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
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
