NK leader urges increased production at cement factory after party congressNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called for "all-out" efforts to boost production during his visit to a cement factory following a major ruling party gathering that wrapped up last week, the North's state media reported Monday. Kim made the call during his visit to the Sangwon Cement Complex in North Hwanghae Province the previous day, after the ninth congress of the Workers' Party of Korea concluded Wednesday, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "The complex has since exceeded the peak-year level on an annual basis, helping us move forward step by step with greater confidence and opening up possibilities for successfully carrying out huge projects," Kim was quoted as saying. "Let us make an all-out effort again for the good of our great country and advance forward vigorously." The cement factory, which has an annual production capacity of 2 million tons, is known to have played a key role in North Korea's major construction projects in recent years, including efforts to build 50,000 flats in Pyongyang. It marked Kim's first on-site inspection of an industrial site sinMar 2, 2026By Yonhap
Latvia's blacklisting of Andrei Lankov: Russia phobia or tightened security?News that broke last week involving renowned North Korea expert Andrei Lankov has rattled the foreign community in South Korea. The Russian-born scholar was unexpectedly blacklisted by Latvian authorities during a recent trip to the Baltic state. Lankov, a professor at Kookmin University in Seoul and director of Korea Risk Group, the parent company of NK News, was detained by local police and immigration officers shortly before he was to give a lecture, titled "North Korea: What the Leaders Want and Fear," in Riga, the Latvian capital. Latvian immigration authorities later deported him to Estonia. Several Russian media outlets first reported the incident. Korean and English-language news sites subsequently covered the story, citing those reports. The news came as a surprise to many. Born in Russia, Lankov is a dual citizen of Russia and Australia and is widely regarded as one of the leading North Korea experts, with rare first-hand experience in both Koreas. Before settling in South Korea in 2004 to teach at Kookmin University, he studied at North Korea’s elite Kim Il Sung UniversityMar 2, 2026By Kang Hyun-kyung
N. Korea condemns US-Israel attack on Iran as 'gangster-like conduct'North Korea on Sunday strongly condemned military strikes against Iran by the United States and Israel, calling them "gangster-like conduct." The U.S. and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran on Saturday (U.S. time) in a large-scale military operation that the Iranian state media said killed its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, amid a stalemate in indirect nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran. In a statement carried by the Korea Central News Agency (KCNA), Pyongyang said Israel's attack on Iran was conducted with the active support and backing of the U.S., and that Washington's subsequent military actions constituted a "thoroughly unlawful act of aggression" and a "gross violation of sovereignty." The U.S.' long-standing military threats against Iran in the Middle East had long been expected to escalate into an actual military attack, which the KCNA said clearly demonstrated Washington's "hegemonic and gangster-like nature." "Such acts of aggression cannot be justified by any means and can never be tolerated under any circumstances," the state media said. The latest strike,Mar 1, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea ships 33,000 containers of weapons to Russia: SeoulNorth Korea is believed to have shipped some 33,000 containers of military supplies, including weapons and ammunition, to Russia as part of its support for Moscow in the war with Ukraine, a military intelligence unit said Sunday. The shipped volume, in terms of ammunition, could amount to over 15 million 152-mm artillery shells, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) under the defense ministry said in a report submitted to Rep. Kang Dae-sik of the main opposition People Power Party. The assessment marks an increase from the DIA's announcement in July last year that about 28,000 containers of military supplies had been shipped from North Korea to Russia. North Korea is known to have mostly used Rajin Port near the border with Russia to ship the containers via sea routes. North Korea is also believed to have supplied 220 artillery pieces, including 170-mm self-propelled howitzers and 240-mm multiple rocket launchers, Kang's office said, citing the DIA report. Additionally, North Korea is presumed to be shipping other weapons, including 122-mm and 152-mm shells, anti-tank missiles, short-rangMar 1, 2026By Yonhap
Lee vows to respect N. Korea’s system in March 1 address, seeks end to hostilityPresident Lee Jae Myung pledged Sunday to respect North Korea’s political system and refrain from hostile actions, saying confrontation serves neither side’s interests on the Korean Peninsula. “As my administration has repeatedly made clear, we respect the North’s system and will neither engage in any type of hostile acts nor pursue any form of unification by absorption,” Lee said during a ceremony marking the 107th anniversary of the March First Independence Movement. He stressed that his government has prioritized action over rhetoric in easing inter-Korean tensions. “Just as we have proactively taken a series of measures through actions rather than words to reduce military tensions and restore mutual trust between the two Koreas, we will consistently do everything necessary to build peace on the Korean Peninsula and restore inter-Korean trust,” he said. Lee also pledged to work toward resuming dialogue with Pyongyang. “We will continue our efforts to restart talks with the North,” he said, adding that Seoul will play a “pacemaker” role by coordinating with the UniMar 1, 2026By Anna J. Park
N. Korea releases rare photo of leader's daughter firing rifleNorth Korea released a rare solo photo, Saturday, of leader Kim Jong-un's daughter Ju-ae taking aim at a target with a sniper rifle, after she took center stage with her father at a key military parade. In a photo released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Ju-ae, wearing a leather coat, was seen taking aim at a target and firing the rifle, marking an unusual instance in which she appeared alone without Kim or other officials in an image distributed by Pyongyang. The KCNA also released a photo of Ju-ae checking a target through a telescope beside her father. "(The photos) emphasize that Kim Ju-ae knows how to fire a gun, implying she is undergoing training as a successor," said Yang Moo-jin, a senior professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul. The photos add further weight to the South Korean spy agency's recent assessment that the teenager may be positioned to succeed her father as state leader.Feb 28, 2026By Yonhap
NK leader's sister confirmed to serve as director of ruling party's general affairs departmentKim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was confirmed to have taken the post of director of the general affairs department of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), according to state media Saturday. Kim was promoted to a party department chief at the WPK's plenary meeting Monday held in the midst of the ninth party congress that concluded a weeklong run Wednesday, but details of her official title were not disclosed at that time. But the North's state media called her "director of the General Affairs Department of the WPK Central Committee" for the first time in its Saturday report, listing her as one of the major party cadres and military commanders who received a new type of sniper rifle from the North's leader as "special gifts." The North's leader met with major leading cadres and military commanding officers at the headquarters building of the WPK the previous day and gave the "new-generation" sniper rifle to each of them, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Kim Yo-jong, formerly the vice director of the party's propaganda and agitatiFeb 28, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim uses party congress to consolidate his long-term grip on power: SeoulNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has used the latest party congress as an occasion for consolidating his base for a long-term grip on power, effectively declaring his own era in earnest, Seoul's unification ministry said Friday. In an assessment of North Korea's ninth party congress that concluded its seven-day run Wednesday, the ministry said in his 15th year in office, the incumbent leader declared "the full-fledged Kim Jong-un era." At the first party congress in five years, Kim was reelected as the general secretary of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) for reinforcing the country's nuclear deterrence under his leadership. As for the grounds for such an evaluation, the ministry cited the omission of "deference" expressions toward late state founder Kim Il-sung and late former leader Kim Jong-il in Kim Jong-un's opening speech. The ministry also mentioned North Korea's touting of Kim Jong-un's achievements that the North said surpassed those of his predecessors. Meanwhile, the unification ministry said North Korea replaced about half of the party officials in the central leadershiFeb 27, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim visits family mausoleum with newly elected party officials after congressNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has visited a mausoleum for his late grandfather and father with newly elected party officials after the country wrapped up a key party congress, state media reported Friday. Kim visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun the previous day with newly-elected members of the central leadership of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). North Korea concluded the weeklong ninth party congress Wednesday, the first since 2021, where it set new policy goals on diplomacy, defense, the economy and other areas for the next five years. The KCNA said the members of the party central leadership "solemnly hardened their firm will to fulfill their heavy duty in the responsible journey for brilliantly carrying out the fighting program of the WPK." In a separate dispatch, the KCNA said Kim held a photo session with participants in the party congress against the background of the April 25 House of Culture, the venue of the party event. Kim expressed "belief and conviction that all the participants would play a vanguard role in the sFeb 27, 2026By Yonhap
April NK-US summit looms as both sides signal opennessSpeculation is growing over a possible summit between North Korea and the United States as both sides have recently signaled a willingness to engage in dialogue. Analysts say a bilateral meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may be possible in line with Trump’s planned visit to China in April. But they also say the chances of a summit resulting in tangible outcomes remain uncertain, as Pyongyang implied talks could take place only if certain conditions are met. The signal for potential talks came in Kim’s remarks during a policy review session from Friday to Saturday at the Ninth Congress of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea. "There is no reason for the two countries not to get along if the U.S. respects our country's current state as defined in the constitution and withdraws its hostile policy toward North Korea," Kim was quoted as saying by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Thursday. "The prospect of North Korea-U.S. relations totally depends on the U.S.' attitude ... We are prepared for peaceful coexistence or eternal conFeb 26, 2026By Bahk Eun-ji
