N. Korea holds workshop of party officials over regional development policyNorth Korea has held a workshop involving chief secretaries of the ruling party's city and county committees in a bid to stress the faithful implementation of leader Kim Jong-un's regional development policy, state media reported Tuesday. The North held the third workshop of officials from the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK)'s city and county committees from Saturday through Monday, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Participants "reaffirmed their will to faithfully fulfill their heavy responsibilities in a sacred struggle to achieve the historic task of regional transformation," the KCNA said. The meeting came as the North's leader Kim called for "bolder" efforts to implement the country's key regional development policy at a key party congress in late February. In 2024, Kim unveiled a policy to build modern factories in 20 cities and counties each year over a 10-year period to improve the living conditions of people in regional areas. Meanwhile, the North's state media officially confirmed party secretary Kim Jae-ryong as doubling as director of the WPK's Organizational LApr 7, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim congratulates Laos' president on his reelection as nation's leaderNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has congratulated Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith on his reelection as the nation's leader, expressing his hope for further developing ties with Laos, state media reported Tuesday. Kim sent a congratulatory message to Sisoulith, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, on April 1, as he was reelected as president of Laos at the first session of a new parliament March 23, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The North's leader called his reelection an expression of "deep trust and strong support" by Laos' ruling party, government and people toward Sisoulith. Kim expressed his conviction that "friendly and cooperative relations between our two parties and two countries will continue to deepen and develop in accordance with the spirit of an agreement reached at our meeting in October last year in Pyongyang," the KCNA said. The North's leader held talks with Sisoulith in Pyongyang in October on the occasion of the 80th founding anniversary of North Korea's Workers' Party, and they agreed to strengthenApr 7, 2026By Yonhap
AnalysisWhat's behind North Korea's sudden push to deepen ties with China, Russia?North Korea has launched a diplomatic sprint in recent weeks, deepening ties with both China and Russia in what experts describe as a calculated bid to strengthen its bargaining position ahead of any engagement with the United States. Long regarded as one of the world's most isolated states — a reputation reinforced by years of pandemic-era border closures — Pyongyang moved quickly to normalize relations with its two most important partners while quietly maintaining outreach to Southeast Asian nations. The moves come against the backdrop of a planned U.S.-China summit in May that is expected to touch on North Korea's nuclear program and growing speculation about the possibility of a U.S.-North Korea summit in the second half of the year. Restoring China channel On the China front, North Korea has moved to mend ties after years of pandemic-era isolation. Passenger train services between Pyongyang and Beijing resumed on March 12, followed by the return of direct flights on March 30, both after six years of suspension. The countries' two leaders have also maintained a steady exchange ofApr 7, 2026By Park Ji-won
N. Korea's Kim Yo-jong calls Lee 'frank, broad-minded' for his regret over drone incidentKim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said Monday the leader Kim described President Lee Jae Myung as "frank and broad-minded" following Lee's expression of regret over unauthorized drone flights into the North. Earlier in the day, Lee expressed regret over the incident at a Cabinet meeting, saying "Although this was not an act by our government, I express regret to the North Korean side over the unnecessary military tension caused by such reckless behavior." In a statement released by the North's state media under her name, Kim, who serves as department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party, said Pyongyang "appreciated it as a very fortunate and wise behavior." "Our head of state commented on it as a manifestation of a frank and broad-minded man's attitude," the statement read. However, she also warned Seoul "should stop any reckless provocation" against Pyongyang and "refrain from any attempt at contact, instead of paying lip-service to the utmost importance of peace and security." Late Monday, Cheong Wa Dae said it "hopes the swift interApr 6, 2026By Yonhap
Head of spy agency tells lawmakers that N. Korean leader's daughter appears to be his successorNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un's daughter Ju-ae appears to be next in line to succeed her father, South Korea's spy chief told lawmakers Monday, in the agency's most definitive assessment yet of the teenager as a successor. National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Lee Jong-seok made the remarks during a closed-door briefing to the parliamentary intelligence committee, according to Reps. Park Sun-won of the Democratic Party and Lee Seong-kweun of the People Power Party. "(She) can be seen as the successor," the NIS director was quoted as saying when asked about Ju-ae's status. "This is not a judgement based on mere signs but on credible intelligence." Kim's daughter has recently been prominently featured in state media reports, including one of her driving a battle tank with her father. "Ju-ae has recently made appearances in defense-related sectors," the lawmakers quoted the NIS as saying. "This is assessed to be aimed at diluting skepticism around a female successor and accelerating efforts to build a succession narrative." Last month, the North's state media reported that Kim oversApr 6, 2026By Yonhap
Lee expresses regret over private drone flights into N. KoreaPresident Lee Jae Myung on Monday expressed regret over South Korean individuals' unauthorized drone flights into North Korea, saying the actions triggered unnecessary military tensions with Pyongyang. It was the first time that the president expressed regret over the issue. Previously, Unification Minister Chung Dong-young had made similar remarks in February. “Although this was not the intention of our government, we express our regret to the North that unnecessary military tensions were caused by the irresponsible and reckless actions of a few individuals,” Lee said during a Cabinet meeting. The remarks came after the indictment of a graduate student surnamed Oh, who was taken into custody and charged with violating the Aviation Safety Act by the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on March 25. On March 31, a joint military-police task force announced that a National Intelligence Service employee and two active-duty military officers had been referred to prosecutors for allegedly helping Oh send drones across the border between September 2025 and January 2026. “South KoreaApr 6, 2026By Park Ji-won
N. Korean ambassador briefs China's ruling party on results of party congressNorth Korea's ambassador to China has briefed the Chinese ruling party on the results of Pyongyang's recent ruling party congress, a Chinese party department's website showed Friday. Ambassador Ri Ryong-nam met Liu Haixing, head of the International Department of the Communist Party of China, the previous day and briefed him on the congress of the North Korea's ruling Workers' Party of Korea, according the department's website. In February, North Korea held the party congress for the first time in five years to outline an economic development plan and other guiding policies for the next five years. During the meeting, Liu stressed that Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had established a blueprint for developing bilateral relations, and expressed willingness to strengthen strategic communication and working-level cooperation with Pyongyang. He also said China is willing to solidify its traditional friendship with North Korea and join hands to promote the stable, long-term development of the two countries' socialist causes. The website quoted the North KoreanApr 3, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim vows to advance ties with Vietnam in reply to Vietnamese presidentNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un pledged to advance his nation's ties with Vietnam in a reply to Vietnamese President Luong Cuong, state media reported Friday. Kim made the remarks in a reply sent the previous day to the Vietnamese president's letter congratulating him on his reelection as president of the state affairs commission at last month's parliamentary meeting, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. "I express confidence that the friendly and cooperative relations between our two countries will continue to advance to serve our common socialist cause and our peoples' interests, based on the agreement reached in October," the KCNA quoted Kim as saying. In October last year, Kim held talks with Vietnamese head of state To Lam in Pyongyang and exchanged views on expanding the long-standing cooperative relations during the Vietnamese leader's visit to North Korea to mark the North Korean ruling party's 80th founding anniversary. Vietnam is among the countries that maintain close relations with Pyongyang. Kim visited Hanoi, Vietnam, in March 2019 for a summit with U.S. President DonApr 3, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim inspects service facilities set to open at new housing area in PyongyangNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected various service facilities set to open at a new housing district in Pyongyang, including car repair, pet and hair shops, touting them as a valuable foundation for a "socialist civilization," state media said Friday. Kim visited service facilities being prepared for opening at the fourth-stage area of the Hwasong district in the capital, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The Hwasong district is a newly refurbished housing area where a total of 40,000 housing units were built through four consecutive construction projects under Kim's guidance from 2022 to 2025. The fifth-stage construction was launched in February, and at a subsequent ruling party congress, the leader ordered the city to be developed into a model administrative unit with perfect political, economic and cultural functions. Kim visited an automobile technology service center, a pet shop, a musical instrument shop and a hair salon during the recent inspection, the KCNA said. Photos released showed Kim's daughter Ju-ae, believed to be groomed as his heir as state leader, accoApr 3, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim visits museum of Combat Feats at Overseas Military OperationsNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has given a "field guidance" at the Memorial Museum of Combat Feats at the Overseas Military Operations under construction, honoring the North's fallen soldiers who were killed in support of Russia in the war against Ukraine, state media said Friday. Kim said the museum would open in mid-April as he inspected the memorial, whose construction is 97 percent complete, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. "The museum will be a monument to the era praising the great heroism of the proud sons of the DPRK and a seat for education in patriotism," the KCNA quoted Kim as saying. DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the country's official name. Kim noted that a ceremony to bury the remains of the fallen soldiers will be held in mid-April, alongside the museum's inauguration, marking the first anniversary of the conclusion of the operation of "liberating Kursk."Apr 3, 2026By Yonhap
