N. Korea's Kim calls for strengthening mortar, howitzer capabilitiesNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has stressed the need to strengthen the country's mortar and howitzer forces during his inspection of key munitions factories, state media reported Wednesday. Kim visited several munitions industrial enterprises Monday in a bid to review the implementation of the nation's munitions production plan for the first half of this year, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). At a bullet production factory, the North's leader set forth important tasks of establishing the production system for high-precision multipurpose bullets of different calibers and other bullets. "He repeatedly stressed the need to strengthen the mortar and howitzer forces and advance some important tasks for setting up a specialized artillery production complex and a small-arms production factory," the KCNA said. Kim was accompanied by key defense officials, including Jo Chun-ryong, a party secretary, and Kim Jong-sik, the first director of the ruling party's munitions industry department. North Korea has been ramping up efforts to bolster its military capabilities in line with aMay 13, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korean hackers using AI to find cybersecurity blind spots, Google saysState-sponsored hackers from North Korea and China have demonstrated "significant interest" in leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to detect previously unknown cybersecurity vulnerabilities, Alphabet's Google said in a report Tuesday. "We noted a particular interest from several clusters of threat activity associated with the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)," Google's threat intelligence group said in the report, referring to North Korea by its official name, the DPRK. They have already shown sophisticated approaches to leveraging AI for vulnerability research, the report said, noting a recent attempt from North Korea's hacking group APT45. The North Korean hackers leveraged AI to send thousands of repetitive prompts that recursively analyze different cybersecurity blind spots for possible exploitation, the report elaborated. The report also noted that it used AI to detect hackers from a criminal group using a "zero-day exploit," which they planned to use in a "mass exploitation," and blocked it. Zero-day exploits refer to those inMay 12, 2026By Yonhap
S. Korea to use gov't funds to support cheering squads for N. Korean football team visitThe unification ministry said Tuesday it will provide 300 million won ($202,000) in government funds to support South Korean civic groups planning to cheer at an upcoming match featuring a North Korean women's football team. "We have received a number of requests from civic groups regarding support for the match, and the government has decided to provide financial assistance through the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund, considering the event contributes to mutual understanding between the two Koreas," a ministry official told reporters. Pyongyang-based Naegohyang Women's FC is set to travel to Suwon, some 30 kilometers south of Seoul, on May 20 to face Suwon FC Women in the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Champions League. It will mark the first visit by a North Korean sports team to South Korea in more than seven years. The official said the decision was made the previous day, with the funds earmarked to cover ticket purchases, cheering supplies and banner production. The ministry expects around 2,500 supporters to attend. While cheering chants are largely leftMay 12, 2026By Yonhap
What happened to denuclearizing North Korea?A former National Security Council official who long championed the U.S.’s policy on North Korea’s denuclearization has declared it a “failure,” saying Washington’s “overreliance on sanctions” was a mistake. In a Foreign Affairs essay that drew weeks of editorials and ministerial-level responses in Seoul, Victor Cha, the NSC’s director for Asian Affairs during the George W. Bush administration, argued Washington should pursue a “cold peace” with Pyongyang and face North Korea “as it is.” Cha currently serves as the president of the Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department and Korea chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies based in Washington, D.C. “The United States should not renounce denuclearization, but policymakers must acknowledge that it is now a distant objective. Moving forward, Washington needs a new strategy that does not let the long-term goal of denuclearization get in the way of its more immediate national security needs,” Cha wrote. “Denuclearization is a noble goal, but past policy failures and North Korea’s dogged deterMay 11, 2026By NK News
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
