N. Korea completes building another tourist area on east coastNorth Korea has held a completion ceremony for a new tourist zone on the east coast, state media reported Friday, after it opened the Kalma beach resort last year in an effort to foster the tourism industry. The ceremony of inaugurating the Yombunjin Coastal Park Area in North Hamgyong Province took place Wednesday, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). In July 2011, North Korea launched the building of a hotel in the Yombunjin coastal areas under the instruction of then leader Kim Jong-il, but the construction had lagged for a long time. Incumbent leader Kim Jong-un inspected the site in 2018, ordering a reconsideration of the hotel's design and the construction of a modern coastal park. The KCNA said Yombunjin Haeyang Hostel and the beach area were splendidly built, with facilities ranging from movie theaters and shops to video arcades. "(The tourist park) will provide good rest and satisfactory convenience to not only the people in the province but also people who stop by for business trips," Pak Myong-ho, chairman of the North Hamgyong Provincial People's Committee, saidJan 23, 2026By Yonhap
Gov't urged to make all-out efforts to bring back N. Korean POWs in UkraineThe government should mobilize all diplomatic resources to bring back two North Korean prisoners of war held captive in Ukraine, an opposition lawmaker said Thursday, as media reports have said the North Koreans want to defect to South Korea. Rep. Yu Yong-weon of the main opposition People Power Party also called for President Lee Jae Myung to send special envoys to Kyiv for negotiations with Ukraine authorities to help repatriate the North Koreans to South Korea. "They are not simply enemies of Ukraine, but potential members of South Korea who yearn for freedom," Yu said in a statement, citing recent media reports that showed the two captives expressed their desire to be sent to South Korea. Yu said the two should not be repatriated to North Korea under the Third Geneva Convention and the international principle of non-refoulement, or not forcing refugees back to countries where they face the risk of persecution. He urged President Lee to dispatch a special envoy to Ukraine to finalize the repatriation process by negotiating directly with local authorities. North Korea has deployed thousJan 22, 2026By Yonhap
South Korea earmarks $11.6 mil. for inter-Korean cooperation projectsThe South Korean government said Thursday it has approved 17.1 billion won ($11.6 million) in funding for projects promoting inter-Korean exchanges in cultural, humanitarian and economic cooperation. Experts on North Korea said the move is significant, signaling that the Ministry of Unification has reasserted its leading role in overseeing such initiatives. The decision came at a meeting of the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Promotion Committee, chaired by Unification Minister Chung Dong-young. It was the committee’s first in-person meeting in four years. At the meeting, the committee approved funding for seven inter-Korean projects. Among them was 2.6 billion won for the inter-Korean compilation of the "Gyeoremal Dictionary," a joint project to document the Korean language as used in both Koreas. Another 845 million won was allocated for projects related to the joint excavation of the Manwoldae Palace site in the North Korean city of Gaesong, as the government seeks to revive the long-stalled cultural heritage initiative that has been suspended since 2018 amid heightened inter-Jan 22, 2026By Lee Hyo-jin
S. Korea says to seek consultation with UNC over push to reopen border trails inside DMZThe unification ministry said Thursday it will seek consultations with the U.N. Command (UNC) over its move to reopen three shuttered trail sections within the inter-Korean buffer zone of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). In 2019, South Korea launched 11 trail routes, known as the DMZ Peace Trail, along key border cities and towns near the buffer zone, including Gimpo, Paju and Yeoncheon, providing a rare glimpse into generally inaccessible forest and security sites to the public. Three sectors of the trails in the localities of Paju, Cheorwon and Goseong inside the DMZ were, however, closed to the public in April 2024 on national security grounds amid escalated tensions with North Korea. "The government is pushing to restore three sectors of the DMZ Peace Trail, which are situated within the DMZ," a unification ministry official said. The remarks by the ministry official came a day after Unification Minister Chung Dong-young visited one of the closed trail sections in Goseong, where he renewed his commitment to reopening the trail to the public. "I will make efforts to have the Peace Trail rJan 22, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea ramps up 'people-first' policy push ahead of party congressNorth Korea is ramping up its "people-first" policy push to win public support in the run-up to an upcoming party congress, according to a North Korean newspaper Thursday. The Rodong Sinmun, the most widely read newspaper in North Korea published by the ruling party, ran a front-page article emphasizing "the party's absolute sense of service" to the people. The "people-first" principle is one of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's key policy principles, illustrated by his signature regional development projects aimed at improving living standards. "The people are the revolutionary root and life of the party," the article said. "It is our party's firm stance that any projects aimed at realizing the people's long-cherished wishes should be carried out willingly and as promptly as possible, regardless of advantages or disadvantages or the cost of any effort," it said. The newspaper claimed that the ruling Workers Party of Korea is striving to carry out "tasks aimed at improving people's well-being with ever higher goals and standards without being satisfied." The emphasis on public well-being cJan 22, 2026By Yonhap
Unification minister makes UNC-escorted visit to DMZ areaUnification Minister Chung Dong-young on Wednesday visited peace trail routes and other areas near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, the U.N. Command (UNC) said. "The minister's visit was conducted at a designated Demilitarized Zone Education and Orientation Program site," the U.S.-led UNC said, noting 15 sites have been designated for such a purpose to uphold the safety and stability of the area. "The minister also walked the established ROK Peace Trail routes south of the DMZ's Southern Boundary Line," it said, referring to the trail routes stretching from Ganghwa to Goseong, Gangwon Province, near the inter-Korean border. ROK is short for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea. The UNC is an enforcer of the armistice that stopped the fighting in the 1950-53 Korean War and oversees activities inside the DMZ — a buffer zone between the two Koreas since the three-year conflict ended without a peace treaty.Jan 21, 2026By Yonhap
President prioritizes 'peaceful coexistence' over unification with North KoreaPresident Lee Jae Myung said Wednesday that the nation's ultimate goal of Korean unification is not an immediate priority, stressing that avoiding conflict and pursuing peaceful coexistence with North Korea should come first. His remarks reflect a pragmatic assessment of the current state of inter-Korean relations, with Pyongyang remaining unresponsive to the Lee administration’s repeated overtures toward rapprochement. "Unification feels like a distant prospect at the moment. We would be fortunate simply to avoid a war. Setting that aside for now, we must do everything possible to move toward a situation in which peaceful coexistence is achievable," Lee said during a New Year's press conference at Cheong Wa Dae. Lee also emphasized the importance of Washington's role in easing tensions with Pyongyang. "In that process, the role of the United States is very important," he said. "U.S. President Donald Trump is, in some ways, an unconventional figure. But I believe that quality could prove helpful in resolving issues on the Korean Peninsula." The president added that he was prepared to plJan 21, 2026By Lee Hyo-jin
N. Korea replaces chemical industry minister ahead of party congressNorth Korea appears to have replaced the chemical industry minister, according to state media Wednesday, as leader Kim Jong-un is dialing up discipline among officials ahead of a key party congress. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Chemical Industry Minister Kim Sun-myong delivered a speech at a completion ceremony for a catalyst production line at the Namhung Youth Chemical Complex in South Pyongan Province the previous day. Kim Chol-ha was North Korea's last-reported chemical industry minister doubling as vice premier, with the KCNA reporting on his attendance at the inauguration of a melamine resin production line at a fertilizer complex in Hungnam on June 9 last year. Wednesday's report suggests the North replaced the chemical industry minister after mid-2025. The KCNA did not elaborate on whether the chemical industry minister had been replaced or when and why the reshuffle was made, though it appears linked to Kim's ongoing tightening of discipline. In his Monday speech, the North's leader cited "incidents" at the Namhung Youth Chemical Complex and the Hungnam FerJan 21, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim praises rebuilt Onpho hot spring resortNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has attended a ceremony inaugurating a hot spring resort in the country's northeastern province, praising it as becoming a "wonderful" holiday camp for the people after years of remodeling, state media reported Wednesday. The ceremony to open the Onpho Working People's Holiday Camp took place the previous day, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The Onpho holiday camp, located in North Hamgyong Province, is North Korea's largest hot spring resort. In July 2018, the North's leader ordered the remodeling of the rest home into an all-round service center and therapy facility after harshly criticizing the poor management and sanitary conditions of the holiday camp. After looking around the rebuilt resort, Kim assessed that all the sections of the camp are arranged in a balanced manner and its architectural elements are in good harmony with the surroundings, according to the KCNA. "He said that taking a look at the holiday camp, which has been remodeled as a wonderful holiday service base for the people, made him feel proud that he has done anotJan 21, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim agreed to visit Seoul in 2018 but canceled last minute citing security concernsNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un had agreed to visit Seoul in late 2018 amid then warming inter-Korean ties, but the planned trip was abruptly canceled a day before its announcement apparently due to security concerns, a South Korean lawmaker said Tuesday. Rep. Youn Kun-young of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, who at the time served as a key presidential aide in charge of state affairs planning and monitoring, said the two Koreas had agreed on Kim's trip to Seoul following then President Moon Jae-in's visit to Pyongyang earlier that year. "Kim's visit had been agreed upon during the inter-Korean summit in September 2018 and was in the works behind the scenes," Youn, who published his memoir, said in an MBC radio interview. "There was commotion with the date fixed for Dec. 1." Youn noted that officials scoured for available hotels in the capital as an entire building had to be reserved for the hundreds of security personnel accompanying Kim. He said they had planned for Kim to board South Korea's high-speed KTX train as the North's leader said he wanted to ride the train. They had alJan 20, 2026By Yonhap
