How Kim Jong-un’s leadership playbook is borrowing from Xi JinpingChina provides a model for how to tighten party control, but there are limits to how far North Korea can go At North Korea’s biggest political event, Kim Jong-un showed that he has absorbed lessons from one of the world’s most entrenched leaders: Chinese President Xi Jinping. One of the more obvious signs at the Ninth Party Congress was the use of Chinese-style name badges, which suggested that DPRK officials are copying the format of the Chinese Communist Party’s meetings. But a far more important parallel came in Kim’s push to reshape governance by incorporating his “five-point party-building line” into the Workers’ Party rules, seeking to reinforce what Pyongyang calls the “monolithic leadership system” revolving around the ruling family. Experts say that Kim appears to be studying the playbook of the Chinese president, consolidating authority by tightening domestic control, centralizing decision making and placing a party-first governance model at the heart of Pyongyang’s policies. But major differences between the two countries — most crucially China’s recordMar 31, 2026By NK News
Half of school students say unification with N. Korea necessary: surveyNearly half of elementary to high school students think unification with North Korea is necessary, a survey by the unification and education ministries showed Tuesday. A total of 49.7 percent of about 70,000 elementary, middle and high school students responded that unification is needed in the annual survey conducted last year by the ministries. The figure marked an increase of 2.1 percentage points from 2024. Meanwhile, 37.9 percent of those surveyed said unification is unnecessary, down 4.4 percentage points from a year earlier. Those who supported unification cited the elimination of risks of an inter-Korean war as the main reason for their choice, while those who opposed pointed to potential social problems stemming from unification as their primary reason. A total of 41.6 percent described North Korea as a country to be wary of, while 32.2 percent viewed it as a partner for cooperation. A majority, or 60.3 percent, said the two Koreas are in a nonpeaceful relationship, with only 8.6 percent viewing them as being in a peaceful relationship. The survey was conducted online on 70,242 stuMar 31, 2026By Yonhap
Seoul backs UN resolution on NK despite ministry rowSouth Korea cosponsored a United Nations resolution on North Korean human rights that passed Monday (local time), overcoming internal disagreements between ministries that had delayed its participation. Officials insist the move will not undermine Seoul's push for peaceful coexistence with the North. “As a directly concerned party, the government concluded that cosponsoring the resolution would better maintain credibility and consistency, while contributing to improvements in North Korea’s human rights situation through international cooperation, even though various views had been discussed among ministries,” a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said Tuesday. In a press release issued after the resolution passed, the foreign ministry said the adopted text recognized recent North Korean efforts to meet its human rights obligations, including Pyongyang's participation in the fourth cycle of the Universal Periodic Review, while underscoring the importance of engagement — including inter-Korean dialogue — in improving conditions in the North. "The government remains committed toMar 31, 2026By Park Ji-won
N. Korean FM calls troop deployment to Russia 'exemplary case' of treaty with Moscow: reportNorth Korea's Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui has met with the head of Russia's Tass news agency and called her country's troop deployment to Russia an "exemplary case" of implementing a treaty with Moscow, a Russian news report showed Tuesday. Choe met with Tass Director General Andrey Kondrashov on Monday as a delegation from the Russian news agency has been visiting Pyongyang since Saturday, which included the signing of a media cooperation agreement with the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "Chairman Kim Jong-un, mobilizing a specific article of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement (with Russia), decided to send our units to the Kursk region, and this is an exemplary case of the implementation of this agreement," Tass quoted Choe as saying. The foreign minister also expressed confidence Tass' "information activities would make the most significant contribution to the development of friendly relations" between the two countries. The North deployed around 15,000 combat troops to support Russia in its war against Ukraine since Kim and Russian President Vladimir PutiMar 31, 2026By Yonhap
Declassified documents show N. Korea's strong backlash against growing S. Korea–China ties in mid-1990sNorth Korea sharply reacted to growing relations between South Korea and China in the mid-1990s, even threatening to establish formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan in retaliation, declassified dossiers showed Tuesday. Pyongyang's objection came as China was arranging its then leader Jiang Zemin's visit to Seoul for November 1995, three years after Beijing and Seoul established diplomatic ties in the post–Cold War era, a move that had angered the North, its traditional ally. Diplomatic documents from 1995, released by the foreign ministry, revealed that the North had lashed out at China for drawing closer to the South in a June 1995 meeting of state think tank experts. When the Chinese side voiced concerns over Pyongyang's approach to Taiwan at the time, North Korean experts reacted sharply by asking, "Why shouldn't North Korea develop relations with Taiwan when China and South Korea were engaging in high-level exchanges?" according to the dossiers. The North Korean experts went on to warn that if Jiang visits South Korea in November as has been speculated, the North "would have no cMar 31, 2026By Yonhap
Declassified files show S. Korea sought to end NK-Russia treaty in 1990sSouth Korea sought to persuade Russia to scrap its treaty with North Korea in the mid-1990s, declassified documents showed Tuesday, drawing a contrast to the countries' current relations as Moscow closely aligns with Pyongyang. Seoul engaged in efforts to drive a wedge between the North and Russia to bring about the termination of their friendship and cooperation treaty, which was set to expire in 1996, according to diplomatic dossiers from 1995, released by the foreign ministry. North Korea and the then Soviet Union signed the treaty in 1961 during a visit by the North's then leader Kim Il-sung to Moscow. The pact was effectively seen as a military alliance as it required the parties to provide military assistance if the other came under attack. The 1990s marked a period when South Korea stepped up efforts to build ties with formerly Soviet-aligned socialist states, including those in Eastern Europe, in the post-Cold War landscape. Seoul and Moscow established diplomatic relations in 1990, a move that dealt a heavy blow to Pyongyang. The dossiers revealed that Gong Ro-myung, South KoreaMar 31, 2026By Yonhap
NIS employee, 2 military officers referred to prosecution over drone flights to N. KoreaAn employee of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and two active-duty military officers were referred to the prosecution Tuesday for their alleged roles in sending drones to North Korea, investigators said. The three are suspected of helping a 30-something graduate student fly drones into North Korea from September to January, an incident that prompted an angry response from Pyongyang. According to a military-police investigation task force, the NIS employee was referred to the prosecution on charges of aiding and abetting an act benefiting the enemy and a violation of the aviation safety law. The suspect was found to have maintained a close relationship with the graduate student for over 10 years and given him 2.9 million won ($1,900) to help cover the cost of manufacturing the drones and food expenses on days he flew the vehicles. The task force also referred a captain of the Army Special Warfare Command to the military prosecution on charges of aiding and abetting an act benefiting the enemy and violating the aviation safety law. The captain, who previously attended the same schooMar 31, 2026By Yonhap
Chinese civic group on Asian economic development visits N. KoreaA Chinese civic group promoting economic exchanges with Asian countries visited North Korea and met with the top Chinese envoy in Pyongyang, who called for expanding cooperation with the North, the Chinese Embassy in the North said Tuesday. Chinese Ambassador to North Korea Wang Yajun held a meeting Monday with a delegation from the China-Asia Economic Development Association (CAEDA) during the group's visit to North Korea, according to the embassy. The CAEDA is a civic group established under the guidance of China's foreign ministry to support the country's Belt and Road Initiative and expand economic and cultural exchanges with countries in the region. During Monday's meeting, Wang said China-North Korea relations have entered a "new stage of development," leading to a deepening of bilateral exchanges and cooperation across all sectors. The envoy said he hopes the group will "seize the opportunity" to expand cooperation with North Korea in the economy, trade and other sectors. He also described the recent reopening of rail and flight services linking the two countries as new momentum iMar 31, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim says ties with Belarus will advance briskly in reply to LukashenkoNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has sent a letter to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, expressing confidence that their countries' friendship will advance briskly, the North's state media said Tuesday. Kim sent the message the previous day in response to Lukashenko's letter congratulating his reelection as president of the state affairs commission at the first session of the newly formed 15th Supreme People's Assembly, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. "I express my confidence that the traditional friendly relations between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Belarus will advance briskly at a new level in accordance ... with our agreement," the KCNA quoted Kim as saying. Kim and Lukashenko held summit talks in Pyongyang on Thursday and signed a treaty on friendship and cooperation as the two countries are deepening ties based on their shared support for Russia's war against Ukraine. The leaders touted bilateral ties as having entered a "new stage." Kim also wished for Lukashenko's success in his policies aimed at national prosperity and the people's well-beingMar 31, 2026By Yonhap
UN adopts resolution on N. Korea's human rightsThe U.N. Human Rights Council has adopted this year's U.N. resolution on North Korea's human rights situation, co-sponsored by South Korea and 49 other nations. The Geneva-based U.N. Human Rights Council adopted the resolution on Pyongyang's human rights by consensus at its 61st regular session Monday (local time), according to its website. While the South Korean government reportedly considered opting out of the co-sponsorship this year amid its efforts to mend strained ties with Pyongyang, it has joined as a co-sponsor in an apparent bid to act in principle on recognizing the universal value of human rights. The U.N. resolution condemns "in the strongest terms" the long-standing and systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations and abuses in North Korea and urges the North to take "immediately all steps" necessary to end such crimes. It also called on Pyongyang to immediately release those who are arbitrarily detained in the North and resume the reunions of Korean families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War. South Korea was among the 61 co-sponsors of the resolution adoptedMar 31, 2026By Yonhap
