N. Korea's Kim oversees another cruise missile test from destroyer amid Seoul-Washington military drillsNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has overseen another test-firing of strategic cruise missiles from the Choe Hyon destroyer, state media reported Wednesday, as South Korea and the United States have kicked off their annual springtime military drills. The North's leader observed the test via video Tuesday, stressing that it is important to maintain and expand a "powerful and reliable nuclear war deterrent," according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Photos published by state media showed Kim's daughter Ju-ae overseeing the test. North Korea conducted a similar strategic cruise missile test from the destroyer last week ahead of its commissioning. Pyongyang's reference to "strategic" weapons suggests that they could have nuclear capabilities. The latest test-firing came as Seoul and Washington kicked off the Freedom Shield exercise Monday for an 11-day run. The North has long denounced the allies' combined military drills as a rehearsal for an invasion though they said the exercises are defensive in nature. The KCNA said the launched cruise missiles flew along the flight orbit aboveMar 11, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea supports Iran's choice of new supreme leader amid raging war in Middle EastNorth Korea said Wednesday it respects the Iranian people's election of their new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who was named earlier this week to succeed his father, who was killed during U.S.-Israeli attacks on Tehran. A spokesperson at the North's foreign ministry made the remarks after Khamenei, a son of late former leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was named the country's new supreme leader by the Assembly of Experts on Sunday. "With regard to the recent official announcement that Iran's Assembly of Experts elected the new leader of the Islamic Revolution, we respect the rights and choice of the Iranian people to elect their supreme leader," the spokesperson was quoted as saying by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The North's official also "strongly" denounced U.S.-Israel military operations against Iran as an "illegal" military attack. "We express serious concern over and strongly denounce the acts of aggression by the U.S. and Israel that are destroying the regional peace and security foundations and escalating instability worldwide by mounting an illegal military attack onMar 11, 2026By Yonhap
Pyongyang-Beijing passenger train to resume service after pandemic shutdownA passenger train service connecting Pyongyang and Beijing will resume operations this week for the first time in about six years, signaling a gradual reopening of cross-border travel between North Korea and China. According to a Chinese railway service center, the international train linking the two capitals is scheduled to restart round-trip service on Thursday. The route had been suspended since 2020, when North Korea sealed its borders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The train will run four times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, officials said. It is scheduled to depart Beijing at 5:26 p.m. (local time) and arrive in Pyongyang at around 6 p.m. the following day. The train will stop in Dandong, a Chinese border city across the Amnok River from the North Korean city of Sinuiju. The route has long served as one of the main overland transportation links between the two countries. Officials said the service will initially be used mainly to transport diplomats and other travelers on official business. If seats remain available, authorities may consider allowingMar 10, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
N. Korean leader's sister warns of 'terrible consequences' amid S. Korea-US military drillsThe powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Tuesday condemned the ongoing joint military drills between South Korea and the United States, warning of "unimaginably terrible consequences." Kim Yo-jong, a department director at the ruling party, issued the warning in a press statement a day after Seoul and Washington kicked off their annual springtime military exercise, the Freedom Shield, for an 11-day run. "The muscle-flexing of the hostile forces near the areas of our state's sovereignty and security may cause unimaginably terrible consequences," Kim said in the statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency. Kim said the exercise took place "at a critical time when global security structure is collapsing rapidly and wars break out in different parts of the world due to the reckless acts of the outrageous international rogues." "This will result in further destroying the stability of the region," she noted. Kim said the exercise reveals once again the countries' "inveterate repugnancy" and "habitual hostile policy" toward Pyongyang, calling it a "provocative and aggresMar 10, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea cancels int'l marathon due to some reasons: tour agencyNorth Korea has decided to cancel the 2026 Pyongyang International Marathon, originally set for April 5 in the country's capital, due to some reasons, a Beijing-based tour agency said Monday. Koryo Tours, which specializes in travel to North Korea, broke the news on its website, saying, "his decision was communicated to us by the DPR Korea Athletics Association and has been confirmed as final." DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the official name of North Korea. The agency said no further information has been provided regarding the reasons for the cancellation. The international event, previously named the Mangyongdae Prize International Marathon, was inaugurated in 1981 to commemorate the April 15 birthday of late national founder Kim Il-sung. Beginning in 2020, it was suspended for five consecutive years due to the COVID-19 pandemic before being resumed last year as a channel for the country to earn foreign currency.Mar 9, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim attends concert marking Int'l Women's Day with wife, daughterNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended a concert marking International Women's Day with his wife and daughter Ju-ae, and hailed women's role in national development, state media said Monday. Kim attended the performance at Pyongyang Indoor Stadium the previous day with his wife, Ri Sol-ju, and his teenage daughter, while female party and government officials, workers and members of foreign missions were also present, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. As before, state media did not disclose the name of the daughter, who is widely assessed to be groomed to succeed Kim as national leader, referring to her only as his "beloved daughter," an expression used frequently to describe her. Images released showed Ju-ae seated between her father and mother at the concert, with the leader holding her hand during the performance. North Korea observes International Women's Day as a national holiday with public events, using it as an occasion to solidify national unity, although women's rights conditions in the country are widely seen as dire. In a speech at the concert, Kim expressed "speciaMar 9, 2026By Yonhap
Ex-President Moon says Trump's China visit could offer momentum for Korean Peninsula peaceFormer President Moon Jae-in has said U.S. President Donald Trump's planned visit to China could provide fresh momentum for peace on the Korean Peninsula, calling on Washington and Pyongyang to resume talks. Moon, who helped mediate Trump's historic summit talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in 2018 and 2019, voiced hope for the resumption of stalled diplomacy. Trump is set to make a highly anticipated visit to China from March 31 to April 2. "I think Trump's upcoming visit to China could provide valuable momentum to restart the clock for peace on the Korean Peninsula," Moon said during a keynote speech at the U.S. think tank RAND in Los Angeles on Friday (local time). Moon urged Trump to make a determination to resume the stalled negotiations with North Korea in order to help promote regional peace. "If (Trump) opens a new path toward peace on the Korean Peninsula, it would remain a lasting achievement in the world history as that of a 'peacemaker,'" he said. He also called on the North Korean leader to accept dialogue offers extended by Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae MyMar 8, 2026By Yonhap
Chinese Embassy in N. Korea introduces Wonsan-Kalma tourism zoneThe Chinese Embassy in North Korea has introduced the Wonsan-Kalma coastal tourist zone, a beach resort complex that opened last year and has so far been limited mainly to Russian tourists. The embassy posted 15 photos of hotels, beaches and a sunrise in the tourism zone on its website on Wednesday, as part of a regular series of posts introducing North Korea that began in September. The embassy described the zone as North Korea's first large-scale coastal tourism complex, calling it a "cultural resort" and a "world-class tourist attraction on the east coast." The tourism zone opened in July 2025 and was built to accommodate up to 20,000 visitors, initially receiving Russian group tourists through a Russian travel agency. The posting came after China's Ambassador to North Korea Wang Yajun and other embassy officials visited the resort area on the occasion of the Lunar New Year last month. It marked the first time the North's state media carried a report on Chinese Embassy officials visiting the tourism zone, raising speculation that Pyongyang may be preparing to accept Chinese tourists. ChMar 8, 2026By Yonhap
FM Cho affirms captured N. Korean soldiers in Ukraine will not be sent back to RussiaForeign Minister Cho Hyun said Friday that Ukraine has assured him that two North Korean soldiers captured while fighting alongside Russia will not be repatriated to Moscow. Cho made the remarks during a parliamentary session, responding to a lawmaker's question regarding the captives who remain in Ukrainian custody since they were captured during combat on Russia's side in the front-line Kursk region in January last year. Earlier this month, Rep. Yu Yong-weon of the main opposition People Power Party said after visiting Ukraine that Russia had included the two soldiers on its list of prisoners it demanded be released in a prisoner-of-war (POW) exchange. "I have received confirmation from my Ukrainian counterpart that the soldiers will not be repatriated (to Russia)," Cho said. "There is no need to worry about the possibility of them being sent back to North Korea or Russia." Asked to confirm whether the soldiers were on the POW exchange list, Cho avoided giving a straight answer, indicating that Ukraine would not share such details with Seoul. Cho stressed that disclosing any details aboMar 6, 2026By Yonhap
Unification ministry to pursue 'peace declaration' for turning armistice into peace regimeThe unification ministry said Friday it will pursue a "peace declaration" designed to express the political will to end the 1950-53 Korean War in a bid to seek the transition of the current armistice into a peace regime. The ministry unveiled the plan in a report to the National Assembly as President Lee Jae Myung vowed all-out efforts to turn the armistice into a peace regime to ease inter-Korean tensions during his speech marking the 107th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement. "The government will seek the 'peace declaration' that reflects the political will to end the Korean War and kick off discussions for the establishment of a peace regime, including the signing of a peace treaty," the ministry said in the report to the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs and unification. The two Koreas are technically at war as the Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. The ministry said the peace declaration is a multilateral political declaration that will involve South Korea and the signatories to the Armistice Agreement — the United States, North Korea andMar 6, 2026By Yonhap
