N. Korea promotes ski resort for foreign touristsNorth Korea on Thursday carried a state media report promoting a ski resort in the North's eastern region as a facility open to overseas tourists in apparent efforts to attract foreign visitors. Calling the Masikryong ski resort a "world-class" facility, the North said it welcomes tourists from various countries and is equipped with 10 slopes for international ski competitions, according to the report carried by the Cabinet-run Minju Joson paper. The ski resort also provides various facilities for visitors, such as a hotel equipped with a swimming pool and a massage room, as well as medical facilities and a helicopter landing field, according to the report. Built in 2013, the ski resort was used as a venue for joint training between South Korean and North Korean athletes ahead of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in 2018. Some Russian group tourists reportedly visited the ski resort amid deepening ties between Pyongyang and Moscow. The report comes as North Korea has been seeking to nurture the tourism industry in an apparent bid to earn much-needed foreign currency amid international sanctFeb 19, 2026By Yonhap
North Korean POWs grow desperate, putting Seoul in a difficult policy bind“The starting point was wanting to give them a chance to publicly say whether they truly want to be repatriated or not.” These were the words of Kim Young-mi, an international conflict journalist and producer of MBC’s investigative program “PD Notebook,” at a policy seminar in Seoul on Feb. 3, reflecting on the decision that brought two North Korean prisoners of war into South Korea’s public conversation. Kim recently broadcast interviews with two North Korean prisoners of war she met in Ukraine, stressing the urgency of humanitarian measures. The decision to not blur their faces — a move which she called a bold editorial gamble — prompted debate. The reaction was immediate. Although images and interviews had surfaced sporadically through Ukrainian authorities and domestic media, it was the first time their living conditions, fears of being sent back to North Korea and stated wish to go to South Korea were presented clearly on television. Public attention, and political interest, rose accordingly. At a seminar titled “How should South Korea respond to North Korean POWsFeb 19, 2026By Hankookilbo
Seoul, Pyongyang make rare exchange of statements over drone intrusionsA rare volley of official comments between Seoul and Pyongyang over alleged South Korean drone incursions into North Korea has raised cautious hopes of renewed communication, as Seoul steps up efforts to revive long-stalled inter-Korean ties. South Korea's Ministry of Unification said Thursday that it acknowleges the North's response to Seoul's official comments regarding the drone incident. "We take note of the North's swift response to the government's expression of regret over the drone incident and its announcement of measures to prevent a recurrence,” a ministry official said. "The preventive steps announced yesterday by the unification minister are intended to safeguard the safety and peace of both the South and the North." Cheong Wa Dae also commented on the North's response, saying it hopes "both sides will refrain from actions that escalate tensions in border areas and will work together to build peace." A day earlier, Unification Minister Chung Dong-young announced steps aimed at preventing civilian drone intrusions into the North, including reviewing the reinstatement of no-Feb 19, 2026By Lee Hyo-jin
Why North Korean POWs are rareAs attention focuses on the fate of the two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) held in Ukraine, questions arise over why there are so few captives from the reclusive state. Pyongyang sent around 11,000 soldiers to fight with Russian forces in the invasion of Ukraine in late 2024. At least 6,000 of them reportedly died not long after they began fighting in Russia's Kursk region in December 2024, as North Korean soldiers were wholly unprepared for Ukrainian drones, according to Ukrainian military and intelligence officials. Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) stated that North Korean troops were stationed in Kursk and continued to launch attacks on the Ukrainian border as of last month. The agency also said the North Korean soldiers are rotated regularly and around 3,000 have returned to North Korea to pass on skills they acquired on the battlefield. Currently, there are only two known North Korean POWs. In January 2025, Ukrainian authorities unveiled a video of the two captives, and South Korean broadcaster MBC's "PD Notebook" was able to interview them for a program that aireFeb 19, 2026By Kim Bo-eun
N. Korea launches 5th-stage construction of Pyongyang housing projectNorth Korea has launched the fifth-stage construction of its housing development project in Pyongyang, state media reported Thursday, just days after the completion of the fourth stage. "A ceremony of declaring the start of the fifth-stage construction in the Hwasong area took place with splendor" the previous day, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, adding the new construction starts in the run-up to the ninth congress of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). North Korea completed the fourth and the final stage of a major construction project to build 50,000 housing units in Pyongyang on Monday, aimed at addressing housing shortages and enhancing living standards. Under the pet project of leader Kim Jong-un, unveiled at the party congress in 2021, 10,000 living units were constructed in Pyongyang's Songsin and Songhwa districts in 2022 and an additional 40,000 units in the Hwasong district from 2023 to early 2026. The report came as North Korea is set to host the ninth party congress in late February, signaling the regime may unveil large-scale construction projects, along wFeb 19, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea presents 600 mm-caliber multiple rocket launchers ahead of party congressNorth Korea has staged a display of munition workers presenting 600 millimeter-caliber multiple rocket launchers to an upcoming key party congress, with leader Kim Jong-un vowing to unveil next-stage plans to strengthen the country's defense capabilities, state media reported Thursday. Workers of a leading munitions company manufactured 50 units of the main strike weapon and presented them to the Ninth Congress of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea at a ceremony in Pyongyang the previous day, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The 600 mm-caliber multiple rocket launcher, last tested in January with Kim present, has a range of about 400 kilometers, and the KCNA report indicates it may now be ready for field deployment. Photos released showed rows and columns of multiple rocket launchers in the yard of the April 25 House of Culture, the venue of the party congress, which the North has said will be held in late February. Delivering a speech, the North's leader hailed the weapon as the "world's most advantageous weapon for concentrated super-powerful attack," and said the upcoming cFeb 19, 2026By Yonhap
NK leader's sister hails Seoul's pledge to prevent drone incursions, vows stronger border vigilance: KCNAThe powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said Thursday she "highly appreciates" South Korea's pledge to prevent a recurrence of drone incursions into the North, vowing to step up the country's vigilance along the border with the South. Kim Yo-jong, a party vice department director, issued the statement via the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) a day after Unification Minister Chung Dong-young expressed "regret" over drone incursions into the North and announced a series of measures aimed at preventing a recurrence. "I highly appreciate Chung Dong-young, minister of unification of the ROK, officially acknowledged the ROK-born drone's provocative intrusion into the airspace of our country, expressing regret once again and willingness to prevent a recurrence," Kim said in the statement. ROK stands for the Republic of Korea, South Korea's official name. At a press conference the previous day, Chung acknowledged that, based on the results of an investigation, drones were sent to the North by South Korean individuals four times between last September and February, including two oFeb 19, 2026By Yonhap
S. Korea seeks to reinstate 'no-fly zone' to prevent civilian drone incursions into N. KoreaSouth Korea will actively seek to reinstate no-fly zones along its border with North Korea in a partial revival of the suspended 2018 inter-Korean military pact, Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said Wednesday, in a move aimed at preventing civilian drone flights into the North. The Ministry of National Defense also said it is reviewing the partial restoration of the military agreement in consultation with relevant government agencies and the United States. The announcement came five days after Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, urged Seoul to take steps to prevent further incursions. Speaking at a press conference, Chung said the government is reviewing steps to partially revive the military agreement from Sept. 19, 2018, which created buffer zones and flight restrictions aimed at reducing the risk of accidental clashes. "In coordination with military authorities, the government will proactively review and pursue the restoration of the Sept. 19 inter-Korean military agreement, including the possible reestablishment of no-fly zones, in order to pFeb 18, 2026By Lee Hyo-jin
N. Korea completes 50,000-unit housing construction project in Pyongyang: KCNANorth Korea said Tuesday it has completed a landmark housing project to build 50,000 apartment units in Pyongyang ahead of a party congress later this month. "The construction of 50,000 flats in Pyongyang, powerfully carried on as the top-priority task of the historic eighth congress of the Workers' Party of Korea, has been successfully concluded to be an epoch-making success in the new era of the comprehensive national rejuvenation," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The housing construction is a pet project of leader Kim Jong-un, unveiled at the 2021 congress of the Workers' Party of Korea, aimed at addressing housing shortages and enhancing living standards. Under the project, a total of 40,000 units were constructed in Pyongyang's Songsin and Songhwa districts in 2022 and in the Hwasong District from 2023 to 2025, with the remaining 10,000 completed recently. Kim attended an inauguration ceremony for the completion of the project with his daughter Ju-ae, Monday, according to the KCNA. At the ceremony, Kim said the North will unfold a "more gigantic construction project," addFeb 17, 2026By Yonhap
North Korea opens street for families of soldiers killed in Russia-Ukraine warNorth Korea has built new homes in Pyongyang for the bereaved family members of North Korean soldiers who died during the Russia-Ukraine war, its state media said Monday. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended the opening ceremony of the new street called Saeppyol Street, Sunday, accompanied by his daughter Ju-ae and officials. In his speech at the ceremony, Kim said the new street "has been built thanks to the ardent desire of our motherland that wishes that the precious lives of its excellent sons, who defended the most sacred things by sacrificing their most valuable things, will live forever." Describing the street as "a source of honor for our generation and a pride of Pyongyang and our state," he said it is for "the bereaved family members of the fallen soldiers and other combatants, as well as the combatants of the regiment of the engineers, who have been dispatched to the overseas military operations." "The Party and the government will take all necessary steps to ensure that these families lead a proud and worthwhile life while enjoyiFeb 16, 2026By Yonhap
