talks involving 2 Koreas, US, ChinaUnification Minister Chung Dong-young on Thursday proposed a four-way dialogue involving South Korea, North Korea, the United States and China to establish a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. Chung made the appeal in his special address at the opening ceremony of the 11th Ulaanbaatar Dialogue in Mongolia, a platform to discuss security and peace cooperation in Northeast Asia. He stressed the need for the two Koreas to "rebuild the inter-Korean trust and restore peace," proposing that the four-party talks expand over time to include Mongolia, Japan and Russia. "If those three fronts — rebuilding inter-Korean trust, institutionalizing a peace regime and advancing multilateral dialogue in Northeast Asia — move forward all together, we can build a new peaceful order across the region," he said. Chung also pointed to the Greater Tumen Initiative (GTI), an intergovernmental mechanism aimed at turning the Tumen River Basin to a regional hub, as a vehicle for his vision. He cited Arctic sea route cooperation and a high-speed rail link between Seoul and Beijing as potential early projectsJun 4, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim inspects new nuclear facility, vows to 'exponentially' bolster nuclear forcesNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has visited a newly launched nuclear material production facility, vowing to "exponentially" strengthen the country's nuclear arsenal, state media reported Thursday. Kim made the visit the previous day, accompanied by key party officials, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported, without disclosing the facility's location or other details. Seoul's defense ministry said in a press briefing that it assessed the newly revealed facility as a uranium enrichment site. Currently, North Korea is believed to house uranium enrichment facilities in three sites -- Yongbyon, Kangson and Kusong. It remains unclear whether the report suggests the existence of a fourth location. Kim said the country's "weapons-grade nuclear material production capacity more than doubled" over the past five years, attributing the gains to the country's nuclear scientists, according to the report. "Potential threats and unpredictable long-term crises further highlight the urgency" of expanding the nuclear deterrent "both in quality and quantity and in a sustained and accelerated way,"Jun 4, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea slams USFK commander's 'dagger' remark on S. KoreaNorth Korea on Wednesday criticized a recent remark by the commander of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) likening South Korea to a "dagger" aimed at China, warning that such an approach toward Beijing would only spur greater cooperation among countries in the region to counter Washington. The Korean Central News Agency carried a commentary by an international relations critic after USFK Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson called South Korea a "dagger in the heart of Asia" seen from China's east coast in a podcast interview Friday. "His assertion served as an occasion of revealing once again the position of the ROK as an advanced base for carrying out the U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy," the English version of the commentary read. The ROK is short for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea. His remarks "clearly show the vicious appearance of the U.S. as the chieftain of harassing peace and the world's worst war empire, which has regarded the Korean Peninsula and its vicinity as the main battlefield for camp confrontation and new Cold War," it said. The commentator argued that Brunson's remarksJun 3, 2026By Yonhap
